| Kenoid said: Which is the best operating system? Make your choices and state your reasons |
OSX: OSX has the benefits of a *nix backend combined with Apple's software suite and Apple's aesthetic UI. I used a Mac-Mini for about a year and my experience was fairly positive. Growing up on PCs means there were a few things that weren't immediately familiar to me and a few things that took a little more doing than I'm used to, but nothing major. My only real complaint is that there are a lot of Windows-only applications and games that you don't have access to in an OSX-only environment. As a result, I would never run OSX standalone.
Linux: I've used a lot of different linux flavors and I've been modestly happy with all of them. The benefits of *nix backend are always nice combined with rich package repositories (almost regardless of distro these days) is great. Inconsistent UI and bugs are major problem though. It may be graphics anomalies and process issues in one version but sound issues in the next, but it feels like there are always bugs. You have a non-VM solution to Windows-only stuff in WINE but it's not reliable.
Windows XP: I have no real complaints about this OS. Having used it for the better part of a decade, I know my way around the OS fairly well. I don't install 5 metric tons of garbage like some people and, since I know where the services and the rest live, I know how to keep my machine running lean even after installing things. Pretty much any complaints you'll see about Windows XP aren't issues at all for me.
Windows Vista: Basically Vista is more secure than XP (which really doesn't matter if you're a smart user to begin with) but comes with higher spec requirements. If you're running older hardware then you'll have some issues but otherwise it's a solid OS.
Windows 7: It's all of Vista's beauty without the heavy hardware requirements. It's highly compatible with a lot of games too. I'll probably be running it in the very near future so I'll have more comments then.
Verdict: Windows XP.
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