Linux vs. Windows
Topic |
Linux |
Windows |
| Price |
The majority of
Linux variants are available for free or at a much lower price
than Microsoft Windows. |
Microsoft
Windows can run between $50.00 - $150.00 US dollars per each
license copy. |
| Ease |
Although the
majority Linux variants have improved dramatically in ease of
use, Windows is still much easier to use for new computer
users. |
Microsoft has
made several advancements and changes that have made it a much
easier to use Operating System, and although arguably it may
not be the easiest Operating System, it is still Easier than
Linux. |
| Reliability |
The majority of
Linux variants and versions are notoriously reliable and can
often run for months and years without needing to be rebooted. |
Although
Microsoft Windows has made great improvements in reliability
over the last few versions of Windows, it still cannot match the
reliability of Linux. |
| Software |
Linux has a
large variety of available software
programs, utilities, and games. However, Windows has a much
larger selection of available software. |
Because of the
large amount of Microsoft Windows users, there is a much larger
selection of available software
programs, utilities, and games for Windows. |
| Software Cost |
Many of the available
software programs,
utilities, and games available on Linux are freeware
and/or open source.
Even such complex programs such as Gimp,
OpenOffice, StarOffice,
and wine are available for free or at a low cost. |
Although Windows
does have software
programs, utilities, and games for free, the majority of the
programs will cost anywhere between $20.00 - $200.00+ US
dollars per copy. |
| Hardware |
Linux companies
and hardware
manufacturers have made great advancements in hardware support
for Linux and today Linux will support most hardware devices.
However, many companies still do not offer drivers or support
for their hardware in Linux. |
Because of the amount
of Microsoft Windows users and the broader driver support, Windows
has a much larger support for hardware devices and a good
majority of hardware manufacturers will support their products
in Microsoft Windows. |
| Security |
Linux is and has
always been a very secure Operating System. Although it still
can be attacked when compared to Windows, it much more
secure. |
Although
Microsoft has made great improvements over the years with
security on their Operating System, their Operating System
continues to be the most vulnerable to viruses and other
attacks. |
| Open Source |
Many of the
Linux variants and many Linux programs are open source and
enable users to customize or modify the code however they wish
to. |
Microsoft
Windows is not open source and the majority of Windows
programs are not open source. |
| Support |
Although it may
be more difficult to find users familiar with all Linux
variants, there are vast amounts of available online documentation
and help, available books, and support available for Linux. |
Microsoft
Windows includes its own help section, has vast amount of
available online documentation and help, as well as books on
each of the versions of Windows. |
