Ceci est une ancienne révision du document !
Many Windows users I know would love to ditch that OS for something simpler in the Ubuntu lineup, but most are afraid of losing their Windows look and function.
Both Zorin and Pop! OS offer desktop designs that look, allegedly, Windows-like; however, it’s clearly obvious both are Linux based, although Zorin goes the extra mile by including a menu button in the left corner (bottom) that emulates the old pre-Windows 11 design (thank you - not - Microsoft, for dumping that).
But, every once in a while, something comes up that grabs my attention, and not necessarily for all the right reasons.
Enter Wubuntu 11, a Linux based OS that picks no bones about it - it’s knocking off the design of Windows and doesn’t care who knows it. It admits the underlying OS is Kubuntu, but that’s about it (you can double-check me, but I don’t remember seeing any credit to Canonical, either).
And how did I find this wonder OS? While doing research on the legit Linspire OS, I came upon Wubuntu. Worth noting, the two are not related in any fashion.
Engineered by CyberTech (aka Cyber Port Technology) from Brazil, Wubuntu takes the old adage, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” to a new level while using the concept of fair use under intellectual property as a way of doing it.
And what’s that concept? Wubuntu can look like Windows all it wants, but developers can’t use the underlying code that makes Windows a licensed product.
In addition, fair use generally does not cover, best as I, a non-lawyer, can tell, the use of copyrighted logos. Rip off the Windows overall design, but don’t touch those precious logos!
Distrowatch has no listing for Wubuntu or Windowsfx, but the latter does trace back to Linuxfx 11 (https://linuxfx.org) which states it’s the domain of “Rafael Rachid and Linuxfx Software”.
Hmmm, wanna lay odds that CyberTech and Linuxfx software are related? You’d lose. Both have the same contact information.
Why the dodgy name changing? Seems that after Linuxfx was initially released, it was discovered that security was, as we might say, lacking. User information was released to just about anybody with access to the CyberTech database (review https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wubuntu or https://kernal.eu/posts/linuxfx/ for info on that scandal).
Seems this was around 2017 which, as it appears, Wubuntu 11 was released. At that point the website changed to http://wubuntu.org, but the Linuxfx site is operational and, yes, it still offers downloads.
Don’t fret about which one to download though, they are both the same. However, differences do exist - maybe not physically but otherwise. Visit the Linuxfx website and you’ll see a couple of Microsoft references, mainly concerning OneDrive and Copilot, but not much else. Either app can easily be added to any Linux variation so that’s nothing extraordinary.
Conversely, visit the Wubuntu site and you’ll be greeted by the main title proudly proclaiming, “Windows Theme Over Ubuntu” (technically it’s Kubuntu). It even states that Wubuntu can run windows.exe programs (only if Wine agrees and we all know how iffy that is).
You’ll also see mentions of “Windows Linux With Co-Pilot 24.04” and “Windows Ubuntu”, along with “PowerTools” (a takeoff on MS PowerToys) and, my favorite, Winux.
And what’s with the PowerTools app? For $35 you can tweak the Windows lookalike settings even more, plus it grants “improved support for .exe and .msi applications” along with “Android Subsystem” support.
Wait a minute, let me get this right. You give up your payment info in return PowerTools and a possibility that your information might be leaked?
What a deal! Has the leak been plugged? Who knows, the jury is still out on that one. Due diligence, my friends! Look up the term caveat emptor!
Not one to shy away from a challenge, I went ahead and downloaded the free version of both (4.6 GB) but passed on the $35 PowerTools setup.
But mama didn’t raise a dummy here. I went ahead and merely tried the live version and passed on installing it. I value my information too much to let it be leaked.
Worth noting, while everything else is listed as “fair use”, PowerTools is proprietary. I have no clue how close it may be to MIcrosoft’s PowerToys; however, I do find it odd that the Windows version is free but Wubuntu’s is not (then again, you pay for Windows but not for PowerToys).
So, I decided to make a screenshot (below) of Windows 11 so you could compare it to Wubuntu.
Looks identical, right? One slight issue - that’s Wubuntu you’re looking at, not Windows 11.
Oh, and by the way, that’s also Linuxfx 11. Not a lick of difference between the two, at least on the desktop.
Here’s the kicker. When you boot Wubuntu 11 or LinuxFX 11, what’s one of the first things you see? The Microsoft blue foursquare design. Doesn’t say Microsoft, doesn’t say Wubuntu or Linuxfx, doesn’t say diddly. It’s just the MS foursquare logo along with an entry in the corner stating “Windows Linux with Copilot” and the Copilot logo.
I checked the Microsoft website and found, “Microsoft allows third parties to use its trademarked logos only via formal license”.
Hmmmm, after double-checking Wubuntu’s website, I see nothing about a trademark or formal license. Did I miss something?
The Windows idolatry doesn’t end there, though.
Click on Winver (that’s right, WINdows VERsion) and you’ll see this:
If memory serves me right, isn’t that the MS flag they used for Windows XP? Guess if you’re going to do a Windows makeover (maybe transplant is a better word), you may as well go all the way.
Do like the comment, “Operating System and its interface are designed using open-source tools available on the internet…” In the old days, we called this CYA (look it up if you must).
However, as the infomercials used to say, “…wait, there’s more!”.
Much like Windows 11, both Wubuntu and Linuxfx don’t have a formal menu button, but you can add one (you can in Windows, too, but it might cost a couple bucks). Guess what? It’s the MS foursquare design, again.
Let’s click on the menu to see what it has to hold.
Should have guessed, a whole suite of MS-based online office apps, not to mention the ONLYOFFICE package just in case you want to create MS based docs without paying for the online MS versions.
Fortunately, none of this is questionable as the MS entries are merely links to readily available online resources.
Curiously, Wubuntu developers opted not to duplicate the MS Office icons. Gee, may as well do that, too!
No LibreOffice here my friends (which, by the way, can create MS formatted docs, presentations and spreadsheets - something they ignored or forgot).
And what of internet apps like browsers and email?
Chrome and Thunderbird are offered via the app store, but Outlook (online) and the MS Edge browser (which any Linux version can install) come as standard menu entries. That’s nothing new, anybody can do that on nearly any version of Linux.
Not all things are knockoffs, though. The app store is standard Kubuntu/Ubuntu and if you click on the desktop widgets menu you’ll see the usual KDE offerings.
To be fair, however, these operating systems run adequately for what they are - Kubuntu with a candy-coated shell on top. Nothing special, just like Kubuntu. If you’re a distro-hopper like me, you’ll be bored within an hour and ready to move on.
Should you give either one of these a shot as your daily OS of choice? Still on the fence? Do yourself a favor, go back to the beginning of this article, and read it again.