LINUX  vs.  WINDOWS

Linux vs. Windows

Question

Linux vs. Windows

Answer

Users who are considering making a change from Windows to Linux or Linux to Windows commonly want to know the advantages and disadvantages of each of the operating systems. Below is a chart to help illustrate the major advantages and disadvantages of each of these operating systems.

Topic	Linux	Windows
Price	The majority of Linux variants are available for free or at a much lower price than Microsoft Windows.	Microsoft Windows can run between $50.00 - $150.00 US dollars per each license copy.
Ease	Although the majority Linux variants have improved dramatically in ease of use, Windows is still much easier to use for new computer users.	Microsoft has made several advancements and changes that have made it a much easier to use operating system, and although arguably it may not be the easiest operating system, it is still Easier than Linux.
Reliability	The majority of Linux variants and versions are notoriously reliable and can often run for months and years without needing to be rebooted.	Although Microsoft Windows has made great improvements in reliability over the last few versions of Windows, it still cannot match the reliability of Linux.
Software	Linux has a large variety of available software programs, utilities, and games. However, Windows has a much larger selection of available software.	Because of the large amount of Microsoft Windows users, there is a much larger selection of available software programs, utilities, and games for Windows.
Software Cost	Many of the available software programs, utilities, and games available on Linux are freeware or open source. Even such complex programs such as Gimp, OpenOffice, StarOffice, and wine are available for free or at a low cost.	Although Windows does have software programs, utilities, and games for free, the majority of the programs will cost anywhere between $20.00 - $200.00+ US dollars per copy.
Hardware	Linux companies and hardware manufacturers have made great advancements in hardware support for Linux and today Linux will support most hardware devices. However, many companies still do not offer drivers or support for their hardware in Linux.	Because of the amount of Microsoft Windows users and the broader driver support, Windows has a much larger support for hardware devices and a good majority of hardware manufacturers will support their products in Microsoft Windows.
Security	Linux is and has always been a very secure operating system. Although it still can be attacked when compared to Windows, it much more secure.	Although Microsoft has made great improvements over the years with security on their operating system, their operating system continues to be the most vulnerable to viruses and other attacks.
Open Source	Many of the Linux variants and many Linux programs are open source and enable users to customize or modify the code however they wish to.	Microsoft Windows is not open source and the majority of Windows programs are not open source.
Support	Although it may be more difficult to find users familiar with all Linux variants, there are vast amounts of available online documentation and help, available books, and support available for Linux.	Microsoft Windows includes its own help section, has vast amount of available online documentation and help, as well as books on each of the versions of Windows.

CRT vs LCD

CRT vs. LCD

When shopping for a new computer system, we tend to fret over such things as the CPU speed or hard disk size, but what about the one component of your system that is used just as much? Of course we're talking about the monitor. Often referred to as a display screen, a video display terminal (VDT) or visual display unit (VDU), the monitor is the component of your computer system that displays the messages and data being processed and utilized by the computer's CPU.
The two types of monitor technologies available to consumers are available in CRT monitors and LCD monitors. There are big differences between LCD and CRT, and while LCD technology has advanced to the point where its viewing quality is comparable to CRTs, many people today still choose to purchase a CRT monitor. CRTs are bigger and bulkier than an LCD, they consume more power and are prone to screen flicker. LCD monitors, however, are more expensive when compared to CRTs, they introduce the problem of viewing angles, and generally have less accurate color replication.

CRT Monitors

Sort for cathode-ray tubes, CRT monitors were the only choice consumers had for monitor technology for many years. Cathode ray tube (CRT) technology has been in use for more than 100 years, and is found in most televisions and computer monitors. A CRT works by moving an electron beam back and forth across the back of the screen. Each time the beam makes a pass across the screen, it lights up phosphor dots on the inside of the glass tube, thereby illuminating the active portions of the screen. By drawing many such lines from the top to the bottom of the screen, it creates an entire screen of images.

LCD/Flat panel Monitors

Short for liquid crystal display, LCD technology can be found in digital watches and computer monitors. LCD displays use two sheets of polarizing material with a liquid crystal solution between them. An electric current passed through the liquid causes the crystals to align so that light cannot pass through them. Each crystal, therefore, is like a shutter, either allowing light to pass through or blocking the light. Color LCD displays use two basic techniques for producing color: Passive matrix is the less expensive of the two technologies. The other technology, called thin film transistor (TFT) or active-matrix, produces color images that are as sharp as traditional CRT displays, but the technology is expensive.

AMD vs INTEL

Intel vs AMD: Intel CPUs
If you're after performance above else (and you've plenty of money) then Intel processors are the way to go. At least, in general - there are several different families available and you need to be careful which you choose.
Intel Core 2 CPUs are still available, for instance, but they've been around for a long time, no longer represent a good deal and unless you're working with an old motherboard, are probably best avoided.
Instead you'll be considering a Core i3, Core i5 or Core i7 processor, which will deliver budget, mid-range or high-end performance, respectively. Except, of course, it's not quite as simple as that, because these CPUs now come in two main flavours.
The mainstream Core i3, i5 and i7 processors are available in a Socket LGA1156 package (this defines how the CPU connects to the rest of your system, and so means you'll need a Socket LGA1156 motherboard as well). This doesn't represent the very latest in Intel technology, but it's relatively reasonably priced, and there are plenty of compatible motherboards around at all price levels.

Intel vs AMD: the AMD competition
AMD processors aren't currently able to compete with Intel for raw speed, but that might be changing soon, and in the meantime they're able to deliver capable performance at an excellent price. And AMD is also far better at backward compatibility than Intel, so there's no confusion over socket types and multiple incompatible versions of the same CPU: buy an AM3 motherboard and it'll run just about anything.
AMD's Athlon II processors, for instance, are the budget products. They're available in X2, X3 and X4 varieties (the number tells you how many cores they have), and in different model numbers according to their clock speed. Performance isn't so great, but Athlon II CPUs will fit in both socket AM2+ and AM3 motherboards, so you'll have plenty of choice when building your PC.
AMD's Phenom II family are their mainstream products, equipped with more cache memory than the Athlon II's, and running at higher clock speeds for better performance. They're available in X2, X4 and even 6-core X6 varieties, and again the CPUs run on both AM2+ and AM3 motherboards.
And AMD plans to release new processors, code-named Bulldozer and Llano, starting this June and July. Many of the CPUs will include on-board graphics chips, some will have 8 cores, and it's rumoured that performance will be 50% up on the Phenom II, which if true would mean they'll deliver speeds very similar to Intel's Sandy Bridge systems.
For the best results you'll need to run to run AMD's next generation CPUs on the upcoming AM3+ chipset motherboards, but the good news is that once again AMD are working to ensure backward compatibility. And so if you buy an AM3 motherboard today, you can equip it with an Athlon II CPU, but still upgrade to a Bulldozer CPU later on, and you shouldn't have too much of a performance penalty.

UBUNTO vs WINDOWS

We shall find the pros and cons of Ubuntu 11.04 vis-a-vis Windows 7

Operating System (OS) plays a very important role in a desktop or laptop or your mobile phone. It is system software that prepares the ground for playing different applications by effectively translating user commands to be processed on the hardware. It unleashes the hardware’s capability to perform multiple tasks enthusing users all the time. The system will be live as long as the OS is live. The proprietary software from Microsoft, Windows has made its way in the lives of millions of people across the globe. Windows is able to lead the OS market even though there is competition from Mac OS and UNIX based open source software, Ubuntu.