100% Windows or learn Linux

techguy

Hi..

I'm sure this has been asked many times but..Are there many people on here that are Windows users all the way and don't use any Unix/Linux systems at all??

I ask this because i'm always reading about how you aren't a computer scientist until you feel at home with Linux and as a result I feel bad thinking I should to use ubuntu or something.

I'm going to be a Windows programmer and web developer so I don't really see the need in learning Linux systems with the exception of being able to maintain apache,mysql,php etc on a linux box. I would probably like to be able to do IP tables and all that in the future too.

Am I thinking along the right lines are should I just go and format and install Linux now while theres still time :pac:

Are there many people who consider them successful* in the computer industry who just don't bother with linux at all?

*By successful I mean your career is progressing nicely and you've never felt inadequate/been refused a role because of your lack of experience with linux..

Thoughts?

watty

Ubuntu is for "ordinary" Computer users

Serious Penguins compile their own Gentoo Linux

Many advanced tasks need Console on Windows and command line tools. Many of these are similar to those on Linux.

If you want to be fully rounded know how to use MS Services for UNIX on Windows and run remote Linux apps seemlessly in X window sessions on explorer desktop.

Know how to run Windows on a VM on Linux.
Know how to run Linux on a VM on Winows.
How to Multiboot Windows & Linux using NT's boot.ini and boot loader
How to Multiboot Windows & Linux using Grub etc.

How cross compile for x86 Linux, ARM Linux and MIPs Linux on Windows (sharp Develop) and how to cross compile for various targets using GCC on Linux.

Real programmers are Programmers. Not Windows Programmers.

Do some non-OS specific Console Programs that can be recompiled for MIPs router running Linux (OpenWRT), Linux x86, OpenSolaris and Windows.

Do some platform independent GTK and QT GUI programming.

Do some Java and change the Forms library default so it uses Host GUI style. The same code with NO change will then run on Linux, OpenSolaris, OSX,Windows etc.

Web systems are as often Linux based as Windows.

Windows has passed the Event horizon. You need to be broader.

Computer Science is only to do with Programming at all in the sense you need to Implement. It's certainly nothing to do with Windows or Linux/GNU. Those are only a couple of target platforms.

Do some C, Assembly and JAL on 16F628 or similar PIC micro

Download free S60 SDK and write a Native App for Symbian (ARM). Do Native ARM (C++ or C for linux) and actual Android Google's version of Java) for Android Phone.
Do a Win Mobile/CE application
Do a iPhone app.

Get GP2X and do a native ARM C Linux app using GUI API. (Free Sharp Develop Cross Compile on Windows or gcc env on Linux).

techguy

Wow, what a list!! Are you trying to make me feel bad??

Is this a list of things that you should be ticking off as you progressing through your carrer.

Is it just a matter of do it once or twice so you can say you did and then you could pick it up easily if required to do so in the future??

Ubuntu will be a start and I already have an ISO here so im gonna install that in a VM right now and see how I go..

3rd year CS next year so I hope they do some Linux/Unix with us!

watty

It's all stuff I've needed to know in a non-computer enginneering job in last couple of years.

Darkphenom

watty wrote: »

Ubuntu is for "ordinary" Computer users

Serious Penguins compile their own Gentoo Linux

Many advanced tasks need Console on Windows and command line tools. Many of these are similar to those on Linux.

If you want to be fully rounded know how to use MS Services for UNIX on Windows and run remote Linux apps seemlessly in X window sessions on explorer desktop.

Know how to run Windows on a VM on Linux.
Know how to run Linux on a VM on Winows.
How to Multiboot Windows & Linux using NT's boot.ini and boot loader
How to Multiboot Windows & Linux using Grub etc.

How cross compile for x86 Linux, ARM Linux and MIPs Linux on Windows (sharp Develop) and how to cross compile for various targets using GCC on Linux.

Real programmers are Programmers. Not Windows Programmers.

Do some non-OS specific Console Programs that can be recompiled for MIPs router running Linux (OpenWRT), Linux x86, OpenSolaris and Windows.

Do some platform independent GTK and QT GUI programming.

Do some Java and change the Forms library default so it uses Host GUI style. The same code with NO change will then run on Linux, OpenSolaris, OSX,Windows etc.

Web systems are as often Linux based as Windows.

Windows has passed the Event horizon. You need to be broader.

Computer Science is only to do with Programming at all in the sense you need to Implement. It's certainly nothing to do with Windows or Linux/GNU. Those are only a couple of target platforms.

Do some C, Assembly and JAL on 16F628 or similar PIC micro

Download free S60 SDK and write a Native App for Symbian (ARM). Do Native ARM (C++ or C for linux) and actual Android Google's version of Java) for Android Phone.
Do a Win Mobile/CE application
Do a iPhone app.

Get GP2X and do a native ARM C Linux app using GUI API. (Free Sharp Develop Cross Compile on Windows or gcc env on Linux).

Where should you start if you want to learn all that?

sceptre

Darkphenom wrote: »

Where should you start if you want to learn all that?

The 1970s.

(sorry, really couldn't resist. Watty's an expert on many many techie things though)

NullZer0

Install Linux and start with Python and Ruby (EDIT sorry, I see your 3rd year CS) (my weapon of choice... keep the flames to yourselves!) although you can do this on Windows, I love Linux.

Check out Debian and CentOS.
Its also worth looking at FreeBSD :-)


Windows is just useless in many aspects. Its does me fine though for web browsing and stuff but when push comes to shove and I need to manage my resources better its Debian FTW.

Each to their own but my prefered disto is Debian.

Seifer

iRock wrote: »

Windows is just useless in many aspects. Its does me fine though for web browsing and stuff but when push comes to shove and I need to manage my resources better its Debian FTW.

Can you explain this more please? And give some examples. I am also studying computer science (heading into final year in September) and hear/read things about Linux being "easier" to work in. There has never been anything I've wanted to do on Windows I couldn't. Conversely I find Linux quite restrictive.

Capt'n Midnight

Seifer wrote: »

There has never been anything I've wanted to do on Windows I couldn't. Conversely I find Linux quite restrictive.

Horses for courses really

not everyone wants to do the same things with computers, linux allows more under the bonnet control and tweaking, windows is more geared to the desktop


when comparing windows to linux you have to include your budget, the latest windows software will do many of the same things as linux and visa versa, but the latest linux software is usually free, where as the latest windows software can be quite costly so many people are using previous versions

Seifer

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

not everyone wants to do the same things with computers, linux allows more under the bonnet control and tweaking, windows is more geared to the desktop

Well from a programming point of view so. What can I do more easily on Linux? Why would I want to start a project on a Linux machine as opposed to Windows one?

This is a genuine question. I have my own opinions on the OS's but I just want to see if there are actual reasons to use one over the other for certain tasks.

techguy

iRock wrote: »

Install Linux and start with Python and Ruby (EDIT sorry, I see your 3rd year CS) (my weapon of choice... keep the flames to yourselves!) although you can do this on Windows, I love Linux.

Check out Debian and CentOS.
Its also worth looking at FreeBSD :-)


Windows is just useless in many aspects. Its does me fine though for web browsing and stuff but when push comes to shove and I need to manage my resources better its Debian FTW.

Each to their own but my prefered disto is Debian.

I think I will install linux on a VM - Probably Ubuntu I fancy learning Python as I'm always reading about how useful it is..

On the linux side i'll probably just start off by setting up LAMP manually (WAMPserver equiv!)

Just one question..whats the best way to install precompiled software:
Throught the supplied program for doing or through command line (apt get) is this the same?

What do you mean by Ruby, Ruby on Rails or is it another scripting language?? I'm planning on learning Zend..or should I go down the Ruby route?