4 ms·
Since Linux has Unix-legacy and is usually intended to be used on servers, there is one well-intended assumption at play here: unless different settings are app
by samus 3y ago
Since Linux has Unix-legacy and is usually intended to be used on servers, there is one well-intended assumption at play here: unless different settings are applied, all processes are in principle created equal. This also applies to GUI applications, and means that a single out-of-control application can lock up the whole system.
That's actually fine on multi-user systems. A competent admin would set up tight limits and prevent one user taking over all resources, and intervenes if they mess up. On single-user machines, this limitation is not there because there is effectively only one user. And since desktop Linux is not a priority for most Linux vendors, this scenario sees comparatively little consideration.
In comparison, on Windows some applications (at least explorer.exe and the task manager) seem to have way higher priority. No matter what else is going on, the user must be able to use these application to rein in other applications. The drawback is that there is no recourse should explorer.exe ever lock up.
- Dalewyn 3y agoExplorer and Task Manager are both shells (along with their CLI sibling shells CMD and Powershell), but Task Manager is special in that Windows Logon is always actively monitoring for CTRL+ALT+DEL. Windows Logon is superior to all the shells as a core Windows subsystem in that it is the one that executes the shell (usually Explorer) on boot/login and can also execute Task Manager, in addition to its primary duties of tracking and securing user logins (hence the name). This means even if Explorer has completely froze or has crashed, you can always get to Task Manager via Windows Logon and then kill or execute another instance of Explorer (or CMD or Powershell!) or otherwise force reboot the system from Windows Logon.
- kaba0 3y agoLinux has something similar to ctrl+alt+del monitoring in the form of REISUB and alia. But it is much more crude (and nowadays mostly disabled by default).