Here’s a report that’s sure to get some people bristling. Fred Langa brought out a stopwatch and a triple-boot computer, and timed bootup times. The Windows 98 installation took 37 seconds to boot while Linux took a minute and a half. Lindows took nearly three minutes! This is something I’ve noticed about Linux, especially when it’s running a GUI: its bootup times are nothing to brag about. Linux supporters would probably point out that a Linux computer never has to be rebooted because it will never crash. But that doesn’t take into account that a lot of people turn off their computers at night, or when they’re not using them. And bootup time can be one of the first impressions someone has about a computer. If it takes too long, and the disk keeps churning, you start to wonder how it’s going to respond once you sit down and start working. A fast bootup time, like Windows XP has, can really give you good peace of mind that the computer’s going to run fast.

Of course, Windows 98 has never been known for zippy bootup times either. I’m not sure what Fred did to get those kinds of results.