4. COMPARISON OF WINDOWS AND LINUX
The purpose of this work is to talk about Linux and the main focus is not Microsoft Windows, but since Microsoft Windows is the most popular operative system in the world nowadays, and due to Windows and Linux are two major competing computer operating systems, a good way to understand and figure out what Linux is like is by making comparisons between Windows and Linux.
The two operating systems compete for user base in the personal computer market as well as the server market. Both operating systems are used in government offices, schools, business offices, homes, supercomputers, intranet and internet servers, and more.
Historically, Windows has tended to dominate in the desktop and personal computer markets (about 89.2% of the desktop market share), and Linux has achieved between 50 – 80% market share of the web server, and supercomputer markets. They differ in philosophy, cost, ease of use, versatility, and stability, with each seeking to improve in their respective perceived weak areas.
a) Total cost of ownership
It’s necessary to mention that some editions of Linux are not for free, but there are a lot of free versions. The chart showed next gives an idea about the total cost of ownership both for Windows and Linux:
Windows | Linux | |
Initial purchase | From $45 to $450 per license depending on edition. | From $0 to $350 per license depending on distribution and edition. |
Support | From $600 to $1,000 per year. | From $300 to $3500. |
Anti-virus software | From $39/year to $100/year per computer. According to an FBI survey, major businesses lose $12 million annually dealing with virus incidents. | None required. |
In 2004 Microsoft launched a marketing campaign named "Get the Facts" to encourage users to switch from Linux to Windows Server System. Microsoft claims that its products have an overall lower total cost of ownership than the open source programs because of its ease of use, resulting in less work and lower staff wages. But in general most people agree that Linux is cheaper than Windows.
b) Desktop users
Windows | Linux | |
Desktop Market Share | Estimated 89.2%. | Estimated 3.3%, often used in dual-boot computers. |
Pre-installation | Pre-installed by default in most new desktop PCs. | Pre-installed by default in some new desktop PCs. |
Window Managers/Desktop Environments | Only one available WM per release, parts of which may be modified. Third party software such as WindowBlinds is required for some modification. | GNOME, KDE, Enlightenment, Xfce, Openbox, Fluxbox, etc. |
It is very difficult to estimate the number of Linux users as they are not required to register their copies. The above chart cites a study by the W3C of how which operating system was used while hitting certain sites. This does not reflect the total market share for either Microsoft or Linux, it simply estimates the desktop market share (NOTE, does not include servers). The above chart also points to desktop environments: some Linux distributions may not come with all the desktop environments described above, some may come with more.
Both Windows and Linux include system consoles. A console, or terminal, allows users to tell the computer to perform tasks ranging from the simple (for example, copying a file) to the complex (compiling and installing new software). Consoles are powerful but can be too difficult and confusing to new users.
Linux has a much lower requirement for modern hardware than Windows. Most modern versions of Linux will still run on a Pentium 1 with 128 MB ram. Some distributions will run on a ¡486 with 12 MB ram.
c) Installation
Windows | Linux | Notes | |
Install | Generally easy to install, often drivers must be installed separately | Generally easy to install. | No major differences in ease of installation. |
Install via Live CD | May be installed through Windows Preinstallation Environment using a Live CD version of the operating system. | Almost all Linux distributions have a live CD that may be used for install. | |
Pre-packaged | Some multimedia and home use software such as (IE, Media Player, Notepad, WorkPad, Paint…) bundled software. | Several Multimedia, Office suites, Window managers, internet browsers are often included in each distribution such as OpenOffice, Firefox, Opera Web browser, etc. | Microsoft’s methods of bundling software were deemed illegal in the case United States v. Microsoft |
Not pre-packaged | Lacks Office software, and professional-grade graphical tools | Often lacks licensing to pre-package multimedia tools. | |
Partioning | Format the drive before partitioning. Cannot create multiple partitions. | Allows east resizing of partitions without losing data, may install multiple operating systems. | Some third party tools for Windows may allow better partitioning than the built in partitioning tools. |
Boot Loader | May only boot to Windows Operating Systems. | May boot to multiple operating systems through GRUB or LILO. | |
Install time | Estimated to be an hour, longer than some Linux distributions and often requires CDs with drivers from the computer manufacturer. | Can range from 30 minutes to several highly involved hours. |
Linux distributions used to be criticized as being very involved and difficult for the average user to install. Today, most distributions have simplified the installation and offer a "LiveDistro" (generic term for an operating system distribution that is executed upon boot, without installation on a hard drive. Typically, it is stored on bootable media such as a CD-ROM (Live CD), DVD (Live DVD), USB flash drive (Live USB), among others); allowing users to boot Linux directly from a downloaded ISO image (disk image) burned to a CD or DVD. Many distributions also support installation this way.
The Windows install process uses a wizard to guide users through the install process. Drivers are often installed separately.
d) Accessibility and Usability
It has been widely believed that usability is proportional to market share, although there are no citable statistics to support this belief. The usability of Apple’s OS, Microsoft’s Windows, and Linux, are comparable, though their market shares are disparate. Both Windows and Linux offer accessibility options, such as high contrast displays and larger text/icon size, text to speech and magnifiers.
e) Stability
When using Windows, reboots are usually required for driver/software updates. Linux itself only needs to restart for kernel updates. On Windows, son programs that crash may be closed through the task manager by pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL or through the command line in professional versions of Windows. Reboots are sometimes required. On Linux, all processes may be terminated from the command line. SysRQ allows low-level system manipulation and crash recovery if configured. Reboots are seldom required.
For an operating system to be subjectively ‘stable’, numerous components must operate synchronously. Not all of these components are under the control of operating system vendor; while Linux and Windows kernels may be stable, poorly written applications and drivers can hamstring both. Much of stability, then, is the extent to which the operating system is structured to thwart the consequences of bad behavior by third party installations.
Much of the reputation Windows has for instability can be traced to Windows 95, 98, and ME, which were notorious for displaying the blue screen of death (BSOF) upon crashing.
f) Support
Windows offers community support by MSDN and extensive help files and online documentation. Linux offers online forums and discussion boards, extensive help files and online documentation.
g) Servers and workstations
In contrast to the desktop market to date, for servers Linux has experienced rapid growth in the past few years. In the web server market, Linux owns a high percentage of usage (around 50%), taking into account statistics about web servers, in which Apache (used in Linux) is the leading web server software. Netcraft reported in September 2006 that eight of the ten most reliable internet hosting companies run Linux on their web servers.
Linux is the predominant operating system for use in supercomputing, with over 75% of the top 500 published supercomputers using Linux, against no entries listed that specifically use Windows.
h) Programs
Linux distributions come with a great deal of software which can be installed for free, with an especially large collection of computer programming software. Debian comes with more than 15,000 software packages. Microsoft has had a longstanding emphasis on backwards compatibility.
i) Security
Chart bellow shows a comparison between Windows and Linux on security matters:
Windows | Linux | Notes | |
Viruses | Viruses have been written for Windows, many thousand have been propagated. Users are advised to install and run anti-virus programs. | Viruses have been written for Linux, non have yet propagated successfully | A list of viruses written for Linux does not exist. |
Spyware and malware | Over 11,000 malware programs surfaced in 2005 alone. | Only 800 were ever witnessed. | |
Open vs. Closed | Claims its platform is more secure because its code is hidden, thus providing security by obscurity. Only company programmers can fix bugs. | Claims open source offers a faster and more effective response to security issues oftentimes patching bugs in a matter of hours. | |
Size of target | Windows runs on an enormous number of Desktop computers and Laptops. | Linux runs on many large servers and countless small electronic devices. | It is believed that the size of the target is a motivating factor for attackers. |
User Accounts | Except for Windows Vista, users typically run as administrator, allowing malicious programs full control over the system. | Users typically run as limited accounts, preventing malicious programs from control of the system. | A malicious program run under a limited account in both Linux and Windows may erase all of the user’s data. |
j) Permissions
Both Windows and Linux support permissions on their respective systems.
5. LINUX ADVANTEGES
a) Low cost
It’s not needed to spend time and money to obtain licenses since Linux and much of its software come with the GNU ("GNUs Not UNIX") General Public License. People can start to work immediately without worrying their software may stop working anytime because the free trial version expires.
b) Stability
Linux doesn’t need to be rebooted periodically to maintain performance levels. It doesn’t freeze up or slow down over time due to memory leaks and such. Continuous up-times of hundreds of days (up to a year or more) are not uncommon.
c) Performance
Linux provides persistent high performance on workstations and on networks. It can handle unusually large numbers of users simultaneously.
d) Network friendliness
Linux was developed by a group of programmers over the Internet and has therefore strong support for network functionality; client and server systems can be easily set up on any computer running Linux. It can perform tasks such as network backups faster and more reliably than alternative systems.
e) Flexibility
Linux can be used for high performance server applications, desktop applications, and embedded systems. It’s possible to save disk space by only installing the components needed for a particular use. People can restrict the use of specific computers by installing for example only selected office applications instead of the whole suite.
f) Compatibility
It runs all common UNIX software packages and can process all common file formats
g) Choice
The large number of Linux distributions gives a choice. Each distribution is developed and supported by a different organization. Users can pick the one they like best; the core functionalities are the same; most software runs on most distributions.
h) Fast and easy installation
Most Linux distributions come with user-friendly installation and setup programs.
i) Full use of hard disk
Linux continues work well even when the hard disk is almost full.
j) Multitasking
Linux is designed to do many things at the same time; e.g., a large printing job in the background won’t slow down other works.
k) Security
Linux is one of the most secure operating systems. "Walls" and flexible file access permission systems prevent access by unwanted visitors or viruses.
l) Open source
If someone develops software that requires knowledge or modification of the operating system code, Linux’s source code is at his fingertips.
Today, the combination of inexpensive computers and free high-quality Linux operating system and software provide incredibly low-cost solutions for both basic home office use and high-performance business and science applications. The available choices of Linux distributions and Linux software may be overwhelming at first, but if a person knows where to look, it shouldn’t take long for him to find good online guidance. Linux is an excellent, powerful and productive option and tool for people to use.
CONCLUSION
After studying what Linux operating system is and its relevant characteristics, everyone would agree that this software has made and will continue making history for being so popular and useful.
One of the major challenges that Linux has is to get more people to use it. It does not mean that only a few people is using this operating system right now, but that since Linux is so powerful, more and more people should get to use it and to enjoy all of the benefits that are found in this wonderful free software.
With this research it is pretended to give a global idea and some specific point to ponder about Linux, so that it can be possible to know better the benefits and limitations that this operating system has.
It’s important that people can consider Linux as a good option for many tasks, and that users of computers are not limited by stereotypes, but that they can be open-minded to find the advantages and disadvantages that each operating system is offering, and doing the best selection from there. By the way, a person is not limited to use exclusively one operating system. That means that for some tasks, one software is appropriate, and for other tasks, a different software could be best. That’s why it’s better to know about the different options and then to be capable to select the best program or software to use.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Linux. Wikipedia. Extracted on February 8th. 2007, from
2. Comparison of Linux distributions. Wikipedia. Extracted on February 8 th, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Linux_distributions
3. Comparison of Windows and Linux. Wikipedia. Extracted on February 8th, 2007, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Windows_and_Linux
4. Proprietary software. Wikipedia. Extracted on February 8th, 2007, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proprietary_software
5. Free software. Wikipedia. Extracted on February 8th, 2007, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software
6. Freeware. Wikipedia. Extracted on February 8th, 2007, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software
7. The Free Software Definition. The GNU Operating System. Extracted on February 8th, 2007, from http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
8. Linux Advantages. About: Focus on Linux. Linux Operating System and Linux Distributions. http://linux.about.com/cs/linux101/a/linux_2.htm
Author:
Jaime Oswaldo Montoya Guzmán,
Computer Science Engineering student.
http://jaimemontoya.googlepages.com
Universidad Católica de Occidente
El Salvador
Santa Ana, Febrero 9th., 2007.
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