Why Linux?

coughs · 7 Apr 2011 at 18:54

Hello,

I was wondering why would anyone use linux if money isn't an issue.

Niju Rosu · 7 Apr 2011 at 19:03

Choice, choice with everything and anything. It's faster, fully customisable, more forgiving, gives you a feeling of being part of something bigger.

Loads of reasons, the question should be, why not use Linux?

Semple · 7 Apr 2011 at 19:05

Some of the tools I have to use for my degree only work on linux.

coughs · 7 Apr 2011 at 19:10

Cool, I am really fascinated and would love to try a different OS. I have tried windows xp, 7 and OSX.

I noticed not many things are developed for Linux though like comparison to windows

Essexraptor · 7 Apr 2011 at 19:28

I noticed not many things are developed for Linux though like comparison to windows

gaming wise ... no ..........but everything else... you gotta be kidding!!!

Plenty of info in this section of the forum on how to try the OS out

GeX · 7 Apr 2011 at 19:28

coughs said:
I noticed not many things are developed for Linux though like comparison to windows

need to open your eyes a bit more then

dave-lew99 · 7 Apr 2011 at 19:30

coughs said:
I noticed not many things are developed for Linux though like comparison to windows

lol thats quite amusing

I'd say the opposite is true, there are thousands of applications and services developed for linux, way more than for windows. Sure most of them aren't very glamorous but they do their jobs.

Get out of your head that Linux is cheap.

Linux costs as much as Windows in a commercial envrioment - Linux admins are more expensive for a start - the required knowledge is greater, then you're typically still paying for commercial support to people like Red Hat, Oracle.

There are still big commercial apps on linux too - Oracle DBs, IBM stuff, Matlab even.

coughs · 7 Apr 2011 at 19:50

Do you have to use terminal to operate everything in linux?

vidda · 7 Apr 2011 at 19:54

Not really (distro dependant), but you should really make an effort to learn to use it. It actually makes everything so much easier.

Essexraptor · 7 Apr 2011 at 20:05

coughs said:
Do you have to use terminal to operate everything in linux?

Way back.. terminal... yes... nowadays you can ease your way in with Ubuntu and Mint with hardly going anywhere near it. Then when your more confident you can wheel it out and have a dabble

BigglesPiP · 7 Apr 2011 at 20:08

coughs said:
Do you have to use terminal to operate everything in linux?

No, but as you become more skilled you often want to because it's quicker in cases, and often gives you more control.

coughs · 7 Apr 2011 at 20:12

is it a snappy OS for high-end hardware?

Essexraptor · 7 Apr 2011 at 20:16

define "high-end hardware"

NVidia vid cards are better supported although AMD/ATI are problematic they can be made to work

EDIT

At this time I'll running from a C2D lappy, 2gb DDR2 RAM and it's a lot zippier than Fista (most OS's are...LOL) but I used to dual boot with Win 7 and this (Ubuntu 10.4 LTS) is just as good..

coughs · 7 Apr 2011 at 20:25

What would you use linux for that windows 7 can't provide on your C2D lappy?

tntcoder · 7 Apr 2011 at 20:28

coughs said:
What would you use linux for that windows 7 can't provide on your C2D lappy?

It's not really a question of what one offers over the other. They are both modern operating systems that have similar feature sets for desktop use. It's a question of which you prefer and which you find easier to use for what you need to do.

Essexraptor · 7 Apr 2011 at 20:31

Win 7 was overkill and I deployed it on a desktop for a family member moving up from XP.

I use my lappy away from home with local WiFi or 3G dongle if not available. I can keep in touch with family members via the net. Use it for work and buisness e mail. Play DL'd films and music. Sync with my Android phone. etc etc etc.

Basically everything and loads more

To define overkill... it was a 64bit edition of Ultimate and a waste on a lappy

BigglesPiP · 7 Apr 2011 at 20:48

coughs said:
is it a snappy OS for high-end hardware?

A lot of Linux distros with a desktop environment are much snappier than windows (even 7) on the same hardware.

There are however certain defects in linux which make certain things slow. Such as a known but as yet unfixed problem in the kernel which hurts the performance of full screen Flash video (youtube).

dave-lew99 · 7 Apr 2011 at 21:53

I'm not sure, in my experience Ubuntu has been sluggish compared with Windows on the same box. But it does depend a lot on the graphics card and other hardware - also i should add that the last time i tried it was just when Compiz was introduced and that was a pain for a long time.

For outright processing/server stuff i don't think there's much in it.

Steveh_monkey · 7 Apr 2011 at 22:00

It's free and fairly simply and easy to use would be my main reasons.

However I've always had problems with it in the past, either with problems installing or just not having quite enough linux know how to get it to do the things I want it to do. Can anyone recomend some sort of beginner to intermediate guide to linux? a lot of things just aren't quite as intuitive as they are for windows.

russ0r · 7 Apr 2011 at 23:26

Power - The command line will automate anything and speed up menial jobs out of the box.
Multi-platform - It runs on anything, from six-core behemoths to 64Mb 15-year old laptops. Even alarm clocks. I can run something beefy and high-performance on my desktop and have the same OS zip along fine on my netbook.
Support - Google a problem and 9 times out of 10 you can fix it yourself.
Package management - Nothing beats having almost every piece of software written for your OS at your fingertips, and being able to install it at the click of a button.
OSS and Security - OSS software is pretty much guaranteed malware free, and always being developed.