I feel like starting a fight!

[Ephraim Ben Noach]

Linux vs Windows 8? Which is better and why?

I have Windows 8 and I'm not really digging it ...

[muman613]

I cannot comment because I have never even touched Windows 8...

I liked Linux over Windows 7 but there are some areas where Windows is better, such as gaming. I work mainly as a developer writing code and Linux suits me better for this purpose, and I can develop cross-platform applications on Linux (using emulators and virtual machines)...

The latest Ubuntu 12.04 release has a great GUI but some aspects of it are difficult to use (coming from a Gnome background)...

My company has not even evaluated Win8 yet...

So I cannot compare them...

[briann]

If you really wanted to start a fight, you would ask.... Windows vs Mac... 

[Zelhar]

I haven't tried win8 yet. Well I tried to install the preview release on a virtualbox and it didn't work well enough to play with. My first impression was i didn't like the tile interface and I felt the OS is trying to limit my access to the system.

[angryChineseKahanist]

I've tried win8 beta and surface at the microshaft store.
I think there's a chance both may go the way of windows vista.

the win8 touch screen software is flaky. touch any krApple or android screen, move icons around. now do the same with win 8 touch screen. first thing I noticed is that it loses track of my finger. so moving an icon around may drop it somewhere in between.
or to see it, try opening up a paint program. if you draw a single line, it may break several times.

the soft keyboard. try putting in an address in the address bar of a browser. that's hard enough. try filling out an online form with the soft keyboard. the soft keyboard covers fields so that there's no way to fill some parts of the form.

those big ugly purple rectangular buttons are hideous.

[HiWarp]

I've tried win8 beta and surface at the microshaft store.
I think there's a chance both may go the way of windows vista.

the win8 touch screen software is flaky. touch any krApple or android screen, move icons around. now do the same with win 8 touch screen. first thing I noticed is that it loses track of my finger. so moving an icon around may drop it somewhere in between.
or to see it, try opening up a paint program. if you draw a single line, it may break several times.

the soft keyboard. try putting in an address in the address bar of a browser. that's hard enough. try filling out an online form with the soft keyboard. the soft keyboard covers fields so that there's no way to fill some parts of the form.

those big ugly purple rectangular buttons are hideous.

In my opinion, Microsoft tried to create a multi-function OS by using the one size fits all model. Namely, they wanted to have one OS for touch screen tablets, notebooks, and desktops. What usually happens when you attempt that is instead of creating something that does one thing very well, you create something that does many things badly. In that respect, I believe Microsoft has succeeded.

[Ulli]

I have not tried it yet, but I like it minimalistic. The more graphic the more confusing it becomes. Windows NT was great. I dropped it because of the missing USB support and of other non supported things. Windows 7 is for shure better than Vista. Vista I didn't liked.

[briann]

I have not tried it yet, but I like it minimalistic. The more graphic the more confusing it becomes. Windows NT was great. I dropped it because of the missing USB support and of other non supported things. Windows 7 is for shure better than Vista. Vista I didn't liked.

Yes, Vista has caused me major headaches..... and I can't stand the long loadup time.  Windows 7 is fine for the time being.

[angryChineseKahanist]

In my opinion, Microsoft tried to create a multi-function OS by using the one size fits all model. Namely, they wanted to have one OS for touch screen tablets, notebooks, and desktops. What usually happens when you attempt that is instead of creating something that does one thing very well, you create something that does many things badly. In that respect, I believe Microsoft has succeeded.

yes great job. good going mr ballmer.

[cjd]

In my opinion, Microsoft tried to create a multi-function OS by using the one size fits all model. Namely, they wanted to have one OS for touch screen tablets, notebooks, and desktops. What usually happens when you attempt that is instead of creating something that does one thing very well, you create something that does many things badly. In that respect, I believe Microsoft has succeeded.

Windows 8 is bad enough to do some serious damage to Microsoft's market share of the PC business... The thing is so unworkable that I have heard people say they just walk away from the computer in disgust... The desk top takes a bit of getting use to and Microsoft is constantly trying to get into the computer owners business by asking you to sign up for a Microsoft account and information sharing... I would avoid as much of that as possible because once you start to get into it Microsoft will run you around in circles since whatever they are trying to do there really does not work correctly... Skip it and just download Mozilla Firefox and work from there... For folks who need some of the Microsoft apps may G-d help you and keep you sane.

[angryChineseKahanist]

Windows 8 is bad enough to do some serious damage to Microsoft's market share of the PC business... The thing is so unworkable that I have heard people say they just walk away from the computer in disgust... The desk top takes a bit of getting use to and Microsoft is constantly trying to get into the computer owners business by asking you to sign up for a Microsoft account and information sharing... I would avoid as much of that as possible because once you start to get into it Microsoft will run you around in circles since whatever they are trying to do there really does not work correctly... Skip it and just download Mozilla Firefox and work from there... For folks who need some of the Microsoft apps may G-d help you and keep you sane.

yes i do believe they're shooting themselves in the arse.
i know we're supposed to hate billy gatus, but under his rule, microshaft only improved.

[cjd]

Yes, with windows 8 they are giving the people who buy it the microshaft for sure.

[HiWarp]

yes i do believe they're shooting themselves in the arse.
i know we're supposed to hate billy gatus, but under his rule, microshaft only improved.

That's true, if you leave out Vista. But I guess everyone's entitled to at least one mistake.

[HiWarp]

Windows 8 is bad enough to do some serious damage to Microsoft's market share of the PC business... The thing is so unworkable that I have heard people say they just walk away from the computer in disgust... The desk top takes a bit of getting use to and Microsoft is constantly trying to get into the computer owners business by asking you to sign up for a Microsoft account and information sharing... I would avoid as much of that as possible because once you start to get into it Microsoft will run you around in circles since whatever they are trying to do there really does not work correctly... Skip it and just download Mozilla Firefox and work from there... For folks who need some of the Microsoft apps may G-d help you and keep you sane.

I was in the market for a new notebook a few weeks ago and I simply refused to buy anything with Windows 8. It took me nearly two weeks to find a decent machine with Windows 7. Luckily I was looking for a low end model. If I was looking for a latest and greatest model, I'd probably still be looking.

[cjd]

That's true, if you leave out Vista. But I guess everyone's entitled to at least one mistake.

Vista was nothing like this... It seemed to develop some underlying conflicts that never seem to be correctable and actually got worse with service pack 2 but they were more of an annoyance than something that actually stopped they system from working.

[cjd]

I was in the market for a new notebook a few weeks ago and I simply refused to buy anything with Windows 8. It took me nearly two weeks to find a decent machine with Windows 7. Luckily I was looking for a low end model. If I was looking for a latest and greatest model, I'd probably still be looking.

7 seems like a good system I have a few others here that I use from time to time ranging from the old Me up to 7... They all have their good and bad points... In all honesty the first few months is always the worst when a new OS comes out... Most people however will get use to 8 because it works very much like the touch screens on most cellphones... The only problem I actually see is Microsoft's intrusiveness into the users business... I know someone who just bought an 8 system and got so disgusted with it they wanted to return it to the store for a 7 system... I actually talked them out of it because I felt that things are changing so fast now it is actually kind of counter productive to step back like that... Whatever the issue with 8 is it's not going to go away... They will tweak it a bit and possibly remove the more annoying features but that format is here to stay... I think it's possible to unpin a good part of the unneeded  garbage on the desk top to make the system easier to deal with. Sometimes it just best to move along with the prevailing tide because sooner or later it's going to be unavoidable anyway.

[briann]

Lets talk about browsers... I keep going back and forth between chrome and firefox... they both have their advantages.

[cjd]

Lets talk about browsers... I keep going back and forth between chrome and firefox... they both have their advantages.

I loved the first few editions of Firefox however I find the ones they have now slightly annoying and some of the add on downloads problematic... The early editions were so easy and trouble free they were a pleasure compared to what Microsoft Explorer was offering back then... Chrome is a nice browser however it's tracking features are a big turn off... I was using it for a while however I have since started reusing Firefox and Explorer again.

[The Noachide]

I liked Linux over Windows 7 but there are some areas where Windows is better, such as gaming.

That's changing rapidly.
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/linux_users_come_out_woodwork_latest_steam_hardware_survey2013

[cjd]

That's changing rapidly.
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/linux_users_come_out_woodwork_latest_steam_hardware_survey2013

When they start offering Linux as a factory  option on new systems then I'll see it as a viable option... Right now Linux could be as good as gold but remains on the sidelines... They have been around for quite some time now still however they seem to have been unable to cross  the mainstream threshold that Microsoft has maintained for years now.

[muman613]

When they start offering Linux as a factory  option on new systems then I'll see it as a viable option... Right now Linux could be as good as gold but remains on the sidelines... They have been around for quite some time now still however they seem to have been unable to cross  the mainstream threshold that Microsoft has maintained for years now.

Several manufacturers offer Linux systems, or at least they have, but they usually are not offered in the retail outlets...

http://content.dell.com/us/en/enterprise/linux-solutions.aspx


http://www.techdrivein.com/2010/09/7-providers-of-pre-installed-linux.html

[muman613]

http://techcrunch.com/2012/07/18/dell-gives-linux-laptops-another-chance/

Today Dell announced its official re-entry into the Linux laptop market. Project Sputnik, first announced in May, is graduating from Dell’s internal incubator program into a real product. According to project lead Barton Geroge, Dell will sell a special “developer edition” of its XPS13 Ultrabook starting this fall.

The laptop will come pre-loaded with Ubuntu, a user friendly distribution of the open source operating system Linux (or GNU/Linux to purists). George said the laptop won’t be able to dual boot Windows. But Dell made available an Ubuntu install image customized for the XPS13, so you could buy the Windows version and install Ubuntu yourself if you require dual booting. George says the developer version will be the high end configuration of the XPS13, with 4GB of RAM, an Intel Core i7 processor and a 256GB solid state hard drive. This model currently sells for $1,499, and George says the Linux version will sell for a little bit less than the Windows version.

Dell started offering systems with Linux pre-installed back in 2007, due to popular demand on its online suggestion box IdeaStorm. But the company quietly stopped advertising Ubuntu as an option on its online store sometime in 2010. The Ubuntu option was too confusing to average users. “It wasn’t reaching the right audience,” George explains.

But the demand from power users never really went away. Since the original announcement of Project Sputnik Dell has gathered extensive feedback on IdeaStorm – enough, George says, to justify bringing a Linux laptop back into production. He says that although Dell hasn’t fully decided how to market the new product, it will be more clear to buyers that this is a computer for power users.

Dell won’t be alone in the Linux laptop market. There are several “white box” vendors offering Linux laptops, but no major vendor is selling fully featured (non-netbook) machines with Linux pre-installed. The closest thing is EmperorLinux, which installs Linux on laptops manufactured by major vendors and sells them along with technical support (check out this site for a round-up of Linux laptop vendors).

[briann]

I loved the first few editions of Firefox however I find the ones they have now slightly annoying and some of the add on downloads problematic... The early editions were so easy and trouble free they were a pleasure compared to what Microsoft Explorer was offering back then... Chrome is a nice browser however it's tracking features are a big turn off... I was using it for a while however I have since started reusing Firefox and Explorer again.

I havent touched Explorer... its been such an awful browser... but Ive heard the latest additions are finally on par with 'normal' browsers.

[Rubystars]

I like Internet Explorer because it's what I started browsing with so it's familiar to me. I use other browsers for playing game sites and things though because for some reason they work better, but IE is good for just browsing around. I can't find the URL drop down list on Chrome for some reason but I like the ad block add-on so I use that when I'm watching a livestream so that commercials don't interrupt the show I'm watching except for the actual tv commercials. On the game sites I tend to pick up viruses for some reason if I am using IE because of bad advertisements so the ad block is good to prevent that too.

[Zelhar]

I bumped into this geeky review today, I think he makes a good point.
http://xahlee.info/linux/linux_desktop_pains.html

it's a bit strange. 10 years ago, Mac just works, Windows is annoying but works, and Linux, the new kid on the block under the limelight (Slashdot!), is doing intensive catchup. Rumor has it that Microsoft might be out of business in few years. Now, 10 years has passed. Seems, Mac still just works, Windows is still just annoying but works, and Linux is still just for geeks.

I like Linux very much but I can't in recommend it to 95% of the people. It just doesn't come ready for hustle free use out of the shelf. It may look like it does, but sooner or later you will run into some sort of issue that requires a special solution.

Windows of course is full of troubles too, but Linux is less friendly.