Why doesn't Kubuntu (and Linux in general) not suffer BSOD problems of Windows?

[ScottyK]

What is it about Linux that a user doesn't suffer a BSOD problem like windows users do?

What is it about the Windows system that will bring down the entire thing?

My friends are amazed on how stable my Kubuntu system is, but I didn't have that answer for them.

Thanks!

[woodsmoke]

Re: Why doesn't Kubuntu (and Linux in general) not suffer BSOD problems of Windows?

Ummmm there is a BSOD in Linux in general.... it is the dreaded tty1 and tty2 BLACK SOD!!

Sorry, I couldn't help myself!

woodsmoke

[GreyGeek]

Re: Why doesn't Kubuntu (and Linux in general) not suffer BSOD problems of Windows?

@woodSODsmoke: Don't wet your pants! (If you can't help yourself.)

Scotty, Windows supposedly hasn't been built "on top of" DOS since XP. Even though it can display a DOS screen, Microsoft claims it isn't running on top of DOS. So, except for throwing up a video frame in Blue with white text describing the fault, there isn't much more it can do when it crashes, because the crash usually takes down the kernel as well. We saw that when infamous BSOD was displayed on the roof of the Bird Pavilion during the Olympics in China, as it was being displayed live, around the world, to an audience of a couple billion people. All because a .NET program running the display crashed the system.

However, with a bad video driver Linux can give you either a keyboard & mouse freeze, or the video module can crash and throw you back to a Black Screen of Console, or to the login screen. I know, BSOC doesn't have the same ring as BSOD, but, in the console the kernel is still running and you have cli command of your machine, so you can restore your desktop.

Because I do a lot of testing of alpha and beta software I occasionally get a keyboard & mouse lockup but without the video driver crashing, so no BSOC appears. Because of that I have the key combination: Ctrl+Alt+BkSP set to kill kdm, which throws me back to the login screen and restarts the xserver.


Bottom line: Linux is just built better than WinXX ... "By Design".

[wizard10000]

Re: Why doesn't Kubuntu (and Linux in general) not suffer BSOD problems of Windows?

Scotty, Windows supposedly hasn't been built "on top of" DOS since XP.

Close - WinME came out after WinXP

All NT-based Windows OS emulate DOS 5.0 - that'd be all versions of WinNT, Win2k, XP, Vista and Windows 7 so far.

[de_koraco]

Re: Why doesn't Kubuntu (and Linux in general) not suffer BSOD problems of Windows?

Sure it does, it's called kernel panic. Sometimes you get it on the first reboot. It's not quite the frequent occurrence, though.

[bsniadajewski]

Re: Why doesn't Kubuntu (and Linux in general) not suffer BSOD problems of Windows?

wizard10000

Windows ME came out September 14, 2000, 13 months before Windows XP (Retail 10-25-2001).

@ GG

Wizard (and MS) is right. WinXP is not running atop of DOS. ME was the last of the DOS-based OSes released by Microsoft. all Desktop/Server OSes have been based on NT since then.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Why doesn't Kubuntu (and Linux in general) not suffer BSOD problems of Windows?


Isn't that what I said?

Windows supposedly hasn't been built "on top of" DOS since XP.

[wizard10000]

Re: Why doesn't Kubuntu (and Linux in general) not suffer BSOD problems of Windows?

Windows ME came out September 14, 2000, 13 months before Windows XP (Retail 10-25-2001).

You're right - ME came out after 2k, not XP. Don't know what I was thinking.

Sorry, GG

[esperado]

Re: Why doesn't Kubuntu (and Linux in general) not suffer BSOD problems of Windows?

What is it about Linux that a user doesn't suffer a BSOD problem like windows users do?

I had, less than 10 of those BSOD's in 10 years on my Xp installation. Due to hardwares problems (CPU too hot after fan's faillure, or power block failures). And a lot of TTY and kernel panic ( starting at the first reboot ;-) on my brand new kubuntu that i try to set on my new computer for 15 days now. Video Drivers and server problems.

My feeling is my new Seven Ultimate is even more stable than XP. Surprised on how Seven can recover sometimes when i was playing with extreme overcloking. But, i know quite well how to manage windows, how to stay out of problems, and not at all Linux desktops.
On what i have a good practice about, Lamp or Wamp servers, i do not see a lot of differences in stability: both are equal. Just, more memory leaks in windows: better to boot each day to refresh. not necessary with Linux servers you can let running for weeks.

But, i remember windows 98 (and SE) was an ocean of BSOD's.

My fist impression, comparing Seven ans Kubuntu on a same firefox session, by example, is Seven eats more ram, and kubuntu more CPU.

[bsniadajewski]

Re: Why doesn't Kubuntu (and Linux in general) not suffer BSOD problems of Windows?

Sorry, GG. I was looking at your statement,

...Microsoft claims it isn't running on top of DOS.

,
and I was responding to that.

[esperado]

Re: Why doesn't Kubuntu (and Linux in general) not suffer BSOD problems of Windows?

My mistake, sorry (no way to suppress my post?)...

[ScottyK]

Re: Why doesn't Kubuntu (and Linux in general) not suffer BSOD problems of Windows?

Excellent, I must be doing something right. For I've yet to see one of the dreaded "linux Console screens of death"!

<knock on wood>

[GreyGeek]

Re: Why doesn't Kubuntu (and Linux in general) not suffer BSOD problems of Windows?

My mistake, sorry (no way to suppress my post?)...

That's one way!

[Fintan]

Re: Why doesn't Kubuntu (and Linux in general) not suffer BSOD problems of Windows?

Just my 2 cents worth:
Put simply, think of Linux as an onion where you have different layers which are not directly connected with each other.

The kernel sits in the middle and the desktop is a separate layer running on top of the kernel layer. Applications are on a different layer not directly connected with the desktop or the kernel. So if one layer fails it will (normally) affect the next one down.

On Windows on the other hand all layers are connected and even in some cases interdependent. Try and delete Internet Explorer or windows explorer and you will have a whole load of fun

When an application crashes ( like IE or WE) it will affect the Desktop, this in turn affect the kernel.

Sorry if this sounds simplistic

[dibl]

Re: Why doesn't Kubuntu (and Linux in general) not suffer BSOD problems of Windows?

What is it about Linux that a user doesn't suffer a BSOD problem like windows users do?

Easy. The Linux developers did not design it into the system.