Is RedHat Linux better than Windows?

[Aspect404]

I want to get Linux, but I dont know if Linux will support all the stuff I do in windows. I would like Linux due to the fact that you can reprogramm the thing to whatever you want it to look like. But everyone likes Windows for some odd reason and only makes programs for them. Therefore, its kinda like im forced to stay with Windows:mad: But. I want to get XP but dont know if the thing will expose the fact that Im not paying for microsoft products :) So what do I do?

[RED Hot Machine]

It all depends on what you want to do with Linux, there are programs available for linux that will do most things. Not many of the lastest games are released for linux though.

Your last question is very close to asking about warez etc, so will leave unanswered.

[Kingslayer]

I will try to be as un-bias as my Microsoft loving hiney can.

Support is poor for Linux. When it comes to applications, honest to god apps hardly exist for this OS. Now, I'm not talking about freeware garbage written by some 2nd rate programmer. I'm talking about honest to god, bought off the shelf, programs that come with support.

Some people will say "there's plenty of apps for Linux, they're all over the net". But when it comes down to it, they're written, and rewritten, then handed out to everyone and their brother, then written and rewritten again. There is only one real application and this is the Star Office suite put out by Sun.

Driver support is horrid at best. 95% of todays hardware doesn't have actual company written drivers for Linux. Linux has a broad driver database, and it honestly rivals Microsoft built in driverbase in it's OS's. But if you get something new, that isn't in that database, your pretty much hosed. Companies dont put our drivers for Linux like they do Microsoft.

But it is a stable OS if properly configured. You will go through the pains of relearning an OS, but you'll do that if you go with XP anyways. It's totally different, to the degree that you will be frustrated for a few days.

It is also a secure OS. There aren't a whole lot of viruses, and marcos, and trojans out there for Linux. There was once a challenge out there a company put out. They had two identical machines. Brand new PII 450's. (this was a while ago) One with NT the other with Linux, and the challenge was the first hacker to get into either machine won the machine. The Microsoft box was hacked within minutes. It was 6 months before the Linux box was hacked.

And you can't beat the price.