Which one is better, windows or linux?

Question

which one is better, windows or linux? why?

and how can you get both in the same computer?

Answer 1

there is no comparison. both are entirely different.

if you are a new linux user you don't want to get linux straight up you want to get a variant, like ubuntu or linux mint.

to run them on one machine you will need to:

get an .iso of the operating system on a disc

boot from that disc

install and partition your hard drive

if you dont understand that you dont want linux lemme tell you..

Answer 2

Depends on whatever suits your need?

Windows is wisely used and by far the standard for most of today's applications.  

Linux less headache, but, some programs are having compatibility issues....

Answer 3

windows is better for the basic user, and it has a easy interface for the normal person to use a computer easily.

linux is for the more advanced computer user, becausemost of the time you would have to run "terminal" to download a programs if you wanted to. its not as straightfoward as windows or apple.

if you want both on the same computer, its called "dual boot". and what you do is that you partiton (cut in half) your hard drive, and with the empty half ... you put linux on.

Answer 4

LINUX

Price

The majority of Linux variants are available for free.

Ease of Use

Although the majority Linux variants have improved dramatically in ease of use, Windows is still much easier to use for new computer users.

Reliability

The majority of Linux variants and versions are notoriously reliable and can often run for months and years without needing to be rebooted.

Software

Linux has a large variety of available software programs and utilities.However, Windows has a much larger selection of available software.

Software cost

Many of the available software programs and utilities available on Linux are freeware and/or open source. Even such complex programs such as Gimp, OpenOffice, StarOffice, and wine are available for free or at a low cost.

Hardware

Linux companies and hardware manufacturers have made great advancements in hardware support for Linux and today Linux will support most hardware devices. However, many companies still do not offer drivers or support for their hardware in Linux.

Security

Linux is and has always been a very secure operating system. Although it still can be attacked when compared to Windows, it much more secure.

Open source

Many of the Linux variants and many Linux programs are open source and enable users to customize or modify the code however they wish to.

Support

Although it may be more difficult to find users familiar with all Linux variants, there are vast amounts of available online documentation and help, available books, and support available for Linux.

WINDOWS

Price

Microsoft Windows can cost a considerable amount per each licensed copy.

Ease of Use

Microsoft has made several advancements and changes that have made it a much easier to use operating system, and although arguably it may not be the easiest operating system, it is still Easier than Linux.

Reliability

Although Microsoft Windows has made great improvements in reliability over the last few versions of Windows, it still cannot match the reliability of Linux.

Software

Because of the large amount of Microsoft Windows users, there is a much larger selection of available software programs, utilities, and games for Windows.

Software cost

Although Windows does have software programs, utilities, and games for free, the majority of the software the costs can be considerable

Hardware

Because of the amount of Microsoft Windows users and the broader driver support, Windows has a much larger support for hardware devices and a good majority of hardware manufacturers will support their products in Microsoft Windows.

Security

Although Microsoft has made great improvements over the years with security on their operating system, their operating system continues to be the most vulnerable to viruses and other attacks.

Open source

Microsoft Windows is not open source and the majority of Windows programs are not open source.

Support

Microsoft Windows includes its own help section, has vast amount of available online documentation and help, as well as books on each of the versions of Windows.

My opinion Linux, my reasons being many. They are probably best described here http://www.whylinuxisbetter.net/

LINUX AND WINDOWS TOGETHER

You can install Ubuntu 8.04.1 using Wubi installer. You keep Windows as it is, Wubi http://wubi-installer.org/ only adds an extra option to boot into Ubuntu. Wubi does not require you to modify the partitions of your PC, or to use a different bootloader, and does not install special drivers.

Wubi keeps most of the files in one folder, and if you do not like it, you can simply uninstall it as any other application.

LUg.

Answer 5

linux is outstanding in its own field. depends on your needs.  

Answer 6

Personally, for me there is no comparison... Linux wins in every catagory, stability, speed, security, ease of use...  I run 6 different linux distros on different machines, I can choose between 5 just on my laptop when I boot up.  For a first-time Linux user, I'd stick with the Ubuntu "series" of distros...

If you are a gamer, you'll want to stick to windows... most games are written for windows, not linux or mac.

You can easily have both on the same system in a dual-boot configuration:

First install Windows, then Linux.  I would recommend Kubuntu or ubuntu.

During the intsall of Ubuntu/Kubuntu, it will offer to re-size your windows partition, install linux on a new partition, and will install a boot-loader called GRUB that will allow you to choose which operating system to boot into when the system starts up, Windows, or Linux.

The difference between Kubuntu and Ubuntu is the desktop that installs by default.  KDE (the desktop that defaults on Kubuntu) has more features than Gnome (The desktop that installs by default with Ubuntu)

KDE uses a little more memory than Gnome does, however, so if you've got less than 512 megs of ram, I'd probably go with Ubuntu, 512 or  more, go with Kubuntu.  http://kubuntu.com  http://ubuntu.com

The other option you can choose to do to get both linux and windows, is to install Linux first, using the whole hard drive, then install VMWare Server ( http://vmware.com ) (It's free)  This will create a "virtual machine" on your system where you can install Windows "inside" linux. when you boot the "virtual machine" windows will run "inside a window"... sorry for the pun :) on your linux desktop.  There is a little performance penalty for doing it this way, as the CPU and memory is shared between linux and windows, but it keeps you from having to reboot to run windows programs.

Keep in mind, with Linux, you will want to use the "package manager" as much as possible to install/remove programs... It's a bit like windows add/remove programs, except with windows, it is usually only used to REMOVE them... when you use the package manager in Linux, you have literally THOUSANDS of programs you can install just by checking a box and telling it to install the program.  The linux distro will go out, download, setup, configure and install the program for you.