Differences between version 7 and predecessor to the previous major change of LinuxIsNotWindows.
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| Newer page: | version 7 | Last edited on Tuesday, November 2, 2004 4:14:39 am | by AristotlePagaltzis | Revert |
| Older page: | version 3 | Last edited on Sunday, November 17, 2002 11:21:28 pm | by PerryLorier | Revert |
@@ -1,22 +1,16 @@
-As noted on GoodDesktopDistributions, every distribution
that exists
only as a
"desktop Linux", simply tries
to be Windows.
-
-!LINUX IS NOT WINDOWS
-
-people take
this idea
and realise that they
are not locked down into simply trying to emulate what
Windows is and does
, they
'll get much further. It
's what makes [MacOSX] so successful.
-
-
+[SelectingADistribution] notes
that a number of LinuxDistribution~s that exist
only as "desktop Linux" do nothing but try
to be [
Windows]
. As soon as you get past
this mentality
and realise that you
are not locked down into simply trying to ape [
Windows]
, you
'll get much further with [Linux]
. That
's what makes [MacOSX] so successful, too
. Important differences between [
Linux]
and [
Windows]:
* Linux is built on the CommandLine and the UnixWay. If you can do something in a graphical program, chances there is a scriptable text mode way of doing the same thing, probably using the same library.
-* You should never have to reboot unless you're replacing your kernel
or changing
hardware.
-* Software won't just stop working for no apparent reason, requiring a reinstall, on Linux
.
+* You should never have to reboot unless you're replacing your [Kernel]
or shutting down the machine to change
hardware. If your hardware supports HotPlug, you can even switch hardware with a running system, un/load the relevant [Kernel] [Module]s, and keep going as if nothing ever happened. Try that on [Windows]
.
+* Software won't just stop working for no apparent reason, requiring a reinstall.
* You (can) know precisely what your computer is doing at every point.
-*#
You can look at a process list and be able to name exactly what all the processes are, what they are doing, what the consequences of shutting them down would be[1
]
-*# you
can look at a file and know what it's used for and what the consequences of changing it would be. Since most files are plain text, you can edit them with any text editor
(and, as with point 1, you can select which text editor to use, vi(1)/emacs(1)/pico(1)/nano(1)/jed(1)/...
-*#
If you really want to know, you can read the source (then wiki about your experiences so everyone else can benefit!)
-* Theres
more than one way to do it. (Although
not all the
ways are sane)
+
* You can look at a process list and be able to name exactly what all the processes are, what they are doing, what the consequences of shutting them down would be, f.ex:
+ * Shutting down cron(8) would mean scheduled tasks would not be actioned.
+ * Shutting down inetd(8) would mean that many network servers would not be available.
+ * etc.
+ For most processes you can just type <tt>man foo</tt> to find out what they're for, much unlike
[Windows
]. Of course, a dumb [Linux] SysAdmin will still lose to a smart [Windows] admin every day -- see sites like http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.htm and http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm.
+
* You
can look at a file and know what it's used for and what the consequences of changing it would be. Since most files are plain text, you can edit them with any TextEditor
(and, as with point 1, you can select which text editor to use, vi(1)/emacs(1)/pico(1)/nano(1)/jed(1)/...
+
* If you really want to know, you can read the source (then wiki about your experiences so everyone else can benefit!)
+* There's
more than one way to do it, though
not all ways are created equal.
* No dependance on a [GUI], The machine is perfectly usable via a [CLI] only.
-* Multiple users can use one machine simultaniously
-
-[1]: for example
-* Shutting down cron(8) would mean scheduled tasks would not be actioned.
-* Shutting down inetd(8) would mean that many network servers would not be available
.
+* Multiple users can use one machine simultaneously
.
