I think that most users think that the only operating system available is "Windows" or "Microsoft Windows". In most cases they are right. Microsoft operating system has a clear monopoly on the user end of things. In the server world, even though Microsoft probably has a bigger percentage of the server OS market, Linux is making huge leaps with big companies using their server OS.
In actuality, the desktop user has basically three choices for an operating system:
Microsoft has the most users in the desktop market. Windows XP and Windows 7 being very popular operating systems. Even though Microsoft has stopped support of Windows XP , it is still very popular and being used in large numbers. Microsoft's newest operating system, Windows 8 (& 8.1) is a huge disappointment and generally is being avoided by most users. In fact, Windows 8 was so badly received, Microsoft is working feverishly to get the new Windows 10 to market. Even though Windows 10 should be released soon, I see most businesses and educational entities continue to use Windows 7 until it is no longer supported by Microsoft. Windows 7 is stable, people trust it and there is no real reason to change to Windows 10. Available software applications for the Microsoft operating systems is huge. This is one area that Microsoft has an apparent advantage, and isn't likely to change anytime soon. I say apparent advantage for a reason, which I will explain later. All major software vendors put top priority in the Microsoft releases. Although, many are starting to put more emphasis on the MAC and Linux OS as well.
MAC (Apple):
Apple has always had a strong niche market of faithful followers. That isn't about to change anytime soon. Apple has a great operating system. It works, and has few issues. The reason Apple has a reputation for such a stable OS is, they control the hardware in their systems. Due to this tight control of the hardware they can insure that the OS and drivers will perform at top efficiency. Everything works together and the end-user has no surprises. Another part of Apples success is the iPhone and iPad. These two products are built to work well with the MAC computer in a seamless manner. iTunes is a hugely popular online "store" with everything from music to apps. However, most iTunes users have a "love it or hate it" attitude. To the casual user, it works well, but at times can be problematic. Plus, iTunes pretty much demands that it takes control of your digital music catalog, and you do not get a lot of say in the matter. That's fine unless you want to make certain changes to your music collection and iTunes doesn't want you to. I know of people that have given up their Apple products simply because of iTunes (although they were perfectly happy with everything else). the biggest issue with the Apple computer is the upfront cost of the MAC and MacBook. They do cost more, however they work flawlessly and do not suffer the issues that Microsoft does.
Linux:
Of the three operating systems, Linux is probably the one that most users are least familiar with. Linux is a free operating system based on the Unix OS and released by Linus Torvalds in 1991. Linux has a huge share of the server market and growing every year. In recent years, various linux desktop operating systems have made huge leaps in becoming a truly user-friendly OS. One of the most popular, and easiest to install and use, desktop distributions is Ubuntu Linux. Ubuntu linux is very easy to install and use. It has lots of hardware drivers and application software for most users. Ubuntu Linux is based on the very stable Debian distribution, however the installer is much easier. Linux operating systems (for the most part) is a part of the Open Source Software community. Generally speaking, open source software is developed by a community of developers and programmers. It is made available to the general public with no (or very little) copyright restrictions.
The bottom line with Linux is, people just don't know about it. The ones that do, are intimidated and won't give it a try. I have found that people are very resistant to change when it comes to technology. Don't get me wrong, change just for the sake of change isn't my idea of a fun time. However, I have said for years that educational facilities could save millions of dollars by adopting at least some of the open source software in their systems. The challenge always comes down to lack of time and man hours to learn something new and implement it. Oh, and face the disgruntled employees that has to deal with change! Seriously, many people could perform their jobs fine with open source software. Especially an open source (Linux) operating system. There are many Linux distributions available that run great on older hardware. You can take a computer that runs slow with Windows 7 and install a version of Linux (optimized for older hardware) and it will run considerably faster. It will continue to run well too.
Does it really matter which operating system you are using? In the big scheme of things, no! But, if you are experiencing frustration with your current OS, or just want to try something new, you owe it to yourself to try something different. If you have a home computer, and it is an older system, and you mostly use it for surfing the web, checking out FaceBook and reading your email, Linux would be a great alternative. My main office computer is using a version of Linux, and all of the software I use on it is open source! All of the software I am using on my Linux office workstation is free!!! My job responsibilities are wide and varied, but Linux works just fine. I also use the MAC OS as well as Windows 7.
I honestly think that technology is getting to the point that the operating system you use will become less and less of an issue. Think about it, we are rapidly getting to the point that most of our content is online. Much of our applications are online as well (if not, you can find online alternatives). So, in the future, our operating systems will be very scaled back from what we have now. The main focus of future operating systems will be:
- A powerful web browser.
- Network capability.
- A simple graphical user interface.
- Online (Cloud) apps and storage.
I omitted printing capability in the list since many online apps have printing functionality built-in.
Update! Another serious contender
A new emerging operating system is Chrome OS which comes installed on ChromeBooks. Actually the Chrome OS is built on the Linux kernel. So you have a linux-based operating system that is designed to work with web applications and data. This is the future of operating systems. Beyond specialized duties (video/audio editing, photo editing etc...) where you would need a high-powered desktop workstation, most people will do fine with a ChromeBook type computer. One of the advantages to a ChromeBook is the low cost. You can purchase a ChromeBook for $250.00. With online apps, such as Google Apps, you can create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, forms and have access to an online calendar and webmail. All from a $250.00 laptop that boots up quickly, and runs flawlessly. One of the biggest selling point with Chrome is the fact that it constantly updates in the background. You never have to be concerned with installing updates. As a Chromebook user, you don't have to worry about antivirus software, this is something that Google handles in the background. For MANY users, a Chromebook would solve all of their issues!
Update! Another serious contender
A new emerging operating system is Chrome OS which comes installed on ChromeBooks. Actually the Chrome OS is built on the Linux kernel. So you have a linux-based operating system that is designed to work with web applications and data. This is the future of operating systems. Beyond specialized duties (video/audio editing, photo editing etc...) where you would need a high-powered desktop workstation, most people will do fine with a ChromeBook type computer. One of the advantages to a ChromeBook is the low cost. You can purchase a ChromeBook for $250.00. With online apps, such as Google Apps, you can create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, forms and have access to an online calendar and webmail. All from a $250.00 laptop that boots up quickly, and runs flawlessly. One of the biggest selling point with Chrome is the fact that it constantly updates in the background. You never have to be concerned with installing updates. As a Chromebook user, you don't have to worry about antivirus software, this is something that Google handles in the background. For MANY users, a Chromebook would solve all of their issues!
In closing, I encourage you, especially if you are a little on the geeky side, to find an old computer that isn't being used, download a linux distro (Ubuntu, ElementaryOS, Linux Mint, Lubuntu or Xubuntu) and give them a try. You might be surprised! The Linux installers now are very user-friendly. It's basically step-by-step. It is advantageous to have a little technical, but with that being said, several years ago I did a test. I put two computers in a room with two of our Instructional Staff members. I gave them two Linux installation CD's. The only instructions I gave them was to press the F12 key to boot up with the CD. They successfully installed a working linux distro! They were so excited. That got them on the road to open source software. Think of the computers that could be placed in our classroom with the installation of a Linux distribution! Computers 6,7 or even 10 years old could still be productively used with an optimized Linux distribution installed on them. If you are at the point that you need a new home computer, you might want to consider a ChromeBook. Make a list of your requirements, see if a ChromeBook (or MAC Mini) fits your needs. Try something new, and don't be afraid of change!
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