Ubuntu 11.04 vs Windows 7 vs OS X 10.7 (Lion)

Fantastic, my favorite OS does it again!

Very informative article. Proud user of Ubuntu.

Thank you team Ubuntu, keep up the good work!

By Paul007 on 10 Aug 2011

Fantastic... at being pointless.

Could you find any more remotely pointless tasks to blow Ubuntu's trumpet with?

How about how well it ran video editing software, like Vegas or Premier... what's that, they don't work on Linux? I mean, converting 24 bit TIFFs, what the heck produces 24 bit TIFFs that you would want to convert? They don't come from a digital camera, that's for sure.

I fail to see the point in running obscure bits of command-line software fast, if you can't run actual productive software... at all. I'm sure you'll find, Mac and Windows users, will live with a speed loss, if it means they get an application gain... speed isn't everything, despite it being the only straw Linux users continue to clutch at.

By LeeC22 on 15 Aug 2011

Industry Standard Programs?

So you can't understand the point of testing the OS's?
Your lack of understanding is entirely a matter for you.

So what if Linux doesn't run Vegas or Premier, you could use Cinelerra instead?

Garage Band and Logic do not run on Windows or Linux, but am I berating Apple for it? No, because I use Cubase and Wavelab, and have done for many years.

I would like to use Linux, the simplicity and lack of hype that naturally comes from a 'non-profit, community-driven' idea appeal to me. I have found that at some point the dreaded command-line comes into play, and for me that is an unnecessary throwback to the 70's, which you certainly don't get in Windows or MacOS, but if you _really_ wanted to you could (the Mac II had a 'Text-and-GUI' option, and you can still open a command line in Windows).

But if I did want to use Linux, I would probably run Rosegarden or Ardour, instead of moaning that it doesn't run Cubase.

'Industry-standard' tools in the Media industry is an old-hat fallacy, these days pretty much any file can be transported between different Programs and different OS's with a little thought (obviously you will say 'Huh, his Program/OS must be crap if it can't read MY file', because you won't take the time to save it differently for them?).

So for these reasons this test WAS a useful indicator of the relative OS speeds, since MacOS is derived from a UNIX/LINUX base, yet Ubuntu is significantly faster! Poor Mac users!

Oh, and any decent Scanner can produce HUGE 24-bit TIFF's.

By Wilbert3 on 20 Aug 2011

Lies, Damns Lies and benchmarks.

You are using three CPU intensive applications to tests OSes. This make no sense, because most of the time the OS will not be involved. Only a bit in the multitasking case, but also that is not very significant.

In reality, you are testing the quality of the compiler shipping with the OS. gcc 4.5, the default compiler on ubuntu 11.04, is great for this kind of applications, because it is very good in vectorising code. on OS X, you can use clang or gcc 4.2, and they give different results, depending on the compilation options. I do not know the Windows compilers.

But the point here is that if you do not know what you measuring, your results are meaningless. These benchmarks have no use whatsoever in evaluating the actual speed you can get from an OS in performing a given task, unless the task have the same characteristic of yours (CPU intensive, low I/O, vector oriented code).

By bappo on 26 Aug 2011

super computers ??

why do you think that you just have to close your eyes to simple reallity ?!! why why why ??? why are stuck in some old cliches that if somethings are cheap or free !then they are no good !!! bappo my dear whay do you have to say about super compouters! why do you think that 91.20 % of super computers are running linux ?! why ?do you think that's a lie too !??!?? i mean if that's a lie !!! windows and mac are really really financially backed up not to let some lies happen in the web ;)i'm not sure if i can share a link here but i'm sure if you google top 500 super computers operating system family you'll find some good links ;)

By spaghettious on 30 Oct 2011