# What is an Advantage and Disadvantage for Linux?



## RaulGonzales (Jan 13, 2008)

Hello, I come from Thailand, I am New kid. And I am very bad Language.

What is an Advantage and Disadvantage for Linux?

-	Red Hat Linux
-	SUSE Linux
-	Novell Linux Desktop
-	Mandrake Linux
-	TurboLinux
-	Ubuntu
-	Kernel Linux

All the Linux.

Thank,So much.


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## hal8000 (Dec 23, 2006)

You are quoting linux distributions, all are good choices, however the easiest for a beginner to use is Mandrake (now called Mandriva), PCLinuxOS, Suse and Ubuntu.

Of all choices the Ubuntu and PCLinuxOS forums are the most active so your chances of help may be faster if you decide on either of these.

Advantages of Linux:-
Speed, stability, configurability,
Free from viruses, malware, trojans etc,
Open Source (minimal cost)

Disadvantages:
Harder to learn and use (though some may argue this point)

I'm sure someone can add to the list


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## RaulGonzales (Jan 13, 2008)

Thank you


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## shuuhen (Sep 4, 2004)

hal8000 said:


> Disadvantages:
> Harder to learn and use (though some may argue this point)


To an extent it can be hard to learn, but the more you learn about it the easier it gets. A huge advantage of learning Linux or any other Unix-like OS is that they all have a lot of similarities. Mac OS X, Linux, FreeBSD and many other Unix-like operating systems are so similar that the majority of what command line knowledge applies on one will apply on any other. For many of the OS's, the graphical system is similar or the same as well.

So after learning one, if you move to a different Unix-like OS, you won't be starting at ground zero. You will already have some knowledge about how the programs work, where configuration files are located, etc.

I save my configuration files from all of my Unix-like OS's, since most of them can be used on almost any of the other Unix-like OS's.

Advantages:
- Knowledge of any other Unix-like OS should help
- Linux knowledge should help with any other Unix-like OS
- Best command line environment I've ever used
- Your main limitations will be hardware and knowledge

There are many more, but it would take a long time to get a good list set up.


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## Cellus (Aug 31, 2006)

Just keep in mind that the commands you will be using in a terminal _can very well differ_ between OSes (even distros). This is usually because they use different shells (bash, sh, csh, ksh, etc). One command that may work in bash may not work in csh.


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## cmnorton (Jan 27, 2008)

I have found one of the major advantages to to Linux is mindset that helped build it. Linux is based on tools and a cooperative approach to solving problems. I know that is not the only description, but that description best describes how I use and interact with Linux. 

I find myself solving Windows problems on Linux systems, for example filtering and preparing database inputs, because the tools to perform these tasks are part of the operating system. I do not have to buy them separately. 

We once purchased a backup solution from a well-known vendor. The installation broke the bash shell. We wound up having to patch the vendor's shell script with sed, which comes with Linux. If this had been on the Windows platform, the installation would have been a C/C++ or Visual Basic binary, and we would not have been able to fix the problem as quickly or maybe not at all.

One of the answers you got to this post was excellent, because it indicated Linux is hard to learn and gets easier as you learn more. I concur. 

One word of caution. Enjoy the learning process and be patient. There are problems I have tried to solve and it took a long time, but most were solved in less than a day. When I was able to put the problem down and relax, I found a solution faster than fretting about it.


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## hiflyr91 (Jan 26, 2008)

http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm

That link explains things as well as I've ever seen them explained. I recommend it to everyone that tells me that they're considering a change to GNU/Linux from Windows.


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## janus (Jan 27, 2008)

There is a guy in a yahoo group I follow that have a tagline stating: "Windows? No thanks, I have work to do!" In my opinion that's enough reason to run Linux.

Don't be afraid of the command line. Most people never have to use it. Most things most people do with Windows is as easy to do with Linux, and is done in a very similar way. Most distros use bash nowadays. Most people don't care.

If you choose a Debian based distro, like Ubuntu, you get a very powerful way to find and install new software. Without all the license hassle. Just a few clicks and your new software is downloaded and installed. Magic!

No more blue screen crashes. No registry where programs hide data that make your life difficult in the future.

No more calling the Redmond boys because you have changed your hardware.

But most important, peace of mind!
/Janne


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