The close battle between Windows and Linux continues, especially because the latter is slowly becoming more user-friendly, so more and more users are making the move to the free operating system.

And still, as far as Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of Canonical and self-appointed Benevolent Dictator for Life, is concerned, Microsoft has made the right choice with Windows 8.

Shuttleworth explained in a chat during the Ubuntu Open Week that Windows 8 indeed brings many changes, but pointed out that such dramatic releases are absolutely necessary for many companies. Change is hard, he explained, hinting that, eventually, everybody will get used to the “new” Windows.

“Bold choices, right vision, stumbled at the gate but the race is just beginning,” he said when asked about his opinion on Windows 8. “Change is hard, the vision of convergence is the right one, so I respect Microsoft for seeing that and focusing on that. But they stumbled with the actual release, I think they left their actual desktop too much in the past (Win 7.5) and the pushed their tablet too much to the foreground (tiles with a mouse),” he continued.

In addition, Shuttleworth praised Microsoft’s efforts in cloud computing, explaining that the tech giant’s strategy in this particular side of the market is indeed very smart.

“They are smart and hungry and being an underdog is wonderfully motivating. They are doing a very impressive job on being an open cloud,” he wrote.

While Shuttleworth’s statement indeed could come as a shock for some Linux fans, it actually runs counter to the official motto of Ubuntu 12.10.

Back in October 2012, when Canonical officially rolled out Ubuntu 12.10, the company advertised the operating system as a Windows 8 alternative, claiming that it was the right choice for every user who wanted to “avoid the pain of Windows 8.”

Of course, it’s up to the user to decide if Windows 8 is indeed a good operating system or not, but given the early sales figures, Shuttleworth seems to be right: change is damn hard.