Just a few months ago Dell announced it would ship computers with Linux as it’s operating system, now Lenovo the third largest personal computer manufacturer will follow suit and also ship pc’s with Linux factory installed. Linux has always been very strong on the server side of software but it lacks desktop users due to the fact that it has not always been easy to use or have good hardware support. With improvements to the GUI interface Linux it is becoming more user friendly for people to transition over from windows interface. Right now may be the time for Linux to make a big push into the desktop market seeing as Vista is having several different issues, but it will be a tough fight convincing users to try something different. Below is a list of advantages and disadvantages of Linux.
Advantages
1) Stability - When Linux has a problem it normally shuts down the process without the need to reboot.
2) Free Software - There is tons of free open source software available for Linux.3) Runs on old Hardware - Linux will run on most old hardware like a 386 or 486, but GUI will probably not run.
4) Security – Linux has always and continues to dominate Microsoft when it comes to security.
Disadvantages
1) Learning Linux will take some time and patience. 2) Not all software for windows will be available for Linux.
3) Linux is requires much more technical experience.
4) Some hardware still not compatible.
6 comments ↓
Let me start off by saying that picture of Tux swatting the little MSN butterfly is great. Where’d you find it?
Linux is making a lot of progress on the desktop side. Like you said its always been strong on the server side of things. I mean Linux is very stable and efficient…something Windows can only dream about.
Its good to see some big companies offering Linus to more users. Even being a computer geek myself, i can’t say that I use Linux as much as I should. I’ve got Ubuntu installed in a dual-boot environment but I’m actually disappointed in the distro.
I suppose its the best for people just switching to Linux but sometimes its nice to easily work as a the Root user in the Terminal.
I don’t have any thoughts on Vista because I don’t have any reason to use it.
I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on OS X. Its better and more secure than Windows and a lot easier to use than Linux.
Matt,
I have been using windows since 3.11 and I have been toying around with linux for about 10 years off and on but I must say that I prefer OS X over both of the other two. Os X, being based on unix, you get the security; and the GUI to me is much better than any version of windows….Plus I have yet to have a serious crash with OS X Tiger
Grady,
With my previous comment I was just fishing to see if you’ve messed with Macs any since most of your previous posts have dealt with Windows and Linux.
I agree with you about OS X Tiger. By far it offers the best of both Linux and Windows. You get the easiest to use and most advanced GUI along with the stability of BSD.
In my opinion Apple still has some work to do in the security field. Being based on BSD Unix, Apple has one of the securest platforms to work on though Apple still makes plenty of coding mistakes and doesn’t have the sophisticated security patch process Microsoft does.
I have had Tiger crash, but nothing too serious. For a while it crashed quite regularly; I must have had a conflict with some patch and program for a while but my Mac seems to have fixed itself. The worst crash is when Finder quits responding, but its still better then Windows since you can just relaunch Finder without bringing the whole Kernel down.
the few problems I have had with OS X have been really my lack of knowledge of the operating system…but now that I have been using it for almost a year I do find its the best mixture for my needs….and the thing is i belive apple puts out updates that really make big diffrences to the OS.
very informative information and excellent material concerning Apple and Linux…thank you.
Charlie
P.S.: Do not forget about LSU game at 7:00 PM on National TV (ESPN)….GEAUX TIGERS!!!
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