Notice! This is still a draft.
I have used many operating systems. Let me elaborate.
I have grown up in a all windows environment, until about a year or 2 ago when I got a Linux laptop from my grandpa. The mobile operating systems in my house today are all Android, unless you count the school iPads (which I strongly dislike). I have also used Macbooks (which are almost an entirely different beast from iPads) last year, also for school. That puts me in a good position to compare and contrast these operating systems.
A list of operating systems I have used
- Windows xp (not compared here)
- Windows vista (not compared here, but is simular to windows 7)
- Windows 7 (my most favorite Windows version)
- Windows 8 (my least favorite version)
- Windows 10
- Ubuntu Mate Linux (Ubuntu 19.04 (I believe) with a different desktop environment)
- Linux’s Mint (also based on Ubuntu with the cinnamon desktop environment, has a few more default apps)
- Archlinux (bare bones do it yourself distro
- MacOS (previously known as OSX)
- iOS (best knows as the OS that runs on iPads and iPhones)
- Raspberry Pi OS (used to be called raspberrian)
- Android
- ReactOS (not compared here)
Features of each
Windows 7
- Runs all apps from Vista to seven, runs many Windows 10 apps
- Gadgets
Windows 8
- Designed to run on tablets
- Runs the same apps as Windows 7
Windows 10
- Designed for both desktops and tablets
- Runs same apps as Windows 7
- Supporters UWP apps (technically, Windows 8 does, but most UWP apps don’t support it)
- User friendly settings app
- Native support for drawing tablets
Ubuntu Mate
- Familiar to windows users
- Fairly complete with many apps preinstalled
- Built-in firewall (not enabled by default)
- Supports most hardware
Linux Mint
- Based off of Ubuntu
Archlinux
- Small lightweight os
- Command line only by default
- Very few packages pre-installed
- Hands-on, do it yourself install
MacOS
- Seamless integration with Apple devices
iOS
- Seamless integration with Apple devices
- Very secure (possibly too secure)
Comparison
Windows VS. Linux
Comparing Windows to Linux is like comparing Houses to Skyscrapers. They both run apps and have a kernel (that not so little binary that makes all the magic happen). There is not to much to compare. But here is an attempt.
User interface
Windows is a GUI based OS. While some stuff can be done from cmd.exe, or more recently, powershell, unless you are using windows server core and Microsoft products, you are going to be forced to use a GUI. Linux, on the other hand, is driven from the command line with graphical interfaces built on top of linux commands.
Usability
Windows is fairly easy to use. Linux is harder to judge, depending on what tools you have. If you install a desktop environment such as Gnome, KDE, or Xfce, you get many GUI based tools. If you are a hardcore command line user, there are also many console driven applications available as well. You can also go modifying configuration files directly as many are plain text files.
Customizability
Being closed source, to customize Windows, you are limited to either to using what Microsoft has allowed, or reverse engineering. Linux, on the other hand, has infinite flexibility. Do what you want with it. If you wan’t, you could even make it run on your washing machine or microwave. Someone has even ported it to play station.
Newbe friendliness
Windows is fairly friendly to new users. Linux depends on what environment you have set up. When running a fairly complete desktop environment such as Gnome, KDE, or a fork of one of these, there are generally several tools that are included that can help all users. Plus, it is very easy to create configuration tools for linux because of it’s design. While windows does provide some GUI tools, they may not be as friendly as Linux tools, and there are not many alternatives
App compatibility
Windows is the most popular OS therefore many apps (and drivers) are written for windows first (oftentimes only for Windows). However, many apps are written for Linux (many of these apps are written for Linux first, then ported to Windows (or sometimes just work on Windows without much tinkering) by the community. Therefore, you should make sure that the apps you want work on your chosen OS. However, utilities such as cwygen (Linux on Windows) and Winehq (Windows on Linux) help with compatibility. However, you still need to ensure they work.
My opinion
I personally love Linux. However I like Windows as well. I will not say one is better then another without knowing the intended use case (at which point I would say better for…). I feel that each OS has their own strengths and weaknesses. Personally, unless somthing works better on Windows, I would stick with Linux, but everyone is different.
Windows VS. MacOS
Comparing Windows to MacOS is similar to comparing Windows to Linux, however, MacOS is easier to compare with as there is no Varity.
User interface
Both Windows and MacOS are designed to be driven with a GUI. Both have command line tools available. However these tools may not be as complete as the GUI counterparts.
Usability
Both Windows and MacOS are fairly user friendly. However, users coming to MacOS are likely to be confused for a bit due to the big differences in user interfaces.
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