by Matt Remley

Created on: August 20, 2010   Last Updated: August 22, 2010

These days it is extremely hard to imagine a world without Microsoft Windows, but for millions of computer savvy people around the world Microsoft has received some unlikely competition. One of them being Mac, and the other being Linux, Microsoft Windows still seems to have a tight grasp on the world wide market.

How and why does someone go about switching to a version of Linux? Many different reasons, but most of them are based on opinion, so lets take a look at Ubuntu and discus some of the reasons that people world wide are switching from Microsoft Windows to another operating system, Ubuntu.

Broken Windows

After getting down to the hard facts of PC operating system, Microsoft Windows seems to control the market because of a near monopoly of sorts. Sure, Windows is amazing, and no-one will ever forget their first time booting up Windows 98. However most people have by now noticed that Microsoft Windows never changes much.

It's hard to say why features are left the same or barely upgraded, but it is most likely done to familiarize the general public with Microsoft Windows itself. Interestingly enough, it comes in many forms and with different features, and the price seems to always be somewhere in the clouds, large price to pay for something so stale.

Perhaps one of the worst features of Microsoft Windows are the fact that users are extremely bound by computing law, even if they haven't noticed it because of customizable features. For example, Microsoft Windows cannot match the customizing abilities of Mac and Ubuntu, and it never will.

One should find it hard to believe that developers would even consider working with Microsoft Windows to create new applications and games if it wasn't for its popularity. The operating system itself is extremely unstable, one rouge application could crash the whole system or at least freeze the screen.

The Ubuntu Effect

When it all comes down to it, Ubuntu out preforms Microsoft Windows by a long shot. The operating system itself is designed to be stable, and to boot up quicker then most other operating systems out there. Aside from that, most of the viruses that people scan for every day on their Windows based computers, can't even effect Ubuntu.

A quick glance of the official website reveals that Ubuntu is a free download, and that due to it being open source it is also free to modify. This means that if the user was willing and had the know how, he or she could create their own operating system from Ubuntu and do whatever they please.

Live CD's purchased or created by the user from the official Ubuntu website, are designed to allow the user to first try the operating system out before they switch to it. Of course the user doesn't have to switch to it even if they do like it, Ubuntu offers guides to install the operating system along side Microsoft Windows so they can live in peace and help each other out.

Imagine a day where you start to boot up Microsoft Windows, and it fails. Most users will give up and take the PC or laptop to a specialist, however someone with Ubuntu installed with Windows would be able to boot that up and attempt to fix the problem themselves. Last but not least, the Ubuntu operating system is being constantly upgraded in many ways.

Whether a security risk has been reported, or a application doesn't work properly, the community of Ubuntu will quickly fix the problem or find a way around it. New versions of Ubuntu are released every 6 months, however small updates are released almost every day of the week. With all of these wonderful reasons to switch to Ubuntu its very hard to believe Microsoft Windows hasn't been seen in the bargain bin at the local Wal-Mart.

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