by Alden Smith
Without an operating system, a computer is just a big dumb box. Almost everyone has heard about Windows, the operating system developed by Microsoft. On the market today is Apple's Macintosh OS, currently releasing the new Leopard system, and of course Linux, in a variety of flavors. Each of these operating systems has an advantage and disadvantage. The biggest thing to remember with operating systems is that the companies producing them try to make them useful for every situation, and it is next to impossible to do so. Every complaint you will hear will be by someone who is trying to make an application work on an operating system that just isn't compatible. Here, we will discuss operating systems, their advantages and disadvantages, and which one might be best for you.
The Windows OS
Windows was first released in 1983, with the first version Windows 1.0. It had a sparse interface, and device-independent screen and printer graphics. Navigation was through the keyboard. The system was rather primitive.
Microsoft kept developing and releasing operating systems right up to the present. They have been dinged for releasing the systems too soon, before all bugs were worked out. This still remains true today, as witnessed by all the trouble with Windows Vista, which was not just another upgrade, but an entirely new operating system.
The Apple OS
Apple came out with the Macintosh operating system in 1984. It was the first operating system to use a mouse to navigate through the system. It was also the first to use a graphical "desktop" that is so prevalent today. The computer, with a 9-inch, 512x342 pixel monochrome display, was the 128K.
Today, Macintosh is a big part of Apple's market share. The operating system is becoming increasingly popular because of its stability. One of the downfalls of the Macintosh until recently is its incapability to run a lot of the developed Windows programs, such as Microsoft Office. This has recently changed and now Macintosh is even more popular.
The Linux OS
Linux is rarely heard of in the normal computer arena. Linux is the darling of programmers and hard core computer experts who like the fact that this open source operating system can be tailored to their needs. First developed by Linus Torvalds, a Finnish programmer, it is one of the fastest growing operating systems on the planet. The beauty in Linux lies in the fact that hundreds of thousands of programmers world wide have taken the free source code and tweaked it to run just about everything. It is not hampered by big business that likes to keep its secrets close to the vest. Linux is known for being bullet proof, and is attested to by the fact that many web servers have run Linux for as long as five years without a crash.
People have long stayed away from Linux because of the original text based commands and rather foreign interface. Today, Linux is used more and more because of the development of the graphical interfaces, such as Gnome and KDE that gives the user a "feel" of working in a Windows environment. Many people, the author included, run Linux in a "dual boot" environment. This allows them to use both a Windows and Linux OS upon start up by choosing which operating system to run. If anyone doubts the integrity or stability of this OS, know that of 5 super-computers running in the US, 4 run Linux as the operating system.
What Is Best For You
Choosing the operating system that is best for you depends on what you will be using it for. If you only wish to surf the net, email family and friends, and create the occasional document, then the Windows OS is your best bet. Windows is a very strong platform, and meets the needs of many users, including corporations. Most of the software developed today is for the Windows environment.
One of Macintosh's strong points is the ease of installation of programs. You simply "drag and drop" the program execute file to a desktop folder, and it is automatically installed to the proper place. With Windows, you must run a "wizard" that guides you through installation. Moving files in a Windows environment will confuse the system and often prove to cause instability in the OS.
Linux is fast becoming popular with many people. It is robust and near bullet proof, and has been developed for ease of use over the years.
Whatever system you decide on, be sure that it is one you will stick with and learn. All three are good operating systems. To many, it is a matter of personal choice. The best advice is to go with what works the best for you, and provides you with what you expect from a computer.
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