Research paper, Linux vs Windows XP

[PapaWiskas]

Ok, for two days I have been trying to find a website, article or something that has done a pro/cons of linux and windows xp.

Do any of the gurus and more knowledgeable people here be willing to post your thoughts or links.

What I am looking for is just what makes linux better and what is not so good in linux vs windows xp, and vice versa.

I know the main thing with me is that I have the freedom to control my system, although I am not knowledgable at this point to really tear into my system and really customize and tweak it. Ubuntu has just always worked for me, and I have not dived under the hood all that much, I am just that happy with it.

Anyway if anyone here can break this down or assist me I would greatly appreciate it.

[htinn]

Here's a good place to start your research:

http://www.gnu.org/

[aysiu]

I wrote these a while ago, but...

http://www.psychocats.net/essays/linuxwindowscomparison
http://www.psychocats.net/essays/winuxinstall

[nanotube]

another good place to mine for ideas is to search for threads in this forum that have a subject like "what made you switch if you have windows xp" - i remember seeing one with a few dozens of posts, i am sure some of them were quite informative.

ah, here it is:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=57494&highlight=windows+xp
562 posts - haha more than the few dozens i suspected. have at it, it will write your research paper for you. :)

[IYY]

I guess the three points you should focus on are:

Freedom - the philosophy behind it.
Quality of software - the fact that open source makes finding security holes easier, and that it's just more secure because it's build correctly, from the start.
Choice - the system doesn't tell you what to do; you get to decide. KDE vs. Gnome vs. Fluxbox, etc.

[3rdalbum]

The good things about Windows XP (to play the Devil's Advocate, and since it was asked):

1. Comes pre-installed on most PCs
2. Almost all desktop software is available for it, and all hardware has a Windows driver
3. There are heaps of people who are willing to fix it when it goes wrong, for a reasonable fee. (how many people here have Linux-knowledgable friends? Admittedly, I've done so much to my Linux box and it's survived - I ran fsck on a mounted partition yesterday!)
4. It's easier to buy a standalone copy of Windows XP than of Linux.

[htinn]

The top 3 reasons to use Windows:

1 - All the best warez
2 - All the best P2P apps
3 - Best way to experience the latest bugs from EA Games

[nanotube]

4. It's easier to buy a standalone copy of Windows XP than of Linux.
hehe, but it's easier to acquire a legal copy of linux than of windows xp. :)

[Reshin]

hehe, but it's easier to acquire a legal copy of linux than of windows xp. :)
How's about finding the one distro that actually fits you?

[3rdalbum]

How's about finding the one distro that actually fits you?

How about paying for the one Windows theme that actually doesn't look ugly? :p

Besides, I believe that for every person, there is more than one soulmate. For every Linux user, there is more than one distro that fits.

[DigitalDuality]

i like a great deal of your essays :) Even non-computer related.

[PapaWiskas]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond, this has been very helpful.

On a side note, aysiu, you have some very good articles on your site, i am going to be reading more of them. Thank you for sharing.

[DigitalDuality]

The good things about Windows XP (to play the Devil's Advocate, and since it was asked):

4. It's easier to buy a standalone copy of Windows XP than of Linux.

you can "purchase" linux if you really want to. Redhat, Suse, BSD, Mandriva... easy to order online, just as easy as ordering windows.

You can purchase computers with Linux pre-installed as well.

It's just not at your local compusa.

But as for obtaining it for free. Do a bit torrent of Fedora Core 4 or 5.. and i swear to you that you've never seen Bit torrent files download so fast in all your life.

You're looking at 5 full cds, in under 90 minutes.