What is Linux? All I know is that it is an OS. But what is so great about it?

I mean Window's is like for gamers, programmers (Visual Studio folks!), and is used by many. (please correct me or add other stuff if I am wrong)

Mac is also used for gaming, some programming, but I hear that it is used for designing, music , and Flash.

But Linux? I really don't know.

Macs are used for gaming?

I see no pressing need to migrate to Linux, although I use it more often than not. I do prefer windows for both programming (Visual Studio, as you say), and gaming- but for general browsing the net, chatting over IRC/IM or listening to music, I prefer some of the software available for Linux systems.

It's also quite satisfying to successfully install and get it running (but frustrating when it doesn't work).

Of the 10 posts by Warlockmish, 5 of them are threads.

edit: 11/6

Linux is great. Its an immensely powerful yet free operating system that lets you do whatever you want (this can be a bad thing if you don't know what you're doing, especially if you know the root password).

distros like debian (which is what I'm using) or kubuntu/ubuntu have large repositories of free software available for every conceivable purpose.

The only real weakness with linux is gaming. Theoretically, linux would be great for gaming if more games were ported to linux by their developers, but the market share would be so small that it's not commercially viable, unfortunately. A windows environment can be emulated to some extent in linux, but not all programs will work under this the way they are supposed to.


If you want to try out linux without altering your hard drive partitions, I suggest knoppix or an ubuntu/kubuntu live cd. (knoppix offers the most software right out of the box, so i prefer that for my live-cd needs)

Can it bake me cookies? Preferrably chocolate chip.

Not at the moment, unfortunately. The drivers for the USB EasyBake Oven are closed source and not well-documented, so no open source alternatives have been written yet.

Linux is a better choice for servers due to it's customizability and stability. There's no huge reason for any desktop user to use it over windows or OSX.

I prefer *nix for programming. I like the command line tools, vi, make, etc. In general, I find it more stable than Windows and a lot more responsive under heavy load. I wouldn't recommend it for gamers though.

*cough*


In the end, it boils down to a matter of preference.

In the end, tofu boils down to a bloated, red husk.

Of course it's a matter of preference.

People who want a bigger e-penis use Linux. Normal people use Windows or OSX.

You have no idea what you're talking about whatsoever.

For what the average computer user does, Linux is exactly the same as either Windows or OSX. Especially OSX. What Linux can't do is the specialty stuff, like gaming. But even Linux is better than OSX for games.

This "e-penis" thing might have been accurate a couple of years ago, but nowadays it's completely false. Have you even used a recent distribution of Linux? Or OSX for that matter? Because what you're saying is pretty damn retarded.

Can I quote it just to piss off the admins?

And I thought I used an unusually high resolution.

My brain laughs but my eyes scream out in pain.

Wow, I don't know how Jon is going to counter that.

You can't. It's too massive for anyone to counter.

Honey I Shrunk The Smiley!

>:(

Linux is the operating of men with small weiners, who desperately wish they had large weiners.

So what distro do you run?

I was mostly joking.


I don't even know enough about distros anymore to know what I'd want to run.

I'm with Jon'C. Anyone that can't learn how to install, navigate, and a few of the basics of Ubuntu in one day, probably couldn't do it in Windows either. It's a bit tougher to install new applications, even with the package manager, but it's getting easier and easier every release.