I was introduced to the Linux world two years ago and I was amazed by its performance. I did not know much at that time. It was hard yet fun at the same time. It is difficult to troubleshoot problems in Linux and it is very hard if you have no previous experience with Linux. Once you find solution for your problems you fall in love and you learn new things everyday.
I have never been so curious to learn how things work in Windows OS the same as I am with Linux. Why? Because Windows OS is point and click, too easy. Think about this, when you chase a girl she plays hard to get. Then you chase her again, but if she is an easy target for you then one begins to lose interest. The harsh reality makes a man stronger and it’s the same with Linux, more problems to troubleshoot means more knowledge, more work, more grind and potentially less sleep! My favorite Linux distribution has been Ubuntu. Until recently, my latest distribution called Puppy Linux. It is extremely small and fast because it loads everything into system RAM.
It is time to compare Linux with Windows OS.
Playing the Boss
Windows OS users play the boss. Do you wan to know why? Because they log in as Administrator all the time and they can make changes to the system that a normal user can’t do, like disabling the firewall etc. This makes them exposed to malware and trojans, which objective is to make changes to the system and spy on users. How does Linux protect users? In order to make changes to Linux you need super-user privileges aka. root privileges. Every time a user tries to makes changes that effect the operating system they are prompted with a terminal window that asks them for root user and root password credentials. I believe this is one of reasons that make Linux more secure than Windows.
Linux Community
Linux users are very generous and always ready to help newcomers who are facing problems because they have been through the same problems and know what it feels like to feel hopeless. Advanced Linux users offer help for free and the most important thing is that they are happy to help out where possible. Say hi to Linux friends and good bye to Windows IT desks fake friend that take your money for offering you help and solutions to your problems.
Open-Source and Free (… as in Freedom)
Linux distributions are free of charge and open-source which means that if you want to study their code for fun or to use in your projects, you can do it. Only a selected group and Windows OS developers have the chance to view the source code, so Windows does not give you the opportunity to learn more, break code and hack it into pieces. Many people in the mainstream do not understand how important is for the software to be open-source and understand its benefits. Open-source code offers a great chance for young people out there with big dreams in IT world. Studying the code of other tools and understanding how they work is the key to make better programs. Windows OS s not open-source and it costs a lot of money. Many people can not afford it. After purchasing a Windows license, you need to buy software and they will charge you more money for their updates. Do you need an anti-virus update? Pay! If you want to save money and stay secure, move to Linux. Since I made the switch, I feel more smart and hungry for knowledge. Open-source is the magic key to open your brain to new ideas and it creates new opportunities to meet and work with people all over the world. Linux will set you free!
Licensing
Most Linux software is released under GPL license or other FOSS license which means that you can modify the software, share it or if you like you can sell it. You can download a Linux distribution which is released under GPL license and install it on how many machines you want, in your friends machines, but you can not do this with Windows OS. You can not install the same copy of Windows in different machines. I am not stating this isn’t possible, I am stating that the license does not allow you to do this, legally. They own your computer and you.
Privacy Threat
Most Linux distributions are open-source and free and it is easy to verify what the installed software is doing to the system. You can not verify this on Windows OS, unless you have access to the source code. Is the software communicating with an FTP server? Is it sending logs to a server on the internet? Is it a rat? Are they recording your screen? Are they reading the email for you? Maybe, you will never know. For now, we know that this is possible. And it is also possible in Linux distributions too, but the fact they are open-source makes harder for malware writers to hide their work.
Software Installation
People new to Linux think that the only way to install software on Linux is to use command-line, but this is not true. Linux distributions provide package and software managers which help users to find and install applications they want. This makes it very easy to manage your software and keeps away malware from your Linux box. Many Windows OS users surf the internet and try to find free version of their favorite software because they can not afford to pay for it, so they end up infected with trojans and spywares. This does not happen in Linux because most of the software is free, open-source and available in Software Managers. The software manager gives you information about the software you want to install, like its cost, version and all/any other relevant details. I have never seen software management like this on Windows OS.
Printer Drivers
Driver support is a big issue on Linux systems and I think this one of the main problems that Linux is not as much popular. I am a geek and I love Linux but I can not be blind to the facts. Windows OS is everywhere. It’s in schools, governments, companies and so on. I have an Epson Aculaser printer and there are simply no Linux drivers for it, so I installed Windows 7 on my machine only for using my printer. I tried so hard to find Linux drivers for my printer and it was a pain in the rear-end. Linux supports printers but not as many as Windows OS. With respect to Linux developers, this is not their fault. It is the manafactures that ship printers with only Windows OS drivers supported. I am a Linux user who is suffering from poor support of printers and the main reason why I have Windows 7 on my desktop is because there are no Linux drivers for my specific Epson printer.
Hardware Support and Gaming
More hardware vendors write drivers for Windows OS more often than they do for Linux, so more hardware tends to work on Windows OS. At the moment Windows has more games than Linux and this is the reason why gamers rely on Windows OS. Right now Linux has more indie games though. And Valve is constantly increasing its supported games titles for Linux. I think that in the upcoming years, Linux will be an important platform for the gaming world.
Business World
Linux beats Windows OS for servers. There’s little doubt about that. I have used Linux for two years now and I have never seen a crash. Linux offers stability and is the best solution for a business server. Windows Servers crash a lot and they are a risk for business, especially for online businesses. What if the server crashes when a client is visiting the items on the online market? Business loses money, that’s what happens!
Another reason why Linux is used more than Windows OS on servers is that it is more secure. Linux is faster and it runs a large number of processes smoothly and without errors. Linux offers stability, security and saves time to businesses.
Conclusion
All operating systems have their downfalls. And Linux is no exception as it is not perfect. But when you compare the two technologies as I have above, you will soon see which operating system is the more advanced system. Linux is well and truly ready for the desktop to compliment its easy dominance in the server sector.
