Linux vs Windows

As Linux gains more and more popularity, many people are starting to consider using it for their workstations because of benefits like low costs, high security and stability. Because I myself have used (and am using) both, I thought a little comparison might help some of you choose.
I'll be comparing win2k pro and linux redhat 8.0 (psyche) here, along with the software you are most likely to use with both. Since this is about workstations, I'll be talking about redhat with a graphical interface, since most people dislike the command line.


<b>Linux</b>
The first thing you'll run into if you decide to use Linux is a surprising lack of costs. You can download it for free if you don't need support, or buy a package suitable for the amount of support you need. This means large savings on software in comparison to Windows.
Besides the cost of the OS itself, there's also the matter of software. While applications for Windows will cost you up to thousands of dollars, almost everything for Linux can be gotten for free.

Here's a small comparison (prices taken from respective company sites):

Another major benefit of Linux is security. There are a number of things in which it's just better than Windows, like the strict root/users separation (although that can be achieved with Windows as well), the better protection of passwords and the lack of viruses for Linux. Ofcourse, idiots can fuck up security on Linux as well, it just takes a bit more stupidity than on Windows.

Stability is also a nice perk of using Linux. Blue screens of death are most definitely a thing of the past if you use Linux, and you really only need to reboot when you feel like it. Documents getting lost/corrupted/whatever is something everyone hates, and with Linux this won't happen quite as often (never happened to me while using Linux).

For experienced users, one of the best things about Linux is that it gives you much more control over what your pc does. Windows assumes you are a moron, and acts accordingly. A bit like a mother telling her child, "Eating too many cookies is bad for you, now keep your hands off the jar!". Linux, on the other hand, assumes some intelligence on the side of the user, and expects you to be able to decide for yourself if you want to eat more cookies (or screw with the kernel).

For newbies, the open source community is most often a nice surprise. There are literally thousands of people eager to help you out with problems. If you encounter a bump on the road, there's always a large group of people ready and willing to flatten it as quickly as possible.


<b>Windows</b>
I won't be talking about Windows versions like 95, 98 or ME here. Those, quite frankly, suck donkey balls, and should not be used by anyone who can get something else - anything will do.

Now, the first - obvious - advantage of Windows is that there is much, much more software for it. Although Linux is quickly gaining useful apps, Windows wins hands down in this respect, period.
A part of this is that while it is easy to find thousands of nice games for Windows, it is hard to find even a few good ones for Linux. That's slowly changing though, even games like UT3 now come with a Linux installer.

Another important benefit of Windows is compatibility. Windows is much bigger than Linux, and thus most sites and such are aimed at Windows/IE users. That shouldn't make a difference (because of standards and such), but it does. Furthermore, some things just won't work properly.

Userfriendliness is also very often mentioned as one of the good things about Windows. While this is partly true, Linux is rapidly improving in this aspect. For instance, installing RedHat can now be done through an easy-to-use graphical interface which is just as simple as a Windows installer. Still, there are some major things which can be really problematic, like installing software. While this can be often be done with simple rpms (clickable), it's also quite common that you have to do command line work to install an app, which can be quite tedious if you need to install a combo of libs and such first.


Conclusion
I myself dual-boot Windows and Linux. Linux is in my opinion superior as a workstation - low cost, high stability and security - but Windows is at this time still better equiped for things like surfing, playing games, watching movies and downloading mp3s.