Ubuntu 8.04 LTS vs. Windows XP SP3 - Application Performance Benchmark

Two months ago, I wanted to compare Windows XP to Ubuntu Linux in terms of applications performance. I thought that since most of Linux programs are cross-platform and available for Windows, it could be a good idea to see how only platform change can affect the performance of a particular application. One of my reasons was also to verify whether or not Linux is capable of getting the most out of new hardware technologies. However, I only had a Pentium 4 HT machine, and even though I went ahead with the test, I knew it was not going to answer that.

A lot has happened since; Ubuntu 8.04 came out, and I was happy with it. Microsoft finalized their third service pack for Windows XP, and best of all I upgraded my PC with an AMD Athlon64 X2 5600+ CPU, 2GB DDR2-800 RAM and a GeForce 8600GT VGA card.

I decided to test again, especially after I read in the news that Microsoft has made clear its intention to take on Linux in the low-end computers market. Microsoft will exclusively rely on Windows XP for that purpose, cutting down its price by more than a half, and building on the extreme popularity of the 7-years-old operating system.

Recently, Microsoft invaded Asus Eee MIDs and the OLPC project which once thought to be Linux best chance of world-wide popularity. This gives us an idea that Microsoft is well aware of Linux threat and has started to take actions to protect its monopoly.

In fact, I see a true threat because Windows XP is very popular, has the best compatibility of any OS, mature enough to be reliable and also known to be fast and very solid in both gaming and productive domains.

Of course, Linux has many advantages. It more secure, stable and efficient and it is capable of bringing cutting-edge technologies to low-end machines, but there will be much less incentive to switch to Linux from a cheap Windows XP than from an expensive and complicated Windows Vista.