My friend has been telling me some very good things about the Linux OS. I have used it myself and find it to be satisfactory. Yet I have not used it long enough or know enough about it to decide how convinent it truly is. Can a user of Linux please tell me how good an OS it is, and how it performs in comparsion to Windows and Mac.

There are a couple good things about windows, like how every file is binary and can be edited with anything. I also like file extensions, because they're easier to glance at than looking up the mime type of the file.

The only good thing about Mac here is its graphics capibilities. If you've ever used a mac, you'll know its absolutely beautiful. The problem with macs though is for one, they're very limited. Also, they are radical. Its hell to just start using a mac, since things are so different. (see: dragging things around)

Linux definately has all the power you want. Its completely componentized so you can change any aspect of it you don't like. With the creation of X, programs can now have a graphical way of doing things. An X window manager is the program that draws such things as menus and titlebars and icons, and there are hundreds and hundreds of these to choose from (GNOME and KDE being most popular.)

With the recent advancements of graphical support in linux, things have gotten closer and closer to the graphical power of Mac. So, once surpassed, the only loser here will be Mac. But windows will still be eating the graphical dust.

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Originally posted by ShawnZ
There are a couple good things about windows, like how every file is binary

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Elessar,

How well your OS "performs" is not really a consideration.  The usefulness of an operating system is determined by how well it enables you to do what you want to do.

I use Linux extensively as an inexpensive network staple in my work.  It serves that purpose very well, by providing routing and packet filtering / manipulation capabilities that simply blow Windows out of the water, and could only be matched by high end specialized products with 5-digit price tags.

As a desktop OS, it will work great for you if you need your computer to perform specific tasks (browse the web, read email, write papers, create websites and graphics, etc.) and you don't mind learning to use new software for these tasks (different from what you've got used to on Windows). 

Most Linux software is free, which can be a benefit -- if you couldn't afford Photoshop for Windows and ethical concerns prevented you from stealing it, then gimp will definitely be an upgrade to whatever you were using (there is gimp for Windows too, but let's pretend there isn't ).

Linux on your only / primary computer won't make you very happy if you are a gamer or like to try out all the latest toys your friends are using (such as WLM beta).  It wasn't made for running Windows software, even if that's sometimes possible through various emulators.  In that regard, Linux is similar to Macintosh -- you are in a world of different ways and different software.

In many ways, choosing an OS is choosing a way of life, at least in the realm of computers. The good thing is you can choose more than one way at a time

There is no specific Linux. There are a few linux "distros" which look differently, and come built in with different programs. Most of these have a live cd which can be used to try out the linux, without installing. Therefore, if you don't like it, just reboot. I myself have a few cds here for the Linux Distro UBUNTU. I like it. It's got a simple look, has simple programs built in etc. It has everything I might need already built into it, using a simple and easy to use design. What I suggest is you get yourself a copy of a few linux distro live cds, boot off of them, and explore.

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Originally posted by lou_habs
I myself have a few cds here for the Linux Distro UBUNTU. I like it. It's got a simple look, has simple programs built in etc. It has everything I might need already built into it, using a simple and easy to use design. What I suggest is you get yourself a copy of a few linux distro live cds, boot off of them, and explore.

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Originally posted by raceprouk
No.
In Windows, text files are treated differently, especially when transferring them across the Internet. Text files will be edited on-the-fly to change newlines to the right character combination.

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I'm sure I saw something at some point that showed Windows treated them differently. Unless something changed, and now all OSes just treat anything as binary.

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Originally posted by raceprouk
In many ways, choosing an OS is choosing a way of life, at least in the realm of computers. The good thing is you can choose more than one way at a time

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