Somebody who has been using Windows all their life will naturally be confused when they begin experimenting with Linux (or any other operating system for that matter). However the key to understanding a different operating system is to compare it with one which you are already familiar with. We're going to take a look at the main differences between Windows and Linux and hopefully prepare you for using Linux!
Applications
It goes without saying that applications that were designed for Windows, will work on Windows and applications that were designed for Linux will work on Linux. What isn't true however is Windows applications will be ready for use on Linux and vice versa.
What complicates things slightly is that Windows applications can be run on Linux using a program called Wine. Wine can be installed on Linux and runs a good percentage of Windows programs. Most programs will run, if not completely successfully, partially. Furthermore confusing things is that programs designed for platforms such as Java, can be run on both!
But simply put; Windows .exe files are designed for Windows, and Linux applications are designed for Linux.
Directory Structure and Drive Mounting
I personally think that the most obvious difference between Windows and Linux is the structure of files and drives. Its also the most difficult to get your head around.
On all operating systems files are loaded from drives. The drives are mounted which means made available to the user in some way.
You may be familiar with drive letters on Windows. For example a drive is mounted to C:\ on Windows. On Linux it can be mounted anywhere, usually automatically to /media/drive name. You may also have noticed that /media doesnt contain the usual Letter followed by :. This is probably the most difficult thing to get your head around at first. But its really not difficult.
In Windows:- operating system files are loaded from a hard drive (usually mounted at C\ into memory. All operating system files can be accessed in C:\
In Linux:- operating system files are loaded from a hard drive and usually mounted to / aswell as this other directories are created by the operating system which arent present on the file system. For example /media/drive_name may not be present on the file system but it is present within Linux when a drive named drive_name is mounted.
Updates
Updates on Windows are simply put; a nuisance. Restart, Restart, Install, Restart, Install, Restart, Restart, This update has failed.
With Linux updates are easy. Even if programs are loaded into memory, the files are just replaced, and the next time they're loaded into memory its the new version. No need to close the program being updated. You can choose to update using a GUI or command line ("terminal").
Prioritising is also much better in Linux, updates are clearly prioritised.
Learn More
You can't learn everything about Linux through reading. It takes a lot of experimentation, googling, and determination. But with every new thing you learn about Linux, you'll realise how much more superior than other operating systems it is.
Why not install a Linux distro on a Virtual Machine to try out from within Windows. You'll need VirtualBox to run them.