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Comparing Windows and Ubuntu On Netbooks

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the little-bit-of-this-and-that dept.

Barence writes "With the arrival last month of Ubuntu 10.10 Netbook Edition, PC Pro has revisited a familiar question: which operating system is best for a netbook?. The magazine has run a series of benchmarks on a Asus Eee PC 1008HA running Windows XP Home, two versions of Windows 7 (with and without Aero switched on) and Ubuntu Netbook Edition. The operating systems are tested for start-up performance, Flash handling and video, among other tests. The results are closer than you might think."

9 of 317 comments (clear)

  1. Can you even buy a netbook without windows? by elwinc · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Can you even buy a netbook without windows?

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    --- Often in error; never in doubt!
    1. Re:Can you even buy a netbook without windows? by Beardo+the+Bearded · · Score: 2, Interesting

      That's not really a helpful answer. First, I already OWN the netbook. I was waiting for a power upgrade, so I got a dual-core netbook when it was first available. It's also got the anti-glare screen, not the crappy glossy garbage you see everywhere.

      Next, it's not even cheaper. System76 is $385 US before shipping and it looks like roughly the same book as what I have. Mine was $320 CDN in town -- and when the prices HERE are cheaper, it's a lot cheaper elsewhere. I will pick up some of the Ubuntu stickers, though, so that was helpful. ;) ZaReason starts at $450 US for their netbooks. That's the old single-core processor, too. Both your examples cost more, so where is that MS tax going?

      Now, not everyone lives in the US. To ship something to where I live (Canada) is expensive and time-consuming. I can't drive down to the US to pick something up either, as it requires a ferry ride and about a day. (It would run me about $250 to go to the US.) Shipping to Canada will run me in the neighbourhood of $100 after UPS decides to broker it, customs decides to tax and duty it, etc.

      Now don't get the wrong idea here -- in order to install Ubuntu, you have to remember that you're playing a different game altogether. You're not just buying a computer to use as an appliance, you're buying a toy to play with that requires tweaks and fixes to work properly. I have a nice bicycle; I enjoy working on her (yes, my bike has a name) and maintaining her in top form is part of the fun of owning a bike, at least as far as I am concerned. I like rebuilding and truing the wheels. I like adjusting the various bits until they work just the way I want them to. I like owning the tools and the equipment to do it right. I like knowing what all the parts are and how they work together to make a machine that runs better and faster than anything you can buy stock. The same with a computer -- part of the fun of owning one is getting a chance to muck about with it and enjoy it. When I get these things working properly (and I will, it is just a matter of time) and write a thread on "So you bought an NF210 and want to run Ubuntu" for the forums, I'll know that it was me that put the pieces together and figured out how to get my netbook working.

      That doesn't mean that U:NR isn't without flaws -- it is. But like a jewel or a person, those flaws are what makes it endearing, precious, and unique.

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      ---
      ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.
  2. Ubuntu runs Great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I recently "fixed" a friends netbook. He compressed his windows file directory when he ran out of space...because he didn't know any better. (Yeah, I know...)

    All he cares about is the internet (namely facebook) and his too Ipods. I didn't have to show him a thing. The netbook version of Ubuntu runs faster and is fairly intuitive to his needs. While he isn't your grandma when it comes to computers, he's not exactly the "usual" linux user.

    I know I'm preaching to the choir but hey man, netbook ubuntu rules!

  3. Six months down the line... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I think the real test should be done after six months of regular use and service packs and updates installed. At this point the windows machine will have its registry so bloated that it will take twice the time for most operations. After one year to one year and a half, the best way to go is to reboot the machine.

    This doesn't happen to Ubuntu installations.

    Also, when your applications are fighting for CPU cycles with virus and malware, your machine feels much slower... and we know a hight percentage of windows installations end up in that situation while exactly 0% of the Ubutu machines do.

    1. Re:Six months down the line... by b0bby · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Ubuntu typically fails at the next distribution upgrade, though. That's a pretty big problem.

      I just did a dist upgrade on my EEE from 10.4 to 10.10 to check out the new interface; it was pretty painless. Took a while, because it's running from a 4GB SDHC card, but it upgraded cleanly and runs quite well. I still use XP on it most of the time, just because for web browsing it doesn't really matter what you're running.

  4. Re:OS X on MacBook Air by Kjella · · Score: 2, Interesting

    That is not the netbook segment. It's the ultraportable segment, which has existed for a long, long time but at prices that made you cringe.

    --
    Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
  5. HP Quickweb, Android / ChromeOS/ WebOS by Media_Scumbag · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I bought an HP Mini that ships with Quickweb - a highly optimized Linux-based alternative to the Windows Starter also installed. It handles email, Skype, media, Web-surfing (Firefox "lite"), and it boots in about 10 seconds. It has a pretty painless "integration" with Windows too, so even novice users can choose what suits them best for a given task. For many netbook customers, all they really ever need is something like this. Supposedly, a ChromeOS netbook will drop any day, and Android tablets have been popping up on the radar. If HP gets its' act together and drops a netbook/tablet with an SSD and WebOS, it could undercut the iPad and the become the darling of the low-priced, entry-level set. Dual-boot takes care of any enterprise requirements, such as a Citrix client, W32 apps, etc.

  6. Re:Use Lubuntu (ligthweight ubuntu) instead by MonsterTrimble · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'm with you on checking out LXDE-based Distros, although my previous experience with Lubuntu was not overly pleasent on my old laptop. Long story short it just wasn't polished enough and had stuff that just didn't work - namely wireless. I have found Kubuntu + LXDE pretty much the sweet spot between speed and usability. Although I will say I much prefer Opera to Chromium. Twice the features and just as fast.

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    I call it 'The Aristocrats'
  7. Antivirus inclusive? by devent · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Do they have included an anti-virtus application that needs to be installed and constantly running in the background for Windows XP and Windows 7?

    Do they have included in the benchmark that in Windows 7 Starter edition the user can't even change the desktop background and the Visual Styles? Furthermore, if you are a small business user you have to buy the more expensive Windows 7 Professional edition so you can use your Windows in your network.

    Not only you don't need the constant performance drain anti-virus but all Ubuntu versions are Enterprise versions.

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    http://www.mueller-public.de - My site http://www.anr-institute.com/ - Advanced Natural Research Institute