Microsoft verses Apple Mac and Linnix
@traceyleeappel (510)
Australia
January 2, 2008 4:58am CST
I had been using Microsoft Windows system for the past eight years now and I have had absolutely nothing to do with Apple Mac system or Linnix system!!! I was just wondering who has the best system for the value for money these days? Who do you believe is running the best system on the market today??? Can anyone give me some insight on what the other systems can do and are they worth while getting !!
1 person likes this
3 responses
@santuccie (3384)
• United States
19 Jan 08
The answer varies according to which question you're asking. When you ask who has the best value for the money, I'd be inclined to say Linux, since many distros are free. Of course if you ask someone in China, where most copies of Windows are pirated anyway, they'll likely say Windows every time.
Microsoft Windows is comparable to Mac OS-X in user-friendliness. It overtook the Mac by becoming the first compatible operating system with a bitmap. Apple has since embraced third-party hardware, but it is still too expensive and still more limited.
Linux has been around for over a decade-and-a-half, but unfortunately total freedom brings with it disorganization. There are over 350 distros out there, and experienced software engineers who are willing to work for free are just too few to refine any one of them.
Some of them are becoming fairly mature, and Linux has some clear advantages, such as not having to defragment a hard drive, clean a registry, or reboot after installing updates. But there's still too much terminal and too little automation involved with the installation of basic resources.
Both OS-X and Linux (especially Linux) are harder for the user to mess up than Windows, but they have bugs of their own, one of them being a USB bug that makes the pointer stop responding to the mouse, and portable apps to crash. Some Macs also experience a kernel panic when USB devices are plugged in.
Fanboys hate me for bringing this up, and I've been attacked from all directions at CNET, ZDNET, and TechRepublic. But eventually the truth emerges...that Mac and Linux users have to condition themselves to do without in order to find satisfaction.
Windows users do not. Our greatest problems are intercompatibility issues, which come with the platform that has the most options. Another problem with running the most popular platform is that you're running the biggest target for malware attacks. Fortunately for us, there is more free security software for our OS than there is total for any other. McAfee has invented an innovation called "script scanning," which makes drive-by infection a thing of the past for its users. AOL offers it for free, to anyone with an AOL e-mail account: http://safety.aol.com/isc/index.adp?
Windows Vista is also the most secure version of Windows yet, making it nearly impossible for malware to install without user intervention. It only gets better from here. Ultimately, what makes a product the best is third-party support. Even Microsoft can't do it all by themselves, but they have the most "friends." Hope this helps!
@santuccie (3384)
• United States
20 Jan 08
Two things: When I said "...the first compatible operating system with a bitmap," I should have used "pointing device" or "GUI" instead of "bitmap."
Also, when I said that Windows is easier to mess up than Linux or OS-X, I forgot to mention that this is why everyone should have drive imaging or some form of backup. Even if third-party apps don't crash Windows, and even if a terrible virus doesn't wipe out the MBR, and even if your USB mouse doesn't confuse the OS until it can no longer boot (Linux, Mac), one thing that is for certain is that EVERY hard drive fails.
When you're "mixing and matching" software and hardware in Windows, you should always have a backup you can fall back on. This way, you have nothing to lose. A Windows disaster is the kind of thing that creates an anti-MS zealot, even though I've found that they're easier to prevent and recover from than a Linux or Mac disaster (you can fix app/driver conflicts or infections; you can't fix a defective kernel).
@traceyleeappel (510)
• Australia
10 Feb 08
I know malware and virus are not good for any computer as they do not like them. And that is why we all must run a good anti- virus program to keep our computer system healthy!By the sound of things you know your self around computers real well!! You not only explained the difference between system but also gave us a lesson on them too! I have learned a few things from your reply alone from you!!
1 person likes this
@youless (112582)
• Guangzhou, China
2 Jan 08
I always use Microsoft Windows system, too. I haven't used other operating system. I think Windows system is already good enough, although it has bugs. But everything has bugs.
@traceyleeappel (510)
• Australia
2 Jan 08
It seems that windows may be the best around !!Thanks for your reply