GREAT idea.....

[Boomer]

   just a post to say I hope to see a LOt of activity on this topic someday in the near future.

I am an avid geek but have always been very leery of Linux. to tell the truth I have only seen it running up close one time in my entire life so if it were running right in front of me I would probably not even realize it. Point being:

 Can some of you tell me the pros\cons\ general concept of Linux? What is the "look" of it? does it run similiar to Windows? How much memory does it require? Where can you get it? Does it have a lot of issues\problems? I am sure i can google ALL of these questions BUT, it is better to get the answers from you guys that are hands on.

 Thanks ahead!!

Boomer

[Googlefreak]

Distrowatch lists many of the linux distros available. 
Ubuntu is great for new users but 8.x releases tend to be slower in performance.  Fedora is great but it has a short life cycle.  I would stay away from PCLinux, for some reason my cpu run hotter when using this distro.  I am not the only one thinking this.

[couttsj]

Conceptually, Unix/Linux is rather different than any Windows product. It is an open source operating system, rather than closed architecture of Windows. It is an extremely powerful system, especially in the command line mode. When I started my ISP business, it was practically all done in Linux, and services like DNS, WWW, FTP, and SMTP were not readily available in Windows. If you work with Linux every day, you will find it very flexible. Because I didn?t plan on working with it every day, I chose to go against the grain and went with Windows. The situation is not the same these days.

Linux depends heavily on the use of threads, whereas Windows uses fewer threads and depends heavily on a messaging system and shared libraries. What difference does this make? Linux will work well in a multi-tasking environment with lower powered computers. Windows tends to require higher powered computers to handle the same tasks.

Because Linux is open source, the code in based on standards developed by consensus between the various parties. Because of this, new hardware features are not as quickly supported as with Windows, and security issues are not as prevalent. There is not as much software available for Linux, and this is possibly the major downside. Some business operators however consider this an advantage, as they have more control over how their employees utilize the system and there is less danger of employees loading rogue software on their office computers. Another major advantage for business operators is that there isn?t the constant turnover of hardware and software, and this can lead to significant cost savings. Linux is basically free, but custom software development can be pretty pricey.

As with most things in life,  there are pros and cons to each.  If you are a gamer or a casual user and you don?t mind the constant churn, you are better off to stick with Windows. If however you are more interested in stable business or scientific applications, then Linux may be the way to go.

J.A. Coutts

[Boomer]

Conceptually, Unix/Linux is rather different than any Windows product. It is an open source operating system, rather than closed architecture of Windows. It is an extremely powerful system, especially in the command line mode. When I started my ISP business, it was practically all done in Linux, and services like DNS, WWW, FTP, and SMTP were not readily available in Windows. If you work with Linux every day, you will find it very flexible. Because I didn?t plan on working with it every day, I chose to go against the grain and went with Windows. The situation is not the same these days.

Linux depends heavily on the use of threads, whereas Windows uses fewer threads and depends heavily on a messaging system and shared libraries. What difference does this make? Linux will work well in a multi-tasking environment with lower powered computers. Windows tends to require higher powered computers to handle the same tasks.

Because Linux is open source, the code in based on standards developed by consensus between the various parties. Because of this, new hardware features are not as quickly supported as with Windows, and security issues are not as prevalent. There is not as much software available for Linux, and this is possibly the major downside. Some business operators however consider this an advantage, as they have more control over how their employees utilize the system and there is less danger of employees loading rogue software on their office computers. Another major advantage for business operators is that there isn?t the constant turnover of hardware and software, and this can lead to significant cost savings. Linux is basically free, but custom software development can be pretty pricey.

As with most things in life,  there are pros and cons to each.  If you are a gamer or a casual user and you don?t mind the constant churn, you are better off to stick with Windows. If however you are more interested in stable business or scientific applications, then Linux may be the way to go.

J.A. Coutts

 Kudos JA Coutts,

Appreciate the info, really informative. I am going to give it a whirl on a 'lil rig just to tinker with, see what its all about. sounds like an entire new world to me for some reason, lol. I have seen it on a rig at PC Club but really didn't pay a lot of attention to it, just noticed the "look".

 When you mention that  if I did not mind the constant churn while gaming I may want to stick with Windows, what does that mean exactly? Hope that doesn't sound too NOOB however, if the shoe fits.......


  Appreciate all the info....


 Boomer

[couttsj]

When you mention that  if I did not mind the constant churn while gaming I may want to stick with Windows, what does that mean exactly? Hope that doesn't sound too NOOB however, if the shoe fits.......

  Appreciate all the info....

 Boomer

By churn, I mean the never ending major revisions by Microsoft, that inevitably require newer applications to run on the newer operating systems. That's where Microsoft gets its revenue stream. Since Linux is basically free, changes tend to be more subtle and less disruptive.

Just as an aside, Unix/Linux was once the prime target for Internet attacks, and Windows was less susceptible. That was mostly due to improperly secured Telnet servers, which wasn't included with Microsoft systems. With the introduction of so many improperly secured NT based systems (Windows 2000) for home/business use on high speed Internet connections, the shoe is now on the other foot.

J.A. Coutts

[Black Viper]

There is not as much software available for Linux, and this is possibly the major downside.

With the exception of gaming, I always was under the impression that software is overly available with Linux.

[Spawn]

There is not as much software available for Linux, and this is possibly the major downside.

With the exception of gaming, I always was under the impression that software is overly available with Linux.

There are vast amounts of software available for Linux.  Sure, not as much as for Windows, but Linux is not the dominating platform.  If the market were to shift towards Linux in a large way there would be just as much software available as there is for Windows within a fair amount of time. 

Spawn

[couttsj]

With the exception of gaming, I always was under the impression that software is overly available with Linux.

It depends on how you classify software. There is plenty of public domain (free) software available for Linux (much more than for Windows). But it is a "What you see is what you get" kind of software. Microsoft has promoted a package of software (such as Office) that works together (some might even say works well together) that has captured the minds and hearts of a lot of business users. These same business users often transport that experience home with them. Business users that have chosen Unix/Linux often depend on custom software, that is expensive to develope and not easily transportable. I myself write networkable Windows business software for small businesses, simply because that is the operating system that most small businesses use. Medium to large businesses are the only ones so far that can justify using Linux, but that could change.

J.A. Coutts
Addendum
Please take what I have to say about Linux with a grain of salt, as it has been years since I have used it. I have always liked Linux because it was a "no frills" kind of operating system, and the same cannot be said for Windows. But I work with Windows because that's the direction the world went.