Difference between Linux and Windows Operating

System

Linux is an open source operating system where users can access the source code
and can improve the code using the system.

On the other hand, in Windows, users can not access source code, and it is a
licensed OS.

Content:
Linux Vs Windows Operating System

 Comparison Chart
 Definition
 Key Differences
 Conclusion
 Comparison Chart

BASISFOR
COMPARISON LINUX WINDOWS

Cost Free of cost Expensive

Open source Yes No

Customizable Yes No

Security More secure Vulnerable to viruses and

malware attacks.

Booting Either primary or logical Only primary partition.

partition.

Separation-of-the Forward slash Back slash

directories using

File-names Case sensitive Case insensitive

File system EXT2, EXT3, EXT4, Reisers FAT, FAT32, NTFS and
FS, XFS and JFS ReFS
BASISFOR
COMPARISON LINUX WINDOWS

Type of kernel used Monolithic-kernel Microkernel

Efficiency Effective running efficiency Lower than Linux

Definition of Linux

“Linux is a free and open source operating system based on Unix standards. It
provides programming interface as well as user interface compatible with Unix
based systems and provides large variety applications. A Linux system also
contains many separately developed elements, resulting in Unix system which is
fully compatible and free from proprietary code.”

The traditional monolithic kernel is employed in Linux kernel for performance purpose, but
its modular feature allows most drivers to dynamically loaded and unloaded at runtime. Linux
protects processes and is a multiuser system. Inter process communication is supported by both
of mechanisms such as message queue, shared memory and semaphore.

An abstract layer is used in Linux to govern the different file systems, but to users, the file
system looks like a hierarchical directory tree. It also supports networked, device-oriented
and virtual file systems. Disk storage is accessed through a page cache which is unified with the
virtual memory systems. To minimize the duplication of shared data among different processes
the memory management system uses page sharing and copy-on-write.
 Ubuntu 17.10 is the latest release of linux family operating system. The
default user interface of the given version is GNOME, Ubuntu Unity (in
older versions).

Definition of Windows

“Windows is a licensed operating system in which source code is inaccessible. It is

designed for the individuals with the perspective of having no computer
programming knowledge and for business and other commercial users. It is very
simple and straightforward to use.”

 Windows is extensible, portable and assists multiple operating environments, symmetric

multiprocessing and client-server computing. It offers integrated caching, virtual
memory, and preemptive scheduling.

Windows 10 (1709) is the latest release of Microsoft Windows operating

system. Its default user interface is Windows shell (Graphical). It
uses hybrid kernel in older versions micro kernel is mostly used.

Key Differences Between Linux and Windows Operating

System
 Linux is free and open source operating system whereas Windows is a commercial
operating system whose source code is inaccessible.
 Windows is not customizable as against Linux is customizable and a user can modify the
code and can change its the look and feel.
 Linux provides high security than windows because Linux is open source.
 Windows must boot from the primary partition. In contrast, there is no such constraint in
Linux it can be booted from either primary or logical partition.
 The separation of the directories is done using a backslash in windows. On the contrary,
in Linux, these are separated by using forward slash.
 In Linux, file names are case sensitive while windows file name are case-insensitive.
  Linux uses the monolithic kernel which consumes more running space whereas Windows
uses the micro kernel which takes less space but system running efficiency is lower than
Linux.

Conclusion
Linux and Windows both Operating systems have their advantages and disadvantages. Windows
is simple to use but is not a free and open source OS, whereas Linux is free, open source,
customizable and secure but kind of complex for the users having no programming background.
Linux is more reliable than windows.

If you are not a power user, it might seem that “Windows” OS is a better (or easier) choice
when compared to Linux. In either case, if you are not enjoying using a Linux distro then
Windows would be your obvious choice.

However, in reality, we tend to experience something different, which lets us jump to the
conclusion where Linux gets the edge over Windows OS.

Advantages of Linux over Windows

Open Source Nature

What is it like when you buy a car, but you cannot see what’s under the hood? Similar is the case
with when you use a Windows-powered system.

 However, in contrast, Linux is completely an open source project. You can have a look at
the source code of a Linux OS, which is a plus.

 I know, most people don’t care about this openness of Linux, but to me, this is the most
important feature of using GNU/Linux.

Secure
Windows OS is vulnerable to different types of attacks (or hacks). However, Linux is not as
vulnerable as Windows. It sure isn’t invulnerable, but it is a lot more secure. Although, there’s
no rocket science in it.
It is just the way Linux works that makes it a secure operating system. Overall, the process of
package management, the concept of repositories, and a couple more features makes it possible
for Linux to be more secure than Windows.

When you have Windows installed, you need to download/purchase an Antivirus program to
keep your computer safe from hackers and malware. However, Linux does not require the use of
such Anti-Virus programs. Of course, a couple of software tools still exist to help you keep your
system free from threats, but it is often unnecessary when you have a Linux system.

Being secure by nature would make things easier for you and save money as well because you
will not have to get a premium Antivirus software!

Can revive older computers

As the operating systems evolve, so do their hardware requirements increase exponentially. For
instance, if you purchase a genuine copy of Windows 10, you will have to meet the minimum
hardware requirements to run it successfully, and you cannot run it on just about any low-end
system.

Nevertheless, with Linux, you could even utilize one of your oldest computer systems to achieve
a task. However, that does not mean that every Linux distribution would work with 256
MB of RAM coupled with an outdated processor. However, there are options which you can
install on such low-end systems as well (such as Puppy Linux).

So, being an efficient OS, Linux distributions could be fitted to a range of systems (low-end or
high-end). In contrast, Windows operating system has a higher hardware requirement.

Overall, even if you compare a high-end Linux system and a high-end Windows-powered
system, the Linux distribution would take the edge. Well, that is the reason most of the servers
across the world prefer to run on Linux than on a Windows hosting environment.

Perfect For Programmers

Linux supports almost all of the major programming languages (Python, C/C++, Java, Perl,
Ruby, etc.). Moreover, it offers a vast range of applications useful for programming purposes.
The Linux terminal is superior to use over Window’s command line for developers. You would
find many libraries developed natively for Linux. Also, a lot of programmers point out that
the package manager on Linux helps them get things done easily.

Interestingly, the ability of bash scripting is also one of the most compelling reasons why
programmers prefer using Linux OS.

Linux also brings in native support for SSH, which would help you manage your servers quickly.
You could include things like apt-get commands which further makes Linux one of the most
popular choices of the programmers.

Software Updates

Microsoft pushes a software update when it receives a set of problems or if something major
needs to be fixed. On the other hand, you would observe a software update to address a little
problem.

So, with Linux, you will notice more updates to fix the problems you might be facing. You will
not only encounter a larger number of software updates, but you will also observe much faster
software updates.
 Customization

One major advantage of using Linux instead of Windows is customization. If you like tweaking
your system’s looks, Linux is just perfect for you.

Apart from installing themes, you have tons of beautiful icon themes. In addition to that, you
can use Conky to display system information on the desktop in the coolest way possible.
Needless to say that you can do a lot around Wallpapers in Linux.

Variety Of Distributions
There are no flavors of Windows. Yes, you may have different plans & packages which differ in
licensing terms, the period of activation, packaged features, and price.

In contrast, you will find tons of Linux distribution catered for a different set of needs. So, you
can choose to install any of the available Linux distros according to your requirements.
For example, there are Linux distributions for hackers, there are Linux distributions for
programmers, there are Linux distributions for extremely old computers. There is a Linux for
everyone.

Free to Use
Linux is accessible to the public for free! However, that is not the case with Windows!

You will not have to pay 100-250 USD to get your hands on a genuine copy of a Linux distro
(such as Ubuntu, Fedora). So, it is entirely free.

If something is free but useful, it is always the best thing one could expect. With the money you
just saved, you can consider enhancing your system (just saying, you can go to Starbucks as
well!)

Better Community Support

You do not need to hire an expert to solve a problem you are facing on your Linux system. You
just need to search for a similar thread on the web for a solution or post a thread to let others
solve the problem. Within minutes of posting a thread on any of the Linux forums, you may
expect a reply along with a detailed solution which would finally help resolve your problem at no
cost!
There are a lot of active Linux users who are always ready to respond to a relevant thread one
might have created. The number of community users active on such forums is more than the
number of active members on any Windows-focused forum.

However, the community response might vary depending on the Linux distribution being used.

Reliability
Windows, as we know it, becomes sluggish day after day. You will want to re-install Windows
after a while when you encounter crashes or slowdowns on your system.

If you are using Linux, you will not have to worry about re-installing it just to experience a faster
and a smoother system. Linux helps your system run smooth for a longer period (in fact, much
longer!).

Also, with Windows, you will have to adapt to a habit where you keep on rebooting the system
for just about everything.

 If you just installed software, reboot!

 If you recently uninstalled software, reboot!
 If you just installed a Windows update, reboot!
 If the system seems to slow down, reboot!

However, in the case of Linux, you will not have to reboot for the situations mentioned above.
You can comfortably continue with your work, and Linux will not bother you.

Another fact that proves Linux to be reliable are the web servers. You could observe that most of
the Internet giants like Google and Facebook run on Linux. Even almost all of the
supercomputers run on Linux.

So, Why isn’t Windows preferred over Linux? It is because Linux is far more reliable than
Windows OS. Period.

Privacy
Microsoft certainly tries to anonymize the data collected from every user. However, it does not
look convincing with Microsoft’s latest Windows 10. It has already received an enormous
amount of criticism of how it collects data, what it should collect and what it should not.
If you have ever used Windows 10, you could only head into the privacy settings to know that
everything is enabled by default. Even if you opt out to send Microsoft information about your
data, it is still being collected. Of course, Microsoft will not bother revealing it officially with a
press statement, but it surely does. So, you would need a set of tools to disable the spying
modules of Windows.

In contrast, Linux would be the perfect solution for a privacy buff. First of all, Linux
distributions do not collect much data (or none). Moreover, you will not be needing additional
tools to protect your privacy.

Conclusion – Linux vs Windows

Users who are looking to change operating system from windows to Linux or
vice-versa will have a good idea of advantages and disadvantages of both Linux
and Windows operating systems and decide based on their requirement and which
has more advantages. These are the differences between Linux and Windows
operating systems and as in my opinion; I feel that Linux has more
advantages than Windows operating system.

REFERENCES :
 https://www.educba.com/linux-vs-windows/
 https://techdifferences.com/difference-between-linux-and-windows-
operating-system.html
 https://itsfoss.com/linux-better-than-windows/