Advantages and Disadvantages of Linux...

Advantages of Linux:

    1. Cost – The most obvious advantage of using Linux is the fact that it is free to obtain, while Microsoft products are available for a hefty and sometimes recurring fee. Microsoft licenses typically are only allowed to be installed on a single computer, whereas a Linux distribution can be installed on any number of computers, without paying a single dime.
   
2. Security – In line with the costs, the security aspect of Linux is much stronger than that of Windows. Why should you have to spend extra money for virus protection software? The Linux operating system has been around since the early nineties and has managed to stay secure in the realm of widespread viruses, spyware and adware for all these years. Sure, the argument of the Linux desktop not being as widely used is a factor as to why there are no viruses. My rebuttle is that the Linux operating system is open source and if there were a widespread Linux virus released today, there would be hundreds of patches released tomorrow, either by ordinary people that use the operating system or by the distribution maintainers. We wouldn’t need to wait for a patch from a single company like we do with Windows.
    
3. Choice (Freedom) – The power of choice is a great Linux advantage. With Linux, you have the power to control just about every aspect of the operating system. Two major features you have control of are your desktops look and feel by way of numerous Window Managers, and the kernel. In Windows, your either stuck using the boring default desktop theme, or risking corruption or failure by installing a third-party shell.
    
4. Software - There are so many software choices when it comes to doing any specific task. You could search for a text editor on Freshmeat and yield hundreds, if not thousands of results. My article on 5 Linux text editors you should know about explains how there are so many options just for editing text on the command-line due to the open source nature of Linux. Regular users and programmers contribute applications all the time. Sometimes its a simple modification or feature enhancement of a already existing piece of software, sometimes its a brand new application. In addition, software on Linux tends to be packed with more features and greater usability than software on Windows. Best of all, the vast majority of Linux software is free and open source. Not only are you getting the software for no charge, but you have the option to modify the source code and add more features if you understand the programming language. What more could you ask for?
   
5. Hardware - Linux is perfect for those old computers with barely any processing power or memory you have sitting in your garage or basement collecting dust. Install Linux and use it as a firewall, a file server, or a backup server. There are endless possibilities. Old 386 or 486 computers with barely any RAM run Linux without any issue. Good luck running Windows on these machines and actually finding a use for them.

6. Flexibility
You don’t have to deal with anti-piracy schemes and additional “hoop jumping”.

What about not needing to assess the number of security solutions out there for Linux. Just visit the Wilders Security Forums, and you’ll see what I mean!

There isn’t like 1 AV solution, or a few access control solutions (SELinux, grsecurity, etc)…In Windows, there’s like 50+ AV solutions, a whole dozen anti-malware apps, intrusion prevention, anti-this, anti-that, etc…People say this one is better, others say that one is better. In less than 10min, you’d be pretty confused as to which is the best for your needs!
Disadvantages of Linux:

    7. Understanding – Becoming familiar with the Linux operating system requires patience as well as a strong learning curve. You must have the desire to read and figure things out on your own, rather than having everything done for you. Check out the 20 must read howto’s and guides for Linux.
    
8. Compatibility – Because of its free nature, Linux is sometimes behind the curve when it comes to brand new hardware compatibility. Though the kernel contributors and maintainers work hard at keeping the kernel up to date, Linux does not have as much of a corporate backing as alternative operating systems. Sometimes you can find third party applications, sometimes you can’t.
   
9. Alternative Programs – Though Linux developers have done a great job at creating alternatives to popular Windows applications, there are still some applications that exist on Windows that have no equivalent Linux application. Read Alternatives to Windows Applications to find out some of the popular alternatives.

Disadvantages of Linux:

Here are some of the biggest problems which some users may experience.

• 1. There’s no standard edition of Linux. Whereas Microsoft offers several different editions of each version of Windows, there are countless variations of Linux. For a new user it can be confusing to work out which is best for you.
  2. Linux has patchier support for drivers (the software which coordinates your hardware and your operating system). This means you’ll sometimes find it trickier to get a new device set up.
  3. Linux is, for new users at least, not as easy to use as Windows. That’s largely because Linux gives you more control, but does mean you’ll have to spend some time getting used to the way it works.
  4. Because Linux is neither as popular as Windows, nor a commercial product, support works in a different way. You may have to look harder to find the answer to a problem and, while Linux supporters are more likely to offer help, it may not always match your own level of technical understanding.
  5. Many of the programs you are used to in Windows will only run in Linux through a complicated emulator. These programs aren’t guaranteed to work perfectly, and in some cases may be noticeably slower.
  6. While Linux can be suitable for an individual user, its small market share means it’s much harder to introduce in a corporate setting. With most office workers already familiar with Windows and Microsoft programs, there’ll likely be a notable time cost in converting staff to using a Linux system.
  7. While there are perfectly passable alternatives to many popular Windows programs (such as the various Office components), some high-end applications such as Photoshop don’t have as close equivalents in Linux.
  8. Fans of PC gaming may find Linux offers them a much more limited range. That’s partially because the latest games are nearly always a commercial operation and much harder to reproduce in Linux because they are much more individual than, for example, office software.
  9. While there’s no specific reason why this should be the case, in practice quite a few users report finding printing can be troublesome to set up in Linux.
  10. Because Linux is a free, open source system, there are no legal comebacks if you find software isn’t up to scratch or if it causes a problem. While there’s no guarantee you’d win, you do at least have some right of complaint with commercial products such as Windows.

Windows can be a great tool for the lazy and incompetent, but it takes a true scholar and one who wants to learn to run a robust operating system like Linux.

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