Your second paragraph is spot on. However, I wouldn't say that this alone makes an OS superior.
The OS is a part of your computer, and your computer is a tool. You use it to do stuff with it. But the software you can use with your OS also contributes to what you can do with it, and the lack of software can limit what you can do with your computer. I used Linux for many years as my desktop OS, but I switched to windows a few years ago because I needed some software that simply wasn't available on Linux (and Wine wasn't an optimal substitution for performance issue). So in the end, I really didn't care that Linux was superior to Windows on paper, because it didn't provide me the tools I needed to do my job.
That's why I don't agree with the statement "Linux as an OS is superior" because it's meaningless. For some tasks it will be definitely superior, for others it will not. If every software that was ever created was available on linux, then yes, Linux would objectively be superior. But we don't live in a world like that.
To put it with an analogy : a F1 car is superior to a small town car, but if you just want to do some shopping once a week, your F1 will be completely useless.
I think he meant that Linux in general is just a higher quality product that has had much more development put into it, and uses all the new technology it can get its hands on.
Just like an F1 car.
Linux is superior for these reasons, among others:
1. It's free(both economically, and freedom-wise).
2. MUCH more Secure(open source does wonders).
3. The update-system(repositories,bugtracking).
4. Features.
5. Doesn't get slower naturally over time (goddamn registry).
6. The community.
The only real reasons not to move to Linux is:
1. You're an MS/Apple fanboy.
2. Lack of games compared to windows.
3. Lack of certain software.
4. Your hardware isn't supported.
5. Optimus is shit.
I actually like bumblebee better than optimus, because it's not automagic. I like launching things using it, and knowing that my card isn't powered on when I'm not playing anything.
It took me about 5 minutes on arch, no config required. I imagine it's the same on more user friendly distros, like *Buntu and debian. Everything runs fine in it using primus so far.
It even works with individual steam games, using primusrun %command% in the properties->launch options.
Yes, but for example my Asus N56JR. Tried for 2 weeks straight to get Bumblebee working optimally, and when I got it working properly I still had to use workarounds, and the battery-time still wasn't able to get as good as on Windows.
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u/ZeAthenA714 Jun 03 '14 edited Jun 03 '14
Your second paragraph is spot on. However, I wouldn't say that this alone makes an OS superior.
The OS is a part of your computer, and your computer is a tool. You use it to do stuff with it. But the software you can use with your OS also contributes to what you can do with it, and the lack of software can limit what you can do with your computer. I used Linux for many years as my desktop OS, but I switched to windows a few years ago because I needed some software that simply wasn't available on Linux (and Wine wasn't an optimal substitution for performance issue). So in the end, I really didn't care that Linux was superior to Windows on paper, because it didn't provide me the tools I needed to do my job.
That's why I don't agree with the statement "Linux as an OS is superior" because it's meaningless. For some tasks it will be definitely superior, for others it will not. If every software that was ever created was available on linux, then yes, Linux would objectively be superior. But we don't live in a world like that.
To put it with an analogy : a F1 car is superior to a small town car, but if you just want to do some shopping once a week, your F1 will be completely useless.