Which Operating System is most suitablefor home use - Windows XP or Ub

[Tracey__]

As part of my IT Diploma course, I have to complete a Higher Project that involves answering a question in the form of a report. I chose the question, "Which Operating System is most suitable for home use - Windows XP or Ubuntu?". I chose this question as I find the many Operating Systems interesting. However, I'm not very advanced when it comes down to the technical side of the Operating Systems.

I currently have Ubuntu 8.10 installed on my laptop, with Virtual Machines, Windows XP and Windows 2000 - so I do have slight knowledge and experience on both of the Operating Systems. I must say, I have only recently discovered Ubuntu last year, so I'm a little rusty when it comes to Ubuntu and how it works - I'm much more familiar with Windows.

I have to obtain primary research for my report; I thought I'd use ubuntuforums to do this. I am considering writing about the following in my report:

* Word processing

* Gaming

* Installation process

* Internet use

I need some opinions from users off this forum as part of my primary research. This will benefit me, as I can use possibly all of the research obtained from here in my report. Please don't try to be one sided, and if you haven't used one of the operating systems before, please just give me feedback on the one you haved/do use.

Thanks,

Tracey.

[andsome]

The question is IMPOSSIBLE to answer. It is a matter of personal choice, and depends on people who have tried both systems. Personally, I have never tried Ubuntu and have no intention of doing so, and am perfectly happy with Windows. Some will have tried both and would choose Ubuntu, others will prefer Windows. I would ask you to answer a similar question. How long is a piece of string? :D

[Hb_Kai]

If this can be answered at all, then I'd go with a Windows OS. They are much easier for beginners to learn how to use, you don't throw yourself into advanced things like scripts, the terminal, packages, and all that. Lots more stuff is compatible with Windows OS'.

Especially when it comes to games. It's possible to play games on Ubuntu but they aren't made for a Ubuntu system therefore they aren't going to be as good and easy to play on as a Windows computer.

[catgate]

I have used both Windows and Ubuntu. I used W98SE as my only operating system until a couple of years ago when I started taking Linux more seriously. The reason I stuck to W98SE for so long was that there were always tales of woe about its successors, like NT, ME. 2000, XP, and I had got W98SE almost under control!!

I tried one or two Linux varieties and finally settled on Ubuntu Gnome because it seemed easier to use than others I had tried. It also helped that it was more slanted towards GUI than most of the others.

I may be living in a fools paradise, but, since I have got accustomed to Ubuntu, and its ways, I have almost lost the "need to back up every day" paranoia that accompanied Windows, and have become accustomed to sitting behind a good router firewall with an absence of boll weevils and spam. Though the latter may owe more to Mozilla then Ubuntu.

The other benefit of Ubuntu is the absence of M$ greed and it accompanying restrictive nastiness.

There is another facet of Ubuntu that I like and that is that it "cleans up" after itself. Windows always needed its bottom wiping, and even then it would leave an endless trail of redundant used .dll files all over.

edit:_

I suspect that if Linux had spun off from Unix and developed a GUI, before Windows and its GUI came along, then we would have had a reversal of the present situation and the difficult thing now would be "learning Windows", because working in DOS was not too dissimilar to working in a LInux terminal.

[Hb_Kai]

This post actually got me thinking quite a bit... I think for the more absolute beginners, it doesn't matter.

If you gave a Ubuntu computer to someone who has never used a computer before - they could learn all about what a script is, what abbreviations mean what, how to use the Terminal and securing a computer.

If you gave one to someone using Windows - they would learn how to click next, how to secure their computer and install things life firewalls etc.

I don't really think it matters for those who've never before used a computer but for some people that have used Windows for a little while - they may find it harder. It's easier to secure Linux related operating systems, easier to do most other stuff. Windows gives the same type of ease for most things that you need to mention in your answer expect for gaming.

After there being debates on Ubuntu Brainstorm and other such websites, people have started taking serious games and making newer versions of them compatible with Linux and Windows and making them free and open-source.

So Ubuntu is more for communities - Windows is more for personal or industry use. I think...

[Seshomaru Samma]

I agree with andsome

Also , "Word Processing" is hardly a part of the OS, you can run MS word or Open Office on both Linux and XP (though naturally MS word runs better on XP).

For Gaming - there are more games made for Windows for sure, but that has nothing to do with the OS but more to do with the way the market works.

Installation process- there are differences here of course. Ubuntu has a variety of installation options. Ideally everything should be installed through synaptic (or apt) which would make it very simple, but in practice sometimes (quite rarely these days) you still need to compile stuff -mostly obscure drivers which will be very difficult for your average user (mind you I know quite a lot of average users who find it difficult to install MS Office).

Internet use - these days this mostly depends on applications such as the browser you use or your IM client and not so much on the OS

If you gave a Ubuntu computer to someone who has never used a computer before - they could learn all about what a script is, what abbreviations mean what, how to use the Terminal and securing a computer.

If you gave someone a computer with Ubuntu preinstalled they wouldn't have to use the terminal ever

[Dencandy]

Tracey, if I had to answer that question I'd start by jotting down some sub-headings:

- what does "most suitable" mean?

- ditto for "home user".

- then divide home users into 3 groups: inexperienced, experienced, in-between.

- then I'd jot down what a person in each group is likely to want to do with their computer: typing, studying, gaming, communicating, etc, etc.

Conclusion: there's no single right answer - it depends what the home user wants to do with their computer.

[Tracey__]

Thanks for the posts so far, it's nice to hear what you think.

[johnoo]

Tracey,

You should/could also refer in your project to the crossover between Home and Industrial use. I think Windows is used more by Industrial/ Commercial companies than Umbantu, therfore it is imperative that newcomers have a sound knowledge of this as an Operating System.

[jimc]

xp :P

[Alan2273]

Like Catgate I too have been running Linux distros for some years now.

I also keep a Windows box running specifically for games, (mainly for the wifes games).

As to ease of use, possibly Windows with its point and click, but Linux is far safer without having to run all the protection programs that Windows needs.

If it came preinstalled on a computer and all you used it for was E-mails, word processing/Spreadsheets and browsing the web then Linux every time, but for gaming definitely Windows.