[vox] One more reason to prefer Linux...

[Jeff Newmiller]

On Thu, 3 Mar 2005, Don Werve wrote:

> Jeff Newmiller wrote:
> > The stability of any computer OS is tightly linked with the stability of
> > the privileged code.  Windows just happens to have lots of code that runs
> > in level 0 privilege that was developed in proprietary software houses
> > with a small number of eyeballs looking at it.  But not all Linux kernel
> > code gets the same number of eyeballs, either... some devices are just too
> > new, too complicated, or too rare to garner such attention.
> 
> This is true, but Linux gives you USABLE LOGS to figure out where the 
> problem is when it crashes.

Not always.  Kernel bugs don't necessarily allow disk writes to flush.

> Windows' logging system is woefully 
> inadequate by comparison, and the inability to reference the source when 
> troubleshooting makes life even more difficult.  It's not just that 
> Linux has a more simple core system, but that it simply provides more 
> information to the user, period.

In most cases, I agree.

> When Linux crashes, you scracth your head in puzzlement and investigate. 
>   When Windows crashes, you shrug your shoulders in resignation and 
> reboot.

Yes, but I don't always find the solution when Linux dies, either... I've
considered setting up a dual-computer kgdb setup, but there are only so
many hours in the day.

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