Windows 10 vs Ubuntu 14.04.3 LTS

I used to be a hardcore fan of Windows. I had Windows 98 in my desktop. I upgraded it to Windows XP and I loved it. I got a laptop with XP and loved it. The laptop got infected and I formatted it and upgraded to Windows 7. (In the middle I used Windows Vista on my father’s laptop and managed to not hate it). I got a new laptop with Windows 8.1 and loved the change. Start Menu or no Start Menu, it didn’t matter to me. And then, sometime in July last year, came the little notification saying I could upgrade to Windows 10. I was hesitant for a few days. In the meanwhile, P upgraded to Windows 10. It was quite beautiful, it seemed modern. The basic stuff was still the same but the exterior looked nice.

In August, I upgraded my Windows. It was beautiful. And it was buggy. Way too buggy. The Start Menu refused to open half the time. The taskbar stopped responding. Audio stopped working sometimes. And even if I ignored the bugs (which was impossible at a point of time), updates were forced down my throat at least once a week. And there was no way I could turn them off. But I persevered. I would never leave Windows, I had once sworn. So, I braved the storm. Now, it’s February 2016. It’s been 6 months. The bugs have decreased. But still, at odd times, the Start Menu doesn’t work. Cortana is a joke. A really big joke. And the disk usage by internal stuff is often too much. When I start Windows, often it requires about 5 minutes for me to be able to use the OS properly with Avast running scans by itself and Windows checking for updates and everything.

Did I accept Windows? The answer is partially no. What does that mean? Well, in January, my Computer Science II Course started at college. And my instructor advised us to use Ubuntu. Now, I have a problem with working on computers in the lab. I just don’t like sitting at a different computer everyday or finding my files deleted or my complex directory system removed by some joker. So, in mid-January, I added an OS to my laptop. Ubuntu 14.04.3 LTS (The LTS tag made me prefer this to Version 15.something). And I’ll never regret my decision.

Ubuntu is fast. Blazing fast. I allocated only 20 GB to it. It’s still amazingly fast. It starts up and shuts down in at most 15 seconds. Everything is way more simple and way more easy. Of course, it has its drawbacks. I can’t play GTA V on Ubuntu. I find the Microsoft Office to be way better than all other offices. And some other stuff such as design, etc. (Although, I love the Ubuntu font)

In short, I will say that perfect way to go is use Ubuntu and Windows side-by-side. They are good in their own ways. Windows is absolutely necessary to play the heavy games. But when you want to write a paper or work out an online course, you don’t want a notification saying Windows needs to restart your computer. But hey, it’s your computer. Do whatever you want.