Canonical Ubuntu vs. Windows 10

With the release of Windows 10, the one that is advertised as best microsoft operating systemLinux users will wonder how Windows 10 would end up if we compared it to Ubuntu, the most popular distro in the Linux world. We will try to center the comparison and analysis Ubuntu vs Windows 10 in several fields of the most interesting.

These fields in which we will focus and that are the ones that most concern or interest people are the performance, compatibility, convergence and privacy. As the convergence has not yet come in the current Ubuntu version, we will try to compare both systems with the data we have of the convergence that Canonical intends to implement, a full convergence that may not even arrive in Ubuntu 16.04 in a total way, but in part. 

Ubuntu vs Windows performance

Microsoft has done a good job on Windows 10 in this aspect, in fact, Windows 8 was more conflictive in this aspect than a more modern operating system, which generally must consume more resources. Well no, Windows 10 needs quite normal requirements:

To perform this comparison I have used two old Acer laptops. On which I have installed Windows 10 64-bit has more powerful hardware: AMD Turion64 RM70 2Ghz dual-core with 4GB of DDR2 RAM, ATI Radeon HD3200 GPU and 320GB hard drive. While Ubuntu 14.10 64-bit I have it installed on an AMD Turion64 MK30 1Ghz single core, 2GB of DDR RAM, 120GB of hard disk and ATI Radeon Xpress 1100 GPU. As you can see, the performance between the two should be quite evident ...

Well, if we get to the point, Windows 10 is not so smooth despite the hardware as is Ubuntu on the other laptop. And this is not an invention of linuxeros, it is the harsh reality, no matter who it weighs. If it is true that with Windows 8 it was even slower and heavier, despite the fact that this system was not like the failure of Vista. But in terms of performance, Linux continues to win and it is almost laughable to compare the two.

What if I do the opposite, install Windows 10 on the most primitive hardware laptop and Ubuntu on the most powerful? Well Ubuntu wins the battle by far (and that it is not the lightest distro), but I doubt very much that Windows 10 was fluid, and much less if it does not work in the other (even disconnecting the transparencies of the interface and disabling some startup services so that it starts faster). The benchmarks that can be seen on the net also give better results for Ubuntu ...

Ubuntu vs Windows compatibility

It is true that there are more drivers for Windows or more hardware that manufacturers make to be compatible with Windows. That there is the percentage of hardware compatible with these operating systems coincides with their position in terms of market share is no accident. Manufacturers are forced or interested in more hardware compatible with Windows since it dominates the market, the next objective is OS X that occupies the second place and Linux the third ...

But lately compatibility problems like before have already disappeared almost completely, and much more in the case of Ubuntu, since Canonical, being one of the great ones, works closely with various hardware manufacturers to offer you the best experience with auto-detection or simple driver installations so that everything works as expected. first and properly. In fact, an HP Laserjet All-n-One printer that Ubuntu recognized as soon as I plugged it in and allowed me to use it quickly, Windows gave problems and some system updates had to be done before everything worked properly.

In the case of software, again there are more developers interested in the Microsoft platform for its dominance in the market and this is especially true in the field of video games. But if you are regulars on this blog, you will see that this changes little by little. There are also business solutions that Linux lacks or that must be tailored for certain companies, while for Windows they already exist.

Does that mean Ubuntu or any other distro lacks software? Not at all, there are many alternatives with the advantage that most are free and there are no licenses to pay, including some business solutions. Windows 10 wins this battle, with more interest from developers and with its compatibility mode you can run programs for older versions of Windows. The Linux solution needs to grow so that it begins to be given the attention it deserves ... Although, of course, it has millions of projects and developers who work in a remunerated or altruistic way so that the balance is balanced more each day in favor of Linux and of great help is for example the Wine project or the Steam platform.

Ubuntu vs Windows convergence

It is not fair to make this comparison with the current versions of Ubuntu, since in this sense Windows 10 would take all the points, since the convergence has not reached Canonical's system and has reached Microsoft's. However, the data that is coming in can be used to see what the future of this comparison could be.

Canonical had the idea first, but due to the delays it has not been the one that has been advanced in the launch. Microsoft, with many more resources, has launched its project to be ready in Windows 10 and although it seems that it has won the mercantile strategy by being the first, it may not have won the technical battle, since Canonical can now correct the errors that Microsoft has generated and launch a better product, although later. In fact, he has no other choice, if he arrives badly and late, he is lost. Canonical must do something spectacular.

Canonical has the same obstacles against iOS and Android as Microsoft, in this sense they are even. The great dominance of Android and iOS is a burden for Ubuntu Phone and Windows Phone to expand and we can enjoy full convergence with these mobile devices and our desktops. I say this because the issue of convergence can take a backseat as we do not have devices with these systems, since most of us use Android or iOS ...

That said, the truth is that Microsoft has worked on an interesting project to make Android and iOS apps compatible, along with Win and Web apps to create a great universal platform that is compatible with all of them in your operating system. This is a great achievement, which together with the convergence to work interchangeably with a desktop computer or with a smartphone, have meant that Windows 10 has an advantage.

Privacy Ubuntu vs Windows

Security and flexibility are other great advantages why Linux it sweeps servers and supercomputers, as well as being the preferred choice of large companies, governments and organizations. You do not see a strong rivalry with Windows Server or OS X, since in this sense Linux is unrivaled. And another of the benefits of free and open source software that should be added is Privacy, which may concern individuals, but should terrify companies and other organizations that have valuable data.

If there are security holes created on purpose by governments or organizations like the NSA, at least open software gives you the opportunity to detect and fix it, closed software does not. Perhaps this is a chimera for the rest of mortals, but sooner or later they usually come to light. With the software closed you are sold to the same bidder to which the company that develops it has been sold. And the data is at the mercy of anyone ...

In this respect, Windows suspends on a very bad note, in addition to the amount of closed software that is usually used on these platforms. But this bad note can be overcome and Microsoft has achieved it with Windows 10, which is the system that collects the most data from the user. Imagine a country that can spy on your personal data and obtain a lot of information about you, tastes, routines, events, etc. Can you imagine that such data could be used politically or that business information could be used so that other companies in which the government has an interest could gain a competitive advantage in the market? It would be terrible.

But against Ubuntu, it must be said that it is not the safest distro and that it has also been accused of having spyware by Richard Stallman. The disappeared Ubuntu cloud or certain apps included in Ubuntu such as the Amazon search engine (eliminated in Unity 8) that collect information about the user and even the closed software that can be used in this distro, do not help Ubuntu. However, despite this, Ubuntu beats Windows 10 by a landslide and even other previous Windows that were less critical.

The companies, organizations, governments and users will be more secure with Ubuntu. I would choose it without hesitation. And I repeat, the freedom of open source allows you to change whatever you want if there is something to change ... As if this were not enough, the default configuration of Linux is more secure than any default configuration of Windows, something to have into account for those users who do not have knowledge to mount a firewall, or an IPS, UTM, fiddle with the * config files to change configurations, etc.

Proprietary drivers, closed software, the Amazon search engine and security holes is what Ubuntu has against. And against this, what does Windows 10 have against? Yes this makes the operating system smarter and more user friendly, but you have to weigh the comfort and the risks involved. It is more comfortable to sit still than to go for a walk every day, but maybe one day your heart will say goodbye ... That's why I list all the information gathering functions that Windows 10 has and you weigh the risks:

• The apps use your advertising ID: They use user information to, according to their preferences, offer advertising more in line with your profile. Do you remember the agencies that called you on the phone to conduct surveys that they later sold to large corporations?
• Smartscreen filter: This sends information about addresses that you visit within apps purchased from the Microsoft Store. Google also does not get rid of this in its Store, only that in the case of Google it does it locally and Smartscreen sends them to the network.
• Send information on how you write (How to meet me): to improve text auto-completion, data about your writing is sent ... It may smell like a keylogger.
• Edge collects information about your localization and language: to offer local content more appropriate to your language.
• Windows offers information about your location to your apps: some apps use your location to offer certain content more appropriate to your geographical position, but you will be eternally located. It is something like what we find on Android or iOS, but on a desktop computer.
• Cortana: record your voice, your location, what you write, your contacts, your calendar events, record searches, store our information in the cloud, etc. Something similar to what Siri or Google Now does.
• WiFi sensor: Allows connection to a WiFi network without asking for a password. It does so through Facebook, Outlook or Skype accounts. A great idea to "chorice" the WiFi without even having to ask for the password.
• Synchronization: Windows 10 stores a lot of your data in the cloud. That is why it is mandatory to have an email account to synchronize. Thus, you share wallpapers, some personal data, passwords, accessibility settings, etc.
• Updates yes or yes: Windows 10 does not allow the ability to disable automatic updates in the Home versions. That is, the software that they want will be installed whether you want it or not, as long as you are connected.
• BitTorrent-style Windows Update: yes, as you hear, Windows Update has implemented a technology so that others can download updates using your bandwidth. This sharing method makes updating faster, but it hurts your line speed.
• Comments and diagnosis: collects information about your installed software and sends information on error events, although this is already done by other operating systems. But Windows 10 goes further and for its "Diagnosis and use of data" it also sends information on the frequency of use of applications, memory captures that can include very relevant data as parts of the document with which we are working, etc. And the worst thing is that except for the Enterprise version, they do not allow deactivating it.
• Windows Finder: It compiles information on what you are looking for to speed up the search and it also indexes the content of your hard drives and even the content of documents to be able to search for words within them. This was already offered in versions such as Windows 7 or Windows 8.
• Connected devices: It also collects information on devices connected to a network (tablets, smartphones, ...).
• And something escapes us more surely ...

Conclusion

Ubuntu vs Windows? It is not because we are a blog of Linux, but it is the best choice. Due to its versatility, the hopes placed in the convergence of Ubuntu surpass the somewhat light that Windows 10 leaves us, for security and performance reasons, but above all for ethics and morals. If we do not consider that privacy is a right, turn off and let's go.

If you are an avid gamer (due to the number of games and the addition of the Xbox platform to Win 10), a Windows fanatic, you are passionate about the new features included in Windows 10 such as its voice assistant Cortana, you cannot wait any longer for convergence and you want to try Continuum now, because entonces Windows 10 is your platform.