Standard College

Hospital Management Information

System

Prepared by:- Meseret Debisa

Date:- 02/12/2015
Ubuntu Vs Windows

What Is Windows
Windows is a popular Operating system owned and launched by Microsoft in the year 1985.
There has been a lot of improvisation done on Windows as an Operating system and finally,
its popularity can be ascertained from the fact that most of the computers for personal use
have Windows as the Operating system.

This Operating system provides a smooth and compatible environment for running a variety
of applications and software. It also has robust flexibility and high hardware versatility. The
latest version of Windows is Windows 10 however, Windows 7 and Windows Pro have been
the most successful versions.

There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages of the Windows Operating system as listed
below.

Advantages
 Windows provides a smooth, easy, and user-friendly interface.
 Windows is known for its compatibility as an Operating System and is capable of
supporting most applications.
 In case a user encounters an error on Windows, the error details are not completely
seen to the user. If a user is not technically sound, the error will still be understood,
unlike other Operating systems where the error details seem strange to the user if they
are not well versed with those words and error codes.
 The installation process of the Windows Operating System is simple and easy to
follow.
Disadvantages
 One of the major disadvantages of Windows is that it is not free to use. Users need to
pay a price even if they want to upgrade to the latest version of Windows.
 Windows has a high consumption rate (almost double) of resources of computer
machines like RAM when compared to Ubuntu. The user experience can be impacted
if the computer has a low RAM and uses the Windows Operating system.
 The options of personalization in Windows are very few and are limited to
wallpaper, background, notification sounds, icons, themes, etc.
Windows Vs Ubuntu- Which Is A Better Choice
Given below is a detailed comparison between Windows and Ubuntu with respect to some
common parameters.

1) Price
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 Windows is a paid Operating System and users need to pay when an old version needs to be
updated or Windows Operating System has to be installed for the first time.

The latest version of Windows is Windows 10, the price paid by users is $119.99 for home or
personal use and $199.99 for professional use. In comparison to Windows, Ubuntu is
available for free.

It is also called an open-source operating system as users can also get its source code and
understand the working mechanism of this Operating System.

2) Resource Requirement (Hardware) And Resource Suitability

Windows has a huge consumer base and therefore the Operating System proves to be suitable
for a variety of applications and software. The only challenge faced by users is that the latest
version of Windows required the drivers of the computer to also be updated.

The latest version of the Windows Operating System will not be suitable for the drivers
installed on an old machine. This is contrary to how Ubuntu works. There is no need for
upgrading the Linux-based Operating System if it has been installed on a device.

Some of the resource requirement comparisons for the latest versions of Ubuntu and
Windows have been shown in the table below. Windows has a higher consumption of
resources when compared to Ubuntu.

Resource Requirement: Ubuntu Vs Windows 10

Resource Ubuntu 18.04 Windows 10

CPU 2 GHZ dual core processor 1 GHZ or faster processor
RAM 2GB 1GB for 32 bit and 2 GB for 64 bits
Hard disk requirement 25 GB of hard disk 16 GB for 32-bit OS, 20 GB for 64-
bit OS
GPU 1024X768 screen resolution 800x600 pixels output resolution

3) Software Requirements
Windows provides a far wider scope for suitability or compatibility with various software.
Some programs like MS Office do not run on Ubuntu. Even if we look at the Games, the
percentage availability for Ubuntu is very less.

It is however true that the users can find other options in terms of applications in Ubuntu that
are similar to MS Office. The only limitation for Ubuntu is in terms of Games, as Games run
faster in Windows. Ubuntu does not support some of the most popular games these days.

4) Personalization
The options for personalization in Windows are limited to the color theme, wallpapers, and
icon theme whereas Ubuntu offers personalization of every element of the user interface.
Windows provided limited modes for the users to choose from while personalizing but with
Ubuntu, there is no such limitation.

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5) Security
Ubuntu is known to be more secure when compared to Windows. This is primarily because
the number of users using Ubuntu is far lesser as compared to that of Windows. This ensures
that the damage in terms of viruses or damaging software is less as the main motive of
attackers is to affect maximum computers.

In order to make any changes to Ubuntu, a password is needed which thereby makes the
execution of any virus nearly impossible. This is the same for most operating systems that are
Linux-based where root privilege is required by the attackers for any damaging activity.

Safety tools like Antivirus are inbuilt in Ubuntu and timely updates and patches are released
to bridge any security gaps.

6) Privacy
As compared to Windows, Ubuntu is way ahead in terms of being centered on privacy. The
sensitive data of the users is not collected by most Linux-based distributions and the users
have the option to disable any such feature with any degree of risk whatsoever. Windows, on
the other hand, is not as privacy centered.

Most of the features which can be taken as violating the privacy of users, cannot be disabled.
However, there are many other options that can be enabled or disabled at the discretion of the
user.

7) Ease Of Operation
In Windows, the users are dependent on hardware resources like a mouse and keyboard to
accomplish operations. This is because Windows users operate in a graphical interface and it
is a simple process for the user to begin operating in Windows.

Windows OS is mainly used by regular users. However, Ubuntu allows users to carry out
operations with just the keyboard. This is possible because Ubuntu has both a graphical
interface as well as command-line operations.

This makes the process of usage slightly complicated and the users may need some assistance
to begin operations. But the great benefit of Ubuntu is that, unlike Windows, the users do not
see any pop-up message for updates. Ubuntu uses the latest version of applications.

When Ubuntu Operating System needs to be updated, the users do not need to restart the
machine as the update can easily run in the background. This makes Ubuntu a preferred
choice for services like Server.

8) Support
Whenever a user faces problems with Windows, Microsoft has dedicated service teams who
provide support, over the phone or in person. Apart from this, the users also have an option to
get online support and sometimes also choose local computer repair shops as an option.

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 In case of a problem or support needed with Ubuntu, online support is always recommended.
Users have an option to log onto a number of chat rooms or websites which provide support
and also educate users about Linux.

Ubuntu also has a Live CD that can be used for the installation of the operating system either
from the CD or a USB drive.

The below table consolidates all the major differences between Windows 10 and Ubuntu and
thereby would help you to read at a glance.

Ubuntu Vs Windows – Tabular Comparison

Points of Comparison Windows 10 Ubuntu
Company Microsoft Canonical Ltd
Price Licensed Free
Operating system Windows NT Linux
Latest version Windows 10 Ubuntu 18.04
Security Virus attack is common. Antivirus needs In built Antivirus
to be updated frequently.
Regular updates Java needs to be updated frequently. Simple updates
Time consuming.
Programming Simple and easy to follow. Simple but has compatibility
issues.
Kernel type Hybrid Monolithic
Entertainment Supported Can support movies, photos etc. NO
Microsoft Office Works well in Windows. Does not work very well in
Ubuntu.
Gaming Supported Yes Not meant for games.
Performance standard Medium High. Better than Windows.
User friendly Extremely user friendly. Can be learnt Not easy to learn.
quickly.
Ease of Operation Mouse and Keyboard needed. Only keyboard is needed.
Browsing Experience Good Faster than Windows.
Suitability for developers No Preferred choice by Developers.
Visual Assistant Cortana NO
Installation Needs installation Can be used from a Pen drive as
well.
Centralized installation No Yes.
for Applications
Booting Speed Good Boots faster than Windows.
Hardware Requirement Latest versions do not run on old Compatible with all hardware.
computers.
Installation of Updates YES Machine does not need
and Restarting machine restarting. Updates can run in
the background.
Personalization Limited modes for personalization. Unlimited personalization
options available.
Resource consumption Higher than Ubuntu. Less in comparison to
Windows.

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Installation 80 X 25 text-based installation was Terms like Cylinders, File
used. Now, it is all Graphic based. system and Swap Space are
jargons for ordinary users while
installation.
Double click features -- No double click feature is
available. Installation is
dependent on Libraries.
Availability of Libraries in All required libraries are included in the Not all libraries needed are
installation package installation package. available. Follows the
assumption that some basic
libraries are already installed on
the system.
GUI and command line Only Graphical interface is available. Both GUI and command line
interface are available.

In the above table on Windows 10 vs Ubuntu, we looked at the differences between Ubuntu
and Windows 10, and it is completely a user’s choice as to which Operating System they
must choose. Below are some tricks that users can follow to maximize their computing
experience.
 Some users may want to use both Ubuntu and Windows. In this case, it is
recommended for them to use the WSL- Windows Subsystem for Linux. It is also
called a dual boot. This allows the users to use Ubuntu as an application on Windows.
This requires a computer with a higher performance else the running of all Linux
software can be hindered.
 The other important trick to follow for users to enhance their computing experience is
to take a backup of their computer frequently without fail in order to avoid any crash
or loss of data due to WSL or dual boot.
 A tool named Mini Tool Partition Wizard is also highly recommended to manage
partitions that enhance the speed of the computer if the user chooses dual boot.

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