Solution Overviews » General Hardware & Software » Operating Systems
Operating Systems
1. Overview
One of the first questions you'll likely ask yourself when looking for a new computer is, "Which operating system should I use?" Depending on your company's business and budget, there are three major choices: Mac, Windows or the open-source Linux. In this article we will explore the pros and cons of Mac, Windows and Linux and give a basic rundown of each system.
An operating system, or OS, is the software component of a computer system. Microsoft’s Windows and Apple’s Leopard are two examples of OSes.
The OS is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the resources of the computer and acts as a host for application programs that are run on the machine. Almost all computers use some type of operating system.
Windows— with more than 90 percent market share—is the most popular OS, making it the obvious choice for many businesses. However, depending on your company’s needs, a Mac or Linux OS might be a better solution for you.
Options
| 1. Windows | 2. Macintosh | 3. Linux |
|---|---|---|
The go-to OS for small business users, Windows has an almost universal third-party programming support, which allows it to run many more pieces of software than Mac OS. (Plus, if you like to play video games in the office, Microsoft's game library is miles ahead of Apple's.) |
Apple computers come with OS X's Leopard (Version 10.5). The operating system, based on Unix, is considered by many to be more user-friendly than Windows. |
Linux was created by Linus Torvalds and is based on the Unix operating system. There are many flavors of Linux which are referred to as "distributions". |
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