There are a variety of operating systems out there and many have their supporters and detractors. Two of the most notable are the Windows Operating system and the Linux operating system. There is a great amount of difference between the Linux and the Windows operating systems. Both have a loyal following and both are used on PC or IBM compatibles. These really are the only similarities.
One of the most significant differences is that Linux is open source which means that any developer who wishes to improve upon the product may do so if they wish to invest the time and effort into the endeavor however the end result must be free to download for users. On the other side is Windows which is owned, licensed and developed by Microsoft Corporation and is never for free. While it may come with your brand new purchased PC it was paid for as part of the package deal.
When dealing with security most agree that Linux is superior to the Windows operating system. Contracting a virus on a machine that is running Linux is significantly less likely than on a machine running Windows. This is due to security flaws in the Window operation system, sometimes known as bugs. As well as the fact that because so many more people use windows based machines they are more likely to be targeted. Because of these bugs Windows is more proned to crash and freeze than Linux based systems. For some Linux has run for years without having to be rebooted due to its security measures.
Linux has a standard core but then has been built upon by other which has produced several mainstream distributions including Ubuntu, Mandriva and Linspire. While Windows is the best distributed operating system, for those who wish to branch out or have a computer without an operating system a Linux based program may be worth a try.