Comparison of Windows and Linux

Discussion in 'macOS' started by datcat, Nov 18, 2008.

  1. datcat

    datcat MDL Member

    Sep 10, 2008
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  2. izh34

    izh34 MDL Member

    Mar 12, 2009
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    Yup. I'm trying to understand the benefits of using Linux as my 2nd OS. Can somebody simplified it for me? As this might increase the curiosity of new users of Linux to go deep with it.
     
  3. linman

    linman MDL Novice

    Jun 15, 2010
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    I use Linux as my main OS, hardly use Wondows..
     
  4. R29k

    R29k MDL GLaDOS

    Feb 13, 2011
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    It's free and it does everything except gaming perfectly. If you just want to surf the net and do office work then Linux can enable you to do that at no cost. If that's your objective then Linux Mint for the win :D
     
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  5. mythofuniverse

    mythofuniverse MDL Junior Member

    Sep 12, 2010
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    I use all the three Windows , Linux amd Mac.. As r29k said if u use the computer just for office work and surfing .. Linux is the best free and fast OS... but if you want to dig all the digital world for real then go with Windows ..Mac is just secure (that too similar to linux) other than this, it has just more disadvantages than plus points when compared with Win & Lin
     
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  6. communicator

    communicator MDL Junior Member

    Sep 1, 2011
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    i have used 3 versions of ubuntu...8.04, 10.04, 11.04...but i do not think that ubuntu can ever replace or for that matter even be a worthy competitor to windows!!!

    as for mac os...i do not like anything from apple:eek:be it laptops, phones or software!!!
     
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  7. Carel

    Carel MDL Member

    Oct 11, 2009
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    Real Difference

    Windows have way less bugs than Linux. Most of the bugs in Windows does not even affect half of it's users and the other half of the updates is for security reasons. Updates for Linux {Bug fixes} are realeased every single day. Windows only needs updates every now and then, Linux needs this more frequently. Remember that most of the bugs doesn't affect all users, but they are still there. Mac OS X and Linux are basically the same thing, except that Mac OS X can be seen as Apple's custom distro. They are both Unix and can run each other's software, but - they will likely have the same bugs and problems. Apple releases a huge update for Mac OS X every 2nd month {about 500mb update}. Updates for Windows called Service Packs are released once every year {about 800mb update}.

    Linux and Mac OS X can run Windows binary files by using Wine (it needs to be compiled from source). You can basically run Windows software on Unix, but you cannot run Unix software on Windows.

    Linux is completely opensource, Wndows is not. You cannot get the source code for everything... Linux is free, Windows is not {but has less bugs}.

    Both OSes supports Hardware Assisted Virtualization. You can run a 64-Bit OS within a 32-Bit environment on both by using the AMD-V or Intel VT-x extension of your processor.

    Windows cannot access Linux partitions, Linux can access Windows partitions with full read/write capabilities although on some distros it's very, very difficult to configure the fstab file manually to achieve this.

    Linux can be installed to a USB drive or portable hard drive and still boot up very fast, but will never pull out as many horsepower out of your PC as indows can - especially when you run multiple applications at the same thime tah want to eat more than 50% of each processor core. Windows cannot be installed to a USB drive, only internal drives.

    Linux is way more difficult to use than windows {except if you only use it to do the basics - listen music, browse internet}. I'ts not every user that knows how to compile packages from source and not everybody knows how to work in a terminal. Linux is more designed for programmers and Engineers that need to implement their own hardware and software. Windows is more difficult in this manner because not everyting is open source and debugging can take hours.
     
  8. northd_tech

    northd_tech MDL Novice

    Sep 5, 2011
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    I disagree with much of the above post- Ubuntu only updates once a week usually on my 10.04.3 LTS (long term support) install and it RARELY causes any problems (like maybe 3 in 3 years or so).I prefer how Ubuntu can install software packages at least 3 ways, and Linux is EXTREMELY virus-resistant. I've seen no fewer than 7 Windows computers ruined by viruses and malware (which eventually caused hardware failures). I'd say try out a LiveCD/DVD of some type of Linux and check it out on your machine- you don't even need to install it on your machine to 'play' with it and check hardware compatibility with the Live CD. Personally, I recommend the Long Term Support (LTS) flavor:: httpCOLON//releases.ubuntu.com/lucid/ Ubuntu is the most popular Linux now, and probably one of the easiest.
     
  9. Zukariji

    Zukariji MDL Member

    Mar 11, 2011
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    #9 Zukariji, Sep 14, 2011
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2011
    Okay, uhh, there is so much wrong with this I'm not really sure where to start:
    1) OS X and Linux are very different. For starters, OS X is UNIX. Linux is not UNIX. Linux doesn't meet the certifications and the code is only INSPIRED by, not directly based from, UNIX. They also cannot run each others software. Please try running iTunes Mac or Adium or something on any Linux distro - I can assure you, it will NOT work. Some (definitely not the majority) Linux programs can run on OS X, granted, but it's quite hard to do and it's still not 'native' and usually contains a hellofa lot of bugs due to inferior GTK+ or QT libraries, or other runtime libraries...

    This is also wrong. You CAN run UNIX software on Windows... Ever heard of Cygwin and "Windows Services for UNIX"?

    Linux has more bugs than Windows? Seriously? Chances are the 'bugs' you've encountered are due to you not having the correct libraries installed for certain applications, or screwing up the main OS software some how...

    Windows can access Linux partitions, but it's quite hard to do and involves installing custom drivers, and even then it's not very stable, I wouldn't recommend it. But it is possible.

    Windows 8 can be installed to USB.

    I think you'd find doing so called 'complicated' things on Windows is just as difficult as doing 'complicated' stuff on Linux. Compiling on Linux is ridiculously easy:

    ./configure
    make
    sudo make install

    Not hard at all... Beginner distros such as Ubuntu have made almost EVERYTHING - both 'complicated' and 'basic' - pretty simple and easy for the average consumer to do.
     
  10. free1975yuly

    free1975yuly MDL Expert

    Aug 24, 2011
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    As a user what tryed almost OS himself,I can judge like this: I tryed Linux distros like:Ubuntu,Fedora,Slackware and others and Windows almost all versions; the big difference:For Win and almost applications you must have a license,you must have antivirus..etc...
    Ubuntu came with almost you have need by construction and you not have to pay for...
    You can modify and customize Ubuntu how you like...Ubuntu come with a cd/dvd burners...for those we had to wait in Windows until W7....and here is a much more to describe...I think using windows or linux is a man choose any can use what like and what is better for himself...
     
  11. Wrong windows has a lot of security bugs which linux does not have. In a server environment linux is the popular choice. Bugs in rushed out untested packaged are common however heavily tested are not. Besides many consumer devices like phones, routers etc use linux.

    But its a common misconception linux is not an OS, however there are OS's like Ubuntu that use it. Linux is a kernel. Just like windowsNT kernel in Xp and higher.
     
  12. Nichole Green

    Nichole Green MDL Novice

    Sep 29, 2011
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    Windows operating system is used by most of the people now a days so most of the persons are very much familiar with this operating system but when the matters come in terms of updates then linux operating system will always have an edge over windows as it is a open source....
     
  13. free1975yuly

    free1975yuly MDL Expert

    Aug 24, 2011
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    We are familiar with Windows because we grew up with...For most of us Linux is something new and maybe unknow....Try to install Slackware and you gonna see what i am talking about...
     
  14. James Aiden

    James Aiden MDL Novice

    Dec 19, 2011
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    Thanks for sharing this article.keep sharing in future again.I knew about the windows before but its first time that i am gonna learn about the Linux.
     
  15. vjott

    vjott MDL Member

    Aug 7, 2012
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    Having used Linux since 2007 I can say that it is an up-and-down experience. 5 Years of usage may not be much but it has been enough for me to go back to Windows. I could live with needing to use the terminal from time to time. I could live with the poor support for my hardware. I could even live with the low-quality software applications. What I could not live with is the instability. The instability took on two forms: random problems from out of nowhere and GNOME and KDE deciding to throw stability out the window and go wherever they please. I'll keep this short: Linux is trouble.

    Now Windows may not be perfect (I've had my share of BSoD). Windows may be proprietary, closed and all of those other things but the experience as of Windows 7 has been very stable. Most of the work I do is on Windows and programs exclusive to Windows and, as I'm finishing up my final year BSc in Computing, I really don't have time to tinker about with Linux which was really just a 5-year curiosity project. I'll go crazy if I get another GRUB boot error or X refusing to start or "Plasma has crashed" error messages or any of the other esoteric errors and frustrations I've encountered in my short time with that grinning, goofy penguin.
     
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  16. Daerias

    Daerias MDL Novice

    Feb 2, 2013
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    read this h t t p : / / linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm
     
  17. weince_91

    weince_91 MDL Novice

    Dec 3, 2011
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    linux is a good substitute for those who use computer for some king of creative purpose but for those compter is a multimedia and chatting device linux so far not os for them to use due to the lake of incompatibility of multimedia apps and so on !!! so i believe just stuck with windows !!!!