Microsoft’s Windows OS currently owns 90% of the market share for desktop computers so the question of what advantages a Linux distro, specifically, Ubuntu, has over Windows might come as a surprise. But don’t be fooled, my friends – there are a number of features that make Ubuntu a better OS for your workstation than Windows is.
Advantages Ubuntu Has Over Windows
1. Ubuntu is Free
I guess you imagined this being the first point on our list. But the fact that Ubuntu is free goes beyond many customers’ need to not pay for stuff.
Because Ubuntu and many of the applications it runs are free, millions of people wherever they are in the world are able to use affordable computers that run not just an efficient OS, but also properly-developed applications. Many schools can’t afford Windows computers can easily resort to the beautiful open-source Linux distro without the fear of losing productivity, beauty, or efficiency.
2. Ubuntu is Completely Customizable
Have you tried theming Windows before? Was it an enjoyable experience? Windows 10 does a better job at customization than its predecessors but even at that, you can only personalize certain components.
Ubuntu is customizable from the moment you install it. The latest version uses the GNOME desktop environment which allows you to personalize virtually every single element of your UI/UX, from your notification sounds, popup style, fonts, system animations, and workspaces.
3. Ubuntu is More Secure
Granted – some of the reasons Ubuntu hasn’t had that many cases of security bridges and viruses include the fact that it hasn’t been much of a target given its market share, and its users are more often than not, tech-savvy. And although Windows 10 has seen a good amount of security improvements, it is not yet immune to some stubborn trojans and malware.
Ubuntu is not immune to security flaws but it is built from its kernel up with more emphasis on operating techniques to cover for the recklessness of her not so tech-inclined users; allowing them to be a lot more generous with their portable storage devices and accessories.
4. Ubuntu Runs Without Installing
That’s right! You don’t need to wait through a whole installation process because you can run Ubuntu as Live directly from a pen drive.
This means that you can carry your OS along with your work files, boot it on another person’s workstation and carry on working as if the PC is yours. If this isn’t a plus then I don’t know what is.
5. Ubuntu is Better Suited for Development
A clean Ubuntu installation comes with out-of-the-box support for programmers to get straight to work on development projects with their machine. After a clean Windows install, you will need to install an office suite, a text editor, Python, Ruby, Java, etc before you can have a good-enough working environment.
I understand that Windows ships as a multi-purpose, multi-use product, and so is packaged like a skeleton; but Ubuntu has the advantage of providing its users with an office suite, a text editor, and a variety of other productivity apps from the get-go. This saves a lot of time.
6. Ubuntu’s Command Line
Talk to any developer who uses Windows and I doubt they can deny that Bash is awesome. Ubuntu comes with default support for Bash in its command line along with a variety of other commands that make working on servers, development environments, and local files a lot easier.
7. Ubuntu Can Be Updated Without Restarting
It might not be a big of an issue to you if you spend long periods away from your computer but imagine what it will cost you if, for example, you are paid per hour and your PC needs close to 30 minutes to install updates. Mind you, it takes longer in some places with slower Internet speeds.
Ubuntu is capable of installing its updates in the background and you will seldom need to be distracted from your work. This is one of the reasons why Windows OSes are seldom used for services that need to be always reading e.g. serving web pages.
8. Ubuntu is Open-Source
You can go through Ubuntu’s source code and make the best contributions you can to it which in turn will allow you to be innovative while you learn about the inner workings of a cool OS. The same can neither be said about Windows nor macOS.
9. Ubuntu Supports Window Tiling
You can think of this as a sub-set of Ubuntu’s customization advantage but I think it deserves its own spot.
Tiling managers like herbstluftwm are best used when you have multiple monitors and want to allocate app positions across your monitors. Both Windows and Ubuntu feature multiple desktops (workspaces) but Windows doesn’t have any tiling managers as far as I know.
And even if Windows did, the fact that I don’t know about it is a plus in the favor of Ubuntu because I am pretty sure I will need to climb mountains to implement them.
10. Ubuntu is More Resource-Friendly
The last but not the least point is that Ubuntu can run on older hardware far better than Windows. Even Windows 10 that is said to be more resource-friendly than its predecessors doesn’t do as good of a job compared to any Linux distro.
Customers who might not be able to afford high-end laptops and desktops can, therefore, install Ubuntu on their old workstations with the assurance that they will be able to deliver their work with little to no hiccups along the way.
There are other advantages Ubuntu has over Windows like being more accommodating of other Operating Systems (since you can select the amount of memory storage you want it to use during setup); and better integration with administrative tools.
What are the ones you think I have left out? Or maybe you disagree with some of more points. Share your point of view with us in the discussion section below.
