Ten reasons why Linux will oust Windows

• Tags:
• Linux,
• Fedora,
• Operating Systems,
• Open Source

Jack Wallen

Published: 03 Apr 2009 12:07 BST

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Despite the positive buzz generated by Windows 7, it is only a matter of time before Linux takes its rightful place at the top of the operating-system pile, says Jack Wallen.

Microsoft's failings are finally catching up with it and will cause the once-unstoppable juggernaut to cede to Linux. A key event was 14 September, 2000, when Microsoft set a tiny snowball rolling with the release of the deeply flawed Windows Me. That snowball has been gaining momentum, despite some ups and downs along the way — XP was an up, for example.

In many respects, the public mood has already shifted against the operating system that was once considered the heart of personal computing. Here are 10 reasons why that shift has taken place:

1. Inconsistent Windows releases
One of the things you can always count on is that you cannot count on new Microsoft operating systems to be reliable.

Let's look at the individual releases:

• Windows 95: Revolutionised personal computing
• Windows 98: Attempted to improve on Windows 95, but failed miserably
• Windows Me: A joke, plain and simple
• Windows NT: Attempted to bring enterprise-level seriousness to the operating system. Would have succeeded had it not taken Stephen Hawking-like intelligence to get it working
• Windows XP: Brought life back to the failing Windows operating system; not since Windows 95 had the operating system seemed this simple.
• Windows Vista: See Windows Me

With this in mind, what do we expect from Windows 7? Not much, in my view.

2. Consistent Linux releases
Contrasting with those problems with Windows versions, the various Linux distributions have been far more consistent. Of course, there have been a few dips along the way — Fedora 9 was one of them. But for the most part, the climb for Linux has been steadily upward.

Nearly every Linux distribution has improved with age. And this improvement is not limited to the kernel. Look at how desktops, end-user software, servers, security and admin tools have all improved over time. Once could easily argue that KDE 4 is an example of a sharp decrease in improvement. However, if you look at how quickly KDE 4 has improved from 4.0 to 4.3 you can see nothing but gains. This observation holds true for applications and systems across the board with Linux.

3. Continuing Windows price hikes
Recently, I have had a number of long-time Microsoft administrators asking my advice on solid replacements for Exchange. The reason? Microsoft changed its licensing for Exchange.

Now anyone who logs on to an Exchange server must have a licence. You have 100 employees, including administrators, who need to log on to Exchange? Pay up. This charging really starts to mount up when your company has 500-plus Exchange licences.

The very idea of making such a significant change to licences is particularly ridiculous given the state of the economy. Companies worldwide are having to scale back. And like ExxonMobil celebrating record profits amid the catastrophe known as Hurricane Katrina, Microsoft creating such a cost barrier while the globe is facing serious recession is reprehensible.

4. Consistent Linux costs
Again, in contrast to the previous point, the cost of open-source software licences has remained the same — zero. When those administrators come to me asking for open-source replacements for Exchange, I point them to EGroupware and Open-Xchange. Both are outstanding groupware tools that offer an even larger feature set than their Microsoft equivalent. Both applications are reliable, scalable, secure and free.

The only outlay you will have with either application is for the hardware to install them on. And with both packages, there is no limit to the number of users.

5. Windows hardware incompatibility
Microsoft Vista was a nightmare for hardware compatibility. Not only was Vista incompatible with numerous peripherals, it took supercomputer-level iron to run the operating system.

Clearly, this was a boon to Intel, which stood to make a pretty penny from the operating system. Intel knew some of the public would be shelling out for new hardware, and the new hardware would cost more because...

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