GNU Linux over Microsoft Windows, re: From the perspective of a developer

The following is a copy and paste of a comment made on reddit at this post here.  This comment  was authored by reddit user named, RyanDwyer. I decided to re-post it here on my blog because I wanted to share an advanced Linux developer's assessment of the advantages that GNU Linux has over Microsoft Windows. RyanDwyer writes:

I'm a web developer, not a web designer. I use Ubuntu with Sublime Text 2 at both home and work. I use Linux for heaps of reasons:

1. Keyboard shortcuts. I have keyboard shortcuts for opening almost any software I use and I've changed the Alt + F4 shortcut to something easier to press. I can manipulate windows (maximise etc) using the keyboard. I can quickly move a window by holding Alt and dragging anywhere on the window. If I'm dragging a window, I can maximise it during the drag by moving it to the top of the screen. I can manage my environment so much faster in Linux than in Windows where I had to reach for the mouse frequently.
2. Bash scripts. I have a single Bash script that checks out code from our repositories, adds vhost config for it, reloads Apache, creates the Sublime project file and adds it to my Sublime recent history. I have a Bash script that allows me to change my default vhost easily using a symlink. I have a Bash script that can convert a project's database to a dev-ready format, such as replacing other people's email addresses with my own.
3. Speed of file access/better structured filesystem. If I want to edit my hosts file, I can open a Terminal, typesudo vi /etc/ho and do it entirely using my keyboard in about 3-5 seconds. In Windows it's stored in some bizarre location in the Windows folder (including in a "drivers" directory!) and takes me longer. If I want to view or edit my FileZilla sitemanager.xml file I can do it in Linux by typing less .fisi. On Windows it's in my user folder, under either AppData or Application Data, and then in something like Local or Roaming. I'm confident any log I want to view or config file I want to edit can be done faster in Linux than in Windows. I can open large logs using less with minimal load time, whereas in Windows the IDE will likely become unresponsive.
4. Compatibility with Linux servers. I can dump a production database and import it into my dev environment in just a few seconds using only my keyboard and a combination of SSH, mysqldump, gzip, SCP, gunzip and mysql. I don't have issues with filename capitalisation being different on local and production. I don't have issues with having functions that only exist on certain OSes - if it works locally, it works in production.
5. I can list the files in a directory and copy the list into a text editor. I have yet to find a way to do this in Windows without writing a custom script or using third party software.
6. I can run PHP in interactive mode (php -a). If I want to base64/url encode/decode something I can do it straight from CLI. On Windows I would create a PHP script and put it in a vhost.
7. Package management. If I want to upgrade or something then I can do it through apt using one command. In Windows I have to mess around with new versions of WAMP. When I used to use Windows I had to install dbase for a client's project. I ended up having to install a second instance of Apache and PHP because WAMP didn't support dbase.
8. I have powerful tools at my fingertips. If I want to find every .php file that contains a certain phrase and replace it across all files, I can do that in one command. If I want to create a static version of a site I can do so using wget -m .
9. Process management. If I'm doing an intensive task and it's making my computer run slow, I can pause the process and resume it at a more convenient time such as when I go to lunch.

I guess you need to be familiar with Linux to be able to reap the benefits. For someone who's never used it there's a very steep learning curve. I couldn't imagine going back to Windows.

Bashing Microsoft 'like kicking a puppy,' says Linux Foundation chief

Linux has already defeated Microsoft, Linux Foundation chief says
By Jon Brodkin, Network World
April 05, 2011 01:31 PM ET

Two decades after Linus Torvalds developed his famous operating system kernel, the battle between Linux and Microsoft is over and Linux has won, says Linux Foundation Executive Director Jim Zemlin.

With the one glaring exception of the desktop computer, Linux has outpaced Microsoft in nearly every market, including server-side computing and mobile, Zemlin claims.

"I think we just don't care that much [about Microsoft] anymore," Zemlin said. "They used to be our big rival, but now it's kind of like kicking a puppy."

While Microsoft's stock has stagnated over the past decade, open source torchbearer Red Hat has soared, Zemlin notes. And Linux software is everywhere, he says, as proponents of the open source project prepare to celebrate its 20th year of existence.

"I think that on the 20th anniversary, it's worth reflecting back on where we came from," Zemlin said in an interview with Network World. Linux had a "humble start as a project for a college student in Helsinki, to something today that runs 70% of global equity trading, something that powers, really, the majority of Internet traffic, whether it's Facebook, Google or Amazon."

Linux can be found in consumer electronics devices, like Sony televisions and camcorders, the Amazon Kindle, and in smartphones and tablets as part of Google's Android. Linux leads the market from the tiniest embedded systems to the largest supercomputers, with more than 90% of the Top 500 supercomputing sites in the world running Linux.

"Linux has come to dominate almost every category of computing, with the exception of the desktop," Zemlin said.

Windows still powers roughly 9 out of 10 traditional desktops, with the rest going to Mac and Linux. Linux's failure to capture desktop share is "disappointing to many," Zemlin admitted. But "the good news is the traditional PC desktop is becoming less important, and areas where Linux is very strong in terms of client computing are becoming more important."

That, of course, is a reference to smartphones and tablets, where Microsoft has struggled to unseat Apple and Google's Android. However, a recent IDC research note predicted that Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7 devices would overtake the iPhone in worldwide market share by 2015.

When asked about this prediction, Zemlin responded with what can best be described as several seconds of hysterical laughter. "Oh my God, Steve Jobs! Short Apple stock!" he joked.

Zemlin's optimism stems from the success of Android, which uses a kernel derived from Linux. Android devices are now more widely used than the iPhone, and HP's webOS is also a viable mobile contender using Linux.

Zemlin believes that as smartphones and tablets draw people away from their desktop PCs and laptops, Microsoft's hold on the computing market will diminish. "Today people use smartphones more, in many ways, than they may use their traditional PC," Zemlin said. "In that case, Linux really does have dominant market share through things like Android or other versions of Linux that are out there in the mobile space." (See also: "Most Android, iPhone apps violate open source rules.")

On the tablet front, though, Apple's iPad is far and away the leader, which poses a problem to those who prefer open source technologies.

"Apple is your worst enemy and your best friend if you're an open source guy," Zemlin said. "Apple in many ways has done a lot of good things for open source and for Linux. It changed the definition of what client computing is. That has been good for Linux. Apple also has a lot of open source components within their products and tends to work very well, in some cases, with the open source community. But I'm not going to argue that they don't have a very closed system as well."

Linus Torvalds started developing the Linux kernel in 1991 as an open source alternative to Unix. Combined with the GNU software created by Richard Stallman and the Free Software Foundation, it forms the core of many operating system distributions. (See also: "Cell phones are 'Stalin's dream,' says free software movement founder.")

Depending on one's point of view, Linux began either on Aug. 25, 1991, when Torvalds posted a message saying he was creating a free operating system as "just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu," or on Oct. 5, 1991, when the first Linux code was released. Linux enthusiasts will celebrate both dates, but the main activities will take place Aug. 17-19 at the LinuxCon North America conference in Vancouver, Canada. The Linux Foundation is also holding a big event this week in San Francisco, the Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit.

The Linux Foundation, of which Torvalds is an employee, is dedicated to accelerating adoption and development of Linux, and bringing people together to collaborate and boost technical innovation around the kernel. Created in 2007 and based in San Francisco, the foundation counts as its members and financial supporters many of the biggest names in the tech industry, including IBM, Intel, Oracle, Cisco, Google, HP, Red Hat and dozens of others.

"It's basically everybody but Microsoft," Zemlin said. "We get money from corporations and we get money from individuals who just believe in Linux and use it day in and day out."

Despite Zemlin's sunny outlook, he notes there are still challenges. Patent lawsuits and legal uncertainty might prevent some people from adopting open source, even though these problems aren't unique to open source, Zemlin said. "We have to educate producers of products how to comply with open source licenses in a low-cost and efficient way. That's a challenge," he said.

And, of course, there is that issue that Microsoft still dominates the desktop software market. When asked why Linux has failed to build desktop share, Zemlin said, "There was this monopolist who just kept everybody else out of the marketplace."

Others, like GNOME creator Miguel de Icaza, have argued that Linux and open source developers "don't seem to get our act together when it comes to understanding the needs of end users on the desktop."

But while Microsoft has sold 300 million Windows 7 licenses and reported record second-quarter revenue of nearly $20 billion, Zemlin said Linux people aren't giving up on the desktop market just yet.

For one thing, the desktop operating system itself is becoming less important as people do more and more of their work in the browser, he notes. In the future, you just may need a browser running on top of a lightweight operating system. While Microsoft's Internet Explorer runs only on Windows, major open source browsers such as Chrome and Firefox run on Windows, Mac or Linux.

"The reality is that the fat lady hasn't sung yet," Zemlin said. "Operating systems in general are like huge tides that ebb and flow very slowly over time, it's almost glacial. It takes time for people to realize that they may not need that set of computing requirements for the desktop anymore, and get used to different ways of using a computer."

Follow Jon Brodkin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jbrodkin

Source: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/040511-linux-vs-microsoft.html?page=2