Know Your OS!
It is widely known that Microsoft’s Windows is the most used operating system, while Linux falls to the silver second place. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Windows is a better operating system; it just means that a wider audience has accepted it and has decided to use it. But things change, and Linux is slowly making its way through the market.
If you’ve ever wondered what is the different between the two, or if you’re just interested to learn more about operating systems, get yourself comfortable and keep reading!
The first difference that one’s eye can spot is definitely in the price of these two. While each license copy for a Microsoft Windows needs to be paid, and quite expensively one might add, the majority of the Linux versions are available for free. Additionally, those who require payment are way cheaper than any MS Windows and you could probably buy a couple for the price of one MS Windows.
On the other hand, we cannot deny the fact that Windows is much easier to work with, especially for someone who is new to computers. Although, this doesn’t mean that those myths that Linux is a scary OS that works only with codes and can eat you alive are true. Almost all Linux versions have a graphic interface, similar to the one Windows have, it’s just the users who often prefer using it through written commands (which aren’t really rocket science, once you get the hang of them).
The large number of Windows users have also lead to the development of many more utilities, software, and games for Windows in comparison to Linux. Though one can debate whether or not that’s a huge advantage, seeing how most of the Linux utilities are still free, while there is a charge for the ones for Windows (that again, may not be that cheap). There are also programs which allow you to run Window applications on Linux, so there isn’t really much that you can miss.
Next on the list would be reliability, where Linux wins by a large margin. Regardless of the improvements that Windows has recently made, it is still no match for the reliability that Linux provides. It can run for years without any problems and without being rebooted during that period too, while Windows users face various issues even when they rest their computer every day.
Windows is no match for Linux on the security front too. It is widely known that even though a Linux can still be attacked, it is way safer than Windows, which is ridiculously vulnerable to any attacks, whether it is by a virus, a malware, or direct hacking. This might be due the fact that Windows is much more used so people tend to attack Windows instead of Linux. But then again, when it comes to support both OS are decent on that front which means that Windows just needs to work more on its security.
And last, but not least, is the fact that Linux and many of its programs are open source. This means that you are allowed to change the coding of the programs and the OS itself, so you can modify it for your own preference or even use it for learning purposes. Windows has no such options, it comes as it is and you cannot do any changes whatsoever. Sure, you can still install and uninstall various software applications, but there’s no way to change the core of the OS itself.
In the long run, Linux ends up being a better option any day, but probably because of lack of marketing and the general statistics that Windows is more used, has kept it in the shadows of Windows for quite some time now. But who knows, maybe Linux has yet to see its better days on the market?
