Kubuntu vs. Windows: How fast can you install and customize?

[charles052]

I work with both windows and Kubuntu. My wife likes a windows computer because it works better playing her flash games on PCH.com. I've done every tune up and configuration I can think of and Kubuntu still lacks the speed of windows when she plays these games.

So, from fresh install, to a fully customized computer, how fast does Kubuntu compare to windows if you know what you are doing and already know what customizations you want?

I can have my Kubuntu computer up and going with all my favorite programs, widgets, and profiles, and completely updated, in about 2 hours of total time. I can have my wife's computer completely, installed, updated, and fully customized in about 2 days (due to frustration so I have to step away from it). It takes so long to hunt down the programs, serial numbers, installing drivers, constant updating, etc...

Both of these computers are about the same. One's a custom built desktop with a dual-core athlon processor and mechanical hard drive and the only real difference with my wife's laptop, which is also AMD, is that her HD is a 5400 rpm instead of 7200.

What about you guys? Have any better luck?

[whatthefunk]

Windows? Whats that?

If I do a fresh install of Kubuntu (new /home directory) it takes me maybe three or four hours to get everything installed, get system settings from backup files, and configure it all the way I want it. If I keep my /home partition, then I can do it in under two probably. I generally do it over the course of a couple days because I tend to forget what I need until the need arises again.

[blackpaw]

Very similar experiences to yours, Kubuntu installed and configured plus a range of dev environments, a couple of hours. And with the latest revs that includes full integration with my google mail.calendar/contacts, though akonadi is still prone to some wildly irritating crashes and cpu hogging. Indexing all my mail takes a couple of days.

Whereas window - base install 2-3 hours, but it takes days to install & configure office/mail/Visual Studio etc. And there's a lot more weird **** breaking along the way.

[dmeyer]

Are you sure these are definitely flash games and not java applets? The reason I ask this is because the open source java browser plugin is awfully slow! It doesn't even work for some games. You could always just give it a try by adding the partners repo then installing sun jre.

Also on flash videos its worth right-clicking and enabling hardware acceleration. This probably works for flash games too. I still have a feeling its java though.

The best proof that linux is a ton faster than Windows is to do a computational benchmark. I personally love using the benchmark from Mathematica (I study Math and Economics) so speed directly affects me here. Linux is just leap years faster.

[Nayar]

Made an .sh file in which are written commands to install/remove my apps. Each time i format i run the script again. The only thing left to configue is themes :P

[james147]

It use to take me days to get windows into a usable state, with Linux it takes less then an half an hour to make it usable (base install + extra programs I always install ie vim, chromium, zsh etc), an hour or two to fully configure it, but I tend to do this slowly over a few weeks as I tend to only install programs as I need them and configure them as I use them.

[charles052]

Are you sure these are definitely flash games and not java applets? The reason I ask this is because the open source java browser plugin is awfully slow! It doesn't even work for some games. You could always just give it a try by adding the partners repo then installing sun jre.

Also on flash videos its worth right-clicking and enabling hardware acceleration. This probably works for flash games too. I still have a feeling its java though.

The best proof that linux is a ton faster than Windows is to do a computational benchmark. I personally love using the benchmark from Mathematica (I study Math and Economics) so speed directly affects me here. Linux is just leap years faster.

See for yourself. This is the one game I just could not get to work correctly:

http://www.pchgames.com/strategy-games/treasure-hunt

It kept ghosting and freezing up for tiny milliseconds.

Not that it matters. She's got Windows going now and she enjoys it and there's no way I'm going through all the trouble of reinstalling a new OS on her computer and risking losing her settings and personal files again.

[charles052]

It use to take me days to get windows into a usable state, with Linux it takes less then an half an hour to make it usable (base install + extra programs I always install ie vim, chromium, zsh etc), an hour or two to fully configure it, but I tend to do this slowly over a few weeks as I tend to only install programs as I need them and configure them as I use them.

I've learned to make a list and back up files of everything I plan on using. When I get done with the initial install, I just go down the list one by one, installing programs or placing files where they're needed. I'm usually done within an hour.

[SteveRiley]

1. With dpkg --get-selections, list everything that's installed.

2. Copy the output to Dropbox -- which, crucially, contains a complete duplicate of $HOME.

3. Pave/reinstall/dist-upgrade.

4. Reconnect to Dropbox.

5. With dpkg --set-selections, reinstall remaining uninstalled packages.

6. Copy $HOME from Dropbox.

7. Reboot.

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60 minutes, tops.