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Comparative analysis of Linux & Windows
Comparative analysis of Linux & Windows
Advantages and disadvantages of windows os
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One of the most popular areas of contention among computer users has always been what operating system was preferred. There have been countless advertising campaigns touting one over the other. One of the most recent would be the ad that featured one person exclaiming, “Hi, I’m a Mac” and another “Hi, I’m a PC” with intention to promote Apple over Microsoft. While Apple and Microsoft have been squaring off for many years there has been another contender rising through the ranks, Linux and its many distributions.
Just as with all products of the same nature there are differences that can been seen as advantages and disadvantages. This is quite prevalent when comparing computer operating systems. Just because Microsoft Windows has the distinction of being the operating system with the largest market share doesn’t mean it is superior in terms of advantages compared to the various Linux distributions but it also doesn’t mean it has the same disadvantages either. To begin comparing Windows and Linux one of the first areas of contrast would be the price of owning the operating system. While Windows can cost up to $150 the majority of Linux variants are available for free. This difference is also seen in the price of software as well. Many of the programs available on Linux are free and include suites similar to that of Microsoft Office which itself can run hundreds of dollars. However, while the cost of software for Linux can been seen as an advantage, the fact that the variety of software available is much smaller than that of Windows is more of a disadvantage. Just as it has on the software side, Windows has a much larger amount of hardware compatible with it than Linux does. The simple fact is that due to Windows holding the largest market share almost all hardware manufacturers are going to make their products for Windows. There are advantages and disadvantages in the use of each operating system as well. Once again, because Windows is the most popular operating system most users have more experience with it from using it at work, school, or at home. That can give Windows the advantage in ease of use but many Linux distributions play off the same familiarity of Windows and can be just as easily used. In the area of reliability it would be believed that due to the much larger distribution of Windows it would offer greater reliability.
I was very interested in computers and technology as a child, both playing games and building fake parts for them. Still in elementary school, I was fascinated by these computing machines, spending hours on end working with DOS to satisfy my curiosity. Around my middle school years, Windows became graphical, and I found interest in even more computer games with even greater experiences and capabilities. Windows was the dominant operating system at the time, but I was soon to find there was a whole different world out there of operating systems. While out on vacation in Washington, DC, my Dad and I were able to meet with the local Tech Fanatics group, HackDC. It was here where I discovered Linux. Linux, an alternative to Windows, immediately grabbed my attention when I saw it in use. It appeared to me as something that only the extreme computer users even heard of. Upon my return home,
It used to be that the choice between a Mac and a PC was pretty clear.
Recent data shows that 78% of computer users use Microsoft Windows as their primary operating system. Microsoft has also just released a new operating system known as Vista that competes primarily with Apple’s Mac OSX.
The standardized quality of MS Windows98 has really made the PC market as a whole take a rocket boost from the past. Most people who oppose this stance would say that standardizing a product wouldn’t cause anything but a monopoly. This is fiction because people choose products that are simply reliable and of good quality. The success of Microsoft’s operating system hasn’t been used to cause a monopoly in the browser marker, but to increase the quality of their software. A statement from Bill Gates on the 7th of December stating “ I am proud of the work our people have done to bring the benefits of the Internet to consumers, and I am confident that the courts ultimately will uphold the importance of the freedom to innovate.” The intensity of the Internet lies in it openness, freedom and incredible reach. It is physically impossible for any individual or company to be its controlling switch, as the number of Internet users continue to grow by easy access due to Internet technologies being added to quality operating systems such as Windows. Internet user will constantly demand high quality and maximum choice, and will travel to wherever they receive the best value for the money and time. As consumer interest in the Internet continues to grow, Microsoft’s role will be what it always has been. Aimed to provide the software building blocks for a rich computing experience and to build into that software all of the open Internet standards, protocols and platforms services which enable developers to write great applications. Even though Microsoft has included Internet capabilities in its Windows operating system since the launch of Windows 95, the Windows platform also provides excellent support for other leading browsers besides Microsoft’s own Internet Explorer.
Windows based computers are more practical, easier to use, and more versatile than Macintosh computers. There has always been much debate over which is the better system. There are people who are die-hard Macintosh users, and there are people who are the complete opposite, and naturally people sitting somewhere in between. The fact remains that the majority of home and business users own Windows based systems because of their versatility in all areas.
The one advantage that Apple possesses is its operating system but it has failed to convince the world of its superiority. The operating system in possession has not encountered the problems that Microsoft and its fellow operating systems have encountered. Microsoft upgrades have been plagued with virus and other programming problems, including the ability of hackers breaking into the system and accessing ones computer from another remote spot. Apple has not capitalized on these problems.
“I think that to try to own knowledge, to try to control whether people are allowed to use it, or to try to stop other people from sharing it, is sabotage. It is an activity that benefits the person that does it at the cost of impoverishing all of society. One person gains one dollars by destroying two dollars’ worth of wealth. I think a person with a conscience wouldn’t do that sort of thing except perhaps if he would otherwise die.”
The similarities and the differences between Mac operating system (OS X) and Windows 10 operating system.
It is a well-known fact that Microsoft is the most marketed operating system. This can be explained by the decision by Microsoft to design and sell its operating system to other computer manufacturers. This meant making it compatible with other hardware. Apple did not choose to do this, making its operating systems only compatible with its own computer hardware (Derene, 2009). In a website article called “HongKait.Com: Online Tips for Designers and Bloggers” Nina Krimly states statistics that identify Microsoft as controlling 91% of the market while Apple Mac around 5%. The exclusivity of Apple did not make it popular among those who used the computer to work on projects both at home and at work in the past ...
Microsoft, from its inception, has been known for its software, especially its Windows platform. It has changed the way we operate computers and through its software, has made the computer user-friendly and very efficient. Microsoft, however, does not want to only specialize in the software department. They have thus expanded their excellence in other departments such as gaming, music and hardware.
Microsoft was able in the OS segment to double their revenue per PC when Windows 3.x emerged which still needed MS-DOS to run. Most of the sales Microsoft made were to OEMs who would take the additional step of installing Windows on a computer’s hard drive. This strategy was effective in that the cost of production was relatively low, as an OEM may only need a single master copy to do the installation. The costs to Microsoft would largely be bore in R&D expense rather than production. As part of the Microsoft business model for this segment, Microsoft designed their OS to need periodic upgrades. The upgrades did come at a cost, and in essence, Microsoft was able to create an “annuity” stream for the Microsoft OS segment. In this segment, Microsoft had a monopolistic structure that allowed them to realize huge returns, especially during such a period of technological growth and rapid obsol...
It all began in 1991, during the time of monumental computing development. DOS had been bought from a Seattle hacker by Bill Gates, for a sum of $50,000 – a small price for an operating system that had managed sneak its way across the globe due to a clever marketing strategy. Apple’s OS and UNIX were both available, though the cost of running either was far greater than that of running DOS. Enter MINIX, an operating system developed from the ground up by Andrew S. Tanenbaum, a college professor. MINIX was part of a lesson plan used to teach students the inner-workings of an operating system. Tanenbaum had written a book on MINIX called “Operating System” and anyone who had picked up a copy would find the 12,000 lines of code that comprised MINIX itself. This was a big issue; due to the fact that all know (well published) operating systems to that point had been well guarded by software developers, thus making it difficult for people to truly expand on operating system mechanics.
Until the 90s’ century, Apple had a competitive advantage over the competitor as IBM and Microsoft that justified the higher price of its PC, leading Apple to gain a high margin on its revenues, around 55%. But in 1990 Microsoft lunched its own new operating system based on Intel microprocessor, that counted 90% of the microprocessor in the world, and Microsoft earned the entire market share, leaving Apple in a niche, because developers opted for the dominant standard to deal
Linux has long been one of many operating systems that have been out to prove its worth in all types of environment. It is currently being considered for enterprise network purposes as well as data centers where it implies servers, workstations and any mainframes as needed. Choosing what operating system to use, whether it is open source or not, can be difficult, though. This paper projects the advantages and concerns of choosing an open source solution like Linux as administrators and users are becoming more aware of Linux running on both server and desktop systems. It is quickly being adopted in an ever increasing number of global corporations and government agencies.
Both operating systems however diverge from each other in various ways, their question isn’t necessary which one is better but rather what makes them so different. When comparing two operating systems a user should take the following categories in for consideration, cost, user, user interface, usage, file system support, and security. The cost of a Linux operating is completely free versus a windows operating system which can range from prices such as $50.00 to $450.00. Even though Linux operating system is free however according to diffren.com their customer support is available for a