# The majority of Linux users also use Windows



## BrokeBody (Jun 9, 2008)

The majority of those who use some Linux distribution also use Windows on their machine. The majority of those who dual boot use Windows as their primary OS.

That's what I stated on some web site, but someone asked me do I have a source for that. I said that I don't, that it's a notice from my personal experience.

So, I really wonder now, do you agree with me or not?

http://digg.com/linux_unix/The_major...so_use_Windows

It doesn't matter why you dual boot. Whether you're locked into some windows-only software or not, the fact still remains, from my experience and point of view, that a lot of people dual boot.

As for Wine, it is well known that some major software, mostly "heavy" one (Photoshop, Sound Forge, AutoCAD, ...), can't give you the same output quality as they can under Windows.


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## mybest2U (Aug 10, 2007)

BrokeBody said:


> The majority of those who use some Linux distribution also use Windows on their machine. The majority of those who dual boot use Windows as their primary OS.
> 
> That's what I stated on some web site, but someone asked me do I have a source for that. I said that I don't, that it's a notice from my personal experience.
> 
> ...


I'm on a dual boot machine, Win XP and Kubuntu, and at this point I just can't trust Linux well enough to completely switch over from Windows. Too many times I've had major problems with upgrades and such in Kubuntu that caused my system to become unusable (crashes, can't login, etc), and I would have to boot into recover mode to try and fix things. And at such times it is invaluable to have at least one working OS on my HD that I can boot into (Win XP), so I can easily download any software I need or search the web for solutions to my problem. And of course there are still a number of programs I use that are only available in Win XP, i.e. can't be run under Wine.

So even if I didn't have Win XP installed, if I'm going to continue to use Linux, I've decided I'm always going to keep at least two OSs on my HD, even if it means two linux OSs. That way when one crashes I can easily boot up the other and use it to help fix the problem. That is so much better than trying to do it from a Live CD, and HD space is dirt cheap now anyway.

So bottom line is that in my case, I agree with your claim.


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## tomdkat (May 6, 2006)

I also agree with the claim since there are far more Windows users out there who would be interested in trying Linux than those willing to completely switch over (as I have done at home).

I've been running Linux exclusively at home for years now and the one Windows XP box I have at home is used PURELY for web site testing, to test sites in IE7 that I develop on my Linux box. Now that I have more RAM, I've been considering installing XP in a virtual environment on my Linux box so I can have more convenient website testing.

Other than that, I don't use Windows at home _at all_. I use Windows XP Pro at work because I have to.

Peace...


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## Doug Vitale (Jan 27, 2005)

It is not surprising at all the Linux users also have Windows XP on their machines. To enjoy PC gaming, you need Windows to run most games (WINE can allow you to install older games on Linux).

PC hardware manufacturers also are mostly concerned with getting their products to run flawlessly on Windows; they are indifferent at best as to whether their products run on Linux, since Linux desktop users don't even account for 1% of the total market. So I can see temporarily booting into Windows to use a scanner or a certain printer.

However, I highly doubt that most "more-than-casual" Linux users still use Windows as their primary OS. Other than gaming, there is little reason to cling to Windows.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

WINE is a poor excuse for a running Windows application. Most of the current generation of graphical games would be unplayable in a WINE session, even if you could get them running.


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## tomdkat (May 6, 2006)

JohnWill said:


> WINE is a poor excuse for a running Windows application.


I wholeheartedly disagree. WINE is a phenomenal application and I applaud the developers for being able to make as much progress as they have. I haven't used recent releases of WINE but a few years back I was able to run Lotus Notes on the Linux "side" of my machine, running it directly from it's installed location on the C: drive of the Windows partition.

Sure, WINE isn't perfect and a number of apps won't work or won't work correctly. I wouldn't begin to think about gaming via WINE but games aren't the only Windows applications people want or need to run. I think Windows sucks but there are some Windows-only applications I'm forced to run. If I can run then via WINE, I'll be much happier than if I have to put up with Windows, itself.

Peace...


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