Response to “101 reasons why Linux is better than Windows” – Part 3
This is a response (Part 3) to the web blog entitled “101 reasons why Linux is better than Windows”(http://cityblogger.com/archives/2007/01/24/101-reasons-why-linux-is-better-than-windows/)”. The author tries to discredit Windows by giving many reasons why Linux is “better”.
I will do my best to show how this is not the case. Operating systems are just tools. If you try to make one OS look “better” than another, you could possibly lead people into the wrong direction. Please note that the author has not written all 101 reasons on his blog. It appears he stopped writing it a while back. I will respond to everything he has currently written.
Direct quotes from the author are in red and my responses are in black. Please note that I mean no disrespect to the author in anything I say.
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21) You can also share the software with your friends and its completely legal to do so. Didn’t your teacher tell you in kindergarten that you should share things with your friends? Linux and Open Source actually encourage that while if you do that in Windows its not only considered illegal but they will call you a pirate!
With all due respect, how is this supposed to show Linux as being better than Windows?
22) Linux costs less, cause not only the OS is free but the applications are also free. Plus since Linux doesn’t have a virus problem, you also save on the recurring cost of Anti-Virus software. Note: You may still have to pay for support/training but the over all running cost is low.
Not all applications are going to be free for Linux (e.g. cPanel – a very popular web hosting control panel software used by thousands of people everyday)
Linux can get malware if you are not careful. For some reason, people seem to think Linux is immune to viruses. This can not be further from the truth.
23) Both Linux and Windows has shell environment Windows (know as command prompt). The shell environments in Linux (such as bash) are more powerful and you can write entire programs using the scripting language. This is extremely useful to automate repetitive tasks such as backup.
Windows has PowerShell, which is a very powerful command line interface.
Quoting Wikipedia: “Windows PowerShell is a task automation and configuration management framework from Microsoft, consisting of a command-line shell and associated scripting language built on the .NET Framework. PowerShell provides full access to COM and WMI, enabling administrators to perform administrative tasks on both local and remote Windows systems as well as WS-Management and CIM enabling management of remote Linux systems and network devices.” — Source (as of 08-30-2014): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_PowerShell
24) Linux can run from a CD or can be installed on the hard drive. Windows by default doesn’t have any such option. Using live CDs such as Ubuntu/Knoppix, users can try out Linux by booting from the CD, without the need to install the operating system.
While not exactly a “Live CD”, Microsoft Windows 8 / 8.1 (Enterprise Edition only) and Windows 10 has a feature called Windows to Go. This allows you to run Windows off of a mass storage device, such as a USB flash drive.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_To_Go
25) Linux is also extremely portable, it can also run off usb pen drives/portable hardrives/thumb drives and more.
[See the answer above (#24).]
26) Did you know that in Windows, there is built in back-door entry so US government can see you data as and when they like? Yes the US NSA has the key build into every copy of Windows. In Linux there is no such thing possible as the operating system is open source and can easily be detected and disabled. Read how this was done.
There is no convicting proof of this. Until good proof surfaces, this is just speculation. Also, it is interesting that Linux has a kernel add-on called SELinux. SE-Linux was originally written by the NSA themselves. Even my Android phone has SE-Linux in a “enforcing” state.
Yes, SE-Linux is open source, but that does not automatically make it squeaky clean of back-doors. I suspect most people who use SE-Linux have never even looked at its source code. They just assume that it is ok just because it is “open source”. Being open source does not automatically make a project “secure” and “reliable”.
Linux users are quick to bash Windows, without even thinking about their own operating system having possible back-doors inserted inside them.
Not to mention a lot of Linux users I have come across (not all, of course) act like they are experts on both Windows and Linux. However, from the comments they make, it is obvious that is not the case.
Until a Linux user can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Windows is “filled with back-doors”, they should just (respectfully) stop talking about Windows’ “inherent insecurity”. I am not saying that there is not any back-doors in Windows, but just saying there is does not automatically make it so. I think you get what I am saying to you.
27) Linux has built in virtualization(XEN/KVM/VirtualBox/etc.) so you can run multiple copies of Linux or Windows simultaneously.
Microsoft Windows has a built-in visualization hypervisor called Hyper-V. On Windows 10, you can install Hyper-V by going to Control Panel ==> Programs and Features ==> then click on, Turn Windows features on or off ==> Click on the entry entitled “Hyper-V” ==> Click OK
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyper-V
28) The Linux kernel comes shipped with large number of hardware drivers. 3000 Printers, 1000 Digital Cameras and 200 webcams were supported by Ubuntu. On Windows, a lot of hardware doesn’t work until you install the driver, this problem is worse with Vista as Microsoft doesn’t allow drivers to be installed which are not supported/certified by Microsoft. On Linux, a huge percentage of today’s common hardware works perfectly out-of-the-box.
I assume you mean the 64-bit version of Windows Vista. No hardware will work without drivers. You can install unsigned drivers in Windows Vista. Just follow these instructions from Microsoft: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/ff547565(v=vs.85).aspx
All my current desktop hardware works out of the box on Windows 10.
I had one wireless card that would absolutely not work with Linux out of the box, and printers usually do not work for me out-of-the-box on Linux either. Also, I would recommend using the manufacturer’s Linux drivers (if they have any for your device) in place of the drivers that came with the Linux distribution and/or updates.
29) Vendor independence: With proprietary operating system, you are dependent on the vendor who developed the operating system. With Linux you have a choice of vendors, so even if the vendor fails to give you support, you can always move to another vendor. Choice of vendors also means more competition, which means better value for money for the customer.
Unless you know how to modify Linux yourself (most average computer users will not know how), you (and they) are at the mercy of the “Linux vendors” just as much as people and companies are with Microsoft and even Apple.
Linux is only ‘freedom’ to people who know how to modify it and use it (e.g., computer programmers). If you are a casual computer user, Linux would not really give you any more freedom than Windows would.
30) It won’t die or get killed like what happened with other fantastic but proprietary operating system such as OS/2, BeOS. Reason being, its open source and someone will maintain it and today there are many big companies behind and have bet huge money on Linux.
The idea that Linux will never die is just an assumption (same goes for Windows). However, if it were not for people (and businesses) with lots of money, Linux would not be where it is today. It takes money and time (“time is money”) to develop Linux. Linux is not truly 100% free.
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Well this is the end of Part 3! Click here for Part 4!
Posted in Internet and Servers, Operating Systems