Can someone tell me why anyone would use LINUX?

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2005-09-29 04:39am

I'm just curious, why would anyone use Linux? Isn't it sort of limited compared to Windows?

The Grim Squeaker · Post by **The Grim Squeaker** » 2005-09-29 05:19am

It is much more virus resistant, free (excepting support and buying software/drivers for most stuff), and it's not te Uber Evull!!! Wiblows

.

Xon · Post by **Xon** » 2005-09-29 05:25am

For desktop use, because it isnt Windows or made by Microsoft. There are plenty of legitmate reasons for not using Windows, but it is the standard for Desktop OS, PC Gaming and Office work.

A very common saying over at Ars Technica is that linux is only as free as your time is.

The Grim Squeaker · Post by **The Grim Squeaker** » 2005-09-29 05:36am

It's also good for the third world 100/200$ laptop being designed, also it's good for portable gadgets saving on licensing when the device is supposed to be specialized (A large amounts of Personal Media Players use linux)

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-09-29 05:45am

ggs wrote:For desktop use, because it isnt Windows or made by Microsoft. There are plenty of legitmate reasons for not using Windows, but it is the standard for Desktop OS, PC Gaming and Office work.

A very common saying over at Ars Technica is that linux is only as free as your time is.

I've also heard the saying that Linux is a very user friendly OS. It's just very particular on who its friends are...

WyrdNyrd · Post by **WyrdNyrd** » 2005-09-29 05:48am

It is "limited" in the sense that it has fewer desktop applications than Windows. But there are several valid reasons to use it for a variety of applications, beyond mere anti-MS ideology.

It is

more stable (fewer BSOD-equivalent events)
more secure (fewer viruses, vulnerabilities)
less resource-intensive (slower PCs with less memory can run it well)
more modular (allows it to be "scaled back" for use on phones, handhelds, and other embedded applications)
open-source (so it is easily customiseable)
free!

It sucks for games, purely because there are so few written for it.

It does very well as a server OS - AFAIK, Mike uses it to run this very board.

It "rules" for High Performance Computing, were its low cost (especially running across 100's or 1000's of CPUs) and customiseability are in its favour.

Hobbyists and computer geeks use it extensively, both out of anti-MS feelings, and because it's a fun and educational experience to be able to configure and tinker with an OS to the degree that Linux allows.

It is also useful for "thin computing", or on locked-down boxes with deliberately limited functionality, such as kiosks, set-top boxes, or Web PCs, where all it does is surfing, email, and maybe a bit of word processing. The reasons: Its sophisticated security model allows complete control of what any particular user can do, its flexibility allows you to customise it easily, its low memory and CPU footprint allows it to run on cheap machines, and its stability makes it safe for use in public places (e.g. libraries, airport terminals) or by under-educated users.

Its suitability as a full Windows replacement is controversial. Much work still needs to be done simplifying installation, device driver support, and application support. But a huge army of professionals and volunteers are making great strides in this regard, almost daily, versus Windows, for which new features are coming out ever more rarely, as MS gets bogged down by its technical and corporate limitations. Just when is Longhorn/Vista coming out again?

Spyder · Post by **Spyder** » 2005-09-29 05:53am

I do it for experimentation mainly. I have a test machine that's running linux at the moment, it's good seeing what options are available and how far they've advanced. My main machine runs windows XP, which suits my needs at the moment.

Ace Pace · Post by **Ace Pace** » 2005-09-29 09:49am

Linux as a server is THE king, but you're right, I don't see many reasons for anyone even slightly gaming intrested using it as a primary OS.

Faram · Post by **Faram** » 2005-09-29 10:04am

Ace Pace wrote:Linux as a server is THE king, but you're right, I don't see many reasons for anyone even slightly gaming intrested using it as a primary OS.

Bullshit!

Give me AIX5 anyday over Linux.

Ace Pace · Post by **Ace Pace** » 2005-09-29 10:29am

Faram wrote:
Ace Pace wrote:Linux as a server is THE king, but you're right, I don't see many reasons for anyone even slightly gaming intrested using it as a primary OS.
Bullshit!

Give me AIX5 anyday over Linux.

Okey, what is AIX5?

And I conceed that Linux isn't king, but it is very good.

Alferd Packer · Post by **Alferd Packer** » 2005-09-29 10:31am

That it is free is my big thing. By installing Debian on my old laptop and desktop, I saved myself a few hundred bucks on copies of Windows XP. I also saved myself money on any number of programs(~14,000 with Debian, plus any others that I care to compile myself) that I can get for free now.

BloodAngel · Post by **BloodAngel** » 2005-09-29 10:36am

I would use Linux, given that it's less of a pain and crashes infinitely less than Windows ever will, but the main problem with it is that it doesn't recognize my hardware. And Dell, given the Microsoft-buddy it is, won't supply Linux drivers for it.

Faram · Post by **Faram** » 2005-09-29 10:53am

Ace Pace wrote:Okey, what is AIX5?

And I conceed that Linux isn't king, but it is very good.

Big Blue will rule them all

Agreed Linux is good for some things just as every other operating system.

Xon · Post by **Xon** » 2005-09-29 10:56am

Alferd Packer wrote:That it is free is my big thing. By installing Debian on my old laptop and desktop, I saved myself a few hundred bucks on copies of Windows XP. I also saved myself money on any number of programs(~14,000 with Debian, plus any others that I care to compile myself) that I can get for free now.

Most Universities/collages offering a CS course are a part of the MsdnAA, which chucks several thousands of dollars of MS software as free shit at any student willing to ask.

MsdnAA is basicly all software from Microsoft but; games & MS Office (obtainable via different deals). And the acedemic licence is valid even after you are no longer a student, just cant comercially develop stuff on it.

Great for outfitting your come network with legit copies of Win2k3 Enterprise edition, a few copies of WinXP and other high end server stuff.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2005-09-29 10:58am

Faram wrote:Bullshit!

Give me AIX5 anyday over Linux.

Yes, but AIX costs an arm and a leg

Solaris is pretty good, too.

Faram · Post by **Faram** » 2005-09-29 11:02am

phongn wrote:
Faram wrote:Bullshit!

Give me AIX5 anyday over Linux.
Yes, but AIX costs an arm and a leg Solaris is pretty good, too.

You forgot the first born.

But really the cost of the OS is not that much, the cost of the hardware...

We bought a server this summer for close to $200 000, it is shiny

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2005-09-29 11:04am

ggs wrote:For desktop use, because it isnt Windows or made by Microsoft. There are plenty of legitmate reasons for not using Windows, but it is the standard for Desktop OS, PC Gaming and Office work.

A very common saying over at Ars Technica is that linux is only as free as your time is.

Yep. If you have obscene amounts of free time, you can custom-build a free Linux install with all the bells and whistles that will do everything you could want it to, short of climbing on your lap and giving you a good fuck (though as Linux can be stripped down and stuffed onto an embedded system, and with the advances being made in robotics . . . this too will one day be possible. Now I must go shoot myself for coming up with that mental image.)

If one has zero free time, then they'll plonk down a modest-to-ludicrous sum of cash for a commercial distro already set up for the generic home user (i.e. someone who wants the fancy GUI and will doubtlessly make their security model as permissive as possible so their six year old nephew can play Tetris on it without having to ask busy Uncle Jed to log into the box for him.)

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2005-09-29 11:16am

Faram wrote:We bought a server this summer for close to $200 000, it is shiny

What did you buy? i-series? z-series?

Praxis · Post by **Praxis** » 2005-09-29 11:54am

WyrdNyrd wrote: It sucks for games, purely because there are so few written for it.

I've actually heard people that say that they've tested Cedega to run Windows games on Linux BETTER than they run on Linux (probably cause it doesn't have all the crap running in the background).

And it's not purely because there are so few written for it. It's worth noting that ATi's drivers are so bad that they usually cut your framerate in half if they work at all. NVidia's are just as good as on Windows however.

2) Games. I got Starcraft and Warcraft II to work - but that is it. And they don't even work perfectly. Games are not nice on Linux. This is the dealbreaker for many, but I didn't really care enough.

Did you try Cedega?

Alferd Packer · Post by **Alferd Packer** » 2005-09-29 12:06pm

ggs wrote:Most Universities/collages offering a CS course are a part of the MsdnAA, which chucks several thousands of dollars of MS software as free shit at any student willing to ask.

MsdnAA is basicly all software from Microsoft but; games & MS Office (obtainable via different deals). And the acedemic licence is valid even after you are no longer a student, just cant comercially develop stuff on it.

Great for outfitting your come network with legit copies of Win2k3 Enterprise edition, a few copies of WinXP and other high end server stuff.

Sadly, mine didn't, IIRC. My university was completely gay for Unix and Linux. In fact, the only place you could find Windows boxes were in the public computer labs. The clusters for CS majors ran Redhat/FC2-4.

Oddly enough, you were kinda expected to know Unix as a CS major. No one ever taught us how, or even informed us that we'd be working on Unix machines, unless we asked. I'm sure that led to many a frustrated CS freshman screaming "WHY THE FUCK DOESN'T 'cd' WORK? LET ME CHANGE DIRECTORIES, YOU BASTARD!"

Praxis · Post by **Praxis** » 2005-09-29 03:30pm

ggs wrote:
Alferd Packer wrote:That it is free is my big thing. By installing Debian on my old laptop and desktop, I saved myself a few hundred bucks on copies of Windows XP. I also saved myself money on any number of programs(~14,000 with Debian, plus any others that I care to compile myself) that I can get for free now.
Most Universities/collages offering a CS course are a part of the MsdnAA, which chucks several thousands of dollars of MS software as free shit at any student willing to ask.

MsdnAA is basicly all software from Microsoft but; games & MS Office (obtainable via different deals). And the acedemic licence is valid even after you are no longer a student, just cant comercially develop stuff on it.

Great for outfitting your come network with legit copies of Win2k3 Enterprise edition, a few copies of WinXP and other high end server stuff.

My CS teacher brought up this program yesterday (and mentioned that he's not too fond of Microsoft). He mentioned free copies of Windows XP which I figure could be useful in the future (I intend to dual boot an Intel Mac at some point and would rather not spend $200 to buy XP Home).

What else can you get from it other than Windows XP?

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2005-09-29 04:31pm

A lot of the inflated prices come from silly people buying retail versions of Windows. To be blunt, never, ever do that. OEM's soo much cheaper, and Microsoft support is nonexistent anyways, so there's no chance of missing out on anything.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2005-09-29 04:56pm

White Haven wrote:A lot of the inflated prices come from silly people buying retail versions of Windows. To be blunt, never, ever do that. OEM's soo much cheaper, and Microsoft support is nonexistent anyways, so there's no chance of missing out on anything.

Microsoft has granted their blessing on selling OEM copies bundled with power cables.

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2005-09-29 05:12pm

They did that a loooong time ago. I know, we do it at work.

Xon · Post by **Xon** » 2005-09-29 07:52pm

phongn wrote:Microsoft has granted their blessing on selling OEM copies bundled with power cables.

Newest OEM licence agreement closes that loophole. However, these do not retroactively apply to existing older copies.