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Vista vs. desktop Linux: One year in

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Linux
Microsoft

After almost a year since Microsoft released Vista to manufacturing, it's time to re-evaluate it and decide if it's finally the equal of the best of the desktop Linuxes.

That's not a facetious question. Yes, in terms of market share, desktop Linux hovers just over 1 percent of all users, while Microsoft claims that Vista by this summer had already sold more than 60 million copies. I'm not impressed, and you shouldn't be either.

To me, Vista is a lot like those gas-guzzling, constantly breaking down American junkers. I have been using Vista for more than a year now. It still doesn't run all my hardware. It still has problems with some of my Windows applications. And, even as PC hardware prices continue their perpetual drop, I still find that the average PC with 2GB of RAM, built-in Intel graphics and a middlin' performing dual-core CPU isn't fast enough to run Vista acceptably.

At the same time, I can take any older PC with 512MB of RAM and any processor running at 1GHz or faster, and get a better performing desktop experience with any modern Linux desktop distribution. MEPIS, openSUSE, SLED (SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop), Ubuntu and Xandros are my favorite Linux desktops. Each can work on your 2004/2005 vintage machines without a lick of trouble.

When it comes to cost, there's no comparison.

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Besides the cost factor this

Besides the cost factor this is very misleading, even though it's opinion.
I have Vista running on this laptop and on my desktop, both circa 2004 machines. They can't run Aero but they run just as fast and as well as they did with XP...and they run ALL the hardware and software.

I have also run linux on both systems, Suse, Fedora and Ubuntu. And neither machine will run Compiz or the like either, just like they won't run Aero. So where's the benefit?

Granted, Linux will always be cheaper or free. Besides that, what's the advantage? And don't throw the virus/spyware thing out there. Come on...how hard is it to install and run an AV app??

I like Linux, I really do. I've been using it since 1996, but time after time, distro after distro I keep trying and going back to Windows for my full time computing. Linux is almost there...soon, but not yet.

For those who have fought for it
life has a flavor the protected will never know.

Hmmmm...Odd. But you don't

Hmmmm...Odd. But you don't state the kind of hardware you use.

Well, I have several machines here.

Celeron 700Mhz with TNT2-M64
Celeron 1.4Ghz with GF2 MX400
Dual CPU PIII 1Ghz with GF4 ti4200
ThinkPad R40 (Pentium-M 1.4Ghz) with Mobility Radeon 7500
Sempron 2800+@2.0Ghz (AMD64, Socket 754) with GF5900XT
Sempron 2800+@2.0Ghz (AMD64, Socket 754) with GF7300GT
Sempron 2800+@2.0Ghz (AMD64, Socket 754) with GF7600GS

They all can run Compiz. The Celeron 700Mhz can do it, but really slowly. If I replace it with a GF FX5200 PCI video card, it can run it without much issue.

I don't have Vista, so I can't confirm what works with Aero and what doesn't.

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