-
After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.
Windows or Linux?
- Thread starter palmtree5
- Start date
NYCHitman1
Gun for Hire
Personally, I have no favorite. I use Windows for gaming and to do my school work and Linux to work on Android projects. Both have their perks, but it's up to the end user to decide which is better for him/her.
jefboyardee
Extreme Android User
I'm trying... I have W7HP in a 200GB partition, Linux Mint Cinnamon and Ubuntu in 15GBs. Windows is where I do everything. I occasionally try to make the Linuxes behave the way I want... in other words, like Windows 7. Mint comes closest, Ubuntu has no chance and might be replaced by...
[edit] ...ditched Ubuntu and tried Netrunner again. It actually does seem like a good Ubuesque distro, but it gagged trying to install updates. So now it's a vacant partition, awaiting your clever suggestion.
[edit] ...ditched Ubuntu and tried Netrunner again. It actually does seem like a good Ubuesque distro, but it gagged trying to install updates. So now it's a vacant partition, awaiting your clever suggestion.
iowabowtech
root@android:/ #
In a word...Linux. I did blow the dust off my Win7 to fire up Turbo Tax awhile back. I keep it around, not a hater so much as I like the UI of KDE, the better interoperability with Android and less chance of running into dragons on the interwebz. Plus, the system of permissions and filesystem structure just make more sense to me. Probably because I get a double dose of it from Android and Linux proper.
jefboyardee
Extreme Android User
I wish I could download an ISO of the Google/Android OS for Windows, but I ain't seen such a beast.
There's Android for x86 PC, but it's not from Google.
Android-x86 - Porting Android to x86
It's very much alpha/beta and not really intended for end-users yet. I think Google would prefer it if people bought their Chromebook laptops. Android all-in-one computers and laptops all come from China AFAIK, where we just don't see much of anything Google.
SiempreTuna
Android Expert
D'you know, I think we've had this discussion before 
I'm voting Windows. I have nothing against Linux - or indeed, any flavour of Unix - but not on a desktop .. yet.
The problem I have is that there's still too much stuff that simply doesn't have a Linux (or Mac or Chrome) client. The situation is improving, though largely because clients are migrating to the web technologies rather than other O/Ss. The increased prevalence of virtual desktops also helps, but we're still not quite there. Maybe in 3 or 4 years time. By which time it'll be completely irrelevant as we'll all be using tablets
Every time I've bought a new laptop, I've promise myself I'd put some version of Linux on the old one. Somehow I never get around to it. Clearly, the primary reason is that I'm bone lazy, but what encourages the laziness is the fact that, y'know what, windows is fine.
I'm voting Windows. I have nothing against Linux - or indeed, any flavour of Unix - but not on a desktop .. yet.
The problem I have is that there's still too much stuff that simply doesn't have a Linux (or Mac or Chrome) client. The situation is improving, though largely because clients are migrating to the web technologies rather than other O/Ss. The increased prevalence of virtual desktops also helps, but we're still not quite there. Maybe in 3 or 4 years time. By which time it'll be completely irrelevant as we'll all be using tablets
Every time I've bought a new laptop, I've promise myself I'd put some version of Linux on the old one. Somehow I never get around to it. Clearly, the primary reason is that I'm bone lazy, but what encourages the laziness is the fact that, y'know what, windows is fine.
jefboyardee
Extreme Android User
On a complete stranger's suggestion, I just installed SolydX in that hole. Very clean machine, sorta like a Mint XFCE. Also tried a few others that were too awful to mention.
SolydX is a Debian based distribution with the Xfce desktop. It intends to be as light-weight as possible without giving up any of the expected functionality.
saptech
Android Expert
It looks promising. I read about it awhiile ago. Only thing about some of these newer distros, how long will they stick around. Alot of them come & go, that is why I decided to use one of those that's been around for the longest. But I do try some of the newer one's also.
jefboyardee
Extreme Android User
But it had to go for a few reasons...
It could never figure out where I was, which changed my internet time.
Trying to get Mint to act like W7, then Solyd like Mint... insanity.
Mint Petra has held title as the Linux standard bearer, for me at least.
argedion
The TechnoFrog
Each person has their own idea of how an Operating System should look, feel, act, and work. I like my Operating System and the way I have it set up. I use OpenSuse with KDE desktop. I have it set up nothing like a Windows machine. I have access to free apps that do everything I personally need them to do. Other people have other needs and uses. That for me is the great thing about having alternatives.
jefboyardee
Extreme Android User
Too true. As I've said, content with twenty years of Windows, I don't even need a distro, just poking around out of incurable curiosity. So I naturally look for something that can be tailored to replicate my Windows experience. If that wasn't the case, I'd probably be all over Ubuntu, since it apparently just tries to be different.
Anyway, I just tried Peppermint Four... works pretty well but I think I'm about to give up trying to find something better than Mint Petra. And I may never learn why I would dump Windows for any of them.
Yeh twenty years of Windows, and then Mr. Gates says, "Sorry mate you gotta learn something we think is new and improved.". Won't be able to buy Windows 7 forever, eventually it'll be like XP, discontinued and unsupported.
Even MS Office seems to have gone to a subscription, cloud based model. Where you pay a rental instead of licensing it outright. And read something about "Windows with Bing", which probably means we share everything you do with our partners, and it has ads. In China they're quite used to using Windows with advertisements.
BTW I had 23 years of Windows to be precise. But have never really forgiven them for discontinuing Flight Sim.
jefboyardee
Extreme Android User
There is that. Maybe by then Ill have come to prefer Linux, but I don't see that happening at this point.
nickdalzell
Extreme Android User
If Linux can ever get over the gaming deficiency (only less than 1/8 my Steam library is compatible---Mac OS X has more support) i'd love to use it full time. it's decent on every other front EXCEPT gaming. Portal 2 won't work, Flight simulators are nada or half-working, forget any well-known games. i like Linux but it's only doable for everyday stuff, and i'm a gamer. i suppose i could squeeze most of the games onto my old Xbox 360, some of the games in my collection are compatible, but would i really want to give up the PC advantages? such as anti-aliasing?
EDIT: Portal 2 is now compatible with linux...nice one Valve!
EDIT: Portal 2 is now compatible with linux...nice one Valve!
nickdalzell
Extreme Android User
i just stepped back into Linux on a spare laptop lying around, and am using OpenSUSE and honestly love it far more than my last time, where i was in Ubuntu land. i am not sure why it's so popular, i can't stand how Ubuntu tries so hard to protect the user from themselves. a bit of a nanny. most of what i remember easily accomplishing in Linux was either impossible in Ubuntu or took twice as long as it should to do. OpenSUSE's use of a polished KDE desktop and the use of organic greens everywhere gives me the same organic, comfortable feeling i get from Samsung TouchWiz. gives me that consistency i prefer as well as not being a waste of my time. Steam was easy to download and get going, and one of the worst challenges i faced even in Ubuntu, Adobe Flash Player, was done in one minute via YAST.