List 5 reasons why you think Linux is better than Windows?

Question

I doubt anyone will be able to list a single reason why Linux is better than Windows, considering the superiority of Windows, but here is your chance to list 5 reasons why you think Linux is better than Windows.

I know it might be difficult for Linux zealots, but try to be specific. "Freedom" when referring to an operating system is meaningless, it is too vague.

Answer 1

1) Cost - The most obvious advantage of using Linux is the fact that it is free to obtain, while Microsoft products are available for a hefty and sometimes recurring fee. Microsoft licenses typically are only allowed to be installed on a single computer, whereas a Linux distribution can be installed on any number of computers, without paying a single dime.



2) Security - In line with the costs, the security aspect of Linux is much stronger than that of Windows. Why should you have to spend extra money for virus protection software? The Linux operating system has been around since the early nineties and has managed to stay secure in the realm of widespread viruses, spyware and adware for all these years. Sure, the argument of the Linux desktop not being as widely used is a factor as to why there are no viruses. My rebuttle is that the Linux operating system is open source and if there were a widespread Linux virus released today, there would be hundreds of patches released tomorrow, either by ordinary people that use the operating system or by the distribution maintainers. We wouldn’t need to wait for a patch from a single company like we do with Windows.



3) Choice (Freedom) - The power of choice is a great Linux advantage. With Linux, you have the power to control just about every aspect of the operating system. Two major features you have control of are your desktops look and feel by way of numerous Window Managers, and the kernel. In Windows, your either stuck using the boring default desktop theme, or risking corruption or failure by installing a third-party shell.



4) Software - There are so many software choices when it comes to doing any specific task. You could search for a text editor on Freshmeat and yield hundreds, if not thousands of results. My article on 5 Linux text editors you should know about explains how there are so many options just for editing text on the command-line due to the open source nature of Linux. Regular users and programmers contribute applications all the time. Sometimes its a simple modification or feature enhancement of a already existing piece of software, sometimes its a brand new application. In addition, software on Linux tends to be packed with more features and greater usability than software on Windows. Best of all, the vast majority of Linux software is free and open source. Not only are you getting the software for no charge, but you have the option to modify the source code and add more features if you understand the programming language. What more could you ask for?



5) Hardware - Linux is perfect for those old computers with barely any processing power or memory you have sitting in your garage or basement collecting dust. Install Linux and use it as a firewall, a file server, or a backup server. There are endless possibilities. Old 386 or 486 computers with barely any RAM run Linux without any issue. Good luck running Windows on these machines and actually finding a use for them.

Answer 2

There are advantages to Linux depending on what you really want to do. Most of those have been mentioned above, as how long the learning curve can be. If you want to run your Windows programs but on what you hope to be a more stable operating system, be aware that the vast majority of Windows software does not run in Linux. Linux requires something to provide similar system calls as Windows has to even try to do this. On Linux, there is a package called WINE that is supposed to do this. It can be difficult getting your program to run doing this. There are other options such as some of the virtual machine software out (such as VMWare), but none are going to be just plug and play your Windows apps in. It's not that easy.

Answer 3

**linux already can soport ubs3.0 and it hasent came out

**yet better effect

**less money wen my windows machine get messed up iand i dont fell like i have time for it i have to pay usualy 90 or 80 for it if my linux machine gets messed up i always have a little cd

**windows has somany virtus its not even funny linux doesnt have any virus

then coputer im using on linux is 7 years old and it working better then my windows wich i just got like 2and half years ago



**a new version of a distro comes out every6 month not like windows every 5-67 years



**and u say 98% computer have linux well wen u go to a store or buy online to buy anew computer what operating system does it have windows

also alot of people are scared cause they think its gonna be hard to run linux wen i first tried it was good and its easy it all depend which 1 u try like ubuntu for me i would never run it on my computer not even if i got paid like if u try vista and ur used to xp u might not like it it depends for me linux is better but i run windows cause linux doesnt have shockwave that is the only reason if not windows woulnt be on any comp i use

Answer 4

Why oh why do you continue to ask these stupid question, Microsoft Corporation will never achieve one fraction of what Linux as achieved even with their Antitrust Practices of forced sales



so I will start with Linux is out of this world literally.

(1) Linux is on planet MARS

(2) it runs IBM's Road Runner the fastest computer in the world

(3) it will run the next generation of supper computers

(4) Linux runs the internet

(5) Linux has out ranked Microsoft for online users

(6) Microsoft are waving the white flag at Linux



the last online survey put Linux at 40% window XP at 30% Windows Vista at 12% Mac at 6% other at 12%

Answer 5

- It's free

- It's open source

- You can choose the distro that fits your needs

- It's expandible

- Has much better support than you would ever get from Microsoft



I don't even use Linux on a regular basis, I just wanted to shut you up. There are a lot of reasons why Windows is better than Linux, but Linux definitely has its place. I'm not arguing that Linux is better, I'm just letting your whiney tears know why so many people use it.



Did I mention that it's free?

Answer 6

1. Security

2. 3d Desktop

3. Cost

4. Very Customizable

5. Free Software

Answer 7

1. Open-source

2. Less work to maintain

3. Supports pretty much all filesystems

4. Supports more hardware

5. It's Unix-like