Windows or Linux?

[Ex-User (8886)]

System to learn and work, windows 7 or linux? (post in comments what discributions you suggest).

 

[J-man]

To those who suggest Windows, do you have much experience using Linux?

 

[nanook]

windows, because of software choices. tried linux many times, over the years. always gave up on it for that reason. on windows everything i can dream of already exists. on linux it's like i dream of a porsche and maybe i can find a trabant (old east german car).

 

[Teax]

me too, what nanook said.

it all comes down to what you value more, your time or your principles.

 

[Architect]

All of the above plus OS X. On a daily basis I use and develop on windows mobile, Android, iOS, OS X, Windows and Linux. They all suck, and they all shine in some way. Windows has the best API's, but the worse UI. OS X has the best user experience, and the worse API's. Linux has the best kernel, but the worst user experience.

Some things are only available on Linux, some only on Windows and others only on OS X. For example the Mac has the best terminal emulator (iTerm) BY FAR of any platform, Linux and Windows run far behind. Windows has the best window manager for keyboarders and acts the best, but overall the Mac window manager looks the best. The Linux core system is like a bunker, it'll survive a nuclear explosion.

So the ideal is all three, which is only available under Mac. Get a Apple machine (which are beautifully made) and put VMWare on it (or Parallels which isn't as good IMO), then install Linux and Windows under that. The experience isn't quite the same as booting into it but will give you chance to work in all three. Under Linux or Windows you aren't allowed to install OS X.

 

[J-man]

I dual boot Ubuntu and Windows 7. Windows 7 is always incredibly slow and difficult, even a fresh install. Ubuntu runs smoothly. I don't have to sacrifice time or principles.

Using Windows has been a consistently disgusting experience for me. It's been a pain ever since I got acquainted with the alternatives and realized how much better they were.

OS X is my OS of choice, followed by Ubuntu. Back in 2005, Linux didn't have much support for different video formats and stuff like that. But now Linux does everything I need it to and does it very well, though I use an iMac to manage my iTunes library and record music.

I guess it comes down to what exactly you need a computer for. I record music with Logic on OS X and it works like a dream. I've been forced to use Sonar on Windows which is a fucking nightmare. I haven't bothered trying Linux for recording because I'm sure it can't do much.

 

[Limey]

Most of my systems have three OS'
Generally Windows7, Windows XP, and either Debian, Ubuntu, or a version of Backtrack (which will be ubuntu or Kali)
On top of that, I also use virtualized versions of the above within the other operating systems, to save time rebooting.

It all comes down to what you need to do. Most of the time, Windows7 suits me fine, other times I need XP, or debian for specific tools in my work (wireless penetration testing).
For security testing purposes, the native NetBIOS support of windows has always been better than a daemon add-in and I often make a lot of findings related to that protocol and use it heavily, so I use a lot of Windows.
There's not a lot of point in being different for the sake of being different, or using open source software when someone will pay for my commercial OS' and apps.

 

[Yellow]

I've been using Fedora (Redhat Linux dist. with Gnome) for several years for leisure and development work. I use Windows 7 (I hate 8) at work-work because the company owns the laptop.

Updates and new app installations with Fedora/Gnome are done through a software app. Though, I usually just open a terminal to do my updates because it's faster. Either way, you almost never have to download something through your web browser or even from a disc. And Wine (windows emulator) allows you to run most of the windows-only stuff that you may have installed outside the software app.

 

[computerhxr]

Use what makes sense for the job at hand. Pros and Cons to each.

 

[nexion]

I consider myself to be more or less a power user with both, so I will say this:

Linux is my first love, and Windows is something I use only because, for various reasons, I have to.

I don't suggest anything. I couldn't care less what OS other people use.

 

[QuickTwist]

To those who suggest Windows, do you have much experience using Linux?

Very little... I just can't get into it so I go to default.

 

[Grayman]

Use linux for certain things and windows for others. Who gives a shit about preferences when computers are about utility?

Linux for Dink, formating and copying drives. Windows for Office.

 

[Reluctantly]

To those who suggest Windows, do you have much experience using Linux?

I've used various distributions, bought books that explained everything about the system in detail and set it up as best I could. If all my hardware is supported, it's awesome. Slackware is probably my favorite distro; but trying to get closed source hardware to work often breaks things in the OS (and sometimes the open source drivers are crap compared to the closed source, making this all the more frustrating). Trying to get updated hardware acceleration for a video card can break the window manager. And using a laptop with optimus is going to create a lot of problems.

And X is a pain to set up manually; and a lot of the tutorials and forum posts to help you solve problems are either outdated or don't apply to the distro you're using; a lot of problems go unsolved. And I know Ubuntu is notorious for having a lot of bugs, sometimes devices won't work and there's no good explanation and then a new release will fix it and another one will break it again.

All in all, windows runs shitty, but it fucking works. Linux runs well, but I was never satisfied in getting all my hardware to work. In short, there just doesn't seem to be enough support for Linux.

 

[nexion]

An addendum to my previous post in this thread:

There have been a few people who have asked me about Linux in the past. They seem pretty interested when I tell them it's free, but they seem much less so when I tell them I have spent countless hours configuring my systems to be how I want them to be. Linux does work for most hardware by now, but some assembly (perhaps sometimes literally) is required. Actually using Linux as a primary desktop requires either the collection of vast amounts of knowledge, the time to read through hundreds of obscure forum posts, and / or the patience to wait for replies in either forums or IRC. For that reason, I always tell people that they should only even begin to use Linux if they want to and are interested in learning how it works and how to properly maintain it. If all you do on your computer is use a few general pieces of software, and you don't care about anything else, then Linux is almost certainly something you will not want to mess with.

By the way, if you choose to install a distro which releases monolithic updates every six months, all the breakage across versions is on you. Both my desktop and laptop have been on Arch linux for years, and it doesn't break nearly so often as the haters would have you believe.

 

[eagor]

i have a dualboot of windows 7/ubuntu though i may decide to go with kali, i experimented a little last year with freebsd...it was ok

 

[scenefinale]

I'm a fan of the Unix philosophy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_philosophy
It's a shame OS X is taking such a dive in quality right now.

I like the Gnome 3 interface. Linus supposedly doesn't but that says more about him than it does about Gnome 3. G3's UI design is simple, elegant, and universal for desktop, tablet, etc.

 

[ENTP lurker]

I'm Linux user and I use KDE desktop. Lots of freedom to do whatever you want. Easy to use CLI.

Windows drives me nuts as an user. It is inhumane.
I think OS X puts more restrictions to user and thinks that their IQ is below their shoe size as default. Although it can be customizable.

 

[ENTP lurker]

Linux for Dink, formating and copying drives. Windows for Office.

Nah LaTeX is so much easier to setup on Ubuntu distributions and never found an editor for it which is better than Kile.

 

[Tristitian]

For the most part I prefer Linux, but gaming limitations force me to use Windows. If there was a port of Dark Souls to Linux I might make the permanent switch.

I currently have both Windows 7 and Ubuntu installed on my laptop. My desktop has some old Fedora build and Windows 8.1 (not as bad as people say - still not good, though).

 

[RandomGeneratedName]

As awesome as Ubuntu is, it's just too overwhelming unless you have a history of experience and knowledge first to go off. There's so much you can modify and change, the superficial aspects is just the tip of the iceberg.

If you're in no particular rush though and you can learn to say no and put the mouse down and get to bed on time (lol) go with Linux. You get a minimum of double back on what you invest into it.
The Ubuntu community is also one of the friendliest helpful bunch I've ever met.

I'm planning to go back to Linux, once i've learned Java and C++ on Windows.

 

[walfin]

Haha nobody who uses Linux recommends Windows.

Linux looks so much better. I know most people don't think this is a good reason for using Linux but the desktop effects (previously I used Beryl/Compiz and now KDE4) are unrivalled by either Windows or OSX (IMHO). Plus I love the KDE plasma dashboard search and launch interface. As an added bonus, the UI appearance is customisable down to the littlest details (in my case, using KDE4 with the qtcurve theme).

I know at least 1 person whom I convinced to give Linux a try on the basis of wobbly windows alone.

 

[J-man]

Haha nobody who uses Linux recommends Windows.

My faith in humanity is restored.

 

[Yellow]

I've been playing around with PC-BSD and FreeBSD on desktop, and it's pretty awesome. I still have GNOME 3 on it, because I hate KDE. The only problem are the new firmware whosiwhatsit UEFI restrictions that require that you pay Windows in order to legitimately not use Windows. It's become an infuriating obstacle. So, I'm largely back to Fedora because Red Hat pays to take care of it.

 

[J-man]

I've been playing around with PC-BSD and FreeBSD on desktop, and it's pretty awesome. I still have GNOME 3 on it, because I hate KDE. The only problem are the new firmware whosiwhatsit UEFI restrictions that require that you pay Windows in order to legitimately not use Windows. It's become an infuriating obstacle. So, I'm largely back to Fedora because Red Hat pays to take care of it.

I didn't know you could use a GUI with FreeBSD. That's cool.

I didn't know about that UEFI restriction thing either... "Once Windows 8 is released, hardware manufacturers will be forced to ship machines that refuse to run any software that is not explicitly approved by Microsoft" I already wanted to see Microsoft fucking burn. I'm sick to my stomach.

 

[rainman312]

I've actually used both and really enjoyed both, though if I'm recommending one to most people, it's going to be Windows. As great as Linux is, I wouldn't recommend it to most people I know, because it just doesn't suit the needs and skills of the average computer user. I prefer Linux, but I'd recommend Windows. There's certainly a difference between my personal preference and what I would recommend to a person who lacks the skills to use Linux. Also, I'd also like to point out that there is far more software for Windows, even though a lot of it is useless or low quality. ut solet, there are positive and negative aspects of both operating systems.

 

[Yellow]

I didn't know you could use a GUI with FreeBSD. That's cool.

I really don't know if it's typical/easy to set up, but my INTJ is a [not]unix sys admin, so he made it happen. I think most of the effort on FreeBSD's part went into making KDE work.

I didn't know about that UEFI restriction thing either... "Once Windows 8 is released, hardware manufacturers will be forced to ship machines that refuse to run any software that is not explicitly approved by Microsoft" I already wanted to see Microsoft fucking burn. I'm sick to my stomach.

Yeah. They suck.

 

[gilliatt]

MAC, MAC, MAC. Beware of these others!!! Do not be
deceived!!

 

[del]

I prefer Linux but use Windows out of necessity (like now, at work) and gaming, although that has made big strides in the last few years.

 

[Yellow]

MAC, MAC, MAC. Beware of these others!!! Do not be
deceived!!

I think MAC OS was left off for legit reasons. Primarily because users are given "freedom from choice" when purchasing Apple products.

Anyway, I think it's time to point to the poll results. There are Windows users suggesting Windows and there are Linux users suggesting Linux at roughly even numbers. More interestingly (but not shockingly), while there are Windows users who prefer Linux, at this point, there is no reciprocation.

 

[StevenM]

I admire linux in it's level of customization (particularly arch linux). Also, the huge thing about computers is having something more to learn about and dive deep into (which linux offers immensely).

I find Windows is shutting it's users out of all the configurations and control of the operating system to make things more user-friendly to the average user. Thus I find Windows getting shallow when it comes to engaging with the OS. Ubuntu is kind of like that too.

However, I still prefer developing in c (I find it more comfortable), and when it comes to gaming, windows seems to offer more for the modern games.

Linux is still good for everything else that I use the computer for.

For those who just surf the web and check social networks and emails, I would definitely suggest Ubuntu or Mint.

 

[nexion]

I use Linux because it's a beautiful system. Ultimately you can do whatever you want with it, and you are given a rich set of tools with which to go about doing things. Shell scripts, make, and gcc are absolutely indispensable.

I realize what Linux has the potential to be, but the average user is never going to care about that at all. So I don't really recommend it to people.