Operating systems have been a topic of debate since the the Commodore 64 and Apple II hit the market back in the early 80's. Closed source, open source, slim lined, secure, so many catchy words and factors that one claimed made them more important. That battle hasn't stopped, with Microsoft releasing Windows 10 soon, Apple OSX El Capitan coming out in the fall, and every other week a new Linux Distribution being made available to the public completely for free. And lets not forget the always important BSD distributions made available, just not as often (not going to include that one for the time being, sorry BSD fans, just not as familiar with it). What's the best choice? Why should I choose one over the other? What are the downsides? Is it all really worth it?... To start the "BATTLE" let's talk about each operating system in their own right.
Windows
Microsoft has been a long running champion of the operating system world, almost EVERYTHING is compatible with it, there are productivity software that businesses rely on to function like Microsoft Office, and gaming vendors focus primarily on support for the Windows Operating System. Most PC gamers out there will agree that 80% of the gaming market is for Windows, no real point in venturing elsewhere if the OS is incompatible.
In terms of the productivity software it does seem to act as a bit of a snare or glue trap, as its made compatible primarily with the windows operating system, and with most of these software operating system dependencies require us to circle back to the source. But as of lately that isn't as true as it used to be, with Mac and Linux picking up ground, the software dependencies aren't necessarily as prominent, the only flip side is comfort, with decades of usage switching gears isn't exactly going to be as easily doable for most.As a whole the Windows operating system is solid, one of the worlds largest corporations stands behind it and supports it on a weekly basis, we new patches to security issues being issued, and pretty helpful customer support at the ready. With this support and scale of the operating system it has certain security issues, being the most well known operating system on the market, and largest market share targets it for malicious attacks. All to often is there a new virus or exploit discovered that is solely on the back of Windows, which requires additional protective measures to be enacted to make the operating system stable for home or business use.
Apple
Apple's OSX operating system on the other hand is a great operating system for productivity, mostly focused on design, with a tightly knit closed source approach. Fee's are slightly higher on this Operating system as its tied in with the hardware as well. Where Microsoft Windows is (or was) just a software vendor, Apple prides themselves on being an everything company, and the only company allowed to do it their way. Apple produces their own hardware, and their own operating system, guaranteeing perfect integration of the two.
Stability is absolutely crucial in apples design, as it's designed for your graphic designers, your artists, or those who want a productive system with a form of productivity software, while branching the divide from the generally used Microsoft Office suite. This increased stability and tight knit design allows this operating system to be for the most part virus free and extra secure. The source code of the operating system is closed and locked greatly decreasing the surface area of any potential security risks.With great security does come one drastic short coming, market size for developers. With limited access to controls, and high costs of development kits, developing software for the OSX environment is an expensive game. Having a relatively small market share, and smaller group of developers, the costs and amount of software for Mac is relatively small in comparison to other operating systems. The software dedicated to graphic design is phenomenal, the productivity software is ok, but as a whole the software market isn't going to warrant the same zing or choice as other operating systems.
Linux
Unlike other operating systems Linux is entire open source and in no way shape or form associated with a corporation. The Operating system itself is completely free, and modifications to it along with redistribution of the newly modified operating system are completely acceptable, as long as Linux has their shout out in the information. Linux itself has a relatively small market and for the most part not sold on existing hardware. Ubuntu is sold on some hardware but very small amount, and Google's Chromebook is a recent development only a year or two old at this point. As a whole this operating system was installed on an old or new Windows based PC, or onto a custom built rig at home.
In terms of stability Linux is a Unix like operating system, so it adheres to many of the same rules and standards the apples OSX is based on. The functionality is very similar, but being open source allows for a lot of modifications to be made. This is both a blessing and a curse, since anyone is allowed to modify Linux as they see fit, the operating system itself exists in thousands of iterations all over the place. Debian, Fedora, Gentoo, Ubuntu, RedHat, Damn Small Linux, OpenSUSE, Red Star OS, Hannah Montana Linux, so many different Linux distributions, these are just a handful. With so much to choose from, finding the perfect fit for you is more likely available to you than vendors operating one iteration at a time, but sorting through it all requires trial and error.Although the market for Linux may not be as large as others, the following and fan base of Linux is dedicated to their cause, as the operating system is itself free, much of the software available to it is free as well, with many up to support the cause software availability is always growing. Linux is generally known for its security as well, based on the fragmentation of the Operating System distributions, yet comparability with software across multiple platforms. Linux for home use is fantastic, offering up some great free productivity software in multiple different flavors to choose from.
Which do I choose?
After reviewing all three of the main operating systems on the market, there is a LOT of information to process, and figuring out which is best is really going to be hard for a writer on a website to decide for you. Instead it's going to really fall into a couple of categories instead of a couple of operating systems. Are you a computer enthusaist? Linux would be my suggestion. Are you a graphic designer? Apple OSX hands down. Are you a standard home user who wants to type up an email from time to time, or maybe you're a hardcore gamer? Windows could be your best bet.
Although Linux can fill the void in some places for Windows, Apple can fill some voids for Linux, each operating system has its place, no one of these operating systems shows it's better than the other two in all area's where it counts. At the end of the day what fits your bill the best in terms of operating systems, depends on what you require most. Gaming, productivity, security, open source, closed source, support, community. You decide.
And as always, be safe my goblins.
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