Using linux is like driving a muscle car, you may have to drift it on hard corners, but it is assured that you will get enthralling experience on straight ways
While i was talking about linux and its advantages to my friend, who was a windows user for a long time, she fired me a question that what are the differences between Windows and a Linux distribution? or what are the disadvantages of Linux?
Well, now this is a very tight question, i cant be one sided, as she is new to this i should not exaggerate the advantages of linux nor on windows. So here is what i found out.
1.Access Level
Linux gives full access to source codes and you could do any modification to it, but in windows, eh, unless you belong to elite group, you cant get a glimpse of it.
This is some thing windows users never heard of, some might argue that SuperUser (SU) in linux is same as that of 'administrator' in windows, but thats a big NO.
if you didnt liked the desktop environment, you are using you could easily switch to other desktop environment, some might not understand by the word desktop environment, i cant blame them, coz windows doesnt offer any feature like this, if you want Mac Os's environment (iam just giving an example) you could easily get it by installing few docks, some desktop tweaking, and arranging window button lay out and theme. Of course, windows users might know all these things, and they do this according to their will by installing these things, but they were never capable (may be a poweruser could) of rearranging the window button layouts, which is a noobie thing in linux.
You could install any desktop environment by adding a suitable repository (google it) and with a command “sudo apt-get install environment name”. and this is a mere example. You could do almost anything with this SU power.
Do you ever imagined about removing windows photo viewer and installing another thing? or windows media player? No, you cant. To be precise this SuperUser is a SuperMan, hope that defines it. :)
2.Licensing
Any programmer can give you a lecture on program licensing, with a Linux-GPL you can modify any program, re-publish it or even sell it (as long as you publish the source code). But with a Microsoft license what you could do? well, none of the above, end of the story :D
Also with a Linux License you could install it on as many linux systems you want, but on Windows, if you bought a 3 user pack, you could install only on three systems and thats it.
3.Software Support
This may lead to some serious conflicts, being a current window user, i do have a
feeling that linux dont have a successful alternatives or versions for most of the windows softwares, for example, adobe products, microsoft live writer, games and other things.
How ever, the linux users do have an option to use wine (which runs few windows apps in linux) and virtual box, using which we could run windows and its softwares (this depends on your RAM)
4.Hardware Support
One issue, which is in endangered (which is appreciable too) zone is hardware support issue, i still can remember that before 2 years (almost) while i was dealing with ubuntu 12.10 it had some problem with my Dlink usb wifi adapter, it never connects to internet out of box, but then i used he most appreciable feature of linux distribution which is online peer support, i did some searches and found that already one posted about this issue and another one posted with its solution, and am glad to say that it went well. After 6 months, i wiped everything and installed ubuntu 13.04 and i must say that, the adapter worked quiet well. but its so sad that there are few exceptions like suspend and hibernate issue with many laptops.
With Latest Edition of windows everything will work instantly, and if you have some device, for which you dont have a installation disk, the windows device software wizard will do the job for you. I could assure you that, the windows will let you use the full capability of the latest insanely powerful graphic card you just bought, and it is a stand apart feature.
5.Command Line
Many readers may get wrinkles on their forehead by reading this, or they may even think why do we need this? well, a command line is the core of a linux distribution, i cant even imagine a linux distro without a command line, how ever you dont have to be a command line ninja to deal with linux, you can use linux without using command line at all, but that command line gives the icing on top :)
Same goes with windows, however, microsoft have a tendency to hide the command line from user, without entering cmd in Run dialog box the user wont even know the existence of command line in windows, how ever, the command line in windows isnt on par with that of Linux.
6.Centralized Software Installation
lets take an example, if you want to install Mozilla Firefox, what will you do in windows? Well, you may go to their website, download the file, and install it. and what if you want to install VLC, you will go to their website and download it. Like wise, if you want to install any software you have to visit the appropriate downoad link and install it.
Ask me, or any other user how they install software in Linux? well we either use command line (lets, keep that aside for now) or we use centralized Software centres like Synaptic or Several other software centres, where you could find each and every app you need, isnt that beautiful? Everything under a single roof, Quiet charming, isnt it :)
7.Automounting Removable medias
while dealing with linux, some users might find it awkward that you have to mount and unmount the removable media manually, which is totally different from windows which instantly mounts your removable media once you plug it in.
This feature is because of the basic feature of unix, yes it is a multi user os, and it was thought that forcing a user to mount a media may overwrite the user’s files.
Use your brain, On a multiuser system, if everyone had instant access to a disk that had been inserted, what would stop them from deleting or overwriting a file you had just added to the media? Things have now evolved to the point where Linux subsystems are set up so that you can use a removable device in the same way you do in Windows. But it's not so normal. And besides, who doesn't want to manually edit the /etc/fstab file?
8.Run Levels
The title may sound confusing, but this indicates the run level ability of linux, a user could use the command line run level (run level 3) and the Graphic User Interface (run level 5), this is useful when the Xwindow (GUI) is malfunctioning and you want to fix it, and you could do the same by booting into run level 3 and giving login credentials for SuperUser account (root), and fixing the problem , voila, you’ve done it.
In Windows, you will get the command line via safe mode, but however, even with the availability of command line, you could do nothing when it is compared to that of linux command line.
9.Malicious Softwares
While talking about Linux vs Windows, i cant miss the fact that linux is less prone to malicious softwares, its not because linux wont support viruses, as you all might know viruses are softwares which do things without users permissions.
This is where linux stand out, in linux, inorder to perform any administrative tasks, you need superuser permission and the superuser password is not stored in machine, the user have to give it by himself, and this makes the linux less prone to viruses, how ever if you add, certain programs to root permission permanently, i cant say a word, coz there is a high possibility that you may get doomed. :)
while, talking about windows and its compatibility with viruses, well i should not talk anything right?? :D
verdict: I could give anything as a verdict, but as it is your computer and your demands may be different for computing, its really your call. meanwhile, happy computing :)