Which Operating System do you prefer?

[ah-blabla]

i do not like idea that one company controlling the computer experience of 90% of pc users around the world. there should be another competitive OS which can challenge windows, so we will get innovative ideas and better products to try.

One of the many GNU/Linux distros possibly? Ubuntu seems to be the main Windows competitor around at the moment, and is actually quite good. (It's better than windows, but I don't like how Canonical is linking Ubuntu to their proprietary "Ubuntu" one service...)

 

[nterror]

I use Fedora. I thought Ubuntu was okay, but simplified too much. OpenSUSE was good, but didn't feel like home.

What I think is funny is the Windows 7 commercials advertising the "new" features...

Ive had these features for a couple years now.... on LINUX! WOOHOO!

Windows 7 just feels like a Vista 1.0 upgrade with a pricetag (Vista is BETA software, I don't care what M$ says).

 

[ah-blabla]

I use Fedora. I thought Ubuntu was okay, but simplified too much. OpenSUSE was good, but didn't feel like home.

What I think is funny is the Windows 7 commercials advertising the "new" features...

Ive had these features for a couple years now.... on LINUX! WOOHOO!

Windows 7 just feels like a Vista 1.0 upgrade with a pricetag (Vista is BETA software, I don't care what M$ says).

Beta? I though it was Alpha...

I think it's funny how half of what was supposed to be in Vista still hasn't surfaced, not even in Win7... (What happend to WinFS?)

And regarding "new" features on win 7 -- I think the same. The safety as advertised is also a lie - admitted by M$. (The argument about not buying AV is a load of &^*$ though...)

 

[dqvteatro]

Originally Posted by dqvteatro
I prefer Mac OS X.
​

It's not what I'm using, though. Right now I'm with a borrowed PC using XP, because my own PC got fried (Ms. Motherboard somehow decided to commit suicide). On said PC I had Ubuntu and Win XP (in a double boot system). Of those, I prefer Ubuntu, by far. XP I only had in order to run certain software that was unstable under WINE on Ubuntu. But for that XP, I had already got rid of everything microsoft. Other IM software, OpenOffice, etc.
Let's see how Windows 7 comes, but as for proprietary OS I think I'll stay with Mac OS X.​

I agree. MAC is so much better than PC in terms of just getting things done (school-wise)
I agree. MAC is so much better than PC in terms of just getting things done (school-wise)

Heh, I'm already with a triple-boot system: Mac OS X (Snow leopard), Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) and Windows 7.

Still my favourite is the one coming from Cupertino.

But... hey... I'm not blind. Linux and Windows have come a LONG way towards better interface and usability. As for Ubuntu, I was already using it. Now, on new hardware, and in the new version, I find it just lovely. Things work, don't cost a dime, and it's easy for me to do things there, installing and uninstalling software and/or drivers, etc. And I'm NOT a programmer nor a very savvy techie-kind of lad. So many forums and ppl ready to help other Linux users (Ubuntu, in my case) make the road very well paved and a pleasure to travel, so to speak. And I found software to do everything I wanted.

Windows... Well... My first really positive experience with Windows (started using it when it was Windows 95) was with Windows XP. Especially with certain "fine tuned" Edition, which didn't use many resources, was stripped-down fromlots of unused options, software, drivers, etc., and was visually more attractive than what XP intended. In any case, even having bought antivirus, and having other antimalware installed, I ended "under attack" many times. Security was as bad as it could get. And no, I didn't install dialers, nor I'm an easy victim for phishing and all. I'm quite conscious (on these issues) and very careful but, duh..., a coupla times had to restart from a USB (Linux) backup what I could, and reinstall. And that was XP! In other regards, it worked quite OK. I loathed so many interface inconsistencies. Just to give an example, in applications installed in english, select all is Ctrl-A. and open is Ctrl-O. In applications installed in spanish, it is select all is Ctr-E and open is Ctrl-A. In both cases, Cut, Copy and Paste are the same (Ctrl-X, C and V). Inconsistent, to say the least.
Windows 7, I just have it installed a few days ago. So far, it looks as if visually they finally got a clue. It was time already. It finally looks really good. When you go to the control panel, though, it still shows the old habits, and upon seeing that I felt disappointed. Same happened with other Windows typical operations. On certain other things it's much better than its predecessors. On no point I have found it yet to be worse. Yet.

And for Mac OS X... C'mon, a "Cut" command to use in the Finder is necessary!!! Why not have it as standard? And the other weak point: In Finder I want to be able to order alphabetically items inside a folder in the usual OS X way and ALSO giving folders a priority. Some option like "show folders first". There's always the chance to use Pathfinder, but I keep thinking it should be a STANDARD Finder option.

Ta-da!!!

 

[Gouri]

I am using both Windows 7 and Fedora Linux dual boot system. I use them equally. But I like the linux most.

 

[asoit]

You should add windows 7 now

 

[dpilmore]

i have windows 7 ultimate x64 but seeing as that is not in the vote list i am exempt lol

 

[theforum]

I would rather use windows xp, or windows xp professional either one as I already have both on different computers. I also have vista but, my lands, you have so many security questions that pops up asking to do thing and that. Can't wait to see Windows 7!!! maybe will be better I hope:lockd:

 

[dpilmore]

I would rather use windows xp, or windows xp professional either one as I already have both on different computers. I also have vista but, my lands, you have so many security questions that pops up asking to do thing and that. Can't wait to see Windows 7!!! maybe will be better I hope:lockd:

windows 7 is awsome mate, it was well worth my hard earned money.

 

[kalanac]

I'm a dedicated Linux user. Wine has come on in leaps and bounds in providing compatibility with windows programs, it's been a while since I found a program that I couldn't use in Linux that would work any better with windows.

I still dual boot, just in case I need full compatibility but I hate using windows (Vista), honestly. It's so sluggish, buggy and crash prone. It's like swimming in treacle.

Nope, tis Linux for me and ever will be.

The icon set for Karmic Koala is pretty, standard wallpaper is a bit uninspired though, I would have thought they might have done some pretty artwork, like the standard Ibex wallpaper.

 

[alexandgruntz]

It's so sluggish, buggy and crash prone.

Really? The only time Vista blue-screened on me, Windows 7 did it as well - it was a hardware fault. (It also only happened at my friend's place. When it came back here, it stopped. :|)

More often than not 3rd party programs crashed, and it's been anything but slow.

 

[ah-blabla]

The most "treacle" like system I have tried must be Windows XP: When I got a 5 year old laptop I was astounded at the slowness, and then I found out that after 2 years of use the system already took about 10 minutes from login until it was useable, despite having just about everything possible disabled. No wonder I wiped Windows when I got that laptop. But even my father's new laptop with Vista is pretty bad: bootup + login takes about 3 times as long as on my (now 6 year-old) GNU/Linux laptop. And I don't even have to boot it up usually, since I can just do a hibernate instead. I only shutdown on kernel upgrade. Windows can't do that: try having it on for more than a day and it becomes unusable (Bill Gates himself shutdown his pc daily, which is why M$ never did anything about it). And it expects to upgrade, which requires a shutdown, far too often. Even installing some programs requires a restart under windows...

 

[naved123456]

I use windows 7 rtm 7600 final. Why it is not included in the poll. Please add it.

 

[Scott B]

I use Windows XP. I tried out Windows 7 RC for a while, but decided it switch back because I got kind of tired with it and I knew I was going to have to eventually remove it anyway.
Windows XP is fine for me, and works quite well on my old machine.

 

[whitmantech]

the large number of vista people surprises me. i have it and love it, but i thought i was quite alone...

 

[alexandgruntz]

the large number of vista people surprises me. i have it and love it, but i thought i was quite alone...

A lot of the "errors" with Vista are user errors :biggrin:

 

[ah-blabla]

A lot of the "errors" with Vista are user errors :biggrin:

Ah yes, it's a "user error" when Vista freezes when I try to log in as a second user... (The only time I ever tried it it broke...) And a user error that it uses so many resources / is so slow. And a user error is that it keeps needing to restart to install yet more updates. It's also a user error that there is a UAC system which annoys and does little else, instead of a nice simple sudo / gksudo system.

 

[alexandgruntz]

Ah yes, it's a "user error" when Vista freezes when I try to log in as a second user... (The only time I ever tried it it broke...) And a user error that it uses so many resources / is so slow. And a user error is that it keeps needing to restart to install yet more updates. It's also a user error that there is a UAC system which annoys and does little else, instead of a nice simple sudo / gksudo system.

I didn't say all of them. Also I don't find UAC annoying.

 

[ah-blabla]

I didn't say all of them. Also I don't find UAC annoying.

Somehow all the errors I have ever come across with Vista weren't user errors. Maybe in other cases yes, but most complaints I have heard about Vista were similar things to what I mentioned like resource usage, slowness, crashing... I.e. MOST Vista errors aren't user errors.

If you've ever tried administrating with sudo you'll soon come to realise how annoying and USELESS UAC is. If some cracker is on your pc, and tries to change settings, UAC doesn't help in the least (unless you have locked the screen - but people rarely do). On a *nix system they need your password to change settings, even if it is unlocked (This is system settings here btw, user settings are at the attacker's mercy if they have access). You only however have to enter your password once (i.e. it is remembered for a SHORT timespan) when doing administration, so each separate program you might start doesn't need the password, or confirmation, over and over again. With UAC however, each time I start a program needing root privileges, I need to press a button on an annoying window, so if I'm trying to set something up, I waste lots of mouse clicks and movements getting silly windows away. (And usually I don't have a clue where things are either under Windows, which means I open way more windows trying to find settings... Luckily I rarely ever have to do this since there's only one M$ OS in the whole house...)

 

[Smith6612]

Somehow all the errors I have ever come across with Vista weren't user errors. Maybe in other cases yes, but most complaints I have heard about Vista were similar things to what I mentioned like resource usage, slowness, crashing... I.e. MOST Vista errors aren't user errors.

If you've ever tried administrating with sudo you'll soon come to realise how annoying and USELESS UAC is. If some cracker is on your pc, and tries to change settings, UAC doesn't help in the least (unless you have locked the screen - but people rarely do). On a *nix system they need your password to change settings, even if it is unlocked (This is system settings here btw, user settings are at the attacker's mercy if they have access). You only however have to enter your password once (i.e. it is remembered for a SHORT timespan) when doing administration, so each separate program you might start doesn't need the password, or confirmation, over and over again. With UAC however, each time I start a program needing root privileges, I need to press a button on an annoying window, so if I'm trying to set something up, I waste lots of mouse clicks and movements getting silly windows away. (And usually I don't have a clue where things are either under Windows, which means I open way more windows trying to find settings... Luckily I rarely ever have to do this since there's only one M$ OS in the whole house...)

Run as a limited user like Microsoft intended you to do after you set up the PC the way you want with the Administrator account :| UAC will show a password form when you run as a limited user instead of under the Administrator account. It's basically just like sudo but it's meant to be more user friendly for the most part, and sure UAC in Vista can be a PITA. I leave it on though and it doesn't bother me at all. Windows 7's UAC is much less annoying. Of course, I'm sure everyone wishes that Microsoft set up everyone like the Linux folks do by running everyone as Limited user from day one.

I've given people Linux Distros to use when their Windows install goes FUBAR and I have to reinstall it. For the most part, users can find the web browser and the applications, but they won't have the slightest clue as to how to use the terminal until I help them or they spend some time on Google.