Linux means different things to different people, and among the technology's fans, you can't find a single feature that everyone will agree is the real "killer." For some it's flexibility, for some it's freedom, for other it's a different kind of "free." It really all depends on "what Linux is supposed to kill," said blogger Chris Travers.
There's been plenty to discuss in recent days, of course, what with Computex going on and all the excitement over Oracle's (Nasdaq: ORCL) OpenOffice move, but many bloggers have preferred to keep their spirits up with a spirited debate instead.The topic? None other than Linux's many glorious virtues.
"I think the number one feature that takes Windows users' breath away is: Linux does not make your computer get slower over time," offered Paul Gideon Dann in the TuxRadar comments, for example.
"The thing I like is the fact that as most software is installed via a repository, it all automatically updates itself," suggested Mark Fraser. "With Windows each program has to constantly check to see if there are any updates."
Then again: "The killer feature is Freedom, with a capital F," asserted haakin.
Nearly 100 comments later, it soon became apparent that picking just one killer feature is the challenge. Linux Girl couldn't resist conducting a similar poll from her frosty bar-room perch.
There, as on TuxRadar, opinions were nothing if not diverse.
Similarly, "Linux's killer feature is flexibility," agreed Thoughts on Technology blogger and Bodhi Linux lead developer Jeff Hoogland. "The power Linux has to adapt to nearly any computing situation is what has put it on the map."
Linux has dominated the server market for some time "and in recent years has taken over the mobile market," Hoogland noted. "While Linux has yet to enjoy the thriving success on desktop computers that it enjoys elsewhere, there is no doubting what a flexible desktop Linux is.
"Don't like KDE? Try Enlightenment. Don't like Ubuntu? Try OpenSuse," he added. "You get the idea."
"Linux's killer feature vs. Solaris and other UNIXes? Lower sysadmin learning curve, better shell-based administrative interface for common tasks," Travers explained.
"Linux's killer feature vs. Windows and Mac OS X? The fact that Linux can be anything to anybody instead of everything to everybody," he asserted. "That's right. I think that all the software choices, and the flexibility to tie them together in previously unimagined ways, is the killer feature here."
Well, June has arrived for another year, and that means the dog days of summer can't be far behind.
Scorching temperatures have already begun to beat down upon parts of the Linux blogosphere, in fact, which may be why there's nary a barstool to be found down at the seedy but well air-conditioned Punchy Penguin Saloon, where Linux Girl plans to stay until, oh, say, October or so.There's been plenty to discuss in recent days, of course, what with Computex going on and all the excitement over Oracle's (Nasdaq: ORCL) OpenOffice move, but many bloggers have preferred to keep their spirits up with a spirited debate instead.The topic? None other than Linux's many glorious virtues.
It All Automatically Updates Itself'
Indeed, "What is Linux's killer feature?" was the topic of an open ballot poll over at TuxRadar recently, and it's inspired more than a few geeks to count all the many ways they love their favorite operating system."I think the number one feature that takes Windows users' breath away is: Linux does not make your computer get slower over time," offered Paul Gideon Dann in the TuxRadar comments, for example.
"The thing I like is the fact that as most software is installed via a repository, it all automatically updates itself," suggested Mark Fraser. "With Windows each program has to constantly check to see if there are any updates."
'Freedom, With a Capital F'
Alternatively, "I'd say it's the window management," opined werner.Then again: "The killer feature is Freedom, with a capital F," asserted haakin.
Nearly 100 comments later, it soon became apparent that picking just one killer feature is the challenge. Linux Girl couldn't resist conducting a similar poll from her frosty bar-room perch.
There, as on TuxRadar, opinions were nothing if not diverse.
'The Power to Adapt'
"Linux's killer feature is its near-infinite level of flexibility," offered consultant and Slashdot blogger Gerhard Mack. "What other OS has a single kernel source that manages everything, from desktops to servers and phones to firewalls and even TVs?"Similarly, "Linux's killer feature is flexibility," agreed Thoughts on Technology blogger and Bodhi Linux lead developer Jeff Hoogland. "The power Linux has to adapt to nearly any computing situation is what has put it on the map."
Linux has dominated the server market for some time "and in recent years has taken over the mobile market," Hoogland noted. "While Linux has yet to enjoy the thriving success on desktop computers that it enjoys elsewhere, there is no doubting what a flexible desktop Linux is.
"Don't like KDE? Try Enlightenment. Don't like Ubuntu? Try OpenSuse," he added. "You get the idea."
'Anything to Anybody'
The answer depends on "what Linux is supposed to kill," Chris Travers, a Slashdot blogger who works on the LedgerSMB project, told LinuxInsider."Linux's killer feature vs. Solaris and other UNIXes? Lower sysadmin learning curve, better shell-based administrative interface for common tasks," Travers explained.
"Linux's killer feature vs. Windows and Mac OS X? The fact that Linux can be anything to anybody instead of everything to everybody," he asserted. "That's right. I think that all the software choices, and the flexibility to tie them together in previously unimagined ways, is the killer feature here."
