[NiHi]

Hi! I use Windows. Just want to hear your answers... What are reasons to use Linux? Is it easy or not to become proficient in using it? Thanks.

[Lord_Darkclaw]

It's free! :D

I've never used it because I was put off by the slightly compicated business of setting up my PC to use two Operating Systems, but those who use it, all seem to swear by it.

[Curlyben]

I'll answer your last part first.
When looking at Linux, it really depends on what flavour you want. Some are a lot more techie than others. There are a number of extremely easy to use versions out there. Have a look for Linspire for example. What ever flavour you choose you will run into driver issues, so before you decide to switch make sure you have drivers for all the major parts, like video, network, etc.

Now as to why.
Biggest one is it isn't Micro$oft, so you won't be funding the worlds largest monopoly.
Massively improved security, viruses and trojans don't bother linux.
Price, starts from Free and you can't get better than that ;)

There's probably more, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head.
If you are thinking of switching, I'd recommend dual booting your current system for a while and have a play with Linux, at least that way you won't be going in blind.
I'm currently running Fedora Core, Vista busisness and XP all on my test machine with no problems.

[TheSavage]

Linux is not easy to learn to use, though some releases are easier than others. I use it on my server PC because with Linux Ive gone 900 hr`s with out rebooting. Hackers are not interested in trying to write viruses for it and its very stable.really it was easy to set the PC up with 2 operating systems.
And the price is right.
Edit Fedora 5 here curly

[labman]

As far as day to day usage of the computer goes, I am not sure the OS makes that much difference. However, since I am running Linux, I never do any virus scanning or other security measures. I don't even have a copy of Norton, McAfee, or any of the rest. I leave my computer on and connected to the net 24/7. Never had a problem I couldn't fix by rebooting, and go weeks at a time without doing so. The cable company claims their modem provides a good firewall, and the Belkin router should too.

Likely my biggest problem are websites unfriendly to the Konqueror browser bundled with Mandrake. Of course part of the problem is I don't have Flash. I can't believe how many websites require it. I see no need for it and haven't even checked to see if it has a Linux version available. I would be just as happy if I found a program that would take the Flash data and dump it in the bit bucket while XMMS-1 continues to play music I like.

I tried Fire Fox a few months ago. It definitely is more welcome on some websites including Google/Adsense. I really like don't its tabbed browsing. I click on something in my tool bar, and it opens it as a new tab. I click on a link, and it opens in the same tab. The big thing is that it is much slower than Konqueror. I haven't used IE for a long time. If Fox Fire is as much better as people say, then IE must be a real piece of trash. The last MS software I remember enjoying using much was RS Basic.

One big consideration is how much help you need. I could never do Linux without help from the kids, especially my SIL. If you depend on somebody for help, and they only know Windows, forget Linux. Help can be hard to find. When I have the cable company out because their modem isn't working, I have to reboot to Windows before they can figure out the problem.

[TheSavage]

Labman-- tools/options/ configure the tabs to open the way you want them to.

[ordinaryguy]

I'm computer literate, but not a computer geek--meaning I like computers for what they can do, not for their own sake. I've been putting off switching to Linux out of laziness and not wanting to have to deal with all the nitpicky issues like drivers and all the little details it probably will involve to get up and running with it.

To me the big attraction of it is security and stability. I really hate the constant stream of security patches and threats associated with Windows. And after awhile, it seems to get all kinds of quirks and hiccups that make it erratic, sluggish, and prone to hanging up and having to be restarted, or worse yet, power-off and back on just to get out of a black screen no-response situation. I suppose if I was more of a geek, I'd take the trouble to figure out what's causing these problems and be more comfortable maintaining or reinstalling it periodically, but I resent having to make the investment of time and effort. I'm hoping that with Linux, once I do make the investment, I won't have to keep doing it repeatedly. Am I wrong about that?

Another source of uncertainty about making the switch to Linux is whether there is enough off-the-shelf application software to do the things I want to do, and whether I'll be able to communicate with the rest of the (Windows) world. I don't really have a lot of specialized needs, just the usual things like word processing, spreadsheets, browser, email, and such. But then there's all the little special-purpose applications like automated backup, and other maintenance and organizing tools that are kind of handy, and I wonder if that kind of thing will be available for Linux. So I guess my question is, can applications designed to run in Windows be used under Linux, or does it take a whole new suite of applications specially designed for Linux?

The introduction of Windows Vista may be the incentive I need to make the switch. The stream of security problems is already starting, and although they claim it's more stable than XP, I'll believe it when I see it.

[TheSavage]

The driver issue can be a real pain in the butt --even more so with a older PC [ I have it on a old dell that came with 98] Certain versions would not pick up my Ethernet card.
The best bet to find out which versions will work with minimal tinkering is by trying a few live versions -- those are packaged as bootable cd`s
The LiveCD List
When my c-drive went belly up I was able to get online with one of those.
So far as winblows programs you can run them on Linux using a program called wine [ bet curly has that]
Open office comes with most versions and micro is suppose to be setting up its office suite so it can read open office doc`s. [Under the pressure of profit of course] open office can already read windows doc`s though.

[cajalat]

Linux (like Windows) is just a tool as far as I'm concerned. If you want to use it for the heck of it and are curious then just go for it... don't ask for opinions that could taint your view of it before you even touch it. I'm sure you can ask 10 people for opinions about Linux vs Windows and you'll get 11 different answers. Now-a-days there are a ton of resources available for Linux Newbies and the folks within those communities will be more than glad to help with along with any problem you might encounter.

If you're curious about Linux then just install it, install different versions (Mandriva, Fedora, Ubuntu, etc, etc), play with them, see what you like about them, don't be afraid. If you want to learn just go off and learn it. If you feel pressured to learn it because of a "hype" of some sort then don't even bother with it. If I were a long-time user of Linux and never seen Windows and I felt pressure to use Windows I'm going to hate every bit of it and resist along the way and will look for nothing but faults in the OS. If I were curious about Windows then I'm more likely to overcome the problems I encounter along the way and not be detracted by them. The same thing is true for Linux.

So what do I think of Linux vs. Windows? I don't. I use both of them and there are things that Windows does really well and other things that Linux does really well. Basically, they're tools and one uses the right tool for the right job. You won't know if it is the right tool unless you learn both really well.

[ordinaryguy]

So what do I think of Linux vs. Windows? I don't. I use both of them and there are things that Windows does really well and other things that Linux does really well. Basically, they're tools and one uses the right tool for the right job.

Would you mind expanding on this a little? What are the things that you think Windows is especially good at, and what kind of jobs is Linux the right tool for? Can you give a couple of examples of things that are difficult or dangerous to do in one but easy and safe to do in the other?

Also you don't mention security, just functionality. Do you think security issues (both threat level and vulnerabilities) are a major factor to consider?

[cajalat]

Would you mind expanding on this a little? What are the things that you think Windows is especially good at, and what kind of jobs is Linux the right tool for?

Certainly...

Windows: Visio (one of my all-time favorite app), Excel, Word, PowerPoint, QIP, GUI mib-browsers
Linux: shell scripting, vi, emacs, snmp, php, Perl, apache, postfix, expect, tcpdump

I also use Windows to manage products that are only available for Windows. I use Linux to manage well over 1000 network elements for capacity planning, bandwidth utilization, scripting/automating network tasks, scheduling various tasks, etc.

Can you give a couple of examples of things that are difficult or dangerous to do in one but easy and safe to do in the other?

These are very subjective questions (more like a trap ;) ). Seriously though, I find it extremely easy to install and setup Linux while others seem to struggle with drivers and such. I can find the driver and link them into the source and recompile the OS and have no problems with getting it to work. Others don't find that to be an easy thing to do. I also find MySQL to be a snap whereas MS Access to be a pain in the rear. I know that others find the opposite experience to be true for them. In terms of safe/dangerous... is it safe to install a web server or dangerous? Is it safe to install an FTP server or dangerous? I submit to you that if you don't know what you are doing then chances are you're doing something dangerous. If you know what you're doing and understand the FTP protocol or HTTP protocol to a T, understand your environment, your OS, etc, then chances are you can reduce your level of risk dramatically.

Also you don't mention security, just functionality. Do you think security issues (both threat level and vulnerabilities) are a major factor to consider?

I intentionally didn't mention it because no matter what argument you come up with pro or con for a particular OS someone can counter it. There are definitely security consideration with any OS. The argument doesn't really start to make sense until you get more specific with the specific environment, the exposure, the specific vulnerability, etc. The exact security flaw maybe acceptable for some but not others depending on their particular circumstances. For example, suppose my Windows system was never patched. What's my risk? The first natural instinct of most is to say that I'm at great risk. But what if I were to tell you that this Windows machine is not allowed to talk to any other machine on the Internet or even within an Enterprise, the machine is further placed in an RFC3069 based subVLANs, and the only means of communication for that machine is via a telnet proxy server. What's the risk level now? :)

Something else to consider... if a particular application is only available for one OS and not the other (that's why I look at Windows/Linux as tools) then would you not use that OS? Everyone's security needs differ. Windows has flaws and so does Linux.

I've managed a 5000+ server data center (not the servers but the network infrastructure) with a mixture of Windows/Solaris/HP-UP/AIX/Linux OS's and I've seen systems get hacked into from all of the above. Systems that kept up with good security practices/patches/updates/etc generally faired much better against those that were poorly managed. Linux systems do get hacked and so do Windows systems if you don't maintain your security, analyse your environment, disable services that you don't need, implement IDS/IPS/Firewalls, etc, etc, etc.

I think the fact that you're asking about security threat and vulnerability tells me that you're headed down the right path and probably was not surprised by my answers which I can sum up as "it depends" :)

Casey

[artdeskinc]

Hi! I use Windows. Just want to hear your answers... What are reasons to use Linux? Is it easy or not to become proficient in using it? Thanks.

"Hi! I use Windows. Just want to hear your answers... What are reasons to use Linux? Is it easy or not to become proficient in using it? Thanks."

I am a Slackware Linux user. I have been using this product since 2000.

There are computer hardware and software concerns that need to be understood to install these products. This is especially true if you want to have a dual or treble (or more) boot system all within the case of one CPU.

I do not personally approve of monopolies. These corporate things cannot be good for everyone - if the goal of the people having monopolies can charge anything they wish - knowing nothing else (nothing else at all) is available.

Linux is a spin off Unix. Unix runs the computer equipment that really does anything in this world. I am speaking about major installations having anything to do with public works ie: power grids.

Unix is the stuff you see in Hollywood movies - the things you have never seen using a Windows computer. There are many positive things to understanding this operating system, and its' history.

You will not encounter many people using Linux and Unix products that will give you answers. These people, in general, don't do "computer help ". They are computer specialists having their own pursuits.

It is easy to use Linux. But, then again, I have a need to use this product. If you do not have a need, and you like everyone and anyone checking your underwear for manufacturers labels, color, content, and brown stripes - by all means use Windows.

Phil

[Nez]

My "home" runs Linux Mandriva (formally Mandrake),Ubuntu,Windows XP Pro,and Vista.Having been a Redmond subscriber for years,I tried Mandriva,a few years ago,having got a more techie friend to help.At first it seemed all "da Vinci Code",and trying to install packages without any package manager was a nightmare,but I did not give up.I like Linux for it's so-far good security,and lack of having to install anti-virus-anti-spyware-anti-adware,merry-go-round software.It also does not fragment anything like Windows,so usually runs smothly.
I dual boot Mandriva,and Ubuntu on one old PC,whilst I have XP Pro on a laptop,(my partners,Sally),and Vista on a fairly new system (birthday present) :D
Of course,it's all down to personal choice,and how much your prepared to "give Linux a go".What I would say,is that you don't have to "Activate",every time you change hardware configurations,and most Linux versions can be downloaded for free off the net.Not forgetting that as it's Open Source,you don't have to pay for most add-on packages,such as good media players,and office suites.Finally,you don't need to mortgage your home on a state of the art,cutching edge PC to run it.

[MOKHALAKE]

Hi! I use Windows. Just want to hear your answers... What are reasons to use Linux? Is it easy or not to become proficient in using it? Thanks.

Linux is an open source operating system. This means that linux is a copyleft not copyright anyone can download it from the internet because it is free. And with windows you must buy the windowns operating system, and windows operating system cost a lot. Most people use windows because is popular. But those who use linux they use it because it cost nothing, it is free and it makes you to be more creative. I think companies must start to use Linux operating system because it is very interesting and it cost nothing.

[derekwp]

Heyo,
I'll just add on to what others have said here.

My experiences in O/Ss are varied. Primarily a Windows user for my last ten years of computing. But I first tried Redhat about six years ago and did a dual boot with WinXP. What a mess that was.

Just this past month I installed Ubuntu; accomplished a dual boot with WinXP as well. It has gotten so much more simple in regards to installation. Cake for anyone with experience installing O/Ss. There are still issues with drivers and the ease of installation with programs etc but it has improved so much.

Now I play games and video edit in Windows, everything else in Linux. It's fun if you have the time to mess around with the Beryl compliant. Vista makes me laugh :)

Of course DirectX10 will be another reason a mass migration to Linux won't happen :)

[TX300]

Linux is a good one if you are working on a higher level of IT like admin, lot of thing over there, the this advantage is more diffecult to handle it if you are a normal user. If you love on shell go for it, and try something else