OpenEuphoria

Re: OT - Linux

• Posted by Michael J. Sabal <m_sabal at yahoo.com> Aug 04, 2005
• 511 views

> D. Newhall wrote:
> 
> don cole wrote:
> > 
> > what's the big advantage of Lenux?
> > 
> > I've already got Windows95, Windows98, and Windows 2000.
> > 
> > So the fact that Lenux is free dosen't mean much to me.
> 
> That's actually a good question. What is the advantage of Linux?
> 

I've been toying with this question over the past few weeks and decided to 
come up with a list.

Windows advantages:
- More support for large-scale games
- More specialized software available
- More familiar look & feel (although the Luna UI almost cancelled that 
advantage)
- Better fonts support (but I understand that isn't as much of an advantage
anymore)
- Better driver support

Linux advantages:
- At around $300 for XP Pro, buying even a $20 or even $60 distro of Linux
to get the CDs, book, and full phone support is still a lot cheaper.  And 
there's always the free downloads.
- Less restrictive licensing: I can install OEM versions on any PC or
replacement I dern well please without having to call for permission 
to use something I've already paid for.
- At $1000 for Visual Studio vs. free for most Linux development tools, 
it's easier (okay, cheaper) to be a professional programmer without 
corporate sponsorship.
- More stable and secure server environment
- More frequent OS/utility upgrades that are easier to apply.
- Experimentation: it seems that a greater percentage of people who are 
pushing computers into new uses are running Linux, especially in the
fields of robotics and automation.
- Console-only distros (not avail in Windows) can be used to breathe new
life into old PCs for niche applications (router, firewall, low-volume mail/
web/ftp server).  These can be kept up to date with the latest patches and
security fixes.  

If my primary use of a computer is entertainment, I'll probably go with 
either Windows or Mac.  For my child's education, Linux gives me more tools
to control what they're allowed to do.  For office work, I think Linux is
the cheaper solution; but there's no real advantage to any platform.  For 
myself, I run Linux on my laptop and Windows98 on my desktop.  And Euphoria
runs nicely on both!
already paid