Most of us are still using Windows Operating systems like Windows XP or Vista. But everyone should have heard about Linux and its features. In this article I discussed about Windows vs Linux. If you haven’t tried Linux and is thinking of switching to a new operating system, Here are 10 reasons to make the switch from Windows to Linux..
1. Free: Linux is an open source project. As they say, it is free as in free beer. All you need to install Linux is an Internet connection to download the iso files and a CD where you can burn the iso. Compare this with Windows which costs a lot!
2. Linux distributions are COMPLETE: All the decent Linux distributions are complete: they include almost all the applications like office applications, pdf reader, web servers, compilers, etc. You don’t have to pay anything to download and install these applications. Ubuntu comes with OpenOffice, which is a perfect substitute for MS Office.
3. Virus, Spyware, Adware ? None of these can affect a Linux based system. In fact, you don’t even have to install an anti-virus software which bogs down system performance in Windows.
4. Low system requirements: I have a tough time running Windows XP on my system and Vista needs 1-2 GB RAM to work properly. On the other hand, Ubuntu boots and runs perfectly fast on this low configuration PC.
5. Much Stable: Linux is much more stable when compared with Windows. This is the reason most of the web servers are run using Linux. Forget about the blue screen of death [BSOD]!
6. Programming tools: If you want to learn programming, Linux is the best for you. Linux distributions come with many compilers and other tools to write and execute code. For example, I use gcc to compile C files which I write using the vi editor. I also have python IDLE installed which I use to learn programming in python.
7. Faster release cycles: Linux distributions are upgraded very fast. New versions of most Linux distributions are released once in every 6 months.
8. Helpful community: Linux has a large fan-following. There are many forums and blogs which can help you if you have any problem. Millions of people cannot be wrong!
9. You can run Linux along with Windows: You can run Linux along with Windows on a different partition. You can boot to Windows wherever you want. It is also possible to run Linux in Windows using emulator software like VMWare or MS Virtual PC. Likewise, it is also possible to run Windows applications in Linux using emulators like Wine (This Wine is different!).
10. A new learning experience: Install Linux on your computer and you will learn many new things. Linux does have a point and click interface, but you can use the command line or “Terminal” as it is called to completely unleash the power of Linux. This way you will learn many cool and new things.
Are you ready for the switch ? Which distribution to choose ? The answer to this question would depend on your specific needs. Here is a list of Linux Desktop Environments. I also wrote about How to Create your own Linux Distribution. However, if you are a newbie I would recommend Ubuntu or Edubuntu. This Linux distribution if very easy to install and is the most popular distribution currently in use. So point to www.ubuntu.org, download an iso file, burn it and install it on your system.
First of all I have to say that linux is not immune to any malware and saying it is u are putting the new users in danger. As some have already pointed out linux is just bit more secure and that isn’t much. What effects the most is the user. And then to correct some other flaws…
1. Yes linux is free not as “free beer” though but more like “free as a bird”.
2. How do u define complete? The most distributions do offer more by default than Windows but it still far from complete. As for one example it won’t come with mainstream games installed.
3. As I said before: linux is not mapware free.
4. I’d say linux can have lower system requirements. If u run only command line with carefully selected light applications u can run it on almost every computer. Nowadays fully featured linux distributions do have similar system requirements than Windows. It is about how u use it.
5. The previous statement could also be suitable for this one. There are different distributions and that are more or less stable. How you use your linux still makes the most differece.
6. Programming is a more integrated in linux than in Windows that is true and the design of unix-like systems makes it more clear and better when it comes to programming. Bot to take advantage of these things you need to know how to program. It is hard to start whatever operating system you are using.
7. Faster release cycle is true for some linux distributions but I’d say this is flaw. 6 month is really short time for operating system version. As someone already said it forces developers to make poor decisions and reduces testing. And for users it is really annoying to update your operating system two times a year.
8. For some distributions yes. But there are also fanboys and “rtfm n00b” people in linux world also.
9. That’s true. I am having both Windows XP and linux on this very machine. And what comes to WINE: it runs some Windows programs, some with lot of work and some it won’t run at all.
10. That’s what it truly is. But if you try linux, try it good. Most of the people who say that they have tried linux and don’t like it have not really tried it. Insted of installing it, toying with if few hours and saying “this sucks” you need to really use few weeks or so. Find out what, how and why others do with it and what they like about it and try those things.
And for arnold: You should really try linux or stfu about it. Your comments show that you really know next to nothing about linux. For linux there is are craphical tools for every task. And why should command line tools be removed? There are command line tools also in Windows. Do you think they left them there just for fun?
A more differentiated discussion of those ten points can be found here: http://www.geekzone.co.nz/foobar/6201
That also includes a very important 11th point, which was forgotten here.
1. Free: yes if free OS is not the popular one and People are buying costly OS then there is some drawbacks for the free one.
2.” Linux distributions are COMPLETE”: Really? Need for a mediaplayer is now over But doesnot run games (some are there and using wine/cedega) but still not a PC gaming platform (Office applications-know a docx viewer for linux)
3. Virus, Spyware, Adware ?
most of the viruses etc spread through non-technical (95%)users who click on everything they see. Compare it with the geeks/nerds using Linux.
also who will waste their time to write these to be affected only on 2-3% of linux computers
4. Low system requirements: man r u really using linux . Recent versions require lots of memory to run. For XP 96mb was enough Recent versions of linux are very slow on my system (probably installed bloatwares)
5. Much Stable: Linux crashes often and it does not have a task manager as in XP (yes it has but when hangs it also hangs , when it hangs the reset button also don’t works
have to press ON/OFF button . this means when crashed ur linux u r totally doomed)
6. Programming tools:
many IDEs have their windows versions . For windows Visual Studio is the best out there.
Because ur linux distro packed some programming tools and u got nothing with ur windows cd doesn’t mean there is nothing with windows There are serious programming tools available for windows than linux.
7. Faster release cycles: why do u want to upgrade ur system with half baked softwares
i got bored after a while and learned that new features are impossible for shorter cycle releases. Wait and see the features and then upgrade.
8. “Helpful community”: Yes thats right. But who on earth will be searching forums for solutions to their problems other than geeks/nerds/computer enthusiasts. Others (the 90%) just ring the service person
9.” You can run Linux along with Windows”: Still saying windows .Why the hell u want windows if u can use linux for ur needs. And btw Wine has a limited no of supported applications and is not stable enough . try to open some applications using it and linux crashes.
10. A new learning experience: install linux and welcome to old ages aka Command line interface (
just start with these commands for redhat distro, rpm -ivv , tar xfvz , or sudo apt-get install for ubuntu)
It was a learning experience in 1999 but at 2009 i am still using them; when will they remove the terminal/command line interface and use GUI. Early days thought linux will catch up Still a lot of way to go
– Nowadays linux distros are eye candy they got one point right . Now its time to give a new user experience for the OS and simple to manage as XP
Linux Drawbacks/Feature Requests:-
– Non uniformity among packages – Still the loose packages feel like loose packages
– Easy and Better Installation/uninstallation of packages
– dependency check hell
– Remove the need for internet for linux Systems [always hate when the system goes online] every now and then it goes online for repo etc Recent distros think they can access net as they wish. The distro should be COMPLETE in all sense
– the free cd should give everything to be worked using a local machine
[atleast audio/video codecs]
– better features [still all copied features and trying to catch up with XP]
Now checking out the new Windows 7 beta
A regular XP/ Ubuntu user
As a long time Linux user, I did find your list interesting, but misleading in areas.
Linux, Unix, Solaris, and all variants there of, can be infected by viruses, rootkits, etc etc etc. The reason you don’t see this often is it’s not a worthwhile target for the writers of these programs. The desktop use market with these OS’s is just too small too be worth the hassle.
On that same note, more than once corporate mainframes, server farms and the like have been attacked and infected by all kinds of viruses . Security through obscurity isn’t a good selling point.
Yes many distros will run on older hardware, several are designed just for older hardware. But as the kernel grows and the average user base evolves with newer hardware. Many distro builders are opting to build there base kernels for the newer hardware. Though it can work, running a kernel built for 686 cpus on 586 or older processors is slow and even, at times, unstable
Stability is a matter of usage, streamlining, and system maintenance. Had an XP machine run for 4 months without a reboot and only minor problems, have had Linux boxes run as long or longer the same way. Any OS now days can be run long term without much problems if the system has been tweaked and all unnecessary processes have been stripped away. Then it’s a matter of clearing caches and tmp files on a regular bases.
Faster release cycles is both a blessing and a curse. If the release of the new builds are not properly tested then many issues can and do arise. Being bleeding edge is not some thing to use to convince a person to switch. As new Linux users get frustrated and give up because there distro of choice upgraded with out properly testing the new releases long enough, and ended up breaking a lot of stuff.
Hardware support is still a sketchy area, many companies have gotten on the bandwagon, but even some of them don’t offer any actual in house support for the drivers they provide. Some don’t even write drivers, they provide Linux driver authors the technical information they need to begin the tedious and long job of building a test driver. Sadly, the mass majority of companies don’t do either. This is a major downfall in the Linux world. One that is sllloooowwwwly being over come.
Take another look at your list, tweak it, get some in accurate info out of it then have another go. Building a top 10 list is like using Linux, it’s a learning experience.
I am a Linux user, but I HATE RETARDED Linux FANBOYS. They don’t do any help, only damage.
#1. “All you need to install Linux is an Internet connection”
I might not be the smart one. But don’t you need a PC first??? And you have to be careful when you shop. Because Win PC can be cheaper than a Linux PC from the same vendor.
#2. “You don’t have to pay anything to download and install these applications.” Hmmm, almost all of these are available on Windows for the same price of $0.00. They might not be collected nicely into a single repository, but they are FREE ON WINDOWS TOO. Even more, many of those work better on Windows. Everybody knows that 90+ % of desktop users are Windows PCs. So, it is pretty stupid to cut out 90% of your potential user base. My guess is that Win users are not a kind who just loves to fix things by compiling from source code. So I would not be surprised that Windows ports are much better tested.
#3. I was infected once in 7 years between 3 home Win XP PCs connected to the internet. So, Linux gives me a sense of security? I don’t even know who would want to invest time/money in that. A mere 1% of desktop users come from Linux. Divide that by 400+ distributions. Why bother? Wait till some distro goes mainstream with your next door PC reselller (if it ever happens in our life time).
#4. Enough with “Low system requirements” BULLSH!T. “In general, desktop Linux is as fast as MS-Windows XP running on the same machine.” You know where this quote comes from??? From a very respected distribution maintainer. I bet they know better.
#5. “Linux is much more stable when compared with Windows.” This is just another rosy dream of a Linux fanboy. If a Linux desktop is used as a desktop is intended: start/stop dozens of programs, install/uninstall a bunch of packages then it is no better. I have not been able to run a Linux desktop for more than 1-2 months before it starts to slow down. It is not a matter of OS. It is a matter of piss poor software quality. Many open/close source projects don’t have enough $$$ or desire to invest into simple QC. And it shows. A locked down server that runs a couple of the same programs is not a fare game in this context.
#6. “If you want to learn programming, Linux is the best for you”
Are you kidding me? All these development tools can be used there in Windows too. Not to mention: MS Visual Studio (available for free) is the INTEGRATED development environment like nothing else out there. Name an IDE that comes close.
#7. “Linux distributions are upgraded very fast.”
Translation: old bugs are not fixed, new features are not complete but rushed into the aggressive release schedule. Old things that used to work – well don’t work any more. If you take a note on distributions that value stability and quality of work, they don’t release often. They release when it is ready.
#8. “Linux has a large fan-following.”
Yep, you’d have to rely on those Microsoft Haters when things do not work. Good Luck !!! And things won’t work. It is a guaranty. I mean, you’d have to buy your electronic toys and gadgets based on “will this work in Linux” rather than “is this the best toy out there”. Driver support will be of questionable quality for a long time. Linux has not proved itself as a reliable platform for such things yet. Vendors are not investing major $$$ into providing Linux apps or drivers yet. It will change… some day eventually.
#9. Like somebody else said before; WINE is not an emulator.
#10. “but you can use the command line or “Terminal” as it is called to completely unleash the power of Linux. This way you will learn many cool and new things.”
Cool things??? I am sure that you can break the ice when you want to start a conversation in a bar. Tell all the people that you learned a new Linux command. WOW, really really awesome
Some other ‘below the waste’ kicks:
The largest Linux vendor is not playing “Linux for masses” game. Why?
Linux had the Netbook market to itself and itself only. Win XP is already kicking its but left and right. Why?
I had no problems running SuSE 10.x on my PC, not so much with 11.x. Did my 4 year old PC become outdated for Linux? Why? (same could be said about other distros)
When I walk into electronics store near by, I do not see a single printer/scanner/camera/ saying that it is certified for Linux. Why?
Linux community makes big promises. It is time to deliver !!!
While I’m neither for nor against Linux, I noticed some things in your list that don’t really make sense:
1. If I’m reading this and don’t have Linux, then I most likely have Windows. I already have it. I don’t care if the another OS is free, since I already paid for this one.
3. While it’s true that Linux gets much less viruses and spyware, it’s not because it’s “immune” to them. It’s because so few people use it, so people don’t bother writing spyware or viruses for it. I know it’s secure, but most of its security comes from the fact that nobody uses Linux.
6.That’s not really convincing to the average user. If you want people to use Linux, don’t just tell the geeks. They already know.
9. That’s not an advantage of Linux. You can also dual boot XP and Vista.
10. Why would I want to learn something that I don’t need? This is similar to 6.
What Linux supporters have to keep in mind is that they don’t need to tell just a few people to use Linux. These people already know about it. You need to spread the word to everyone, even the average user who just uses the computer for web surfing, music, instant messaging and the like.
1. Free is good 🙂
2. Many Linux distros are actually too complete (ie bloated) for me, but I’ve found happiness with SliTaz.
3. Stop while you’re ahead. User competence is really all that is needed for safety on any OS. Nobody needs an antivirus. There’s no technical reason Linux could not be infected – it’s just a bit harder.
4. Indeed. My system uses 32 MB of RAM for a blank desktop.
5. Hype, nothing more. OS stability mostly depends on the apps a user runs. I’ve had two blue-screens in six years with XP, and many crashes when using complex distros such as Ubuntu.
6. +1, scripting on Windows is a bit of a pain
7. …and some are rolling release. Even better.
8. I love the community.
9. Valid points, but WINE is incomplete and should only be used as a last resort.
10. Learning the CLI has dramatically improved my computing experience.
Overall, not a bad list. You really should remove vague/innacurate points such as #3 and #5, but it was still a decent read. I’ve used Linux for a couple years now, and I really like the power I have. After a brief start with Ubuntu, I bounced around for a while before settling with Slackware. Recently, I moved over to SliTaz for the awesome packaging and init systems. The simplicity of these systems (along with other winners such as Arch and CRUX) is a fantastic feature.
Malware can infect unix systems. It’s just a little harder, and there are fewer people trying to do it.
WINE is not an emulator.