I would have thought that this issue had been dead and buried however, unfortunately there are still those out there who believe that installing software is easier under windows than under Linux. Let me tell you right now, it is not!

While we gracefully installed our favorite Linux distro, one of the mundane problems which most users face is - installing a new software. In the beginning, software installation on a Linux distro can seem extremely intimidating while using a terminal but more often than not we can install things graphically.

Even in this day and age you can sometimes still hear the echo of the old FUD: Installing software under Linux is difficult! Really?

The first problem which people face while switching over to Linux is the “unavailability of softwares” as they claim. They just try to run their windows installer/setup file and end up with frustration saying “Linux is so incompatible!” Is it really so? Linux is not a clone of Windows.

I believe that Microsoft has gained a strong hold in our minds based upon many myths and fears. These myths are fears will haunt us for ages until we openly accept and adopt the freedom of Open Source, even with some of its apparent shortcomings. Following are a few myths and facts which play a role in whether a home user shifts from Windows to GNU/Linux.

Latest Release Boasts New User Interface, Lets User Build Their Own Installation 'Recipes'

SAINT PAUL, Minn. (March 2, 2010) -- CodeWeavers, Inc., a leading developer of software products that turn Mac OS X and Linux into Windows-compatible operating systems, today announced the release of CrossOver 9.0 for both Mac and Linux. CrossOver allows Windows software to be used on Mac and Linux PCs without the need for a Windows operating system license.

Software installation on Ubuntu and really all major Linux distributions contrary to some people's uneducated rants on the subject can actually be much easier than anything Windows has to offer.

Let me start with a controversial statement: installing new software is almost always easier on Linux than on Windows. On most Linux systems, a package manager takes care of both the installation and removal of software.

Tony Mobily published an article in Free Software Magazine discussing software installation, specifically end-user software installation, on Linux, which he calls broken. I agree that the system is flawed, but it is not broken. The most important thing is that we not reinvent everything around the fragmented models that OS X and Windows use.
What about Windows and OS X?