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linux vs windows?

X

xdkimx

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 17, 2005
Messages
443
is linux a good os? ie is it safe for computers with cable, does it use less cpu/memory, does it have problems with software/hardware/drivers etc

i never really bothered to try it so im a bit curious

edit: is it also completely free? as in $$$

http://www.divisiontwo.com/articles/mcse2.htm (i wonder if this guys serious :p)

"I'm running XP on the monster rig I use at home--a brand new Compaq mid-tower--and the OS blazes like a Corvette. I especially like the four games it comes with - Hearts, FreeCell (so addictive!), Minesweeper, and Solitaire. It's easy to see why XP is considered the ultimate platform for gamers."
 
Linux is nice and it got more advanced with the time. but first make sure all your hardware has Linux drivers available. And you'll have to get used to the interface.

I personally don't like it. But they say it's more stable
 
Modern Linux operating systems have advanced a lot in the past couple years or so, I think enough to be as useable as Windows as a desktop OS.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "computers with cable" (all computers have cables :p ), if you mean with cable internet, as long as you're connecting via ethernet there shouldn't be any problem. If you're connecting to a cable modem via USB, then that would depend upon driver support for your modem. As far as hardware support goes, Linux supports pretty much all mainstream hardware, plus a lot of obscure / really old stuff, but might not support some of the bleeding-edge hardware (which has proprietary / unpublished features.)

As far as software goes, that really depends upon what you need / want to do. If you're dependent upon a specific Windows program, you might be out of luck; however, there's a good possibility that a Linux program exists to perform the same function. (Examples: the GIMP is to replace Photoshop, GAIM is a multiprotocol IM client, OpenOffice.org is similar to MS Office.) If you primarily use your computer for web, email, and IMing, Linux might be a decent choice for you. If you play a lot of games though, you'll find that there are far fewer games for Linux than there are for Windows.

While there's nothing to say that Linux can't be charged for, most Linux distributions are completely free. If you're interested in getting your feet wet, you may want to try out a live-cd distribution, which auto-detects your hardware and runs entirely from the CD (it doesn't touch the data on your hard disk, so when you want to go back to Windows, just eject the CD and restart). It's also a handy way to check if your hardware is supported. Knoppix is live-cd only, and Kubuntu offers both a live-cd and an installation cd.
 
Linux is alot more secure then windows so if your worried about your computers security and are willing to learn Linux then go for it and if you dont like it you can always go back to windows
 
Copey said:
Linux is alot more secure then windows so if your worried about your computers security and are willing to learn Linux then go for it and if you dont like it you can always go back to windows
Click to expand...

That is not strictly true.
Linux is no more or no less secur then Windows.

You can lock widnwos down pretty tight, just as you can open linux up for violation

The difference is an out-of-the box linux installation is pretty locked down and you would have to go out of your way to make it less secure (leave SSH on all the time with a weak ROOT passwd for one)

As oposed to Windows that out of the box is a complete nightmere
 
1st off that linked article is either a joke, or that guy has no fucking clue.
Windows XP features the dependable DRM features home users demand (keeps you from getting sued!), while product activation and restrictive EULAs limit what people can do with their PCs to the point that someone like cousin Joe or Grandma won't want one, saving guys like you and me from having to deal with annoying family tech support calls - the kind that we don't even get paid for!
Click to expand...



anyone else smell a troll?
 
To the OP: I'd suggest reading a few threads in the Linux/BSD subforum to see what new users there are saying. Or of course, you can just get a liveCD and test it for yourself.
 
Best thing to do is give Linux a try. I started tinkering with FreeBSD about 8 years ago, and now the only Windows machine left is my gaming machine since gaming and UN*X don't go together right now.

You can download and burn to CD a "live" Linux distro, that boots and runs off CD so you can try it out without installing anything. But I'd recommend either using a older machine and installing it and just playing around with it.

Is it more stable, yes. Win2K and XP are much more stable than 9x ever was, and are quite reliable nowadays, but in a word Linux/BSD's will be more stable.

Easier on CPU/memory, yes, but to a point. If you use certain graphical interfaces, they can be resource hogs, but the basic OS itself is generally less taxing on hardware. Also if you have a lot of services running like email server, SQL server, etc etc you could load it down more, but for a general Linux desktop vs Windows desktop the Linux one would likely have less load on it.

More secure, definatly yes, the archetecture of UN*X like OS's simply is a more secure by nature. Also the developers are generally more proactive than reactive as are Microsoft's to bugs.

Free actually refers to the license itself, meaning they have to make the sourcecode available with the OS, but most distros are free, or have a free variant. I've never paid for any Linux/BSD OS or software, even though they are available.
 
xdkimx said:
Is linux a good os?
is it safe for computers with cable?
does it use less cpu/memory?
does it have problems with software/hardware/drivers?
is it also completely free? as in $$$

...


"I'm running XP on the monster rig I use at home--a brand new Compaq mid-tower--and the OS blazes like a Corvette. I especially like the four games it comes with - Hearts, FreeCell (so addictive!), Minesweeper, and Solitaire. It's easy to see why XP is considered the ultimate platform for gamers."
Click to expand...

Yes Linux is a very good OS.
Yes, it is safe. It can be made to be safer than windows, but like every operating system there are ways to break in.
Yes, it can be made to use less cpu/memory.
Yes, it does have problems with some hardware/software. Some pieces of hardware simply have no drivers/support for linux.
Yes, with the exception of a few commercial distributions it is free.

Windows is considered the "ultimate platform for gamers" because almost all games are written specifically for Windows, or only for Windows.

BTW, I run Linux on my laptop, home server, work workstation, and soon to be home desktop.

Screenshot.jpg
 
visaris said:
I can't tell if he really is that full of crap, or if he's trying to make a point for linux in a funny way by talking about windows features.
Click to expand...
.... he's a funny guy actually.
A nice sarcastic and subtle anti Microsoft rant :)
 
carloswill said:
These threads are useless....
Click to expand...

not as useless as that post was :p
which strictly speaking would be threadcrapping...

there is some value in threads like this, leads and aspects that may be new or expressed in a new way ;)
and it was threads like this one that set me on the Linux path, I just wish Id started sooner

Linux is different there are a different set of security issues, the vectors of infection or exploit shift dramatically, you get all sorts of cutting edge performance, (64bit Linux is quite old now, easy clusters ect)) all sorts of intgrated or open source applications, as a basic OS with the equivelant software utilities as windows (browser, email, chat, office, image editing ect) Its quite strong and getting stronger, but still fundementally different under the GUI

as far as drivers, Linux depending on the distro (type & version) often seemlessly autorecognizes

I recommend using Knoppix as a LiveCD for someone that wants to dabble
no need to install it on the computer, and as an OS loaded into memory and being read from CDROM its impossible to exploit, or at least past a reboot :p

it would have most everything youd want from a music player , browser, chat ect
and is a good place to start learning ;)
 
Definately try out Linux with a live-cd or installed on a spare HD. The less you know about Windows, the easier Linux will be for you move to. Since you're on this forum, I'm guessing you're a 'power user', and it will be hard to 'unlearn' some of the Windows ways of doing things. If you're starting from scratch, Linux is about the same difficultly to learn as Windows.

Gaming on Linux quickly becomming on par with Windows, with the advancements of WINE's Direct-X support, as well as the number of games being released natively. Though it isn't quite ready for prime time, there's a version of WINE with Direct-X 9 support, which people have used to play Half-Life 2, WoW, and other modern games. The entire Unreal Tournament series has native ports to Linux, and Doom 3 is native as well.
 
The key is to ask yourself what YOU do with YOUR pc.

If its surfing, music, desktop apps, and that sort of stuff. Then Linux is a viable platform for you.

I use CentOS 4.1 personally on 2 systems (1 server, 1 desktop) and I run Win2K also. Both are as secure as you can make them because till the problems are found, they can't be fixed. Both have that fault, all software has that fault.

And for the guy above that mentioned something about SSHD being run 24/7 with a weak root password, there's problem #1 for you. You never allow root to login via SSH period. You create a user that has no to little abilities, and log in that way, and then su to root to do the tasks that root requires.

Out of the box, Linux is not secure unless you take the steps to secure it. Viruses are not an issue and spyware is not an issue like it is on Windows, that may be what you're referring to. But a vanilla Linux install is probably no more difficult to hack than a vanilla Windows one. The tools necessary to do so are available on both fronts.

No matter which you choose, stay updated, stay competent about the benefits and downfalls of both, and enjoy them each or seperately for the things they both offer. For Windows, gaming is whats keeping it in my house, if not for that aspect, I prefer the commandline of Linux over a GUI anyday of the week. I boot my systems in runlevel 3, and never really use the desktop in Linux, I use F-Secure SSH client, and just work on my Windows sytems to work on my Linux ones. I never have to hassle with them, they just plain are always there when I need them and need to interact with them.

My feelings are this: Till Linux undergoes some consolidation among all the various distro's and we end up with 2-3 major players, where their kernal and item subsets are 100% identical to the basis, then you'll never see Linux develop like it should on the desktop. There's so many distro's and so much variation, that its going to take a "monolith" like company to draw developers into writing native apps more so. Those "killer apps" need a "killer audience" that isn't afraid to pay "killer prices". The OSF is hurting Linux as much as its helping it. There's not enough financial benefit on Linux desktops yet to push developers that would make those killer apps, to jump and develop, such as Adobe and their line of software, etc etc.
 
Personally I tried linux out and hated it, I thought it sucked. :) but hey different strokes for different folks.
 
If that article had been written on paper I would have crumpled it up and threw it in the trash. Wait a minute, I'm gonna print it out so I can do just that.

By his own admission he used Linux for 2 days. And one of his arguments is that Linux dosen't keep track of his needs by accessing his machine on a regular basis to see what he's been doing. CRAZY!!!!

And he actually says Windows is BETTER because of their built in DRM schemes. RIDICULOUS!!!

This guy seems to be on the payroll of the MIA (Microsoft Intelligence Agency). Keep that link a closely guarded secret. Don't tell anyone about it.

And most distros have more and better games than the Microsoft four you mentioned.
 
Both can be secure and do everything you need. Windows = easy to install/setup. Linux is the total opposite, when I last tried it anyway. I've spent way too much time trying to make it work with all the right drivers and it was a complete headache.
 
cuemasterfl said:
Both can be secure and do everything you need. Windows = easy to install/setup. Linux is the total opposite, when I last tried it anyway. I've spent way too much time trying to make it work with all the right drivers and it was a complete headache.
Click to expand...

Actually, I find most distributions of Linux are easier to install and setup if you don't have a bleeding edge system. Most of the time your hardware just works and doesn't need hours of updates and extra programs to secure it.

Windows has a place, and Linux has a place. I just find linux more configurable and I enjoy having more control over my OS.
 
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