Which Operating System do you prefer?

[ah-blabla]

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.

I wouldn't call windows UAC any more user-friendly -- sudo has graphical equivalents (gksudo, i.e. graphical password box.) BTW sudo and the whole idea of limited privileges isn't a Linux thing, nor a GNU thing either, it's a *Nix idea, and has been in existence before GNU came about. I find it funny how it took M$ about 25 years to get an equivalent authorization system working. Even simple multi-user systems (i.e. the reason why sudo was invented) are quite recent for M$, even though under XP it is slow as a tortoise, and Vista crashes when trying to log two users in.

The other thing you uncover is the need to "set-up" a Windows system as admin... Just shows how badly set-up the system must be if you (a) can't set up well as a limited user using sudo to do admin commands (b) you need to do so much setting up in the first place.

Also, shell knowledge isn't required with GNU/Linux nowadays, it's possible to use a system without any knowledge of things like that. However it is highly convenient, allowing you to work much more efficiently.

 

[lukestar]

Mac OS X is my overall favorite operating system, but I like all OSs for different reasons. Windows XP is nice for gaming, and Ubuntu is nice for web design. Intel based Macs can basically run every OS, which is one reason why it's my first choice.

 

[caseypaite]

Windows XP works perfectly fine on my system. I have been planning to switch to Windows 7 but the problem is i can't find a good driver for my graphic card. Th current driver that is included with Windows 7 does not detect the graphic memory on the card. I dual boot Windows XP with Windows 7 and will switch to Windows 7 as soon as a new driver for my graphic card is available.

 

[wazza6]

I'll have to say Ubuntu since it's really fast and perfect for programming with code::blocks and Qt available in seconds in the software center and it is possible to cross-compile without getting a headache!. My second choice would be XP since steam doesn't work with ubuntu* and it has MP3 and MPEG codecs pre-istalled :biggrin:.

*It works but using windows games running on wine is really slow.

EDIT: I forgot to say that I really appreciate windows installers

 

[admael]

Using 7 x64, I got a free ticket to upgrade. They've been passing these out like candy a month or two prior to the OS release.

It seems to be everything Vista isn't. If it came distributed with your new PC, I don't think you'll be able to feel the difference. A fresh install is required for the full 7 experience.

 

[chingola]

Windows 7 because it is soo fast to install and gave me no headaches, though driver issues and older programs may have some tweaking to work.:nuts:

 

[coolv1994]

Neither, Windows 7 it has the speed of XP and the security of Vista.

 

[ChatIndia]

Vista Ultimate is the best and I prefer that

 

[haewen]

I much prefer Windows XP, since it is very powerful, very fast, almost all programs are able to be installed here compare to other os which are choosy in some applications especially windows vista . . . although in GUI, windows xp is not as great as windows vista or windows 7

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[ps3fan401]

Well at first I hated Vista, but in my opinion, XP was a pain, so I prefer Windows Vista.

 

[ddemetrius456]

Windows XP is most.


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[kaepos]

I mainly use XP for gaming and multimedia stuff. I would probably own a mac, but they're way over my budget. I also like Ubuntu for dev and b/c it's quick and more responsive than xp/vista.

For those who seem to like vista, I have it... and I hate it. It's a complete resource hog and you must have at least 4gb of ram to make it do anything decently quick. I haven't used win7 yet, so I can't really say anything about that...

 

[jackyt2]

I would choose Windows 7 if it was on that list. :riaa:

 

[possumfilms]

I use Ubuntu because it is just generally awesome :biggrin:

 

[phpmain2]

i say XP all my games work fine i'm content with it.
Not a system hog, decent interface
Vista: nagging and system hog
Leopard: u gotta buy PC just for that, if i had the cash
Linux: Interface?? missing to me

In the poll Ubuntu option includes Edubuntu, Xubuntu,....

I agree - XP has the most hardware/software compatibility.

Not to be offensive, but most people are not computer-savvy and would not know how to use anything without a user-friendly GUI. So, the major Mac and Windows are left. Mac and Windows Vista + have relatively low support (as I previously mentioned) than XP. XP has a good combination of compatibility and GUI.

 

[smurfboi76]

I have been using Ubuntu and well I love all of the free/open source programs that are available for it. I have also had little problems getting my games to run on it. I have gotten steam and Guild Wars to run perfectly on it. I also like how fast it has made my laptop become it has such a small footprint that it doesn't take two processors or a bunch of RAM to use. It also loads faster than Vista. I also like the free operating system updates.

 

[mikerowe29]

I love trying different Linux distros, but theres usually some problem getting them up and
running. However, Ive just installed 'Mint'. Worked straight 'out of the box' .
My main problem is old hardware, scanners printers etc for which I dual boot XP.

 

[photog4christ]

I noticed this poll was created in 2008. My answer is "Windows 7". I was an XP holdout until "7" came out. I love Windows 7, I haven't had any issues with it. Windows XP is an eight year old OS and Vista is 3 years old, so it's time to move on to something else.

 

[ShadowmasterX]

XP and Windows 7 are soo good, I guess I grew up with microsoft OS so I really don't like the format of Apple OS.

I think Linux is pretty good too!

 

[Jesse]

I now use Windows 7 Ultimate
Was using Vista Ultimate before, it was so slow and buggy.