Comments on: Windows vs. Linux: Boot Time Test

By: alex

alex — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:33:09 +0000

Anyone tried using BootRace to measure the time Windows needs to boot. Would it be an accurate tool?

By: shuron

shuron — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 23:36:21 +0000

It is reasonable to measure performance issues (e.g. start-up times) on weak machines because sometimes one can fill every db access (of loading windows). So however maybe interested in my start-up time tests: Ubuntu vs Windows xp on an relative old laptop. Someone surprised that ubuntu rules? ;))

By: oli-uk

oli-uk — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 22:20:36 +0000

Any New Installation of windows is faster than an old one
But will always get slower and s-l-o-w-e-r and more unstable with use and especially when you have all the necessary anti-viral stuff installed on windows just to try and keep it alive.

I have used linux and windows and although linux isn’t perfect the lack of endless painfull re-boots for this update and that error are a big plus for linux

By: Dean

Dean — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 04:43:32 +0000

I am a Windows guy. I love my dell to pieces. It is the first computer Iâ??ve ever had that is mine and I do not have to share it. It does take a minute or two to load, buy I have an HDD password on there first, so I have to put that in before I can do anything. I have tried Linux before and honestly, there is not that big of a difference. I prefer windows 7 more, but I do not see a difference in the two when talking about boot time. I just sit and have patience and then I can use my computer. If it took over five minutes, then I would be angry or frustrated, but I cannot think of any computer that does that.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 05:39:33 +0000

Gene, what is your point? I ask because you are way off topic.

By: Gene Dieken

Gene Dieken — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 05:19:35 +0000

The quotidian rationale for shutting down a comupter is avoid wasting power. Sciencebloggers generally believe in the reality of climate change, right? Or is that just too yesterday?

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:50:14 +0000

Alex, it does not make sense to say that because there is variation in systems you can’t compare. Please read the comments above by Linux In Exile to see why he made this comparison. Then, google “Linux Windows Boot Time” and look at the posts that come up and you’ll see that this result (Linux being faster) is the norm (Although JH’s case is more extreme, because IT personnel had their way with his Windows OS first, which of course lengthens boot time considerably, though it would not with Linux).

By: alex

alex — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 12:46:08 +0000

I don’t think that this test make much sense.
There are lot of linux distributions and they have all different performance.
So it’s not possible to comapre windows and linux boot time

By: Emile

Emile — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 00:57:54 +0000

Rob: so “I’ve had more hard hanging issues with Linux than I’ve had with Windows.” means “I used a broken version of Java and it fucked me up so I got mad at Linux”

By: Linux in Exile

Linux in Exile — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 20:59:02 +0000

@John – #29

Â» I’ve gone through his site and I’ve seen zero examples in his “tests” of how his Windows experiences are outside the norm.

I think I’m reading that correctly, where you certify the validity of my methods, except on this last post. Gee, thanks! 🙂

Â» By having a “test” and not stating the results are atypical, he is promoting misconceptions. Otherwise, you’d say, Man, it took 6 hours to install windows 7. That’s not typical for most people but it was a nightmare. See, that is clearly stating all the facts and is being completely honest about typical experiences, instead of trying to provide “evidence” of how bad windows is.

Here’s the deal. It’s explained very clearly on my blog (read “About me” in the left column) that I’ve been a Linux user since 1993. And from 2002 to 2009, I was fortunate enough to run Linux on my desktop at work. So for 7 years there, I didn’t know squat about how Windows worked.

Then, my new boss makes it very very clear he wants us all to run Windows. So, I run Windows at work.

Since I find it interesting when long-time Windows users experiment with Linux for the first time, I thought it might be equally interesting for this long-time Linux user to blog about my first experience running Windows in over 6 or 7 years.

That’s what the blog is about.

So to your comment of “not stating the results are atypical” … how am I supposed to know these results are atypical? I haven’t used Windows since 2002. So I call the shots as I see them, and I call out broken behaviour when it’s there.

I can only share what numbers I’m seeing on the system that I’m running. I try to be completely open about the system spec, and who installed it (our tech support guys, not me) and that this is a managed corporate system (i.e. not a home system.) But those are the numbers I get.