Linux vs Mac vs Windows

Windows

Windows operating system (OS) developed by Microsoft Corporation to run personal computers (PCs). Featuring the first graphical user interface (GUI) for IBM-compatible PCs, and dominate the PC market. Approximately 90 percent of PCs run some version of Windows. Microsoft chose the keyword "Windows" because of the multiple windows that allow different tasks and programs to be run at the same time. Microsoft got its start with the partnership of Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975. Gates and Allen co-developed Xenix (a version of Unix) and also collaborated on a BASIC interpreter for the Altair 8800. The company was incorporated in 1981. The first version of Windows 1.0, released in 1985, was simply a GUI offered as an extension of Microsoft’s existing disk operating system, or MS-DOS. Since its release, there have been over a dozen versions of Windows. The most current version of Windows for end users is Windows 10 released in 2015.

Linux

The Linux or Linux OS is a freely distributable, cross-platform operating system based on Unix that can be installed on PCs, laptops, netbooks, mobile and tablet devices, video game consoles, servers, supercomputers and more. An operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is the best-known and most-used open source operating system. As an operating system, Linux is software that sits underneath all of the other software on a computer, receiving requests from those programs and relaying these requests to the computer’s hardware. The Linux OS is frequently packaged as a Linux distribution for both desktop and server use, and includes the Linux kernel (the core of the operating system) as well as supporting tools and libraries. The most popular Linux distributions are Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Arch Linux, Fedora, RedHat, Debian, and openSUSE.

Mac OS

Mac OS is for Apple Computer Macintosh line of personal computers and workstations. MacOS is the second major series of Macintosh operating system. The first is colloquially called the "classic" Mac OS, which was introduced in 1984, and the final release of which was Mac OS 9 in 1999. The first desktop version, Mac OS X 10.0, was released in March 2001, with its first update, 10.1, arriving later that year. After this, Apple began naming its releases after big cats, which lasted until OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. Since OS X 10.9 Mavericks, releases have been named after landmarks in California. Apple shortened the name to "OS X" in 2012 and then changed it to "macOS" in 2016, adopting the nomenclature that they were using for their other operating systems, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Between 1999 and 2009, Apple sold a separate series of operating systems called Mac OS X Server. The latest version is macOS High Sierra, which was publicly released in September 2017. This latest version of Mac OS X comes with a desktop interface with some 3D appearance characteristics. OS X has a modular design intended to make it easier to add new features to the operating system in the future. It runs UNIX applications as well as older Mac applications.

Differences between Linux, Windows, and Mac OS

• Windows is currently the dominator of the PC operating system market almost withholding 90% of users.

• GNU/Linux operating systems have a steeper learning curve for the average user. They frequently require a deeper understanding of the underlying system to perform day-to-day functions. Where Windows is one of the easiest desktop operating systems to use. One of its primary design characteristics is user-friendliness and simplicity of basic system tasks.

• Many choose Mac over Windows for designing and working with media files as it features better multi-monitor support, can be faster and has a greater compatibility. Exactly because of that many graphic designers prefer Mac over Windows.

• Price is a very important key factor when choosing an operating system. If choosing Linux it’s completely free. Where Windows OS costs around 100-130$. And as for Mac OS - you can’t buy it like Windows. Mac OS comes with all Apple products only.

• Mac branding costs a lot than other OS.

• When compared to Mac OS X and Linux, Windows isn’t the most stable out of the 3. This is due to the operating system using a lot more resources to run causing the computer to slow down and applications to crash.

• On Mac and Linux, Malware and viruses are far less than on Windows. So, Macs are safer to use. Mac is a better choice if you want to work in your internet bank and do business stuff as it will probably be safer.

• Windows has more software than Mac. They are way more widely used than Mac. You can run everything on them starting from old DOS games up to latest.

• Windows is probably the only choice when it comes to gaming. All modern games are compatible with Windows. build your own rig. When you buy a Mac, you get a prebuilt system that usually doesn’t feature the best graphics card.

• Mac’s software focuses more on its user interface, making it much more enjoyable. Mac can provide a UNIX-like experience.

• Although being more vulnerable to viruses than Mac, Linux still has very few viruses because it is open source. In Windows, you may need to buy an antivirus program, although free ones exist.

• Windows having so many users, you can always find someone (either online or offline) who can help you with Windows. Where only a few handful people run Mac and Linux but still you will get good support online.

• Mac only runs on Apple computers, and are thus less prone to hardware and software crashes. Mac just looks better than Windows.

• Linux is not a full operating system. It is just a kernel. To use the kernel, additional software needs to be bundled with Linux. Several hundreds of these bundles called "distributions" or simply "distros" exist. The good thing is, with so many different flavors of Linux, there is always one to suit your needs.

 

No operating system is really better. The choice is up to you. If you're a gamer, then you have no choice, go for Windows. Programmers might prefer Linux and video/graphics producers will probably tend towards Mac. The best thing to do is probably to try each OS and see which is best for you. Thank you!