Installing Ubuntu: A comparison of Ubuntu 6.06 and Windows XP
,----[ Summary ]
| Windows XP and Ubuntu 6.06 were both quick to install; each install was
| complete in less than two hours. Windows took about twice as long as
| Ubuntu to install, primarily because of the additional time required
| to install (and update) non-OS software packages.
|
| The largest potential problem with both operating system installations
| is hardware recognition (as I encountered with Windows XP). Ubuntu's use
| of a LiveCD is an advantage here, as it allows new users to test their
| system before formatting their hard drive. However, more hardware
| is generally supported in Windows than in Ubuntu, as many manufacturers
| build Windows-specific drivers (but do not make Linux drivers).
|
| Window's reliance on commercial software adds to the difficulty and
| annoyance of its install. In Ubuntu, a lot of software is installed
| by default, and additional packages can be searched for and installed
| (for free) from an easy-to-use "add/remove programs" menu (note: the
| primary exception to this are programs to play specific media formats,
| some of which suffer from patent issues and thus can be more difficult
| to obtain in Linux than in Windows, though EasyUbuntu and Ubuntu's help
| pages deal with this). In Windows, many basic software packages (e.g.,
| office suite, photo editing software, IM clients) are not installed by
| default, and must be downloaded or purchased from a variety of websites
| or companies. This commercial software also increases the chances of
| ads appearing on the computer, as happened to me many times during
| the Windows installation, but never in Ubuntu.
|
| Linux is typically considered to be an extremely difficult operating
| system to install. I believe Ubuntu challenges that perception.
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http://rhosgobel.blogspot.com/2006/06/installing-ubuntu-comparison-of-ubuntu.html
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