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mswin vs linux in academia

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kalos:
hello!

i know there are numerous mswin vs linux topics, but in a new workplace i am in (computational chem, biology, etc), they use mainly linux
is there anything in general (or particularly in specific sciences like these) that we cannot do it in mswin and can do it in linux?
i mean, okay, there maybe copyright issues that make linux definately more attractive, but practically do they have differences in abilities?
for example, vi, tex, etc are very much used in academia. arent there mswin counterparts that are the same or even better?

thanks!

40hz:
An OS is an OS is an OS to paraphrase the Bard.

It's not so much a question of technology as application software availability. Nix environments are legally and culturally more "open" which encourages the cooperative and collaborative efforts educational and research institutions naturally gravitate towards.

If more is available in the Nix environment, it's mainly because it's a better fit for the way things get done in those settings. It's not for any technical reason. And since these users tend to be very bright, learning a new OS doesn't really pose a significant challenge to most academics.
 8)

mahesh2k:
Some of the softwares like say - Matlab and similar other academia softwares are commercial and they are on apple or windows. They don't usually have linux port for many reasons. So commercial academia applications on the apple and windows are better if more people are using it and it makes sharing of files easy without any file format conflict. That doesn't mean there are no applications on linux. There are and mostly they are ignored or not brought for many reasons.

I have seen nothing better in windows after using linux. I found windows to be more productive if the applications that you use are not buggy. Many of the open source and free software on *nix and linux world are made with keeping power users in mind and that's why there are very few apps which are more powerful on windows and don't exist on linux. Most of the apps which are in demand on windows are largely due to the popularity of applications, not because of the usability and features.

Renegade:
Wow. I think abortion, legalizing drugs, euthanasia, and why all <insert religion here /> are going to hell are all much calmer topics. :)

Ok, jokes aside...

I think on Linux that you really need to be much more willing to drop down to the command line/shell. If you like typing, then Linux is great. If you want a GUI, then often Windows is more appropriate.

For what you can actually do? Well, again, that kind of depends. If speed and ease are important, and you don't want much of a learning curve, then often Windows is better. If you want infinite flexibility everywhere and are willing to spend more time and energy, well, you can even compile Linux from source, so that's pretty hard to beat.

So basically, I blathered on without saying much. :D

Probably the best thing to look at is the variety of software packages for computational chemistry and biology, then see which suits you better. I don't know much about them, and can't comment.

If you're interested in vi and whatnot, well, again, it boils down to preferences. Once you get used to vi, it's great as you can ditch the mouse, which helps with speed. However, it has a steep learning curve. Notepad++ or Editplus might be more to your liking. Depends mostly on you. I use Editplus mostly, but also use Notepad++ when I need to. (Editplus doesn't handle one specific case that I require every once in a while.)

One of the problems is illustrated by the fact that any complete language can do what any other complete language can do, with the only difference being in speed and hair loss/frustration. :)

Stoic Joker:
with the only difference being in speed and hair loss/frustration.-Renegade (August 02, 2012, 11:23 AM)
--- End quote ---

I was actually sitting here trying to figure out what hair frustration was...

Mind = Lost; send brightly colored string.

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