In this article we will look at a few of the common differences between Ubuntu and windows 8. Firstly with any software package before making decisions most people will look at what it would cost me as user to purchase it. With windows 8 you are looking at a retail price of R800 upwards, but of course as a student of Stellenbosch University, it can be purchased for a mere R180-00 from the Student IT Centre. However with Ubuntu, it’s completely free!

Now let’s have a look at how they differ at first glance, Ubuntu brings their Unity look to the platform whereas Windows 8 brings there new metro look to theirs.

Ubuntu is also a fairly light weight operating system compared to Windows 8 which takes up 16 to 20 GB of hard drive space compared to Ubuntu’s 4.5GB.  Below is a table of a list of relevant comparisons.

With regards to applications, the list is really endless as there are applications available for free or as paid options of software on Windows, so there are fully-featured versions of apps that do the same thing on Linux. Some of them are free, others are paid for.

The beauty of both operating systems is that you’re not that limited for choice – just a glance at the table shows that there’s more choice for Windows users than ever before. And if you’re more comfortable with the way Windows works, you can still save money in other areas – using Libre Office, Thunderbird and GIMP in place of their paid-for counterparts like Office, Outlook and Photoshop.

Ubuntu and Windows 8 desktops

In terms of user interfaces, both are easy to get used to. I’m not too fond of the way Ubuntu handles maximised applications but that’s okay because you can install any interface you’d prefer. Windows works more or less the same, but there are options, apps and skins to make it look and work the way you want it to.

As far as driver support goes, though, you may struggle here and there with particular objects. Many peripherals and devices are natively supported in the Linux kernel but some require proprietary software to work properly, as in the case of graphics drivers from NVidia, AMD and Intel. All three do support Linux to some degree, although it’s nothing like the support users enjoy on Windows.

So to conclude its entirely up to you with which operating system you go with. This comparison guide should assist you in making that decision in deciding which one suits your requirements from what you looking for in an operating system.

(ARTICLE BY RIYAAD PARKER, IT STUDENT CENTRE)

The mere mention of the word Safecom has been causing a combination of panic and frustration over the last few months – and this just among IT staff. Just like you, our patient users on campus, we’ve been worn out by all the problems. However, the good news is, after months of pulling our hair out, we’re closer to a solution and the light at the end of the tunnel is, indeed, not an oncoming train.

The first time we started seeing problems with Safecom was in September 2012. At this time the load on the printers weren’t as high as it was a fairly quiet time academically. By the end of the academic year the effect on end users, in particular students, was prevalent.

The system we initially implemented was clearly not sufficient for a changing and growing environment. Both the production environment and the product’s attributes changed since the implementation (new upgrades were also released) and consequently the system design wasn’t optimal.

Keeping this in mind, there was decided to call in an international Safecom expert and also a local HP expert to advise us on the current set up and situation. With the assistance of said experts and the IT team significant decisions were made and plans put into place to resolve the situation as soon as possible.

Most of the suggested plan has been executed, but due to the fact that all printers on campus have to be upgraded with new firmware, this is a time consuming exercise. However, a visible improvement has been noted when compared to the previous quarter.

We are aware of certain issues that must still be resolved. IT is continuously coordinating and resolving the existing challenges as fast as possible. These include the creation of more internal system capacity, a more efficient printer driver able to generate smaller printing files, more stable printer firmware, implementing more stable Safecom software on each printer and the optimal functioning of this whole configuration.

We appreciate staff and student’s patience and invite you to report problems at your CUA manager or IT Sevice Centre.