Open Thread: What Operating System Do You Use and Why?
The vast majority of businesses choose Microsoft Windows as their operating system but if you’re an independent web worker you don’t have to. Whether you run Windows XP, Vista, Mac OS X, or Linux, you’ll have to make some serious tradeoffs. However, they’re all viable choices these days, especially if you do the majority of your work online with web apps.
If you go with Windows, you’ll have to take special caution against spyware, viruses, and adware. If you go with a Mac, you won’t have as much to choose from in the way of hardware or software. If you go with Linux, you may be trading off ease of use against the philosophical and technical pleasures of open-source software with a venerable history.
You might find these resources helpful if you’re considering a switch:
- Windows vs. Linux vs. OS X — the CIO of Harvard Medical School reviews operating system options for corporate use, finally deciding on Windows though he’d prefer Mac OS X on a lightweight Dell PC.
- Living (and dying) with Linux in the workplace — Computerworld’s online managing editor tries out Linux for work use, and concludes that she’s not ready to switch yet, though she’ll keep the Linux system set up for occasional use.
- A Windows expert opts for a Mac life — another Computerworld staffer evaluates Mac OS X and decides to switch from Windows to Mac.
- 10 Reasons for the Windows Web Worker to Upgrade to Vista… or Not — Web Worker Daily’s article about what to be aware of if you’re thinking about upgrading to Vista.
What operating system are you running right now? Why? Do you have any thoughts of switching?
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.
winxp, with vmware server with winxp, 2k3 server, and several linux virtual machines. Use the best tool for the job at hand. Moving to apple, intending to dual-boot w/xp and similar vm setup. I’m a run a small systems integration consultancy, and the flexibility of the virtual machine technology is extremely valuable to me.
Macbook and Mac Mini.
When I have to do something in windows, I use parallels.
Right at this moment: Kubuntu on an aging Sony Vaio laptop. At work, Windows XP (I won’t be pressured into moving to Vista), with a whole bunch of linux VMs. I’ve got a mac mini for home, but just use it for checking websites work in Safari really. Like the article says- if you can do a lot of things online then the OS is less and less important.
Slackware Linux. Plain and simple.
While it is a bit on the CLI/text file side it is the cleanest and most straight forward distro that I have encountered. I know that all Linux distros can be managed via vi but it seems that for me Slack is the easiest. My favorite GUI is FVWM2, pared down to just a vertical 8 panel pager applet running on an otherwise empty desktop. My motto: No frills, just function. (Truth: I am currently trying KDE but it is HUGH and slowish.)
Rdesktop provides access to W2K3 servers. VMWare Server (also running on a Slackware system) provides W2K and WXP in windows on my working desktop.
So,… This is an issued I’ve been contending with for the past few weeks and I’m putting every computer I have at home onto Linux. This includes the computer my nine-year-old daughter uses. It really, really works and I’m sooooo ooooover paying the Microsoft tax.
At work I use a dual boot with XP and Fedora.
It’s been (and will be) Windows at home and at play for me. Not that I stick to Windows as a matter of principle. Just too “lazy” to get games working on linux using an emulator ( have tried and failed before !)
I use Vista. I like it. I also like OS X but not enough to switch. We have at my little company a Mac just to use keynote. I think that unless a new operating system is going to result in large cost savings for me by saving me lots of time it is not worth switching. I am not interested in philosophical debates about which is better. I am a practical person and if I thought that linux would result in greater productivity for me I would switch. But my opinion is that if switching costs me two hours than I am losing money and who cares what microsoft is charging. Just my opinion.
Steve
Wow, so many Linux users! Interesting!
Steve, I tend to agree with you… any operating system takes a lot of time to get used to and to get configured into a productive setup. I use Mac OS X right now but I’m not any happier with it than I was with Windows XP, though I do like that I don’t worry about spyware any more.
I love that virtualization technology is making it more and more feasible to run multiple OSes. That’s very cool. I’m thinking of getting Parallels so I can test Windows software, though I’m mainly a web app person these days.
Dual-booting Ubuntu and WinXP… will not go to Vista, doing the dual-boot to get comfortable with Linux as a desktop (comfortable with it as a server already) so that if/when XP is no longer supported by MS and software vendors, I will just ditch it and stick to Linux.
Would also consider MacOSX with Parallels for running both Ubuntu and WinXP, but not in the market for a new lappy any time soon…
MacBook Pro, TextMate, Yojimbo, Quicksilver, CocoaMySQL.. the dream development environment. Only “switched” from Linux last November and have never looked back. In the terminal OS X has all the BSD ‘nix-ish goodness you loved about Linux, but having the just-works Mac interface and stability on top of that is amazing. Linux was painfully close, but on Mac I’m left wanting of nothing.