"What's the difference?"

[jordon]

I've been using Ubuntu for about a year now, and since then, I've started college and gotten an Dell laptop with Ubuntu pre-installed. Many of my friends know I use Linux but know little or nothing about it. A question I've been getting a lot from them is, "What's the difference between Linux and Windows?" It sounds like the perfect opportunity to explain why Linux is so much better than Windows, but I can't come up with a concise (say, one sentence) explanation.

I've written an article (http://www.theworldofstuff.com/linux/) on my web site about the virtues of Linux, but my argument has mainly to do with free software, which is not an easy concept for a lot of people to grasp. I would do well to include a concise explanation, but I can't really come up with one.

Do you get asked this question a lot? What's a good, simple answer?

[igknighted]

I've been using Ubuntu for about a year now, and since then, I've started college and gotten an Dell laptop with Ubuntu pre-installed. Many of my friends know I use Linux but know little or nothing about it. A question I've been getting a lot from them is, "What's the difference between Linux and Windows?" It sounds like the perfect opportunity to explain why Linux is so much better than Windows, but I can't come up with a concise (say, one sentence) explanation.

I've written an article (http://www.theworldofstuff.com/linux/) on my web site about the virtues of Linux, but my argument has mainly to do with free software, which is not an easy concept for a lot of people to grasp. I would do well to include a concise explanation, but I can't really come up with one.

Do you get asked this question a lot? What's a good, simple answer?

Great question/post... I will weigh in with my thoughts, but want to think about it for a bit first...

[DoctorMO]

Linux is the democracy of the computer which fights the old dictatorship of windows.

[LightB]

I always just tell people who ask that 'normally configured linux by design is much less likely to go down due to tampering and malware'. That's probably the most important and attractive thing about it from the point of view of a curious windows user.

[erfahren]

Its much more versatile, configurable, customizable

That, and it being a free open-source OS, a user who installs it actually owns it as opposed to just being licensed to use it (as with Windows).

and along with what LightB said, once a user is familiar with it, and has it set up, it requires much less maintenance than Windows. - there is no need to run scans all the time and be concerned about anti-malware software being up-to-date continuously.

Along with that - just the way it handles updating/upgrading installed software is more convenient - all the programs installed through the package manager receive updates through it instead of needing to do them individually. (It gets annoying in Windows when each program launched insists that an update is needed!)

Installing software through the package manager is easier as well (and there are programs available to do most tasks a user needs to do). A user can download and install many programs at once instead of having to click through installation setups for individual programs.

... and along with that (you thought I was done, didn't you - lol) - since Linux doesn't use a registry, and is transparent, users can install and uninstall programs to their "hearts delight" without being concerned with remnants of the software being left behind that may cause problems or general instability/bugginess.

Problems that may arise with individual programs can oftentimes be more easily fixed as well - without the need to uninstall/reinstall the program (you can usually just delete/rename their configuration directory in the user's home).

It boots faster and the GUI is generally faster (for me at least - I don't use desktop effects - the internet actually works faster for me as well)!

[barbedsaber]

It sounds like the perfect opportunity to explain why Linux is so much better than Windows, but I can't come up with a concise (say, one sentence) explanation.



if you tried to explain linux in 1 sentance, you would run out of breath and die, it is so much more than can be explained in one sentace.

windows can be explained in one word


crap.

[billgoldberg]

You start with the killer:
- no viruses/spyware/malware, nor the need to run anti-spyware/virus program, thus needing less system resources, thus a faster computer

Then you show them the eyecandy (cube, expo, ...) and the concept of multiple desktops and how more productive and clean it is.

Then you should explain to them that there are a thousand and one way you can make your sytem look and it only takes like 5 minutes to do it.

That you have mutiple window managers.

And updates don't need rebooting and include all the software software.

.If you would need it in one sentence:

A stable, fast, secure and non-malware prone OS with cutting edge visual eyecandy that is free for anyone to use.

[argie]

No restrictions. That's all. There aren't any restrictions. Everything I ever wanted can be done. That's what makes me happy anyway.

[hyper_ch]

Also point out the negative sides:

- no games (well, no typical windows games without effort)
- by default no support of proprietary codecs
- some hardware issues (especially wifi and video cards)
- LEARNING CURVE

[~LoKe]

"Everything."

[Xbehave]

up-to date, with proprietory software they release and move on, with OSS they update theyre existing software (there are versioning arguments and the sort). As a user this means if your using linux you can get the latest and greatest, but on windows you have to wait 4 years for some updates!

[sailor2001]

what impressed me more than anything is the package manager.. All those packages (21,000+) and didn't have to buy or install a single disk.