Windows 7 or Linux best suited for netbooks?

January 22, 2009 7 Comments

windows-7-or-linux-netbook
ComputerWorld have posted an interesting article up about which is better for a netbook, Windows 7 or Linux? Preston has spent time using both operating systems on his netbook and has explained what it’s like using each system, and how it will benefit netbooks.

In the article, he notes Linux as being a “solid, stable, operating system with a simple, easy-to-use interface”. Linux also will work with lighter weight hardware than is needed for Windows 7, which will bring the cost of the netbook down. The Linux operating system is also much cheaper than Windows 7, and even free in some cases. Both these factors indicate that a Linux netbook should be cheaper than a Windows 7 based one.

Windows 7 on the other hand, while it may drive the price of the netbook up a little, Windows is familar with many people. New features of Windows 7 may need a bit of learning about, switching to Linux would involve learning how to operate and use a different operating system. Installing and updating software in Linux is described as not for the faint hearted.

So it seems that Windows 7, will prove to be a more popular choice amoung consumers. Linux won’t however disappear from netbooks and we should still see it on “budget” netbooks.

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  • colin

    well this is certainly subjective to the user. i prefer linux – it is much more stable with better security and fewer restarts and generally “just works”. windows and most linux distributions are works-in-progress. most people are comfortable with windows as that has been the operating system they have known their whole lives. linux has a slight learning curve if you are coming from the windows world. it took me a few days to get started with it and i’m still mastering it. but isn’t that true for windows too? as far as netbooks go specifically, I would say that linux wins hands down. if the person buying the netbook just needs an internet machine with the capabilities for some other applications as well (a netbook’s intended usage) – lightweight, secure, and now easy enough to use for everyone – linux.

    p.s. – i’m typing this on my eeepc netbook running ubuntu.

  • Elvis

    Linux can not be compared to Windows. Windows is a LOT more user friendly. I used to try out ubuntu on my laptop, but returned to Windows. My printer was not working out of the box, my scanner did not work at all, wireless connection was weaker, doing simple tasks was more difficult, …
    I had to use openoffice i.s.o. Microsoft office, which is OK for me for Word and excel, but powerpoint is a lot better then the openoffice alternative and there is not a real outlook alternative.
    Regarding stability: this is an old story that keeps on coming back. My experience is that Windows XP ( i never used Vista) is very stable.

    On the other hand: if you only need to surf an type up a few documents teh free Ubuntu/openoffice/… might of course be an option. Windows is a lot more expensive.

  • CArlos

    Elvis

    Printer works perfectly only if you own a HP

    Linux is so much better, more faster, stable, more secure, and if you need windows some time, we have Virtualbox and that’s it.

    Ubuntu is the most user friendly distro.. you just have to read a lot,, how to install software, customize your desktop and blah, blah.

  • J

    The only reason anyone says Windows is more user friendly has more to do with familiarity than just being set up better. If you were a Linux person moving to Windows I would venture to guess the learning curve would be as steep if not steeper.

  • David

    I have been using Ubuntu for a few years since XP started to slow down significantly on an old laptop. I couldn’t afford a new one at the time so I tried Ubuntu. I never looked back.

    Although it is different to Windows I find the interface more logical and intuitive. It kept the old machine running smoothly and now I have a new laptop that runs like a dream.

    I also installed Ubuntu on my girlfriend’s laptop after she had endless frustrations with Vista. She is not especially technically minded, but got in to Ubuntu quickly. The idea that it is not user friendly just sounds like so much nonsense every time I read it.

  • Sinbad

    Every system for operating computers is going to have a learning curve, but it *seriously* annoys me now when I read about Linux being so terribly hard. It’s emphatically *not*. I’m sure a suitably neutral survey would show that migrating from Windows to Ubuntu, say, is no more work than from Ubuntu to Windows.

    As for installing software being ‘not for the faint hearted’, it used to be the case that installing software on any *Nix meant compiling the source code; this is still available much of the time, unlike for Windows (it is fair to say) and has advantages I won’t describe here, but it is not necessary any more. For all Linux distributions in common use, there are huge databases (repositories) of compiled (binary) software. To install a software package, you open the nice, user-friendly package manager and double click the software you want. Then you type your password, and you wait for it to download and install. I think it is fair to say the process is a lot simpler and quicker than on Windows.

    One more thing; if you want to run Microsoft Office, it is possible to use Wine (Google ‘PlayOnLinux’ – nice & user friendly), but I think OpenOffice is basically good enough.

  • Sinbad

    Elvis, thought I might add: ‘there is no real alternative to MS Outlook’?? There are plenty of email clients for Linux, and they are certainly not substandard like OpenOffice Impress admittedly still is!


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