From PC World.

Ubuntu is a widely popular open-source Linux distribution with eight years of maturity under its belt, and more than 20 million users. Of the roughly 5 percent of desktop OSs accounted for by Linux, at least one survey suggests that about half are Ubuntu. (Windows, meanwhile, accounts for about 84 percent.)

The timing of this latest Ubuntu release couldn’t be better for Windows users faced with the paradigm-busting Windows 8 and the big decision of whether to take the plunge.

Initial uptake of Windows 8 has been unenthusiastic, according to reports, and a full 80 percent of businesses will never adopt it, Gartner predicts. As a result, Microsoft’s big gamble may be desktop Linux’s big opportunity.

So, now that Canonical has thrown down the gauntlet, let’s take a closer look at Ubuntu 12.10 to see how it compares with Windows 8 from a business user’s perspective.

 

Windows 8 Pro (x86) Ubuntu 12.10
License fee $39 to $69 upgrade Free
CPU architectures supported x86, x86-64 x86, x86-64, ARM, PPC
Minimum RAM 1GB, 2GB 512MB
Minimum hard-disk space 20GB 5GB
Concurrent multiuser support No Yes
Workspaces One Two or more
Virtualization Hyper-V KVM
License Not applicable GPL Open Source: Main, Non-GPL: Restricted
Productivity software included None LibreOffice
Graphics tools included No Yes

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