Windows vs. Linux | Comparison between Linux and Windows Operating System

One of the oldest conflicts in the tech world is Windows Vs. Linux, and till now, it’s not clear about the result of the comparison between the Linux and Windows Operating System. Many people claim that Windows is better than Linux, but many have disagreed with it and said Linux is better than Windows. As you can see, it is challenging to make either windows or Linux a winner of the comparison. But there is no wrong in comparing them. As far as I can make a statement, the choice is always subjective, even if you compare Windows and Linux.

Many people think Linux is very difficult to operate and complicated, while people are not aware of its existence. AlthoughWindows is the most famous OS among users. In fact, Windows runs on about 88.87% of personal computers. But windows lags behind Linux OS in many aspects. Windows has great demand due to its user-friendly nature but when talking about security or speed Linux is the winning operating system over Windows. So now discuss which one better according to your usage. There are many reasons to use Windows over Linux and vice versa. With this in mind, we have stated features and provided reasons why they are different. Now it’s up to you to choose which Operating System will be best for you after reading the comparison between the Windows and Linux Operating systems. But before going to actual Linux vs. Windows, we need to first Understand Windows and Linux Operating systems.

What is Windows Operating System?

Microsoft Windows, also known as windows, is a DOS-based licensed operating system. It was first introduced by Microsoft on November 20, 1985, based upon MS-DOS core. Windows was made in order to full fill the demand for Graphical User Interfaces(GUI). Gradually with time, Windows made its place prominent in the market. It has a 90% market share in the world’s PC market.

Windows 1.0 was the first version of OS introduced with the intent of competing with Apple’s operating system. Unfortunately could not become popular as it was not a complete operating system but an extended version of MS-DOS. It did not even allow overlapping windows. Still, Microsoft did not lose hope; they came up with a recent and advanced version and released windows 2.1. It had two different versions of windows/286 and windows/386. The latter had the ability of multitasking DOS programs.

Microsoft did not stop there and came up with a more advanced version of windows, getting better with each new release. Till now, there are more than 10 versions of windows. The order of versions of windows starting with the latest one are Windows 10, Windows8 and 8.1, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows NT, Windows 9X, Windows 3X, Windows 2.0 and 2.1X, and finally Windows 1.0.

Windows is popular among most PC users due to the following reasons:

• It is designed in such a way that anyone can use it with no computer programming knowledge.

• Windows is multilingual, which means you can change the language for both keyboards as well as the interface.

• It provides multiple operating environments.

• The windows operating system is fast and compatible.

What is a LinuxOperating System?

Linux is an open-source operating system and is free. It is based on the Linux kernel, which was first released on September 17, 1991. Linux Operating system is written in C s well as Assembly language. The Linux distribution mainly includes the Linux Kernel and supporting system as well as the libraries. Of all distributions, GNU, a free software foundation, launched Linux in 1992. The cons of Linux are that it is easy to use and provides both programmings as well as a user interface.

Talking about Linux’s history will lead us to its precursor, such as the Unix operating system. Unix is the first version, which was released in 1971 and written in assembly language. Later, changes were made, and the Unix operating system was again rewritten in C programming language. Gradually with updates and rewriting writing finally Linux was formed.Some popular Linux distributions are Ubuntu, Nexus 5X, Linux mint.

Windows Vs. Linux – Comparision between Windows and Linux OS

1. User-friendly

The first point to discuss in Windows vs. Linux is User-friendliness. No doubt Windows has more user-friendly than the Linux operating system that’s why more than 88% of Desktop runs Windows over Linux. The windows main focus is to build an operating system that is best for each user. So if you want to use your desktop for watching movies, playing games then windows is most likely be used.

Linux has its own UI for a different distribution. If we want to compare it with Windows in terms of user-friendliness then Windows is the winner over Linux.

Winner:Windows

2. Installation

One of the best features of Linux is the ability toLive Boot. Linux Boot means a user can boot from a DVD or USB image without installing the distro on their machine. In fact, in this way the user can take an experienceof the distro. After this choose to install or not. So user can check which distribution of Linux is better suited before going to install in your PC.

But in Windows user has to install iton a machine there is no other way.

Winner: Linux

3. Privacy andSecurity

Security is one of the key comparisons if you are going to compare between Linux and Windows OS. Linux maintains the security by giving privileges only toroot.root controls the full administrationof Linux. If a user wants to install, remove the software, or delete a file created by the root user then the user must become the root user.On the other hand, Having Linux saves you from spying. You can entirely rely on the Linux operating system regarding data safety. Moreover, it is tough for hackers to break into your system.

Whereas in Windows there is nothing like a root user. Windows is a big target for virus and malware developers. In windows, extra software like antivirus is required. But Linux doesn’trequire any antivirus.Windows do spy on you as well as keep a watch on you. Moreover, it is usually a common target for hackers as Windows is an overall operating system and a maximum of the population prefer to use it. Thus making it most vulnerable to viruses and malware too.

Winner:Linux

4. Old Hardware

There are some Linux Distros which does not work effectively on old hardware because their desktoprequires a good amount of RAM. But there are many Linuxdistros which very brilliantly on old hardware.

If you are using Windows XP,Vista, 7 pc then maybe your windows 10 will not work properly. In fact, for Windows 10 you must change the old hardware like increasingRAM. This is the winning point in Windows Vs Linux.

Winner:Windows

5. Size and Cost

Most of the Linux Distros are under 2 GB and if you have a normal internet connection then you can choose 700 MB image size in Linux. In fact, some distros have even less size than 700 MB. The best part is every single Linux Distro is FREE. In terms of size and cost, Linux will always be the winner in Linux Vs. Widows comparison.

But Windows has a huge size of 3.9 GB. Upgrading from Windows 7, 8 you require a decent internet connection. Also, Windows is expensive that is why in many countries pirated version of Windows is used. So if you want a free OS then here Linux will be the best-suited OS for you.

Winner: Linux

6. Reliability

Users are frustrateddue to the process which is always running and kept in systemmemory(RAM). Due to this, the system lags. Linux users can easily terminate or kill any program by using the KILL command.

In windows, it takes lots of steps to kill a single process. How many times you see in windows a program hangs. In fact, it takes a number of attempts to stop that program. Sometimes task manager also fails to stop the program. Windows is not much reliable as Linux.

Winner: Linux

7. User

You get 4 types of user accounts in windows, namely Administrator, Standard, Child, Guest.

On the other hand, Linux allows only 3 types of user accounts. They are Administrative, regular, and service.

8. Access

Windows do not let its users access the source code; after all, it is a licensed operating system. Additionally, you can install the Windows operating system on a certain number of computers, depending on the number of licenses you have purchased.

In Linux, the user has access to the source code of the kernel as well as can make changes to the code as per his requirements. Moreover, Linux is an operating system that you can install on any number of devices you want. It even allows reselling after modifying the source code. It is, after all, an open-source operating system.

Winner: Linux

9. File System

The file system in windows is different from that of Linux. Drives such as C: D: store the folder or directories, which again contains the files.

However, in Linux, the file system is different. Everything present is a file regardless of its nature. It does not matter if it is a file or directories or even externally connected hardware.

9. Updates

In Windows update is not possible according to your choice. You will have to wait for the update to be available, and you do not know when it will be available. Moreover, it takes a longer time to update.

Using Linux gives you the privilege of having full control over the updates. You can update the OS anytime you want, and it consumes less time compared to Windows.

Winner: Linux

10. Usability

Windows is easy to use as it is designed in such a way that non-programmer can use it very quickly. However, it takes a longer time to install.

On the other hand, Linux is not as easy as Windows, where usability comes into question. The installation process is complicated but takes less time.

Winner: Windows

11. Variety

Windows has limited customizations, whereas Linux with different distributions such as Ubuntu is available to fulfill different needs.

Windows Vs. Linux: Reasons Why Windows is better than Linux

• Windows have an easy user interface as compared to Linux.

• Installation of windows is simple and doesn’t require to write codes for installing the operating system whereas in Linux installation is not easy with complicated codes to write. It becomes difficult for the non-programmer. Windows is better than Linux in the context of easy and simple installation

• The overall working experience is better in Windows than in Linux.

• Multimedia support in Windows is easier than in Linux. In Linux, you have to download packages and install them for playing the music. This becomes a difficult task for a normal user

• Installing new programs is easy on Windows operating system whereas in Linux you will have to write codes for that too.

Windows Vs. Linux: Reasons why Linux is better than Windows

• Linux is an open-source operating system which means the source code is available for everyone. Anyone has the privilege to make changes and it is free to use.

• In terms of security, Linux is more secured than Windows.

• In Linux installation may not be simple but the pros are it is faster compared to windows

• Linux is more customizable than windows

• Linux is more stable compared to windows. Further, you don’t have to do frequent reboots.

• Unlike the Windows operating system, Linux never collects its user’s data.