What is better, windows 7 or Linux Ubuntu? What are the differences?

Question

What is better, windows 7 or Linux Ubuntu? What are the differences?

Answer 1

Hi there,



There is no "better" operating system. It depends upon what you are going to be using your computer for as they are both good.



You will probably be happier with Windows 7 since it supports much more hardware and commercial software.



Linux Ubuntu is fine for surfing the web, e-mail and it comes with Open Office which is very similar to Microsoft Office. There are a lot of (free) apps you can add to Ubuntu also Ubuntu updates itself automatically ( it asks you first and if you agree it updates easily).

Ubuntu does not have drivers for all hardware (especially printers, scanners and wireless cards).



Personally I prefer LInux Mint over Ubuntu since it seems to have more drivers than Ubuntu in the install. I have Ubuntu on a laptop and Mint on a desktop and they both work OK but Mint is based upon Ubuntu and uses the same repositories but has a more "windowslike" desktop.



My suggestion would be to try Linux as a "live CD" before installing. That way you can see if it supports all your hardware first. If you like the live CD both Linux distros offer installing "within windows" (In a file within Windows) which provide a dual boot startup and can be removed in 'add/remove programs" from windows.



If it were me I would just get Windows 7 Home Premium as it will do everything you want and run all your hardware. Even though Ubuntu has a 'cooler" name.



Hope this helps,

Al

Answer 2

I got windows 7 and installed Ubuntu 10.10 along side it. - I got ubuntu for the simple fact that I enjoy fiddling with other OS's.



If you already have Windows 7 installed then honestly no reason to install ubuntu unless you just want to try something different(you can run ubuntu off of the cd without installing it to try it out)



And honestly even if you have vista or xp and are trying to decide weather to fork out the money for windows 7 or try ubuntu(free) your still better off with Windows 7.



Windows 7 is a huge improvement over vista. And of course just about any software made is compatible with windows.



Your not going to notice in big difference in performance between Windows 7 and Ubuntu 10.10(aside from ubuntu starts up much faster)



Although ubuntu is a nice OS that comes with a good amount of software pre-installed and has the ability to run SOME windows programs in it, your just going to have a better overall experience with Windows 7.



Many of the free programs & games that you can get for ubuntu are also available for windows(Open office, gimp, openarena etc..)



In my opinion there is no other real reason to install ubuntu instead of windows UNLESS you don't have the money and don't want to do much besides Internet, SOME games, word processing and listen to music.

Answer 3

Ubuntu is a great little OS, but doesn't associate with most software. If all you use your computer for is internet browsing, e-mail, etc, it'll work just fine. It also comes with the Open Office suite, Firefox,etc and allot more. But it you need to use any of the Windows based programs, it just won't do. Win7 is compatible with just about any software that you could ever need. It is also very fast and feature rich. So it just depends on what you do with your system.

Answer 4

The most common operating system is windows hence many programs work well with it.All pc games and programs are compatible with windows.Windows 7 is good but provided that you have enough ram to use it.It uses a lot of ram for itself hence if you play games lees will be available to them.2 gb shall be ok but the more the better.

Answer 5

Benchmarked: Ubuntu vs Vista vs Windows 7

http://www.tuxradar.com/node/33



I thoroughly recommend Linux Mint 9 Main Edition which is based upon Ubuntu 10.04 Its easy to install and use plus it comes with much of the software you are likely to need preinstalled



Linux Mint 9 Download

http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=52



The Perfect Desktop - Linux Mint 9 (Isadora)

http://www.howtoforge.com/the-perfect-desktop-linux-mint-9-isadora



Linux Mint 9 User Guide pdf.

http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_isadora.php



Alternatively install Linux Mint as a dual-boot with Windows using mint4win without partitioning mint4win works the same as Wubi (Ubuntu) as described below

http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/wubi



You keep Windows as it is, mint4win only adds an extra option to boot into Linux Mint. mint4win does not require you to modify the partitions of your PC, or to use a different bootloader, and does not install special drivers. It works just like any other application.



mint4win keeps most of the files in one folder, and if you do not like it, you can simply uninstall it as any other application.



Boot in to windows insert the Linux Mint LiveCD and you will offered the option of installing inside windows which is where the mint4win installer comes in, you will be asked how many gigabytes you wish to allocate to Linux Mint (I recommend 8gb) then you set a password for your installation then click install and thats it.



Once Linux Mint is fully installed upon starting your PC you will be given a choice of which operating system you want to use Windows or Linux Mint



also worth considering is Linux Mint 10 which is based upon Ubuntu 10.10



Linux Mint 10 Download

http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=67



The Perfect Desktop - Linux Mint 10 (Julia)

http://www.howtoforge.com/the-perfect-desktop-linux-mint-10-julia



Linux Mint 10 User Guide pdf.

http://linuxmint.com/rel_julia.php



You download the ISO. image of Linux Mint 9 or Linux Mint 10 then you need to create a Bootable LiveCD for installation



Linux Mint 9 and Linux Mint 10 and can also be run direct from the LiveCD from Booting up without touching your Hard Drive





LUg.

Answer 6

both have their own positives and negatives .. but i recomens using pirated 7 is not good .. prefer original linux



on the other hand , windows is more compatible with more softwares

Answer 7

Mac OS X is better. :) LOL