Can someone help me out with this one. Which operating system do you prefer and why? I have mixed emotions. Personally, I want MAC OS X, but I'm told you need an Apple computer where as I have a HP Pavillion.
Yeah, for Mac OS X, you need an Apple (or an Apple clone, by Power Computing, but these are old and may not run it). If you are not experienced with computers in detail, stick to Windows. Linux isn't exactly for the novice user - not yet.
If you want to setup a server whether to be a public web server, FTP or just a router/firewall/file server for your home network, then I would select Linux as the OS, as in my opinion it has better tools for administration local and remotely then Windows. However, be prepared to do a lot of reading/research if you plan to setup a Linux box. As for a workstation, I can’t really offer any opinion as I have just played around with Linux’s GUI. I still use Windows for regular chores like writing papers, surfing the web. Haven’t really used any of the Linux applications. Linux offers the freedom for you to do whatever you want, I didn’t like KDE or Gnome because it loaded too slow for me, so I installed Blackbox as my GUI, and my load time into the GUI is 2 seconds now. Linux installations with Red Hat and Mandrake have become real easy, I hear some people saying it’s easier than installing Windows. So I would install it on an old machine, and just play around with it.
Linux rocks. It's gotten a lot easier over the past 3 years, but I still wouldn't use it unless I had a fairly good understanding of computers already. Installation is easier now than it used to be, but it's still not just a snap. It is arguably simpler than windows, but it's the using of linux that really requires some work, just because things function differently. You have a console you can access, you often install programs differently, etc. If you want a linux CD I'll send you one, or you can download and burn one from www.linuxiso.org I'd suggest getting a second hard drive (3 gigs is fine) and install Linux on that. Then, you can dual-boot to Linux and Windows, allowing you to use both.
Linux is great, but don't believe you can just jump into it without problems. It is much easier to install than before, but some things still don't work "out-of-the-box". Things like FireWire, my digital camera, my Palm, my WinModem, and my printer for some reason. Then again, I have a laptop. However, it is easier (for me) to install linux because there are no worries with regard to copy protection. You don't even need a CD if you've got a fast connection. Usability is improving quite rapidly. I use KDE, and it has made major strides in the past few years. The best thing about linux is almost all the software is free. Some things you just can't do on Windows (a lot of scientific software I can run off my laptop, which really impresses my co-workers). If you're into games, though, stick to Windows.
I currently use both and both have their good and points. I am running XP and have to say that it is the best Windows OS I have used so far. So far, it has been very stable, and the memory management seems much better. Also, it recognized a lot of the hardware at install time, and I didn't have to waste time loading drivers, or finding new drivers. That is one reason I like Linux so much, installation has been a breeze. Once installation is complete and you boot it up, you're set to go, of course, I didn't install my camera or any other out-of-the-ordinary stuff on it, so maybe that is a reason. Programming in a Linux environment is much better than in Windows (can't beat colored Emacs), and the arcade games rock. Not to mention the stability, the box has been running since August without being rebooted. Haven't been able to say that about Windows yet, and just for that, it gets major points. I would love to see a browser like IE for Linux tho, Netscape for Linux leaves much to be desired for. Fonts are all messed up and that is pretty annoying. Hmmm, what else ... oh yeah, as someone stated, you can customize the hell outta Linux ... do whatever you want. Windows gets its major points for ease of use, I have used the Photoshop equiv. in Linux, and it was NOT fun. If they could design an OS that is a cross between Windows and Linux, in terms of ease of use, stability and power, that would absolutely rock!
Try <a href="http://www.mozilla.org">Mozilla</a> . . . It rocks! Linux has gotten to be a nice, simple installation in certain distributions. However, if you have anything unique, or without drivers, it can become a real problem. Things are often more difficult to do in Linux until you know how to do them . . .
Lindows.com it's pretty much linux running wine (winows emulator) that will supposedly allow you to run your existing proggies. its still unclear what sort of balance of power and ease of use will be found within the os. sounds like an interesting possibility, though... x34
Konqueror (part of the KDE desktop) is very nice as well. Lots of geek options, like refusing cookies from certain sites, changing your user agent, and disallowing those damn annoying java-script pop-up windows - my favorite feature. You can disable them totally, enable them, or it asks you whether you want to allow a pop-up window.
Konqueror rocks as well. I like Mozilla better, but Konqueror integrates SO nicely with everything in the KDE desktop. Lindows is supposed to be really cool. I haven't had the chance to actually use it yet, but I think I'll set it up pretty soon. Wine is not exactly an emulator, but it acts in a similar manner. Mac OS X is FreeBSD that is Mac-ified. It's basically FreeBSD with Apple's proprietary graphical interfaces, etc. As great as the Mac OS is for the Open Source push, I wish Apple would be a bit more lenient with people who make themes/etc. that are similar to the Mac OS look/style. I know they have patents, etc., but considering how much they've gotten from the Open Source community, I wish they'd give more back. <end rant> I saw a project recently where someone was able to get the Mac OS X to run on an x86 system, but I don't know how well it worked.
I have heard about it, but am too lazy to navigate to where it is located Netscape is right on the desktop, so ... I'll try it tonite. DoD ... I have a natural aversion to Macs, it all started when I was a freshman in college, and lost countless papers on it cuz the stupid disk would get stuck in the drive and the comp would freeze. I don't understand why you have to go and click on the 'Eject Disk' thing ... why not have a button on the drive? (I don't know much about the new Macs, maybe they have it, these ones were from 94)
Vengeance, You're right, it really is awesome. I didn't see any problem with fonts and stuff, everything loaded like it should, and I love it. (Talking about mozilla) Thanks!
Mozilla kicks ass! I'm glad to see other people using it. I have been using it since its EARLY EARLY development days (M8), and it's incredible to see what this browser has become. No need for viruses and security flaws in IE . . . Mozilla serves me well.
I eject my G4 CD Rom using a button on my keyboard. Buttons on devices? Eegad! Get with the times, d00d.
Look at http://www.kde.org and http://www.koffice.org It's a GUI that is similar to Windows in terms of look and feel, but it's free. KOffice is getting to be pretty nice. I've used it to type documents, spreadsheets, and give some presentations already. It's also free. Everything is free!
Vengeance, Do you know anybody that is going to use Wine? <A HREF="http://www.winehq.com/">Wine</a> Mango
