Linux?

[Citrus_Crow]

Hi,

I am currently running windows and was wondering what the advantages of running linux would be and what i would be able to do with it that i cant with windows.

Thanks.

[jbennet]

depends on what you want to do. Linux doesnt suit some people, for some people it is great

what are your requirements?

[linux]

Windows can play games, Linux really can't (for the most part).

There are free and open source alternatives to most of your Windows applications, and if you're dead set on a Windows application, you can use a nice Linux application called Wine to run it.

As jbennet said, Linux isn't for some people. If you like free stuff, go with it. But if you need a specific application, or hardware support, like MIDI controllers, media devices, etc. etc., Linux isn't the greatest there. However, if you're really against the whole Vista thing (like I am), go with it. It has a bundle of themes and window managers (different graphical environments, so basically very many different looks for your Linux environment) for you to choose between.

Linux is fast, and has daily updates. It is community driven, and bugs are almost always patched immediately after being reported.

If you do go the Linux route, I suggest you go with Ubuntu Linux to start. It's the most like Windows and can give you an easy slope to switch between Windows and Linux.

[jbennet]

Linux is very good for most programming, so long as you arent using the microsoft technologies.

[lio04]

And not forget that Linux is only kernel. :-P

[linux]

Linux is very good for most programming, so long as you arent using the microsoft technologies.

You can use some Microsoft technologies if you use Mono, as long as you don't rely on the Forms API of Windows.

[jbennet]

which is basically the best thing about visual studio...

[linux]

Heh, yeah. The "best" thing.

[jbennet]

Vs is awesome for RAD of GUI apps. Just last week i whipped up an awesome VB.NET app for a shop (EpoS system covering everything apart from cash drawers/credit cards) in under 2 hours.

[linux]

Yeah, but what more can you do besides basic graphical Windows applications? It doesn't even make a native EXE. You need to install the .NET Framework for VB.NET.

I really dislike the whole .NET thing in entirety. I used to like Visual Basic 6 a whole lot, but I left that "language" for Python a while ago.

[jbennet]

It doesn't even make a native EXE. You need to install the .NET Framework for VB.NET.

same for java, python etc.... ;)

visual c++ can do unmanaged code as well as net

[linux]

Oh yeah, good point about Python. I totally forgot about that. Haha.

I never tried Visual C++. I only used gcc and Bloodshed.

[jbennet]

visual c++ is very good at gui apps. Same sort of RAD designer that VB has, just c++ code underneath.

[linux]

However, I only use Linux, so I can't use that properly. I use Gambas or Gambas2 for RAD GUI development under Linux. It's almost VB.

[jbennet]

vb6 yeah, but the .NET ide is really much nicer

[linux]

But it's .NET. Aaaah. I can't stress my disliking for .NET far enough.

[jbennet]

i like .NET, its so powerful

i mean, its not as if VB6 ran on everything. It only runs because MS bundled the VB Runtime with windows . Thats what they are doing with NET now (vista includes it)

Although programs can be compiled into native code executables from version 5 onwards, they still require the presence of runtime libraries of approximately 2 MB in size. This runtime is included by default in Windows 2000 and later, but for earlier versions of Windows it must be distributed together with the executable.

Earlier counterparts of Visual Basic (prior to version 5) compiled the code to P-Code or Pseudo code only. Visual Basic 5 and 6 are able to compile the code to either native or P-Code as the programmer chooses. The P-Code is interpreted by the language runtime, also known as virtual machine, implemented for benefits such as portability and small code. However, it usually slows down the execution by adding an additional layer of interpretation of code by the runtime although small amounts of code and algorithms can be constructed to run faster than the compiled native code. Visual Basic applications require Microsoft Visual Basic runtime MSVBVMxx.DLL, where xx is the relevant version number, either 50 or 60. MSVBVM60.dll comes as standard with Windows in all editions after Windows 98 while MSVBVM50.dll comes with all editions after Windows 95. A Windows 95 machine would however require that which ever dll was needed by the program was included with the installer.

[linux]

I don't like Microsoft products in general. I'm not an anti-Windows/Microsoft person, I just prefer UNIX/Linux/Mac (oddly, yeah, Mac) tools better.

[jbennet]

mac = evil

we have gone so far off track. Lets stop now.

[linux]

Agreed on both of the points in your thread.