Why do you use linux?

I wanted to try something different. I think I used ArchLinux for about a year after using Windows XP for so many years. I've tried out a few different distributions and have settled on Ubuntu.

I don't really use my PC much at all. I don't play games on it anymore like I used to; instead I pretty much just use it to browse the net, E-mail and music. I don't have to worry about viruses or spyware, don't have to maintain it, i.e. disk check, defrag, clean up temp files etc. It doesn't appear to slow down over time like Windows does.

Oh and it's free. :)
 
I use linux because it is easier to customise. Windows is very easy until you want to do something odd, or until you want to work out why it's broken. Linux is much better set up for someone to tweak and alter, and offers a fighting chance of letting you work out why it's broken.

There are simpler arguments, e.g. I'm running Debian stable because it's vanishingly unlikely to crash. Virus's aren't much of an issue. The same ideas could lead me to osx, but for the time being that feels like linux which has been customised by someone else who I don't really agree with. I have two screens, with seperate X sessions. Soon I hope to have three. Each function nearly independently from one another, which is particularly good if one is running a virtualbox machine full screen. If I want to bind a second keyboard to one of the screens, I can.



In essence though, linux is faster than windows. If I want to find every mp3 file I've lost on my computer and move them to somewhere sensible, bash will do that. If I want to do backups, however complex I may want them to be, rsync will do this, and it'll let me automate it if I want to. Linux can boot faster, shut down faster. If I manage to get debian into a ramdisk it'll be ridiculously fast. Running a hardware specific kernel, applications compiled for my system, and putting everything in ram is about as fast as anything is ever going to be. Windows wont let you do that.

It's just better.
 
  • cause bash is just so much better than a Windows command prompt

  • cause the repo is an ace idea... as long as you're sensible about which repo you use

  • cause malware is bad, mmmkay

  • cause Windows still isn't as stable as Linux

  • cause Linux just makes more sense from an OS design perspective (I'm looking at you, Windows Registry)

  • cause security through obscurity is stupid

  • cause Linux has always been a multi-user OS - does Windows support different desktop resolutions for different users yet?

  • cause standards are created to be adhered to not to be bastardised
  • cause Linux is faster (for me, ymmv)

  • cause Windows follows where Linux leads - CompizFusion is like 3 years old now and still beats Aero

  • cause having *nix skills is still sought after and better paid, whereas Windows Admins are two-a-penny and 16 year old kids straight from High School are paper-based Mimesweeper Consultant Solitaire Experts

  • cause Tux is a great logo
 
Last edited:
started using it simpley because of the general interest in having something geeky to mess about with.

have windows on my gaming rig, dont see the point in duel booting, havnt got that much patiance to wait. laptop and htpc use ubuntu, dont see why anyone would pay for an os, for the applications i use laptop and htpc for, laptop is used typing and internet, lost my recovery discs, no chance paying £70 for a copy of win7!

HTPC uses mythbuntu, this was a bit of a hassle to get going, but looks way better than any windows alternative that i have come across.

also this ctrl+c and crtl+v nonsense is just really annoying, spend a lot of time clicking that middle mouse wheel in windows!
 
Last edited:
GarethDW said:
  • cause malware is bad, mmmkay
  • cause Windows still isn't as stable as Linux
Click to expand...

So many people say, but I never seems to have problems?

Most come from dodgy downloads/websites... user's fault.

And if linux switched place with windows in terms of popularity, what do you think would happen?

GarethDW said:
  • cause Linux has always been a multi-user OS - does Windows support different desktop resolutions for different users yet?
Click to expand...

Not sure I see the point in that?

GarethDW said:
  • cause Linux is faster (for me, ymmv)
Click to expand...

When i'm on arch I always love how fast my CLI programs open... but that's usually the case... I'm using SciTE instead of vis studio, irssi instead of mirc, centerim instead of msn and such, much much smaller programs

Plus my xp box is as fast as i'd want it :p

GarethDW said:
  • cause having *nix skills is still sought after and better paid, whereas Windows Admins are two-a-penny and 16 year old kids straight from High School are paper-based Mimesweeper Consultant Solitaire Experts
Click to expand...

That's because windows is used more... there's lots of people who do the courses and such, less people use linux, therefore paid more, no?
 
Personally I don't see a benefit speed wise with linux, never had a problem with viruses and my vista pc runs 24/7 without issue. That said though linux isn't bad, if I hadn't got such cheap vista/7 I would have probably given it a go as my main OS.
 
Things like Microsoft's "Are you sure?Are you sure?Are you sure?Are you sure?Are you sure?Are you sure?Are you sure?Are you sure?Are you sure?Are you sure?Are you sure?Are you sure?Are you sure?Are you sure?Are you sure?Are you sure?Are you sure?Are you sure?Are you sure?Are you sure?Are you sure?" mantra got on my mammarys, so I switched.
 
I don't like having my hand held through everything and I like to tweak stuff to be perfectly fit to my needs. Browser exploits and malware not being targeted at linux is another advantage so when my girlfriend decides to stop adblock plus and noscript to click on a link on facebook (yes, really) my machine doesn't get riddled with rogues, rootkits and keyloggers.

If we had better gaming support I'd toss windows right out the window (see what I did there).
 
Skyfall said:
The "what do you still use windows for" thread got me thinking, I recently tried out Ubuntu 9.10 on my laptop because I've never really tried linux. Had a go and liked what I saw in general but It didn't really capture my imagination. It did everything that Windows did (mostly) but I couldn't see any reason why I would use it over windows 7.

So why do you use it, is it cost, work or is there something I'm missing?
Click to expand...
Some things Windows does better, other things Ubuntu does better.

Example: The Ubuntu virtual desktops is a real nice feature for my Netbook where I have very little screen space, and the trackpad seems more responsive also. I've tried various 3rd party programs to get virtual desktops, but none of them are as good as Ubuntu's VD's or OSX's spaces. It seems a little faster than Win7 on a low spec machine also.

Win 7 allows me to run more programs however, and you don't have to wrestle with terminal or shellscript either, which is no bad thing, plus it looks nicer too.

To get the best of both worlds, I dual boot both Win7 and Ubuntu . :)
 
Last edited:
MikeHunt79 said:
Some things Windows does better, other things Ubuntu does better.

Example: The Ubuntu virtual desktops is a real nice feature for my Netbook where I have very little screen space, and the trackpad seems more responsive also. I've tried various 3rd party programs to get virtual desktops, but none of them are as good as Ubuntu's VD's or OSX's spaces. It seems a little faster than Win7 on a low spec machine also.

Win 7 allows me to run more programs however, and you don't have to wrestle with terminal or shellscript either, which is no bad thing, plus it looks nicer too.

To get the best of both worlds, I dual boot both Win7 and Ubuntu . :)
Click to expand...

Definatly... no way would I be using windows on my netbook.

Got crunchbang, 4 desktops... fast as anything, win.
 
i use ubuntu just for exploring knowing that there are alternative to windows that you can use but still i love to use my windows machine equal to ubuntu machine
 
I use linux as a server platform because I need to learn it in order to progress with my career.

It also comes in handy when modifying routers etc... as it helps doing stuff from a CLI instead of a GUI all the time which I think is almost cheating :D
 
For me, the main reasons I use Linux include:

  • Faster than windows
  • More stable and secure
  • Really good command line interface
  • I am just more productive using Linux than Windows
 
Where'd all these unknown users come from all of a sudden ?

Has this thread been moved from the Windows threads ?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom