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Ubuntu Linux Vs. Windows Vista: The Battle For Your Desktop

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The Ubuntu install process can work automatically (i.e., erase and repartition an entire hard drive as needed), or you can manually edit partitions.
Ubuntu Linux: Installation
The Ubuntu install process can work automatically (i.e., erase and repartition an entire hard drive as needed), or you can manually edit partitions.
Vista's setup process is mostly automatic; however, there are some useful disk-management tools if you need them.
Windows Vista: Installation
Vista's setup process is mostly automatic; however, there are some useful disk-management tools if you need them.
Many of the actions for PnP devices in Ubuntu are controlled through the Removable Drives and Media Preferences window.
Ubuntu Linux: Hardware
Many of the actions for PnP devices in Ubuntu are controlled through the Removable Drives and Media Preferences window.
Vista's Device Manager keeps all the information about installed hardware in one centrally-managed display.
Windows Vista: Hardware
Vista's Device Manager keeps all the information about installed hardware in one centrally-managed display.

Ubuntu's software management tool plugs you into a hand-picked, searchable repository of applications for Ubuntu, organized by licensing.
Ubuntu Linux: Software
Ubuntu's software management tool plugs you into a hand-picked, searchable repository of applications for Ubuntu, organized by licensing.
Vista's Add/Remove Programs panel probably served as the inspiration for Ubuntu's software management console.
Windows Vista: Software
Vista's Add/Remove Programs panel probably served as the inspiration for Ubuntu's software management console.
Ubuntu's default e-mail client is Evolution, which contains calendaring and contact management; it's not hard to switch to another client (like Thunderbird) if needed.
Ubuntu Linux: Networking
Ubuntu's default e-mail client is Evolution, which contains calendaring and contact management; it's not hard to switch to another client (like Thunderbird) if needed.
Vista's default e-mail client, the newly-designed Microsoft Mail, sports a calendaring application but is, on the whole, still highly limited.
Windows Vista: Networking
Vista's default e-mail client, the newly-designed Microsoft Mail, sports a calendaring application but is, on the whole, still highly limited.

The free (and highly touted) Microsoft Office contender OpenOffice.org is included with Ubuntu as a standard feature.
Ubuntu Linux: Word Processing
The free (and highly touted) Microsoft Office contender OpenOffice.org is included with Ubuntu as a standard feature.
Sadly, Vista's WordPad word processor is the same application it's been -- for what feels like decades.
Windows Vista: Word Processing
Sadly, Vista's WordPad word processor is the same application it's been -- for what feels like decades.
Ubuntu's indexed search function compares favorably to Vista's search in that it returns results for many file types (including metadata in images).
Ubuntu Linux: Indexing
Ubuntu's indexed search function compares favorably to Vista's search in that it returns results for many file types (including metadata in images).
Vista's search system has a high degree of integration with the Windows shell, including the ability to add metadata on the fly.
Windows Vista: Indexing
Vista's search system has a high degree of integration with the Windows shell, including the ability to add metadata on the fly.

By default, Ubuntu divides music ripping, CD authoring, and playback among different applications, but they all work really well.
Ubuntu Linux: Multimedia
By default, Ubuntu divides music ripping, CD authoring, and playback among different applications, but they all work really well.
Vista's Windows Media Player does a great job of dealing with hundreds or even thousands of albums on the same PC.
Windows Vista: Multimedia
Vista's Windows Media Player does a great job of dealing with hundreds or even thousands of albums on the same PC.
Ubuntu's F-Spot application has some of the same features as Picture Gallery, but they're not implemented with the same degree of elegance or ease.
Ubuntu Linux: Images
Ubuntu's F-Spot application has some of the same features as Picture Gallery, but they're not implemented with the same degree of elegance or ease.
Vista's Picture Gallery deals well with importing, tagging, and processing thousands of images or more at once.
Windows Vista: Images
Vista's Picture Gallery deals well with importing, tagging, and processing thousands of images or more at once.

Ubuntu's Konserve program is a simple directory-to-directory backup that works across a variety of media, including FTP.
Ubuntu Linux: Backup
Ubuntu's Konserve program is a simple directory-to-directory backup that works across a variety of media, including FTP.
Vista's backup tool has been derided for having some terrible limitations, but what does work, works really well.
Windows Vista: Backup
Vista's backup tool has been derided for having some terrible limitations, but what does work, works really well.


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