Linux Vs. Windows

Both Linux and Windows works as an operating system. Both are highly popular and are in the great demand.

Linux Vs. Windows

Linux Vs. Windows

                         

Both Linux and Windows works as an operating system. Both are highly popular and are in the great demand. The working performance of  both the operating system are excellent. That's why these are on the top position among the software world. Operation system provides the platform for running application software on the system. No software can run without the support of  Operating System. Even though there are some difference between server operating system as well as desktop operating system. Here we are comparing both the operating system on the basis of  requirement, performance and utility. 

Flavors 
The term flavor means the version or distribution of   the software. Both Windows and Linux have lots of  flavors. Microsoft is completely liable for producing all the flavors of Windows, whereas various distributions of Linux come from different companies (i.e. Linspire, Red Hat, SuSE, Ubuntu, Mandriva, Knoppix, Slackware, Lycoris). Both Linux and Windows comes in two main lines: Desktop edition and Server edition. The desktop edition comes in "Win9x", which consists of Windows 95, 98, 98SE and Me, and Server based Operating System comes in "NT class" which consists of Windows NT, 2000 and XP. Windows emerged before Linux with 3.x version (which later became famous as Windows 95). On the other hand Linux is the advance version of  Unix Server/ Desktop based operating system which has the capacity to perform better and more proficiency on the various platforms also included thousands of free open source application software. Thus it is more suitable and cheaper for using Linux server based operating system rather then Windows NT.

Linux comes in both flavor 'Command Line Interface' and ' Graphics User Interface'.  All the Linux distributions which release within a certain range of time uses the same kernel. (the center of   Linux). The Linux distributions (often shortened to "distros") differ in included software, GUI, install process, price, documentation and technical support.

Graphical User Interface.
Linux and Windows both have a GUI and a command line interface edition. The Windows GUI has changed exceedingly from Windows 3.1(initial stage) to Windows XP (fairly large). There are typically two GUIs in Linux, KDE and Gnome. The windows  is  much easier to learn for the beginners, whereas Linux is not so easy to learn and operate it. For the advanced user it is much suitable because the advanced user can customize it easily and use it according to their requirement. Some distribution of advanced version provides the screen shot look like window, so that the beginners can be comfortable in handling Linux .If  Linux is compared to windows in terms of  speed, efficiency and reliability, we can see the difference that the Linux without GUI can fulfills all the above properties which a server versions of Windows can not do.

Text Mode Interface
Text mode interface is the primary version of graphics mode, in which all the task can be performed by giving commands only. Both Windows and Linux have Command line Interface. In Windows it is called a DOS prompt, whereas in Linux it is known as Shell. The DOS prompt for  each version of Windows has similar command interpreter, but it varies for the different flavors of Windows. In general, the command interpreters in the Windows 9x series are very similar to each other but it varies from the NT class versions of Windows (NT, 2000, XP), whereas the interpreter for NT class are also very similar for this flavor. In Linux, there are multiple command interpreter supports all versions of Linux, but it usually uses one called BASH (Bourne Again Shell). Others are the Korn shell, the Bourne shell, ash and the C shell (pun, no doubt, intended).

Cost
If we compare Linux Vs. Windows in terms of  total cost applied for running a desktop or server, Linux is much cheaper in both the flavor from Windows.  Windows is very expensive because a single copy Windows can be used for installation of a single computer. On the other hand a single copy of Linux can be used infinite number of times for installing infinite number of computers without spending even a single penny. Linux can be downloaded freely from Linux distribution iso image of  each of  the Linux vendors.

Getting the Operating System
Installing windows is much easier then installing Linux, because the process of  installing windows is very same in all the versions for all sort of platforms. But in the Linux, all Linux distribution have their own installing program and it can be changed for different versions of  the same distribution. Thus there is no pre-written article for installing Linux without saying about the version of  Linux and configuration of computer system. For each configuration and for each version there are different programs written by the Linux Vendors. The installation of Linux also differs for the fresh computers and for the pre-installed computers. Installing Linux is much easier on the fresh computer in the comparison of pre-installed computers. Only experts can installed Linux Operating System on the pre-existing OS. 

There are many difficulties emerges in installing Linux because of  its specific criteria of  installing on the specific computer. Installing Linux on laptop is more difficult then installing it on desktop. The huge terminology and documentation included with Linux package creates problem in installing it. 

Linux can be run directly  through CDs, whereas Windows can not. For  installing windows, hard disk should be installed first. Generally Linux can also runs from a hard disk, but few version of Linux run completely direct from CDs without installing on the hard disk.

Linux also differs in functioning according to hardware configuration. e.g. the CD based version of  Linux differs in functioning from hard disk based version. For example:- Lindows, do not write anything at all on the hard disk, because it directly runs through CDs. The speed also differs depending  upon installing procedure. The continuity and downside of the speed are much slower in CDs rather then hard disk. Linux CDs are also used for recovering files from booting the system by the Linux CDs, if some times Windows becomes fail to boot the system. 

Advantages as Compared With Microsoft Windows
There are many advantages of  Linux operating system in the comparison of MS-Windows. The biggest advantage is that Linux is much cheaper operating system, so it saves plenty of money. Neither it corrupt easily, nor destruct from various virus, worms, and other malicious attacks. Installing  Linux  needs no licensing fee, whereas Windows must need license. 

Linux can be operated on older hardware, which creates problems for installing newer versions of  Microsoft Windows. This is because Linux  is written much more compactly. Linux needs no new equipment in upgrading, whereas  Microsoft Windows generally requires costly outlays for new hardware if it needs the upgrading..

For security reasons Linux is much better due to  having source code for the Linux Operating System and also for auxiliary applications. Government, Corporate organization and other agencies. It can monitor the code for security holes. The user can customize Linux through changing source code according to their own requirement.