[VOTE] Do you use Windows XP, or Windows Vista? Did you know there are alternatives?

Question

I am curious to know how many people out there know that you DON'T have to use Windows, and that Mac OSX isn't the only other option.

Have you ever tried a Unix/Linux based OS? Or any others? Please share your favourites?


If you haven't, please still reply =D

Mac's OS was Unix based up until OS9, but OSX is unix-free. (Or so I'm led to believe. I'm not 100% certain that my friend is right on that one...)

See, with a Gnome GUI, I couldn't believe OSX was UNIX-free either. I will be having words with my mate, and he's in trouble! lol

Okay, sorry. I've never had a Mac, and have never played with, nor am i exactly interested in OSX, but from the screen shots I have seen, Aqua certainly looks like a Gnome GUI!

To be honest, I also prefer KDE, with PCLoS being my (current) distro of choice (however DSL is close to being my favourite, although I only use it in emergancies!) =D

Answer 1

I have Vista and I like it, it's fine for my needs

Answer 2

I've been a Linux user for about 8 years. I first used Red Hat, but I prefer to use Novell's Open SuSE nowadays. The install was very easy, believe it or not, though a little hacking was needed to play Flash, MP3s, DVDs and some other things. There are guides all over the internet, so it was a breeze.

One big drawback to Linux is the lack of commercial titles, especially games. Office and other popular home computer jobs usually have a very good open source relpacement that is obviously cheaper and sometimes better than the commercial version (Amorok, the music player/manageent system compares very favorably to iTunes, maybe even better).

It can be tricky to use from an administration standpoint. You have to know how to install libraries because some packages will have dependencies, but many systems have admin tools like SuSE's YAST that makes maintenance a breeze.

From a user standpoint, the biggest complaint is usually "it doesn't behave like Windows", meaning the person is so used to the Windows way that they consider alternatives to be inferior, not just different. On the other hand, you won't be constantly annoyed with popup windows asking "are you sure you want to open that application, it connects to the internet and you might get a virus".

Another advantage with both Mac and Linux is the way it extends the life of your computer hardware. XP and Vista are bloated and inefficient requiring more and more hardware. Even an old 486 can be loaded with the latest version of Linux and still be useful as a print server or an IP masquerade box (though without a gui).

The nicest thing about, Linux aside from its superior efficiency, reliability, stability and user experience, is that the fact that the price (free) makes it easy for a person to take Linux for a test drive.

For the record, it is OSX that is Unix, BSD to be exact. The GUI is fantastic from what I can see, but as a long time Unix/Linux user, I can't see how you'd get by with less than 3 buttons on your mouse. (being able to cut and paste with only the mouse can save a bit of time and is very convenient.

Edit:

I stand corrected about the 1 button mouse. As for GUIs, I have agree that Aqua is years ahead of anything - it is really beautiful. A distant second for me would be KDE. It is pretty standard desktop stuff, but KDE apps are well integrated and look great. I haven't tried Beryl, but it looks great.

I personally hate Gnome, I think it is about as ugly as Windows. But to each their own.

Answer 3

What!? You're grossly misinformed. Mac OS X is Unix. Mac OS 9 and earlier was not Unix-based in any way, shape or form. Mac OS X Leopard is certified Unix. Mac OS X not only spanks Windows XP and Vista, but any Linux distribution, as well.

There's no such thing as a lack of applications for Mac OS X. How many different photo editing applications are there for Windows? How many of them are any good? Simply put, crap doesn't survive on the Mac market. We have applications for everything. Not only do we have a plethora of great Mac applications, but we can run any Windows application, as well.

Mike D: Macs haven't used a one-button mouse for a while now. Mac OS X works with any multi-button USB mouse. You get the same functionality as you would in Windows or Linux, and then some. In fact, I have Exposé set up to show all of my open windows just by pressing my middle mouse button. It's very convenient.

Gnome GUI? That's Aqua, my friend. Gnome is light-years behind Aqua in terms of refinement. You need to read up on Mac OS X.

Answer 4

I'm part of a two-geek household. My husband and I both work in IT. We currently have 6 computers. Three run Vista Ultimate. One runs XP. One runs OS 10.4. The last runs Ubuntu and is our mail and database server. Over the years I've used various Linux distros, BSD and Amiga OS at home.

I think Ubuntu is nice, but I used Red Hat for years. I believe RH 5.1 was my first RH distro. I still like Fedora Core (I'm partial to KDE, regardless of the political issues with QT), but my husband is very much an open source fan and is unhappy with RH's business practices, so we switched to Debian and then Ubuntu.

And OS X is definitely Unix. My husband uses it from the command line, and all of the traditional Unix programs are there. He still does his programming using emacs and gcc on the Mac.

Answer 5

I use XP. I know Linux whatever is a sweet OS, but Linux just doesn't have the programmes I want to run. And when I tried it every little thing (like copying a file or downloading something) seemed so much harder. And when I asked for help people would say like 'Oh, that's easy. Just type [random case sensitive syntax]. I don't want to learn a language just to be able to use the OS. Windows (XP) has it's problems but for most people it's still the only choice. I'd like to try OSX but suspect I'd be frustrated by lack of applications.

Answer 6

I use Vista,XP and Linux on a regular basis on several machines.At this moment in time I am running the Linux distro Puppy 3.01 as a live cd on an XP machine.Earlier I was running the Pardus 2007.3 live cd,which by the way is excellent and recommended.Other distros I have used recently include,Ubuntu,Mint,Damn Small Linux,PCLinux OS,Simply Mepis,Dream Linux,Fedora,NimbleX etc.;infact I make a point of trying almost every new Linux distro as it is released.I have quite a large collection,with some still requiring a full test.I would recommend everyone to try Linux,the amount I have learned is invaluable and my confidence has increased.A download link is here,good luck!!.http://www.distromania.com/

Answer 7

I am currently using Windows XP. I have used Debian Linux, Slackware Linux, QNX, OS/2, and in the past, CP/M-86, Windows, 98, 95, 3.1, DOS, VAX VMS and the proprietary operating system on the HP 3000.

My perception is that the people who write the open source operating systems have communication problems with ordinary users, they are not terribly interested in supporting older hardware *in a user friendly way* and they are unable to write software for some peripherals due to vendor lock-in. The reason i use Windows now is that the PCI ADSL "modem" card i am using to connect to the internet does not appear to be usable under Linux.

I am more comfortable using Linux than Windows, but for me the most important thing by far is the ability to use old hardware for ecological reasons, and when i say old, i mean 16- or 8-bit micros, not just something that's around ten years old. It ought to be possible to use the Tandy Color upstairs, which was made in 1979, to access the Web, and i mean the Web, not just have internet facilities. I refuse to believe this is impossible, but i don't have the skills to do it myself. If not that, then surely it could be done on a PDP-11. I mean this seriously. Treating micros as disposable in any way is environmentally unforgiveable.

Answer 8

Mac before OSX was not Unix based, but it is now Unix based as it uses a variation of free bsd. All my client's servers are now running Suse Linux, many of them have also changed to Linux workstations.

Answer 9

Huge Horns!!! The embedded DRM keeps me away, as does the lack of drivers for peripherals. Micro$oft is pressuring the OEM's to bundle Vista. Ubuntu (Gnome desktop) AND Kubuntu (KDE) are both excellent. Download either OS and they can be run as a "Live CD" then decide. I use Linux, OS X and Windoze (Malware Hell) in that order. But I make a good living repairing Windows, thanks for the Swiss Cheese Bill.

Answer 10

I have both Vista (Ultimate, and Business) and Windows XP Pro...

I do like Vista more so now that some of the bugs have been addressed through windows update but it can be a pain in the *** honestly. XP is way more stable than Vista is.

I do know of the other OS but I'll stay loyal to Microsoft for now.

Answer 11

I use XP and I know about other OS's. Mac OS X is based on Unix I believe.