What’s The Difference Between Linux and Windows?

[allheart55 (Cindy E)]

Although Windows dominates the Desktop operating system world, eclipsing Linux, Mac OSX and all others combined, that’s not the case when it comes to web servers, with Linux being the most popular. There are pros and cons for both systems, and the choice depends on your specific requirements.

Firstly, what kind of development language or database are you planning to use? Universal languages such as HTML and CSS can be run from either Linux or Windows hosting systems, both can support MySQL databases, while Windows systems can only support Microsoft SQL (MSSQL), and generally the decision comes down to whether you’ll be using PHP or ASP to build your website.

Linux supports the most common languages and databases, including PHP, Perl, Python and CGI scripting, which are the standard for web pages that require podcasts, shopping carts, and blogging software such as WordPress.

Windows hosting is designed for users who will be using Microsoft’s ASP, ASP.NET, MSSQL or Access databases to backend their websites. It is possible to include such features as blogs and podcasts, and create a shopping cart, although ASP and ASP.NET applications typically require programming on your computer before they can be uploaded and used online. The operating system of your PC has little bearing on the web server software when building your site.

Linux web servers support almost all common proprietary software control panels, including Plesk, cPanel, DirectAdmin, H-Sphere, and Virtualmin Pro, while also supporting a myriad of open source control panels. Options for accessing Windows hosted control panels are fewer, with Plesk being the most common one, which offers only two open source options.

Linux is often considered to be safer than Windows from a security perspective, however, it depends more upon the server setup and the administrators running the server than the operating software itself. As long as the server is managed and maintained conscientiously, with the latest security and performance patches installed, as well as configured for optimal security by an expert, there is little difference between the two.
An important point to note is that Linux open source software, which enables it to be flexible and more customizable than a Windows web hosting system.

This open source model also means that companies are not charged for using it on their servers, making it more cost effective. Hosting companies will pass on the cost of licensing Windows to the user, which will almost always makes it the more expensive option.

This article was syndicated from Business 2 Community: What’s The Difference Between Linux and Windows?

 

[Kick]

Another difference that will be noted by the home computer user is that Linux does not have a complicated registry arrangement that gets more and more cluttered with age. There is therefore no need for registry cleaners which, although generally not recommended in Windows, are often used to clean out the residue of uninstalled software.

There are many similarities between the two operating system for the home user so there no steep learning curve for a user shifting from Windows to Linux - the differences at surface level are slight so it is a question of of familiarization through usage. For those who want to penetrate deeper into Linux however, there are extras to learn but there are many specialist websites and forums to help this kind of user. Generally though, the average Windows user should have no difficulty in adapting to using Linux - I count myself in this category and generally can muddle through most things although I will visit specialist web pages when I need a bit more information.

And, of course, we must not forget that, as long as we set the boot order appropriately in the BIOS of our Windows system, we can explore the various 'flavours' of different Linux systems by using live discs without any risk to compromising our computers.

 

[Rich-M]

The problems I see with Linux are first and foremost wireless drivers and then there is the issue of how to install anything which is a nightmare compared to Windows but of course server environment is not concerned with either. Operation in many ways is so much the same.

 

[Kick]

A potential user of Linux needs to do his or her homework first. Drivers, particularly wifi can be a problem to find, that is true. Some companies are better than others at providing Linux drivers for such items as printers and other peripherals. Some companies also release driver data so that third parties can develop suitable Linux drivers but other companies seem rather reticent to do this.

Installing basic everyday software is not too much of a problem if the user is happy with the packages on offer for a particular Linux distribution. If wired ethernet is adequate and a common browser such as Firefox, a common email client such as Thunderbird, an office suite that is compatible with (but not as extensive as) Microsoft Office such as Libre Office and say a photo editing program like the Gimp are good enough for a user, these are generally available in easy to install packages for each Linux system. Things like cd/dvd burning software, pdf readers and basic media players are also easily available if not already installed as is usually the case. It is when the user wishes to venture beyond these basics that problems may be confronted and a bit more expertise required. A nervous user might be safer sticking with Windows but the average home user should be able to do most of what they want particularly if there is a printer driver for their printer available. Prior research is important especially if the user is considering abandoning Windows altogether - it would be rather frustrating to find the printer cannot be used because no driver is available. If purchasing any new peripherals it would be wise to check if Linux drivers are available before commitment - for example, Hewlett-Packard are quite supportive of Linux whereas Canon are not.

Some of the problems relating to drivers may also apply to someone upgrading from XP to Windows 8 or the next Microsoft operating system likely to be released soon. The user's existing peripherals may not have suitable drivers for the later operating system so replacement of those peripherals may be an additional cost to consider as would the cost of replacing older paid for software. Fortunately in the case of the latter, there is much very good freeware available for most tasks a user may wish to undertake.

 

[IceMan37]

It's not nearly as bad as it was years ago. In that time I remember compiling drivers for a lot of hardware devices.

 

[Dizzy86]

I would love to learn Linux but I don't really know where to start . I have seen it before on a friends PC it looked really nice the way he had it setup but I did notice everything was not as automatic like it is in windows. I'm just use to windows maybe I should learn a new operating system.

 

[Kick]

Hi Dizzy,

The best thing is to try running a live cd/dvd or usb flash drive version. I cannot vouch for the latter as I have not tried them but I've tried lots of live cd/dvd variations. This is a safe way of trying Linux because it makes no changes to your computer - instead, the live cd/dvd is able to boot your computer (as long as the boot order is set appropriately in the BIOS - if it is not, it is fairly easy to undertake a small edit in the BIOS); it loads files into your computer's ROM (read only memory) and operates from these. ROM only retains its contents during the session and loses everything when the system is powered down.

There are many different Linux distributions so you could experiment by using re-writable discs which you can easily erase and re-use. You will need to download an iso file of the distribution and then burn an image of the iso file to disc (i.e. you do not copy the file but must must use the image burning facility in your disc writing software).

A good starting point is to try one of the Linux Mint versions, possibly version 13 Maya at http://www.linuxmint.com/download_all.php. It's by no means the latest version but it is stable and will work on most computers whereas some later versions do not like older systems. When you run the live disc, just ensure you don't opt to install the operating system as an installer is included. You are very unlikely to choose this by accident so don't worry. If you choose to download version 13 Maya, when you click it you will be taken to another page with a number of alternatives. Which you choose is down to personal choice but the obvious first consideration is whether your computer is 64 bit or 32 bit. I have used a 32 bit Mate version and found that very good - try it and then perhaps try another version.

Good luck.

 

[Rich-M]

I agree with Kick and today seldom use anything more than a live cd to play with Linux anyway. Puppy Linux which is relatively easy and a small footprint allows you to save files on the host pc running live-cd so that when you come back you have a history and that is a nice way to learn. My biggest problem when I used to run a Linux pc as a bench machine to read client hard drives was I never could install anything to it and I really did try learning how to do that in Linux but just could not get it. When I dual booted for a while on the same pc it seemed whenever I really counted on the thing to bootup somehow it was always corrupted so I just stopped playing. With Windows off on this charade to end Windows OS as we know it and "sell you what you need" after Windows 10, I may well go back and finally master Linux if I have the time because I can see I am not long for Windows now.

 

[Kick]

As Rich says, Puppy Linux is relatively easy and quite small. Its capability of creating a save folder on your hard drive is also a welcome bonus. It can also copy the key system files to your hard drive to improve future boot times. If you opt not to create the save folder, because of the unique way the image file is produced on the disc (dvd-rw recommended) without finalising, it is possible to save future changes you make when running the disc until you use up all remaining space (this facility is, I believe unique to Puppy). Running Puppy live discs in a Windows computer is almost as flexible as having a dual boot Windows/Linux setup and certainly a good compromise if you don't want to go the whole hog.

With Puppy distributions (and there are several choices), installation of additional software is best done by using available PET packages. PPM (the Puppy Package Manager) is included with the standard Puppy distributions and includes the links to various downloadable packages. By default, a shortcut to the package manager is included on the desktop so it is easy to access. Sometimes an installed package may require additional files to be installed but this will be notified during the process. When you download a PET package to a location within Puppy, it is distinguished by its '.pet' extension after the filename. To install it, you just click it and wait a while - the odd message window, to which you may have to respond, will appear during the process. There are other types of of package that will work in Puppy (notably SFS) but the new user is best advised to stick with PETs until confidence is built up. Some of the packages listed in PPM are a bit old now so it may be worth looking at http://distro.ibiblio.org/puppylinux/pet-packages-lucid/ where there is a large list.

There are several Puppy Linux distributions available but Puppy's own web sites are a little fiddly when it comes to searching out the distribution you require - the following site makes it easier: http://iso.linuxquestions.org/puppy-linux/ where you can read reviews (click item in centre column of page) and download (click on the item in first column). Some versions offer PAE (Physical Address Extension) and non PAE versions. Older computers may require non-PAE versions but nothing but a little time is lost if you use dvd-rw discs and experiment to see which versions you like and work best on your system.

 

[Rich-M]

Good to know thanks kick.

 

[IceMan37]

I use Mint and Arch. Interestingly I have not logged into this forum once using them. I think MS operating systems are very very good just not as secure overall obviously they are consistently targeted, but if you think about how much hardware they have supported and are expected to support it's mindboggling. In the now times where MC is struggling I'm actually pulling for them more than I did before I think they make an excellent product though the OS iterations are hit/miss every other release. I do use Linux live CD's for data restoration, and other things as well they come in very handy.

 

[Kick]

I have set the older of my two desktops as a dual boot system running Puppy Precise 5.7.1 (frugal installation) and Windows XP Pro SP3. I have disabled the internet on the latter operating system which I use for running older peripherals and software that are not happy with Windows 7 (the operating system on my less old desktop).

Puppy is fine - it is quick and has software that matches my main needs. For example I have Firefox, Thunderbird and SoftMaker FreeOffice (compatible with all but the latest Microsoft Office versions but can read and write to doc, docx, xls, and xlsx files etc. - it also has a presentation package like Powerpoint but it does not have a database program like MS Access). I have also installed WINE so can run several Windows programs in this emulator including my own Delphi Object Pascal applications although not the Delphi program itself. Luckily, although Canon is not renown for co-operation in the area of drivers for Linux, the CUPs application that is included in many Linux distributions, was able to identify a suitable driver for my Canon Pixma iP4300 printer - although not perfect, it is adequate for my needs. Setting up Dropbox was a bit of a hassle but I was able to do it eventually after much trial and error and Puppy internet forum searching - not sure I can remember exactly how I resolved it now so hope nothing goes wrong.

I also use a few Linux live discs - I have explored many distributions but the ones I keep close at hand are versions of Mint, Slax, Puppy Slacko and Puppy Precise which all have useful 'get out of jail free' capability when experiencing Windows problems.

 

[Rich-M]

Yes I think the best way to utilize Live-cd is Puppy Linux because it has such a small footprint. My favorite installed OS is Pc Linux.

 

[IceMan37]

I'm going to install PC Linux it's been several years since I ran it.

 

[IceMan37]

Well 1st boot up to PCLinux. I have not seen this OS in about 5 years lol. Not bad.

 

[allheart55 (Cindy E)]

It looks a lot different from the last time I used it.

 

[IceMan37]

Yeah big time I noticed that too. Now to try wireless I will let you know what happens. Looks very clean I really like the layout. I did not show the program file menu it's very impressive the way it's organized. I think I will leave it installed and use it for a while see how I really like it. Who knows might be my new go-to distro.

 

[Rich-M]

I find it the most Windows like and it is my choice out in the field and in the shop to read off client files on dead systems. I never waste time converting Windows files to avoid passwords too, I just boot to Pc Linuc Live-cd..

 

[IceMan37]

After 5 hours playing with it I found it's very nice but not nearly as powerful as Arch. It's a nice beginners distro actually.

 

[Rich-M]

That is probably why I like it as that is what I am in Linux.