Any reason to install Linux?

[RCBH928]

Hello,
I run a mac, I lived with Windows before, I know both and I am convinced of my current choice.
But I always wanted to run Linux, out of curiosity . I know linux since the 1999 days. And here were the advantages:

-Linux is free
-Linux is secure and virus free(This was when Trojans lived in every computer)
-Linux has all software for free
-Linux is fast
-LInux can make old hardware run faster and give it a new life
-Windows sucked big time(95,98) , Mac had low support and was behind Windows with its OS 9 software not to mention expensive

Here is the Situation today:
-Linux is free , but so is getting Mac os X with your new computer or I believe Windows on a new computer
-Linux is secure and virus free: Mac is secure and virus free, even Windows is a lot more secure and has a lot less viruses , its not a major issue any more.
-Linux has free software: I do not know who works on this, but god bless them, free software and open source community is bigger than ever. I even have a choice between free software like Open Office and Google Docs, photoshop like software(Gimp), browsers(Chrome, Safari, Firefox), heck even free TV on Hulu and other similar sites.
-Linux runs on old hardware(PCs): Why bother? New hardware is cheap enough any way your old hardware is outdated by the internet faster than you can believe with stuff like HD, videos, Flash. Its a very hectic to run old hardware for your daily work, You might want to shoot yourself in the head using my 2002 iMac(and it even has upgraded RAM).
This will be useful only if you are running a school or an organization with 200 PC's, where buying new computers will cost like $150,000, Then I can see the advantage.

So you see all the advantages of Linux are gone, the contrast between the the different OS'es are gone, and lines are overlapping, even Mac runs Windows now. Windows XP+7 are not that bad any more they are fine. So linux is turning out to be just another option for personal taste or preference .

I am not bashing the OS in any way, I respect linux, It runs the internet as far as I understand and more capable than win+mac , with low price(for corporations and such). But as the average user, can any one tell me why would any one want to switch over to Linux today?

I did run the system before with some failure, but I don't see why I want to make the switch, or simply use it for the fun of it, specially when we include the factor of steep learning difficulty

[Frag Mortuus]

I agree. As an I.T. the only thing I see linux useful for is servers. Linux/Unix is a very powerful OS because the user has complete control of everything down to the Kernel. You can have it do what you want, when you want. The ability to run the whole thing using Command Line gives a leg up in the I.T. world, when your GUI crashes or a major file becomes corrupted being able to manipulate the system at such a low level is priceless.

However, for an average consumer or even an enthusiast Linux serves no purpose. Yes it is free, Yes it is highly customizable, Yes it is extremely low in system requirements, and Yes and will make your system run a little faster because it doesnt have all the crap running in the background like windows. However, you cant run games, you cant use any windows compatible software (which is about 99% of it on the market) unless you use Wine (I think) that allows you to run windows inside of a Linux window, which is buggy as hell and never really works right anyway, and my worst feeling towards it is that you really cant do much with Linux other than word processing and web use. So if that all you need why bother switching in the first place?

[Hatta]

Depends on what you like. I find using the CLI to navigate and move files around easier than point and click. When I use a GUI, I really appreciate having features like virtual desktops. So yeah, while there aren't many great apps that Linux has that Windows doesn't, the workflow under Linux is far more convenient.

However, I don't think it's really fair to say that you can't do much more than word processing and web use. There are thousands of apps available in Debian's repository, and most have nothing to do with either. Want to emulate some games? You can do that under Linux. Want to 3d render a protein from a .PDB file? You can do that under Linux. Want to simulate an electronic circuit, you can do that under Linux. Need to do statistics? Use Gnu R. Need some vector graphics? There's Inkscape. While you can do all that under Windows too, Linux is a lot more fun.

[HoboJoe]

The biggest problem I have with linux (I run a ubuntu server box, but I know a few people who use ubuntu basically 100% of the time) is playing games on it. Yes you can sometimes get games to work by running them in WINE or following guides out there, but it's a pain in the butt and some games just plain won't work.

Basically, if your a big gamer (although I'm gonna say no if your running mac osx) then linux is probably not the way to go. I run Windows 7 100% of the time on my main comp, but on my server box (which is just a 10 year old computer) I use linux.

I see linux more as a server distribution just because I find it easier to get things done on a daily basis on windows. So really, if you want the best of everything you have to split stuff up between operating systems, they all have their own strengths and weaknesses (especially considering how many linux distros there are).

[REPO Man]

So... if Linux is such a hassle, why did the PS3 offer the ability to install it?

And for that matter, was Linux was the ONLY second OS you can install? I mean, could you install Windows? And then, could one install commercially available Windows software, like... oh, say... American McGee's Alice?

[GSZX1337]

I'm not going to debate the usefulness/relevancy/capabilities of Linux since that topic is about as old and as tired as "Mac vs. PC" but I'm going to correct two things I immediately see wrong with this post.

Hello,
Here is the Situation today:
-Linux is free , but so is getting Mac os X with your new computer or I believe Windows on a new computer

You're missing the point behind the free (as in beer) Operating System. You don't have to buy a new compy, you can just download (or request free discs of) the major Linux distributions. If your point was to say that buying a new PC just to install Linux on is pointless, I'd agree with you there.

-Linux is secure and virus free: Mac is secure and virus free, even Windows is a lot more secure and has a lot less viruses , its not a major issue any more.

No OS is virus free. None of them. Not Windows, not Mac OS, not Linux. Hit up Wikipedia and you'll see many viruses for each OS. Hell, Apple is telling it's customers to use Anti-Virus software.

Like I said, Linux isn't immune to viruses/malware, either. There's malware that affects the Linux kernel. Wine's progressed so much that Windows viruses can actually run on Linux.

The appeals is that Linux is more secure than Windows or Mac OS, not that it's invulnerable. When a security hole is found, it's patched up quickly.

The biggest problem I have with linux is playing games on it.

This is my biggest problem, too. I've given up on WINE and only play games that are in the distro's repository or are Linux native (ie. ETQW, UT2K4, Penny Arcade, etc.).

This is pretty much my viewpoint when it comes to Linux:

Linux is great, when it works.

I wish I could remember who gave me that quote. If I ever find him, I'll have to shake his hand.

[quote=REPO Man]So... if Linux is such a hassle, why did the PS3 offer the ability to install it?[/quote]

Not to rain on your parade, but that feature's been taken out.

[RCBH928]

We are not really debating Mac or PC,
I learned now that there are different reasons to co-exist. I am all the way mac fan, but truth is even Macs are not as good as they used to be, a lot of slip ups and awkward software is getting out there like iTunes which seems to be a bloated software some how and earlier iPhones that can't record video. Apple used to release the best stuff, period.

As for Linux, I was just wondering what advantages do you get with it? All its advantages back in the day are no more.
Like Windows you can say games and Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft office(haha explorer is no more needed)
Mac you can say safe,secure, elegant, simpler to use based on personal experience

What can you say about linux?
Free, yes, but you get an OS free on any computer you got , and difficult to learn.
Its really hard to see why you would want a desktop linux.

As a server, I see it being almost the best choice out there(if you can figure it out)

[the7k]

I'm using Ubuntu right now. It's fast and more secure than Windows. That's really the only reason I use it over Windows. If my XP partition didn't run like a sloth, I'd use it more.

As it stands, I only use Windows when I feel like doing some Photoshop work. Getting Photoshop to run in Wine is nothing more than a headache.

When it comes to games, I can't even use WinXP anymore. I used to be able to play Half-Life 2, Audio Surf and a few others on it, but it has actually gotten to the point where all of those become slideshows after about 15 minutes of play, if that. For emulation, Ubuntu actually runs MAME far better than Windows does.

[gtmtnbiker]

As for Linux, I was just wondering what advantages do you get with it? All its advantages back in the day are no more.
Like Windows you can say games and Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft office(haha explorer is no more needed)
Mac you can say safe,secure, elegant, simpler to use based on personal experience

Linux is blazing fast. Software builds much faster on this platform versus any other platform including Windows. Solaris Intel is probably the second fastest.

Lots of free open source software which is handy when you're doing PSP development.

As others have mentioned, it's also great for bringing new life to old hardware. But for non-techie users, I would stick with Windows or Mac.

[noiseredux]

is there a Linux iTunes knockoff? I mean one that can actually sync to an iPod? I cannot stand how sloooooooooow iTunes is. Though I guess there may be a Windows alternative to iTunes as well. I know WMP cannot sync an iPod. Right? (maybe there's a plugin I don't know about?) Ah, sorry to thread-jack...