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Windows XP: Windows, Mac or Linux
Windows, Mac or Linux
by JoshHendo - 11/16/04 10:04 PMI use windows and some of my friends use macs. Every day we have arguments about which is the best. I just want to know what other people think is the best. If you want to post the OS you think is the best and a reason (optional) on this form. This will finally prove that windows is the best!!!! (I am only looking for peoples opinion)
I'll give you mine....
by Art - 11/16/04 11:20 PM In reply to: Windows, Mac or Linux by JoshHendoMost windows user never go beyoud windows, so how reliable would their opinions make? Just my opinion. I think this is the wrong forum for it anyway.
Windows Man
by pearljamkornfan - 12/22/04 3:21 PM In reply to: I'll give you mine.... by ArtI have been using MS Windows since the 3.1 days, and agree there are many many problems with it, but it seems the most user friendly. I have had to do a few re-installs of 98 on my old comp due to hardware failure (thrown togehter hand me down parts). But, with a nice MS background and some common sense, Windows is a great choice because so many people use it. I got a computer 8 months ago and have had 0 problems with it. I upgraded to SP1 and 2, run Ad-aware, Spybot S&D with the Tea Timer enabled (great feafure), and AVG free 7.0. I update these often, and the Tea Timer really is more of an advanced feature since you need knowledge of the item that is is asking you to block or allow. I know many of you think I am not smart for disabling system restore, but I did, and with a defrag every 2 weeks, my machine runs much faster. This really isn't recommended but I have the restore disks and have all valuable files on another drive/CD. Also, there is a large support community for windows users. I helped my friend's family set up a wireless network with their DSL and he just gives me a call when something goes wrong (power failuire and having to re-enter WEP key.) Also, before I became experienced enough, I knew of 3 people right away that would be able to help me. Plus, as most everyone mentions . . . COMPATABILITY is key. I know that some MAC/UNIX apps are ported for windows, but there are still many incompatability issues. I used RedHat linux 8 and 9 in my Network Tech Support Lab this last semester, and being so used to windows, found it almost user-unfriendly. Another aspect is cost, not just of the O/S, but hardware. Keep in mind, drivers are not always available right away for linux or mac that will support your device. And for all you people bashing IE, you do so rightly, but is not all bad. I use IE 6 and check/use windows update often, use the anti-spy/malware tools, AVG, and use common sense when going to certain websites. I find IE to be faster than mozilla, and with the firewall (SP2's) enabled, all of the above apps, and a little common sense, I have never recieved any programs that have damaged my computer in 8 months. At school, I stay online with the 3.8 mB/S line almost 24/7 and have never recieved an outside attack. Also, a tip for windows users is to watch what you are installing. Don't just click "Next" 100 times because often, you are installing spyware or add-ons including WildTangent BS, GAIN, and the weather bug. I bet atleats 50% of the people that have weather bug simply just agreed with AIM when asking if they want to instal it. Also, find a site that lists processes and startup apps that can be disabled safely. I check MSConfig often and remove any programs that I don't need or use for O/S stability. And for you beginning users who choose Microsoft and have problems, just be careful and remember that we CNET users are here to help. (same goes for other O/S's).
Ross
Re: Windows, Mac or Linux
by septus - 11/17/04 12:25 AM In reply to: Windows, Mac or Linux by JoshHendoHi Josh,
I do not have any objective data, but preferring to assemble my own systems, I have not felt tempted to use Mac, which seems to be rather expensive. Numerous crashes (can't avoid tinkering) with various Win:s, several failed "restores" with Win, the frequent need for updates, the OEM restrictions, wanting to upgrade MoBo:s, and the annoying activation/re-activation process, have driven me into the Linux "camp". Admittedly, the latter distros have their own frustrations, least so in Xandros. However, I do like Mandrake and Fedora too. Until at least one bank in particular permits me to use browsers other than IE, I am stuck with dual-booting.
Cheers
"septus
Re: Windows, Mac or Linux
by Papa Echo - 11/17/04 12:29 AM In reply to: Windows, Mac or Linux by JoshHendoWhat is 'Best' ? In what respect ?
If a user can find one task which can only be done by one but not by the others, then that one is the "best" for that moment, for that user. As always, "The Best Is Yet To Be."
Re: Windows, Mac or Linux
by JoshHendo - 11/17/04 12:35 PM In reply to: Re: Windows, Mac or Linux by Papa EchoI did mean in your opinion, but anyway........
Just can't let this go...
by Art - 11/17/04 3:25 PM In reply to: Re: Windows, Mac or Linux by Papa EchoTo Be or not to BeOS..that's the question!!
Re: Windows, Mac or Linux
by luxx - 11/17/04 12:40 AM In reply to: Windows, Mac or Linux by JoshHendoI used to had arguments with friends about the same topic, when we were young. Then we grew old and realized that there is no better OS by itself. It all depends on you, the user, and on your needs and tastes. So, I'm sorry, if you want to know which one is the best (for you) you will have to try them out.
For my needs and taste, windows serves me good. Mac I prefer to avoid because I need to interact a lot with other people (mostly using win) and Mac is just not compatible enough. Linux.. well, I like to work with my computer, and not for my computer.
luxx.
Re: Windows, Mac or Linux
by dylwar - 11/20/04 2:39 AM In reply to: Re: Windows, Mac or Linux by luxxI am afraid I have to disagree with some of what you said and agree with the rest. Yes, you have to try them all to form an accurate opinion. Yes, taste is subjective. But, without a doubt, Unix based systems are are better than Windows. They are inherently sturdier, more reliable and more robust then Windows can ever dream of being. And yes, they have their faults as well, but you have an enormous World-wide community supporting Unix based systems. You will most likely find that when a fault arises with Unix, that someone else already had the problem and the fix (or update) already exists. Windows users (I maintain a Windows network at work...(head hung low...)) know the frustration of waiting ages for the next service pack that doesn't solve your problem or wading through oceans of documentation and support group postings only to find a veritable plethora of solutions in which only, MAYBE, 5% actually work (Windows users... you know i'm right...). Fair enough, Windows is a decent system, but the only reason Linux hasn't become main stream is that most companies won't spend the money to switch to Linux systems and the average home user doesn't know enough or cannot be bothered learning something that they are unfimiliar with.
The real question here should be, which Unix based system is best? I am a Linux man at heart. If I could convince my bosses to let me start putting in Linux Servers and abandon the other (Windows...) Servers, that I can create a network that they would never question again. Linux more reliable, highly supported, configurable, robust and, in some cases, faster.
At the moment I have a Mac PowerBook. I was told that PPC Linux runs very fast on Mac architecture. Unfortunately, PPC Linux is like i386 Linux was in the beginning, excelent, but not quite there yet. Although support is growing and it is almost up to spec with i386 Linux. Which leaves us with Mac OS X. A good peice of software. The right idea. Unfortunately, Apple has gone back to its old tricks where, more and more, only Apple products (and those configured for use on Mac...) can be used with Apple. Proprietary systems are nice for the bank account, but hell for the end user.
I've already bored all you good people enough so I will be brief with Unix. Linux is Unix, so I can't really say anything bad about Unix. Like Linux, it is just a matter of which flavour you like. There are a lot of users who swear by FreeBSD. Even Mac OS X started as a combination of Unix systems molded with FreeBSD. It is still very robust, configurable, faster and highly supported. What more do you need??
One day I will reload PPC Linux on my Laptop and return to the garden of Eden where I will give up Apples for an eternity. Fair play to Bill though. It was a nice try, but one day Bill will shout "F%@* OFF to you all!" and ride off in to the sunset with his billions leaving Windows users around the world stuck in the quagmire, having to learn a system they should have used in the beginning.
But, that is just my opinion...
Re: Windows, Mac or Linux
by rengel - 11/20/04 5:34 AM In reply to: Re: Windows, Mac or Linux by dylwarI have running on my network here at home (I do a lot of work at home) a Win 2000 machine, an XP Pro machine, an XP Home laptop, a Linux (Suse) machine functioning as a fileserver and print server and another Linux box as a desktop machine just to tinker with. In my wifes office is another XP Pro machine also on the network.
I love Linux. It is almost bullet proof, less likely to be attacked by viruses and it faster than Windows on the same machine.
That being said, I have to say that Windows should be the choice for most users at this time. The Linux distibution people have finally gotten it right as far as installing a distro. It is no more difficult than Windows but it has been a long hard fight to get there. My first experience was Red Hat 5 and it almost cured me of Linux. 
What they still haven't gotten right is making changes to the machine. If you want to add programs to a linux box, it may become a very frustrating experience. There are millions of people in this world that want a computer but don't want to become a computer guru in order to use it. And how many users buy a computer and then don't make any changes to the applications, don't do updates don't add games, etc. Here is where Windows really has their act together better than Linux.
Let's tell an average user he has to recompile his operating system. See the user's face go white with fear and watch him go screaming into the night. Back to his Windows desk top machine.
Getting help with problems from other Linux users? Unfortunately there is still a bit of the "I'm a Linux user and I know more than you do" elitest attitude in the Linux community. Fortunately that is getting better in the last year after some of those types finally figured out they would actually benefit from more users in the market place.
Windows is a terrible OS from the point of view of security and use of resources on a computer. But it is usable to the average consumer.
But then this is also only an opinion.
Re: Windows, Mac or Linux
by aintnorainbowdorothy - 11/21/04 10:32 AM In reply to: Re: Windows, Mac or Linux by dylwarI too disagree and agree with what you said, some of the first and some of the other. But Unix is not Linux nor vice versa. Linux is simply stolen Unix, wih a twist. Apple uses a version of Unix, it's own, and has IBM make it chips while Maxtor, Viking and other component makers make other parts of the guts. I like Mac for some apps and Windows for others. But Linux. I almost laughed when you said it was cheaper. Sure, it's cheap to put on the machine but support is outrageous. And which version do you use anyway? See? Linux is for those who want, as a previous poster said, a language for a person who wants to work FOR his or her computer, while I for one want my computer to work for me. And I do program in Linux, In fact, I am a freelancer who will work for anyone, like a certain type on Saturday night. I code and program in several languages and am certainly not afraid to put out money to learn another. After all, knowledge never hurt anyone. And after 32 years in the computer business, programming, coding and installing systems, the latter something I never do anymore and wish I had never done, I think I have some knowledge. But then, maybe too much knowledge IS a dangerous thing.
Re: Windows, Mac or Linux
by geoffc - 11/21/04 5:09 PM In reply to: Re: Windows, Mac or Linux by dylwar"...and the average home user doesn't know enough or cannot be bothered learning something that they are unfimiliar with."
This is precisely why the debate for John Q Citizen is over Windows or Mac and not Linux. Linux/Unix is a debate for skilled geeks & wonks, not Mom & Pop who want to get emailed pictures of their grandkids from the other coast. And don't tell me Mom & Pop at 40, 50, 60, 70 or 80 have to go become geeks to use a lousy computer for finding info on cancer, getting those nice photos, or finding out if Costco has a good buy on dog food. Bupkus! These are the things everyday people use a computer for and they should not have to become geeks or wonks to do it.
Until the computer is as reliable as a toaster or TV or plug-in land-line USA telephone, it will not be an "applicance." And until it becomes an "appliance" it will be prone to needing far more expertise to use than it actually should require for the results it provides.
The one and only grace which gives Mac users reason to crow is that Apple holds an absolute monopoly over MacIntosh hardware and software. Yes, it works well. Why wouldn't it? It does not have to be compatible with 80,000 independent pieces of hardware and software from all over the globe. The benefit is stability. The drawbacks are speed and cost.
There are packages that run on both platforms with equal competence, for example CorelDRAW!, Filemaker Pro and Adobe's stuff. Having worked on both platforms with all of these packages, you can finish the exact same work at minimum 1/3 faster on the PC platform than the Mac just because of the peculiarities of the OS. The Mac's mouse-centricity, forced fade-ins and expando-contracto windows slow everything down significantly.
If you need speed, or compatibility, or have a limited pocketbook, Windows is the practical answer.
Now let's say you don't need that speed; the type of work you do isn't that speed-critical. Maybe you're a writer and as long as the machine can keep up with your fingers, dictation or whatever, that's fine. Or maybe you don't need to use a 'blippo-drive', 'whiz-bam video' and a 'typemite' input device. Let's also say your pocketbook is fairly flush; you can spend $1,500 instead of $400 for a computer to do exactly the same job and the "hassle-factor" is worth the extra $1,100 to you. If that's the case, then the MacIntosh is probably a better choice.
It's not a matter of what OS is best, as the man said, it's which one (or more) meets the needs you truly have.
Here's a real-life Mom & Pop story for you. I set my in-laws up with a computer years ago. They had plenty of $$ but he wanted a PC-compatible system so Windows it was. Had I had my preference, it may have been Mac, but he wanted that compatibility and since I had to do any work on the system, it did make my life easier. And it was the cheapest and simplest solution for their needs and it never, ever, not even once had to be re-worked for anything. Why? Because it matched their needs and their needs did not include stressing the OS or hardware.
A couple of years ago I set my parents up with their frist computer, an eMachine complete with monitor and printer for < $600.00. They had a beer budget and Windows again answered that call. Had I been forced to go Mac, they still would not have a system today because of the inflated costs Apple extorts for their pseudo-monopoly.
(Anybody remember the short-lived and very internally despised half-baked job Apple did making their OS available on other platforms for what, 6 months maybe? And that OS was already outdated. All of a sudden Mac-compatible machines started showing up at PC prices. But alas, it was not to be and Mac killed it quick. There is a demand for their OS, but they are too greedy to let it go without getting the hardware $$ too.)
So there you have one other person's take on it: There's no "best" OS, only the OS that does what you need at the price point you can live with on the equipment you have to use.
If you MEET all three qualifiers: (1) Speed not critical, and (2) Hardware can be proprietary, and (3) cost is not an issue -- then a Mac really can be a superb answer.
If you fail any ONE of these three, then a PC compatible system, which for non-geeks would mean Windows, is the practical answer.
.
Re: Windows, Mac or Linux
by herop - 11/20/04 9:07 AM In reply to: Re: Windows, Mac or Linux by luxxWhat I dislike in discussions like this is that arguments and prejudices are (close to) always mentioned without reflection:
So don't tell me you hardly tried Mac and have not been able to share the files you have to with your, say colleagues at work. I do it 10 ours a day without hassle (ever heard of MacOffice for example?).
And PLEASE don't come up with that stupid and weird argument that Linux users have to work that hard to get their systems up and running. When, if you ever did, was your last try to work with Linux (like MDK, Fedora, Suse)?
So please do as you told us: Please try and than decide (and talk about it).
HeroP
Re: Windows, Mac or Linux
by Yew Anchors - 11/17/04 4:44 AM In reply to: Windows, Mac or Linux by JoshHendoI use all three off and on, and each one is better at different things.
Windows is the superior game platform, just due to sheer momentum. Linux is the superior workstation/server setup, for getting actual work done and is perfect for the do-it-yourselfer. MacOS (X) is the superior desktop system for all non-gaming type tasks that don't fall also into workstation/server categories (particularly OS X).
Of course you could also toss in the BSD trio (FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD) each of which has different strengths and weaknesses. FreeBSD is generally fastest, but runs on the smallest number of platforms. NetBSD runs on just about everything but your kitchen toaster, but isn't as fast as FreeBSD or secure as OpenBSD. OpenBSD is quite possibly the most secure operating system on the market.
Moral of the story here being, if you're happy with Windows, good for you. But recognize that different people have different tastes, and try to resepct that.
Re: Windows, Mac or Linux
by Anthony J Moulen - 11/17/04 5:44 PM In reply to: Windows, Mac or Linux by JoshHendoI have been in the IT industry for over 10 years now, and worked in computers for 20 years now and during that time I have used every version of windows (desktop and most servers), most versions of MacOS, a majority of the different major Linux distributions, several of the BSDs, Solaris and SunOS, VMS, AIX, Dec Unix, and a few other minor OSes out there. As should be obvious I have been heavily weighted toward UNIX based systems. But even so, I think that it would be safe to say there is no best OS. Each OS has its reasons for being and its strong suits. Personally I am a major fan of Linux and use it as my desktop every single day. But I see the advantages of Windows in some areas and MacOS in others. I recommend to people things that will best fit their usage of computers all the time. I actually seldom install Linux software on family systems, because it just isn't appropriate for them.
I will say this, if it was easier to get software for Linux, I would be putting Linux on family systems all the time to avoid the silly rebuilding I end up doing all the time because of viruses and other malware. It is just so annoying how poor Windows is from a security perspective. This has to do with architecture versus just volume of usage. The architecture of Windows leads to poor security, couple that with a high volume of systems and people who don't know how to secure their systems and it is a problem just waiting to happen. MacOS systems in comparison, and taking the percentages into account, are just far less vulnerable even though the average technical capabilities of someone using a Mac tends to be less than that of those using Windows.
So I would say if I were to rate them, I would say for new users just looking for a simple computer, Mac is best, for those with more technical backgrounds looking for a more advanced system, Linux/UNIX is best, and I would leave Windows off the list of preferred systems. But this is just me.
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