Linux vs. Windows: What's The Difference?

underpar writes "This zdnet article covering Microsoft's Tech Ed conference quotes one of the speakers, Mark Russinovich, as saying that Linux is becoming more and more like Windows. He cites many examples of where Linux 'copies' Windows and other operating systems. He says the only current difference is 'how windowing is handled.'"

Comments

It's a vicious cycle

[strictnein]

And it's gotten even worse with Mac OS 10.4 because now:
Linux copies Windows which copies Mac which copies Linux
(I'm sure SCO Unix gets copied in there somewhere too)

Uh oh... doesn't that sort of relationship end the universe in some sort of giant BLIP!?

Now, for those who want to actually read something that matters, Ars Technica has a primer on PCI-Express. Impress your friends, neighbors, and countrymen!

Re:It's a vicious cycle

[Pharmboy]

I think it's the reverse; Windows seems to be getting more POSIX-like with each release.

Its all that code they licensed from SCO... ;)

Re:It's a vicious cycle

[r00zky]

Excuse me, i think you added two excess letters in your above sentence... "IX"

Re:The Difference

[kaschei]

Great-- this is going to attract the anti-linux trolls AND the anti-microsoft trolls, each arguing over whom you're talking about.

Apps remove the difference

[prostoalex]

He's kinda right. I work with OpenOffice and Firefox for my basic stuff, and each time I launch those two or am in the middle of something, I have to look at the task bars to remind myself where I am at. User interfaces are so much alike.

The usual routine is pressing Win+E to launch Windows Explorer, then observe no Windows Explorer window launching, then cuss silently for the bug, then realize it's Red Hat 9 I am in.

Unix-derivatives easily identified.

[OpenGLFan]

A Unix-like OS is easily identified by the backspace key not working.

Re:Unix-derivatives easily identified.

[SethD]

I dont ^H^H't understand. Mine seems to work fine!

Re:Unix-derivatives easily identified.

[drinkypoo]

Corollary: A Unix newbie is easily identified by his lack of familiarity with the 'stty' command.

Corollary to the corollary: A Unix newbie can further be identified by separating those who say "newbie" from those who say "n00b".

Re:An important difference

[TwistedSquare]

I think you'll find that means Windows is 400 dollars cheaper than Linux.

Sincerely,

Darl.

Key difference...

[Mateito]

"Duke Nukem Forever" isn't out for windows yet.

Windows

[Exousia]

Somebody needs to write an OS where the windowing operations are all done in the memory allocator. Wouldn't that be the more efficient way to go about it?

monolithic

[captnjameskirk]

He says in the article: "Both kernels are monolithic". I thought the Windows kernel was monopolithic.

Re:Ooh! Selective comparison...

[TwistedSquare]

But don't take my word for it, I'm just 90% of the market.

Wow, I didn't realise the market had shrunk to 1.11 people. Wait a min, let me guess - you are legion?

Re:The Difference

[brucehoult]

win2k hasnt crashed on me once unless I was being a fscktard and doing something stupid.

Doing something stupid
v. intr.

Taking some action that causes Windows to crash.

AdT response

[bani]

(fingers in ears)

"la la la la la I can't hear yooooooou la la la la la la"

Re:Please note...

[tux_deamon]

Well, I think putting "Windows" and "Linux" in the same headline on /. is a little like sounding the Horn of Gondor...

256 kilobytes min?

[bani]

Are you sure about that? An official windows XP advertisement from microsoft says 64 kilobytes! 256 kilobytes sounds too high.

Re:BSOD

[Zoolander]

Unless you run xscreensaver-bsod ;)

The real difference

[gallir]

Guys, you don't realize that the REAL difference is that there are so many antivirus for Windows, while Linux hardly has a few. Even free antivirus as clamav exists basically to protect Windows.

It's not hard to realize that Windows is much better protected than Linux.

That the difference guys, Linux is left alone in the jungle. Poors Linux zealot... no antivirus, unbelieveable.

Re:An important difference

[Anonymous Coward]

(Control panels are for pussies.)

And 500 cryptic text files are for masochists.

Re:An important difference

[Brad Mace]

@ compilers! you can't program sh*t on a windows install without buying separate software.

Sure you can.

Thanks for all the MS compilers. I guess that proves you can program *shit* on windows.

Re:Ooh! Selective comparison...

[Newander]

I keep switching back to Windows to work with PSpice or Xilinx software, etc. For home users Linux really doesn't belong YET.

Yeah, home users spend most of their time simulating circuits and writing VHDL.

Re:An important difference

[letxa2000]

I can download and install a Windows utility more quickly than I can build and install a Linux package.

And, best of all, you get malware, spyware, viruses, and trojans for free with your installs!

Re:An important difference

[DMadCat]

Everything you listed is just a download away. I fail to see the problem.

Hell, with Windows some programs even download themselves! Now that's service!

One thing Linux is missing......

[standing_still]

Linux still needs a blue screen of death....

Re:An important difference

[xp]

But what about the Total Cost of Ownership?
----
Software Ideas

We'd make billions!

[Daemis]

1. Purchase operating system from poor schmuck that doesn't know any better.
2. Purchase/Steal ideas from competent competitors.
3. Establish monopoly.
4. Accuse competitors of always trying to "copy" you.

Haha....

[Anonymous Coward]

he called him "Linux Torvalds" ... if noone else caught that...

OT but funny

[canon006]

I use Linux most of the time, one day a friend of mine and I were discussing GUIs. My friend is a long time litestep user and suggested that I try Litestep on my Windows machine, my response was "I did try it for a little while but I ran out of patience trying to configure it." After a moment of thought we had a good laugh about the irony of the statement.

Difference ?

[moro_666]

god@world:~$ diff linux windows
linux works.
windows costs money.

god@world:~$

-------------
over & out ;)

Re:An important difference

[Anonymous Coward]

But what about the Total Cost of Ownership?

Dude, no-one owns Windows. Once installed, Windows owns you.

They just need to get Linux to crash a lot

[anaplasmosis]

To make it more like Windows.

The Microsoft Problem Solving Process;

1. Restart the app.
2. Reboot the PC.
3. Reinstall the app.
4. Reinstall everything.

Re:Consultants

[cyber0ne]

Exactly. A big advantage of Windows is that anyone (even your grandmother) can be a sysadmin. A big disadvantage of Windows is that anyone (even your grandmother) thinks they can be a sysadmin.

Re:An important difference

[Anonymous Coward]

you know what we need. 500 cryptic control panels!