Is Linux really faster than MS Windows ?
Steve Fink
stevef at netvantix.com
Sun Mar 6 23:01:31 UTC 2005
On Sat, 2005-03-05 at 16:20 -0800, Skunk Worx wrote:
> Parameshwara Bhat wrote:
> >
> > Any comments ? Or am I missing something ?
> >
>
> i've been working on a windows XP box, trying to figure out why it
> grinds the hard drive all day, on every mouse movement, while linux
> plugged into the same machine (same model model/size hard drive swapped
> in) does not.
>
> i've come to the conclusion that, although both 6 gb. drives are fairly
> full, the win XP box, as it applies patches and updates and software,
> somehow puts them further out on the drive platters while linux somehow
> tends to overwrite things when it patches and updates, or otherwise
> manages to localize things...or has a better caching system by default.
>
> the poor XP machine (with the XP drive plugged it) just starts dying
> after getting all the SPs, etc installed...grinding on the hard drive on
> any action...the linux HD just gets accessed mostly on boot up and it's
> done...with a big fat fedora core install and all yum updates.
>
> they are both 6 gb. drives, pretty small, not recommended....i'm
> guessing XP has to swing the spindle all over the drive face a lot while
> linux does not?
>
> this is just a theory about a special scenario where XP appears to be an
> extremely poor solution compared to linux.
>
> --
> sw
>
> PS: a personal aside...i am no longer a linux advocate...my opinion is,
> if you have to ask, you're a windows person anyway, no use discussing
> it. the merits of each solution and all opinions either way are fully
> documented on the web...to me the choice is obvious, for a huge number
> of reasons, but that's just me.
>
>
>
This is more than likely a swapping issue. Check both your OS's and see
which one swaps the most.
XP will tend to boot up swapping unless you have a boatload of RAM.
Just my 2 cents.
Steve
More information about the fedora-list
mailing list