Window of opportunity
Ubuntu is a widely popular open source Linux distribution with eight
years of maturity under its belt, and more than 20 million users. Of the
roughly 5% of desktop OSs accounted for by Linux, at least one survey
suggests that about half are Ubuntu. (Windows, meanwhile, accounts for
about 84%.)
The timing of this latest Ubuntu release couldn't be better for
Windows users faced with the paradigm-busting Windows 8 and the big
decision of whether to take the plunge.
Initial uptake of Windows 8 has been unenthusiastic, according to
some reports, and a full 80% of businesses will never adopt it, Gartner
predicted. As a result, Microsoft's big gamble may be desktop Linux's
big opportunity.
So, now that Canonical has thrown down the gauntlet, let's take a
closer look at Ubuntu 12.10 to see how it compares with Windows 8 from a
business user's perspective.
1. Unity vs. Modern UI
Both Microsoft and Canonical have received considerable flak for the
default user interfaces in their respective OSs. In Microsoft's case, of
course, it's the Modern UI, formerly known as Metro; in Canonical's
case, it's Unity. Both are designed with touchscreens in mind, and
borrow heavily from the mobile world.
By removing the Start button and overhauling the way users interact
with the operating system, Windows 8's Modern interface poses a
considerable challenge for users, who face a significant learning curve.
Unity, on the other hand, became a default part of Ubuntu back in
April 2011 with Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal. It has definitely undergone
growing pains, but more than a year has passed, and Canonical has
revised the interface accordingly. Although it still has numerous
critics, most people concede that it has matured and improved. Some
observers, in fact, have even suggested that it may feel more familiar
to many longtime Windows users than does Windows 8.
2. Customization
Linux has long been known for its virtually limitless
customisability, but given the current controversy surrounding desktop
interfaces, that feature has become more salient than ever.
This is a point on which Windows 8 and Ubuntu differ considerably.
Yes, Windows 8 does allow users to customise some aspects of their
environment, such as by specifying the size of Live Tile icons, moving
commonly used tiles to the left side of the screen, or grouping tiles by
program type.
Most of the changes you can make in Windows 8, however, are largely
cosmetic, and they don't include a built-in way to set the OS to boot to
the traditional Windows desktop. A growing assortment of third-party
utilities such as Pokki can restore that capability, but otherwise
you're stuck with Modern UI. Windows 8 offers what you might call a
"tightly coupled" interfacein other words, one that you can't change
substantially.
Ubuntu's Unity, in contrast, is more of a loosely coupled UI. First
and foremost, you can easily replace it with any one of several free
alternatives, including KDE, Xfce, LXDE, GNOME 3 Shell, Cinnamon, and
MATE.
Also available for Unity are third-party customisation tools,
including the increasingly popular Ubuntu Tweak, while a raft of look
sites are available for myriad Linux interfaces with a variety of themes
to change the desktop's appearance.
The rule of thumb with Linux in general and Ubuntu in particular is,
if you don't like it, swap in something else. Also worth mentioning is
the fact that Ubuntu supports multiple workspaces, essentially letting
you run up to four different desktops; Windows 8 Pro does not.
3. Apps
Whereas Windows 8 Pro comes bundled with Microsoft's Internet
Explorer 10 browser, Ubuntu comes with a wide assortment of open source
software packages such as Firefox, Thunderbird, LibreOffice, and more,
offering both individual and business users a pretty full suite of
functionality.
Beyond those bundled programs, both Ubuntu and Windows 8 offer app stores to help users find the additional software they need.
Dating back to 2009, the Ubuntu Software Center now houses more than
40,000 apps, ranging from games to productivity tools to educational
resources. In addition, by using Wine or CodeWeaver's CrossOver, you can
run Windows programs on top of Linux.
The Windows Store just launched with Windows 8, and at the time of
its debut it included just over 9,000 apps. Microsoft execs have said
that they hope to provide 100,000 apps in the Windows Store within 90
days of the Windows launch.
Operating system binaries and drivers, however, will not come from
the Windows Store. Rather, it will have both Windows RT (ARM) apps and
Windows desktop (legacy) apps. Entries for legacy desktop apps in the
Windows Store will take users to separate sites where they can purchase
or download the apps. Ubuntu's repository, on the other hand, centrally
stores all operating system and app binaries and drivers.
As a result, aside from numbers, a key difference between the two app stores involves security. Ubuntu provides a GNU Privacy Guard (GnuPG)
keyring-protected repository system wherein each application and driver
has a unique keyring identity to verify its authenticity and integrity
as having come only from the Ubuntu repo system. The keyring method of
protection has been highly effective at ensuring that no rogue
applications find their way into the repoor onto users' PCs.
Historically, Microsoft Windows has lacked such a keyring-protected
repository. Although Microsoft does support its OS with monthly Windows
Updates, no comparable third-party vendor support for updates
exists. Because of this situation, users have had to venture online to
obtain their own third-party-supported updates manually at separate
websites. The Windows Store was developed to mitigate that risk and is
specifically designed to curate apps, screen apps, and provide the
capability to purchase apps. Time will tell how well it succeeds.
4. Hardware compatibility
To run Windows 8 on your PC, you'll need a processor that's 1GHz or
faster with support for PAE, NX, and SSE2. You'll also need a minimum of
1GB RAM for the 32-bit version or 2GB for the 64-bit version, along
with 16GB (32-bit) or 20GB (64-bit) of space on your hard drive. For
graphics processing, you'll need a Microsoft DirectX 9-compatible
graphics device with a WDDM driver, Microsoft says.
Of course, that's the minimum. If you want to take advantage of
Windows 8's touch features, obviously you'll need a multitouch device.
To make the most of the software, you'll want considerably more than
that.
Ubuntu's requirements, however, are much more modest: Canonical
recommends 512MB of RAM, plus 5GB on the hard drive. You'll also find
versions such as Lubuntu and Xubuntu for lower-spec machines. In short,
if hardware is a constraining factor for you, Ubuntu is most likely the
better choice.
5. Cloud integration
Starting with the launch of Ubuntu One in 2009, the cloud has played a
key role in Ubuntu Linux for some time, enabling users to store files
online and sync them among computers and mobile devices, as well as to
stream audio and music from the cloud to mobile devices.
Ubuntu One works on Windows, OS X, iOS, and Android, as well as on
Ubuntu. Users of Ubuntu Linux get 5GB of Ubuntu One storage for free;
20GB costs $30 per year.
Beginning with Ubuntu 12.10, the OS also integrates web apps and
online searches directly into the Unity desktop for a more seamless
experience.
With Windows 8, the cloud is coming to the forefront of Microsoft's
platform as well. For storage, Microsoft's SkyDrive offers users 7GB of
space for free. If you need more than that, you can have an extra 20GB
for $10, 50GB for $25, or 100GB for $50 annually.
Storage isn't the only benefit of the cloud, however. Beginning with
this new release, the new Microsoft Account sign-in (formerly Live ID)
lets you use a single username and password to establish common
preferences among all the Windows-based hardware and services with which
you work. The idea is to employ the cloud to connect your PCs, tablets,
and smartphones through a common, user-specific experience.
Ubuntu doesn't fully compete with Windows in this regard, since it
doesn't offer counterparts to Windows Phone 8 or Windows 8 RT that are
tailored specifically to non-PC devices. However, Ubuntu for Android
is in the works.
6. Security
Although Windows RT apps run within a sandboxed environment for
greater security, Windows 8 Pro desktop legacy apps have no equivalent.
Instead, third-party software developers are left to their own devices
to add security measures to their apps.
Windows 8 and Ubuntu Linux provide their own firewalls, however, as well as the option for full disk encryption.
Despite the fact that Windows 8 Pro offers some security improvements
over Windows 7, the new OS still carries forward with the WinNT legacy
kernel, which is at least partially responsible for the litany of
security issues Windows has suffered over the years.
To mitigate some of those issues, Microsoft created in conjunction
with partnering OEMs Secure Boot, an extension to UEFI. Windows 8 now
provides Secure Boot support on OEM systems, while Ubuntu 12.10 offers a
raft of advanced security features such as support for installation
with Secure Boot systems.
Additionally, Ubuntu Linux comes with Linux Security Modules (LSM)
installed by default. Other security-enhancing measures include chroot,
seccomp, seccomp-bpf, and the newest additionLinuX Containers (LXC)for
third-party developers and users alike.
Just as an aside, it's interesting to note that, each year at
Pwn2Own, hackers get a chance to hack Windows and Apple Mac systems, but
Linux is not included in the contest. No exploit can escalate against
(and gain root privilege on) Ubuntu Linux running AppArmor-sandboxed
Firefox.
7. Administrative tools
For administrative controls, Windows provides Active Directory, using dedicated Active Directory servers.
Canonical supports Active Directory as well, and Ubuntu Linux clients
can join to an Active Directory Domain using third-party software such
as Likewise Open or Centrify.
In addition, Canonical provides Landscape, an enterprise
administrative tool of its own that can perform most Windows Active
Directory tasks. Landscape presents an easy-to-use, browser-based
control panel through which you can manage desktops, servers, and cloud
instances.
8. VPN support
Users who require virtual private network support will find it in both Windows 8 and Ubuntu 12.10.
In Ubuntu repositories, the provided utility is OpenVPN, which uses a
custom security protocol based on SSL/TLS for key exchange. Both
operating systems offer support for varied protocols, however, depending
on site-specific and inter-site needs.
9. User support
Microsoft offers support for Windows 8 Pro users through its TechNet
subscription service, which is priced starting at $149 per year.
Canonical offers Ubuntu Advantage service-level agreements starting
at about $80 per year at the standard desktop level, including legal
coverage and use of the Landscape administrative tool.
10. Price
Last but certainly not least, Ubuntu Linux is free, while Windows 8
Pro will reportedly cost $199 after the current introductory upgrade
offer of $39 to $69 expires.
So which operating system is better for small-business users? The
answer, of course, is in the eye of the beholder. If one thing is clear,
however, it's that any lead Windows may have once had over competing
operating systems is shrinking every year. Depending on your needs,
Ubuntu Linux 12.10 could provide a compelling alternative. If nothing
else, it's almost certainly worth your while to
try it online.
