Linux vs Windows 10: which is the better choice?
Almost everyone who knows a thing or two about computers will tell you that they prefer using Linux to Windows 10, but is that actually true? I wanted to keep my opinions to myself, but since many people are asking me the same question, I've decided to write a short article and show you how Microsoft's latest operating system can be compared with Linux OS. Just for you to know, I prefer using Windows 10, but I'll try to be as fair as possible.
When speaking about features, both operating systems offer some cool things that the other do not. Probably, the biggest thing about Windows 10 is the convergence of platforms. Microsoft devices (PC, Xbox, Mobile, etc.) run on the same core operating system, which means that developers can build universal applications. Furthermore, there's also an operating system with a Windows 10 core for Raspberry Pi. Since Linux doesn't run on gaming consoles and the smartphones powered by OS are even less popular than Windows Phones, this is a big advantage of Windows 10.
Up until recently, things were pretty clear: Windows was easier to use, while Linux offered more control and was safer. However, things have changed dramatically during the last few years and there are Linux versions that come with interfaces that are also easy to use. What's even more important is that Linux's popularity has grown, so there's a much larger number of third-party apps that offer support for the open-source operating system.
Network security is an area where Linux wins easily. If you know what you're doing, you can easily configure and monitor absolutely everything that happens on a Linux computer, while the same thing isn't true for Windows 10. No matter how many security products you use, Microsoft's operating system has been and will probably always be less secure. In case you've read Vlad's article "The Most Common Ways of Breaking into a Windows PC", you probably noticed that most of the tools presented there are Linux-based, so even the general security should be in question.
When we take a look at the system requirements, it's pretty easy to see that Windows 10 has much bigger demands than Linux. If you want to run Microsoft's latest operating system you will need at least 2 GB of RAM (1 GB for 32-bit systems), a CPU of 1GHz, a video card capable of supporting at least DirectX 9 and 16 GB of free space on your hard disk. However, these are the minimum requirements and if you want to actually run Windows 10 in decent conditions, you will need a CPU that's at least 2 GHz and 4 GB of RAM. On the other hand, many Linux versions work on 10-year-old computers without any kind of problem. Since we're taking about hardware, I should mention that Windows will always have an advantage when it comes to newer graphics cards, which will constantly perform better on Microsoft's operating system. This means that if you're a gamer or if your job is focused on rendering, Linux isn't the best option for you.
However, to be perfectly honest, things have changed a lot since Satya Nadella took over Microsoft, and the IT giant has recently announced that it's going to bring a "Linux Subsystem for Windows", so you can basically have your cake and eat it too. If you're interested, we even wrote a guide about "Installing a Linux Bash Shell on Windows 10", which you can use if you're using the Windows 10 Inside Preview version. As far as I'm concerned, both operating systems have grown a lot during the last year, so they're both great. I choose Windows 10 because I'm too lazy to deal with Linux, but each OS has its own advantages and I'm sure you'll be satisfied, no matter which option you choose.
