Linux or Windows: Which is better for you?
Microsoft’s Windows is currently the most popular Operating System in the market with over 70% of the market share. Its’s excellent GUI(Graphic User Interface), convenience, and high utility make it very easy to use. Still, we are sure that you might have heard that many coders and software developers suggest that Linux is a more suitable Operating System when comes to coding.
So now, which one is better for you? Should you opt for the good old Windows or get your hands on Linux? Well, the answer to that question really depends on what your requirements are. For some users, Windows is better while for some Linux may come in more handy. But first, let’s first understand the surface level differences between working of Linux and Windows.
Microsoft vs Linux
Windows is Microsoft’s licensed Operating System software. While it provides its user with immense convenience, the easy to use Graphic User Interface(GUI) makes it quite comfortable even for people who have no knowledge about how a computer works. Since the OS handles most of the tasks, there is a limited scope of how you can personalize and enhance your system or your code’s performance.
Linux on the other hand is based on Unix standards. It is an Open Source software which means it’s source code is easily available. Linux has a Monolithic Kernel which grants the users a lot of permissions and authorizations which otherwise are not possible in the Windows OS.
Now that you have an overview of both Linux and Windows Operating Systems, lets analyze how both of them differ from each other, so that you know which one best suits your requirements.
Is Linux better for coders?
Kernel: Kernel is a micro-program that runs continuously on your system. While Windows uses a Microlithic Kernel which provides its users with convenience but less authorizations, Linux on the other hand uses a Monolithic kernel which means Linux users are more in control of their system’s resource allocations.
Security: While one might think that since Microsoft is such a popular OS, it is more secure than Linux OS. Surprisingly enough, its quite the opposite. The reason why Linux is more secure than Windows is because its source code is available openly to millions of users who continuously work on improving its source code to secure it from new viruses and malwares.
Compatibility: Well, this is where Microsoft bags the advantage of its large market share. Almost every type of application software for all sorts of utilities is compatible with the Microsoft OS. On the other hand, Linux OS is still struggling with compatibility.
Source Code: This is one of the major differences between both the Operating Systems. The Source Code of Linux Operating System is openly available to anyone which means there is an active community of millions of developers who work constantly on enhancing the security, performance and fixing bugs whereas when it comes to Windows, only a few authorized people have access to the Source Code.
Gaming: For users who are looking for an immersive gaming experience with an interactive UI(User Interface), smooth working and other rich gaming facilities, without any doubt, Windows should be your pick. The Linux OS is compatible with very few games and even platforms like Steam enable Linux users to access only the Beta versions of their Window counterparts.
These were just a few differences between the Windows and Linux Operating Systems. Assessing these differences carefully, we can easily come to a realization that while Windows is particularly aimed to provide its users the convenience element of using a computer system (which, explains why it is so widely popular), the Linux OS is more towards granting its users as much control of their system as possible (which explains why it is favored by coders and programmers).
The eventual decision of using either a Windows OS or Linux OS could be really subjective to one’s requirements and therefore often enough, it bugs out new coders more than it should. Our suggestion? Well, you can always go for Dual Booting!
Dual Booting is the process of using more than one operating systems on the same device. Usually a when a Windows user decides to make a switch to Linux Operating System (or vice versa), they need to uninstall their existing Operating System and install a new one. This process is unnecessarily tedious and tiresome. An escape route to this process is Dual Booting your system by which you can switch to any of the operating systems that suit your requirements anytime you start your device. However, it may end up consuming more disk space but for most users, this process can be a life saver!
We hope this article brought you some insight about the pros and cons of both Windows and Linux Operating Systems. Now that you are well versed in their utilities, you can easily decide which one inclines to your requirements the most.
Keep Learning!
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