What Differentiates Linux from Windows?

What Differentiates Linux from Windows? 1135

Posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday March 11, 2004 @03:15PM from the besides-the-random-crashes dept.

tail.man sent in a Linux Insider piece about the difference between Linux and Windows. Quoting the synopsis "So, what's really the difference between a Unix variant like Linux and any Windows OS? It's that Microsoft reacts to marketing pressure to make design decisions favoring running a few processes faster but then finds itself forced first to layer in backward compatibility and then to engage in a patch-and-kludge upgrade process until the code becomes so bloated, slow and unreliable that wholesale replacement is again called for."

What Differentiates Linux from Windows?

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The Difference. (Score:4, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @03:19PM (#8534511)
1. Linux does you want. Windows does what Microsoft wants.
2. Unless what you want is to copy and paste between applications, in which case the opposite is true.
Re:Excellent (Score:2, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @03:19PM (#8534515)

Quick.... get Paul Thurott on the horn

Simple Difference... (Score:2, Funny)

by axis-techno-geek ( 70545 ) writes: <.rob. .at. .goshko.ca.> on Thursday March 11, 2004 @03:20PM (#8534530) Homepage

Linux is Good, Windows is Evil. :)

Windows users aren't commies (Score:0, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @03:23PM (#8534576)

Windows users are productive and aren't poor so they can afford it. Linux is made by poor people for poor people and is under the GPL which the Communist Party also uses.

http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/ co mmunist-manifesto/"

Re:Mozilla Crash@? (Score:5, Funny)

by ultrabot ( 200914 ) writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @03:24PM (#8534585)

I know somewhat offtopic... but the article link crashed Moz here for me.. anyone else get that? Ver 1.5

I'll AOL that.

Actually, this is a good opportunity to pinpoint all those Internet Exploder users within the slashdot community and excommunicate them once and for all.

i guess (Score:3, Funny)

by jiffah ( 685832 ) writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @03:25PM (#8534615)

it is that one is inately evil..

Re:The author, Paul Murphy... (Score:5, Funny)

by dupper ( 470576 ) writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @03:26PM (#8534619) Journal

At first, I thought that said The Guide to Unix Defenestration. Of course, I pictured a bunch of pocket protectored Geeks toppling a server rack out of a 6th story window. Heh.
Oh, and for those who don't get this or the parent: ... [reference.com]"

Re:The Difference... (Score:2, Funny)

by Orgazmus ( 761208 ) writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @03:26PM (#8534630)

Well, MicroSoft must have confused that with imperial. 1m of Windows buggyness =~ 1' of linux sweetness

Definition... (OT) (Score:5, Funny)

by Embedded Geek ( 532893 ) writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @03:29PM (#8534682) Homepage

Whenever anyone presents a "definition" that is clearly loaded with bias (regardless of whether I share the bias), it makes me recall an incident with Clint Eastwood (cited here [netfunny.com]):
While he was in New York on location for Bronco Billy (1980), Clint Eastwood agreed to a television interview. His host, somewhat hostile, began by defining a Clint Eastwood picture as a violent, ruthless, lawless, and bloody piece of mayhem, and then asked Eastwood himself to define a Clint Eastwood picture.
"To me," said Eastwood calmly, "what a Clint Eastwood picture is, is one that I'm in."

It's ownership (Score:5, Funny)

by DangerSteel ( 749051 ) writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @03:32PM (#8534714)

Microsoft owns the code to Windows
SCO owns the code to Linux
any questions? /puts on flamesuit/

The Difference... (Score:2, Funny)

by TerminalInsanity ( 720167 ) writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @03:33PM (#8534734) Homepage

What Differentiates Linux from Windows?

One costs 500 bucks so you can use lousey tech support. The other doesnt.

Mod Troll -1 (Score:5, Funny)

by HarveyBirdman ( 627248 ) writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @03:39PM (#8534819) Journal

One has adherents that are noisy, abusive, close-minded, stubborn, silly and the other- oh, wait a minute...

Re:Close... (Score:5, Funny)

by zcat_NZ ( 267672 ) writes: <zcat@wired.net.nz> on Thursday March 11, 2004 @03:40PM (#8534829) Homepage

.. That's what I used to think. Then I tried installing Redhat 9.

"somewhere inside Gnome, there's a small, fast and efficient GUI struggling to get out"

One word (Score:0, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @03:40PM (#8534832)

Clippy.

I rest my case.

Re:Close... (Score:4, Funny)

by Orgazmus ( 761208 ) writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @03:40PM (#8534842)

Ok, you win.
I guess calling Windows an OS here is like cursing in church ;)

Re:The Difference... (Score:4, Funny)

by pi radians ( 170660 ) writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @03:45PM (#8534912)

It's true! I get my lousy tech support for free!

Re:The Difference... (Score:1, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @03:46PM (#8534931)

Like an abcessed molar vs a deep-tissue massage from a pair of Swedish lingerie models.

Re:It's ownership (Score:1, Funny)

by infra ( 95576 ) writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @03:53PM (#8535065)

Microsoft owns the code to Windows

SCO owns the code to Linux

Then, by correlation, Microsoft own Linux.

Simple (Score:3, Funny)

by Fizzlewhiff ( 256410 ) writes: <.moc.liamtoh. .ta. .nonnahsffej.> on Thursday March 11, 2004 @04:23PM (#8535567) Homepage

What Differentiates Linux from Windows?

A license to use code from SCO?

Wel.. (Score:3, Funny)

by cdrudge ( 68377 ) writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @05:11PM (#8536206) Homepage

Lets find out...

% echo "windows" > windows
% echo "linux" > linux
% diff windows linux
1c1
linux
%

Apparently, everything is different between the two. Maybe I'm wrong. I did this on on an OpenServer box, and since SCO owns everything...maybe they are the same.

The Difference (Score:3, Funny)

by beej ( 82035 ) * writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @05:19PM (#8536291) Homepage Journal

"The different is that Linux don't rip your arms out of your sockets when you try to use it... Windows has been known to do that."
"I see your point, sir. I suggest a new strategy R2: let the Clippy win."

Re:Huh? (Score:2, Funny)

by Just Some Guy ( 3352 ) writes: <kirk+slashdot@strauser.com> on Thursday March 11, 2004 @05:28PM (#8536428) Homepage Journal

On the other hand, my ex girlfriend sent me a screensaver she made with photos and video clips on Mac OSX
"Here's me with me new boyfriend."
"Here's us again, having sex."
"Boy, we're rabbits, aren't we?"
"Here's your picture, torn in two."
"Here's me burning the stuffed animal you gave me."
"Here's us having sex again."
...

Re:The author, Paul Murphy... (Score:3, Funny)

by Atmchicago ( 555403 ) writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @05:40PM (#8536565)

Or it could be "The Guide to Eunuch's Defenestration" - imagine a bunch of geeks throwing Eunuchs out the 6th story window. A slightly disturbing image to say the least.

Re:Close... (Score:1, Funny)

by name773 ( 696972 ) writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @06:09PM (#8536918)

I guess calling Windows an OS here is like cursing in church ;)
except in here, ncurses are ok

Windows is obviously much easier to use (Score:2, Funny)

by J-B0nd ( 682712 ) writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @06:13PM (#8536969)

I just set up a windows machine and connected it to my broadband internet connection.

Within the hour I had a fully functional email server running on it, along with VNC capabilities, and was using my bandwith to the fullest.

Of course, I don't remember installing any of it...

Re:The author, Paul Murphy... (Score:2, Funny)

by NanoGator ( 522640 ) writes: on Thursday March 11, 2004 @06:22PM (#8537070) Homepage Journal

"Or it could be "The Guide to Eunuch's Defenestration" - imagine a bunch of geeks throwing Eunuchs out the 6th story window. A slightly disturbing image to say the least. "

Oh dear. Isn't OSX based on Eunuchs?

So? (Score:2, Funny)

by EventHorizon ( 41772 ) writes: on Friday March 12, 2004 @03:38AM (#8540926)

One thing they have in common:

Both are now open source.

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What Differentiates Linux from Windows? 1135

What Differentiates Linux from Windows? More Login

What Differentiates Linux from Windows?

The Difference. (Score:4, Funny)

Re:Excellent (Score:2, Funny)

Simple Difference... (Score:2, Funny)

Windows users aren't commies (Score:0, Funny)

Re:Mozilla Crash@? (Score:5, Funny)

i guess (Score:3, Funny)

Re:The author, Paul Murphy... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:The Difference... (Score:2, Funny)

Definition... (OT) (Score:5, Funny)

It's ownership (Score:5, Funny)

The Difference... (Score:2, Funny)

Mod Troll -1 (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Close... (Score:5, Funny)

One word (Score:0, Funny)

Re:Close... (Score:4, Funny)

Re:The Difference... (Score:4, Funny)

Re:The Difference... (Score:1, Funny)

Re:It's ownership (Score:1, Funny)

Simple (Score:3, Funny)

Wel.. (Score:3, Funny)

The Difference (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Huh? (Score:2, Funny)

Re:The author, Paul Murphy... (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Close... (Score:1, Funny)

Windows is obviously much easier to use (Score:2, Funny)

Re:The author, Paul Murphy... (Score:2, Funny)

So? (Score:2, Funny)

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