| Topic |
Linux |
Windows |
| Price |
The majority of
Linux variants are available for free or at a much lower price
than Microsoft Windows. |
Microsoft Windows
can run between $50.00 - $150.00 US dollars per each license
copy. |
| Ease |
Although the
majority Linux variants have improved dramatically in ease of
use, Windows is still much easier to use for new computer
users. |
Microsoft has made
several advancements and changes that have made it a much
easier to use Operating System, and although arguably it may
not be the easiest Operating System, it is still Easier than
Linux. |
| Reliability |
The majority of
Linux variants and versions are notoriously reliable and can
often run for months and years without needing to be
rebooted. |
Although Microsoft
Windows has made great improvements in reliability over the
last few versions of Windows, it still cannot match the
reliability of Linux. |
| Software |
Linux has a large
variety of available software
programs, utilities, and games. However, Windows has a much
larger selection of available software. |
Because of the large
amount of Microsoft Windows users, there is a much larger
selection of available software
programs, utilities, and games for Windows. |
| Software Cost |
Many of the
available software
programs, utilities, and games available on Linux are freeware
and/or open
source. Even such complex programs such as Gimp,
OpenOffice,
StarOffice,
and wine
are available for free or at a low cost. |
Although Windows
does have software
programs, utilities, and games for free, the majority of the
programs will cost anywhere between $20.00 - $200.00+ US
dollars per copy. |
| Hardware |
Linux companies and
hardware
manufacturers have made great advancements in hardware support
for Linux and today Linux will support most hardware devices.
However, many companies still do not offer drivers or support
for their hardware in Linux. |
Because of the
amount of Microsoft Windows users and the broader driver
support, Windows has a much larger support for hardware
devices and a good majority of hardware manufacturers will
support their products in Microsoft Windows. |
| Security |
Linux is and has
always been a very secure Operating System. Although it still
can be attacked when compared to Windows, it much more
secure. |
Although Microsoft
has made great improvements over the years with security on
their Operating System, their Operating System continues to be
the most vulnerable to viruses and other attacks. |
| Open Source |
Many of the Linux
variants and many Linux programs are open source and enable
users to customize or modify the code however they wish to. |
Microsoft Windows is
not open source and the majority of Windows programs are not
open source. |
| Support |
Although it may be
more difficult to find users familiar with all Linux variants,
there are vast amounts of available online documentation and
help, available books, and support available for Linux. |
Microsoft Windows
includes its own help section, has vast amount of available
online documentation and help, as well as books on Each of the
versions of Windows. |
