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Why Has a Free Operating System not Eliminated Windows? Part I

May 7, 2010

If you have never heard about the free operating system (OS) Linux (well, relatively free; it does cost to maintain it), you actually have good reason. Linux is not a mainstream OS and you will not find it at your local Best Buy store or on Amazon, at least not on most of the computers which they sell. You usually have a choice between a version of Windows or the Apple offering. However, if you have spent time in the tech industry, Linux is probably running in some part of your corporate infrastructure. Either way, what you should know is that it has been around for almost two decades, though some components were actually around earlier and had other uses. One way to look at what Linux is to think of it is a small core with several layers you can add to it as you need or want them to form the OS you eventually use.

That is good for demonstrating how Windows is done; Windows is a rather extensive core which has several branches that are mostly installed whether or not you use, need or want them. Microsoft once allowed for more customization when installing their OS, but that changed with the more advanced systems being released from them. Eventually, the OS became rather large and many complained. Microsoft did adjust it some with the release of Windows 7 – for instance, you can even choose not to install Internet Explorer – but, for the most part, you must install most of the OS for it to work correctly.

Thus you can see the very basic differences in the two approaches to the computer operating system. Windows, however, does have several advantages over Linux which are blatantly obvious. Most of these are simply connected to the financials of each approach. Microsoft has an enormous marketing budget, Linux has virtually none (many different companies provide their own ‘flavor’ of Linux and they each are responsible for their own version). Microsoft is one big company with several partners all working towards the same goal. Linux, on the other hand, is split up among several companies who all have a slightly differing way of doing business, but they ultimately are after the same thing. It’s not Coca-Cola versus Pepsi; it is more similar to Starbucks versus every other coffee shop.

Today, though, some of that is changing. Linux has made some great strides to become a much more user-friendly – and less geeky – OS. Perhaps this is largely due to Ubuntu, one ‘flavor’ of Linux available – it comes with a set of components which provide similar functionality to Windows. We also have this new phenomenon known as netbooks – lightly powered, small form-factor notebook PCs. Since netbooks have some performance constraints, it is easy to load a Linux install with only the programs you want and need, so you keep the OS size to minimum. This is not easy to do with Windows. And then, of course, there was the disaster that Vista became – it needed a very large amount of drive space. It turned some people away from Windows.

And, this is where the whole thing gets interesting. As people did start using Linux more often, many found it lacking in the features they were used to with Windows. They also found it tougher to do upgrading and finding drivers is not an easy task in some cases. Plus, the users who do not want to muck around with their OS makes up the absolute largest number of users in the world. Not everyone who owns a computer wants to know how everything works. With Linux, you need to know more about your computer than you ever wanted to before. And, in some cases, a perceived advantage – such as the practically free price – turned out to be exaggerated. The expense of hiring someone to manage your Linux install is not a small one.

Already you should be able to see some reasons as to why you are more likely to be running Windows when reading this instead of Linux. The reasons above are rather general and lack detail, so why don’t we learn a little more about this duel for the hearts and minds of the average computer user.

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Tags: apple, linux, mac, microsoft, ubuntux, windows 7