10 Things Linux Does Better Than Windows

[environ]

X Lockups BSOD

BSODs and X lockups are both caused by driver issues. On Linux the most common cause for this is the graphics driver (ati/nvidia, even opensource drivers, because the specs of most gfx cards are not completely known). Especially KDE4 crashes.

However, and that's why the core system continues to run, other open source drivers rarely cause any such issues. BSODs are caused by drivers too, but in oppinion they occur more frequently than linux, i'm guessin this is because all the drivers are not open source. Often propriotary hardware drivers are released once when the hardware is released, but afterwards they are not as well maintained as their open source counterparts. That's also why Windows 7 supports far less hardware than windows xp. I'm still hoping nvidia+ati will open source their specs one day, so they can be maintained by the community as well. However, at least for nvidia, the drivers are still pretty good.

 

[Anonymous Coward]

Parted has been included in every distro I've ever tested, making it completely accessible to any Linux user.

Um, no. Sorcerer-derived distros, Arch, and probably others do not have it included. So it's not completely accessible to any Linux user.

 

[Glider]

11 - Software Piracy...A non-issue for Linux.
...

I think you are mixing up GNU and Linux, and even still, not all OSS software is free... So there is piracy on "Linux" too...

 

[Rob Williams]

I'd just like to point out that Windows Vista and 7 both support symlinks from the command line using the mklink command. These are not just shortcuts, but proper symlinks.

Ahh, interesting. I just gave it a quick test under 7, and it works well. I'm surprised that Microsoft finally implemented such a feature into its OS. Perhaps there was actually some demand for it after all.

It goes further...If you Activate too many times online; it'll eventually stop and tell you to phone MS. If you do that too many times, they tell you to buy a new copy!

I'm not sure about the buy a new copy part. Bill on our staff has reinstalled his copy of Vista many times and to my knowledge he's never experienced such a problem. He does seem to have extreme patience, though, given he puts up with the phone call to Microsoft each time.

I had to go through the process two months ago when I swapped over all my hardware... it was maddening. You actually need to verbally speak out digits, and the computer on the other site conveniently mishears often, even if you are perfectly clear. Again, I can understand activation, but it has GOT to be made easier than this.

* Royalty OEM. (For Dell, Toshiba, etc...That does NOT need Activation.)

They still need activation, but are usually taken care of for you. These kinds of activations belong to the "unlimited" club, so you can activate an unlimited number of times and bypass the need to call MS.

I had a friend who lost his entire business because of one dishonest IT guy. (Like the RIAA/MPAA; the BSA sets out to "make an example" of someone in order to spread fear into others.)

I helped him rebuilt his company back with Linux (CentOS) and other open source solutions...The money he saved from software licensing costs, and security subscriptions like AV; are now being used to employ two on-site, experienced CentOS/RedHat people. We established a proper computing policy for his business, and let his employees know what they can and cannot use computers for...These last few months have been really profitable for him, as the downtime is greatly lowered.

Wow, that's a great success story. Glad he didn't mind taking the dive into Linux. Although faced in a similar situation, I'm sure I wouldn't be too hesistant to suggestions either. The fact that the BSA actually caused the shut down of a business is insane. How on earth did they even know to go after them anyway?

As well, one cannot deny that Linux encourages one's development of computing and problem solving skills. You learn a lot in Linux about what is good practice and what is not. (eg: In Windows world, its perfectly acceptable to use Administrator privileges as its convenient. In Linux world, using root on a full time basis is looked down upon.)

I have to agree here. In Linux, some might consider the password boxes to be nags when trying to edit a system setting, but in reality, that's a major weakness in Windows, where anyone can hop on your PC and change whatever they like. Keeping your PC locked down for sensitive settings/file access is a good thing.

You cannot do that with Windows. Windows/Office Updates only covers certain things that Microsoft provide and support for. They do nothing with third-party extensions or applications you've installed onto your system.

That's a good point, and one I didn't think of for the article. Windows Update affects just Windows, while many Linux distros can update applications you've installed. In Gentoo, I only use a single application not available in the package manager (latest version of VMware Workstation)... everything else updates whenever an update is available (and I run the command to update of course).

Under Linux? I can set it such that I use wireless for browsing, while P2P or online gaming on the wired network...Both running at their full speeds.

I didn't even realize that was possible, that's cool

Software piracy doesn't exist in Linux because the whole point is to share! (legally)...The sharing of useful apps.

This isn't true. What is true is that piracy is of a far lesser concern than on Windows, but to be fair, the reason for that is because Windows has far more commercial software. Linux has commercial software too, but the OS as a whole encourages free and open-source usage, so for MOST Linux users, the draw of piracy isn't really that common.

I took a look at a couple of torrent sites, and sure enough, each piece of commercial software I use on my Linux PC, and a couple others I don't own, were available for download. So, piracy is certainly less common under Linux, but it exists.

It doesn't take a genius to see that with time; Linux will offer more for nothing...As a business, how do you compete with someone who doesn't follow the traditional software business model? ie: You put a price on a copy of software. They put theirs at zero! How long do you think marketing can spin things as the Linux side matures?

I just hope Linux continues to get better and perhaps even develop some standards (like program installers) in order to help it gain real traction for people hesitant to give the OS a go. I honestly feel like with the lack of certain standards between all of the various distros, Linux is going to have a very, very difficult time ever appealing to the mass market.

BSODs and X lockups are both caused by driver issues. On Linux the most common cause for this is the graphics driver (ati/nvidia, even opensource drivers, because the specs of most gfx cards are not completely known). Especially KDE4 crashes.

That's true, and I should have mentioned it in the article. NVIDIA's driver is easily the most robust for Linux (compared to ATI and Intel), but all three aren't quite as stable as Windows versions. I do expect this to get better as time goes on, though. For most people, even GPU driver crashes are not going to be that common.

Um, no. Sorcerer-derived distros, Arch, and probably others do not have it included. So it's not completely accessible to any Linux user.

"any" wasn't an ideal word to use, but according to Wikipedia:

Arch Linux (or Arch) is a Linux distribution intended to be lightweight and simple.[2] The design approach of the development team focuses on simplicity, elegance, code correctness and minimalism.[3] "Simplicity", according to Arch, is defined as "...without unnecessary additions, modifications, or complications.." and is defined from a developer standpoint, rather than a user standpoint.

It doesn't exactly surprise me that Arch Linux doesn't include it, and given the overall goals of the distro, I don't include it in my thought process when thinking of consumer distros. Arch is for more experienced Linux users, not the complete novice.

 

[Unregistered]

Hardware support

Linux is lacking when it comes to hardware support...

Last year I spent 2-3 weeks struggling with Ubuntu, trying to get a version of M.A.M.E. to work in console mode with arcade native resolutions/refresh rates.

All of my time ended up being wasted, because there was no support for any of the Radeon HD series graphics cards in the framebuffer drivers.

When I looked at the source code, I found that no ATI cards newer than 3 years old had framebuffer support! This is crazy. Not everything revolves around KDE and Gnome.

It turned out I had to look to Windows for the native resolution/refresh rate support, purely because the Radeon HD drivers supported it.

High quality games (with graphics that belong in 2010) are another area where Linux is severely lacking. It's not all about the "playability factor", otherwise we'd still be using Commodore 64's; Atari 2600's and Sinclair Spectrum's.

 

[Glider]

Linux is lacking when it comes to hardware support...

You can't be more wrong... Linux supports much more hardware then any other OS out there. However, graphic cards manufacturers refuse to release up to date drivers for Linux.

Also, if this is so much of an issue for you, vote with your wallet! Don't buy hardware from manufacturers that don't provide support...

About graphics:
http://sauerbraten.sourceforge.net/screenshots.html
http://alientrap.org/nexuiz/media
http://www.flightgear.org/Gallery-v2.0/

 

[Unregistered]

You can't be more wrong... Linux supports much more hardware then any other OS out there. However, graphic cards manufacturers refuse to release up to date drivers for Linux.

It may support a greater volume of hardware, but that includes all of the hardware that should belong in museums - you can't really count the stuff that isn't used anymore.

Windows doesn't support as much hardware, just because manufacturers stop developing new drivers for the old hardware.

Back to the Radeon issue... There are 3rd party drivers available for X-Windows (for the Radeon HD series - and the older cards), so obviously the information is out there - but no one has implemented it into the radeonfb Kernel framebuffer driver.

(This is usually the time that some troll says, "well write it yourself or shut-up" - an unhelpful and all too common statement on Linux forums).

Also, if this is so much of an issue for you, vote with your wallet! Don't buy hardware from manufacturers that don't provide support...

So I should buy an inferior and ancient video card, just because Linux supports it??? Hmm, no thanks, that would defeat the purpose.

 

[Unregistered]

About graphics:
http://sauerbraten.sourceforge.net/screenshots.html
http://alientrap.org/nexuiz/media
http://www.flightgear.org/Gallery-v2.0/

Good examples.

If they were viewed in their own light, without comparison to modern games from 2009/2010, they look great... but, #1 is obviously developed around the old Quake engine and they have turned on bump-mapping. #2 also appears to be developed on the Quake engine and the textures look to be from 1999/2000. #3 looks just like Flight Simulator 2000. The models are good, but the textures, lack of specular highlights and no surface reflections let it down.

Playability might be in all of those games and I'm sure the developers spent many hundreds of hours on them, but where's the photo realism that commercial Windows/Xbox360 titles have?

 

[Glider]

It may support a greater volume of hardware, but that includes all of the hardware that should belong in museums - you can't really count the stuff that isn't used anymore.

That surely is why it had the first USB2 and 3 support, including the fastes USB stack... While I agree that it supports a lot of deprecated hardware, it also supports way more new hardware. The best example is amd64...

Back to the Radeon issue... There are 3rd party drivers available for X-Windows (for the Radeon HD series - and the older cards), so obviously the information is out there - but no one has implemented it into the radeonfb Kernel framebuffer driver.

Ever wondered why it isn't supported? Not because they don't want it, because ATI keeps their hardware so closed that they can't figure it out. If you want to moan, moan at ATI for not supporting their customers...

(This is usually the time that some troll says, "well write it yourself or shut-up" - an unhelpful and all too common statement on Linux forums).

So I should buy an inferior and ancient video card, just because Linux supports it??? Hmm, no thanks, that would defeat the purpose.

I am part of a lot of Linux forums, very actively, never had that response...

And to be honest, taking the easy way out is not the way things will change. If you really need a top of the line graphic cards (which I highly doubt anyone would ever NEED), there is plenty of choice of things that DO work (In case you bothered to actually look at it, Linux supports SLI and the likes...)

Not going in depth on them all, but:

If they were viewed in their own light, without comparison to modern games from 2009/2010, they look great... but, #1 is obviously developed around the old Quake engine and they have turned on bump-mapping.

If you actually bothered to read some about them, you'll see that
A) They are still under active development, so they CAN compare to current games
B) They are developed around their own engine, for instance, Sauerbraten == Cube 2 engine, so no refurbished Quake...

 

[Rob Williams]

As Glider mentioned, Linux <em>does</em> offer more robust hardware support than any other OS out there, and no, that's not only including depreciated components. Most often, Linux is the <em>first</em> OS to support many types of hardware. It supported USB 3.0 long before there were even consumer devices to take advantage of it... and it even beat Windows 7 to the punch to support TRIM on SSD's (unfortunately, no storage vendors took advantage of this, due to the small base of users using SSD's under Linux).

Don't believe that the hardware support is undeniably impressive? Just take a look at the kernel configuration (go to the source code folder and type in 'make menuconfig') and take a stroll through all of the various menus. ANY piece of hardware you see listed there is supported by the official kernel. Now, if you take a look through, you will see a LOT of hardware listed... and ALL of it is available to be compiled and used right away. As it stands, my kernel source folder is 440MB (2.6.33)... and yet I have access to what seems like thousands of pieces of hardware. That, to me, is extremely impressive.

Some distros, like Ubuntu, even offer wide support for things like printers. As someone else mentioned in this thread, many companies aren't jumping on the Windows 7 bandwagon, and as a result, some hardware just won't function. Chances are good that that hardware WILL function under Linux, and where printers are concerned, Ubuntu loads up a huge list of supported models. And if it's not supported, picking the closest match can render useful results (I've had one experience of this on a friends PC... model wasn't there, but I picked the closest match and it worked).

The obvious problem with Linux hardware support is that because vendors don't put any real emphasis on non-Windows OSes, the support isn't always so robust. One example is my ASUS Xonar card. It works beautifully under Linux, but I of course don't get the accompanying OS software that allows me numerous configuration options.

As for graphics cards under Linux, I can only consider NVIDIA to be the real option at current time. Despite trying things out on different distros, I've never had an ATI card install successfully, and I've never had great Intel GPU acceleration either. My experience with NVIDIA has honestly always been top-rate, and like Glider said, the company even supports niche features like SLI.

NVIDIA's Linux support is honestly the only reason I don't move over to an ATI card (which I'd like to do primarily because of the power consumption and heat of NVIDIA's cards). If I can't install an ATI card properly under Linux, it simply won't be used.

As for the games, Glider gave some good examples, but I do agree with Unregistered that none truly push any boundaries. Even Nexuiz is built on a Quake II engine I believe, and to be completely honest, even the Quake IV engine looks dated by today's standards. For raw graphics, Quake Wars: Enemy Territory may be the best example of good game graphics under Linux, but again, even that's a bit dated.

It's not that Linux isn't capable of rendering today's unbelievable graphics... it's the lack of developers who want to dedicate time to making it happen.

 

[aussiebear]

14 - Security.

Here's a few things to notice...

Windows?
* Allow-by-default! Execution of code without a thought! Need Software Restriction Policy (SRP) to flip this around...SRP not in all versions of Windows!
* First account is always Administrator-level user. (No discouragement of its day-to-day use!)
* If security hampers convenience; turn off security! => Computer "experts" say to turn off UAC!
* Administrator with reduced privileges is NOT the same as Standard User with Administrator access. (The former is still part of the Admin group. If an exploit takes that account; they take the whole box!)
* Unclear boundaries between Administrator and Standard/Limited User. (MS marketing says UAC isn't a mechanism related to security; when it clearly should be!)
* Install any old random thing without a thought!
* No centralised update mechanism for maintaining the system as a whole. (Added workload on end-user!)
* Anti-malware industry is built upon user ignorance of computer security.
* Internet Explorer. ("Remote Exploit" in MS Security Bulletins for this browser alone is as cliched as attractive women in Michael Bay movies.)
* ASLR and DEP poorly implemented. (They look great on paper and marketing...But there are well known methods to disable and work around these. Pwn2Own competition just highlights the situation in a more sensationalised way.)
* Bugs/exploits are categorised/evaluated; so that only what is considered seriously critical to the masses is addressed. (Or unless a security researcher threatens to release details of a bug that was reported 6 months prior!)...Often used by marketing to highlight how secure Windows is! => "This is the most secure Windows yet!"
* UAC default setting in Windows 7: RunDll32.exe is given automatic elevation to Administrator privileges without notifying user! (ie: You can get it to run any Administrator-privileged code without UAC popping up!)...You MUST turn the UAC setting to Always Notify to prevent this! So it behaves like it did in Vista!
* Why am I still able to create files and folders in the root C: drive when I'm a Standard/Limited User?!
* MS standard suggestion in the Security Bulletins; while waiting for a security patch. => Turn off or disable that feature! (Even though you need it to use the computer!)

Linux?
* Encouraged not to do stupid things. (User is put into a position where they must learn/understand things.)
* Clearly defined boundaries between root and normal user.
* Easier to lock down as it is more modular/flexible. (Remove crap you do NOT need.)
* Easier maintainence. (Package Manager is your friend!)
* Anti-Virus industry marketing tactics doesn't work. (Kaspersky Labs tried FUD in 2006, 2007, and 2008. It all failed!)
* Install/update apps from trusted repositories. Not any random untrusted sources!
* Direct interaction with developers. (Especially important with bug reports, etc.)
* A bug is a bug...It has to be fixed ASAP.
* Ability to add powerful security enhancements like grsecurity/PaX and RSBAC.
* Quick response...Find a bug? Report it, and expect a fix within the same day!


15 - Features are NOT used to segregate the market.

In order to maximise profit, MS intentionally uses features and functionality as a mechanism to segregate the market with multiple versions.

Example: While Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 are from the same code base...
Windows 7 => Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, Ultimate
Windows Server 2008 R2 => Foundation, Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, Web Server, HPC Server

Linux (Varies between distro.)
Debian/Fedora/RedHat/CentOS => Pick the role at install. Turn it into other roles later.
Ubuntu => Desktop and Server: Can turn one into the other and vice versa.
Arch/Gentoo/Sidux => Start off with a base OS. Install whatever you need for your computing requirements.

16 - Support for multiple architectures.

Windows CE based
=> x86, MIPS, ARM, SuperH (up to 6.0 R2).

Windows 7
=> x86 and x86-64 (AMD64/EM64T)

Windows Server 2008 R2
=> x86-64 or Itanium

Linux
=> x86, x86-64, ARM, MIPS, SPARC, DEC Alpha, Itanium, PowerPC (32bit/64bit), m68k, PA-RISC, s390, SuperH, M32R, Loongson.


As for the talk about graphical drivers...

(1) The Linux graphics stack is undergoing a major overhaul.

It used to be separate pieces that needed to be coordinated. It made support for HD-playback and OpenCL impossible.

This will be gradually replaced with something more refined and thought out...Gallium3D.

It will allow the support of HD video playback, OpenCL, and advanced 3D features...Unfortunately, this means drivers need to be re-written to accommodate the new infrastructure.

For HD playback, VA-API will act as a front for Nvidia's VDPAU and ATI's XvBA. Some of Intel's IGPs are already supported in VA-API. S3 Graphics's says their Chrome 4xx and 5xx series is supported as well.

(2) Documentation specs.

It takes AMD a bit of time for their lawyers to comb through and remove and third-party patent related material.

Then, the specs are used as a guide for open driver development.

Without it, it would be like wondering around blind...An open driver would be developed, but it will take longer as there is more trial and error involved. (This is exactly what the Nouveau project has to face, as Nvidia simply refuses to release any specs.)

(3) Be patient...Open drivers are being worked on.

ATI cards
=> http://www.x.org/wiki/RadeonFeature

Nvidia cards
=> http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FeatureMatrix


So until open drivers and the entire graphics stack is matured; Nvidia video cards are the only choice for trouble-free Linux installs.

You can't expect instant support for the latest hardware when some of the manufacturers won't support you!

It may support a greater volume of hardware, but that includes all of the hardware that should belong in museums - you can't really count the stuff that isn't used anymore.

Funny how Intel is making an effort...

Intel Sandy Bridge GPU Support Begins On Linux
=> http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=ODAxNA

 

[Unregistered]

It seems like this article is focused on Ubuntu more than anything. Get away from Ubuntu, and get into a real Linux OS, and you are screwed, as they are not user friendly at all.

 

[thehailo]

Just a quick thought on security since that's my primary focus. I find that Linux tends to have more options and to implement technologies earlier, even by years (DEP, ASLR, etc.), but when Windows eventually gets around to implementing them and polishing them out Microsoft makes it a lot easier for the average user.

For example, DEP and ASLR are very unintrusive in Windows 7. Now, DEP isn't on by default for all processes mind you, but the average user has no idea these technologies are working to defend them. Compare this to some variations of Linux where you may have to re-compile everything to take advantage of these techs, enable them in a config file, etc. I find Microsoft's approach superior. But, Microsoft's approach also lagged behind by at least two years.

Another example is the firewall. Linux has had a firewall by default for years prior to XP or when XP enabled it by default. Even then it took years to polish the Windows firewall to protect outbound and have easy/unintrusive prompts when something requires permission. But now, finally, I think Microsoft's solution beats most of the Linux versions out there. iptables is much more flexible by all means, and I believe it scales much better, but for desktop use Microsoft's tight integration, prompts, etc. make it better for the average user.

On the other hand, UAC has obviously been an absolute mess. Even with years of polishing it still prompts so much that the average user just clicks through it, so Microsoft has more work to do on separating the administrator account.

Long story short; I think the next frontier for Linux is pushing ease-of-use to all levels. Having an easy install, updater, etc. is a great start, but all of the little things like firewall prompts that us experienced users take for granted need to be smoothed out so our moms can feel comfortable. Easier to use means more users, meaning more developers, meaning growth. Right now we have the classic chicken/egg situation. How do we attract users when their favorite software doesn't run on Linux? How do we attract software devs if their user base doesn't run Linux?

 

[Unregistered]

Well, the article was about things that linux does better. The headline itself does impy that there are things that are worse on the linux side of the pond. Graphics and sound type stuff are clear examples. With graphics, linux developers pretty much do everything they can, but hands are tied with ati and nvidia giving only the barest support. And graphics technology changes so fast that reverse engineering just can't keep up. Things aren't going to change unless ati or nvidia start actually caring.

With sound, the open source community has really screwed up. Back in oss days, it may not have been the best system, but it was only one system to keep track of. Now there are so many sound systemsand incompatibilities between them, conflicts abound. Most users probably won't run into this, but when you do, it's nearly impossible to debug some sound issues, either with multiple sound streams running, or various applications not working with sound right etc.

Good article by the way.

 

[Unregistered]

An attempt to counter without sounding trollish

I hate to say it but I disagree with most of the article....and before the Linux crew gets knotted up let me explain. I have used various distros over the years including Red Hat, Ubuntu, Mandrake...you name it Ive tried it and even forced myself to use it for months at a time. The problems with Linux have gotten attention and much improvement has been seen over the last couple of years...but the fact remains I continue to go back to Windows. In fact I would argue that Windows7 is a great OS...not perfect by any stretch, but solid in every respect. I have had very few problems with Win7. I edit video, music and photos on a regular basis and find the app's available for free online or even built in Win7 every bit as good as the free app's in Linux. I also happen to be an avid gamer and Win7 is uncontested in supporting gaming on the PC platform. I have tried gaming on Linux and it is mediocre at best. I found the comments around customization interesting since Ive found Win7 easy to customize with robust gadgets and miniaturized app's a plenty available for free...even the "move the clock" point made in the article had me scratching my head. Simply turn off the task bar clock and add a gadget clock and you can put it anywhere you want on the desktop or even on an extended desktop with no problem. I don't see the Linux advantage here...

Understand Im not bashing Linux...I have been and remain a big fan of the open source OS and hope it continues to develop and improve into real competition for the other OS's available. Who doesn't like free, especially a free OS? I would point out thought that instead of constantly comparing Linux to Windows a better tact would be to write articles that showcase the strengths of Linux without always bringing up the dreaded and troll inducing comparisons with Windows. When the community moves away from pointless comparison to the 10,000 pound gorilla in the room and starts showcasing the useful app's that are available on Linux and no where else then the OS will start to get traction...this is what the Mac OS has done successfully with OSX...point out and sell the OS on what it can do on its own. When Linux users can point out robust and easy to use video, photo and music app's that stand on their own merit then Linux will attract attention on it's own with out the need for articles that always attack Windows in a negative light. Just my 2 cents. Good day.

 

[Glider]

I totally agree that Linux should promote its strengths a lot more, but then they just attract the trolls that start comparisons to Windows, and they mostly have 2 arguments; Support for latest GFX (blame the HW manufacturers) and Gaming (blame the game devs)...

Hardly a fair contest/comparison if you ask me...

 

[Rob Williams]

Things aren't going to change unless ati or nvidia start actually caring.

I don't think it's only that, but the fact that ATI and NVIDIA have little reason to get their asses in gear. After all, Linux isn't exactly a stellar gaming platform with the absolute lack of titles. I think if game developers began to take Linux a little more seriously, it would lead ATI and NVIDIA to do the same.

It's pretty much obvious that Valve is in the process of bringing Steam to Linux, so hopefully this is a start of good things to come.

I hate to say it but I disagree with most of the article...

How on earth do you disagree with "most" of the article when the article is based on fact, not opinion?

Your response was written from the standpoint that the article was a "Why Linux is Better than Windows" article, when it clearly wasn't.

Either way, I agree with a lot of what you say. Linux DOES need to improve various things, and that's been mentioned many times before. I agree with Glider in that most of the blame shouldn't be on Linux, but on game and application developers. It's up to those groups to bring the applications to Linux, not the Linux developers.

 

[Unregistered]

Your response was written from the standpoint that the article was a "Why Linux is Better than Windows" article, when it clearly wasn't.

Not to be nit-picky but the Title of the article is, "10 Thing Linux Does Better Than Windows"...that is exactly the same statement as, "Why Linux is Better than Windows".

If the article was titled, "10 Thing Linux Does Great!" then you would be correct.

My point though was that when we start seeing more, "10 Thing Linux Does Great!" type of articles then it will start to improve the image and public opinion of Linux. That was all.

 

[Rob Williams]

Not to be nit-picky but the Title of the article is, "10 Thing Linux Does Better Than Windows"...that is exactly the same statement as, "Why Linux is Better than Windows".

If I published an article that compared a Chevrolet to a Ferrari, and some of the things mentioned included better gas mileage, the fact that it has a cup holder, more people space, and is easier to drive... does that mean that I'm saying that the Chevrolet is better than a Ferrari? I don't think so... I'm merely highlighting its pluses.

10 Things Linux Does Better != Linux is Better

This all aside, I agree. There need to be more articles like this published, and even more so, I think we need to see Linux better marketed. Most people don't generally stumble on Linux information unless they're looking for it. Mac OS X and Windows are always in people's faces on TV's, Internet ads, et cetera. It's unfortunate that these companies have such an advantage just because of their deep pockets ;-)

 

[thehailo]

This all aside, I agree. There need to be more articles like this published, and even more so, I think we need to see Linux better marketed. Most people don't generally stumble on Linux information unless they're looking for it. Mac OS X and Windows are always in people's faces on TV's, Internet ads, et cetera. It's unfortunate that these companies have such an advantage just because of their deep pockets ;-)

Novell had my hopes up a few years ago with some decent, and at times actually funny, commercials. Unfortunately I never saw them hit TV and they were pretty short-lived.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cldeHjFig_c&feature=fvw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eTguZ5OzJ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-329Czokjk&feature=related

Leopard.