Linux - GeneralThis 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.
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.
I never understood that argument. This is probably why I never owned and shall not own a smartphone, either... and do not have a credit card. What abilities?
You know, a helicopter would give you much more freedom (even “freedoms”) than does your car!
Every operating system has its strengths and weaknesses. Each operating system can perform tasks in ways that can be better or worse than another. It's knowing which tasks are best for those tasks is where you the system administrator and user know which is going to work for each instance.
I use a wide range of systems myself, and I consider all of them equal in their abilities.
Distribution: Debian Sid AMD64, Raspbian Wheezy, various VMs
Posts: 7,680
Rep:
I booted this laptop into Windows for the first time last night just to install updates. I'm constantly amazed how long it takes to download and install Windows updates as opposed to Debian (or any other Linux for that matter) ones. I wonder when I'll next have to use Windows...
I booted this laptop into Windows for the first time last night just to install updates. I'm constantly amazed how long it takes to download and install Windows updates as opposed to Debian (or any other Linux for that matter) ones. I wonder when I'll next have to use Windows...
It's ridiculous...a few weeks ago I booted up a Windows 7 VM for that reason. Last update was in September. It took FIVE DAYS, no exaggeration, to finish checking and installing the updates. And that's on a relatively modern (<5 years old) quad core Xeon system with 16 GB of RAM and a good (>20 Mbps) internet connection...no Linux distro I've ever tried would take more than ~30 minutes in that scenario. Just the check to see if there were any Windows updates available took around 6 hours!
Last edited by suicidaleggroll; 04-24-2016 at 08:56 AM.
Last update was in September. It took FIVE DAYS, no exaggeration, to finish checking and installing the updates. And that's on a relatively modern (<5 years old) quad core Xeon system with 16 GB of RAM and a good (>20 Mbps) internet connection...no Linux distro I've ever tried would take more than ~30 minutes in that scenario. Just the check to see if there were any Windows updates available took around 6 hours!
Your experience is not unusual.
In fact I would go as far as saying that it is more likely to be the norm with Windows updates.
I used to use W7 (best of a bad bunch IMO), but when my Windows Updates played up recently, I simply could not face installing the updates from scratch. Life is just too short to put up with such nonsense.
Jettisoned forever.
Goodbye Microsoft Windows and good riddance to a half-baked operating system.
What on earth is it doing that takes so much time? These are binary updates after all; they just need to be unpacked and copied to their final locations. OK, then you have to reboot because Windows file systems don't allow libraries to be updated on the fly like in Linux. But I still don't understand what can be taking days.
I have Crux as one of my distros and it's source-based so everything has to be built locally. I update every Monday and, unless there is a Firefox update, it takes about half an hour for the whole lot. With Firefox it takes an hour. This is with two processors and 2GB RAM, not a lot by modern standards.
I kind of enjoy saying, "Sorry, I don't do Windows(tm)."
Now that I look more like a luddite grandmother than a geek, I pretty much stick to the ambiguous, "There's something wrong with Windows." when asked why I don't do Facebook.
They assume viruses and spyware. Oh well. Life's too short to argue with idiots.
It's ridiculous...a few weeks ago I booted up a Windows 7 VM for that reason. Last update was in September. It took FIVE DAYS, no exaggeration, to finish checking and installing the updates. And that's on a relatively modern (<5 years old) quad core Xeon system with 16 GB of RAM and a good (>20 Mbps) internet connection...no Linux distro I've ever tried would take more than ~30 minutes in that scenario. Just the check to see if there were any Windows updates available took around 6 hours!
Installing KB3102810 beforehand speeds up the process by order of magnitude.
Windows updates are much more complex than the usual Linux untar->rewrite. Some insight might be found here in the answers.
It looks like the problem is that Windows doesn't have distributions, only releases. In Linux each distro has its own library versions which are more or less guaranteed to be mutually compatible. Therefore software only has to be downloaded and installed. There is no need for checking (other than integrity checking).
We all know what happens if a Debian user starts to get additional software from the Ubuntu repository. There will be all kinds of clashes and things will stop running. Captain Pinkeye's link suggests that Windows may be in this position permanently. To avoid fatal clashes takes hours of checking in a single "humongous tree".
Windows users often ask: "Why does Linux have to have so many different distributions?" Well, this might be the reason why.
First off (I just can't resist) v4r3l0v you, sir, are a troll as who would say "not now or ever be mature" in light of 2 things
1) This is a Linux forum. Why come here except to bitch and moan that you can't deal with Linux?
2) While Windows enjoys 90+% market share on Desktop PCs it is almost exactly reversed on servers and supercomputers, like at CERN and LIGO... but then I guess you imagine they don't require "mature" for such insignificant jobs, eh?
Finally I suppose I can't technically say I'm 100% free of Windows as I do have Win7 on this box, but twice I have had uptimes in excess of 13 months in Slackware, so at least 99.9% free I used to be "in the biz" so I had to stay current on what some of my clients ran. Three years ago I go tired of yanking out my hair over Windows so I cut that portion of my business out and wen pure Linux and thankfully I'm doing just fine, thank you very much.
And you are... a saint canonized by Stallman?
All linux fanboise have this twitch to kill the messenger whenever someone tells them their adored OS isn't as splendid as they claim it to be.
In fact I would go as far as saying that it is more likely to be the norm with Windows updates.
I used to use W7 (best of a bad bunch IMO), but when my Windows Updates played up recently, I simply could not face installing the updates from scratch. Life is just too short to put up with such nonsense.
Jettisoned forever.
Goodbye Microsoft Windows and good riddance to a half-baked operating system.
Infact, I don't think you have a slightest idea what on Earth are you talking about. Oh wait, it's a religious congregation here, giving each other courage!
There are two kinds of software, software that works and software that doesn't. And as far as desktop is concerned, your beloved Linux is in the second category.
Testing is something garage tinkerers pardon open-source software developers just refuse to do and only in the realm of Linux on desktop they can get away with it.
Distribution: Debian Sid AMD64, Raspbian Wheezy, various VMs
Posts: 7,680
Rep:
Quote:
Originally Posted by v4r3l0v
Infact, I don't think you have a slightest idea what on Earth are you talking about. Oh wait, it's a religious congregation here, giving each other courage!
There are two kinds of software, software that works and software that doesn't. And as far as desktop is concerned, your beloved Linux is in the second category.
Testing is something garage tinkerers pardon open-source software developers just refuse to do and only in the realm of Linux on desktop they can get away with it.
You obviously do not use a computer for a living. That and you're an obvious troll anyhow.
Try actually working with computers and learning about them, or not, but kindly stop spouting nonsense either way.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.
I used to be "in the biz" so I had to stay current on what some of my clients ran. Three years ago I go tired of yanking out my hair over Windows so I cut that portion of my business out and wen pure Linux and thankfully I'm doing just fine, thank you very much.
