Sure it has flaws, but could you use Linux?

[sandsphinx]

Yes i agree, Windows does have alot of flaws, and i am thinking, so Windows must be the worst OS to buy, but think about it, the only real contender to Windows is Mac which i think is a very tricky OS to get use to. And it costs way too much even though its standard features lack functionality, And linux seems to be the safest by far. The fact that Linux is the safest is not because it is flawless in the programming, but because there is not that many peopl who use it. Because at least 89% of the world's population use Windows of course the odds of getting a windows virus is higher!
But i haven't used Linux, i was going to, until i realised :
How am i going to learn and adapt and learn new techniques for every Function on Linux. I mean, i wouldnt know how to create a text document or how to browse the internet. Not after all these hard years of learning programming and learning to use a Windows Pc properly am i going to give it up and start again on a new OS!#

So what i want to ask is, would any of you consider usinh Linux and learning new tricks, or would you keep what you are good with? And if you do have linux, explain why it is better than the rest or is it isnt? thanks

[AtlasDark]

I switched to Linux distros (started with Vector, then Mint, SUSE, Ubuntu, etc) when I was 9 after wandering through SVN's (my parents are Microsoft drones, and whatever isn't M$ branded is nonsense to them).

VirtualBox for any Windows apps that I may need (quite few, now), but otherwise, I wouldn't even consider switching back. Linux distros are generally easy to adapt to, and C on one OS is C on another. It doesn't magically lose or gain functions (save for libraries, paths, etc) given that someone switches, and the developer tools available are just as good, if not better, than those available to Windows.

Macs are good, too.

[orwell84]

I have one computer (a desktop) with windows on it and an Asus Eee PC 901 with Ubuntu 9.04 on it. I use both equally, although the desktop is used mostly for the stuff I do with the Adobe Suite (which don't work with Ubuntu) and the netbook is used for programming and the like. I wouldn't say that Windows is the worst OS to buy. Seeing as the vast majority of the world uses it, it can't be that bad. It really depends on what you're doing with it. If you want to do a lot of hacking & security stuff, you'll definitely want to know windows, but you might not want to use it. There isn't as much open-source stuff about security out there for windows then there is for Linux (in my experience). However, hacking with Windows can be done. Like I said before, though, if you want to be in security, you will have to know windows, seeing as it's used so much. Linux is handy to know as well because it's versatile and...well...free. As for Mac OS X, it's basically BSD at its core with Aqua (Apple's fancy GUI), so most of it would be similar to Linux.
All in all, I would say find a way to get all three of them (by the way, that doesn't necessarily mean you have to buy them) and learn how to use all of them, even get into the basic internals. All three are used, so it helps to know them all. If csh, ksh, etc were used as much as BASH, of course I would learn all of them. I plan on doing so anyway...
bottom line: knowledge never hurts
other bottom line: your OS depends on what you need it for

[AtlasDark]

Hint hint, OSX86.