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Ubuntu NVIDIA Graphics Driver: Windows Competitive, But Only With KDE

Posted by timothy on from the layers-to-work-through dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The NVIDIA Linux driver across multiple GeForce graphics cards can compete with Microsoft Windows 7 on Ubuntu, but only when using the KDE desktop and not the default Unity/Compiz. It turns out based upon recent desktop environment benchmarking, Ubuntu's Unity desktop is now noticeably slower than GNOME/KDE/Xfce/LXDE with multiple GPUs/drivers. Sam Spilsbury of Canonical/Compiz acknowledges the problem but it may take longer than one Ubuntu cycle to correct."

10 of 306 comments (clear)

  1. Two statements: by aussersterne · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Linux advocate:

    "It may be slower, but you're not stuck with anything Windows-like and you can fix the code yourself!"

    Prospective user:

    "Wait... It's slower, AND it doesn't work like Windows, AND you want me to fix the code myself?!"

    --
    STOP . AMERICA . NOW
    1. Re:Two statements: by Nikker · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If you're charging +$90/hr then, well ya I would suggest that.

      Hell I set up Ubuntu 12.04 + Cairo-Dock + VMWare Workstation 9.0 on a computer illiterate friends computer with a Win7 Guest in about an hour on a quad core with a decent HDD. Then I showed her the dock and some wobbly windows and she basically taught her self she was so into it.

      Funny thing is I don't even make close to your pay grade. You should start to wonder if you are really worth it.

      --
      A loop, by its nature, continues. If that didn't make sense, start reading this sentence again.
    2. Re:Two statements: by Patch86 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You're pretty well paid. If you applied that logic to everything in your life, you'd struggle to get much done. "Making a coffee takes 10 minutes, which is $20 of my time. Coffee from a shop costs less than $20, so I better not make myself a coffee- it'd be a waste of my time!".

      No wonder really rich people need to pay servants to do things for them; their own self-worth must be crippling.

  2. Ubuntu Unity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Im sorry, but can we finally admit that Unity is a mistake. I tried (REALLY TRIED) to like unity. Its not that bad after all, but it was a step BACKWARDS. Couple that with all of the GNOME devs going Batsh**t crazy and creating GNOME3 and we have a problem. KDE is where I live now, but I miss my GNOME2. For me this is just one more nail in the coffin of Unity. Dont get me wrong though, I can see myself going to Unity in a few years, but that is a LOOOONG time as far as Linux is concerned. There are just too many issues with it right now.

    1. Re:Ubuntu Unity by MrEricSir · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Dont get me wrong though, I can see myself going to Unity in a few years, but that is a LOOOONG time as far as Linux is concerned. There are just too many issues with it right now.

      Don't worry, by the time Unity's stability begins to materialize, they'll have lost interest and moved on to something else. Such is the way of the Linux desktop.

      --
      There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
  3. Re:Remember that thread from the other day... by BMOC · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The average desktop user is disappointed when they only get 347 FPS instead of 422 FPS on their 1080P 3D-accelerated desktop? This is news to me.

    --
    I swear they give me mod points to shut me up.
  4. Re:Remember that thread from the other day... by Hatta · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is a problem with Ubuntu on the desktop, not Linux. Install Debian and whatever window manager you want and you have a perfectly useable Linux desktop.

    --
    Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
  5. Re:Remember that thread from the other day... by lister+king+of+smeg · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ubuntu is fine one you rip out unity. Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu with mate desktop, all work great just because unity and gnome are a flaming pile doesn't make the rest bad. apt-get purge unity && apt-get install anything-else(except gnome3) problem solved.

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    ---Saying gnome 3 is better than windows 8 not so much a compliment as it is damning with light praise.
  6. Desktop linux, not linux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You keep saying "linux" when you really mean "desktop linux". Two points on that:

    1. Linux is an entire world of computing, and desktop linux is actually a small part of that world. Linux is first a multi-user unix-like OS, and second everything else. Since when has a multi-user unix-like OS excelled at being a consumer-oriented desktop system? Never. They excell at being workstations and servers, and require a competant admin. That's just the reality of it, so why do you think it needs to be changed?

    2. You (and others) keep implying that desktop linux is worthless ("period"), when people like me have been using it for 15 years and wouldn't even consider switching to a consumer OS. What you really mean is that it doesn't hold up as a consumer-oriented OS, and I'll be the first to admit that you're right. CONGRATULATIONS.

  7. Re:Remember that thread from the other day... by Grishnakh · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is exactly right. So many people are bitching about Unity and Gnome3, all this would be moot if they'd just dump that crap and make KDE the default desktop, and different distros customize the many configuration options in it to their liking. KDE can be made to look and act very different with the config options and themes (and of course users can use that as a starting point and make further tweaks easily in "System Settings"). People who want something lighterweight can use XFCE or whatever, so that can be offered as an alternative to KDE in some distros.

    Why all the distros are so in love with Gnome, I have no idea.