Linux vs. PC & Mac...?

Question

I've just got a computer with Linux and I've had a little mess around with it, and I'm wondering what are the main way it differs from a PC or Mac?

Answer 1

One big main way is that most combinations of linux based OS's are free based software which is completly interchangable and are known as open source files which allow the user to customise the OS to his/her needs and wants, where as the PC and MAC are suited around other areas such as MAC is based around Media information and all of the programes intergrate together and work in harmony, where as the PC or Windows works more around business based facilities and uses more Office based programmes to communicate and work.



Its all about personal prefrence, another difference is that linux can be run from a 126Mb Memory Flash Drive without problems because it requires so little space.

Answer 2

In the last few years Linux has broken free of just being a geek's OS. For the average home user I think the comparison goes like this:



Advantages:

* Any decent Linux distribution (Mandriva, Ubuntu etc.) will have huge repositories of software (20,000+ packages), all that can be installed by just selecting them in the software installer and clicking 'install'. So you can get an extremely capable computer for free, and very easily.

* Maintenance is relatively simple and automatic - particularly updates which cover all the software you've installed (Not just the OS and a few core programs as with Windows)

* Secure - both because Linux is, and always has been, designed with security as one of the most important criteria, and because it's less of a target than the ubiquitous Windows.



Disadvantages:

* Projects to support running Windows software are still far from complete (it's a huge undertaking) so you would need Windows to run most recently released games (although older ones, eg. Starcraft, Halo 1 etc. can be successful often). Also if you really do need big commercial applications like Adobe Photoshop, Quicken or something like that (and the open-source equivalents don't meet your needs) you'll usually need a Windows install.

* As a lot of manufacturers only provide drivers for Windows Linux's hardware support can be patchy in some areas. If you had Linux already installed on your computer then you'll be ok, although you'll have to check first before buying any peripherals like Webcams or printers wether they can be used with your Linux distro.



In short if you already have Linux on your PC just stick with it, you'll probably like it.



And finally on the whole "Linux vs PC & MAC" thing: The term 'PC' usually refers to a computer based on the IBM/Intel x86 architecture (ie. just about every computer you'd see for sale in the store, except perhaps the Macs). Linux was originally developed as a version of the commercial Unix OSes that ran on PC hardware, so is just as much of a 'PC' OS as Windows (although nowadays Linux runs on Macs and about half a dozen less well known architectures).

Answer 3

Hello;



I see you have gotten a lot of good information about the various operating systems.



I would like to say a few words about Linux ...



Some people say that linux is for hard core computer geeks. To be honest with you there was a time when that was true! When I first got involved with Linux 10 years ago it was difficult to install, it was limited in its use and it was impractical for anyone who wasn't a professional.



Since then things have changed ... Linux has been redesigned to a great degree. The distro of Linux called Ubuntu is very easy to install and run. It is not for geeks anymore. I recently installed it on a computer novices machine and he won't go back to MS Windows if he could get it for free.



Ubuntu has a simple GUI interface similar to MS Windows ... programs run fairly smoothly. One of the big boosts for Linux has come with big companies usinig it -- Hewlett Packard, Dell, IBM, Google and others have made a point of supporting Linux when possible.



In Europe and Asia Linux is becoming the dominant Operating System. China has its own distro of Linux called Red Flag Linux based on Red Hat Linux.



How did this happen?



MS DOS and MS Windows were designed to run on very inexpensive systems that were weak. The idea was that the system would work and be usable by everyone -- thus it could be sold to large numbers of users.



Linux was designed by computer people who wanted the best operating system they could create regardless of sales. In fact most Linux distros are free! The upshot was that Linux has always used more system resources then MS operating systems and that it has been more complex. It was designed to have excellent security from the beginning.



Nowadays with computers becoming more powerful the system resources issue is not that important. Linux uses less resources than the Microsoft operating systems.



In the end there are some things that MS Windows does very well (Multimedia, and some trivial programs). Linux can do most of those things too, but sometime with some problems.



For "ordinary" computer work (e-mail, word processing, spreadsheet, and database work) Linux is just as good and sometimes better than the Microsoft products.



I hope you will enjoy using Linux ... it eventually comes down to a matter of personal choice.



Best of luck,



Bill

Answer 4

There are a number of advantages and disadvantages of each type of system.



Linux is claimed to have the following advantages:



1. Security

2. Technological excellence

3. Long term usability (reduction in duplication and/or built in obsolescence)

4. Economy



However, it has the following disadvantages:



1. You may need to be somewhat of a geek to do certain things

2. games are not well supported

3. It's incompatible with a lot of software

4. There is a lot of hardware that it doesn't cover.



The MAC is friendly and it generally works without problems and it has less problems with viruses and spyware because fewer people try to attack it since there are a lot less Macs than PCs.



PC's are the most widely supported systems and the vast majority of software and hardware is supported by it. It can sometimes be unfriendly and is subject to malware attacks but if you have the right security software, you should have no problems.



More details http://www.ask-the-computer-doc.com/pc-vs-mac.html

http://www.ask-the-computer-doc.com/linux-desktop.html

Answer 5

A Mac is a computer with Mac hardware on it a PC is anything else. Most PCs have windows on it. Linux can go on a Mac or a PC it doesn't matter.

Answer 6

Its an open source operating system so you don't have to buy any more software. Just download them and use it...

You get better updates to it than any other operating system because thousands of volunteers constantly work on it and improve it.. If you are good enough you can even contribute to it.

Open source means you can modify it customize it and do what ever you want and you can even distribute it to others..

There are thousand of opensource applications available now and its has even better GUI than any other OS...

Answer 7

Hello,



Linux is more of a G.E.E.K" brand you might see people round the forums say yeah i use Linux cause it's more stable then Windows is not a stable inviroment witch is true but more likly your going to find programers useing it if you don't know what your doing then i say go get back on xp not vista to buggie! :p





1 more step in the right way www.logitech.com

Answer 8

i dont have linux, but PC is the best...

Answer 9

i prefer vista over XP.