Hey guys! How are you all doing today? We are going to debate over various types of Operating Systems we can use inside our computers or laptops and help you decide which one would be best for you for your next upgrade.

Now, this will be a multiple post series we are starting for the first time and it will be continued every week until we get over to a conclusion.


What we are going to do is we will be taking different aspects every week to compare these three of them - whether it is based on software, hardware or peripherals or even security.

So let us get ahead and compare!!!! Oh no! WAIT........

Let me first explain to you what is an Operating System first. An Operating System or OS is a system software that manages computer hardware and software resources and provides common services for computer programs. It provides a connection between all the hardware and all the software we use with any device everyday.

NOW THAT YOU KNOW WHAT AN OS IS, LET US GO AND COMPARE BRIEFLY:

1. WINDOWS OS - 



Pros
  • More then 80% of the desktop computers in the world run some sort of Windows operating system.
  • You won’t have any trouble finding hardware and drivers.
  • You won’t have any problems finding support.
  • Most widely supported operating system for games.
  • Large shareware and freeware application library.
Cons
  • Viruses: You may need to buy an antivirus program, although free ones exist.
  • Slow: Windows, especially Vista and 7, requires a lot of computer resources (memory, processor, disk space), and thus, runs slower.
  • Price: Limited access to the library of free open source software.

2. MACINTOSH(MAC) OS -



Pros
  • Easier to use for the non technical.
  • Content creation is its strength.
  • More secure than Windows due to its UNIX base
  • More stable than Windows due to Apple’s tighter control over the configuration options and its UNIX base.
  • Almost no spyware or virus applications.
  • More powerful than Windows due to its UNIX base.
Cons
  • Expensive: Mac costs even more than Windows.
  • Only available on Apple computers: If you already have a computer, you cannot install MAC on it unless it's an Apple. Otherwise, you must buy a new computer.
  • Compatibility: Only a few programs will run on Mac, and almost no games.

3. LINUX OS -




Pros

  • Price: Linux is FREE. You can download it, install it, use it, modify it... All for 0$.
  • Variety: Linux is not a full operating system. It is just a kernel. To use the kernel, additional software needs to be bundled with Linux. Several hundreds of these bundles (called "distributions" or simply "distros") exist. The most popular ones include Ubuntu, Mint and Fedora. The good thing is, with so many different flavours of Linux, there is always one to suit your needs!
  • Viruses: Although being more vulnerable to viruses than Mac (because it is open source), Linux still has very, very, very few viruses.
  • Runs on just about any hardware. It is a misnomer that Linux lacks the driver support of Windows and OSX. Linux actually has the broadest driver support of any system.
  • Full access to the free open source library of software. Great full featured, compatible, and free replacements for your proprietary software.

Cons
  • The latest and greatest hardware is typically slower to reach Linux.
  • The shear number of options can be daunting to a non-technical user. Although, like OSX, the distribution you select will determine the level of complexity presented or hidden from the end user. For instance, my mom would have no problem using Ubuntu but, only the uber techies among us would opt for the Gentoo Linux distribution.
  • Limited support for proprietary applications. Although you can use Microsoft Office for Windows on Linux by using an open source version of the Windows application programming interface called WINE, I wouldn’t recommend it for the non-technical user. Instead use Open Office, which comes with the Ubuntu distribution, for creating documents compatible with Microsoft Office.