Ubuntu 16.04 LTS vs Windows 10: step-by-step analysis and installation

Already arrived Ubuntu 16.04 LTS from Canonical as you all know, and of course the operating system has been on the market for a while Microsoft Windows 10 that those of Redmond present as one of the best Windows of recent times and in which they have placed great hope to change the opinion of many unhappy users with bugs such as Windows Vista or Windows 8 that they have not liked.

What we will do in this article will be analyze some impressions of both operating systems and give our opinion on whether they are worth it, in addition to performing some simple tests with some daily tasks that we all do on a day-to-day basis on both systems to check the performance of both. Apart from this, if you still do not opt ​​for either of the two or simply want to enjoy the experience in both, we will show you how to install them on the same computer (dualboot) step by step.

First impressions

Microsoft Windows 10

Windows 10 has gotten better quite a bit compared to previous versions, that's true. In addition, Microsoft has returned the classic Start menu to this version as users wanted after seeing how impractical the Windows 8 interface was. On the other hand, it is not a particularly heavy version of Windows full of errors such as It was Windows Vista, likewise security has been improved a lot.

The worst thing about Windows 10 is perhaps the compatibility if you rely on older software, although there shouldn't be too many problems with this. But the worst part is privacy and anonymity of the user of this OS, which practically does not exist with the amount of functionalities to collect data that have been integrated in version 10 of Windows and how annoying they can become or even dangerous in certain senses related to security.

We already listed in this blog the amount of functions that Windows 10 brings activated by default and that can present a threat to user privacyIt was even rumored with a possible complaint from user groups to the Microsoft company for these Windows 10 problems. However, this does not seem to have come to fruition and finally it has not been carried out.

Canonical Ubuntu 16.04 LTS

Ubuntu 16.04 LTS has arrived with improvements Although apparently there are not many, we can see that the launcher can be placed at the bottom without great complications, simply by executing a command and without installing anything. If you like the launcher below more, you can have it by simply typing and executing the following in the terminal:

gsettings set com.canonical.Unity.Launcher launcher-position Bottom

If you want to reverse it, simply rerun the previous command changing "Bottom" to "Left" without quotes.

Continuing with the changes, say that there are deep changes that are not seen, since bug fixes, it appears the new Ubuntu Software Center which is basically the renamed GNOME Software Center, which is appreciated for the sloppiness that the previous software center had fallen into. There is also a new kernel version and fully updated packages.

Likewise, the GNOME Desktop Calendar, improvements in the USB installation tools, and other polished parts that previously did not work as they should have been incorporated. It is also a very simple distro and with a huge community behind that will help you solve any doubt with tutorials and extensive documentation so that even being a novice it is not a problem to start using this Linux distribution.

Against I have to say that it let me down a bit what is taking in arriving the convergence so promised by Canonical and that it seems that it is reluctant to land completely. I hope that when it is 100% ready it will arrive with strength and innovations, although I do not know if Ubuntu Phone can become an interesting project with the tremendous power that Google's Android and Apple's iOS have in the mobile device sector ... and I'm afraid the same thing happens to you as FirefoxOS.

I also have to say against that I have been bothered by the Amazon icon that they continue to keep in the launcher for the amount of money that I suppose the great online store will enter Canonical for having this app implemented in their system by default. However, it can be easily removed, but I did not like it and it is one of the first things I did after installing Ubuntu 16.04 LTS on my computer.

For developers: Windows 10 and Bash

Windows 10 has integrated Bash and parts of the Ubuntu environment with its latest Build. Microsoft wanted to make this new nod to developers who want to create for Ubuntu with this addition in the latest system updates. Although I think it has created a bit of confusion among some users believing that Ubuntu had been "introduced" into Windows 10 and this is not the case, it is only part of being able to offer a development platform.

Is it interesting to choose Windows 10 if you are a developer? Well, this question has a difficult answer, since if you want to develop for Windows it is best if you have a Microsoft operating system and if you want to do it for Linux it is better to have a distro. But if you want to create for multiple platforms, although I still think that it is better to have native operating systems, is a great step to be able to create for Linux from Windows.

It is not because it is a Linux blog, but I consider this to be a decaffeinated solution by Microsoft and comparable to the unease left by Windows 10 IoT Core For Raspberry Pi that many think of having a cheap Windows 10 computer and find that it is a very basic system that needs a Windows 10 computer to work and is only valid for developers, being useless for end users.

Performance comparison

Well, a team has fallen into my hands ASUS F552EP laptop in which I have installed Windows 10 and Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, well rather, I have installed Ubuntu to have both systems in a dualboot that in the next section we explain how to do it step by step. So there is no doubt that the hardware is the same for both and there is no catch or cardboard. I have not used benchmark software, instead I have timed very basic and everyday tasks to see the performance shown by both systems.

El hardware basic equipment is:

• AMD A4-5000 1.5Ghz QuadCore APU
• RAM DDR3 4GB
• 500GB Magnetic Hard Drive
• AMD Radeon HD 8670M 1GB GPU
• OS (dualboot): Ubuntu 16.04 LTS 64-bit / Windows 10 Home 64-bit

The results obtained In my particular test, which is not technical at all, it is simply performing some tasks that users do every day to see the time it takes in both systems, they are:

* I feel more »c: minutes, seconds and hundredths of delay

Although sincerely there was no need to perform these tests, since simply with the handling you can see at a glance the fluidity of Ubuntu compared to the slowness somewhat more pronounced in Windows. I insist, they are not sophisticated tests, but very simple, but they make it clear that in Windows 10 everything is a little slower (by this I do not mean that it is a Windows that is accused of slowness like Vista, worse compared to Ubuntu is a little slower).

Installing Windows 10 alongside Ubuntu 16 (with and without UEFI)

If your work or the software you use makes you depend on Windows 10 and you want to have a computer with both operating systems on the same computerDon't worry, we will show you how to install it. In general, if you have purchased a computer with, it will come with Windows pre-installed, and this is an advantage that will save us some steps in this section. If Windows is not installed, install it first so that GRUB does not arise and is overwritten by the Windows loader.

These steps will also help you if you want to install another distro such as Linux Mint, Debian, openSUSE, etc., with Windows and with UEFI / Secure Boot. 

Windows 10 and resized

Well, if you have installed Windows, I assume you have made room for Ubuntu Linux partitions. If you have not done so or it already came with Windows pre-installed, it is time to resize your Windows partitions to make some room for Ubuntu. How much to leave? Well that will depend on what you need, if you use more Windows 10 than Ubuntu, you will be interested in leaving a larger part for the Microsoft system and less for Ubuntu and if it is the opposite, then you should leave something else for Ubuntu. In order not to get our fingers caught, I am going to put the minimum requirements of one and the other and from there what you want ...:

For resize You can use specific software for this, some Live distro that allows you to do it like GParted LiveCD, etc., but the easiest thing is to do it with the tool that Windows 10 offers for it. Go to Cortana and type "partitions", it should give you the option "Create and format hard disk partitions" or go to System devices and from there Storage and access the management options. You will see something like the following and if you click on the partition (box below) with the right mouse button it will offer you the option to resize «Reduce Volume» and we will modify it.

In my case I have reduced to leave 60GB free for Ubuntu. Ok, once this is done, we are going to restart the computer and access BIOS or UEFI, depending on our system. To enter the BIOS / UEFI you usually have to press the Delete key several times before something appears on the screen when you start the computer. On some computers, as is my case, you must press F2 instead of Del. You can see the manual of your computer or motherboard where you will find the way to do it, if it is neither Del nor F2, you can try other options such as Esc .

Download Ubuntu and create the installation media

The first thing is to go to the Ubuntu website to download the ISO of the distro in the version and flavor you prefer. You should check the MD5 sum if you have used the direct download, but I recommend that you download it through BitTorrent and thus avoid this step, since it is done automatically to verify that the download is not corrupted or has been modified.

Once downloaded, you can burn the ISO to DVD with your favorite software. It couldn't be easier, so you will have the optical disk ready for installation. Another option, which is the one I have chosen, is use a pendrive of at least 2GB size to install from a USB. This second option is especially good for computers that do not have an optical drive. To create the media, you must use suitable software, for example Rufus, for Windows, Unetbootin, PendriveLinux, Win32 Disk Imager, Linux Live USB Creator, etc.

If you do it from another distro Linux, you can use Startup Disk Creator or usb-creator, which you will have to install and then from its graphical interface it is simple. Insert the pendrive, and then select the path of the ISO and the appropriate pendrive or USB drive. Click on the Make… button and wait for it to be done. Once finished, the installation pen will be ready.

If you decide to do it from Windows, you can use PendriveLinux, which you can find in this website To use it in the same way as above, select the ISO image, the corresponding USB drive and create the installation media. Wait and go ...

Whatever the medium, it is now the moment to insert it into the optical drive or plugging it into a USB port before proceeding with the next steps ...

BIOS procedure

If your team continues to use a Primitive BIOS, then the procedure is simple, you just access the Setup menu as we have said before and once inside go to the Advanced BIOS features option and inside you can find the Boot Priority options, and you must put the device where it is as First Boot Device the operating system to be installed, which can be a USB stick, an external hard drive, a CD / DVD, etc. So the system will look there to start the installer.

But usually the newest equipment They usually use Phoenix BIOS (Award-Phoenix) or AMI instead of the typical Award, so the interface is somewhat simpler and more modern, with a tab called Boot to which you must scroll and here you can change the priority, putting in First, the medium from which the system to be installed must be booted or searched. Once set, press F10 and exit saving the changes or go to the Exit tab and save the changes to exit ...

Procedure for UEFI (with Secure Boot)

If you have a modern system, you will surely have UEFI and Secure Boot enabled for Windows. A feature that Microsoft operating systems need from Windows 8 although it is not essential, that is, you can install Windows 8 or Windows 10 on a system without UEFI, and therefore without Secure Boot, without major problems. That is why the previous section ...

In this case, the matter becomes a little more complicated, but don't worry, it's simple, you just have to take a few more steps, nothing more. In some UEFI systems it may be something different from others as it happened with traditional BIOSes. What we will have to do is deactivate the Secure Boot and activate Legacy mode so that it behaves like a BIOS and to be able to select the medium from which it is going to be installed in the same way as we did in a BIOS, but you will see that in the UEFI it does not appear among the Boot options, only the current Windows partition .

For the other options to appear, in a UEFI system like the image above, you can go to the Security tab and disable Secure Boot. In other cases like mine, the menu is somewhat different and I had to scroll to Security where to disable Secure Boot and then go to the Boot tab to set Fastboot to Disable and CSM to set it to Enable. Now exit with F10 and save the changes or go to Exit and do the same as you would with the F10 key.

You will see that your computer restarts, re-enters the UEFI and scroll back to the Boot tab, now you will see that you can now select the option to boot from the USB or optical drive, etc. Select the appropriate one in your case depending on whether you want to install it from a pendrive or USB or from an optical medium. Once again, F10 or Exit to exit saving the changes and now, if your USB is connected or the optical disk inserted in the unit, it will start to give you access to the Ubuntu installation system (or any other distro).

Installation of Ubuntu 16.04 LTS or your distro ...

If everything goes well, you should see the Ubuntu installation manager that will guide you in simple steps to install the distro on your computer where you can choose the language, time zone, keyboard layout, etc.

Remember that having another operating system installed on the same hard driveIn this case Windows, you must choose the appropriate option not to delete it and that both coexist. If you are experienced you can also select other options such as the last one to customize it a bit more, but the first option is adequate.

Wait a while and once finished you will see your desktop for the first time. Congratulations! You already have Ubuntu 16.04 and Windows 10 on the same disk dual-booting from GRUB. When you start the system you will see that GRUB appears allowing you to start from Ubuntu or from Windows as you want at all times.

I recommend that you go back to enable the FastBoot option and disable CSM in the UEFI, as well as enable Secure Boot. There will be no problem and it is safer. In case of BIOS, you can also put the HDD back as Fisrt Boot Device and get back the USB or optical CD / DVD drive in a second place ...

Do not forget to leave your comments, suggestions or doubts. If you have any problem during the process we will be happy to help you. I hope this article has helped you ...