Why should I use Linux instead of Windows?

D

DogPal

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Hi All!

I'm new here, so "Hi" to everyone!

Well, I just got over the shock of reading the "License Agreement" for Windows Hate...oops, I mean Windows 8. I detested the intrusiveness & invasion of Privacy so much that I'm considering Linux, but I don't know anything about it. I only use my laptop for games, email, streaming media & looking up stuff that interests me, but I'm not at all technical. I know even less about Linux, but several people have told me to try it. How does it differ from Windows? Will all the Programs, (especially my Anti-Virus program), Games, etc. that I use work in Linux? Do I have to have an internet connection to download it & how much does it cost?

See what I mean? I don't know ANYTHING about Linux!!! Please tell me all about Linux, the good AND the bad, so I can make an educated decision. I've been using a PC since 1999 but instead of Windows becoming more fun & more user-friendly it's morphed into a Privacy-stealing beast that I'm quickly learning to despise. That being said, I AM familiar with the way Windows does the simple stuff & I want to be able to do all the same things without losing my mind! Please tell me what former Windows users need to get "used to" everything that's different in Linux. Can I use Firefox in Linux?

You see how confused I am? I appreciate your help in making this important decision.

Gratefully,
DogPal :)

"Dogs may not be our whole life but they make our lives whole"
by Roger Caras
 


There are also a ton of really great videos on Youtube about Linux that can help you understand what it's all about. Spatry is probably my favorite and has a couple(maybe more) videos about why you should switch to Linux.

I used to use windows and just got tired of the viruses, malware, and slowness of my computer. So I started using Linux and I haven't looked back in almost 4 years. If it wasn't because my college likes to use programs that are only available on windows I wouldn't even have a virtual machine of windows.

To answer (some of) your questions:
Linux is virus free. Well actually I think there are 47 (known)? (if anyone knows the correct number please correct me) But seriously, you won't need to worry about anti-virus programs at all.
Your games however, probably won't work. That is one of the downfalls of Linux. There are many ways to get games to run but I wouldn't be the guy to ask. As arochester, said there is a Steam for linux and so far I've gotten TF2, Dota 2, and L4D2 to run. They all run beautifully.
Most programs have alternatives that usually work really well. For example, Windows has Microsoft Office and in Linux we have a crap ton of different programs that will do (close to) the same. LibreOffice is a good one and really the only one I've ever used.

Well, hopefully that helps a little bit. Check out Spatry's videos if you get the chance, he was very helpful for me. Lastly, Firefox does run in Linux. :)
 
Since your needs are simple; basic computer use with no need to configure, the default installation of almost any Linux distribution would work well for you. With the exception of games. Depending on your taste in games, you may also find open source games you like. The key is how much you want to learn. If you do not want to learn anything, choose a so-called beginner distribution. If you intend to learn a little or a lot, pick a so-called advanced distro. With the exception of systems like Arch and Gentoo, advanced is a misnomer. Almost all systems are easy to install and will work. That will allow you to learn while using the system.

As always, I suggest starting by doing a small amount research into a few distros. This site has a list of the main systems and places like DistroWatch have information on many more. Visit the web sites of a few distributions and read the information they have. It is also a good idea to read the installation instructions. (If you visit DistroWatch, please ignore the "rankings".)
 
Topic as trash... When you want OpenSource OS - you CAN use Linux, Unix, DOS... But CAN - no SHOULD! Why? Want you learn about PC? Want you developing own system? Want you ...? -> You are potentional Linux user... Unix/Linux/... are operating systems. The operating system is only one way work with a computer... This way of work with computer is for you - you are user...
 
Every where i see Linux server OS is cheaper than Windows and so on. I agree that there are free and open source Linux server OS which can be used FREEly. What about the commercial support?? I am not talking about whether commercial support is available, i am talking about cost. For an organization yo use Linux they need commercial support for sure, right?? All Linux server commercial support or subscription are yearly basis and say if i take a support for 10 years (for an example because Window's average support period for server products), then it will cost me almost same (little less) as compared to Windows license. Windows license you can buy once and they will provide you support till they supports available for that product. please provide your inputs. I am glad to be proved wrong, i can use Linux.
 
For an organization yo use Linux they need commercial support for sure, right??
If the organisation does not have IT technicians that know what they are doing, then yes, support will be required.
then it will cost me almost same (little less) as compared to Windows license.
I do not know what different companies charge for their services, but Linux and BSD are much better systems for servers than Windows. That is why Linux and BSD are used on most of the world's servers and many (or most?) of the world's largest web sites. Personally, I would be willing to pay more for Linux service than for Windows. This is a case of getting what one pays for.
 
If the organisation does not have IT technicians that know what they are doing, then yes, support will be required.

IT technicians in a company are not there to release security patches, or release updates and do the bug fixes. Besides, commercial support means lot more than just fixing some bugs, isn't it?

As i told mentioned earlier, i, personally, can use few linux distribution free of cost, where as i have to lot of money for Windows, but for organization we should have commercial support.

I do not know what different companies charge for their services, but Linux and BSD are much better systems for servers than Windows.

Open source solutions will be chosen if it has strong commercial support. So now please check out with the organizations that provide support for different Linux distributions like CentOS, Ubuntu, even RHEL, then you will see the clear picture.
Could you please ??
 
So now please check out with the organizations that provide support for different Linux distributions like CentOS, Ubuntu, even RHEL, then you will see the clear picture.
Could you please ??
Since you are the one who wants to know those details, I suggest you do the research.
 
Since you are the one who wants to know those details, I suggest you do the research.
I have done some research so i am here putting those comments. :)
 
Every where i see Linux server OS is cheaper than Windows and so on. I agree that there are free and open source Linux server OS which can be used FREEly. What about the commercial support?? I am not talking about whether commercial support is available, i am talking about cost. For an organization yo use Linux they need commercial support for sure, right?? All Linux server commercial support or subscription are yearly basis
I'm not sure why you don't take into account Windows support though. Enterprise-level support does require a subscription or pay-per-incident support, similar to Linux enterprise support:
http://support.microsoft.com/ph/1163 (click "Get Techincal Support" for their options)

Windows license you can buy once and they will provide you support till they supports available for that product.
No, you're comparing an average user's Windows Server support with enterprise-level Linux support.
For the average user: Windows charges you for their product and "includes" basic (see crappy) support and documentation for issues that arise this mostly means you can post questions to their forum. They don't handle high priority issues and usually don't even include phone support.
For enterprise businesses: Windows charges you for their product as well as requires a subscription for point-of-contact support or you can pay per incident you need help with.

You also don't take into account the other benefits of Linux as a server like better security, more efficiency, better customization, better user account control, etc.

On a side note: Please don't de-rail someone else's thread. (Although I know I'm feeding the fire...)
 
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:)
I think this needs a separate thread of discussions how much Windows license cost and what linux commercial supports cost, but yeah just to make a note please go through this comparision.
 
Actually the OP has been gone 1 month, so I don't think it needs another thread... Aside from that I agree with MikeyD however.

There are enterprise distributions, they cost money. They usually give longer support for security updates/bug fixes, etc and technical support is included.

There are completely free distributions, they don't cost money. You get security updates/bug fixes, but you don't get them for as long - maybe only a year or two. You don't get tech support.

It's not just about cost.
 
Every where i see Linux server OS is cheaper than Windows and so on. I agree that there are free and open source Linux server OS which can be used FREEly. What about the commercial support?? I am not talking about whether commercial support is available, i am talking about cost. For an organization yo use Linux they need commercial support for sure, right?? All Linux server commercial support or subscription are yearly basis and say if i take a support for 10 years (for an example because Window's average support period for server products), then it will cost me almost same (little less) as compared to Windows license. Windows license you can buy once and they will provide you support till they supports available for that product. please provide your inputs. I am glad to be proved wrong, i can use Linux.
You are quoting Microsoft's Total Cost of Ownership lie, a very effective tool in dealing with suits who make computer decisions based on what sounds reasonable. Microsoft claims so few people know anything about Linux that an army of technical experts is required to keep one server going. But everybody knows good ol' Windows, so an expensive product is really cheaper in the end than one that's free. Get it? If you do you'll pour still more money into Microsoft's shoddy products. The TCO argument can't pass logical muster because every person who holds an M.S. in computer science has learned Linux like the back of his hand. Windows is impossible to learn at the same level because it's proprietary, a closed-source black box. Don't fall for propaganda. TCO is nothing but BS.
 
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Below points on linux :
- If a company take a subscription for enterprise linux (which includes commercial support) or commercial support( for some free distribution) from some organization then they provide upgrades for higher versions, technical support and bug fixes.
- If a company don't want commercial support for free distributions then i have to fix all those bugs by ourselves, but we can use those free of cost.

- Where as in Windows once i buy the license of server, i will get security patches, bug fixes on OS and service packs updates, but for technical support i have to pay them extra money based on severity of the issue, for e.g if you have messed of some configuration and wanted to revert back to stable state.

Just to site an example, say for commercial support for free distro or subscription of enterprise linux distro, we are paying $600/year per physical instance.

So for 10 years (as this is the average support period for windows servers) -> $6000 for 4 instance - > $24000 , which is around Windows server license cost., if i am not wrong.

If you include technical support cost for Windows servers then also it wont make much of difference. So how can we say it's cheap??
 
- If a company don't want commercial support for free distributions then i have to fix all those bugs by ourselves, but we can use those free of cost.
No you don't fix bugs yourselves - free does not mean buggy... even completely free distros are supported with bug fixes and security updates as has been mentioned already in thread. Upstream developers fix bugs and distro maintainers also backport bug fixes and do their own patching of stable software.

In all honesty you haven't got a clue - I would suggest doing some actual reading up on the subject if you're serious about it.

If on the other hand you're just here to troll and post misinformed bollocks centred on the TCO propaganda, I'd suggest calling it a day...
 
It's not known when the server thing became somewhat relevant to the discussion... Anyway, I've just landed on this thread to play off-topic:

No matter what one says, Linux servers are better, no serious world-ruling enterprise business uses windows.

Since I don't wanna be banned!!11! (kidding), I'll answer to the long-gone original poster as to why it (DogPal) should quit windows: because Linux is better.
 

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