Why linux?

[dmaan]

Why should I use linux when I am doing well in windows.? Why should I hate windows as they are the most widely available.?

[dalek]

Question one:  If you want a rented OS, use windoze.  If you want a OS that is controlled by somebody else then go ahead, use windoze.  If you want a OS that you control and that you can customize to the limit of your ability, use Linux.  If you don't like Linux, use windoze.

Question two:  That one almost answers itself.  Viruses.  Almost 90% of viruses and trojans etc are for windoze.  Of those that are for Linux, very very few are sucessful.  A well setup Linux system is very hard to break into, not impossible, just hard to do.

I watched everybody scramble during the last virus.  Ringing their hands on if they would make it through or not.  I had to go show them how to reduce the risk of the virus and tell them not to open e-mail attachments.  While I was there, I forwarded myself one of those viruses just to see it.  No problems here.

I have a question or two for you.  You ever heard of a Mac user getting hit by a virus? Linux?  Do you like the stability of windoze?  I have heard and read about Linux systems running for months even years without a reboot.  Do that with windoze 98, 2000 or dream about with Melinium.  You can install the vast majority of software without a reboot.  You can't sneeze in windoze without rebooting.

What do you think now?  I'm not going to tell you to switch.  That is your decision to make.  I LOVE Linux.  I hate windoze and what M$ does to other companies that compete.  I'm not saying that M$ should shut down but they should change the practices they use.

Hope you have something to think about.

Later

       

[indigo]

I hate windoze and what M$ does to other companies that compete

Well that is not a good manner. After all it is M$ who has brought the use of computer at home almost every where.
But you are right that  LInux is so customizable..
That's Why I Too Say

I LOVE LINUX

[Anonymous]

"Well that is not a good manner."  Well I bet if you were to start a business to have M$ come and tell you to sell or else, you would probably see that differently.  They did that to a lot of people.  Remember the lawsuit?

Yes M$ did a lot for computers.  I had a job for a while that kept us real busy.  We were re-installing windoze after the big crash and restoring the data that was not lost.  That happened a lot.

What did they do again that was so good?  Should have waited on Linux.  Fewer bugs spreading around.

       

Mod edit:  This was my post and it said guest.  Strange.

[neo]

man if u like windoze then go ahead with it.
u will
1 get viruses as all the viruses are made for windoze
2 it will HANG all the time
3 It is not customizable
4 It is not as secure as linux
5 last U WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR IT

[catchercradle]

Interesting, Newer distros like mandrake 9.x are easier to set up than any of the current M$ offerings. - Just one reboot @ the end. All my hardware recognised and supported first time - no need to use manufacturers driver disks. Most importantly secure if set up well! Many distros do not set themselves up very securely as default. At the very least set up a firewall. Also get a virus scanner! If more of us including corporates turn to linux more viruses will be written to exploit security issues in linux. - The one problem with open source code is that the virus writers have a head start compared with those writing for doze.
If we all make our systems as secure as possible though the virus writers will stick to Doze because it just has more holes in it. (broken windoze)

[luvr]

If more of us including corporates turn to linux more viruses will be written to exploit security issues in linux.

I absolutely agree - This is something that many Linux advocates apparently do not want to be told. One of the reasons why virus writers prefer targetting Windows, is that it is so widespread (and, of course, the virtually nonexistent security in Windows makes it ever so much more attractive, because it greatly helps virusses spread).
In fact, the virus writer known as "Gigabyte" claims to have written a virus in Tcl - one of the typical scripting languages in use under Linux. Don't know how much of a virus is really is, but she publishes the code on her website (http://coderz.net/gigabyte), so your can check for yourself - at least if you know enough of Tcl to understand the code.
So, don't fool yourself: As Linux popularity grows, writing virusses for it will become more and more attractive. And, if Linux really turns out to be so secure as it is touted to be, then there will inevitably be those virus writers for whom circumventing the security is just that much greater a challenge.

[anti_microsoft]

Yes you are right the more it gets used the more virus that will be writted for it. The thing is that linux is more complex then windows. In windows a virus is pretty easy to make execute, but in linux its not that easy. A normal user would not be able to install a virus that would effect the whole system and even to execute a virus in linux one would have to install it and go throught the steps. The only person that would be able to install the virus to have system wide access is root and we all know to run as root is pretty dumb to begin with. The only way I could see a virus working is to inbed it somehow in a program but even then I don't believe we would see the effect it has on windows, ie the blaster worm or something would not get that big with linux if it even got slightly off the ground.

[Deepthi]

what structure of linux makes it difficult for virus creators to create one for linux?

while windows is not open source.........should it be not difficult for a person to write a virus for windows than linux as linux is open source...............giving us idea of how we can actually create a virus............

i hope i have made it clear......

[dalek]

Linux is more secure from the start.  If you don't run as root, the chance of a person getting in and causing your system harm is pretty small.  If you run a website, make sure you have a strong password.  A good password looks something like this:  Q7a2W$@21iKn60H25=  That is a good password.  No dictonary word and it uses a lot of random stuff.  The chances of someone breaking that is pretty small.  Can always make it longer too.  There are ways to insure that it can't be automated.  Timeouts after a try, disabled after a certain number of tries, etc.

I'm not going to say that it can not be done, but if configured correctly, it is very difficult.

Usually if Linux is broke in on it only affects the user that is infected.  Delete that user and the directory, then add them back.  All done.

Make sense?

       

[Ricky]

Hi.. guys. its good to give ur view but it is not good to post one thing two times..!!
So please don't post double..

Regards..
Ricky

[dalek]

I think my Mozilla is having problems or something.  I ran into this with the PMs too.  I hit the button, it don't appear to do anything.  I wait a while then hit it again.  Only does it here though.

A moderator double posts.  At least I can delete though.  

Sorry

Later

       

[narsingh]

On the security issue:
A month back I was attending a seminar in Delhi on Communication security. A security expert from a top Communication company was demonstrating as to how easy it is to create virus and compromise the systems in a network. He gave examples of the kind of tools that are available on the Net, which makes  hackers out of novices. Well his key point was "how to become a hacker in 5 minutes." I will not go into details of what he did. But all the demo pertained to Windows network. He even demonstrated one such tool in live action. What interested me was a remark of his - he said, in this process, you are lucky if your computer crashes or reboots while the viral software is trying to access your computer. I thought, may be that is the redeeming feature of Windows. It crashes so much, but you should be thankful to Big Bill instead. "There is a silver lining in the darkest of clouds."

-- narsingh

[spoody_goon]

One word CHOICE. Windows is a find OS but if your have no competition they will do what ever the please... thats bad for you and me

[Ricky]

spoody> i think you were trying to say FINE ? ok

Ya if we don't have competetion then we can't do our best. But I don't understand how M$ can understand in front for millions of developer around the world of linux with his few thousand (may be hundreds) worker (developer though).