Windows 7 gets thumbs up from major Linux figure
One of the leading players in the Linux world has described Windows 7 as “excellent”. But some of Mark Shuttleworth’s other comments are a perfect example of the phrase “damning with faint praise.”
Shuttleworth (pictured) is CEO of Canonical, the firm which distributes Ubuntu. That’s one of the most popular Linux-based operating systems and often described as the most familiar set-up for Windows users moving to open source for the first time.
Speaking on a conference call, Shuttleworth described Microsoft’s latest offering as “a substantial improvement on the past. Even on netbooks, it’s a credible release.”
However, he then put the dampeners on those comments, arguing that the combination of the limitations in the Windows 7 Starter edition (designed particularly for netbooks) and the price meant that Windows simply wasn’t a good buy on a netbook when compared with using a Linux system. It’s certainly true that the cost of a commercial operating system is much more noticeable in a low-cost machine.
He also criticized Microsoft for getting into a situation where it is still promoting the use of the eight-year-old XP on newly-made netbooks.
The comments come as Canonical prepares to launch Ubuntu 9.10, codenamed Karmic Koala (following a pattern of alliterative animal-based names, starting with 2004’s Warty Warthog). The launch will include a dedicated version of the system for netbooks
While the release schedules appear to be a coincidence, the proximity to Windows 7’s debut has certainly helped increase the profile of Ubuntu with the natural contrast between the two systems.
The Guardian Web site has a particularly interesting and objective review contrasting the two systems. Writer Kevin Anderson concludes that both are worthy systems, and that Ubuntu is certainly worth considering. However, he notes that for anyone used to Windows, Ubuntu requires some learning, which most users simply don’t want to do.
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November 6th, 2009
Well, I need “some learning” when jumping from XP to Vista or Windows 7 anyway.