Linux - General This Linux forum is for general Linux questions and discussion.
If it is Linux Related and doesn't seem to fit in any other forum then this is the place. |
Notices |
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
Are you new to LinuxQuestions.org? Visit the following links:
Site Howto |
Site FAQ |
Sitemap |
Register Now
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
|
 |
|
12-01-2013, 10:28 PM
|
#16
|
Senior Member
Registered: Sep 2009
Location: Raleigh, NC
Distribution: Ubuntu, PopOS, Raspbian
Posts: 1,899
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by 273
Are you suggesting that all computers that sit on a desk in a case are equal?
|
That's exactly what I was saying. It wouldn't be synonymous otherwise in reference to desktop computers. I'm not saying that laptops sitting on a desk and a desktop computer sitting on a desk are the same if that's what you're referencing.
On desktops, it would be naive to state they're equal. Are they of the same classification (i.e. desktop vs workstation)? Yes. Are they equal? They are not unless they have the exact same specs and even then there are minute differences.
Last edited by sag47; 12-01-2013 at 10:35 PM.
|
|
|
12-01-2013, 10:40 PM
|
#17
|
LQ Addict
Registered: Dec 2011
Location: UK
Distribution: Debian Sid AMD64, Raspbian Wheezy, various VMs
Posts: 7,680
Original Poster
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by sag47
That's exactly what I was saying. It wouldn't be synonymous otherwise in reference to desktop computers. I'm not saying that laptops sitting on a desk and a desktop computer sitting on a desk are the same if that's what you're referencing.
On desktops, it would be naive to state they're equal. Are they of the same classification (i.e. desktop vs workstation)? Yes. Are they equal? They are not.
|
I'm suggesting that "workstation" is different to "desktop". "desktop" could be the best way to describe the "form factor" by which I mean it sits on a desk. However, I see a definite difference between a $200 desktop and a workstation with a few Quadras in it and I think there's a valid reason for making a distinction.
Have we lost the term "workstation"?
Sorry I know I am arguing but I am interested how these things are perceived and I appreciate your thoughts.
|
|
|
12-01-2013, 11:20 PM
|
#18
|
Moderator
Registered: Jan 2005
Location: Central Florida 20 minutes from Disney World
Distribution: Slackware®
Posts: 13,984
|
Member Response
Hi,
It's in the eye of the beholder! Semantics along with miss-used Tech-speak.
Personally, I have used what was classed as a Workstation that was in a multiple system environment designed to provide necessary applications within our professional class.
To date I feel the interchange of the terms can be miss-used even in a casual sense. Employers can class a cubical with a simple Desktop as a Workstation. Yet this would not be equivalent to a professional Workstation that has been designed to work high end applications.
Tech buzz words are constantly used correctly and incorrectly by many. Most do not realize the actual use of the terms, just parroting a phrase.
I find that this Workstation with Slackware installed provides me with work opportunities that do provide the means to class it officially as a 'Workstation', even though this computer is also classed as a Laptop.
In my LAB there are several test bed Workstations on multiple benches that have been built from necessary components to provide the support for my clients. Both from a admin and design perspective.
Quote:
“A tool is but the extension of a man's hand and a machine is but a complex tool. He that invents a machine augments the power of man and the well being of mankind.” - Henry Ward Beecher
“Man is a tool-using animal.”- Carlyle
|
BTW, my Workstations dual boot MS Windows & Slackware Gnu/Linux to provide client support.
This post and many others have been composed from my customized Dell XPS Workstation. Best Laptop that I have ever purchased for my Workstation. 
|
|
|
12-01-2013, 11:24 PM
|
#19
|
LQ Addict
Registered: Dec 2011
Location: UK
Distribution: Debian Sid AMD64, Raspbian Wheezy, various VMs
Posts: 7,680
Original Poster
|
Thanks onebuck -- I'd forgotten about laptops as "workstations".
I see I have been, perhaps, arguing instead of listening and I apologise to sag47.
|
|
|
12-02-2013, 02:45 PM
|
#20
|
LQ Newbie
Registered: Jan 2009
Location: /home
Distribution: Debian, CentOS/RHEL, FreeBSD
Posts: 14
Rep:
|
I've been under the impression the differences between desktops and workstations are:
1) Desktops are the form factor, ie desktop vs laptop.
2) Workstations are for serious work and have hardware configurations to support such tasks, ie redundant PSUs, buffered RAM, multiple Xeon/Opteron -class CPUs, similar class high bandwidth storage specs, and audio/visual components for real work (ie, not gaming or listening to music).
|
|
|
12-04-2013, 08:52 AM
|
#21
|
Senior Member
Registered: Nov 2003
Distribution: Slackʍɐɹǝ
Posts: 1,489
|
At one time after the high end sun risc workstations the term workstation was used for high end desktops (that should confuse things). When I was as a small reseller your average desktop was a pII 166-233MHz and your workstations were dual cpu PPro or such. Average desktops had IDE drives and the workstations SCSI. Average desktop was Windows 95/98, workstations were NT4. You had Compaq Dekstop Desktops (and Armada laptops) and the Professional Workstations, or HP Vectra (Omnibook) and Kayak workstations.
Now a days the term workstation does seems to just be a synonym of desktop or desktops and laptops since your high end workstations and average desktops now run the same OS and have the same multi-core cpu's there just isn't much market for the old workstation.
|
|
|
12-04-2013, 09:30 AM
|
#22
|
LQ Guru
Registered: May 2005
Location: boston, usa
Distribution: fedora-35
Posts: 5,326
|
i think it comes down to intended use. workstations are intended for corperations and usually run a operating system with expanded functionalities (like windows ultimate edition/ redhat enterprise).
desktops are usually intended for home use (windows vista home/ fedora/ ubuntu).
i think workstations is the new name for mini-computers. my older domain manager used to call the sun server a mid-range which was an old name for servers because they were bigger than mini-computers but smaller than mainframes.
Last edited by schneidz; 12-05-2013 at 01:25 PM.
|
|
|
12-04-2013, 09:32 AM
|
#23
|
LQ Addict
Registered: Dec 2011
Location: UK
Distribution: Debian Sid AMD64, Raspbian Wheezy, various VMs
Posts: 7,680
Original Poster
|
I think from the discussion here Workstation is used in a few different ways:
To denote a machine on which one does heavy-lifting work -- rendering, large compilation, CAD etc.
To denote a high-powered desktop put together in order to do the above.
To denote a machine with some or all of: Dual CPU sockets, using server-grade CPUs; nVIDIA Quadra type graphics card or cards for computation or heavy 3D; ECC RAM; Dual PSUs; Gigabit network; large amounts of storage or attached to a SAN; and probably a few things I've forgotten.
I would tend towards the latter as, perhaps, the true definition but I can see now how blurred the lines are.
|
|
|
12-04-2013, 09:37 AM
|
#24
|
LQ Addict
Registered: Dec 2011
Location: UK
Distribution: Debian Sid AMD64, Raspbian Wheezy, various VMs
Posts: 7,680
Original Poster
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by schneidz
i think it comes down to intended use. workstations are intended for corperations and usually run a operating system with expanded functionalities (like windows ultimate edition/ redhat enterprise).
|
I was writing my post when you submitted yours. I think this is a good point also. It reminds me of the question "what is a server" to which my reply is always, now, "a process listening on a socket" since some machines being sold as servers are just glorified desktops (yes, I know there is overlap) and things like the Raspberry Pi can actually make very good servers for certain use cases (I keep meaning to get one as a torrent box and to SSH tunnel to from outside my home).
|
|
|
12-04-2013, 10:07 AM
|
#25
|
LQ Guru
Registered: May 2005
Location: boston, usa
Distribution: fedora-35
Posts: 5,326
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by 273
I was writing my post when you submitted yours. I think this is a good point also. It reminds me of the question "what is a server" to which my reply is always, now, "a process listening on a socket" since some machines being sold as servers are just glorified desktops (yes, I know there is overlap) and things like the Raspberry Pi can actually make very good servers for certain use cases (I keep meaning to get one as a torrent box and to SSH tunnel to from outside my home).
|
i recently set-up my dads laptop to windows-8 and i skimmed the first few paragraphs of the 20 page eula. it said something like 'this pc cannot be used as a server and you agree to purchase another license if that functionality is needed...' and the next few steps in the install was setting up file and printer sharing.
the eula also mentions that the license only permits one user to use the laptop but the very next step was setting up user account s.
i tried to duel-boot him with fedora but the windows partition refuses to boot now (some error with \boot\bcd).
Last edited by schneidz; 12-04-2013 at 10:14 AM.
|
|
|
12-04-2013, 10:12 AM
|
#26
|
LQ Addict
Registered: Dec 2011
Location: UK
Distribution: Debian Sid AMD64, Raspbian Wheezy, various VMs
Posts: 7,680
Original Poster
|
I bet there's a wizard to set up file sharing also? So MS are giving you tools to break their own EULA.
EULA idiocy like that was one of the reasons I made the move to Linux. I want to play without breaking some "agreement" no matter how unlikely it is to be enforced against me.
|
|
|
12-04-2013, 10:40 AM
|
#27
|
Senior Member
Registered: Nov 2003
Distribution: Slackʍɐɹǝ
Posts: 1,489
|
Looks like the workstation category still exists. Example http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/de...tations?~ck=mn
Optiplex = desktop, your typical corporate user or home user.
Precision = Workstation for intensive applications.
So it still matches the old definition. Both are a box on your desk but workstation is just a more powerful box.
|
|
|
12-04-2013, 01:51 PM
|
#29
|
Senior Member
Registered: Nov 2003
Distribution: Slackʍɐɹǝ
Posts: 1,489
|
Some parts are shared, same as how an Escalade shares the same frame and body sheet metal as a Suburban but each has different options and different price tags.
|
|
1 members found this post helpful.
|
12-04-2013, 02:28 PM
|
#30
|
LQ Guru
Registered: May 2005
Location: boston, usa
Distribution: fedora-35
Posts: 5,326
|
^ are you sure theyre not rebadged avalanches ?
|
|
|
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:46 AM.
|
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.
|
Latest Threads
LQ News
|
|