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Linux is a "UNIX-like" operating system first developed by Linus Torvalds, a 21 year old Finnish software engineer, in 1991. It is one of the most well-known examples of open-source and free software. From the beginning, Linus made the source code for his operating available to the community of developers, and since then, the Linux operating system and kernel are often used as a prime example of the benefits of open-source community development.
MSRP $0.00
Release date August, 1991
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Pros & Cons15
Reviews23
Details
Buy It
Competitors4
Related14
Gallery6
Pros & Cons
16 positive
1 mixed
5 negative
![[i]](/images/info.png)
How is the ProSCORE calculated?
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The ProSCORE is calculated based on the ratio of Pros & Cons about this product as voted by
approved reviewers from the ProductWiki community.
ProSCORE = 100 x (Pro votes) / [(Pro votes) + (Con votes)]
Numbers used for this ProSCORE:
Pro votes = 103
Con votes = 42
Total votes = 145
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Details
Uses
Linux is most popular used as a server operating system, and in embeddable systems. The stable, customizable, and free nature of Linux make it an ideal choice often in these cases. Many web servers run on Linux, with a LAMP (Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP) setup being the most common.
Distributions
There are many distributions and variations of the Linux Kernel. Many of the distributions are customized to specific applications and are often made to have a more familiar UI. Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat, Gentoo, and SUSE are five of the most common distributions of the Linux Kernel.
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This report was started
November 19, 2007 at 1:46 pm by
Jan
with the last edit occurring
November 2, 2009 at 9:41 pm by
lazychris2000
This page has been viewed
711 times,
with
265 edits by
36 contributors.
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Buy It
Competitors
MSRP $29.00
Released September, 2009
Pros
- affordable to upgrade to compared to previous version of OSX
- Finally a release that tidies up the plumbing rather then just adding features and bloat
- OpenCL support for general purpose computation using graphics hardware - takes strain off of the CPU for computation more easily performed by the GPU
Cons
- no longer supported on older PPC-based Apple hardware
- Making a fresh install over pre-X.5 systems from the 29.00 upgrade violates the ULA.
- only usable on proprietary Apple hardware
Linux
0%
vs.
Mac OS X Snow Leopard
100%
MSRP $129.00
Released March, 2001
Pros
- Good looking
- Easy to use
- Stable. Yes, it can crash, but in my experience, it crashes far less often than any version of Windows.
Cons
- only works on Apple hardware
- Not as many applications/games available compared to Microsoft Windows
- Cannot be virtualized
Linux
50%
vs.
Apple Mac OS X
50%
MSRP --
Released October, 2009
Pros
- Improved memory management takes up less RAM than Vista
- Revamped taskbar that can combine running programs and hide labels - 3 options how it is done
- Allows you to turn off fundamental Windows features such as Windows Media Player and Internet Explorer
Cons
- This is what Vista should have been, and we will get to pay for an 'upgrade'
- Seriously overpriced
- Abilioty to virtualise applications in XP environment available only on Professional and Ultimate edition
Linux
50%
vs.
Microsoft Windows 7
50%
MSRP --
Released --
Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of software operating systems by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Microsoft Windows eventually came to dominate the world's personal computer market, overtaking Mac...
Linux
60%
vs.
Microsoft Windows
40%
Reviews
January 4, 2009
approved
reviewer
Pros
- Free and open-source
- Strong developer community
- Enterprise-class server operating system
- Easily modified to be used in embedded systems
- Stable platform with long uptimes
- Designed for multiple users because of UNIX roots
- Spawned many variations and distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, etc.)
Cons
- Most Windows programs aren't available in Linux versions
- Not all hardware is readily supported.
- driver stability - many drivers are just ports of windows drivers
- Difficult to learn and install
- No one company is responsible for Linux
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
April 26, 2009
approved
reviewer
Pros
- Free and open-source
- Strong developer community
- Enterprise-class server operating system
- Easily modified to be used in embedded systems
- Stable platform with long uptimes
- Designed for multiple users because of UNIX roots
- Spawned many variations and distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, etc.)
- no one company is responsible for Linux
Cons
- Not all hardware is readily supported.
- driver stability - many drivers are just ports of windows drivers
- Difficult to learn and install
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
March 9, 2009
approved
reviewer
Pros
- Free and open-source
- Strong developer community
- Enterprise-class server operating system
- Easily modified to be used in embedded systems
- Stable platform with long uptimes
- Designed for multiple users because of UNIX roots
- Spawned many variations and distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, etc.)
Cons
- Most Windows programs aren't available in Linux versions
- Not all hardware is readily supported.
- Difficult to learn and install
- Delivers illusion of perfect security to non-power-users resulting in comparatively 'reckless' behavior of unaware users.
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
March 9, 2009
approved
reviewer
have it
love it
Pros
- Free and open-source
- Strong developer community
- Enterprise-class server operating system
- Easily modified to be used in embedded systems
- Stable platform with long uptimes
- Designed for multiple users because of UNIX roots
- Spawned many variations and distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, etc.)
Cons
- Most Windows programs aren't available in Linux versions
- Not all hardware is readily supported.
- Delivers illusion of perfect security to non-power-users resulting in comparatively 'reckless' behavior of unaware users.
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
July 16, 2008
approved
reviewer
love it
want it
Pros
- Free and open-source
- Strong developer community
- Enterprise-class server operating system
- Easily modified to be used in embedded systems
- Stable platform with long uptimes
- Designed for multiple users because of UNIX roots
- Spawned many variations and distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, etc.)
Cons
- Most Windows programs aren't available in Linux versions
- Not all hardware is readily supported.
- driver stability - many drivers are just ports of windows drivers
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
November 2, 2009
approved
reviewer
have it
love it
Pros
- Free and open-source
- Strong developer community
- Enterprise-class server operating system
- Easily modified to be used in embedded systems
- Stable platform with long uptimes
- Designed for multiple users because of UNIX roots
- Spawned many variations and distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, etc.)
- no one company is responsible for Linux
- Many distributions exist, giving a large amount of choice depending on its intended use
Cons
Did not agree with any cons
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
March 10, 2009
approved
reviewer
have it
love it
Pros
- Free and open-source
- Strong developer community
- Enterprise-class server operating system
- Easily modified to be used in embedded systems
- Stable platform with long uptimes
- Designed for multiple users because of UNIX roots
- Spawned many variations and distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, etc.)
- no one company is responsible for Linux
Cons
- Most Windows programs aren't available in Linux versions
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
December 27, 2008
approved
reviewer
love it
Pros
- Free and open-source
- Strong developer community
- Enterprise-class server operating system
- Easily modified to be used in embedded systems
- Stable platform with long uptimes
- Designed for multiple users because of UNIX roots
- Spawned many variations and distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, etc.)
Cons
- Most Windows programs aren't available in Linux versions
- Not all hardware is readily supported.
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
December 14, 2008
approved
reviewer
love it
have it
Pros
- Free and open-source
- Strong developer community
- Enterprise-class server operating system
- Easily modified to be used in embedded systems
- Stable platform with long uptimes
- Designed for multiple users because of UNIX roots
Cons
- Most Windows programs aren't available in Linux versions
- Not all hardware is readily supported.
- Difficult to learn and install
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
May 28, 2008
approved
reviewer
love it
Pros
- Free and open-source
- Strong developer community
- Enterprise-class server operating system
- Easily modified to be used in embedded systems
- Stable platform with long uptimes
- Designed for multiple users because of UNIX roots
- Spawned many variations and distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, etc.)
Cons
- Most Windows programs aren't available in Linux versions
- Not all hardware is readily supported.
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
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