What makes Linux better than Win/Mac?

[monoRhesus]

Bare with me for a second. I am not trying to start again the endless discussion. I am in a more simple setting. I have been using Linux for about a year now, and I love it so much that I am beginning to study Unix a bit more seriously. I consider myself a convert, and have stopped preaching the truth except to those who ask for it.

My girlfriend, a Mac lover, asks me all the time. She is puzzled to see me spend hours and hours in front of my laptop, suffering to compile stuff, dealing with drivers, simple (but powerful) applications, etc. So she asks. Why linux? And every time I try to explain why, I end up babbling a series of reasons such as well, it's free, no virus, and the like. She usually just stares at me and walks away.

I know Linux is better, and I could argue well, it is more modular and therefore each application or process is light and does its job right; or because it is community driven it usually has all the main features that users could need, and so on. But I always feel like there is a really good answer out there that's slipping out of my mind. And then I think well, maybe it is like all truths: you don't get it till you get it.

This ain't a great conclusion. I am not googling this because I'd like the community to tell me: What do people here answer to their aunts, brothers, grandmothers, wifes, husbands etc when they ask 'why linux'?

[CloudLion_ca]

Originally Posted by monoRhesus

This ain't a great conclusion. I am not googling this because I'd like the community to tell me: What do people here answer to their aunts, brothers, grandmothers, wifes, husbands etc when they ask 'why linux'?

Linux isn't really better than Windows and Mac OS X. It's just that better people use Linux. It's all about the people behind the command prompt.

Didn't you know we're all super villians?

::uberGeek::Toons::Switch to Linux()

[ken_yap]

I use Linux because it suits my needs. As I have said in another thread, Windows feels insecure all the time, and you can't always fix it when things break, except to reinstall. Macs work fine but try to go beyond what the app publisher has in mind for you to do, and you'll find it's not catered for. Besides I think they are overpriced. But some people like to just use a computer as an appliance. I have no issues with that. So it may suit your girlfriend.

Just as you should accept that your GF may not want to get involved with techo stuff, she should accept that your wanting to experiment and learn is part of your personality. To be honest I am beyond the wow I can compile an application stage, but in the learning stages, it can be interesting. Besides, tell her you will get up to greater evil if you didn't have Linux to play with. That's all the answer you need, you use it because you like it.

Linux is not for everyone, but it is very flexible.

[hendersj]

On Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:06:01 +0000, CloudLion ca wrote:

> Linux isn't really better than Windows and Mac OS X. It's just that
> better people use Linux. It's all about the people behind the command
> prompt.

I would disagree. That's like saying that people who drive Mercedes' are
better than people who drive BMWs or people who drive cars you can
actually work on.

People use computers for different reasons. Some people - like me - like
to tinker, much as my father-in-law loves to tinker with old cars. We
both (my FIL and I) work in a field that lets us do what we like doing.

But John (my FIL) will always run Windows because he uses it as a tool
for his business, and the software he needs to run his auto repair shop
is written exclusively for Windows. That doesn't mean he's an "inferior
person" (and quite frankly, the attitude that "Linux users are better
people" pisses me off, and *I'm* a Linux user), it means that he's
identified the tool that lets him use a computer for what he needs to use
it for, just as I have.

As Scotty has been quoted as saying, "use the right tool for the job".
For some people, the right tool is Linux. For others, it isn't. And
that's perfectly OK, and to say that it *isn't* demonstrates a lack of
understanding of how the world of IT works. What's more, it shows an
unwillingness to consider ALL of the options available (in the same way
that Windows fanboys limit their options to Windows-only solutions).

But what do I know about it? I've only worked in the world of IT for my
entire adult life and for much of my pre-adult life. Oh, and I've been a
Linux user for most of that time as well, while supporting various
Unixes, Windows systems, NetWare systems, and mainframe/mini systems.

Jim

[caf4926]

It suits me better. I'm on the lines of @ken_yap. Just to add, it (openSUSE) feels like home. Stupid answer I know, but nevertheless important. From POV anyway

> What do people here answer to their aunts,
> brothers, grandmothers, wifes, husbands etc when they ask 'why linux'?

Apple is too expensive and Microsoft too confusing, restrictive,
unsafe, and time consuming (especially when dealing with the virus
which WILL invade).

--
brassy

[microchip8]

Linux is way better at some things but worse at others and depending on your needs and knowledge, a specific platform may suit you better. If your gf does nothing more but browse the web, read emails, chat here and there with friends, watch video online or offline on her computer, there's no reason why she couldn't use Linux just like my gf uses it and was in the past a Mac user until she saw that Linux could do everything she needs with ease and there's no need we spend a lot of $$$ to buy a Mac. As for actually jumping onto Linux, with ever platform switch, the user needs some time to get accustomed to. This is even true when you do Linux -> Windows. I, for example, as a long time Linux user will have problems using Windows and it will require time for me to dig around when I had to do something more than just click -> click -> install -> done

In this case, when you say "better", that word is very much relative. Better in what? In performance? Sure. In security? Sure. In ease of usage? depends stronly on the person who's using it and his familiarity with it., etc, etc

So, what I would suggest is setup a Linux environment for her. Make it as easy as possible by placing icons on her desktop of apps she uses the most (web browser, email client, etc) and let her use it regulary for some time. If she likes it and wants to continue to use it, then great. If not, then let her use her Mac and make Jobs even richer

Also, if she agrees to try it out, always be there to explain her what to do when she encounters a problem or doesn't know how to do a specific thing. When you do that, don't only show her how to do it but if you can, explain to her why it's done this way and why it works like that. You don't need to preach when explaining. A short explanation with good information will do

[Confuseling]

hendersj - CloudLion_ca was joking

monoRhesus: I explain it by analogy.

An operating system is more than a piece of software; it's an ecosystem - and ecosystems thrive on diversity.

You have, basically, three choices. You can get a fish tank - and they come in two different colours - and then fill it with the sterile specimens that the shop's suppliers choose to breed and stock. Maybe a blue one, maybe a red one - maybe even a plant or two and a tatty little plastic sunken pirate ship.

Or you can wade into the oceans' vastness armed with nothing but a torch and a net, find the myriad slimy, bizarre and sometimes frightening things lurking out there, take a few of them home, and breed them to your own deranged designs.

If you have the determination, you will end up with more satisfaction and a better result. If you don't... Well, you're stuck with the circumscribed illusion of choice; the choice between what has been created, specifically by avoiding real variation, to appeal to a wide and largely non-discriminating audience. A few of the infinite possibilities of nature, picked out of the primordial ooze for their initial blandness and inoffensiveness for you, stuck in a featureless box, and repeatedly bred with their cousins.

[CloudLion_ca]

Originally Posted by hendersj

On Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:06:01 +0000, CloudLion ca wrote:

> Linux isn't really better than Windows and Mac OS X. It's just that
> better people use Linux. It's all about the people behind the command
> prompt.

I would disagree. That's like saying that people who drive Mercedes' are
better than people who drive BMWs or people who drive cars you can
actually work on.

People use computers for different reasons. Some people - like me - like
to tinker, much as my father-in-law loves to tinker with old cars. We
both (my FIL and I) work in a field that lets us do what we like doing.

But John (my FIL) will always run Windows because he uses it as a tool
for his business, and the software he needs to run his auto repair shop
is written exclusively for Windows. That doesn't mean he's an "inferior
person" (and quite frankly, the attitude that "Linux users are better
people" pisses me off, and *I'm* a Linux user), it means that he's
identified the tool that lets him use a computer for what he needs to use
it for, just as I have.

As Scotty has been quoted as saying, "use the right tool for the job".
For some people, the right tool is Linux. For others, it isn't. And
that's perfectly OK, and to say that it *isn't* demonstrates a lack of
understanding of how the world of IT works. What's more, it shows an
unwillingness to consider ALL of the options available (in the same way
that Windows fanboys limit their options to Windows-only solutions).

But what do I know about it? I've only worked in the world of IT for my
entire adult life and for much of my pre-adult life. Oh, and I've been a
Linux user for most of that time as well, while supporting various
Unixes, Windows systems, NetWare systems, and mainframe/mini systems.

Jim

Jim... you are the exception.

You're not qualified to be a super villain. You're a Smurf. Please remember to park your 1973 Volkswagon in the alley. We don't want your vehicle causing our property values to drop.

**** Left-wing-social-fascists!

[Searching_for_Answers]

Linux is free. It's producers do not make a patent on everything which limits technology, slowing it down. It is highly customizable. If you don't like a specific part and you have the knowledge you make that exactly as you would like it to be. I.e it's open source. GNU/Linux is also faster than Windows.

Why Linux is better