Is Linux better than WinNTs

[Ajay Vijay]

Hey all you gurus!
:) I have always been asserting that Windows NT (NT4,Win2K,WinXP) is must secure, reliable, safe and efficient that Linux counterparts. I am knowing the security policies of both the environments but as per my knowledge that WinNT offers much more than Linux!
Any comments, suggestions!?

[mahanare]

Yes, Linux is some better.
My reasons are
I heard less about virus in linux, windows is explored like anything Even in big companies some times every thing comes to standstill because of some virus.

Flexibility in programming
in windows everything is winded into some dll files and we have to go through the documentation to get function details.
where as in linux as it is open software, we can have all the sourcce code where u can modify and compile and do changes to the operating system.

For network based applications and for servers (ex: web servers etc) it is better to have linux as the OS.

Remember all the standards like TCP/IP telnet rlogin ......... etc are from unix only. Actually windows copied all the good features from other O.Ss.

But programmers may not linux because if every body start using linux then who will pay the money for all the ongoing works in windows.

cheers
mahanare

[Ajay Vijay]

Thanx for reply, but I am not talking about programming standards, open source code or copying of OS standards. I am just asking whether Linux much more reliable, robust and secure than WinNT aside the virus problems as there are more users of Windows than Linux platforms so the virus creaters are more intrested in Win based platforms!

[Ajay Vijay]

Originally posted by mahanare
Yes, Linux is some better.
My reasons are
...
For network based applications and for servers (ex: web servers etc) it is better to have linux as the OS.

I dont think so, the WinNT server (NT4, W2K server, W2k advanced server, W2k Data Center and latest Win Server 2003) hav mush more than any linux counterparts!
remember all the standards like TCP/IP telnet rlogin ......... etc are from unix only. Actually windows copied all the good features from other O.Ss.
We cannot say that standards are copied! What about old MSDOS which shown how to save something as a file on disk.
But programmers may not linux because if every body start using linux then who will pay the money for all the ongoing works in windows.
That's a totally different concept!

[mahanare]

Originally posted by Ajay Vijay
Thanx for reply, but I am not talking about programming standards, open source code or copying of OS standards. I am just asking whether Linux much more reliable, robust and secure than WinNT aside the virus problems as there are more users of Windows than Linux platforms so the virus creaters are more intrested in Win based platforms!


Yes, I understand you ajay.
certainly linux is more robust than windows NT.
only thing is MS is able to generate good market, in this regard linux is lagging.

[mahanare]

Originally posted by Ajay Vijay
I dont think so, the WinNT server (NT4, W2K server, W2k advanced server, W2k Data Center and latest Win Server 2003) hav mush more than any linux counterparts!

We cannot say that standards are copied! What about old MSDOS which shown how to save something as a file on disk.

That's a totally different concept!


see now microsoft may be having all the things u have mentioned.
but linux is robust from the beginning. See if we pour money and ask people to do things what aleady existing but with difference, that is not at all impossible, and that is what MS is doing.

regarding MSDOS, actually what i know is BILL GATES bought DOS from a programmer who actually did it for himself but didn't know the value of it, so Bill took it, did work on it and made it MSDOS.

good thing with bill gates is he is good manager rather than a programmer (sorry this is really a bad statement in my opinion)

cheers
mahanare

[souldog]

Linux is definitely more secure and robust than WinNT.

Even better is FreeBSD

[dimm_coder]

Originally posted by souldog
Linux is definitely more secure and robust than WinNT.

Even better is FreeBSD

yeh, i have heard that FreeBSD developers have been taken much work for guaranted secure possibilities for OS. They spend much time for analyzing source code for possible holes, etc.
As for me, server must has a soft wich provide possibilities to do what it need. This means that server doesn't need any soft possibilities that it not need, because this soft can has a potentional holes in security, etc...

[Ajay Vijay]

Originally posted by souldog
Linux is definitely more secure and robust than WinNT.

Even better is FreeBSD
What's that FreeBSD?
Well, apart from marketing and copying strategies by MS (that I have never heard about); WinNT systems have must more than linux can offer. Here is list: NTFS security, disk quatas, security policies, EFS, multi user login, mobile computing, excellent GUI, user groups, group policies,enomrous device support, protection from crashes, better disk management tools (linux failed to repair bad parts of disk but win did), openness to programmer to control the windows gui components better, hibernation/standby features, ... and let me search more for my next reply.

[mahanare]

Ummm ajay vijay..
The truth is all the features you mentioned are there in linux from the begining only thing was "interface" was a problem i agree but now no more Did you try Mandrake linux or recent redhat linux (8.0) or so.
Then certainly you will be knowing that.
regarding disk quotas, multi user logins.. man.. all this are copied from unix only.. UNIX is the operating system which supports multiusers.
BSD UNIX is a unix version.
therse are so many versions in unix and linux.. my knowledge abt this is limited.
if you have ever used telnet or read about it then u will believe that unix supports multi users at the same time working on it.
Security polices, user access levels... etc are handled properly in linux.. linux file system is robust.

regarding tools, tools on linux are there for everything. but lacking thing is there is no unified work on linux.
I know now except mandrake redhat other linux versions are going to be mingled to "UNITED LINUX".

cheers
mahanare

[dimm_coder]

Ajay , this is enough smily what U 've counted above.
:)

First:
FreeBSD - is a clone of BSD-type Unix system which free aceessible like Linux, because most Unix-es are commercial.

Second:
Most things which U mentioned (and else much more) were using in classical Unix-systems even in 70-80-th years.
Microsoft took many concepts from Unix-systems.
And else, U must know: "Every manager tell about his product
in a bridht light, because he want to sale it" .
In this case U need to read (listen ) a independent specialists
about Microsoft OS's but not from M$.
Like Linus have told: "Do not ask me "Is Linux a good OS?", because it is the same like to ask a catolical kardinal about "Do U beleave in God?" :)

[dimm_coder]

Yeh, Mahanare... U take a truth :)
Just tommorow I've installed new RedHat 9.0 and was even impressed.
It has enough speedly GUI (new X-server ) compared to Mandrake 8.2 I had before it.
Note that current Windows has GUI in a kernel mode, so it gives an advantages in speed.
But even in my not so high speed home computer (Celeron 333 / RAM 320) new Linux GUI works fine (I have more problems with previsious).
So give else a little time and Linux GUI will be exactlly fine (I hope ) :)

[Ajay Vijay]

Well, I was just asserting myself with my knowledge of Win OS and limited skills under unix counterparts. For me, Win always be better than anything else (no arguments please). Well, about copying, what abt GUI features under linux platforms available nowadays?
Well, that's related with science behaviours; as knowledge gained by one is shared by all (just like many of the inventions) and we cannot say that TCP/IP is copied from unix and GUI is copied from Windows.
All in all, once your mind is stretched with an idea it will never gain its other dimension.
For me Win is fine!

[mahanare]

Hi, I am happy to learn abt it.
Yeh, Mahanare... U take a truth

if RAM is sufficient then in the same desktop we can have more than one user sessions. might be by pressing (Ctrl+alt +f1,Ctrl+atl+f2 etc)
But abnormal shutdowns used to give problems to X-server as i know (i worked 1/2 a year back on linux) AT that time I used to modify the x-server configuration files etc to get back the user interface.
Howz the condition now? Did you try that, let me know the fact as early as possible.
If anything special to be mentioned about the linux version you have pls do inform us.

cheers
mahanare

[mahanare]

Originally posted by Ajay Vijay
Well, I was just asserting myself with my knowledge of Win OS and limited skills under unix counterparts. For me, Win always be better than anything else (no arguments please). Well, about copying, what abt GUI features under linux platforms available nowadays?
Well, that's related with science behaviours; as knowledge gained by one is shared by all (just like many of the inventions) and we cannot say that TCP/IP is copied from unix and GUI is copied from Windows.
All in all, once your mind is stretched with an idea it will never gain its other dimension.
For me Win is fine!


well, no arguments.. it is just sharing of views and knowledge.
regarding the GUI features... See windows has copied it from APPLE what do you say about it?
I still stick to my previous decision about BillGates he is good marketer.

regarding the GUI, did you know the implementation is 100% different and X-server way of working.
It is actually a good stanadard for GUIs,
You have seen only few desktop environments which are similar to the windows.
But Ajay there are so many desktop environments available and if you try all certainly you may change your view(to say linux is not that bad)

cheers
mahanare

[dimm_coder]

Sometimes I had such problem with switching consoles too, but I donot test it for a new version (it was only tommorow :) ).
First thing I want to test in a new version is a new implementation of posix threads (pthread library). Old pthread have enough problems (but indeed it enough powerfull compare to threads in other systems). Now from a long work have done and we have a new powerfull pthread (like it was reported). On RedHat site there are some features about new system (new kernel features, etc ). I have my own enough big multiprocess/multithreaded program and I want to compare (after rebulding it with a new libs) a performance for new and old systems.
Else there are enough info about internal Linux/Unix/Win features in IBM site and in comparence.
___________
btw: after I take more deep view in a new RedHat system I can of course post my thoughts about it somewhere.

Also it can be a good idea to have a special Linux forum on
Codeguru (because we have a "C++ and Win32API", "Win system" forums, but for Linux/Unix donot have),. May be some later I will try to give this idea to one of moderators (may be Andreas or Gabrial), may be they can help with this.