This article will not attempt to advocate the use of Linux over Windows or vice versa. I will try to present the differences and similarities between Linux and Windows in a fair manner.

Overview:

Both Linux and Windows (2000, NT, XP, Vista) are operating systems. Linux was inspired from Unix, while Windows was inspired from VMS.

While no single company “owns” Linux, Windows is owned by Microsoft. Various distributions (often referred to as “distros”) of Linux come from different companies (e.g. Red Hat, Novell SuSE, Mandrake etc.), while all Windows flavors (95, 98, 2000, XP, Vista) come from Microsoft.

Both Linux and Windows come in Desktop and Server editions.

Cost:

As far as cost is concerned, Linux is very cheap or free. I used the word “very cheap” for enterprise users. While anybody can download, install and use Linux, the distribution companies usually charge for technical support.
Windows is expensive. You first pay for the copy of the software and then again for the technical support if you ever want it.
There is another catch though; Windows enforces you to use a single copy on a single computer. This is not the case with Linux though, once you purchase Linux, you can run it on an unlimited number of computers. (more…)