"Linux is not Windows, and although there are some similarities, you must realize that there may be a few 'new ways of doing things' to learn before you can be comfortable in Linux. Linux is an open-source clone of UNIX, a secure operating system that predates DOS and Windows and is designed for multiple users. The items in the following list generally apply to any UNIX-based *nix system, such as Linux and the various BSD's. For the purposes of this article, assume that it's all Linux."
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Member since:2005-06-29
I know what you're saying and I hate to contradict you but. I really think more time has gone into a comparable Linux system as Windows. Let's just say:
Linux, binutils, emacs, kde, gcc, xorg.
Compared to.
Windows XP, Visual Studio.
I think more time has gone into linux and kde than Windows XP...
The reason I say this is two fold:
1.) There are faaar more features in linux+kde+xorg than in Windows XP
2.) The bazaar development method is not a monicker of efficiency. You've got thousands of people making small modifications. To do that you have to waste time getting to know the project. In a more cathedral environment you only get used to the code once.
Of course, 2 has its own advantages that come with that. For one, more people complaining about things that are hard to understand is going to get them changed; which will aid later maintainability.
And another, I think people program a little differently when they think someone smarter than a manager is reading their code. It's pride.
Also, I really think the Windows UI was rushed and has been left largely unfixed because it's probably a nightmare. Now, by UI, I don't mean GDI, I don't mean Windows Forms. I mean explorer. I mean the single program that manages your whole desktop and hasn't had a new feature since its inception.
Member since:
2005-07-06
The age argument is a little bit simplistic, but I think its important to consider what the author was going for. The fact that Linux started in 1991 and NT in 1988 doesn't really mean much. How much code is left in modern Linux or modern Windows from those early versions? How much code and design work was carried over into NT from previoius versions?
The more salient thing to look at is not years, but man-years. How many man years of effort have gone into Windows XP, including the amount reused from pre-NT versions of Windows? How many have gone into Linux + KDE/GNOME, including the amount reused from previous UNIXes, and things like X Windows?