Thread: Reasons to use Linux

I'm trying to be objective, here....

Originally Posted by Rakjavik

I can see no reason for a typical home user to switch to linux. In fact the only benefit I can see is that Linux is immune to 99.9 percent of viruses.

Not the only valid reason,
but certainly the most prominent for the average home user

Other reasons include system stability and software freedom

now, having a stable system & having the most cutting edge software are two opposing forces
Oddly enough, Windows XP & major desktop Linux distros have swapped sides

Ubuntu, is updated every 6 months
with a Long Term release every 2 years
it's fast moving, and loaded with the latest & greatest software

Past Ubuntu releases have been very stable
however, I do feel they put their toe over the line of stability with 8.04
not a particular problem, but out-the-box stability wasn't up to par with previous releases

However the minor issues were corrected over the first few weeks of release, and since then it's been business as usual

On the other hand, Windows XP is old - in software terms, seriously old
Debain stable (known for it's extensive testing and slow release cycle) has had 3 stable releases since XP was released

Software & drivers have matured enough that there are virtually no show-stopping bugs in XP today
In my opinion, XP has been pretty rock solid for nigh on 3 years

Plus, it's old enough (7 years old) that cheap hardware have no issues running it - and running on yester-year's hardware is hugely important for your average home user

but there's no getting away from it
XP is being killed off

I see absolutely no point having an XP vs. Ubuntu stand-off at this time
as your average home user cannot buy XP anymore

If you want to compare Windows & other OS's,
compare Vista to Ubuntu to OpenSuse to OS X Leopard

XP has no place here. It's now a product of the past

Originally Posted by Rakjavik

it took me 3 hours to figure out how to get my Nvidia card working correctly in Ubuntu.

well....
I obviously don't know the details
but I find that extraordinary
3 hours doing what, exactly?
anyway...

Originally Posted by Rakjavik

As far as a typical desktop user, I can't see a reason not to use windows.

If someone wants to use a particular OS, let them
it's about choice