CyberArmy

CAAHP Windows vs. Linux

• Well, lets face it, for most people Windows is extremelyeasy to use. Its interface has been part of our lives for so long nowthat everyone's used to it. Even when it was new, it was fairly simpleto figure out. Sure, not everything is easy. For the most part,however, Windows is a snap to use.

• Pretty much any piece of software out there is compatiblewith Windows (as it does have something like 90% of the desktopmarket). This means that you can buy software without really worryingif it will work. As long as your hardware can support it, so canWindows (in all likelihood).

• Windows also has support for all the newest hardware.Granted, its not built in, but there are always windows driversavailable either with your hardware or on the web. Again, since Windowshas such a large share of the market, manufacturers make certain thatthere are windows drivers available.

• Games! If you like to play games on your computer (and whodoesn't), then really you have no choice. Games run on Windowscomputers. Sure, there are a few here and there that also run on othersystems, but not many - and there are VERY few that are just for thoseother systems. If you want your game to just work, you need to beplaying it on Windows.

• Portage. Frankly, this is enough right here. This is thebest package management system I've ever used, and I've used most ofthem. If I want to install something, I type in the appropriatecommand, and it goes and finds it and downloads it and installs it forme. That's just fantastic. It even takes care of the dependencies!

• Customization. I can configure my computer to compile/runall the programs on it in the most efficient way for my particularhardware configuration. Ok, so the gains aren't mind-blowing, but everylittle bit helps.

• Security. It is very easy to build a very secure Linux box.Plus, since the Linux community has a comparatively small market share,there are fewer exploits/virus problems out there for it. This makesfor a very pleasant and worry-free computing experience.

• Flexibility. Lets face it, you can do pretty much anything(well, except gaming) on a Linux box. It can run on any piece ofhardware you can find and let it do SOMETHING useful (well, maybe notuseful for you, but useful for somebody). Want to control your toastervia the network in your house? I'm sure someone's got a Linux toasterproject going that can help you out!

• Difficulty. Now I know, you think I'm crazy for listingthis as a positive thing. Its WONDERFUL to have a computing environmentthat isn't full of 13 year old script kiddies and AOL users. Itssomewhat elitist, but the fact of the matter is, its just very pleasant.

• Stability. The only reason my Gentoo file server ever goesdown is because we lost power, or because Pixie Luv accidentally hitthe switch and turned it off. For a simple box that gets heavy use,that is incredible.

• Open-ness. Linux is largely Open Source. This is great andwonderful, yay! Ok, so I don't contribute to the coding projects, and Irarely, if ever, modify anything, but its nice to know that I could,and I fully support the OSS ideal.

• Security. I mean, honestly. What were they thinking whenthey designed this? I know, they wanted it to be easy to use, but comeon. I swear they put some of those exploits in on purpose just tofrustrate us.

• Ease of use. Same as my "difficulty" point above. This letspeople who have no business even trying to use a VCR access theinternet! Do you realize how crazy that is? Some things should be hard- its for their own good. Remember folks, people are stupid.

• Stability. It has gotten better, I know. But things stillcrash far too often, and act way too "weird" (unexpectedly). I shouldnthave to guess how my computer will respond to what I'm doing. It shouldbe very cut and dry. I know some people like surprises, but this is nota good place for them.

• Closed-ness. Windows is about as closed and proprietary asit gets. It works for them, and that's great, but it would really benice to be able to get in there myself when things go bad.

• 3D support. There is a serious lack of good 3D drivers outthere for Linux. This is largely the fault of the companies (I'mlooking at you, ATI), but its still a problem regardless.

• Software. There is a LOT of great Linux software out there.Unfortunately, its not the same software as Windows. This makes for alot of incompatibility, and stops a lot of people from checkingout/trying Linux. It would be great if this wasn't an issue, but it is.

• Games. There are very few games published with Linuxsupport. Yes, most games these days will run under Wine (or one of thecommercial variants), but this isn't a real solution. A large segment ofthe market that would be willing to switch to Linux is Gamers - its notgood to leave them out.

• Difficulty. Yep, this is a pro AND a con. Sometimes, Ireally just don't want to edit a damn configuration file. Menus,administrative tools in the GUI, SOMETHING. Help me out here.