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@@ -43,9 +43,9 @@ but unfortunately I am not familiar enough with any of them to comment specifica
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Technical deficiencies of Windows.
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+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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--------------------
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LiveCDs are lacking.
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--------------------
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------------------------
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Live booting is lacking.
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------------------------
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`Live versions`_ of Linux are full operating systems,
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able to mount and repartition disks,
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@@ -62,6 +62,8 @@ and consequently run faster than an OS that access a hard disk.
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Windows LiveCDs, `though they`_ `do exist`_,
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are hampered by licensing restrictions or technical limitations.
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For example, `until Windows 8`_, desktop versions of Windows could not boot from a USB.
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(And even on Windows 8, you can't mount hard disks when running from USB.)
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The BartPE LiveCD building program will run on any version of Windows,
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but it is `only able to make`_ a LiveCD for Windows XP or Windows Server 2003.
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@@ -326,7 +328,7 @@ are scattered around in various directories or in the binary-only registry.
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On Linux, system level configuration is stored in ``/etc/``,
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and user level configuration is stored in dotfiles (hidden folders or text files) in the user's home directory.
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Want to back up your configuration or migrate it to a different Linux distribution?
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Want to back up your configuration?
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Just copy over your dotfiles.
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Want to save only some of your configuration?
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Just copy over the dotfiles your care about.
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@@ -334,6 +336,10 @@ Just copy over the dotfiles your care about.
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Since many dotfiles are textual,
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it is even possible to ``diff`` and selectively merge them,
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which means users can share and benefit from others' customized configurations and accommodate upstream changes.
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It also means that migrating to a different Linux distribution is usually not as painful as starting from scratch,
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since many applications keep the configuration formats relatively stable and merging in the customizations is usually straightforward.
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During major Debian upgrades, for example, users can choose to adopt new configuration files,
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keep the old ones, or diff and merge the files into a hybrid.
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---------------------------------------------------------------
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Package manager with signed binaries and easy backup/reinstall.
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@@ -346,9 +352,10 @@ such as:
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- securely retrieving the package from a trusted remote or local repository,
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- adding and removing third-party repositories,
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- changelogs,
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- cryptographically verifying the integrity of the package,
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- backporting security fixes to stable version,
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- licensing status of software,
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- optional fully automatic non-interactive installation,
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- cryptographic verification of packages,
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- backporting security fixes to stable versions,
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- licensing metadata,
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- and sophisticated dependency management.
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First, I would be remiss to mention that there is an open-source package manager for Windows, `Chocolatey`_,
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@@ -387,7 +394,18 @@ which is significant for overcoming Window's issue with `installing software fro
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.. _does not have package moderation or package signing: https://chocolatey.org/about
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.. _installing software from untrusted sources: `Malware.`_
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Linux has many mature packaging systems,
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On the bright side, most of the language-specific package managers,
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such as
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Haskell's ``cabal``,
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Perl's ``CPAN``,
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.NET's NuGet,
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Node.js's ``npm``,
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Python's ``pip``,
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and
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Ruby's RubyGems,
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are available on Windows.
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Linux has several mature, general-purpose packaging systems,
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including Fedora's ``.rpm``-based ``yum`` package manager,
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Debian's ``.deb``-based ``apt`` and ``dpkg``,
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Arch Linux's ``pacman``,
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@@ -407,7 +425,8 @@ packaging makes secure, regular updates much more accessible and convenient for
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Package mangers can make backups easier by decoupling installed applications from stored personal files.
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Want to remember which programs you have installed without backing up every single binary?
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Just save the output of ``dpkg -L`` or its equivalent as big long text file of installed packages.
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Just save the output of ``dpkg -L`` or its equivalent as a text file of installed packages,
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and voilà, you can restore them later.
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If your backup fails or you just want to switch to a different Linux distribution,
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you can easily get back your installed software by feeding your package manager the package list.
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@@ -433,7 +452,7 @@ This has equivalent security problems to blindly running commands in a terminal,
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but is much less efficient.
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In addition, using GUIs for configuration makes user support and documentation significantly more time-consuming.
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Text is easier to store, transmit, and search for than screenshots or notations like Tools -> Options -> General Options -> ...
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Text is easier to automate, store, transmit, and search for than screenshots or ad-hoc notations like Tools -> Options -> General Options -> ...
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The emphasis on textuality also makes diagnosing problems easier.
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For example, want to see which displays you're connected to? Run ``xrandr``.
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@@ -501,12 +520,12 @@ Windows encourages bad habits such as restarting software to make a bug go away,
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or avoiding certain commands as a work-around,
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rather than reproducing and reporting bugs.
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In the long run, this hurts both proprietary and open-source software running on Windows.
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It is also one reason why developing solely for Windows because of the larger user base may not always be a goo choice.
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.. _requiring: http://www.howtogeek.com/182817/htg-explains-why-does-windows-want-to-reboot-so-often/
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.. _reboots: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/31204/why-do-application-installs-make-you-reboot-and-close-other-apps/
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In the long run, this hurts both proprietary and open-source software running on Windows.
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It is also one reason why developing solely for Windows because of the larger user base may not always be a goo choice.
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--------
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Malware.
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--------
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