What to expect from Linux?

G

Godric

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For a while now, I have been thinking why a lot of people are choosing Linux. I have read that linux is better than windows in terms of security but I still want to know what others think in terms of pro and cons.

I mean if Linux is perfect, then why does others choose dual boot? Is it compatibility of software?

Please help.
 


Most people choose dual boot, because people hate changes. Simple as that. Another reason to still use Windows is for gaming purposes. Obviously the popular PC games are only for Windows.

Compatibility really shouldn't be an issue anymore. Libre Office opens and saves MS Office files (although with very complex documents some layout issues may occur).

I've been using a dual boot configuration up until Windows XP. Since then I solely use Linux on all my machines. I'm not a hard core games, but I like to play games, and have been able to find very enjoyable games on the Linux platform.

The question remains though: what do you expect from an operating system?
 
When you use Linux expect to be dealing with some incompatibility issues with most programs.
 
Most people choose dual boot, because people hate changes. Simple as that. Another reason to still use Windows is for gaming purposes. Obviously the popular PC games are only for Windows.

Compatibility really shouldn't be an issue anymore. Libre Office opens and saves MS Office files (although with very complex documents some layout issues may occur).

I've been using a dual boot configuration up until Windows XP. Since then I solely use Linux on all my machines. I'm not a hard core games, but I like to play games, and have been able to find very enjoyable games on the Linux platform.

The question remains though: what do you expect from an operating system?

Thank you so much for the information. I suppose what I want to do is just to make sure that my computer is kept safe (I always thought that's why most people want Linux). I usually use my computer for work mostly doing excel, browsing the internet, doing emails, etc.
 
Linux is difficult for people who are non technical, and are used to windows, to get used to. It cannot easily install windows prorams or even run exes. Development over the past few years has made it much more user friendly, but you will still come up against bumps in the road trying to install software. I know I always do.

A Dual boot is a good idea for two reasons. You can keep your windows machine as is, and have Microsoft word, and all your games which you will likely want and need. But then you have your linux boot for when you need increased functionality and customization.

Most windows programs have a linux equaivalent, but sometimes they don't work hand in hand. For example, open office is the free version of the Microsoft Office Suite. It works great, and looks good, but sometimes when you open an open office document in microsoft office, it will corrupt it. So if you are working on business or school documents, you would use your windows partition, and not take the risk. This happened to me in a group project in my final year. 9 people in the group used Microsoft office, then one guy used open office, and he screwed our document right before hand in. Ever since then, I have been very cautious with mixing the two!
 
Someone has probably already mentioned this but expect bugs. Not major ones though.
 
Linux isn't perfect. Do not get me wrong, I am not bashing Linux at all, just merely making a statement. I find that Linux may be the closest operating system to perfect. There are so many distributions out there and it seems that new ones are popping up every day! You are going to find a few bugs here and there, even with stable distributions that have been out for a while, but most are quick to get on top of these and get them taken care of. As the poster above me stated, usually these are not major bugs and some may not affect every system. I don't think Linux is for everyone and there's nothing wrong with that. However, I believe everyone should give Linux a try, at least once in their lifetime.

I chose Linux because of the freedom and variety that is offered. If I come across another distribution, that is completely different than the one I am using, I can quickly burn it to a CD/DVD and give it a try. I don't want to waste money on an OS that is not for me. I love the fact that there are so many programs available, strictly for Linux distros, and often do a better job than "well known" software for pay-to-use operating systems. Linux allows me to make the operating system my own in every way possible, if I so choose to. There are distributions that come with barely any programs, just a few essentials, and the rest is left up to me. On the other hand, there are distributions that come with just about every program in the book to make it easier for those new to Linux - you aren't left wondering what to get as it is all there for you.

Dual booting does not mean that there is something wrong with Linux, in my opinion. There are times when a user is going to need access to Windows and using an emulator, such as Wine, will not do the trick. I have often seen it this way: users who dual boot do this because they do not want to give up Linux for the sake of a few Windows-based programs.
 
Linux isn't perfect. Do not get me wrong, I am not bashing Linux at all, just merely making a statement. I find that Linux may be the closest operating system to perfect. There are so many distributions out there and it seems that new ones are popping up every day! You are going to find a few bugs here and there, even with stable distributions that have been out for a while, but most are quick to get on top of these and get them taken care of. As the poster above me stated, usually these are not major bugs and some may not affect every system. I don't think Linux is for everyone and there's nothing wrong with that. However, I believe everyone should give Linux a try, at least once in their lifetime.

I chose Linux because of the freedom and variety that is offered. If I come across another distribution, that is completely different than the one I am using, I can quickly burn it to a CD/DVD and give it a try. I don't want to waste money on an OS that is not for me. I love the fact that there are so many programs available, strictly for Linux distros, and often do a better job than "well known" software for pay-to-use operating systems. Linux allows me to make the operating system my own in every way possible, if I so choose to. There are distributions that come with barely any programs, just a few essentials, and the rest is left up to me. On the other hand, there are distributions that come with just about every program in the book to make it easier for those new to Linux - you aren't left wondering what to get as it is all there for you.

Dual booting does not mean that there is something wrong with Linux, in my opinion. There are times when a user is going to need access to Windows and using an emulator, such as Wine, will not do the trick. I have often seen it this way: users who dual boot do this because they do not want to give up Linux for the sake of a few Windows-based programs.

I think I got the idea why people would choose linux now. One more thing though, why would people want to have different distributions? I mean wouldn't it just be redundant work for them? Having to do work that is already under way or is already finished.
 
Nice pointers. I especially like the part about why Linux is more secure than windows. I suppose it works like some anti-virus that has a protection command (Like Comodo defense).

One thing I still haven't figured out though is why multiple distributions. I can understand version upgrades but distributions are different. I mean, we can simply add an additional software or application if need be right?
 
Nice pointers. I especially like the part about why Linux is more secure than windows. I suppose it works like some anti-virus that has a protection command (Like Comodo defense).

One thing I still haven't figured out though is why multiple distributions. I can understand version upgrades but distributions are different. I mean, we can simply add an additional software or application if need be right?

It's important to realize that Linux is never really targeted when it comes to viruses, malware, and spyware. With the recent Mac problem aside, a large majority of infections are through .exe format and this is not a format that works on Linux. Well, not without the use of an emulator. So, I think it is safe to say that Linux is more secure than Windows.. Only time will continue to tell! I suppose the main reason for so many distributions would be the freedom of choice. I don't think that it was necessarily the main idea, when Linux first hit the scene, for there to be so many variants 10 or 20 years later. However, another good reason is performance and the ability to run Linux on a computer that is not packing a lot of punch (say 512ram and 1.5ghz processor). Certain desktop environments are meant to work on low-spec computers and it so happens that distros come out with that as their main desktop environment. This allows users the ease of installing a system with XFCE or LXDE desktop readily available instead of attempting to download/install such an environment only to have it not work properly. Does that make sense? Lol. I was trying to write it as it sounded in my head:rolleyes:

I have never really been a fan of dual booting. If I am wanting Linux, I use that as the only system. There is an alternative to dual booting and that would be to run Windows in a virtual box. However, this may require you to have a little better computer specs. It is just like having Windows on your system, for the most part, but you do not have to make the choice to boot it or Linux - you simply run it within Linux.

By the way, is your name based on the character 'Godric' from True Blood?! Haha. I just had to ask as I am a fan of the show..
 
Nice pointers. I especially like the part about why Linux is more secure than windows. I suppose it works like some anti-virus that has a protection command (Like Comodo defense).

Yes it has that going for it, in addition to the fact that you are not going to have people taking the time to create malware for an operating system that like 7% of computer users use. Same reason that Macs can claim to be "virus-free". It's not that they are some super-secure piece of machinery, it's that virus coders don't want to take the time to make something that they can't target to the largest demographic of people.
 
The one reason why Linux is more secure than windows is because majority of the hackers and spywares target software's that people buy. Most malware's target Windows cause Microsoft Windows being a paid software is used in commercial as well as many IT industries. It's not that Linux isn't used, but because Hackers know that they can cause more damage to systems when the software is being bought, as people loose money and due to this the market is affected.

The other reason being that majority of the viruses are targeted towards windows systems and they barely affect Linux as it can be ported out of Linux easily.

Thus security is the first main reason why i would choose Linux. I would choose Linux for various other reasons like :

1) Linux is free and open source.
2) Since there's a large community involved in patching up bugs, things gets fixed faster.
3) Windows errors and system failures are hard to recover from, where as Linux has lesser failures.
 
Yes it has that going for it, in addition to the fact that you are not going to have people taking the time to create malware for an operating system that like 7% of computer users use. Same reason that Macs can claim to be "virus-free". It's not that they are some super-secure piece of machinery, it's that virus coders don't want to take the time to make something that they can't target to the largest demographic of people.

Does this mean when Linux gets about 20% of the market they'll also have more risks because virus coders will then be targeting Linux?
 
Does this mean when Linux gets about 20% of the market they'll also have more risks because virus coders will then be targeting Linux?

I suppose it could be possible, but personally I do not see it as a major threat. It would take a vast amount of time to implement a major virus threat into a Linux program, I believe. It would have to be tested to see if it could even get through the system to cause any damage. I am not a virus expert, so I am sure someone else may be able to give a further explanation regarding this. That's simply my quick thoughts on it!
 
Does this mean when Linux gets about 20% of the market they'll also have more risks because virus coders will then be targeting Linux?

No, i don't think such a percentage increase in Linux's market share would really induce hackers to steal data from users using viruses and other types of malwares, i can clearly see them targeting systems using Paid software's cause it's easy hit for them to get credit card numbers or other sensitive information on the go.
 

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