If you look at the post installation processes after a Ubuntu fresh install you will notice that almost 
everything is automated... 
Now that is not a common thing in Windows.
 When do you see Windows notifying you that hardware drivers are available? Almost never.
 But in Ubuntu this is not a rare thing!
 In Windows you had to go on the provider website, fill in a form, download the driver, install it and 
REBOOT! 
 In Ubuntu all you have to do is click the New drivers available notification and "Install drivers!” 
It can't be more easy than that! All this because of a wonderful program and the developers of this 
program! 
The program is called jockey-gtk (weird name)... Here is a screenshot!



 As you can see jockey-gtk gives you a list with all suitable drivers for your specific hardware.
Via this program you can install drivers for wireless, graphics cards,printers,and even more!

 And lets talk about an usual printer setup on Windows...
To install your printer on Windows you have to do the following things:
1.Download the driver (f you don't have the CD)
2.Install your driver.
3.Plug in your printer.
Do you thunk it can't be more easy that that? If you think "yes" ITS WRONG!
In Ubuntu you only have to do 1 thing...plug in your printer, and that is step 3!
Ubuntu recognized my HP printer right away and in less tan one minute i had a working printer...
In Windows I had a working printer in almost 10 minutes(Compare the times)!

Now we see that if Ubuntu recognize some hardware and it finds some suitable drivers somewhere, 
it will notify us and if you say "yes" it will make the process painless 
(now I admit, in all operating system are hardware detection problems!)
In Windows you had to do all the job by your self 
(except for plug and play devices).