Linux Is A Time Killer

This title needs to be qualified: Linux on the desktop is a time killer. I sympathize (which is why I use a Mac), but it's a radically different story for servers.<p>I run quite a variety of headless servers. In almost every case, it is easier to setup and maintain an Linux box than a Windows box. Almost every software package I need is a command away. And if I were doing this on Windows, I would <i>still</i> have to mess around configuring the software I installed, so there is no gain there.<p>One command, and all security patches are installed and running - live, and without re-configuring a thing. The only exception is a kernel upgrade, which requires a reboot, but otherwise is trouble-free.<p>Plus, when things break, it is so much easier to get configs transferred and running on a new Linux box, than on Windows. Re-install the software. Restore DBs. Restore configs. You're good. To a degree this is possible on Windows, but it is a lot harder because there are so many black boxes, binary configs, registry keys, etc.

For desktop linux....<p>Servers and Embedded Devices it's one of the easier alternatives.

I somewhat disagree, it is a question of entitlement. On stable platforms, of which there are also Linux distributions besides OSX, stuff isn't cutting edge but somewhat older and working fine mostly. So you have to wonder why you demand cutting edge from Linux but not from OSX, this is because on a lot of Linux distributions the cutting edge is an option but often not on stable OS like OSX and even windows. When it comes to drivers the problem is with stubborn manufacturers that only want to provide specs to closed platforms.

I had the same problem as the author (SD cards in an Acer Aspire One). It took me about twenty minutes to mind the fix on the web and apply it to get both card readers working. I'm not sure why it would have taken him the whole day and only get one working.<p>I've also had lots of weird hardware configuration things with Windows, especially when upgrading from one major release of Windows to another, so I'm not sure that you can say it's a Linux thing.

"Linux is only free if your time has no value." --Jamie Zawinski