Apple Vs Windows Vs Linux On Users, Support, Os Purpose

[livinthailandos]

I thought it would be fitting to put it as I see something that hasn't in a way been addressed on most points. Seriously most software makers, product manufactures only work with microsoft or apple because its where all the money is or all the users are and at the best chance of getting their product out.

1. Supply of Windows Users vs Mac vs Linux

Simple enough majority of users are windows and most do not step outside of that boundry they like there comfortable zone, mac i believe got more users due to the ipod experience, lots of funny marketing against microsoft, curious users and IT people or geeks who don't mind getting outside the windows zone. Also note due to vista this i believe also added in helping apple. On top apple has shown how to make products, easy to use, look really well and less prone to failures. Also think of the iphone success. Linux though in regards is still in my opinion for geeks only, there are still things that don't actually work truly out of the box like windows or apple.

2. Purpose of what the OS is used for

windows and mac pretty much have the desktop, linux is best used for servers, creating an OS for mobile phone and in many other applications where linux can aid better than windows or mac

3. Getting help, support for the OS

there's always a windows user to be found due to supply and share market share of windows, apple has its apple store and they provide help and in store training on using their products and linux has lug but only if your lucky enough to get to attend one or actual meet another user. the forums for distros especially ubuntu are really bad are take way to long to look through. Linux in general is still a long way from every gaining desktop users. In order to get actual help for issues eventually I'll wind up getting only when I get back to the US and get a chance to attend a LUG meeting otherwise regardless with linux you are pretty much on your own. Nothing can ever replace a face to face help with questions, or problems. This is something linux doesn't real have at the moment.

[jackdanielsesq]

This is a kinda rambling, confusing mish-mash of counter intuitive statements.

I, for one, was confused enough to write this. Perhaps do it in a more simple manner.

FYI - Linux - not all of them - have excellent forum support where you can get answers to real stoopid Q&A before the HDD can spool down. There is nothing complicated about the good distros - there's plenty of them here - it is simply a different approach to doing the same work. Unfortunately the Ubuntu variants are the worst to install and get help for.

LUG are OK - ya really need to roll up your sleeves and get some hands-on experience.

Owning your own machine again is great - without all the AV hits, overheads and worry.

BR>Jack

[Somchai2500]

This is a kinda rambling, confusing mish-mash of counter intuitive statements.

Tend to agree on this.

Windoz v Mac OS v Linux.

In no way was Vista responsible forApple / Mac OS success. Mac OS is Linux based (xcode).

Windows is now up to about the 14th Version since v3.0.excluding all the mobile Windows OS. And still not a patch on Mac OS.

The success of Apple is, innovation, having a complete solution out of the box.

The only virus I have had, since 1986. Was this year, MSN based. Do not use that app anymore.

The only driver I have had to download was for a scanner.

Support for Mac OS based machines. apple dot com. Hardware repairs are as easy as a windows based generic box.

Still have an working Apple Newton.circa 1994. 13 years later the iphone...

No Compaq, Digital, Gateway, Osborne....etc etc etc.

No offence intended to Windows users.

[Plus]

Silly to talk about support for drivers on Mac.

Can you go to any IT mall and order custom made Mac with any cheap or expensive parts you want? Any video card you fancy? Any audio, any motherboard, any processor, different kinds of ram?

Can you take your old computer to the same mall, upgrade all upgradable parts, and install Mac OS on it?

How many PC makers are out there? Can Mac OS run on any of their machines?

Windows can, Linux can, and that's why we have billions of personal computers in the world, millions of suppliers, all with aspirations and families and so on.

I can't even begin to imagine what the world would have been like without Windows.

>>>>

For this debate people should look at the big picture, should realise that their personal stories are only one tiny, infinitesimal part of world's experience. You should start thinking averages.

[raro]

Unfortunately the Ubuntu variants are the worst to install and get help for.

so which distro would you recommend? I found Ubuntu ok to install, but so was SuSe. I also tried Linspire and only after subscribing to it I realized that it cannot do networking...bummer!

[RKASA]

I can't say its fair to recommend any one distro, but I can tell you what I use.  PClinuxOS 2009.1.  Here is what I know works because I use it:

Networking samba from GUI using smb4k

apache server  Running nonforwarded Intranet web sites and a Repo mirror.  It works completely with all modules if you want it forwarded to the net.

virtualbox hosting of winxppro and win7

synaptic and the repo's work fine if my connction does,  Sometimes it seems the national mirror is not providing, but its been doing that to other distro as well it not just a PClos thing, but I improved that condition by having made a complete local mirror which rsyncs weekly on its own to a EU mirror using a cron script.  My downloads are then at 100mbps from my local mirror any time I want software.  

The desktop apps are to many to list.  I only run win in the virtual for eval and a fast way to see how something was done there.  can't game in a VM or VB vary well at all.  I use a winbox for that.  i.e.Nascar is a must until I get a console that is.

Its KDE by default but has a gnome task to switch the desktop over.  Compiz and 3d etc all work.  KDE4 is not yet released into PClos because its been alittle unstable, but there is a source and method to go that way if you like.

I am running it on everything from an old laptop.  int single core 1.4g 1gig ram but was 512mb cheap on board graphic to my desktop 3ghz 1333FSB 4gig ram with Nvidia 8400GS 2 core E8400 and have run it from as little as a  6gigHD via usb-ide adptor.

My current foot print with servers and everything is 5.6gig @ root. and a 20gig home space.  I am using the Kernel 2.6.26.8.tex3

Everything else goes to auto mounted data drives ntfs formatted to support the file shares to winbox.

I have not used another major distro in some time, but did have a kde version of Ubuntu running for awhile.  It seemed OK to me, I just wanted to stay with one system and its a rolling distro so if I run updates it remains the latest version all the time.  The new release of PClos 2009.1 was to reduce the updates at install.  overall its not that much changed from a up to date 2007.

Fully updating after install and before use is needed.  Then use the packages in the repo without problems.  I think thats true of any of them.

Best distro is the one that makes you happy , its all Linux under the hood.   cheers

[breaky73]

I use Ubuntu now for several years as my main OS.

It has a lots of online user support and a wide fanbase. Many applications are easy to install and it comes pretty complete for the average user.

If i compare to the other windows computers at work i can do most things easier than them. Network printers are easily found and installed as are network drives. I can publish documents as pdf or doc...or take over the server via remote without having to install any extra software.

The only bloody thing it doesn't do is work with the main application here: A hotel management system written by a Thai company using some kind of obselete code which is buggy, bloody expensive but unfortunately also in use with all the hotels in the hotel group so difficult to replace. Their PABX interface is still working with DOS where i was working back in my home country with PABX software written for Windows already 10 years ago!

So sometimes i do have to work with a Windows computer...because certain applications at work just don't work under Linux (not even under Wine)

That is the one big pro for Windows...and that most software you download seperately is quite easy to install.

However...Ubuntu has their app database under add/remove....think of it is the app store with iPhone, but then every application for free with only a few clicks to install.

It doesn't feature every application though but it comes al long way.

Now i cannot comment too much on the Apple side as i have to little experience with it. What experience i do have is very positive though. Just..here in Laos an Apple store is non-existent plus for all the convience (and design) you als pay more if you would for a compareble computer with Windows/Linux. And for me already that last thing is one reason why i never will go for Apple.

[Plus]

Networking samba from GUI using smb4k

..

virtualbox hosting of winxppro and win7

..

Everything else goes to auto mounted data drives ntfs formatted to support the file shares to winbox

These are exactly the things that refused to work in my PClos, and in the end I just installed Ubuntu over it and everything just works, after a little tweaking. Haven't tried virtualbox yet, but what I need works in wine already, which wasn't working in PClos either.

Having said that, on another, older machine, Ubuntu doesn't have video drivers to support visual effects while in PClos Compiz worked perfectly fine.

I liked OpenSuse at one time, and it had KDE4, and support on their forums came faster than anywhere else. Unfortunately it didn't have solutions for some of mine hardware problems, so I let it go, alas.