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I have never purchased any linux OS before, have seen how they work and how the GUI looks, but never worked on one constantly so I always wondered this question, but I understand that their can be bias when you have people that have their favorites, which I hope people will try to eliminate out there answers. I have heard sys admins complain sometimes about how bad Windows is as an OS. I can understand why they would say that about Vista dealing with the issues I run into with it sometimes myself, but compared to a good OS like XP I don't know how. For example I heard that you can leave a linux machine on for years without it crashing, but can't for a Windows.

A friend asked me the other day which computer should she purchase since I a computer person and she's not? She wanted an Apple, but since I have only heard things about how smooth they run; I don't know for sure as apple commercial says "how a mac is better than a pc." So I could only tell her things that were opinions instead of facts. I understand Mac is not linux, but it is unix-like, so I assumed it shares the same advantages that people say Windows doesn't have, so that kind of makes two questions.

I have found this thread Microsoft Windows OS Usage that gives reasons but not actual facts, and also goes in detail of certain OSes, but my questions is for linux as a whole ex:( RedHat, Suse, etc..)

P.S. I'm not speaking in security, because I understand how Windows is more of a target since its more widely used.

Edit- For a basic home or college computer that has the necessary uses for a person that's not a developer. Which is more reliable?

Edit2 I guess people are not really getting the question here, which is when it comes to home personal use, lets say a family computer, that has to be available for all uses, Is a linux OS would be something to recommend and why? reason being in my own case is in Vista the window explorer always gives me issues,

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Yeah, I agree with Chopper3. There's so much I don't think you're going to avoid bias in the answers. You even hint at it in your question ("a good OS like XP..."). We had a Win2000 server with an uptime of 8+ years (last I checked it) so even that's not based on fact. Some specifics would be better here. – squillman May 12 '09 at 19:23
@sqillman- some specifics like what? all I can go off is what I have heard of linux, since I have never used it myself, how can a person that knows the difference in a windows OS not be able to give facts, since when I here Linux is better, it usually comes from Sys admin people. – TStamper May 12 '09 at 19:29
You can start with what type of usage, what environment you're thinking, etc. and go from there. Biases come from generalized statements like "Linux is better than Windows". – squillman May 12 '09 at 19:41
@squillman- made it less bias..so I can try and get a better answer – TStamper May 12 '09 at 19:46
I guess its harder than what I thought to answer a question like this – TStamper May 12 '09 at 21:20
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closed as not constructive by Jeff Atwood♦ May 14 '09 at 10:29

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4 Answers

up vote 3 down vote

Reliability on the desktop is really not an issue anymore. I run Vista as my main machine at work, and while it's slower since I put Vista on it, it's not unreliable. I never shut it down and it runs solid 24x7 between patch tuesdays. Likewise I have an Ubuntu desktop machine sitting right next to me that also runs 24x7 and only restarts for updates.

Reliability hasn't been an issue since Win9x days. Certainly there are many examples of and anecdotes about unreliable Windows systems, but one must really consider the underlying hardware and also the software configuration. This also applies to Linux and even a little bit to Mac (with a Mac, your hardware is more controlled, so in theory you should have fewer issues).

At any rate, what you need to think about are the applications that you need to run. You can't really make a good list without running some other OS for a while and seeing what you're missing...there's always something.

Did you know that you can download many Linux distributions, like Ubuntu, as "Live CDs" that boot directly from CD and don't affect your existing operating system at all? This is really a great way to try Linux and see whether or not you can work on it. You can also install Ubuntu from the CD into an image file in your Windows installation using Wubi...and you can choose which OS to boot into when you start the machine. This can be done from the installation CD.

Remember, be pragmatic. Use what you need to use in order to get your work done. The more time you spend finding alternative ways to work, the less time you spend actually working. That's not to say that you shouldn't be curious and try different tools...just don't make that part of your "work" primary.

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up vote 3 down vote

Who wants to start the flame war? I have my flamethrower ready just in case ;-)

No, seriously, I moved to Linux about 3 years ago, because my development stack is much better supported there, and although I'll never go back to Windows, it's been a very bumpy road with lots of room for improvement.

Try several distros out and make your own decision based on your own needs.

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After the edit and the changed title, I still stand by my answer. Or in the case of another person, suggest them to try Linux for a while and decide for themselves. – Ivan May 12 '09 at 20:07
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up vote 0 down vote

Oh man, that's such an open question - we could start a whole board just to answer that question in fact - and we'd never come to an answer. Can you try to rewrite it to be a bit more specific please. Sorry to be negative.

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up vote 0 down vote

For a non-computer person, the difference between Mac and Windows ultimately boils down to a usability question. My wife has used Windows for years but is already more comfortable on a Mac. While I can use a Mac, there are things I need that are only available on PC. Proper builds of Linux are about the same. So here's what I did when considering my wife's laptop purchase:

  • What are her core needs application wise? Which platforms supported the software she needed?
  • When she had an opportunity to test the interfaces, which one scored "better" for her? (Yes, this did mean a trip to the Apple store for us).
  • What was the price range for the hardware/software? Was it within our budget?
  • What did others say whose opinion I trusted with regards to hardware reliability and vendor support?

We put these together and ended up getting her a Mac. For my sons, they will likely get a netbook.

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