Why Does Ubuntu Appear To Be Smarter Than Windows 8?

[randint]

So, here is what I found while dual-booting Ubuntu 13.04 and Windows 8 on a machine with 1TB HDD, 32GB SSD, 8GB RAM and Intel i7-3630 CPU. It appears that although for some specialized devices (such as Fingerprint readers) where Ubuntu lacks driver support (due to non-disclosure agreements and other related stupid s***), other common devices (such as iPads, printers, and other hardware on the machine) are easily detectable. I do not need iTunes to access music on my iPad under Ubuntu, and I do not need a CD to install drivers for my HP printer (just go to the Terminal and use "sudo hp-setup") and all the nice GUI shows up.

I believe that there is enough evidence now to wipe Windows 8 from my laptop for good, as I am going to be doing CS-related things at Waterloo anyway (starting September).

[mirhagk]

When things work in Linux, they REALLY work. when they don't, they REALLY don't. Windows basically sits in the middle.

[randint]

What do you mean "Windows is in the middle"? Are you talking about closed-source/paid software?

How did the creators of Ubuntu manage to access the contents of an iOS device without a piece of software made by Apple, while Windows must have iTunes? Is it some agreement between Microsoft and Apple that are non-existent with the Ubuntu people?

[Tony]

Some of the media/device managing software that is available on Ubuntu is also available in OSX and Windows flavours:
- http://banshee.fm/
- http://amarok.kde.org/

That is, you don't need iTunes on Windows either. It just happens to be the default one.

[Insectoid]

Quote:

How did the creators of Ubuntu manage to access the contents of an iOS device without a piece of software made by Apple

You can access it on Windows & OSX too. It's just hidden. A lot of stuff is hidden in Finder and Explorer by default, if you touch those files you can cause serious issues. If you open up a command line and look at the files with ps -x (or the equivalent on Windows), you'll see the files just fine.

[randint]

So, you can have a Power Shell command that gives access to an iOS-devices, without the use of iTunes?

[Insectoid]

Yep. How do you think iTunes accesses it?

http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Get_Your_Music_Off_of_Your_iPod

It's only hidden in the GUI.

[randint]

Also, does Ubuntu tend to use more resources than Windows for similar tasks? I can hear the fan constantly running while in Ubuntu, when it does so a lot less frequently in Windows. Also, I noticed that it is hard to decrease the brightness of the screen to an "acceptable" level even though I went to "Settings" - Keyboard and Brightness (?)

[Insectoid]

Ubuntu generally uses less resources than Windows. The fan running is likely a driver issue. You can install lm-sensors and run it to see what your CPU/GPU/etc temperatures are at. Also try to find a better driver.