Thread: Windows vs Mac vs Linux

Ok the the three main operating systems Windows, Mac and Linux! But what is the difference in all three of these!

Ive only ever used windows, and comfortable using that because of the long time its been that I've used it! But how does Mac and Linux differ from windows or from each other apart from the look or presentation of them?

Here's a summary (slightly opinionated):

Windows:
Pro: Everyone uses it, standard.
Con: Doesn't work as well as it should. They steal money from you, and a lot of it too. It is owned by a firm (M$) that has a long standing record of business malpractices. Viruses galore!
Myths: Is synonymous with computers. Wrong. Many other OSs exist as well.

Mac:
Pro: Really good software. Fast, slick, safe, well coded and based on a distant cousin of Linux (but took a different turn very long ago).
Con: Propriety. They trap you into their own web. Once you start using a Mac, everything you use is from Apple. They don't make their competition easy. Expensive.
Myth: The OS is expensive. Wrong. The hardware is expensive, not the OS itself. It is not possible to legally install Mac on non-Apple hardware.

Linux:
Pro: Good software, safe, lots of improvement lately. Its main advantage is that it is open source. All the code is visible to the world. This means that the code is scrutinized very well. Absolutely free (free as in free speech, not just free beer!) Extremely regular updates to software. If any small security loophole is found, only that program can be fixed without having to install a 700MB security update. (Updates are often < 500KiB). Therefore very secure.
Cons: Too many options to choose from (although most new comers use Ubuntu) Till recently, many Linux distributions didn't look aethetically apealling at all. Some popular distributions have made huge improvements here recently. It isn't widely known, so you may have some difficulty getting help from friends, but internet support is very good.
Myth: 1. Everything is done off the command line (terminal, command prompt). Wrong. Many tools exist to do things otherwise. People just ask you to use the terminal because they don't know what software you have installed. If you look around, you don't need to use a terminal.
2. It is only for computer programmers. Wrong. Flavors like Ubuntu make Linux very easy to use. In some places it has been found that people who haven't used computers before have found Linux easier to use than Windows.
3. It is open source so people can hack into Linux because everyone knows how it works. Wrong. This is FUD (look up Wikipedia for what FUD means). The source being available makes it more secure because it is open to scrutiny. Most tester at MS may not get to see the code so they cannot try to find loop holes based on the code. In Linux that is possible, so it is safer.

Like I said, I'm biased. But make the right decision after doing your research.

windows is like smart urban woman. Beauty yet selfish mac is high class beauty that only some people can afford. Linux Is like good housewife but looks are normal. As a natural law there cannot be all good features in a single woman. good woman in all features is extint.

good post preeti

@mickey wow i like ur comparition ! urban woman wins hands down

@lekvagwo nyc summary

Thanks, zoooni.

thanks for this summery lekvagwo, very useful and informative!

Originally Posted by mickey

windows is like smart urban woman. Beauty yet selfish mac is high class beauty that only some people can afford. Linux Is like good housewife but looks are normal. As a natural law there cannot be all good features in a single woman. good woman in all features is extint.

"good housewife but looks are normal."--only when you got married , but then you give her love, gift her some nice gowns , some ornaments and then your housewife looks like this ::::::::::::::::::::::::::;

Originally Posted by puchu

"good housewife but looks are normal."--only when you got married , but then you give her love, gift her some nice gowns , some ornaments and then your housewife looks like this ::::::::::::::::::::::::::;

hehe yes thats true...))

@lekvagwo - thanks for your post.

@Mickey - LOL, Nice explanation

my vote too. I have had it with Windows! I have a WinXP partition on my machine, but I am beginning to think it was a waste of space. When I have to use Windows for something, I now start it up in a Virtual Machine.

Here's another Linux point:

FireFox, Thunderbird, VLC, GoogleEarth, just to name my most-used applications, all look the same, and work the same (only faster!) in Linux. Culture shock in changing from Windows is actually minimal!

I am not without reservations about Ubuntu, though. I think that there is too much change-for-the-sake-of-change (a Windows fault, although they use it to sell us the newest version!) going on. The new "Unity" interface is childs' toy rubbish!

There are a couple more Linux desktops shown on this thread (Post Your Ubuntu Desktop Here.), including my incarnation of the Compiz cube. I think I started using Emerald since then, fine tuning my window borders and stuff

I am also with windows because It is like a popular model of a consumer car, which comes in different packages to suit every pocket, is easy to repair as you can find a mechanic on every street corner.

IM WITH WINDOWS

Windows : It's vialbe option for people who wants to get things done. Easy learning curve and once you buy it, you'll get support from the MS for any technical issue you encounter.

Though Font Rendering is not as good as Mac OS, from Win7 onwards you can enable ClearType Font Rendering, which will be easy on the eyes.

Mac OS : Another Proprietary OS, which is known for its sleek graphics, great font rendering unlike windows. Earlier all the MAC OS could run only on MAC Machine, so you'd to buy their hardware as well but now you can run it on other hardware as well.
You get support for technical issue from the company

Both the above options are good for a layman who doesn't want to check out the intricate details of OS (source code), how they're built, and just want to get things done and have fun and need technical support when any issue encountered.

Linux : It's Open Source, so you don't have to pay for it but you can donate if you wish.
Too many distro (flavor) to use. For newbie it becomes difficult to get started. Lots of updates from community to make OS better which might not be the need of any layman who want to get things done and have fun. Font rendering is quite ok but not as good as MAC OS.

It's a personal preference what to use but generally people tend to use things which are easy to use.

but now you can run it on other hardware as well.
You get support for technical issue from the company

I thought Hackintosh is the only way to do that. But that is illegal right ? You get tech support for that ?

Appl on non-Apple hardware is dead, isn't it? As of the the last court case in which Apple destroyed the company doing it. Apple is totally walled in.

Font rendering is going to depend on the graphics card and how good the linux drivers are, I guess. No blanket statement about "not as good as MAC or Win," though: One of the things that I love about my Ubuntu 11.04 (Gnome 2 + Compiz) is the way it looks. Granted, I only have XP to compare with (Cleartype was there even then, wasn't it?), but it is scruffy and ragged bt comparison. My Ubuntu is like looking at fine print --- much easier on the eyes.

People who "Just want to get things done" generally don't actually do very much with their machines. Word-processing; spreadsheets. Neither more dificult in one of the user-friendly Linuxes, nor harder learning curve than Windows.

People who want to do more than "just get things done" will often find Unix or Linux machines much more powerful. There are grannies using Ubuntu: it is even quite easy to change over from Windows without being baffled.

Sorry, but to which are you answering ?

para 1: you and nilact.

para 2 - end: nilact

Yep, in fact from what I heard, even Hackintosh is not as smooth as Mac.