First of all, my appologies if this is in the wrong section. Please move it to General Conversation if that is the case. Secondly, I'm writing this for people who wish to see where Linux excels over Windows, and vice-versa. If you don't care about it, then don't read it. I'm going to present the facts as is, although I want you to know beforehand that I am biased towards Linux.
Basic Knowledge:
There are different versions of Windows, for example there is Windows 3.x, 95, 98, NT, XP, Me, and so on. Similarly there are different versions of Linux, call distributions, or more commonly, distros for short. For a better understanding of of what distros are, or if you just want to check out information on different distros, go to
www.distrowatch.com .
Also, take note, that a Linux and Windows box can coexist on the same network, and even intertact with each other using
samba.
Windows advantages:
As much as I hate to admit it, Windows does have some perks over Linux. There are some obvious ones, and then there are some not-so obvious ones. In my opinion, the perks that Windows offers you still can't compete with what Linux can offer you.
The first, and probably most obvious advantage that Windows has on Linux is the fact that there is very minimal set up required. Most file types are already supported by the Windows OS, whereas in Linux you have to download special applications to run them seperately. Most popular games are not supported by Linux, and since this is a gaming community, switching to Linux altogether may not be the best thing for you. There are certain hacks on Linux which allow you to play Windows games, but they are still in their infant stages, and are quite buggy.
Installation of just about anything is quite a bit more complex on Linux than on Windows. In Windows, a simple double click will usually install an application onto your computer for you, on Linux, many times you have to compile it from source. This is done from the command line, which may make some people who aren't used to the command line apprehensive. You have to compile the source, make sure it is in the correct folder, all the paths are set correctly, all the dependencies are met, and so on. It can become quite a hassle sometimes. There are other, easier ways to install things on Linux, which I'm not going to cover here, but take my word for it -- it is still harder than installing an application of Windows.
I've found the installation of Windows to be easier than Linux's installation as well. While anyone with half a brain could install Linux, Windows is still far simpler. Windows, you click next, next, next, wait thirty minutes, and you're done. On Linux, you have to make some choices on your own, what packages you want to install, make sure that you can get your computer to do everything that you need your computer to do with those packages, etc. Each distribution of Linux comes with its own installer, so the difficulty of the installation really depends on the distro.
Microsoft has an excellent relationship with third party device drivers. This is a department where Linux is still developing.
Another obvious advantage that I would say that Windows has on Linux is the professional support you can get for Windows. Just about anything can be solved with a quick call to Microsoft. Linux has a large support group as well, but nothing compared to what Windows has. Also, keep in mind, that any support you get for Linux will be voluntary, and that there is hardly any professional support at all (there are some distros which you can buy commercially, and in that case you will get support.) That doesn't mean that your problems will not be solved. The Linux community is quite intelligent, and they will be able to handle almost any problem you throw at them, but my best advice to you would be to look the solution for your problem up before you try asking a Linux community. That way, you might learn something new.
Windows also has a much larger selection of software you can choose from. Linux can compete with everything, but it's not quite as developed as Windows in this department.
Basic Linux Knowledge:
A distro is built around the linux
kernel, the guts of the system. The kernel handles everything.
Linux itself does not come with a GUI, although virtually every distro will provide you with 1 or more GUI's. I have 3 installed on my box. A distro will also ship with all the common packages you need to run your computer, and everyday errands such as text editors, spreadsheets, internet browsers, and more.
The file hiearchy of Linux is quite a bit different than Windows. You are probably aware that Windows uses letters of the alphabet to address physical drives such as C:. In Linux, everything resides under "/", or the
root directory. Every physical drive is under the root directory, or a subdirectory to the root directory. For example, a floppy drive might be located in /mnt/floppy. A concept called
mounting is used to attach physical devices to the root directory, or a subdirectory to the root directory.
Advantages of Linux over Windows:
First and foremost, almost everything is free. Free is good. It saves you money. You can download the distro for free, you can download upgrades for free, you can download most software for free, it's great.
Also, the kernel, and software is almost always open-source. This might seem like a bad thing to you initially, but once you look at it closer then it is not that bad of an idea. You might think that this creates security problems in the system because
black-hat hackers have complete access to the source code, but really, just about any flaw that is found in the code is almost immediately reported and fixed. It also allows you to tweak things to fit your need. This gives you almost full control on anything you might want to do. I love being in control.
Linux can be run from a live-cd, which means it can be run directly off of a CD. On Windows, you have to install the OS to the hard drive before you can run it. This is true for most Linux distros as well, but there are certain ones which you can use straight off of a CD. If you have never tried Linux before, this is a great way to start off.
Windows is known for its bugs. I used to get the blue screen of death around every four hours, but with Linux the only time I need to hit the power button on my computer is when electricity goes out. I know you've probably all gotten tired of the tediousness of trying to sit through a bug in the OS which occurs repeatedly. All software has its share of bugs in it, and I'm not saying that Linux is bug-free, it just has the upper-hand on Windows in this case.
Another advantage of Linux on Windows is that Linux was designed to be a multi-user OS, Windows was not. Multiple users can be using Linux at the same time, and it will not bother it at all, on Windows this is much harder. Windows has a multi-user version called Terminal Server, but it is not on the average personal computer.
How many of you are tired of that adware that infests your computer? Want to get rid of it completely? Get Linux. I've never had adware, spyware, or a virus on Linux, whereas I had multiple instances of them on Windows -- ranging in the hundreds, possibly even thousands. Why labor through the pain of having to get rid of such things every week. I say don't let the pests enter altogether. Imagine never having to reformat your computer again. It's a beautiful feeling.
Security-wise, I suppose both OS are comparable, but I give Linux the slight upper hand. On Linux, it is required that you log in with a username and a password. A user can set restrictions on his own file, allowing him to control who can access those files, and who can not. On Windows a login is usually not required, although one can be set up. Also, on Windows, just about every user has full access to everything on the computer, meaning he could easily delete whatever he wanted, even partition the computer. On Linux, only the
root account could do this. The root account is the admin of the system. Other members would not be able to cause much harm to the system since they will not be able to delete required files and such. They will only have access to what they need to use the system sufficiently and productively. This could be a whole seperate article, and I'm tired of writing so I'm not going to write much, but if you use Linux right, it can be a very secure system.
Conclusion:
Well, that's it for now. Leave comments, feedback, questions. If I screwed something up, please let me know.
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