What is the difference between LINUX and WINDOWS?

I am thinking of seting up my home computer with LINUX.


Is it safer than WINDOWS?


What programs will I be able to install?


What are the pros and cons of either OS?

What is the difference between LINUX and WINDOWS?
Linux is secure.


Windows is NOT secure.





Linux has only a fraction of the number of software packages that are available on Windows. This is a down side because some people need the ability to do TurboTax or something that is Windows only.





Linux is based on the latest version of Unix. BIG PRO


Linux does not have as many programs as Windows. CON


Linux is very secure. PRO





Windows is loosely based on a very old version of Unix. BIG CON


Windows has many programs available. PRO


Windows is as secure as the US/Mexico border. MASSIVE CON





Windows has so many problems that an industry was born to supervise and fix those problems.....PRO (Thats my job)





If you don't know what Unix is please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix
Reply:That is a question that has many different answers, depending on what aspect of Windows or Linux you want to know about. Both are what are known as Operating Systems, and in this case, both are designed to work on the same type of hardware -- PCs, otherwise known as IBM Compatibles. There are enormous differences in the way that they behave at a technical level, but I suspect what you really want to know is how they differ from the perspective of an end user. This makes any answer I give somewhat subjective (users have different preferences and expectations of their computers), but I will do my best to give an answer that is generally accepted by the IT community.





Windows was introduced by Microsoft in 1983, and has been the dominant Operating System available for the PC since the early-nineties. As such, Microsoft has enjoyed great financial success, and Windows has had many years and incredible fiscal resources to evolve to meet the demands of the mass-market. There is an staggeringly rich set of features here, from very explicit, step-by-step user interfaces for the first time computer user, to powerful interfaces for the computer professional, and everything in between. By contrast, Linux achieved notoriety a bit later, in the mid-nineties, with a distribution known as Redhat, and although Linux was built on more mature, stable underpinnings (Unix), it did not enjoy nearly the same marketing or development budget that Microsoft threw behind Windows. In fact, the developers of Linux are commonly credited as founding the Open Source Software movement, which is the idea that software can be made better through the free sharing of its source code. In this philosophy, programmers often volunteer their time to develop software for free, as was done with Linux, and Linux is still available for free in its more basic forms. Companies like Redhat only make money by "packaging" Linux with printed documentation, extra software utilities, and setup wizards designed to make the installation of Linux and its subsequent software packages easier. Even so, the amount of money they are able to generate this way is paltry compared to the wealth of Microsoft (which makes most company's financials look paltry). Because of this, the marketing behind Linux has been miniscule compared to that of Windows, and its lack of acceptance among less technical users reflects this. A large reason is because Windows has established a very deeply-ingrained (and some have argued unfairly controlling) relationship with PC hardware manufacturers, ensuring that almost every new PC ships with Windows installed from day one. Given that they must satisfy the demands (though perhaps less than perfectly) of the majority of novice computer users, and add to that the amount of time and money that Windows has enjoyed to make itself accessible to these users, and it is easy to see why Windows is generally regarded as superior to Linux in the area of accessibility to novices. There are graphic user interfaces (abbreviated as GUI) present for almost everything you could want to do, and there is almost always more than one way to do it. In fact, one common criticism of Windows is that so many features have been layered on top of one another over the years, that it has become an overly-complicated, almost labyrinthine user experience. By contrast, some may find Linux to be more streamlined; however, there are still many equivalent features in Windows for which Linux does not provide a GUI, and the user is forced to type textual instructions into a command-line interface, or shell. While many power users consider this a plus, it is unrealistic to demand this of novice computer users, and novice users should bear this strongly in mind. All this being said, Linux still shines brilliantly in some areas that Windows seems to consistently flounder. Because the underlying architecture of Linux is more mature, stable, and secure than Windows, Linux "crashes" and "freezes" significantly less often, and can run continuously without problems for months or even years without being "rebooted". In addition, Linux does not suffer from the same security flaws as Windows, and your chances of contracting a virus, a worm, or some other form of predatory software is much lower. On an more subjective note, I suspect that given the same time and monetary advantages as Windows, Linux might have easily developed into a superior operating system in every regard.





As it stands today, they each have pros and cons. Windows is widely accepted everywhere, boasts an enormous plethora of GUIs, and has millions of software packages that run under it. But it is buggier, less secure, and sometimes feels cavernous. Linux is solid and smooth running, and feels more stream-lined to many. But what technical users call stream-lined, novices may interpret as spare, and sometimes barren or just plain missin. There are also fewer software packages available for it currently, though many of those that are available are free. As time goes by, and the Open Software Community develops more for Linux, these differences will shrink, but until there is financially powerful, unifying force (company) behind Linux, this author thinks it is doubtful they will go away all together.
Reply:they are 2 different OS





windows is more 4 dummies that can't deal with technology such as basic commands, simple programming language so Windows do what ur brain can't do in a 90%....of course it has more limits and that's why i like Linux cuz u can work more deep in ur system and take a better advantage of ur computer and file system performance .
Reply:you really consult a website designed around that particular IT question


it would help you
Reply:Linux is open source ( free and nearly every program for it is also free), Windows you pay for.


Windows is an operating system that basically you pay for and gives you a very friendy nice pretty pictrue interface, but you have zero control over the system istself and windows is in charge


Linux is an opertaing system that is free and gives you 100% control over it .





windows


pro:


easy, nice and compatible with lots of things


con:


every virius is written for windows, no control, and it costs





Linux:


pro:


FREE, every program you probably need is free, no virius written to attack linux ( nerds use it linux not windows)


con:


If something goes wrongs its hard to fix





I recoment, getting ubuntu, from www.ubuntulinux.com, its free easy nice and the foroums will help you, and you can get a dual boot ( keep windows and linux on one pc)





(The linux symbol is the penguin- do you need any more resons!)
Reply:If you haven't used Linux before then you may have problems getting used to it. Yes, Linux doesn't have as many problems with exploits with Windows, so in that respect it is safer.





Although Linux now has some GUI now, its still a primarily an operating system in which most of the stuff you do is typed out into a console (like us MS DOS in a way (the black box in Windows (Command Prompt).





Adding all the goodies (CD Recorders, TV Tuners, Fancy graphic cards) can be trying as you may have problems finding drivers for Linux.





If you have a second system to play around with, then by all means educate yourself. If you have only one system and are thinking about deleting Windows and Installing Linux, then I recommend that you think about it long and hard. You might go through all of the trouble and find something simple, like your Network card doesn't have a Linux driver or isn't supported by the operating system out of the box. Could be a waste of a weekend...

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