Should i use linux?

I've been using windows all my life and a bit of dos when i was realy small. Not that i'm in university doing computer science i was wondering if i should change to linux.


I've looked at a few distros and tried a few live cds. I like linux but every where i look i get the same reasons why to use linux. So give me one reason i cannot find at http://www.whylinuxisbetter.net/ and i will strat using linux!!!





By the way is there a linux for programmers??? I prefer C/C++

Should i use linux?
Windows people will hate me for saying this, but well being an open source developer and part of linux kernel community I will like to say that linux is far far more advanced system than windows. Maybe 10 years or so windows will reach there, but lets see. For those coming from windows background they have seen linux as a complex system which is underdeveloped and not much useful. Since it's free ppl tend to think it's not of much use. I started with linux and then shifted to windows which of course was a horrible experience. Why?





1. After every few months i had to run this stupid thing called scandisk. After some months had to defrag my hard drive.





2. Well above things had changed I guess, but for whatever reason after 1 year the windows machine became slow and it is considered a good practice to reformat and reload the software. Don't know why?





3. When 3d effects came in linux few years back.....I really enjoyed it...and came to know vista copied the same after so many years and they didn't do it properly. The framebuffer cache is so messed up that vista hangs many times. Vista was my last straw with bad windows world.





4. I had the flexibility to change the internal system code without affecting my applications. You cant expect to run windows 2000 applications in windows xp (sometimes they do out of sheer luck i guess). COM model has been generic stuff based on binary standard (intel based).





5. Linux machine can beat a windows machine in speed anytime. Booting time (which linux is significantly decreasing) has been the coolest thing nowdays. It's like 10 seconds on my normal laptop (2.1 GHz).





6. Sound quality and video is much better. I agree there are problems in configuration, but once you get over it you will learn much about the OS. When you switch on windows only thing mostly people do is start up media player or use word. The basic mentality in linux is of developing something. open source is all about developing stuff not copying not labeling something. yeah that sounds ridiculous when microsoft made claims that open source is copying from them. But since thier source is closed source who the heck they thing they are blaming. You can't copy something you can't see.





7. I can list endless stuff on why linux is good. but anyway if i write down too much you will love windows more and hate linux. But well try it out....once. Initial hurdle is crossed...you will happily erase windows ;).





Animesh Saxena





http://inlovewithlinux.blogspot.com
Reply:If paying for every software doesn't bother you, then stick to windows.
Reply:You are going to learn a lot about programming and debugging just to keep your distro on the bleeding edge.


http://www.mandriva.com/ or http://www.pclinuxos.com/ are ideally suited for begginers (no drivers or complicated configurations required), and you don't even need to install them to try them, just boot from the disk and run them in Live-CD mode.
Reply:Easier to customize, more desktop environments.
Reply:Linux is a real cool OS but unfortunately it doesn't compete yet to windows. Windows has 100% support from everything and you can do 100x the stuff on it then you can on linux.





Going to linux is basically a sacrifice.


There is no point now really. Just stick with XP if you dont like vista.





Also anything you can do in linux you can do in windows.


And linux distros had more exploits in them than vista has had so there not that much more secure, its just that there is less virus's for them cause there are such little users of linux.
Reply:This should generate a bit of buzz... I use Linux. Exclusively? No. Do I like it? Yes! Lot of fun? Yes! The end all and be all? No. The truth is, most all PC users are general consumers, who have no interest in it beyond a tool to enrich their entertainment, communicate with friends, and find trivial data associated with hobbies, and interests. These are the people who could care less why their toaster works, as long as it supplies perfect toast. Linux geeks generally DO care and want to find a way to create a replicator, rather than a toaster! LOL! Linux certainly has grown and for a lot of people it could fill the everyday need to wean away from windows. The truth is most people would still be banging rocks as a means to communicate, had it not been for Windows. Yes, it bites but it does work. I won't use Linux for all my tasks, simply because there are things I don't want to forgo. Not interested in patches for some things. I want my OS to natively perform my tasks. External drives for example. Why would I want to change about 3 terabytes of these over to Fat? Drivers also. I have seen a few probs on that end. Regardless, I STILL find myself using Linux more often, when possible. I wanna know whats under the hood so to speak,and who knows, if I could flash firmware onto that toaster...... Well, even C can't do that....