XP or Ubuntu 10.4?

Recently just purchased a used dell mini 9 netbook on ebay.

1.6ghz atom
1GB Ram
8GB SSD

In terms of PERFORMANCE what operating system will run faster on the netbook?

Ubuntu 10.4 Netbook Edition or Windows XP Sp3




Any recommendations? opinions?

Ubuntu is pretty fast and doesn't require much resources. I duel boot with Windows 7 and I like Ubuntu.

Do you have any experience using Linux? If not, any performance benefits you "might" gain will most likely be erased significantly by the learning curve of using a Linux based operating system.

If you are using this as an opportunity to learn, grow or learn some new computer skills...by all means give it a shot. It's a valuable skill set to have in the IT world. Contrary to some peoples belief, there is a lot of Linux in the server room.

pparks1 said:

Do you have any experience using Linux? If not, any performance benefits you "might" gain will most likely be erased significantly by the learning curve of using a Linux based operating system.

If you are using this as an opportunity to learn, grow or learn some new computer skills...by all means give it a shot. It's a valuable skill set to have in the IT world. Contrary to some peoples belief, there is a lot of Linux in the server room.

Click to expand...

Very true. :sarc:

At first you will be lost... entirely. But if you have time and effort, and a bit more effort, Linux is actually pretty fun. I use Ubuntu...

Also, I forgot to add, you can duel boot if you wish. You'll be able to use XP or Linux at will.

Works great!

I didn't realize last night you meant the netbook edition of Ubuntu (which I often forget about). If you want everything be familiar and to work as soon as you turn it on the first time, get XP SP3. If you want to experience something a little different and learn to use one of the best free operating systems go with Ubuntu. Personally, I think Ubuntu would run better, but I don't want you to go through the effort of installing an OS you won't like.

Here's an idea - why not try both? Give each OS a week or so on trial (leave XP unactivated for this) and then make your final decision based on how you get on.

Ubuntu is fast both at startup and shutdown. It has free preinstalled Open Office apps that I enjoyed using just a few hours ago compared to XP, that you need to get a purchased MS Office suite and license.

Ubuntu also has lots of cool preintalled programs that might be useful but by default you cannot install a vast majority of software in it that are compatible with Windows. Its also immune to most of the known malware. It is also free to download and installs faster than Windows XP. And the only problem, I have with it is that I don't know how to set up my Internet in it cause I suspect my MODEM does not support it.

But in terms of complexity and versatility on programs, I think Windows XP is still far ahead.

Thanks for the the insight guys, I think im going to end up giving ubuntu a shot when I first retrieve the netbook in the mail, and if I really dont like I can always just load up my XP. As far as my experiece goes with linux I have none. Windows operating systems are my main forte (and part of my job ) But I think it could be fun to try out a new operating system and test it out for myself. The nice thing about Ubuntu in my eyes so far is that it is completely free, newer than the xp OS,free updates, lacks malware/viruses (even though I dont get these on my PC because I know what im doing) and very compatible with drivers now. So, what the heck, ill give it a shot and report back on my new experience.

Thanks for all the help...

SevenNerd, sounds like a plan that you have there. Learning Linux really opened my eyes to many new things that could be accomplished without the licensing and restrictions put forth by some of the commercial software vendors. Is it perfect in every respect, no.....but it does open a bunch of different options.

With such a small hard drive why not try Jollicloud. It is linux based, but most if not all of your computing is done online with online apps. It is basically an OS that is a browser. Here is the home page and you can find a lot of info here too. Jolicloud Most apps are free and so is the OS!