Linux is an open source operating system that is free of cost and customizable, while Windows is a proprietary operating system that must be purchased. Linux uses a monolithic kernel and has case sensitive file names and paths separated by forward slashes. It provides higher security than Windows due to its open source nature. Windows uses a microkernel, has case insensitive file names and paths separated by backslashes, and is more vulnerable to viruses and malware. The latest versions are Ubuntu 17.10 for Linux and Windows 10 for Windows.

1. Difference between Linux and Windows Operating
System
November 2, 2017 12 Comments
The prior difference between Linux and Windows operating system is that
Linux is totally free of cost whereas windows is marketable operating system
and is costly. An operating system is a program intended to control the
computer hardware and behave as an intermediary between user and
hardware.
Linux is an open source operating system where users can access the source
code and can improve the code using the system. On the other hand, in
windows, users can not access source code, and it is a licensed OS.
Content: Linux Vs Windows Operating System
1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Conclusion
Comparison Chart
BASIS FOR
COMPARISON
LINUX WINDOWS

2. BASIS FOR
COMPARISON
LINUX WINDOWS
Cost Free of cost Expensive
Open source Yes No
Customizable Yes No
Security More secure
Vulnerable to viruses and
malware attacks.
Booting
Either primary or logical
partition.
Only primary partition.
Separation of the
directories using
Forward slash Back slash
File names Case sensitive Case insensitive
File system
EXT2, EXT3, EXT4,
Reisers FS, XFS and JFS
FAT, FAT32, NTFS and
ReFS
Type of kernel used Monolithic kernel Microkernel

3. BASIS FOR
COMPARISON
LINUX WINDOWS
Efficiency
Effective running
efficiency
Lower than Linux
Definition of Linux
Linux is a free and open source operating system based on Unix standards.
It provides programming interface as well as user interface compatible with
Unix based systems and provides large variety applications. A Linux system
also contains many separately developed elements, resulting in Unix system
which is fully compatible and free from proprietary code.
The traditional monolithic kernel is employed in Linux kernel for
performance purpose, but its modular feature allows most drivers to
dynamically loaded and unloaded at runtime. Linux protects processes and is
a multiuser system. Interprocess communication is supported by both of
mechanisms such as message queue, shared memory and semaphore.
An abstract layer is used in Linux to govern the different file systems, but
to users, the file system looks like a hierarchical directory tree. It also
supports networked, device-oriented and virtual file systems. Disk storage is
accessed through a page cache which is unified with the virtual memory
systems. To minimize the duplication of shared data among different
processes the memory management system uses page sharing and copy-
on-write.
Ubuntu 17.10 is the latest release of linux family operating system. The
default user interface of the given version is GNOME, Ubuntu Unity (in older
versions).
Definition of Windows
Windows is a licensed operating system in which source code is
inaccessible. It is designed for the individuals with the perspective of

4. having no computer programming knowledge and for business and other
commercial users. It is very simple and straightforward to use.
Windows is extensible, portable and assists multiple operating environments,
symmetric multiprocessing and client-server computing. It offers integrated
caching, virtual memory, and preemptive scheduling.
Windows 10 (1709) is the latest release of Microsoft Windows operating
system. Its default user interface is Windows shell (Graphical). It uses
hybrid kernel in older versions micro kernel is mostly used.
Key Differences Between Linux and Windows Operating
System
1. Linux is free and open source operating system whereas Windows is a
commercial operating system whose source code is inaccessible.
2. Windows is not customizable as against Linux is customizable and a
user can modify the code and can change its the look and feel.
3. Linux provides high security than windows because Linux is open
source.
4. Windows must boot from the primary partition. In contrast, there is no
such constraint in Linux it can be booted from either primary or logical
partition.
5. The separation of the directories is done using a backslash in windows.
On the contrary, in Linux, these are separated by using forward slash.
6. In Linux, file names are case sensitive while windows file name are
case-insensitive.
7. Linux uses the monolithic kernel which consumes more running space
whereas Windows uses the micro kernel which takes less space but
system running efficiency is lower than Linux.
Conclusion
Linux and Windows both Operating systems have their advantages and
disadvantages. Windows is simple to use but is not a free and open source
OS, whereas Linux is free, open source, customizable and secure but kind of
complex for the users having no programming background. Linux is more
reliable than windows.

5. Steps for Linux installing
1. Download the Linux distribution of your choice. ...
2. Boot into the Live CD or Live USB. ...
3. Try out the Linux distribution before installing. ...
4. Start the installation process. ...
5. Create a username and password. ...
6. Set up the partition. ...
7. Boot into Linux. ...
8. Check your hardware.
9. Start using Linux