Windows vs. Mac OS X vs. Linux

[fredrik]

What are your views on these three operating systems (or any other operating systems)?

Personally, I like Ubuntu (Linux) better than Windows because of the looks, the integration with the programs and the freedom it has. I haven't really used OS X a lot, though, but I kinda like it too.

[Ryan]

Though I don't use Mac OS X on my own computer (as I have a PC and not a Macbook), it has my vote. The only problem I have ever encountered when using it the programing and if I had one, I'd probably learn the programing.

[VampiricPadraig]

I have never used Mac OS X ON a Mac system so I cannot say.

I have used Windows since 98 and I love it. 2000 and Vista were a shipment of Fail. And yes, I do have Windows 7! And I'm loving it.

Ubuntu - WOW! This OS gets better and better and better every April and October. I love this operating system so much that I have a second 250GB drive in my computer with Ubuntu on it.

I am not a Windows fanboy or a Ubuntu fanboy but I love those two operating systems!

[Nakor]

I use Windows for those very few programs I must (those that will not run in wine) and everything else in Linux. My computer simply runs many times faster in Ubuntu than it does on Windows.

As for Mac, it has the same compatibility problems as Linux but without the huge selection of FOSS (free open-source software) and with a price tag usually much higher than I would pay if I build myself a system to the same specs, so I really don't have much use for it.

<offtopic>Padraig, the Kirby pic in your sig is pure awesome.</offtopic>

[TheIslander]

Linux: its fast, reliable and love the community.
I was thinking about chrome OS this morning, Google saying that they want the time it takes to get to the internet as short as possible.. My ubuntu doesn't take too long to load and get onto firefox anway.

[noobsensei]

Windows 7 is the best of those. XP is pretty good...Vista sucks. I'm not a big fan of the Mac OS either, because it's too closed-source. I don't really have an opinion on Linux since I've never used it.

But the best operating system of all? Android. It's fantastic...much better than anything Microsoft or Apple has trotted out. I think it's gonna become the standard in non-Apple tablets, just as it has in non-Apple smartphones.

[zAkAtAk]

Windows: virus prone, but when it crashes it's easy to repair. Generally works well with lots of applications.

Mac: "user friendly", but if it crashes - it crashes hard. Works well with most files, but has some trouble with compatibility with windows-made files.

Linux: Good for auto-run computers that just do one thing all day. I don't have any user knowledge of this OS at all.

[Nakor]

Mar 24, 2010 15:59:22 GMT -5 TheIslander said:

Linux: its fast, reliable and love the community.
I was thinking about chrome OS this morning, Google saying that they want the time it takes to get to the internet as short as possible.. My ubuntu doesn't take too long to load and get onto firefox anway.

To be fair the goal of ChromeOS is not to be a fully functioning OS for your laptop, but rather to get from power button to browser as fast as possible on a netbook that is probably only used for websurfing anyway. When Google says they want it to get you to the browser as fast as possible, they're talking in the realm of 7 seconds, which isn't a reasonable goal for a fully functioning OS like Windows, Mac or most Linux flavours.

(Incidentally both Chrome OS and Android are Linux.)

[Karson]

I love them all for different reasons.

Windows because I have used it all my life since I was a kid and I feel I know it inside and out.
Plus it has a huge community.

Mac because its beautiful and user-friendly

Linux for server administration. I use freebsd for my home server and its really easy to use.
Plus its lightweight and never crashes.

[PunchJunky]

Mac because I spent a truckload on it and to say any other would make me cry.

[swan]

I like Mac OS X the most because I generally never have any issues and it's very user friendly, but the price and the lack of programs kinda sucks. I've never used linux so I can't say anything about it.

[evets]

I loooooove Linux, I wish I could use it for everything, but sadly I can't. Been using Ubuntu for about 4(?) years now I think. My desktop is windows XP and I use it for games and games alone. Everything else I do on my laptop which runs the latest Ubuntu. I know quite a bit about Linux, (more than the average Linux user) and I'm quite the "techie" with computers in general.

Windows I barely tolerate, mac OS I can't stand. My problem with it IMHO is that (mac fanboys stop reading. ) sure it looks pretty, but it's all so proprietary, and it seems like it treats you like a child. It does things, configures things without telling you what its doing, and its great when it works, but when it doesn't you have no idea how it works and you can't fix it. I'm a power user! I need to see inside the black box! I need to tinker! ...but apple won't let me. It's all closed. ;_;

[jmejia1187]

I have actually used all 3 operating systems, and I must say a few things.

First of all I love Mac OSX the best and here is why: when it comes to video editing, many programs on mac, are boss. The same goes for presentations. I am sorry but OpenOffice Presenter software has nothing on Keynote.

I dont like windows because the crash rate, and it is virus/malware/adware prone. I have used windows up to xp, then switched to Linux, then Mac.

On Linux, the programs arent there to do presentations as well as Keynote, and the software for video editing is not as powerful as on a Mac. I DO LOVE LINUX FOR PRACTICAL EVERYDAY USE. Like editing documents, watching movies, and surfing the web. But when it comes to pure power, and ease of use, nothing comes close to the Mac OSX. And many people here are complaining about the software not being open source are not looking hard enough. Here is one example of a list of open source programming for MacOSX. And if anyone needs a bigger list, there is more where that came from.

[Nakor]

Mar 24, 2010 18:13:58 GMT -5 PunchJunky said:

Mac because I spent a truckload on it and to say any other would make me cry.

Sunk loss fallacy, my friend. If you feel something that you've spent a lot of money on in the past may not be worth it, it is better to accept that as a "sunk loss" and move on to something that you may like better than it is to keep sinking money into that same thing.

Now, if you like Mac, that's different. But if you're sticking with it because of how much you've spent on it in the past, and not because you like it, then you just digging the hole deeper.

[fredrik]

I installed Ubuntu 10.4 Beta yesterday on my kinda old computer (it's from 2001), and while it was starting up after the installation, I was just like WOW (it took about a minute to load, compared to 4-6 minutes using Windows XP).

It also amazed me how quickly it shut down this is why I really like Ubuntu ...