Quote from: efflux on October 11, 2007, 02:00:13 PM
Linux completely seperates each user into a user space. All their apps etc. Nothing at all crosses over. Absolutely everything can have all kinds of levels of permissions. Loads of people can be logged in a the same time and you wouldn't even know. It's more efficient at this. Microsoft server is better than the standard desktop editions at multiuser but that's because they want you to buy that and not a home edition of Windows for a server. I can't say I know a whole load about this but some people have told me that security between user accounts in Windows is very poor. You can get at other peoples files. Unix was made from the bottom up as full multiuser system whereas Windows started as single user. NT (XP) has proper multiuser capabilities but MS restrict it in the home desktop Windows versions. Linux is Linux. You make it how you want whatever task you want, not what the developer restricts you to so they can make more cash. Unix was totally built for multiuser from the bottom up.
Yes, that's true, this is something Linux is definitely better at. And yet all I can think is "why does the average person give a crap"?
99.9% of people really don't care. They only care if it helps prevent virus infections and improves security, and although that is somewhat the case, it is also true that people would often be prevented from doing things that they might want to do in an ideal security scenario, so like Windows it may be more secure, but also more annoying, and you're back to the same problem. The *only* advantage then is that another user account could be used to log-in and be unaffected, and if the administrator password were known that could theoretically be used to repair any messed up account. Yet if the user knows the admin password they're likely just to use that to avoid the hassle of limited rights, so that defeats the whole purpose. The end result then is this is only effective in a truly managed environment with an IT person or staff available and that's why Windows Server has this functionality and, despite it being included in Linux free, the vast majority of people have no ability to make use of those features (or likely interest in doing so), so it's rather a moot point unless you're already a geek. I would never argue against Linux for the technophile, but for the average desktop user I don't think it offers any significant advantages, and has a lot of disadvantages too.
Windows is a huge series of compromises, but they're all ones that generally work and are made to cater to the general public. Linux is less compromising, but less attractive to the average consumer as a result.
- Oshyan