[SofaKng]

Now that DXVA2 support is in Dharma (beta), is there any reason to use Linux instead of Windows?

Does XBMC for Linux offer any advantages? How stable is DXVA2 for Windows?

I've familiar with the basics of Ubuntu/Linux and I've setup XBMC before but I'm switching back to it from Windows 7 Media Center and I'm not sure if it's worth setting up Ubuntu again since I'm much more familiar with Windows.

(I do run several Ubuntu virtual servers hosting different applications such as usenet clients, Source game engine servers, etc, so the issue isn't that Linux is too difficult it's just that I prefer Windows and am really curious on the advantages and disadvantages...)

[JBNY]

Interested as well. I only run XBMC on ubuntu, even though I am more familiar with windows. I have been running it on ubuntu before there was any decent version available for windows, and I just sort of kept doing things the same way.

Things I do like about running it on ubuntu minimal though are:

• Fast boot, like 25 seconds
  
• boots into XBMC just like an appliance, my wife just turns it on and it's ready to go.
  
• Fast, fast scans over NFS to my NAS drive, would never know I am accessing the NAS and not the local drive.
  
• Small footprint, I can boot into multiple version of XBMC each one is only about 6GB allocated to each partition.
  
• I like being able to SSH into the box and update or install something without having to use a keyboard attached to the box.
  
• Hardware acceleration for nvidia cards, works great.
  
• Installing and upgrading is pretty quick, I can put a new OS and XBMC in less than 30 minutes. Upgrading XBMC only take less than 5 minutes.
  
• Don't have to pay anything for ubuntu.
  

Overall, I just find it very easy to setup and run it on XBMC, the windows install alone would probably take me twice as long and the whole Ubuntu OS+XBMC install.

[Bram77]

One of the reasons why performance with Linux is high is because it's a stripped down version of the OS (Xbmc Live). Windows will always use a lot more recources, thus less will remain for the purpose of your (probably dedicated) machine.

To my opinion there is only one reason to use Windows and that's if you insist to use a Ati videocard.

[SofaKng]

Is NFS really that much faster than SMB? (espicially SMB2)

Linux does seem faster and much less bloated, but certain things bother me like having to create asound.conf files to enable menu sounds or install/configuring LIRC to get remote controls to properly work. It's also much more difficult to use x11vnc than install a VNC server for Windows.

I'll probably stick with Linux but I hope they fix the SVN PPA's soon!

[JBNY]

NFS is lighting fast compared to SMB. I thought the same thing till I set it up, I was shocked at how much faster NFS is.

I have not had to play with any sound settings in a while with the newer versions.

Configuring LIRC, if you are using an MCE remote, is as simple as installing LIRC and choosing the MCE remote. I don't do anything other than that.

Forget VNC with ubuntu, I tried to go the same route. SSH into the box is much easier and very fast. As long as you can do command line, it is so easy.

[Flomaster]

Is NFS really that much faster than SMB? (espicially SMB2)

Linux does seem faster and much less bloated, but certain things bother me like having to create asound.conf files to enable menu sounds or install/configuring LIRC to get remote controls to properly work. It's also much more difficult to use x11vnc than install a VNC server for Windows.

I'll probably stick with Linux but I hope they fix the SVN PPA's soon!

I installed the xbmcFreak-Live cd and had working HDMI menu sounds , DTS,DD, etc and MCE remote right of of the box with No configuring to be had


-=Jason=-

[jhsrennie]

Since no happy Windows users have spoken out, let me say that I use XBMC on a range of hardware and with WinXP, Win7 and even Server 2008 (my development workstation!). I also use it on Ubuntu when I need to check my changes haven't broken anything in Linux. I find it works just fine on all platforms I've tried.

There may be reasons to choose Linux over Windows or vice versa, but they aren't to do with XBMC. Use whichever OS you feel more comfortable with.

JR

[zilexa]

It sounds very appealing to just turn on the PC and voila, there is XBMC (I hope the stripped down Ubuntu also has a hibernate and/or standby mode, it would be even faster).
A completely dedicated system.
But I am a Linux noob and I do want to use other stuff on my HTPC (like "HFS" HTTP File Server, Soulseek to find music, uTorrent/rss, Palemoon webbrowser) so I stick with Windows...

[StefanM]

I use windows, since it is the only way I can play my DRM music Other than that I find it easier to setup my remote in windows. LIRC requires you to know cmd's, cause not every mce remote will work 100% from xbmc live/xbmc freak.
Other then that you need to install extra to get wireless to work ect..