Operating System confusion

[abogaida]

I have been using Linux the last couple of months to complete my java assignments in school, and it made me thing which operating system is better windows or Linux? considering the speed to achieve a certain tasks and the availability of the softwares to achieve that task?

[md]

1) why isn't this a poll?
2) this thread is doomed to fail.

[abogaida]

You can say it is a concern if you will.

[DemonWasp]

This is like riding down OS-flamewar street in a tanker truck full of gasoline, painted with thermite paint and built out of C4. Ah well, here goes...

There are advantages to both operating systems. Most of the advantages of Windows are on the end-user side. The OS is more familiar and users know what to expect out of it; on Linux, Windows-users can easily become confused about what exactly each thing does and "where did internet explorer go?!" pops up too frequently. Windows is (currently) pretty well the only platform to be on if you want games, and there's a fair bit of other software that's only available on it - AutoCAD and related software.

The advantages of Linux are more readily visible to a computer programmer. The tools are as-good if not better, the OS is more responsive, more secure, and better designed. Having a useful command-line environment is indispensible. Having standards for what every program expects as input and gives as output makes coding for the various UNIX-y platforms (Solaris, AIX, Linux, etc) much easier.

Side note: Don't run Windows on your servers. If you're making a webapp, you don't want to do it on Windows. Running on not-Windows will be faster, cheaper, more secure, easier to administer and better in pretty well every way.

[apomb]

Java, being cross-platform, and relying on a JVM to be run on different computers, it doesnt really matter on which OS you're developing the Java code. Many java creation tools are avalable for both Linux and Windows, solaris, AIX, OSX, you choose.

[jernst]

md @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 10:33 am wrote:

1) why isn't this a poll?
2) this thread is doomed to fail.

+1

[Insectoid]

I actually wonder how good Windows is for gaming. The only reason it's a popular gaming OS is because very few games are made for other OS's. If people started making more games for Linux, how much more popular, and powerful, would it be? If I, for one, were to own/manage a computer game company, I would sell the games for PC at regular prices, reduced prices for mac, and free distribution for Linux (yeah, I would port it for all three). I think it would help to promote mac & linux (Hey, I already have this computer, and that software is completely free....I'm gonna get Linux!). While Windows is popular, I notice it's shortcomings with relative frequency. I acknowledge it's value as a OS, and while I think Vista is ugly, it is still quite appealing to the general user. Mac is beautiful (in my opinion) but is not easy to switch to from Windows. Linux may have Compiz, but many of the distros are quite plain to look at and so would appeal to those who want have a reliable, free OS and don't really care about looks.

[DemonWasp]

To reply to insectoid, part of the issue is that while many games will run on Linux, nearly every game will run on Windows.

If we consider some sort of unicorn-laden fantasy-land wherein people developed the top games for Linux (and nVidia and ATI made better Linux drivers, and...), I think we'd see a lot more gamers using Linux. The reason for this is that it's honestly a much better core operating system, with less overhead and less clutter - you can shut down nonsense you're not using to get every inch of performance out of the machine, and you can expect it to run faster than it would on Windows.

All I can say is that the games I'm working on (not professional, personal side project, so don't expect to see anything soon) will run on Linux and Windows at the very least. I'm not about to throw money at a Mac to test on, but they should work on those systems too (hooray for Java).

[saltpro15]

ah see insectoid, then the world would make sense, god forbid. :p

[andrew.]

insectoid @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 2:18 pm wrote:

If I, for one, were to own/manage a computer game company, I would sell the games for PC at regular prices, reduced prices for mac, and free distribution for Linux (yeah, I would port it for all three). I think it would help to promote mac & linux (Hey, I already have this computer, and that software is completely free....I'm gonna get Linux!).

I hope you're not thinking realisitically because that would never work. You can't give away your software because then everyone will switch to Linux and you will go bankrupt. And while it's good that people will switch to Mac and Linux, you are barely making any money and you probably can't cover the cost of the game (I assume the game is a high-budget, popular game because that's the only way people will be willing to switch platforms for it).

[Insectoid]

Sure, I'll just break even, sell the company and do normal programmer stuff. Of course, this was all hypothetical, and realism was ignored.

[abogaida]

A question while we are in the topic, when I was working in Linux I have a little problem with the speed, I wasn't sure if the problem was from the computer I am using or just Linux a little slow?

[md]

apomb @ 2009-04-03, 12:55 pm wrote:

Java, being cross-platform, and relying on a JVM to be run on different computers, it doesnt really matter on which OS you're developing the Java code. Many java creation tools are avalable for both Linux and Windows, solaris, AIX, OSX, you choose.

Java sucks. Windows sucks. Solaris is interesting in a sucky way. AIX blows (then sucks). OSX is fake BSD. Linux has fat penguins.

Also, start a new thread for support questions. I hope I just killed this one

[ecookman]

windows is a standard multi platform compatible OS...Linux (i just installed Ubuntu anyone know if ican transfer my wireless settings to it from vista?)
is the opensource god...


each have their own capabilities ups and downs like a Doge viper Vs a corvette

[Insectoid]

multi-platform compatible OS? You realize that by 'multi-platform', they mean 'runs on any OS'. Does Windows run on any OS? Well, perhaps as a VM, but almost any OS will VM on any other OS.