There are at least 5 threads about 'Which linux distro is best for me' 'Which OS is best' etc. and they all start a fanboy flame war. Enough already.
Which OS is best?
This depends on how good you are with computers, how much you'd like to learn, your system specs and what you use it for.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with WinXP Pro, as long as you have a fast computer, don't want to use it for music or design production and properly protect it with a firewall and antispyware etc.
So, a rundown of the OSs:
Windows XP:
This OS is good for gaming and office/business usage. That's not to say others aren't as good at this, but it's included with most computers. It takes a hefty processor and lots of ram (256MB) just to run, and needs careful anti-malware protection. New users will not find things to difficult, although several elements are counter-intuitive.
Good for: Gamers, internet usage, simple document creation
Bad for: Slow PCs, Limited budget, support
Windows 2000 and older:
Better for slower processors. Not as cuddly as XP, the latest games and programs won't run and it's probably a little less stable. On the plus side, much faster. 98SE is probably the furthest back you should go.
Good for: Power users in that particular system, older computers, simple usage
Bad for: New users, Gamers
MacOS:
Far easier to use than Windows, more stable and generally nicer. On the down-side, more expensive and less software availability. The software that is there is good, though, and it has a great learning curve.
Good for: Image and music editing, new users, UNIX users, documents, internet
Bad For: Windows Power Users, Gamers
Linux (Ubuntu):
Very easy to use after the initial installation but a sharpish learning curve to become a power user. Limited but growing number of games and third-party software. Uses fewer resources than Windows. Can also be used for advanced tasks like webserving and network management. Good programming and design tools. Free.
Good for: New Users, Basic users willing to learn a little, Gamers (sort of), programmers, graphics and music, geeks
Bad For: Windows power users with no capacity to learn
Linux (SuSE):
Much the same as Ubuntu, but even easier to use. To the point, however, that it becomes more difficult for semi-power users to accomplish tasks due to the babying nature of the admin tools.
Good For: (see above) + Especially new users
Bad For: Linux Power Users
Linux (Red Hat):
More of an enterprise distro, this one's better than Ubuntu and Suse for complex network tasks and such, but actually worse than Ubuntu as an office PC.
Linux (Slackware):
Less user-friendly than any of the above, a no-nonsense distro. Newbs may stay far, far away.
Well, I hope that cleared the water a bit. Feel free to start a fanboy flame war now, but do so in this thread and stop wasting space.
Which OS is best?
This depends on how good you are with computers, how much you'd like to learn, your system specs and what you use it for.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with WinXP Pro, as long as you have a fast computer, don't want to use it for music or design production and properly protect it with a firewall and antispyware etc.
So, a rundown of the OSs:
Windows XP:
This OS is good for gaming and office/business usage. That's not to say others aren't as good at this, but it's included with most computers. It takes a hefty processor and lots of ram (256MB) just to run, and needs careful anti-malware protection. New users will not find things to difficult, although several elements are counter-intuitive.
Good for: Gamers, internet usage, simple document creation
Bad for: Slow PCs, Limited budget, support
Windows 2000 and older:
Better for slower processors. Not as cuddly as XP, the latest games and programs won't run and it's probably a little less stable. On the plus side, much faster. 98SE is probably the furthest back you should go.
Good for: Power users in that particular system, older computers, simple usage
Bad for: New users, Gamers
MacOS:
Far easier to use than Windows, more stable and generally nicer. On the down-side, more expensive and less software availability. The software that is there is good, though, and it has a great learning curve.
Good for: Image and music editing, new users, UNIX users, documents, internet
Bad For: Windows Power Users, Gamers
Linux (Ubuntu):
Very easy to use after the initial installation but a sharpish learning curve to become a power user. Limited but growing number of games and third-party software. Uses fewer resources than Windows. Can also be used for advanced tasks like webserving and network management. Good programming and design tools. Free.
Good for: New Users, Basic users willing to learn a little, Gamers (sort of), programmers, graphics and music, geeks
Bad For: Windows power users with no capacity to learn
Linux (SuSE):
Much the same as Ubuntu, but even easier to use. To the point, however, that it becomes more difficult for semi-power users to accomplish tasks due to the babying nature of the admin tools.
Good For: (see above) + Especially new users
Bad For: Linux Power Users
Linux (Red Hat):
More of an enterprise distro, this one's better than Ubuntu and Suse for complex network tasks and such, but actually worse than Ubuntu as an office PC.
Linux (Slackware):
Less user-friendly than any of the above, a no-nonsense distro. Newbs may stay far, far away.
Well, I hope that cleared the water a bit. Feel free to start a fanboy flame war now, but do so in this thread and stop wasting space.
