Linux or winXP?

Question

What is the difference between Linux and WinXP - is either one better than the other or are they just the same

Answer 1

They're completely different. Apples and oranges and all that.



Windows is a commercial operating system that ships with most PCs. It's designed for the mass market and ease of use.



Linux isn't a single entity, it's a whole massive community effort. If you want to give it a shot, check out Ubuntu at http://www.ubuntu.com/ The original premise was to build a freely available operating system, in which it has generally succeeded.



They run completely different programs, although a few Windows programs have had linux versions made. For example, OpenOffice and FireFox are available for linux.

Answer 2

i have used linux ubuntu for about 4 months now and i can honestly say i would never go back to xp. ever. Don't get me wrong, xp has some fantastic features and support, but then so does ubuntu. From day 1, everything was so easy to set up (30 mins total!) and i now nothing about programming or commands in linux. It comes with Open Office which is fully compatible with MS Office, Gimp (lol) which is on par with high end graphic editors and thousands of other cool software which is all free! If you are a gamer then then is a windows emulator called Wine which allows you to run windows games and utils (apart from Halo which is the only 1 game i found wont run). You don't need setup disks for sound, printer, modem, 3d cards...etc.

Best thing is not having to worry about virus checkers and spyware software cause you dont get infected! No more defragging, cleanups, system restarts after installing, and everything runs so much faster!

Overall, i like xp, but i love ubuntu. i could go on forever, but i'd recommend read through the forums on ubuntu and get the live cd and have a play!

Answer 3

Think about what you want to plug into your computer first. If you've got an iPod and a bunch of USB devices, you might want to go with XP or wait till then end of the month and get Vista. I used Linux for a while (after XP) and had a lot of trouble getting devices and other hardware to function. I had to go to chat rooms and ask Linux enthusiasts to help change a bunch of code so some things would work. Roughly speaking to get one device working, I'd spend 2 to 5 hours fooling with code and asking for help. After it was all working it was great. But you can't play games (aside from a few mediocre Linux games).

Answer 4

Its not really that straight-forward.

Linux is free. XP isn't.

Linux has a very small amount of spy-ware.

XP has it embedded everywhere.

XP is considered the best on line and offline system for ease of use.

Linux is still up and coming and may take a while to get used to.

XP has a recognised take on hackers and is doing what it can to prevent it (although when they issue the updates they sometimes adversely affect the systems). Linux is reasonably quiet about this BUT the system they have is, (supposedly), better at preventing hackers access. I don't know whether regular updates are issued as I don't use Linux.

If you can, my suggestion would be.....

get a second hard drive and install it in your PC. Then install linux onto that drive, you should then get the option of which system to 'boot' from.

Play around to your hearts content and make the decision of which is best for yourself.





Have fun!

Answer 5

QUOTE: "Linux tends to be difficult to use for most people since they are already used to Windows or MacOS."



What total rubbish - especially seeing the interfaces are all similar in a point and click way and people introduced to Linux instinctively start to click around and use the web and other applications within a matter of minutes due to familiarity.



QUOTE: "Everything runs around Microsoft, and that's the way of the world. You can't change "progress"."



Utter rubbish - everything actually runs around Linux and Unix which pretty much power all of the web we know and use today. Microsoft has just had to suck the lemon and make their software compatible with everything else or be left behind.



Large corporations are looking to Linux due to it being free and also enabling them to use 'dated' PC hardware for longer periods which is not only cost saving but also good for the environment.



Please people - remove your blinkers; You have only experienced Microsoft's variants due to them being shipped with PCs and from their worldwide dominance on the PC desktop which is accepted to be the norm - open your eyes and taste Linux which is free and evolving and is not lining the pockets of large corporations!



Best way to decide - try both and don't listen to comments like the above - this is from someone who uses Linux, XP and Mac OS/X and loves them all for different reasons and still finds it hard to decide which I prefer overall.



QUOTE: "Unless you are the adventurous type or feel a special attraction for computer science, you should stay with Windows."



LINUX IS NOT JUST FOR NERDS - most mobile phones are now running Linux along with ATM, shop tills, routers, DVD players and recorders - why - because Microsoft have tried and often failed. Speaks volumes.



Oh - and if Linux is so nerdy - do you realise what Apple OS/X is based upon? No - it's Linux.



YS.

Answer 6

Linux it an open source operating system meaning it is free to get and use. Win XP is a lot slower and requires a lot more space to set up then linux as well.

Answer 7

Linux is an opensource UNIX clone, so it deffinitely isn't Windows at all.

Unless you are the adventurous type or feel a special attraction for computer science, you should stay with Windows.

If you are a thrill seeker, try Gentoo Linux - the best, yet a "real men" Linux. (But I think you should try some easier distributions first - RedHat and UBUNTU.)

You could try http://www.linux.org - to see the many Linux distros.

Answer 8

Well Personally i think XP is better.

Basically Xp is a closed source windows which microsoft has made for public .. and there is no room for improvment on it ... unless it happnes through microsoft.

But Linux is open source ... and that means the people who know programming can imporve it as they like and change the way it works...

SO if u just want a windows Take XP and if u want it to work your way then linux...

Good luck !!!

Answer 9

If you are a very technical person, then Linux wins hands down. If you like a nice user interface, and are a little weak with computers, then I'd go with XP. Most programs are based around XP anyways.

Answer 10

I am sure Linux lovers would not agree but my vote has to go with XP. Everything runs around Microsoft, and that's the way of the world. You can't change "progress".

Answer 11

XP is best as most PCs you will ever come across will be using it. But Linux is restricted to a few % of the worlds PC's. However, Linux is free, X Costs. More bugs and viruses for XP! Its your choice but i would go with the great fat Microsoft corp XP

Answer 12

It's down to your own opinion really. A friend of mine is wanting to change to linux recently, all i can remember from my experience is that it's harder to set everything up, you need to manually set everything up yourself, but with windows you just need to double click and it will do it for you.

Answer 13

Refer to Wikipedia article below.



There isn't any real answer as to which one is better, it just depends what you use it for. If you are used to Windows XP, then by all means stick to Windows XP. Linux tends to be difficult to use for most people since they are already used to Windows or MacOS.

Answer 14

Read Michael Horowitz complete comparison.

Answer 15

winXp works a lot better.