From India, Gates comments on Windows vs. Linux

[littleman]

article [economictimes.indiatimes.com]

Could someone explain this quote to me?

"With Linux you are just talking about the operating system piece. With Windows, you are talking about a directory, several platforms and a dozen additional things," he said. "You would have to pay quite a bit more if the Linux platform has to match what we have on the Windows platform."

I just can't make any sense out of it.

[seindal]

It's called FUD.

[shady]

I'm a big windows fan (someone has to be) but I can understand confusion regarding this statement!

I guess he's saying that windows is based on a gui interface with many extras included and linux is based on a command line prompt, on to which you can add a gui interface etc..

In fairness, linux is of no use to the "general public". Windows is geared towards ease of upgrade/installation of software etc..

[vibgyor79]

Is it a coincidence?

Richard Stallman (The GNU/Linux guy) is also here in India. He will be meeting a number of officials of the Indian Government and will try to "discourage the promotion of paid software".

In an interview to CNBC Asia, he says there is a lot of scope for open source software in developing countries. I'm looking for the complete print version of the interview - I'm sure it will be much more interesting than Billy Goat's interview!

[andreasfriedrich]

Bill Gates is right, isnīt he. With Linux you are only talking about the kernel. Most other things are GNU. He is only wrong in assuming that GNU would be expensive ;).

Andreas

[ggrot]

He is half correct. Linux Operating System is really only the kernel. Even the command line is an application running in Linux (bash). But, by the strict definition of an operating system, Windows the OS is not any of the stuff you see either - it is just the layer between the windows you see and the hardware. But with Windows these are inseperable. You can't put a different GUI on the Windows OS. You either have the whole thing or nothing.

By the same token, most linux distros are now coming with GUI's and large software systems. Look at Mandrake, or better yet - Mac OS X.

[Robert Charlton]

>>But with Windows these are inseperable.<<

Until recently, Internet Explorer and Windows were inseparable too. ;)

[dingman]

Look at Mandrake, or better yet - Mac OS X.

Um, OS X isn't Linux. If I'm not mistaken, it's a BSD derivative.

I have to laugh at Bill's assertion that Windows comes with "a directory, several platforms and a dozen additional things" but Linux doesn't. Frankly I don't know what he means by 'several platforms', but my installation CD set for Debian has at least two directories available and *thousands* of "additional things"...

[snowman]

Why worry about it? Look at who said it.
When was the last time Billy did any programming for his bread and butter? 1984 or something, in BASIC?
If it weren't for my wife using the Mac as she's familiar with (and if I had a SCSI drive installed) I'd be running Yellowdog right now.

[mack]

Most distros come with a GUI either KDE or something similar. When you have a system like that it works in very much the same way as a windows based operating system. I think good old Bill likes to play a bit blind when it comes to those sort of things.

[vibgyor79]

Bill Gates Interview [moneycontrol.com]

I have the most interesting job in the world.