Chadius: Linux vs Windows

Crossroads

Well, this is it: Which Operating System (OS) will you put on your next computer? Linux or Windows? Both?

You've been blissfully unaware of any operating system besides Windows. And hey, it works right? Most of the time, anyway. But your friends keep talking about how awesome Linux is. It'll do your dishes, clean up your house, walk your dog and make computing easy. But it never seems that way from your perspective.

That was me waaaay back in 2001 then I went to MIT. Computer Scientists everywhere use Linux. The campus public computers run Unix (close enough to Linux, don't think about it too much.) And well if I'm going to major in Computer Science, I'd better learn.

But I like games, and only Windows gets the big-budget stuff. A conundrum!

I've been installing and reinstalling these OSes since then. So I hope I'm able to tell you as much as I can about these OSes as possible. They both rule and they both suck in their special little ways.

First: Apple?

I know nothing about Apple products. It sounds like they are almost the best of both worlds. Kinda.

You need to pay to play. More than you would for a hardware-exact Windows or Linux copy. But apparently the UI kicks ash and the warranty is SO GOOD. You'll need to keep paying to play, but that's the trick to it.

Why Linux Rules

Anything you want. For Free.

There are a million things in Linux that I can't do in Windows. To be more precise, if it's on Windows, I need to buy it then I need to deal with its implementation/bugs/whatever and if there's a problem with it, the response is "wait 6 months and buy the new version." Linux will have an equivalent tool, for free, that has more features (usually with a worse UI) and is better supported.

There are also deep, specific tools you'll want that only Linux provides. But those tools are very specific and very deep.

Why Linux Sucks

You have to know a LOT of stuff to install and run Linux.

Shocking confession: I can't install Linux on my own. No wait, I did once, but I did it the wrong way and paid for it when I tried to use it as the basis for another install (and is the big reason why I'm writing this article, heh.)

You need to understand what problems your hardware will have. Do you know the difference between i686 and AMD64? (I didn't, whoops!) Can you reliably connect to the internet without requiring a fancy schmany module?

Then we move onto software. Which distribution do you want? Ubuntu, Debian, Gentoo, Red Hat, Fedora? They all have ups and downs. Do you want a graphic interface ala Windows? Or is that overkill and you can survive off of a line prompt? Make sure you have the right use flags on, and choose between 10 products that do the same thing, but slightly different. Do you like Google? It will become your best friend when cryptic error messages emerge on your console.

If you are the type who likes to push the "go" button and expect everything to work without a problem, um...stick with Windows. Of course when Windows fails you're totally screwed, where as on Linux you stand a chance of figuring it out. But only if you're willing to learn.

I need big-budget games

Big-budget games only run on Windows. If you want big games, keep a Windows partition on your hard drive.

There are Windows emulators on Linux, yup. Wine is a basic one that doesn't really do graphics but will run most basic applications.

Then there's Cedega. Cedega, long ago, was based on Wine but it broke off, focused on making PC games compatible, and then charged money for it. If you plan to run one or two games that you never expect to patch, this might be worth it.

You need to pay a subscription to be able to download it. Yeah, their usage model is all wrong. You can pay $15 to be able to download Cedega for 3 months, or you can pay $55 for a year. And you'll pay $5/month thereafter. Once you download it, you can cancel your subscription and share it among your other computers.

City of Heroes: I was able to install this without a problem. Cedega says I should run this in Windows 2000 compatibility mode, I did so and it worked without a hitch. Until August, when CoH added a patch that broke compatibility. I had to switch to Windows 98 mode (Cedega STILL says Win 2K only) and switch to ugly cursors. The forums are full of people complaining about it and no responses from the developers. So Cedega might get nuked by a patch.

Neverwinter Nights 2: For programs that don't need to be patched and aren't connected to the 'net, they usually have some kind of installer to make sure the copy is legit. This installer would freeze Cedega in its tracks. Once again, the forums were a source of much whining with few answers.

In short, Cedega is great IF the game you want is supported AND it's not going to be forcibly patched.

Why Windows Rules

Games.

That's about it. The only reason I crawl back to dual boots is because I want to play some games, and it only runs in Windows.

There are also a few exclusive tools (.NET is a big one, arg) that only run (well) in Windows.

Why Windows Sucks

It costs money.

Any tool you can find on Linux will be cheaper (FREE), better featured, and easier to find. It also tends to nag you less often. Either Linux thinks up a free tool and someone yoinks it and puts a Windows price tag, or:

1. A Windows tool appears.

2. If it's actually useful, Linux gets all the free info it can then builds a tool that produces the same results. Except it's free.

3. It is sometimes ported to Windows, with no advertising so only supergeeks know about it.

Windows

Windows is pretty easy to install, IF everything works. If it doesn't, Windows won't tell you why and will give no real feedback.

Which OS?

Personally I love Windows 2000 the most. It has all the features I need without bloating everything. And frankly, many of the fancy smanchy details in XP or lolVista most people won't learn (or they'd be using Linux.)

Windows 2000

Sadly, Windows 2000 is starting to get out-teched. When I tried installing it, it had no idea what a SATA drive was and recognized my 320G and 160G drives as 131072 MB drives. Try to get a copy of Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 if you can find it. Otherwise...

Windows XP

Well it's more bloated but at this point it's stable, and is less likely to have hardware incompatibilities. Get it.

Windows Vista

• Is SP1 out yet?
• Have graphics card manufacturers figured out Direct X10 yet?

If the answer is yes, then you may consider lolVista.

Otherwise please wait for the early adopters and guinea pigs to give Microsoft adequate testing time before you burn your cash.