Things Linux Can Do That Windows Still Can't | Hacker News Reader

Things Linux Can Do That Windows Still Can't

itsfoss.com

25 pointsmikece26 comments

Windows treats files as a second class citizen versus a first class like Linux / BSD. Countless time wasted because the anti-virus or some other part of Windows locked a file.

Cmder; _clink update_ ... file locked forced to wait for Windows to release it and continue working.

git pull; file locked forced to wait for Windows to release it and continue working.

git checkout; file locked forced to wait for Windows to release it and continue working.

Run an application that iterates through files, sit and wait for anti-virus to scan those files before the application / script can even touch them adding seconds or minutes to the task.

Windows can easily add 10-30 minutes of wait time after a cold boot. This is from running anti-virus, telemetry service, auto updates, ... .NET optimization service.

Windows removed the whole root user concept too. "Sorry Dave, you cannot modify that permission to remove the temporary file / change the registry value."

Microsoft even forces their bloat-ware into the IoT / embedded OS and has started to remove the ability to create a local account vs a forced Microsoft account. Windows 7 Embedded allowed full customization with removing any bloat / unused feature.

UNIX is the only OS that had the clever idea of advisory locking with the side effects that can bring when applications just don't care.

> Countless time wasted because the anti-virus or some other part of Windows locked a file.

And the whole edifice of “you need to reboot to update anything” is a knock-on effect of the file locking/sharing model, leading to the misery of “we forced a reboot and lost your work again, sucks to be you”.

Many of those points reveal lack of knowledge about Windows administration capabilities.

Others are completely irrelevant for desktop users buying laptops at the shopping mall.

> Many of those points reveal lack of knowledge about Windows administration capabilities.

Do those capabilities require a more expensive edition of Windows?

Not necessarly, only knowing the Registry, WMI or PowerShell knobs to touch upon.

"Just use the terminal" is somehow simultaneously a defence of windows while being a attack of linux. If I have to engage with the system on a deeper level I rather not do it on the proprietary blackbox with opaque knobs playing whack amole.

Moving goalposts.

> Others are completely irrelevant for desktop users buying laptops at the shopping mall.

Thy are relevant to those desktop users who want those features. Those users are unlikely to be buying at shopping malls, because you cannot get Linux preinstalled or be sure of getting supported hardware if buying at a mall.

Irrelevant for a class of desktop users, does not mean irrelevant for all. The article makes no claim about who its relevant for: it is a list of things from which people might discover capabilities they are interested in.

Given the Year of Desktop Linux, not enough apparently.

> Linux on a fridge? A toaster? A toothbrush? Yes.

I’m glad, even overjoyed, that no desktop operating systems are running on my toothbrush.

As for the other benefits, a large chunk of them amount to “you can customize <Y>”. Which is great for the audience of Hacker News, but is just a headache for anyone who doesn’t know about <Y>.

The most important item for society at large is probably the ability to revitalize older hardware.

I agree revitalising old hardware has big environmental and social benefits, but being able to customise things is also important for a lot of users. For example all those people who find big changes to the Windows UI hard to cope with would probably love to have something as slow changing as XFCE.

> just a headache for anyone who doesn’t know about <Y>

Its not a headache - they can just leave <Y> at the default

In many cases a lot of people will benefit from <Y> if they know about <Y>.

I love Linux but I’ve spent the last hour diagnosing and repairing a gpu driver error.

That's a GPU vendor fault, not Linux. More people use linux, more suport from vendors.

11. Works for you rather than for the OS manufacturer.

If it works at all

I prefer "works for you if it works at all" to "works for the OS vendor if it works at all".

5 years on GNU/Linux exclusively (no backup Windows installation for gaming), 2 years on tweaked/debloated Win 11. I don't see much difference in agency, yet noticed reduction in maintenance time and debugging.

On the other hand I ceased to view my laptop as an expression of sovereignty and autonomy. My autonomy is being threatened far more seriously outside my PC.

Name normal files on disk things like AUX or CON or PRN:

https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20031022-00/?p=42...

- having sensible and very useful system files structure - centralized package management - instant full-disk snapshots and rollback - remote windows (Waypipe) - declarative configurations (NixOS) - FUSE - chroot

The most important thing that linux can do that windows still can't, is work for the user.

One that people don't seem to mention enough to me is that neither macOS nor Windows have ANY feature remotely close to the magic SysRq key.[1][2]

Not even Control-Alt-Delete is remotely the same.

ALT-SysRq-f, which will "call the oom killer to kill a memory hog process, but ... not panic if nothing can be killed," should truly be available on every modern operating system, but nope, only Linux has it.

[1]: https://docs.kernel.org/admin-guide/sysrq.html

[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_SysRq_key

This is the first I've heard about this! I have always slightly missed the authority Control-Alt-Delete seemed to have on windows and this does seem to be a good (maybe better) alternative.

Recently systemd also added something similar for userspace (more specifically the desktop environment) to hook into: https://mastodon.social/@pid_eins/113441330932924520

The problem is you can't find SysRq key on modern keyboards, especially notebooks.

I still have a slightly older laptop that has, proving that it is totally possible to fit the keys in the size constraints. That is one of THE features that let me refrain from buying a new laptop even if I would kind of need to, but modern ones waste space with just filler space between keys, bigger keys or just empty sides.

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