When Microsoft announced Windows 8 and released the developer version, it created a lot of buzz around the Internet. With all the new Metro UI and Cloud integration, Windows 8 has certainly taken a huge step in the world of computing. However, the buzz that Windows 8 created was all diverted towards Ubuntu 11.10, when the folks at Canonical released it few days back.
Microsoft’s Windows has managed to lead the competition in the Desktop OS market with 91.9 percent market share, while the Mac OS has a 6.9 percent market share. However, now the popularity of Ubuntu is rising, and Microsoft has a new level of competition in the OS market. Ubuntu is the next big challenge for Microsoft and it might prove Microsoft wrong, which once thought that Linux was over and done with.
When I had my first glimpse at the Microsoft Windows 8 developer version, I was totally impressed with its looks and features. However, I was more captivated and fascinated towards Ubuntu 11.10, and just like a small kid, I was excited about it. And certainly, Ubuntu kept up to my expectations by bringing in vast improvements and many awaited features.
Microsoft’s Windows has managed to lead the competition in the Desktop OS market with 91.9 percent market share, while the Mac OS has a 6.9 percent market share. However, now the popularity of Ubuntu is rising, and Microsoft has a new level of competition in the OS market. Ubuntu is the next big challenge for Microsoft and it might prove Microsoft wrong, which once thought that Linux was over and done with.
When I had my first glimpse at the Microsoft Windows 8 developer version, I was totally impressed with its looks and features. However, I was more captivated and fascinated towards Ubuntu 11.10, and just like a small kid, I was excited about it. And certainly, Ubuntu kept up to my expectations by bringing in vast improvements and many awaited features.
Ubuntu vs Windows 8
Let’s take a close comparison between Ubuntu vs Windows 8.
Ubuntu vs Windows 8 – User Interface
I must admit, both Ubuntu and Windows 8 have an extraordinarily beautiful design with highly refined glass effect and high resolution icons. Windows 8 will be using the Metro UI, while Ubuntu sports the Unity Interface.
The Windows 8 interface supports gestures, snap, pin, cloud applications, sharing of apps and services, hidden task bar on the right of the screen and so on. The Metro UI is a huge step taken towards design and UI by Microsoft, and is certainly far more striving than any other UI we have seen before. This also fits in with tablets, as Microsoft demonstrated the OS running on tablets from Samsung and Lenovo.
Ubuntu’s UI on the other hand has an improved Unity Interface with richer set of “Scopes and Lenses”, instead of the old “Places” function. Since users were confused and didn’t know what to click on, Canonical decided to integrate Ubuntu icons with the Dash and Unity launcher, for providing more visibility.
The Windows 8 interface supports gestures, snap, pin, cloud applications, sharing of apps and services, hidden task bar on the right of the screen and so on. The Metro UI is a huge step taken towards design and UI by Microsoft, and is certainly far more striving than any other UI we have seen before. This also fits in with tablets, as Microsoft demonstrated the OS running on tablets from Samsung and Lenovo.
Ubuntu’s UI on the other hand has an improved Unity Interface with richer set of “Scopes and Lenses”, instead of the old “Places” function. Since users were confused and didn’t know what to click on, Canonical decided to integrate Ubuntu icons with the Dash and Unity launcher, for providing more visibility.
Clicking the Dash (or the Ubuntu logo on the left) will bring up a glossy set of icons, which are most commonly used – Browse the Web, View Photos, Check Email or Listen to Music. It comes with a search bar which will be frequently used by users. It’s not just easy to search, but it is blazingly fast. The left panel consists of applications which are most commonly used, and users have the option to add an application by simply dragging it in or remove it.
Ubuntu vs Windows 8 – Login Screen
Ubuntu has the LightDM as the new default login screen. LightDM brings easy customization and can be tweaked with a tool called LightDM Manager. This will allow you to change the background as well as the logo of Ubuntu 11.10 login screen.
The Windows 8 lock screen is similar to the Windows Phone lock screen, displaying the date/time, scheduled appointments and unread message summaries. You can personalize the login screen by changing the background to something of your own. Windows 8 supports the traditional password login or the new picture password tool, where you can select a picture to use as a reference grin to create a three-point pass gesture.
Ubuntu vs Windows 8 – Download & Try
Download Link for Ubuntu 11.10:
[Direct Download] Download Ubuntu 11.10 Desktop Edition (x86 version)
[Direct Download] Download Ubuntu 11.10 Server Edition (x86 version)
[Direct Download] Download Ubuntu 11.10 Desktop Edition (x64 version)
[Direct Download] Download Ubuntu 11.10 Server Edition (x64 version)
[Direct Download] Download Ubuntu 11.10 Server Edition (x86 version)
[Direct Download] Download Ubuntu 11.10 Desktop Edition (x64 version)
[Direct Download] Download Ubuntu 11.10 Server Edition (x64 version)
Windows 8 is currently released under beta version, and the developer preview can be obtained from the Microsoft website. Here’s the direct download link for Windows 8 Developer Preview:
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