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hey everybody
As a newbie, This question realy bothers me..
Linux or Windows? what should I use?
I heard many people say Linux in better and Windows is ****
and I also heard people say Windows is better and we were just brainwashed to think that Linux is better, in what way is Linux better than Windows or Windows than Linux?
Any comments welcomed
thanx
this is all user preferable. what i am trying to say is you have to decide for yourself. however, windows is more user friendly and is easy to learn. linux takes time and practice and really isnt very good if you just wanna get straight into computing. or you can do what i do. run a dual boot then decide day by day
<edit> if you want help with setting up a dual boot, msg me </edit>
The most knowledge you get of practice, reading and trying.
It also depends on if you need a lot windows for work or school, etc...
But like Trust_123 said, a dualboot system is excellent to begin with and to decide eventually.
Greetz,
This question is definitely up to the user and what you'd be willing to try yourself.
I use both. I run Slackware 8.1 on an old 486 for learning purposes. I'm in no way a guru, and the good thing about it is, when I want to deal with it, I can. If not, my main computer is a Windows box and I do spend more time on it, as I am more familiar with it. I grew up working with Windows.
If you want to try something new and enter the world of Linux/Unix, by all means, do so. It's very different, but it's also a lot of fun. It will open up more doors to you knowledge wise, you'll be learning a lot of different new things that will enhance your computer experience.
Honestly, I do not think one is better than the other. Where one lacks, the other makes up for. And I guess it's up to you, what you do on with you box that will also help make a decision to whether or not you choose to use Linux full time or not.
On forums such as this one, you're going to find more people interested in Linux due to the security. If you have a problem with your Linux OS, you can fix it and recompile the kernel, whereas with an MS based OS, it doesn't work like that. And because the distros for Linux are open source, you'll find a whole huge internet community dedicated to fixing and solving problems that arise. Since you never see the source for a Windows OS, the communities are limited to what MS says it's going to fix in its next patch, downloading the patch, and going from there.
Last but definitely not least there are tons of people that say Windows sucks without even having valid reasons as to why they say that. In fact, you'll find a lot of sheep that just follow along with that opinion just to feel l33t on forums like these. And you'll also find, ironically, that many of the users who talk this way have a Windows box as their main computer. Interesting.
My suggestion would be to rate your knowledge of what you currently use now. Would you feel comfortable learning something different? What would you use it for? Are you willing to spend a few hours of frustration and pulling out your hair? You'll read stuff until your eyes bleed unless these type of things come naturally to you, which in most cases, it doesn't. And don't neglect what you're using now. Learn all you can about your current OS as well. The more knowledge, the better.
This subject has been played out ;-)
I know you're a newbie, but please try to search the archives before posting...
::look smart, read first, post later::
btw- I' like the un*x flavors a lil' better myself- although i'm constantly on a win2k box because of all the Business applications... (MS Office is God in the corp world) So, i'd say "set a duel boot" and you'll be fine :-)
Have fun... take it easy...
I would agree with GreekGoddess more. Dual boot is fine and all, but if you're a newbie starting out then you will run into problems. Dual boots are nice, but if you mess up a partition table or want to try to install M$'s new version of Windows, you can really throw yourself into a problem. If possible, get another machine to run any UNIX or LINUX OS that is out there, and then have your main machine be for Windows. That way you can still game, surf the Net liek you're use to, use all your favorite M$ applications like you're use to, and then have a computer that you can kill and just reload with your UNIX/LINUX OS.
Plus LINUX is free anymore, as long as you have access to a decent Internet connection. And you can pretty much use it on anything. The requirements for Slackware 8.1 (if I remember correctly) is a 486DX2, with 16MB of RAM, and a 85MB hard drive? Or something low to that affect. Which is kind of nice, because you can recycle old hardware to use it on, or if you're buying a new computer for it, you can get something really cheap. Something like that here at Penn State Uni costs like 35 bucks, without a monitor of course =)
Thanx people, thats realy helpful, maybe I am gonna put both linux and windows on the same system...
Live dangerously, use linux. Im tired of this crap about how its only for gurus. Try Mandrake 9, Red Hat 8, Lycoris, Libranet, SuSE, or any of the other newbie oriented distros. For everyday computing, nothing beats its ease of use, affordability, package selection, and sheer customizability. Don't be fooled into thinking that linux is archaic looking either. It can be quite beautiful. Check out my screenshots at http://www.badconnections.net/mandrakescreenshots/
If you just want to try linux without having to install, try knoppix, vitual linux, or SuSE Live. Here are is the only link you need.
http://www.linuxiso.org
You can also get away with dual booting and not messing partitions up by buying another hard drive and putting linux on that.
The problem that I see though, is people are always pushing people into using Linux when the user doesn't even know their current operating system that well. If you can't navigate through Window's pretty GUI, you think it's going to be cake doing command line functions?
Also, I would throw a word of warning to anyone who uses a computer like a Compaq. The dual boot process did NOT go over well. In fact, it caused more trouble than it was worth. And since Compaq does not ship the actual OS, but their version, reinstalling took finding a friend's recovery CD, popping it in and going from there. Not a good experience for a newbie like myself. Plan on mistakes, plan on things going wrong...
You fall a LOT before you learn to ride a bike.
I agree with the dual boot idea. But, recently there have been other options for the Linux/Windows newbie. Linux distros such as Lindows and Xandros can give the user the best of both worlds. I have tried Lindows and have found it incredibly easy to install (10 minutes tops) and it looks and feels alot like Windows. I run it on a PIII 450 IBM Thinkpad and it is pretty solid. It runs several Windows programs well and it also comes with a Click and Run wharehouse of tons of software titles to choose from. I am new to Linux and this is helping make the learning curve a little easier for an old Windows guy!
Personally i LOVE SuSe 8.1 professional, its got tools that more advanced users can appreciate, and also has things for people jsut starting out, and iv never had a system crash, as of right now, my HP Pavilion, P3 733MHz with 384 MBs of RAm and 42.9 GB HD, i have a 771 MB swap as the begining partition and the rest is the / partition, the distro comes with like 3,000 tools and packages, and even though people say most Linux people hate it because its "shiny" i never hear them choosing "bootsplash" at start up, which is basically a nice looking screen with and has Tux and Geeko on it and there like a big monitor/TV looking thingy that takes up most the screen, inside there is the Command Prompt, theres no graphical user interface unless you count the fact that it looks really awesome, see, you do have a choice, you dont have to use a GUI, you can also do the multi screen trick with ALT CTRL F* (*= 2-6 i think) so ALT CTRL and F4 will pop up another log in and theres no GUI there at all. all in all its a great Distro for everyone, theres even ham radio tools and tools for DSL, ISDN, NICs, TV tools, i bought it and the box was kinda heavy, i didnt know why, and then, when i got home i realised (ok so not at home i made it to the car and i couldnt wait anymore lol) i opened the box, reached inside, pulled out the other box type casing, and almost pissed my pants, a nice NICE installation and user manual, an awesome Admin Manual, a lil booklet about SuSe and some of there other products, and also in that booklet at the beggining, theres people that use it talking about how it works for them (if i had the money id make a switch commercial for SuSe, lol http://www.suse.com/switch...kinda nice ring huh?) and have people talkabout how they love Linux, that would kik ass, also, something that really shocked me and was a nice thing, i realised this smaller lil peice of paper, i pulled it out, and wow, SuSe Linux stickers, 2 of the freen logo and 2 of the reg SuSe Logo, and then theres more, i pull out another booklet, its the install support booklet, i keep digging and pull out a 2003 calander that has Linux and SuSe lil trivia type things on it, then i pull out this big CD case type thingy, i open it, and realize it folds like 5 times and that its holding 7 CDs and a DVD =o <-- was my expression.