Ms Windows Versus Linux

Introduction

Many of today's computer users, operators, programmers and hackers are faced with numerous challenges to maintain an efficient and productive workstation. Everyday a new threat appears in the form of email viruses, spyware, adware, Internet worms or Trojan horse programs, each of which if left unchecked will disrupt the user's work and productivity. Today's savvy computer user wants a system that is stable, easy-to-use, easy on the budget, versatile and resilient to many of the threats facing computers. The Linux Operating System (OS) and the Open Source Software (OSS) that comprise a Linux Distribution, such as RedHat, Fedora Core, SuSe, and Mandrake, fits these requirements. Others would argue that the Microsoft (MS) Windows OS and associated software applications available are a better fit despite these problems.

MS Windows OS versus Linux OS

The MS Windows OS because of its wide-spread use, security model and software development practices is the largest target from these threats. To date there are over 100,000 threats poised against computer systems. (McAfee Virus Information Library, 2005) The bulk of these threats have in the past and the present continue to target the MS Windows OS and its associated applications. Today most of the computer viruses and Trojan horse programs are spread via email messages. The infected system then attempts to contact other interconnected computer systems using the installed email address book typically from MS Outlook or MS Outlook Express. Some viruses continue to spread when infected files are accessed on another computer system. The underlying reason for this continued spread is that the MS Windows OS determines which programs are executable based solely on the filename's extension (e.g. test.bat, test.cmd, test.exe, test.com), with exception of macro viruses. Thereby simply "opening" a file could allow a program to execute. This is compounded when the user has System Administrative rights, which is the default privilege granted for the majority of desktop workstations sold with MS Windows OS pre-installed. The Linux OS uses a different security model that is more secure than the security model used for its MS Windows OS. Program execution on a Linux-based system is determined by the file's attributes or properties and not the filename extension. By default a typical Linux user's rights are restricted and therefore would require being granted System Administrative (Super-User) rights to perform certain operations that would install, modify or even execute system related files or programs. This in affect makes the writing, executing and spreading of viruses much more difficult. Today this translates into fewer than 300 viruses that has the potential to disrupt a Linux workstation versus the thousands, possibly tens of thousands, that can potential disrupt today's MS Windows workstation.

There have been numerous Total Cost of Ownership studies performed comparing Linux-based workstations to MS Windows-based workstations. Some of the studies favor Linux and some favor MS Windows. The real actual cost depends on the end-user's requirements. For instance, a basic Linux-based computer workstation with the ability to create typical business-office documents (i.e. text, spreadsheet and presentation), play multimedia files, access email services and access Internet resources is less expensive than an equivalently configured MS Windows-based workstation. The majority of Linux applications, including the Linux OS, can be downloaded free charge from various Internet sources or for minimal charge from book and magazine stores. OpenOffice is one such application. OpenOffice provides many of the features associated with the MS Office application suite and is compatible with MS Office formatted documents. Accessing Internet using OSS resources is provided by Internet browsers such as FireFox (Mozilla), Opera, Netscape Navigator, Konqueror or Galeon. Accessing email services is typically provided by other OSS applications such as Thunderbird, Opera, or Ximian (Now Novell) Evolution email clients. Refer to http://wiki.linuxquestions.org/wiki/Linux_software_equivalent_to_Windows_software for information on Linux and MS Windows equivalent applications. Many desktop computer manufacturers effectively hide the cost of the MS Windows OS within the overall cost of the workstation. The typical user should expect to pay approximately $500.00 for both MS Windows XP and MS Office XP products from a software distributor.

The Linux OS is also more versatile than the MS Windows OS. The Linux OS can be installed on Intel, Intel-compatible, Sun SPARC and Motorola (Apple) CPU-based platforms. MS Windows is limited to Intel and Intel-compatible computer systems. The MS Windows OS is distributed in Workstation, Server, Advanced Server and Web Server editions. The MS Windows OS Workstation version is distributed in both home and business office editions, which only adds to the confusion. Lastly, each distribution is sold and licensed separately and cannot be intermingled. The primary difference between an end-user or client workstation and a network server, not including hardware differences, is the services provided. A typical client workstation provides applications and services for an individual user, whereas a network server provides services that can be utilized by numerous client workstations. Network services can include firewall capabilities, network authentication, file and print services, database services and website services. A typical Linux Distribution can be installed as either a client workstation or a network server utilizing the same installation medium. Also, the Linux OS and associated OSS can be installed on multiple computer systems from single copy, whereas a MS Windows installation require separate licensed copy for each computer system.

The MS Windows OS provides Graphical User Interface (GUI) that provides an easy-to-user work environment for the user to interact with the underlying computer system. The GUI is menu driven and provides a "point and click" windowing interface to allow a typical user to use and navigate system easily. The Linux OS is normally associated with a command-line interface