More Myths and Misinformation about Windows and Linux
There is a lot of misinformation people spread on the Internet about both Windows and Linux! I am not sure why this almost always happens when a discussion comes up about Windows and Linux, but it is annoying.
This blog post is a response to the WebHostingTalk post #16 (located here: http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showpost.php?p=6174761&postcount=16). I mean no disrespect to the author of this forum post on WebHostingTalk with my replies to his post.
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Ok. My responses are in purple and direct quotes from the forum post are in red.
– More efficient
In general Linux as an operating system uses a “lot” less resources to run, has a lot less BG processors running, and doesn’t have a gui.
The bare-minimum of RAM one can really use Linux effectively with (on a workstation/server) is 512 MB. Windows really can’t have any less than 1 GB as its bare-minimum. However in this day and age with cheap RAM for computers, this is not a problem.
Also, there are Linux users (mainly Ubuntu/Linux Mint) who use a GUI for their Linux desktops.
One of windows key faults is that you need to speed up the kernel if you want it to have a steady tickrate as opposed to Linux which will run a steady tickrate without any alterations to the kernel.
You are being very unclear. If you are implying that the Windows kernel is “slower” or “less stable” than the Linux kernel, then you are incorrect.
There is also no need to restart a Linux server like you need to do with windows servers because it doesn’t get memory leaks like windows.
How do you know that the memory leaks are not being caused by faulty/poorly written software? How do you know that Windows is even rebooting because of a memory leak? How do you know that you do not just have bad memory?
The need defrag a Linux hdd doesn’t exist either as opposed to windows.
Uh…fragmentation happens on any file-system. It is a classic ordering problem. When you delete files (on any file-system, NTFS, ext4, ext3, UFS, FAT32, FAT, ZFS, etc.), you leave gaps in the file-system.
These gaps will be filled with other files, but you will also have files before and after the new file. So when the computer goes to access the data, it has to sift though all of the data to find the bits and pieces it needs to complete the task.
Some will also argue (and I tend to agree) that linux handles running more processes at once than what windows can. You find that reliability decreases when more processors are running.
Not true. How can Linux handle more processes at once than Windows? A process takes up CPU time, RAM, and hard drive space and I/O. It is the same computer whether it runs Linux or Windows.
– Caches better
AFAIK windows kernel doesn’t cache and most game server programs don’t cache any map or material files which can lead to much larger load time. It Doesn’t affect performance that much however it is nice not waiting half an hour just to join a server :p
Your statement is incorrect. The Windows kernel does cache.
– Better game play.
This is pure my personal opinion however I personally enjoy playing on a Linux server a lot more than windows. This is mostly due to the fact that I believe that the server runs better on Linux than windows and which leads to better rego.
How does the server run better on Linux than Windows? I have hosted a game server on Windows with no problems that were the fault of Windows.
– More secure (unless you’re an idiot)
Well I believe that Linux is more secure than windows because it’s normally customers who exploit server.
As long as you have any computer exposed to incoming connections on the Internet, you are at risk of being hacked. This applies to any operating system.
They do this via ftp or some form of access that’s given to them. Most customers run windows on their home computer and are familiar to it (as opposed to Linux which is foreign to them) so they are able to exploit it a lot easier than if it was Linux. Windows is also a lot more prone to getting viruses etc.
How do you know your customers do not know anything about Linux? How would home Windows users be able to exploit Windows faster than Linux? Using Windows (or Linux) does not automatically mean that the user knows all the ins-and-outs of those operating systems.
In addition, while Windows does have more malware available for it, that does not mean Windows is easier to infect, nor that you will be infected when using Windows.
Most viruses today get on computers because the user accidentally got one from somewhere (e.g., shady file download), not that it just happened to get on the system from the Internet without user involvement.
IIRC you could also get plug-ins for windows servers which would exploit the server etc.
Your statement makes no sense.
– Much much much much more stable
As an operating system Linux is much more stable than windows, I found I got better uptime on linux servers compared to windows.
How is Linux “more stable” than Windows? Crashes on Windows are almost certainly due to faulty hardware and/or drivers.
Linux server can run for months on end and when updating a linux server there is no need to restart it as opposed to windows which generally needs a reboot when you update it.
Windows requires a reboot after updates to make sure that all the updated files that are used by the system and user-installed programs are using the newly updated files.
Let me explain. When you load a program, all of the required / critical files associated with that program get loaded into memory (e.g., DLL files). Now when you update certain files that are being used by other programs, you have updated those files, but the computer memory still retains the older version of those files you updated. The programs will not re-cache the newer files into memory, until the programs have been restarted.
Microsoft just opted to force the user to reboot, so security, stability, and performance updates are actually applied, and not just lying dormant until the user happens to reboot the computer. Of course, any program that is not currently running, or a program that you manually restart, will then use the updated files automatically.
Also Linux has the same problem. When you update files on Linux (e.g., library files), the processes that are running that make use of those updated files will need to be restarted.
However since it would be difficult to know which processes need to be restarted after a Linux update, it is technically best to just go ahead and reboot the Linux server as well.
You can go here (http://www.howtogeek.com/182817/htg-explains-why-does-windows-want-to-reboot-so-often/) and look under the section entitled “What About Linux and Other Operating Systems?”.
You also find that windows tends to have “random” crashes or its programs stop responding compared to linux which is rarely ever happens.
You will find that in 99% of the cases, this is due to bad hardware and/or drivers. This goes for Linux and Windows.
– Less ram errors.
As someone above posted it might have been due to the hardware, however when I swapped to Linux I no longer had ram errors, so even thou I may not have been using “quality ram” Linux was able to handle it w/o any issues, and when you’re running game servers you want fastest ram possible, and it is very hard to find high speed ECC Ram (well at least it is in Australia. However looking at Newegg they don’t seem to have 1066 ECC ram if it’s even available.) And I would always choose high speed ram over ECC. I also found that windows seemed to get ram leaks which would clogs up the ram.
There are also disadvantages to hosting on linux as some functions do not work, however in overall performance I believe it outperforms
Since Linux uses less RAM, you are not hitting the bad spots on your RAM sticks. Switching to Linux does not fix bad memory (RAM). You need to test your memory with software such as MemTest86+.
Another guy on WebHostingTalk (http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showpost.php?s=197e5f374bf0d33a54291ae1700e6f1a&p=4307417&postcount=21) switched from Windows to Linux to fix his problem(s) he was having with his machine not being stable. Later on, he admitted that switching to Linux did not solve his problem.
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I really hope people stop spreading misinformation about Windows and Linux on the Internet. I know this will never happen, but this really has to stop. Someone will read bad info on Windows and Linux, and make an ill-informed decision, and this could cause problems that they might have avoided.
If you want to use Linux and can give a valid reason beyond “its more secure” or “more stable” than Windows, then I would say go for it.
Posted in Computers, Internet and Servers, Operating Systems
Critical crypto bug leaves Linux, hundreds of apps open to eavesdropping
The link above takes you to an article talking about a cryptography library that supposedly has a vulnerability that allows people to eavesdrop on your SSL and TLS communications on websites and applications that make use of the GnuTLS library.
From the article:
“The bug in the GnuTLS library makes it trivial for attackers to bypass secure sockets layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) protections available on websites that depend on the open source package. Initial estimates included in Internet discussions such as this one indicate that more than 200 different operating systems or applications rely on GnuTLS to implement crucial SSL and TLS operations, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the actual number is much higher. Web applications, e-mail programs, and other code that use the library are vulnerable to exploits that allow attackers monitoring connections to silently decode encrypted traffic passing between end users and servers.”
Oops! Now this does not mean the Linux kernel is the problem, but this does go to show you that one library can bring security to its knees (that goes for any operating system, not just Linux).
This also shows that “many eyes” does not equal security! Remember that ALL software will have security problems, whether it be Windows, MacOS X, Linux, UNIX, e-mail servers, DNS servers, forum software (phpBB, vBulletin, etc.), and even desktop word processors can have bad code that present a security risk(s) to your computer.
Worse, the open source community was warned a head of time (back in 2008 !) that GnuTLS was not safe to use (http://www.openldap.org/lists/openldap-devel/200802/msg00072.html)! Did they not the get message? Did they ignore the warning? Who knows!
Posted in Computers, Internet and Servers, Operating Systems, Software
Are you ready for the future of the Internet? – Check Your IPv6
According to Wikipedia (quoted in red):
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the latest revision of the Internet Protocol (IP), the communications protocol that provides an identification and location system for computers on networks and routes traffic across the Internet. IPv6 was developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to deal with the long-anticipated problem of IPv4 address exhaustion.
IPv6 is intended to replace IPv4, which still carries the vast majority of Internet traffic as of 2013. As of September 2013, the percentage of users reaching Google services over IPv6 surpassed 2% for the first time.
Every device on the Internet must be assigned an IP address in order to communicate with other devices. With the ever-increasing number of new devices being connected to the Internet, the need arose for more addresses than IPv4 is able to accommodate. IPv6 uses a 128-bit address, allowing 2128, or approximately 3.4×1038 addresses, or more than 7.9×1028 times as many as IPv4, which uses 32-bit addresses. IPv4 allows only approximately 4.3 billion addresses. The two protocols are not designed to be interoperable, complicating the transition to IPv6.
Source (as of 12-22-2013): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv6
I don’t think IPv6 will be used exclusively for several years. However it is wise to plan ahead and get some sort-of IPv6 setup on your home/office network.
You can check to see if you have IPv6 setup by going here: https://checkyoursix.computerlagoon.com
Posted in Computers, Internet and Servers, Operating Systems
11 Myths About GNU/Linux Operating System
Linux is a good operating system to use for servers. I use it for a router and my smartphone. However, there are many misconceptions about Linux, especially over the Internet where a lot of people are given false information about Linux. Please note that I mean no disrespect toward anyone.
Myth #1: Linux is secure…more secure than Windows.
This is one of the most ridiculous myths out there about Linux. How is Linux specifically “more secure” than Windows? There are too many variables to consider to be able to make a blanket statement like that! No self-respecting IT guy would ever say this out in public.
Conclusion: Both Windows and Linux can be secure, if you know what you are doing.
Myth #2: Linux is more stable than Windows
Another ridiculous claim. How is Linux “more stable” than Windows? One guy on WebHostingTalk switched from Windows to Linux to fix his problems he was having with his machine not being stable. Later on, he admitted that switching to Linux did not solve his problem (http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showpost.php?s=197e5f374bf0d33a54291ae1700e6f1a&p=4307417&postcount=21).
In my opinion, 99% of crashes on Windows are due to faulty hardware and/or drivers. However, both Windows (NT family) and Linux are stable operating systems when using good, stable hardware and good, stable drivers.
Conclusion: Both Windows and Linux depend upon stable hardware and drivers to be any use to the user using them.
Myth #3: Linux protects your computer from malware.
Uh…if you really believe this Linux myth, please read this: http://scalibq.wordpress.com/2013/08/11/hand-of-thief-commercial-linux-malware-kit/
Linux does not protect you from malware. It just has less malware due to Linux not having a large desktop market share.
Conclusion: Both Windows and Linux can get infected with malware. However, Windows is the larger target, but this does not mean that Windows is easier to infect, nor does it mean that you are guaranteed to get malware when using Windows.
Myth #4: Linux is free.
Well…true…Linux itself is free.
However, consider that more than likely you will be spending a lot of time setting up your Linux computer (finding drivers, getting printers to work, getting your scanner to work, getting your Windows only program to work in Wine, etc.)
“Time is money” as they say.
Conclusion: While economically Linux is free, Linux is not totally free, if you end up burning time (more like wasting time) trying to get things to work in Linux that worked fine in Windows. In a business environment with a Windows setup, switching to Linux would be no easy task, that is for sure.
Myth #5: Linux gives you everything you need out-of-the-box.
This is one of the more stupid myths. If everything came out-of-the-box that I need, then why do I have to setup specific software (that is not installed by default) on a Linux box when I set on up?
Conclusion: Too many variables to account for to make a blanket statement that Linux gives everything the user needs out-of-the-box.
Myth #6: With Linux you do not need to get drivers for your devices.
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.
Conclusion: Devices do not always work out-of-the-box with Linux. Same goes for Windows.
Myth #7: You can update *all* your Linux software at once using the built-in Linux updater.
What if you installed something via RPM or DEB manually (compiled from source or not)? How would you get the package manager to automatically update the manually installed software?
Conclusion: Not everything necessarily will be able to be automatically updated in Linux via the package manager.
Myth #8: You can find any type of software you need when using Linux.
What if someone needs to use a specific piece of software that is Windows-only? Using WINE to run Windows software on Linux is not a solution for everyone. WINE on Linux successfully running Windows software is hit and miss at best.
Conclusion: Linux may not have all the software that every computer user needs or even wants to use.
Myth #9: Linux does not have hard drive fragmentation.
When you delete files (on any file-system, NTFS, ext4, ext3, UFS, FAT32, FAT, ZFS, etc.), you leave gaps in the file-system. These gaps will be filled with other files, but you will also have files before and after the new file. So when the computer goes to access the data, it has to sift though all of the data to find the bits and pieces it needs to complete the task.
Linux does not magically have a “no fragmentation” problem. If someone ever tells you that Linux does not have a fragmentation problem, that person does not know what he/she is talking about.
Conclusion: The file-systems for Linux can get fragmentation.
Myth #10: Many eyes on open-source projects keep the projects secure.
If anything, there would be so much code (like in the Linux kernel) that no one could constantly go through all of the code to make sure that no “monkey wrenches” have been thrown into the works. 🙂
Also, you are really trusting competent strangers to make sure the code you use is “secure”. Can they be trusted? Maybe yes…maybe no.
Conclusion: Not only is this idea a myth, but it is illogical.
Posted in Operating Systems