Windows 8 Windows 8 vs Ubuntu Debate + First Experiences Of Both OS's

[12padams]

Remember that you can watch any of the videos in 720p HD!

My mum loves Windows XP and pretty much doesn't want to use anything else. Windows 8 has been released and obviously she will need to update her operating system eventually. Before she updated to Windows 8 however I let her try it out first on my own computer to see if she liked it. SHE HATED WINDOWS 8 and here's the video showing her using it for the first time:
A mother struggles to use windows 8 for the first time - YouTube

When I posted a link to that video on this forum a week ago, a user named "strollin" left the following comment:

"What's the point of these type of videos? If you sat someone down in front of a computer running XP, OS X, Linux or whatever and told them to start using it they would have a similar experience."
-Original Forum Post Here

Really? Well... I decided to put this to the test. Strollin said that if I put her in front of Linux she would have a similar experience. So to see if he was right I downloaded and installed the most popular distribution of Linux available: Ubuntu. And guess what... SHE LOVED IT and is going to use Ubuntu rather than Windows 8 when she gets a new computer. These were the tasks I got her to complete within Ubuntu which she did easily without any help unlike the struggle she went through with windows 8:

Tasks Given:
- Change your desktop background
- Visit the gmail website
- Write and save a text document
- Quit Firefox
- Calculate 680 x 45 =
- Find where your downloaded applications are stored
- Turn off your computer

Here's the video of her using Ubuntu for the first time:
Mothers First Ubuntu 12.10 Experience - YouTube

So that just goes to show that Windows 8 is less user friendly, less intuitive, uglier and harder to use for a windows user than Ubuntu. You know somethings wrong with windows 8 if a loyal windows user has more difficulty using it than another operating system altogether.

Now I've pretty much knocked about and bullied Windows 8 a lot in this topic making it look bad so what do I think of it? I actually like it! Today we are moving away from desktop computers and towards tablet computers. For me windows 8 on a desktop computer is a massive NO NO but on a tablet its awesome. Its optimized for touch screen and I'm going out next year to buy a Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro.

Points to discuss:
1. Will you upgrade your desktop computer from an earlier version of windows to windows 8?
2. Does windows 8 suck on desktop computers to compared of previous windows operating systems?
3. Would you prefer to run Ubuntu on your desktop computer rather than windows 8?
4. If Ubuntu was compatible with everything windows 8 was compatible with would you prefer to use Ubuntu?
5. Which operating system (Windows 8 or Ubuntu) looks better on a desktop computer?
6. What other operating systems would you like to see her try?

 

[shadowvlican]

i haven't tried the latest version of ubuntu, but as a long time window user, i have difficulty with windows 8 as well

 

[12padams]

i haven't tried the latest version of ubuntu, but as a long time window user, i have difficulty with windows 8 as well

Do you believe long time windows users may be pushed towards Ubuntu due to windows 8? If windows 8 included the start button in the desktop view when they released windows 8 do you think it would have been ok? Do you like not being able to resize windows in metro view and being stuck with snapping windows to a grid similar to how it worked back in windows 1.0?

 

[rich4421972]

Your test subject will be in trouble the first time she needs to perform any administrative task other than pointing and clicking on a graphical button. Windows 8 comes pre-packaged with flash, anti-virus and pdf ebook readers. Not to mention a handy calculator and an internet browser that closes when you click on a small "X" in the upper right hand corner.

You not only have to install these into Ubuntu, you have to use proprietary repositories. Further, the Gnash-plugin version that comes with Ubuntu universe is not even compatible with the latest version of firefox (included with Ubuntu 12.10) and cannot play youtube streaming content so your test subject will have to install the binary Flash plugin files from Adobe from the adobe binary repository. Windows 8 has these features already built-in. BTW, Windows 8 has hundreds of free family-appropriate games available in the app store--certainly more than GNOME Games or Ace of Penguins.

Before going whole-hog after Ubuntu, consider how many hours and days it will take to install all of the necessary plugins, repositories and helper applications that one would expect in a useful, stable system.

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

Install Windows 8 and Classic Shell on your mothers computer and let her run it like Windows XP.
I've been doing that with Windows 7 for years.

The first time that I booted into Windows 8 I sat at the login screen for a long time waiting for something to happen.

I clicked on it and hit the enter key over and over.

Then I swore at it %*#@&*^%!!!

Finally I happened to drag it a little but it popped back to it's original position.
I finally dragged it off the screen.

Ubuntu would probably work great for your mother or anyone else who only wants to e-mail, browse, and type.

The problems start when you want to run software.
for the most part it either take hours of monkeying around or you just plain can't run it.

I wish you could.

Mike

 

[rich4421972]

Additionally, she could install Stardock's Start8 applet which can mimic any of the recent windows start menus including a simulated Windows XP desktop. It is less configurable than classic shell but it is arguably easier to use. It costs $4.95 whereas classic shell is free.

 

[12padams]

Additionally, she could install Stardock's Start8 applet which can mimic any of the recent windows start menus including a simulated Windows XP desktop. It is less configurable than classic shell but it is arguably easier to use. It costs $4.95 whereas classic shell is free.

Lol, it's fine... I got the perfect way to make her like windows 8. I showed her windows 1.0 since she said all earlier versions of windows were an improvement over windows 8. Lets just say she took back what she said and here's the video of it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UToIwIe6sSM