|
I was chatting with a handful of my friends the other day when my favorite subject was raised -- Linux! Over the next few weeks, I'll try to write down the various things we discussed; it may open your eyes and get you to thinking more about Linux. ;-) The topic that got the ball rolling was the question, "Can you give me just one good reason why Linux is better than Windows?" In fact, the question came from a Microsoft Certified Engineer (MCSE). He is one of those guys that has to have solid, factual, and absolute proof, and not just so-so reasons.
The FIRST item off the top of my head was, of course, Malware! We all have been fighting the war on Spyware, Adware, and viruses of all sorts. What you may not know, however, is that such things are all but nonexistent in the Linux world. Linux hardly has any viruses. And that's not like "Oh well, not very often, you know." It is more along the lines of, "I think I may have heard of one a year or so ago but I may be mistaken." Of course, a Linux virus is not impossible to find. However, the Linux operating system makes it very difficult for a virus to materialize in the first place -- and for several reasons. First of all, most people use Microsoft Windows, and pirates want to do as much damage (or control) as possible: therefore, they target Windows. But that's not the only reason; Linux uses smart authorization management. In Windows you (and any program you install) usually have the right to do pretty much anything to the system. If you feel like punishing your PC because it just let your precious work disappear, you can go inside the system folder and delete whatever you want: Windows rarely complains. Of course, the next time you reboot, you pay the price. My point is: if a user can delete system files arbitrarily, other programs can, too. On the other hand, Linux doesn't allow that. Every time you request to do something that has to do with maintaining the system, an administrator (or 'root') password is required. If you're not an administrator on the system, you can't change or erase a thing. In a similar respect, viruses, Spyware, and Malware can't travel haphazardly around the system and delete or modify files happenstance -- and that's simply because these programs don't have the authorization. In fact, most (around 90%) of all system configuration files can only be changed by the administrator -- and only if he has the root password. Next question: "What about security flaws in a program?" Unlike Windows, Linux Distros (Linux speak for distributions) are Open Source. That means the source code is freely available to anyone. With the hundreds of programs in a distro, there are thousands highly skilled and experienced developers along with a very large group of testers that spend hundreds of hours trying to find the errors and eradicating them. There is that old Chinese proverb, "Many hands make light work!" and it is very true in the Linux world. Another thing, if the user community (folks like you) find something they missed, it will usually take just a day or two, when reported, to get a fix written and made available to the entire community.
-- Related newsletter articles:
2006/04/13 Linux 101 (linux)
2005/10/12 Windows Form Parking Window error? (administrator)
2005/08/28 Forgot / Lost my User Password (Windows XP)? (administrator)
2003/08/21 Enable TaskManager for Windows 2000 and XP? (administrator)
2006/04/18 Linux 101, Part 2 (linux)
2004/10/19 Administrator user account for Windows XP? (administrator)
2004/10/20 Security Risk: hidden Admin account in WinXP (administrator)
2005/05/02 Is it safe to Remove Files in the Windows Temp folder? (delete)
2004/03/25 Excel startup .XLT error message? (delete)
2006/06/15 Disable Access to CD ROM Drive via My Computer? (administrator)
2006/06/16 Weapons of Mass Destruction Found in the Middle East (viruses)
2004/12/02 Lock down Windows XP from unauthorized use? (administrator)
2006/03/29 SystemRescueCd: for Windows Users? (linux)
2004/10/21 Security Risk: hidden Admin account in WinXP, Part 2 (administrator)
2003/04/01 Organize Favorites in Internet Explorer, Part 2 (delete)
-- Recent articles (from all channels): 2008/05/12 Today in History: for Monday, May 12, 2008
2008/05/12 [ShellX 20080512]: 'Remote Manager', and 'Cyber Bandwidth ...
2008/05/12 Video Gaming Trade Group Struggling
2008/05/12 T-Mobile Finally Joins 3G Phone Race
2008/05/12 Apple Slammed by Environment Watchdog
2008/05/09 [ShellX 20080509]: 'Advanced Run', and 'Diver Windows Manager'
2008/05/09 Texas Refuses Facebook Friend Request
2008/05/09 Photo-Enforcement Technology Replaces Officers On Patrol
2008/05/09 Cuban Government Says 'Ok Computer'
2008/05/09 Excel Can E-Mail Your Weekly Reports For You!
2008/05/08 [ShellX 20080508]: 'Shell Enhancer', and 'Lansweeper'
2008/05/08 Xobni: MS Outlook Social Networking Technology for your Inbox
2008/05/08 Music Companies Jump on GTA IV Bandwagon
2008/05/08 Fascinating: Memristor to replace Binary
2008/05/08 Adobe Hopes To Make Flash Master Of The (Mobile) Universe
2008/05/08 Spiffy Envelopes and Labels in MS Word
2008/05/07 [ShellX 20080507]: 'Winbin2iso', and 'Loop Typer'
2008/05/07 Yahoo Adds Security Warnings To Search Results
2008/05/07 Apple to Lose Money on iTunes Movie Releases
2008/05/07 Amazon.com takes New York Tax to Court
2008/05/07 Need Glasses for the Slide Sorter View in MS PowerPoint?
2008/05/07 After Winning The DVD Format War, Blu-Ray Sales Tank
2008/05/06 [ShellX 20080506]: 'Visual Basic 6.0 Portable', and 'Double-...
2008/05/06 Yahoo Outsources to Jajah
2008/05/06 New HP Circuit Could Change Technology Forever
2008/05/06 Movie Downloads To Match DVD Release Dates
2008/05/06 Microsoft Ends Yahoo Bid
2008/05/05 [ShellX 20080505]: 'Ie7 Pro', and 'Desktop Ok'
2008/05/05 The WB Network Hops Online
2008/05/05 Microsoft Slashes Price of Xbox 360 Overseas
2008/05/05 Google CEO Wants YouTube to Take More of Your Money
|
