Tuesday 27 December 2011

The Basic Similarities of Windows and Linux

Little needs to be said about the competition that prevails between Windows and Linux in the global PC market. Despite the distinctions for which they are preferred by consumers, both of them exhibit many similarities regarding their structure, functions and user interacting modes. Many of these resemblances can be termed as superficial. Before going into the technicalities, a brief introduction about what they are is absolutely necessary.

Microsoft Windows, or more popularly the Windows, is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft to cater to the growing interest of the 80s in graphical user interfaces (GUIs). The growth was rapid and does not need much explanation as the founders rank among the richest people on the planet.  Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal computer market for its user-friendliness and comparative simplicity to existing operating environments. A strong competition arose with the development of Linux, a prominent example of free and open source software collaboration. The factor that made Linux a favorite was that the underlying source code may be used, modified, and distributed—commercially or non-commercially—by anyone. The threats of virus attacks do not arise in the case of this free software while the case is exactly the opposite with the patented Windows software.

To start off with the basic similarities, both operating systems come in many flavors (versions).  Both of them provide a GUI and a command line interface. Though the GUI concept is the same in both cases, it can vary in details from distribution to distribution. A text mode interface is used equally by the Windows and Linux known as a command interpreter and a shell respectively. Linux is cheap for home PCs but not for server uses. The other way happens for Windows.

From the comparisons, it is pretty obvious that the similarities between Windows and Linux are very basic or just superficial. Both display desirable features which are left to the customers to discern and choose.

1 comment:

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