Computersight -

While surfing the net, I discovered an interesting video, a spoof of the Mac vs PC ads that Apple has been airing on TV. In this video, Linux comes into the fight, only to be laughed at. Then I thought if Linux was actually a serious contender in the OS war, and if it will ever be taken seriously. Linux has always had a reputation to be hard to use, buggy, and a “geeky” software coder’s OS. But is this all true? Is Linux the whining underdog that stereotypes have made it become? Hopefully, this article will clear some things up.

First of all, a few of my friends have become very mislead by the idea of Linux in general, and I don’t blame them. In itself, Linux is a kernel, but let’s not go into details. Linux is more than one OS, it’s a lot more. What people use is actually called a Linux distribution, or a Linux distro. A distribution is an OS made with the Linux kernel, that’s pretty much all you need to know to become confused. Basically, it’s like a Toyota car. There are many kinds of Toyota’s, like the Tundra, or the Prius. However, although the designs are entirely different, it’s still a Toyota engine underneath. Every Linux distro is different, but underneath, they are all build around the Linux kernel.

You can find information regarding pretty much every distribution on a site called www.distrowatch.com, a nice site which also has a hit counter list displaying which Linux distro’s site is most visited. However- this can be very confusing to the newcomer. My first observation while coming to this site was the the first distro listed on the hit counter. It was Ubuntu. Anyone who has gone online searching for “Operating Systems” on Google has probably stubled upon Ubuntu. Known to fellow Linux users as “The Behemoth,” it’s probably the most loved or hated distro on the planet. If you asked a random person what Linux was, they’d probably respond to it by saying, “Oh, you mean Ubuntu!” But that is not true at all. Ubuntu is just another distro that has gained world-wide popularity. Because of this popularity, many users only compare Ubuntu to Windows Vista and Mac OS 10.5 Leopard. In this article, we are not comparing a single distro, but what all the distros have to offer.

First of all, the main aspect of Linux is the fact that it is practically immune to viruses, malware, spyware, adware, and the like. I’ve known more people that switch to Linux because of the issue of viruses than I have people switch to Macs. Maybe it’s just the advertising that Linux does, “No viruses!” but it seems to be working! Plus one point for Linux! However, Mac users will also argue that they get far less viruses than Windows users. This is true, although Mac computers are also easier to hack. There is no option in the installation of Leopard that allows an encrypted harddrive, which is more important than you think, but in the Ubuntu advanced install, there are numerous options for security. Plus 1/2 a point for Mac users! Now Windows- tsk tsk tsk! This is one thing that Windows users always get annoyed about. Although the advent of a virus checker on Internet Explorer 7 downloads does bring down the virus count down some, even with all the various virus and malware protecters, Windows computers are still the easiest to hack, and to get accidental viruses on. 0 points for Windows…

Mac- 1/2, Linux- 1, Windows- 0

Next up on the list of features- ease of use. This is the only part of Linux that always seems to break it down. Linux tends to be more difficult to use- I don’t disagree with that part. But the paradox is that Linux also has the best documentation, better than Windows and Mac has put together. If you’re smart enough to search your technological woes on Youtube, you will come to the greatest list of search results ever. This is especially true for Ubuntu users. The Ubuntu Forums has a reputation to be the most active forums page ever. If you post a question on the forums, it will be answered within 2 minutes. Trust me- I’ve tried it. Now Windows and Mac- they have no official forums to request help, so if you have a problem, Vista will give you this response- “Windows has not found any solution to this problem.” If you have a Mac, you don’t even get that little useless response- you get squat. Another plus for Linux!

Mac- 1/2, Linux- 1, Windows- 0

The next major feature of operating systems is drivers. The ability to use everyday technology with a computer is huge, especially with the advent of the iPod. Linux does pretty poorly on this section of the test. Windows is the main contender, with Mac trailing behind. Windows has the most drivers ever, just do a quick search on Google for any driver you need, and *poof,* it’s there. Linux barely has any other support for drivers other than posting a request on the forums. For wireless drivers, however, Linux has a tool called NDis Wrapper, which uses Windows drivers to enable your wireless card. Macs have no such thing. On a Mac, you can ONLY use Mac software and equipement. Sorry, that’s all, folks!

Mac- 1/2, Linux- 2, Windows- 1

This is the time that we talk about eye candy. Macs have been known for having the most eye candy, but I have to disagree. I believe the order is such- Linux > Windows > Mac. The newest Mac Leopard operating system has done little to look better, despite the dock. However, Linux has a fancy bit of software called Beryl, or Compiz-Fusion. This makes your desktop look amazing. I’m not just talking about regular amazing, I’m talking about italisized amazing. Take a look at this video, showing EVERYTHING in terms of eye candy you can do with Vista, and then comparing it with Linux.

When you minimize a window in Linux, you can select it to look like fire burns straight down it, or rain to fill it all up. With Vista and a Mac, it just minimizes in an animation. When you use the dock on Linux, when you drag an icon into it, it literally bounces using a physics engine. Linux also has this feature called “multiple desktops,” which Mac has just recently shamelessly copied. It enables you to have more than one “screen” at a time, for example- you could have one screen with Firefox browsing the latest videos on Youtube, and another with iTunes up and running, playing your favorite tunes. You can seamlessly switch between these two “screens.” When you do, a nice cube appears, and spins to your desired “screen.” No such animation for Macs, just a simple screen displaying your “screens.” I think Linux really deserves some points for this- it’s pretty much alone in this field.

Mac- 1/2, Linux- 4, Windows- 2

That pretty much sums everything up! I do believe that Linux is a strong competitor, and many experts say that by 2020, Linux will have taken over Windows. Viva La Linux!