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What are some differences between Unix and Windows?

Updated: 8/20/2019
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Windows and Unix-like systems are generally very different operating systems. Note that I will use the term 'Unix' to refer to any operating system similar to Unix in function (e.g. all Linux distributions, FreeBSD, Solaris, HP-UX, AIX). Here are some key points that you will probably find the most interesting:

Cost: Windows typically costs $100-$300 per installation, even if it was installed as part of an OEM distribution (the price is added to the cost of the computer). On the contrast, most 'modern' flavors of Unix are free (as in freedom) software (sometimes called 'open source'). There are many proprietary Unix systems available, but are usually not very different from their open counterparts.

Interoperability: Most Unix-like systems are designed to be modestly interoperable. In fact, in order to be legally called a Unix system, it has to pass a series of POSIX-compliance tests. This means that software designed for one Unix system can be ported to another relatively easily. On the other hand, a Windows program will generally take more effort to port to another system.

User interface: Windows provides a graphical interface by default. Unix-like systems tend to prefer a text-driven command-line interface, but graphical interfaces are also widely used. Some Unix-like systems do provide a graphical interface by default (notably most Linux distributions). Unix-like systems offer a variety of different graphical interfaces for the user to pick from, such as KDE, GNOME, Xfce, LXDE, IceWM, and TWM (in no particular order).

Programs: Many people argue that more developers write programs for Windows than other Unix-like systems (Mac excluded), simply because of Window's sheer popularity. Most users will find that their favorite programs still work on Unix (i.e. Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice). On the other hand, there are little to no viruses written for Unix-like systems.

Speed/Stability: Windows has historically been less secure and stable than Unix-like systems. Some Unix systems are notorious for being unstable, and Windows is also used in high-availability server systems. Unix has generally been faster and more secure than Windows.

The Big Kahuna - User-friendliness: Both Windows and Unix have come a long way in terms of user-friendliness. Windows has been difficult in the past, and Unix has been remarkably simple to install and use. The general agreement is that Windows is more 'friendly' than Unix-like systems, but most Linux distributions do require little technical knowledge to install.

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Q: What are some differences between Unix and Windows?
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Do Unix commands work in Linux?

The ones that are listed as part of a standard (such as Posix) will work in all UNIX systems (but not all systems, such as Windows command prompt). A lot of UNIX vendors add commands that only work in their version of UNIX, so they aren't as portable across systems as others.


What are difference between unix and windows?

Windows in an operating system developed by Microsoft, which owns the patents upon which Widows is based. Widows is the grand-product of DOS, developed by Mr. Gates. Unix is an operating system developed by AT&T and many other companies. Some parts are typewritten or patented, but the main kinds of Unix are open source.


What are similarities and differences between MS-DOS and UNIX?

Difference: Back in the days before Microsoft Windows dominated the PC market, operating system were controlled by commands. Prior to MS-Windows, PC users were required to learn these commands in order to perform routine tasks. During the 1980s, Microsoft DOS dominated the PC market while the early UNIX command systems were used on larger multi-processing servers. The main difference between UNIX and DOS is that DOS was originally designed for single-user systems, while UNIX was designed for systems with many users. While PC's have evolved into GUI interfaces such as Windows, UNIX systems have never evolved into GUI environments. Hence, The Oracle professional must master a bewildering number of cryptic UNIX commands in order to manage their Oracle databases, both on Windows NT and UNIX. One of the most confounding issues for the UNIX neophyte is being confronted with a complex UNIX command. The cryptic nature of UNIX is such that even the most seasoned UNIX professional may have trouble deciphering the purpose of the command. Because UNIX and MS-DOS were developed at the same time they share some common syntax, and the UNIX neophyte will be happy to find many common commands and concepts.Similarities: Both has CLI option and both are quick.


What are some examples of the operation system?

DOS UNIX WINDOWS MACINTOSH LINUX MacOSx


What is the difference between C and Linux?

There is very little difference in the C compiler between Unix and Linux; in some cases (the gcc compiler) it is the same. The differences come in when using system calls; some system calls do not exist in Unix or Linux, although most do. The program I work on compiles the same way (for the most part) between all commercial versions of Unix and several variants of Linux. In other words, the code is fairly portable across platforms.


What is the difference between Windows and Unix?

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