Originally Posted by
Nmoudf
According to Ehow, the main advantages of Unix OS are:
Stability
Large servers that power e-mail and web services often use Unix operating systems because of the design, which is focused on stability and flexibility. Companies that run servers require them to stay up and running for long periods of time, maintaining all the files on the server so they can always be accessed reliably. Often, the measured up-time (or the time a computer has been running without a shutdown or reboot) of a Unix system can be months or even years. Unix systems also allow users to choose from several different methods of file storage, so servers can be tailored to store certain data in the most stable and efficient way possible.
Efficiency
Unix systems can be a cost-effective alternative to other operating systems because they require less resources, and they run well on hardware without causing slowdowns in computing or graphical functionality. Other operating systems may only work on advanced hardware, or require large amounts of memory or disk space. Unix systems have made significant advances in processor and memory usage techniques, and tend to handle the resources more efficiently. Because of this, Unix systems can be installed on older hardware with little or no performance loss. This results in smaller hardware costs and a wider range of hardware options.
Cost
Most Unix systems (such as Linux, FreeBSD and OpenBSD) are absolutely free, released under open-source licensing. This spares users from costly upgrade cycles once a particular system is out of date. Most applications for Unix systems also cost nothing; they come bundled with the system and are ready "out of the box." Software for tasks such as word processing (OpenOffice.org) and image manipulation similar to Photoshop (Gimp) are available at no cost to the user. Unlike other systems, most of these programs come already installed, configured and ready for use.
Security
Unix systems were originally conceived and built as multi-user, networked systems, which contributes to their overall security. Employing a multi-user setup requires that each user have his or her own credentials to access system resources, and administrator privileges are required to install software or run any program that accesses sensitive information. Also, Unix desktops and workstations comprise only a relatively small part of the overall desktop market. Therefore, hackers rarely write trojans and worms to attack them, focusing instead on Windows systems.
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