This page is not even close to being ready.
Like any respectable page, this one too is under construction!
Andrei's Linux advocacy page...
... started out of the need of a centralized resource center that I could point people to when they ask me why I prefer Linux to other operating systems.
Of course, there's no such thing as the best operating system. Every one of them surely has advantages and drawbacks. Even the old DOS is better than say, Windows 98 in at least one regard: it can bring to life the old i8088-based PC's with 640k RAM, a job any Windows is unable to do. There aren't many i8088 computers left these days, but I was only making a point.
I do not claim that Linux is the best option for everyone and everything. But it is the best operating system for my purposes. And it could be the best for you too, even if you don't know it yet. Here's a handy cheat sheet.
Linux is ...
- multitasking, meaning you can run more than one program at any time.
- multiuser, meaning more than one user can run programs, own files, and so on on a Linux machine.
- stable, which basically means that it won't crash every once in a while, whenever you need it most.
- portable - Linux runs on a wide range of processors, from the Intel x86 series, for which it was originally designed, to HP PA Risc, to Sun Sparc's, to Motorola 68k, to Alpha and a few more.
- free Yes, that's right, you don't have to pay a dime to use Linux. All you need is a computer to run it on, but you already have that, or you wouldn't be reading this. You can download and install Linux distributions for free from the Internet, or you can get it on CD's (usually for a small fee).
- open-source - anyone can obtain the source files out of which Linux is compiled. This enabled a unique development model which is discussed in detail by Eric S. Raymond in his Cathedral and Bazaar document.
- Unix-like, so it is based on concepts with proved to be "good" over a 30 year history. You see, Unix was designed from the beginning to be a multitasking, multiuser system. It inherits the huge flexibility made possible by one of the basic ideas behind Unix: combine small, simple and very efficient programs to perform very complex tasks.
Linux is not ...
Linux is regarded to be in competition with various flavours of Microsoft Windows. That is, of course, true in lots of ways, but there is another competition too: Linux versus other Unix-like operating systems. Eventually, Linux will win :-)
Linux versus other Unices
It's simple: Linux is the most popular free Unix-clone. Wherever other Unices are used, Linux can do the job.
Unices versus Windows
Windows was originally designed to be some sort of graphical interface running ontop of the old DOS. It evolved into what is now Windows 98 pretty much like a patch over a patch over a patch. Maintaining compatibility with old DOS programs was a decision that forced too many compromises, making Win 9x unstable, unsafe.
Why not Windows
As if it wasn't enough, Windows has other problems too.
Like any complex piece of software, Windows has been plagued by a huge number of bugs. Unfortunately, Microsoft's approach was denial rather than full disclosure. Contrary to (pretty funny, if you come to think) claims, hiding problems does not protect anyone. ....
References
[MSP] MS paper touts Unix in Hotmail's Win2k switch by Thomas C Greene