Windows XP vs. Linux

For years, Microsoft’s Windows operating system (OS) has ruled the personal computer market. Several other OSs have always been available, such as Apple’s OS, the Unix OS, and Linux. Linux itself is a mix of many different versions, or distributions (distros), based on essentially the same core.

As of 2009, Windows held 90% of the market, with Apple’s OS X at 9%, and all distros of Linux combined at 1% of the market. The most popular version of Linux, Ubuntu, is about 30% of the Linux corner of the market.

For a long time, Linux users have steadfastly held to their operating system, and declared it better than Microsoft Windows XP. They claim that the Linux OS is more stable, faster, free, and secure. Windows has hardly bothered to answer the claims itself, but Windows users have declared that XP is faster and more stable than Linux.

To decide which OS is better, we have to choose what aspects of the OS we are looking at. The common ground of argument usually centers on security, speed, and stability. Other factors to look at are compatibility and user-friendliness.

1. Security

The longest-held and best argument of lInux users is that Linux is more secure than Windows XP (and all versions of Windows for that matter). This argument stems from the fact that viruses commonly affect Windows computers, and Linux has very few itself. In fact, virus protection programs are very rare for Linux computers, while they are a must with windows computers. In my opinion, this is a valid claim by Linux users, and a point in their favor.

Besides the fact that few viruses are written for Linux, there are still points of the OS that guard against them. For instance, the Linux user is never automatically logged on as “root” or administrator. They have to enter their password to make any dangerous changes to their computers. On Windows, the default user is always the Administrator, which plays nicely into the hands of viruses that can edit the system files without the user’s permission.

There is also a permissions system on Linux that does not allow a program to run unless it has been specially allowed by the user. This is to guard against intrustions by files that run like a .exe file, which is a file type on Windows that can harbor many dangerous viruses.

2. Speed

The latest version of Ubuntu, 9.04, claims to have faster startup and shutdown times than windows. Its users also claim that it is faster than windows as far as running programs is concerned. With a little bit of web research, it turns out that Linux is faster than Windows, although it uses more resources at system startup than Windows XP. The reason cited for the Linux OS being faster is that Linux uses memory more efficiently, making the most out of every MB you give it.

3. Stability

This argument can often go both ways. Windows XP has been around for a long time now, and many of the bugs have been worked out. The most common cause for a Windows crash is a driver issue, and you will most likely find an update on the internet for that particular driver. Linux is a different situation. With Linux, the core is solid, although what you do to the OS can have much worse affects than what you might get with a windows crash. For both systems, many bugs are found after an immediate release, and updates should be applied to both regularly. In Linux, there may be more bugs initially, but the source code, or plans, for the OS are open, so anyone can read them. That way, if there is a bug in Linux, it will probably be found quicker than a bug in Windows, because Windows does not release its source code, and they have to find the bugs themselves.

In the end, if you are not experienced with computers, XP will be more stable. Linux may be stable for basic services, but if you don’t know what you are doing, you can easily mess things up, as Linux isn’t as experienced at keeping you out of trouble as Windows is. However, if you know what you are doing, you may find that Linux is more stable for you.

4. Compatibility

As far as using programs that you are used to using on Windows, the vast majority will not work on Linux. Some of the more popular ones can be run through a program called WINE, that was made to do just that: run Windows programs. Right now, since Windows has 90% of the market cornered, you will have a hard time finding something that does not work on Windows, but many things will not work on Linux. The positive side of this is that most programs that do run on Linux are free, and easily downloadable through their “repositories,” or websites stocked with free programs. Also, many of these free programs are clones of popular Windows programs, although most people will agree that they aren’t as good. For instance, GIMP is a clone of Adobe Photoshop, and OpenOffice is a free office suite. These programs will almost always support Windows formats, while Windows Programs rarely support theirs.

5. User Friendliness

There is no doubt that most people today are much more used to Windows than Linux. However, if you compare the two OSs side by side, the usability is similar. There are different processes to run, different places to go, and different settings to adjust, but overall the Linux system is comparable to the Windows system as far as the basics are concerned. When it comes to the more complex settings, Linux often runs into compiling code and using the command line function, which, although used in Windows, is much less common.

Overall, Linux is faster and more secure, but Windows has a little more polish to it and is much more compatible in today’s world. If you are experienced, Linux is the OS that will let you customize to your heart’s content, but if you are new to computers and plan on doing a good number of things, you should stick to Windows. However, Linux will give any user the same experience as Windows when it comes to the basic internet, email, and word processing programs.