Hmm... but isnt linux based off of unix... meaning linux and unix OSs are basically cousins or something. lol

I run Ubuntu Linux and Windows and both have problems.

Windows slows down with time as the registry bloats (and yes I use registry cleanup tools such as CCleaner) and antiviruses' take up more run time with every update. Startup takes over 4 minutes and I have a Pentium 4 @ 3Ghz with 1Gb of RAM, thats unacceptible (and i have perfect defragmentation using both defrag and defraggler and have run scandisc in DOS and Windows), certain programs (usually 3rd party like ad-aware) lock up my machine and require reboots.

Ubuntu has problems for me with my older monitor that has no plug and play monitor support, i had to search for hours trying to find the hidden monitor support menu "sudo displayconfig-gtk" in order to fix that stuff. And now with the update to Intrepid my machine locked during package cleanup and corrupted, I'm now manually updating from the CL and downloading all the necessary repositories will take most of the night. Also I'm having display driver problems, which i hope will be fixed after the full update (I have a NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200)

I like the clean operating environment that Ubuntu gives me so thats my preference. I runs so fast even with compiz.

Are you not using a registry cleaner or something?

You know, I kind of detest all that bling that adds no real usability benefits. That 3D cube for example is nothing but a propped up virtual desktop, storing one on each side of the cube. Which Linux has been doing for quite some time without crippling the machine's performance.

Personally, as far as interfacing with the machine goes there's nothing better than Quicksilver. It went open-source at the end of last year so you linux geeks might get a release at some point in time.

I have Kubuntu 6.06 and it just now stop supporting flash players. So I can't even watch a video, it's ridicoulus. Ive been freaking out for the last two weeks. I guess im have to install this Ubuntu 8.10 update on a CD. Im have to use my mom's labtop since this computer im on doesn't have a burner. This disc drive im using is obviously dated. My Windows XP setup disc isn't working so I can't re-install Windows. Im so angry at that, especially since my webcam isn't working on Linux. I have another problem too. I have a lot of computer problems obviously, but luckily I can get online with no viruses. But this computer is too powerful CPU and GPU to just dump away. Intel Premium 4 1.6 ghz, that isn't perfect but it's good. Im not sure what kind of graphics card it holds, because my uncle put it in. But it has last gen console graphics. But im having mad computer problems, still.

Quick history lesson! *abridged*

Once upon a time, there was a company called AT&T who put its research folks (Bell Labs) together with a bunch of other smart folks developed some pretty neat software.  Years passed and it evolved a bit and became pretty useful.  AT&T, being the awesome folks they were, let everyone play with their newly developed toys.  What later would become Unix was licensed out to businesses, research groups, universities, and pretty much everyone who wanted it (including many many hippies). 

AT&T was pretty darn cool and because of that Unix became super popular.  And thanks to its popularity, more and more people learned to use it and improve it.  It was also the 70s which meant AT&T was probably composed mostly of hippies which may have contributed to their free spirited attitude.

However, later AT&T's legion of hippies would grow older and become bitter... and greedy.  They wanted more for Unix and people didn't like that so BSD Unix was born.  BSD lived on in Unix's stead.  Developers who enjoyed the freedom they had with AT&T once upon a time embraced BSD.

However, they in turn would become greedy and started offering their own commercial distros.  That's where Linus T. and his peeps come in.  For the last decade and a half everyone had been building their own distros and the like so even a random hippy off the street could do it.  The market was rich and he (with some other peeps) built the Linux kernel.  Unlike most of these other companies, Linus was not a jerk (though he probably was a hippy) and made his toys available to everyone.

And that's how it happened.  More or less.

And for the epilogue:

Sun sprung up around BSD creating Solaris and continues on with its Java programming language and giant black box server thingies.

Apple viciously ganked a BSD core for itself and has been repainting it in shiny colors to sell it for 8 times the price ever since.

Red Hat and many many other distros/companies/hippies appeared to inherit and broaden Linux.

Microsoft continued to wonder what all the fuss over this *nix stuff was as they tried to make their OS turn different colors other than blue.

Well, on another thread, nobody was able/willing to argue against my argument:

Ubuntu costs 0$; Windows costs about 150$
If you try to find out how many more times expensive Windows is over Ubuntu, you come up with infinity.
Windows cannot be infinity times better than Ubuntu, therefore Ubuntu is always the better choice.

Until someone does, I'm not going to argue against/for Ubuntu

Back on topic: I do like the Ubuntu interface, not because it looks pretty, but because it is functional.  You have all of you program launchers and taskbar icons at the top, and all of your currently open windows at the bottom.  Plus, multiple workspaces are nice.  I know that you can use a program on Windows to make multiple workspaces, but it works better if it is included in the OS.

Counter argument: First, to get Ubuntu you'll have to burn it to a DVD. Not terribly expensive, but around 1 dollar. So it is not more than 150 times more expensive.

Counter argument nr two: I got my windows for free. I have never paid for a standalone version of windows, most have come with the computer, but I actually got this version of Vista for free. And since I didn't burn it (which was a stupid mistake btw) I paid less for it than I did for Ubuntu.

You can save the cost of a DVD if you have a USB flash drive and use the easy to use program that can be found here:

http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

Now THAT is 100% free and environmentally friendly. Of course your computer must be able to boot from USB. :)

It wasn't free, the license for windows was paid with the computer.
You should be able to get the same computer for 100€ cheaper.