operating systems and the current market.

Hello,
sometimes i think about all the main operating systems and the pros and cons.

windows:xp is genrally reliable. easy to use and if you have problems its easy to get help from online or from friends family techies etc.
but there is the registry. the main problem with windows its the reason you need to reboot to install even the most simple program. vista slightly different interface. secuirty is an improvement but stil very difficalt to use a limited user account all the time.
plus all the extra disc space needed,major slow file transfers and genral slowness.


Linux:free,stable base (Unix) many big companies wont opensourse their drivers. if i install nvidia drivers on windows do i get an nvidia splash screen everytime i boot my pc? no so why should i on linux? after all i paid for that hardware why should it matter what OS i run.
installing drivers, programs and plugins can be hit and miss.
some distros like opensuse have one click installers for drivers and plugins.
can have issues thou.
just think of an everyday thing most people do on their computers.
a friend sents someone a link to a funny youtube video.
on a windows machine using what most people would use internet explorer as web browser it informs you that you need adobe flash player so you click to install follow the instuctions wait awhile says install successfull and you go back and watch the video.

now in most linux distros browser firefox you get given the same funny youtube video you get directed to the adobe website and have a choice.
say

.rpm
yum
normall a third but i forget which one atm.

how would the adverage joe know which one to choose?
if they choose the right one and open it with the package manager install successfull, close their internet browser, reopen and the video should work.

if it doesnt the user may just go back to windows.

java is the worst the instuctions from sun give lots of commands to type in to a terminal the adverage user would definatly go back to windows at that point.
luckily sun has allowed jave to be opensourse now i think so some distros have it preinstalled.
its not preinstalled on solaris thou strangely.

IMO linux was designed by programmers for programmers. not for the mainstream.
OSX and mac: stable reliable OS no driver issues. their is a reason why.
apple sell, macbook,macbook pro,Imac and mac pro. thats all they need to support. of course they wont have any driver issues. the main reason OSX is so stable and reliable.

of course then there is the price. a basic macbook costs £700
if apple allowed OSX to be installed on anyhardware they wise they would very likely have driver issues, more problems with the OS etc. i dont acually like the feel and look of OSX much. its to flashy IMO. i just want to use the thing i dont want a sing and dance everytime i open an application.

their is flaws with every OS.

what i want is the easy of use of windows. you shouldnt have to type in loads of commands to install programs or pay a premium to get a stable OS that is easy to use and reliable.
the programs that are avalible on windows.
the reliability and uptime of a UNIX based OS. that means the GUI is separate to the system and only needs reboots for kernel updates.
have a proper commandline terminal for people who want to use it.
i wouldnt mind paying for it.
one type of package for installing software.
be able to use alimited account all the time and only be given enough rights to do the task at hand.shouldnt be given full admin rights just to install a new piece of software.
i mean if you hired someone to fix your toliet would you give them all access to everything in your house and leave them unattended? no then why should you give a program full access to your system?
the desktop effects from unix based OS.
comment on what you think about what i said about the OS's
comment on what you think about what i think would be a near perfect OS and what you like and also what you would change.

 

Simple - use the OS that best supports the application base that they employ and situation they live in.

If it's surfing and email - it doesn't really matter....
If it's gaming - probably Windows....
If it's art/design - probably OS-X....
If they're a neophyte and may need help - what those around them use....
and so on.

Blue

 

Good call. An easy one based on need's, not OS - https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showpost.php?p=1124720&postcount=5

S

 

Having just recently bought a new Vista x64 machine here, I added a 2nd 500 gig hd and of course had to have a look at the Linux distros on the new PC. After trying out a half dozen or so, once again, I came to the conclusion that Ubuntu was the best experience in all regards. Unlike most of the others, it handled everything automatically, out of the box. It knew my ATI graphics card and offered the right driver and installed it. Something that has not worked on any of the other distros in varying degrees. I turned my printer on, and immediately it auto installed the correct drivers for it. I copied my mp3's over to the Linux HD and ran Rhythmbox, it immediately offered to install a few codecs I'd need for that, as well as for video. So mp3 and video were handled smoothly. Virtually every other need was foreseen and handled with zero effort on my part. The only thing I needed to install from the repositories was the flash-nonfree plugin, with the extra flash support and ms fonts. That and Thunderbird. That's it. Ubuntu of course fully and automatically updated itself immediately after install also. The entire install, update and config process took 1 hour total from start to end. Can't say that about Windows regardless of which version you install.

That's about as easy as it ever gets in Linux, and I have to say that Ubuntu is hands down the easiest and best overall distro of them all. Guess that's why it is #1 all the time. It deserves it.

Vista was the same, easy as pie, handled everything smoothly, no issues.

I'm not trying to plug one distro, but just making the comment that both Ubuntu and Vista were totally smooth and easy out of the box experiences which required no effort on my part, nor were there any unpleasant issues.

So those are my 2 choices at the moment...

If other Linux distros made things as easy as Ubuntu, then Linux would, and perhaps still will, gain popularity slowly. This is as good as it's ever been for the desktop market.

I should add that I like both Vista and Ubuntu equally well and for different reasons.. but both serve me well.

 

I will have to agree that Ubuntu is the easiest Linux distro to use currently. Its support for drivers is better than most, since it will install proprietary drivers if it deems necessary (something that other distros don't do). However, other distros are not that far behind Ubuntu in terms of user friendliness. For example, I am using Fedora 9 for basic everyday use, and it has proved easy to use thus far. The only real challenge I've countered is the installation of video drivers (Nvidia). Other than that, it is running smoothly here. I am by no means an average user, but I think most average users will be able to use Linux just fine, except those distros that are targeted to the hardcore users.

 

Xp is for (almost)anything. The only real useful thing that it misses(at least for me) is Final Cut Pro/Studio. It just has everything else.

 

Ubuntu is the MS of Linux world in a way.........it works, supports most hardware, does have its quirks but even then its the most rounded of distros specially for a Windows refugee.