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1.4. Ubuntu and Microsoft Windows: Key Differences
Open source differs from the proprietary software model in that it:
• Encourages customisation and variation as opposed to a one size fits many approach.
• Relies on a 'services attached' business model rather than per license and seat basis.
• Believes that the benefits of collaboration and multi-developer contribution outweigh those of controlled project work of smaller, paid developer teams.
Table 1.1. Key Attributes
Attribute | Ubuntu | Microsoft Windows |
Costs | • Free of licensing charges | • Charges per user license and/or for a fixed term |
Versions Re- leased Security | • Same version and features for home and professional users • Six-monthly fully supported free release • Locked administrative user root • Rarely targeted by malware and viruses | • Separate Professional and Home editions • Less frequent and less visible re- lease schedule • Enables easy access to administra- tive user • Regularly targeted by malware and viruses |
Customisation | • Easy to design and personalise • Can run different flavours of Ubuntu in parallel | • Standard OS with limited options to personalise • Paid for additional applications |
Data Storage | • Easy to upgrade and downgrade • User data stored in home directory • Easy to migrate and replicate user data and configuration to another computer | • User data saved in multiple loca- tions • Difficult to backup and migrate to computer |
Looking at each element outlined in the table in greater detail:
Associated Costs: The Microsoft Windows OS is proprietary and the overall price increases with added functionality and applications. The associated price is sometimes a factor of using third party applications and not just a Microsoft decision. With Ubuntu new release versions and applications are free.
New version releases: There is only one released version of Ubuntu and therefore features available to home and professional users are the same. The Home and Professional editions of Microsoft Windows are not the same. For example, Microsoft Windows Professional editions have more security features than Home editions.
Ubuntu's 6 monthly release cycle also makes it very easy for users to have access to all the latest applications. An upgrade from one release to the next is free and fully supported. Microsoft scheduled releases are less frequent and less visible to the public.
Security aspects: Ubuntu is rarely targeted by malware and viruses. The administrative user root is locked by default in Ubuntu and only certain tasks are run with administrative privileges. Microsoft Windows provides an environment where people can access administrative user directly.
Figure 1.5. Ubuntu Security
Customisation: As you will discover throughout this course, Ubuntu is yours to design and personalise. You can have different flavours of Ubuntu running parallel; for example, you can install the Kubuntu (KDE) desktop together with Ubuntu (GNOME) and then select the desktop environment you want to use. More than 17,000 packages are available and easily accessible through the Internet. As a result, you are not stuck with using one version because it was the first you installed.
Microsoft Windows is a standard OS with some options for customization. While many applications are avail- able, most are proprietary software which incur a license fee.
Figure 1.6. Desktop Customisation
Data Storage: User data is often located in multiple locations in Microsoft Windows, which can make backing up and migrating from one computer to another tricky. Ubuntu saves your user information in one place - the home directory. This makes the migration of data from an old computer to a new one easy, as well as keeping user specific backup data separate.