Re: [tlug] Linux and Windows {2k|Xp|Vista} Comparison

[Scott Robbins <scottro@example.com>]

On Thu, Oct 19, 2006 at 07:15:08PM +0900, stephen@example.com wrote:
> burlingk@example.com writes:
> 
>  > Security:  The report overall is biased on this subject (Which is
>  > understandable.  It is on a BSD site.)  Linux has always been pretty
>  > quick as far as I know to update any security issues that are found.  I
>  > think mostly though that they are indicating not so much a dislike for
>  > the OS, but a feeling that the developer community at the time was a
>  > little less mature.
> 
> It still is.  The number of web sites whose Linux hosts run GUIs is
> way high, and they often sport C compilers etc.  True, the
> professional sites that run Linux are just as good as BSDs in that
> regard these days, and the OpenBSD development model has proved to
> have its own problems in terms of security---"even monkeys fall from
> trees".  However, a 4-core webserver with a 50 Mbit net connection in
> a n00b's hands is still a 4-core webserver with a 50 Mbit net
> connection---a rather attractive target.

This is what FreeBSD calls a bikeshed discussion.  (See www.FreeBSD.org,
go to the FAQ and the miscellaneous section)  It means that people can
take part in the discussion without too much technical knowledge and
much of it is simply opinion.  The discussions can be lots of fun
though.  :)

I think some of it, at least, comes down to the axiom that security and
convenience are mutually exclusive.  Windows is often the most
convenient.   They've made great improvements in the O/S as well. 

Speaking as a FreeBSD person, and more of a dabbler in Linux, I'd say
that perhaps the reason for Stephen's comment is that it still takes a
bit more work to get a BSD box workable than it does most Linux
machines.  

(However, Steve's favorite <ducks and hides> app, webmin, is 
becoming more popular.  I confess there are times when I've considered
installing it, usually when I have a splitting headache and have to
configure something on a new machine.  So Steve, if you've read this,
thank you, my respect for you and your knowledge is one of the factors
that make me refuse to be that lazy.)

Speedwise, there was an interesting thread recently on BSDforums.com
about the relative speed of samba servers.  On identical hardware, one
person found that Linux has become faster.  (Unfortunately, I don't
remember which version of Linux, though I think it was Arch.)  Linux has
definitely matured since 2000.

  


> 
>  > Free Applications:  Linux is still in the lead here..  Maybe BSD,
>  > because of the binary compatibility things mentioned.
> 
> FreeBSD actually is quite good, even without the ABI compatibility
> tools.
> 
As a FreeBSD user and one who likes to be an advocate for it, in
fairness, I have to say that Linux is still much better as a desktop.
At present, I still have to have at least two browsers to be able to
view multi-media, linux-opera for flash and pdfs,  and native, that is
FreeBSD's own version, of firefox for things like quicktime, mp3's and
the like.  

There are more applications for Linux, and it has a wider user base. 

This is gradually improving on the FreeBSD side.  PCBSD, which is sort
of Ubuntu to FreeBSD's Debian, has become popular extremely quickly and
has actually been bought by a commercial company.  The people who make
Win4Linux have just come out with Win4BSD.  It still has major defects
(for example, the recent upgrade to Gnome, which necessitated changing
some program paths, has broken Win4BSD, though I suspect this will be
fixed within a few more days.)

However, at present, Linux, even the less newcomer friendly ones are
still easier to use as a desktop, though many others, as well as myself
successfully use FreeBSD for our everyday desktops.  The same can be
said for Net and Open as well, though Open still takes a bit more work,
and I've yet to get Japanese input working on it.  There is no native
flash, for example, for FreeBSD, it has to use Linux emulation.


-- 

Scott Robbins

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