Windows2000 vs. Linux Seyhan Aydin CS134 Presentation

What is Windows2000 ? Written by the Microsoft Corporation Introduced in 2000 as a replacement for its predecessor, Windows NT4.0 Features better networking support, incorporates newer technologies Easier to administer large scale networks Two Versions: Professional and Server

What is Linux ? An alternative OS to Windows! Latest incarnation of UNIX based operating systems Created by Linux Torvalds in 1991 Cheaper, modifiable, more stable? Comes in varying distributions, e.g. RedHat, SuSE, to name a few.

Operating Systems Timeline 1950’s:Single Batch Processing 1960’s:UNIX (Bell Labs) 1970’s:UNIX (‘Proper’ release, written in C) 1980’s:MS-DOS, IBM AIX, MacOS, OS/2, Windows. 1990’s:Linux, SUN Solaris, Windows 9 x, UNIX, BeOS (defunct). 2000’s: Windows2000, Windows XP, Linux 3. x kernel releases, Windows.NET family…

More of Windows2000 Built on two model principles: Layered Model  Core features of the operating system are modularised Client / Server Model  The operating system is divided in many processes, all waiting for user requests

More of Linux Main component is the kernel Continuously updated [ ] Integral support for all core functions Recently updated to include support for USB, IEEE1394, DVD-RW, and new file systems Two forms of interaction  Shell Input (Command prompt)  Window manager (GUI Interface)

What OS to Choose? Many factors to consider:  Cost of Operating System  Cost of Hardware  Reliability  Average Downtime  Technical Support  Frequency of Upgrades / Service Packs

FeatureLinux (Typical Distribution) Windows2000 Professional Operating system softwareFree, or approx £40 for personal edition and £60 for professional edition. Depends on distribution. Professional Ed: £199 Server: £899 or higher. (Prices per CPU). For multiple licenses, Microsoft have other pricing methods. Kernel source codeYesNo Web ServerApache Web ServerIIS NetworkingTCP/IP, IPv6, NFS, SMB, IPX/SPX, NCP Server (NetWare Server) AppleTalk, plus many other protocols TCP/IP, SMB, IPX/SPX, AppleTalk, plus many other protocols C and C++ CompilersYesNo Perl and other script langs.YesNo Number of file systems supported 32 (And increasing)3 Number of GUIs (window managers) to choose from 4 (And upgradeable)1 (Windows standard “start button” GUI)

Conclusion – Windows2000 Windows has the user base More widely used in corporate / large scale networks – our University uses it! Considered easier to use Many popular applications used within Windows More expensive to implement Microsoft high licensing charges

Conclusion - Linux Very fast, stable operating system Source code distributed and modifiable Cheap to purchase, lower system requirements More complicated to use? Not as widely used in large networks Widespread server use A serious competitor for Microsoft