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One of my favourite Ubuntu reviews...

2007.06.26

Forgive me, this is from May but it's one of my favourite Ubuntu/Linux reviews. The best parts:

"On my Windows laptop, Windows plus the usual Office files, email and my Web authoring software, fill up 21 GB of the hard drive. On my Ubuntu machine, the same collection of open-source programs and the exact same data take up exactly 3.7 GB."

"Even more startling is the speed with which Ubuntu operates. I had long noticed that when loading files onto our Web servers, the server side of the display would populate instantly, even though the servers are hundreds of miles away, while the side of the window that displays my Windows files would load about as quickly as a bunch of chain gang workers moving rocks.On Ubuntu, both sides of the window flash onto the screen so quickly it seems they were already there. Likewise as I move around the different sub-directories, lists of hundreds of files pop onto the screen instantly. It often takes 10 seconds or more for Windows to do exactly the same thing"

Now, it sounds to me like the gentleman writing the article has had his share of malware problems. However, near the end he makes a good point:

"Did I mention you don't need anti-virus software? It's available but chances are you don't need it, since Linux is relatively immune to viruses. Besides, most of the vandals who are writing viruses are aiming them at Windows."

Sometimes it's easy to lose sight of some of these advantages. He's right though, desktop Linux can be a breath of fresh air sometimes. Especially when one is digging in to Vista...