can design 2.7

Impressions on updating Windows XP and Ubuntu Desktop for the first time

After being a Mac only computer user for over a decade, I’ve finally had the opportunity to install the two most popular non-Apple operating systems; Microsoft Windows XP and Ubuntu Desktop.

I decided to document the steps and amount of time it took to get both systems completely up to date. Keep in mind that I’ve never installed or used for more than an hour in passing either of these operating systems, so there are probably faster ways to accomplish the updates on both systems; it’s just that I don’t know about them.

Windows XP Home SP2

minute 1

  1. Close the pop-up balloons at the bottom
  2. Click Start => All Programs => Windows Update

minutes 2-9

  1. Install an ActiveX control
  2. Update the updater
  3. Restart

minutes 10-44

  1. Click Start => Windows Update
  2. Update the updater again
  3. Install 91 updates (190.7MB) (in the middle it stops to ask to install IE7 and re-validates your copy of windows and downloads some IE7 installer stuff and installs IE7 and then returns to the update as it was before IE7 needed attention)
  4. Restart

minutes 45-56

  1. Click Start => Windows Update
  2. Install 12 updates (38.4MB)
  3. Restart

minutes 57-59

  1. Click Start => Windows Update
  2. Install 1 update (8.8MB)

ubuntu 7.04 feisty desktop

minute 1

  1. pop-up balloon alerts me that I need to update
  2. Click the icon the balloon told me to click
  3. Click Install Updates

minutes 2-15

  1. Install 99 updates (167.2MB)
  2. Restart

minute 16

  1. Click System => Administration => Update Manager
  2. Click Check (no updates needed)

afterthought

After witnessing Ubuntu’s package management it’s hard not to decide that the Windows update system is archaic at best; and that’s true. But for me what’s worse is how awful the update system in OSX looks compared to Ubuntu. With literally 4 clicks and 1 restart Ubuntu not only gets you all the system and security updates but also updates for all the pre-installed software; I don’t remember exactly the number of clicks and restarts for the last time I updated 10.4.0 to 10.4.10 but I am nearly certain is was more than 4/1.

2007/07/30