🚀 go-pugleaf

LZ> Can someone be kind and compare Linux to Windows 95? 

I don't know if that would be very kind! (-:

The responses you go in the Linux echo were interesting. If you got any
others, please forward them here.

I use Linux (RedHat flavour), SCO Unix, DOS, Windows 3.11, Windows 95,
Windows NT *and* OS/2 Warp 3 (soon v4).

First, don't let anyone convince you that Win95 is not DOS-based. On
many 95 machines, after Shutdown, you can type (it will not echo) the
command...

	MODE CO80<Enter>

...and get a DOS prompt!

Giving Windows 3.11 lots of cache makes it run very much like 95.

OS/2 is more stable than either Windows version. Win95 is slightly
more stable than 3.11 and crashing a window doesn't result in
killing the whole system as often. Linux is a touch stabler. SCO is
even stabler (but you must pay serious $ for it unless you are a
student).

DOS 7 (the operating system underlying Win95) is a _conceptual_
equivalent to Unix/Linux (but with a lobotomised shell and
practically no utility programs).

This is a bit like saying that an Oka and a Niva are equivalent
because both are four-wheel drive vehicles. An Oka (one of the
first ever made) was run over by a 200-tonne ore truck at the
Mount Argyle diamond mine up in the far north of Western
Australia. Both occupants walked away. I don't imagine that the
occupants of a Niva would be as fortunate. They are both 4WD
vehicles, but only one has the distinction of being the only
non-tracked vehicle to survive the Canberra military obstacle
course. Only one has easy-to-reach serviceable components. Only
one uses standard parts wherever poossible. Only one arrives
with standard-sized wheels. Only one has full roll-over
protection at the state speed limit. So it is with the under-
lying operating systems. I could compare M$DOS-7 with the Niva
on all of the above counts, but won't, for legal reasons. (-:

To get the equivalent of the Win95 graphical interface, you
will need to run something like Motif on X-Windows on your
Unix/Linux. All of these are free (or close to it), which is
clearly not something you can say of Micro$oft software.

If you want to change the way a program operates, the source
code, C compiler and manuals all come *for*free* on the same
CD-ROMs as the basic operating system. Ring Micro$oft up and
ask them for the source code for, say, the File Manager and
see how far you get -- go on, I dare you! (-:

As a point of interest, many people never get as far as
"real" languages since they can do almost anything they want
with a "shell script," (sort of like a DOS batch file only
it's for real) but there are other languages like Perl,
ForTran, Lisp and so on all available *for*free* for Linux.
Even the editors have brains. The EMACs editor, for example,
can hold a conversation with you or play Towers of Hanoi,
as well as do useful things like mail handling.

As a bonus, when you swap across to Linux+Motif, your second
(and third) mouse buttons will actually become useful.

Next, go shopping for applications. There are hundreds of
free ones for Linux, plus much share-ware. Win95 has much
share-ware as well, and some free applications that are
actually useful, but for real applications like Word and
Excel, be prepared to $hell out.

Finally, if you have a real, industrial-strength job to do,
Linux will do it. Micro$oft will tell you to use Windows NT,
which co$t$ lot$ of dollar$ and (for IO intensive tasks, at
least) isn't nearly as efficient as dear old *free* Linux.
There is a reason why most ISPs use Linux, FreeBSD or
something like it instead of NT.

In short, you're really asking for a comparison between
apples and oranges, or perhaps between candy bars and
oranges.

The candy bar (Win95) tastes sweeter but destroys your
teeth (and kidneys etc), costs money and can only be
bought from participating retailers. The orange (Linux) has
no marketing hype but you can just go out and help yourself
from the tree, it's more filling, and it builds your well-
being rather than tearing it down. Best of all, you can
give cuttings or seeds from your favourite type of orange
to your friends(*), and then they can share your enjoyment,
whereas with the candy-bar you have to give away hard-
earned money if you want another one, and by then they
might have changed the recipe...


-=-=-=-=-=- Regards / Leon Brooks -=-=-=-=-=-
Sector not found on drive C:
P)anic, P)ersist, or P)retend it never happend?

(*) This is called "user-supported software"