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I know this is probably a stupid question, but what are the major differences between windows and linux/unix as far as OS Design goes? How is one more stable than the other. Which is faster all around on the same hardware(I know this is difficult to answer, apples to oranges). These are just a few of the many questions I have on the topic.
Thanks,
Kenny
Anyone, Im a newbie to linux, and Im trying to find out why its "so great".
Thanks,
Kenny
It's not only stable, but it also gives you so much more control. You're not binded by the options included in a particular gui screen. I also like how an app can freeze up the whole screen (which would incapacitate windows) and you can just drop back into a terminal and kill the offending program. There are lots of reasons...and I imagine everybody likes different parts. I also love that every program I need is free and can be installed within seconds. As far as which is faster, I have a very streamlined windows install on both my desktop and my laptop. Linux still beats windows on both systems.
Getting used to using it and learning to configure things and such are tough in the beginning (although knoppix really makes it as easy as possible). But it's worth it if you stick it out. :D
NT is micro-kernel based(thus MS can cramp it into 256K memory on Xbox), linux is monolithic. So if MS wants, they can make NT as small as linux, contrary to the Windows is bulk, linux is small believe.
However, after putting in all the necessary stuffs for a modern "OS"(mostly GUI related), they are more or less the same. But the design philosophy of linux(which is nothing but a kernel and gives no special consideration to GUI) make it more responsive to other task under heavy load whereas Windows would be easily dragged down by the GUI. So linux is much better for server usage.
Linux can be monolithic but can also be very modular. i prefer a middle way. some things i allways need (like network, graphics...) are in kernel other things like modem, paralell-port cdburner... are as modules. i guess i could get a kernel to be about 800K but that would require external drivers for many things...
256k and 800k kernels?????? That rediculously small! I had no Idea.
How do you kill programs in Knoppix? :oops:Quote:
Originally Posted by champagnemojo
How do you kill programs in Knoppix? :oops:Quote:
Originally Posted by champagnemojo
The easiest way to kill a graphical program is to use xkill. I think Ctrl-Alt-Esc might bring it up...but I can't remember for sure whehter or not that shortcut is set up in Knoppix. If not you can run it from konsole by typing xkill. It will bring up a little square cursor and you just click on the offending app.Quote:
Originally Posted by cyberstew
You can also use the command "killall -9 appname". If some app has frozen up X, you can drop back to a terminal and use this to get things going again. This command is also useful when an app doesn't exit right so that the window goes away but the process is still running.
I think thats a short cut for knoppix.Quote:
Originally Posted by champagnemojo
You could also try
ps xa |grep app name
and kill the program with
kill corresponding number
A shorter way to find a process and its process-id (PID) by name:
In most cases a hanging program will not respond toCode:ps -C appname
, but this will send the program a SIGTERM(inate)-signal, and it may save important data and exit more cleanly. Sometimes it works, and it's the preferable solution in most cases. Perhaps the program uses some resources (files, devices, database- or internet-connection, ...) which it may release.Code:kill -15 PID
If you use 'top' on the CLI, you may look at all processes, and hit 'k' to kill one, then '15' to kill by signal 15, if it doesn't vanish in 3-5 sec. hit 'k' again, and kill with signal 9 (SIGKILL).
If you send '9' it will be killed immediately.
---
To the original question:
Linux was designed as multiuser/ multitasking/ networking- system from the beginning.
Most things are developed to open standards, most of them being used in unix-systems for a long time.
But I don't know how WinNT evolved, which is one part of the XP-history as far as I know.
The other part came from the well known Dos/win2.0, 3.1, 3.11, 95, 98, ME - history.
On Linux, the kernel is totally separeted from the graphic-layer (X11), and this is distinct from Desktop-Systems (fluxbox/ KDE/ gnome/ ...). So you may exchange your Desktop. You could exchange the X11 with something else - but here I don't talk from experience.
I update my kernel often - every two or three months - but my apps, X11 and fluxbox aren't affected at all.
The linux-way is usually, to program against open interfaces, to use open protocols and formats. You get a lot of control over your system, but have to do a lot of things yourself, and need some knowledge.
For beginners it's often hard.
The windows-way is, to make it easy for beginners, to hide technical details, to use closed, proprietary protocols. Things work automatically, but can't be customized.
It's easy for beginners, but hard for experts.
The evolution of both OS's is of course very different.
On linux, every programer who finds a bug or needs a feature may change the sources, and try to get it into the original branch. If it is well done this isn't a problem.
Of course a secretary or a dentist will normally not know how to debug a program, or even send an appropriate feature-request.
The second one might be learned easily, but most people are contact avoiding, and don't have the heart, to ask foreign people for help (it's easier in such a anonymous forum).
On windows, they will get bugreports too.
I don't know how the management decides, how to react on such requests, but I guess money plays a prominent role. And perhaps the only one.
I never heared from somebody, that he asked microsoft to fix something, and got a fixed program.
But they have servicepacks (which breaks third-party software - hoho, and is 250 MB in size, hehe).
How the kernels work inside, I don't know.
I'm no kernel-guru and don't know the linux-kernel from inside.
For windows, where you don't get the sourcecode, only few will know how it works.
I heared that the distinction between user-mode and root(admin)-mode isn't that well designed on windows. But it's only a second-hand information.
NT has a strong VMS root which is a better OS than *unix IMO. And its design didn't tie with GUI either. However, WIN32 is the only sub system exist on it even though MS has coined a POSIX subsystem(which can run most of the apps for *nix) in its early days.
The secuirty system of NT(thus Windows) are much more advance than linux too. all those secure linux/acl etc. stuff that begins to appear in 2.6 as a standard feature was there in NT(and there is more). Unfortunately, to easy end user confusion, Microsoft lax it a lot resulting in an implementation that makes you think that NT's security model is bad.
Xkill > Utilities / More / Xkill
There's a useful article in The Register on this topic:Quote:
I know this is probably a stupid question, but what are the major differences between windows and linux/unix as far as OS Design goes?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/03...tware_enhance/
I just experienced a freeze in Mozilla and I tried every combination of ctrl-esc-alt-Del that I could think of, but nothing ever happened. Several times, when running from CD, I froze Konqueror and tried ctrl-alt-del (Windows Task Manager) and it apparently did an emergency shutdown of all processes, ending with remove CD and press any key to shutdown. This time, now from beginners HD install, I got NO reaction to anything. Finally had to power off. Any suggestions? :?:Quote:
Originally Posted by cyberstew
man kill
You may also get an additional terminal and call, which gives you a square, and if you klick with that square on a window, the programm to which the window belongs, get's killed.Code:xkill
Another possiblity is, to shut the whole X11-System down by ctrl-alt-backspace in most configurations.
If you use a graphical login, this leads to a halt or reboot - another argument against graphical logins btw.
Andis also able to kill processes: You get a list of all processes (which fit on your window) and may issue the 'k' command. Then you get asked which process you like to kill (which pid), and then may choose a way to kill it - friendly (15) or agressive (9).Code:top