Operating systems and more!

[rknapp]

Simple enough, right? CJ didn't like Azure Dragon and I feuding over Windows and Mac earlier, so here is such a haven. Mods: if the thread isn't in the right place, then feel free to move it and say where it is being moved to! This seemed a logical place since it asks a question and demands an answer! Hehe.

 

You can answer the poll in whatever context you like: Which do you use more? Which do you prefer more? etc. The only limiting factor is I want you answer based on what you use at home for personal use, not what you use for work. Ordinarily you don't have a choice of what you use for work and some of us require the use of a computer for work, so that negates any and all preferences.

 

As far as the poll's separation goes, I separated it according to differences in operating systems. Windows 9x is completely different from ME/2000/XP/Vista. ME is completely different from all others in its own unique ways *shudders at the memories*, 2000 and XP are essentially the same and most people are using these, Vista is of course very different from XP even though some people would have you believe that Vista is simply a glorified XP.

 

Likewise OS 9 and X are different. They also have different versions (OS X Tiger, Leopard, etc.) so please specify which version you are using.

 

Other pertains to the many operating systems that people use and aren't at all mainstream (Linux, Windows, and Mac are the biggest ones out there AFAIK), including Ubuntu, Solaris, etc.

 

Also please say why you prefer one operating system over another.

 

This isn't meant to be a fight, just seeing who uses what in their personal activities.

 

 

I personally use Windows 2000 as my primary operating system. It's lighter than XP and, in my experience, is the most stable operating system Microsoft has ever produced. I refuse to downgrade to XP simply because I much prefer using 2000 on my desktop than I do XP MCE 2005 on my laptop. Prior to my last hardware overhaul, 2000 was running faster and more efficiently on my desktop than XP was/is on my laptop. At that time, my desktop had a 2.0 GHz single-core processor, 256 MB dedicated graphics card, dedicated Creative Labs sound card, 512 MB DDR memory, 550 watt power supply, etc. My laptop had/has a 1.7 GHz Centrino mobile processor, 1 GB DDR2, 64 MB onboard graphics and onboard sound in a Dell Inspiron 17" WXGA package. The Dell ran video games better, but Win2k definitely outperformed WinXP in all areas despite having less ram and a comparable CPU. Now it's no contest since I upgraded to dual-core and 2 GB DDR2 and plan on getting two 8800 or two 9600 GT graphics cards to use SLI and kick ass in every video game out there.

 

Which brings me to what I use my PCs for... web surfing and video games. In a year or two I will be increasing that to CAD, after doing the aforementioned graphics upgrade, upgrade memory to 4 GB DDR2 800 MHz, and possibly upgrading to quad-core if AMD can get their act together to improve their Phenom line of processors. Lucky for me, Phenom uses the same socket as XP+ X2.

 

That said, I am waiting for Microsoft to either get the kinks out of Vista or for them to release their next Operating system (if it's at all good, since MS seems to have hit its pinnacle with Win2k is and now in a decline with the quality of each new release). I'd like to get 64-bit Vista just so that I can finally make full use of my 64-bit hardware and can also make use of DX10.

 

Reasons that I use or don't use some OSs:

Win9x - No longer using: 98SE was a good OS, just not as nice at Win2k. I really don't remember it though.

WinME - No longer using: MOST INFURIATING OPERATING SYSTEM EVER MADE!

Win2k - Using: Most familiar, most compatible, not infuriating at all.

WinXP - Using: Most familiar (set to Windows Classic mode), kind of compatible (some programs require XP+), not as infuriating.

WinVista - Not using: Slightly familiar (a little confusing, but nothing I can't handle in hour of perusing), not immediately compatible, but almost there, security prior to SP1 was infuriating, haven't played with it since then, performance prior to SP1 was sub-par according to tech articles.

Mac OS 9 - Not using: Never used, so no comment. This OS was before I knew anything about computers and so I had no opportunity to use it.

Mac OS X - Not using: Infuriatingly unfamiliar. I played with Tiger and Leopard at Best Buy and gave up figuring out how to open programs after ten minutes of mucking around. I want to throw it against the wall, but I didn't want to have to sell my left nut just to pay for it. Without desktop icons or a Start button, I'm totally lost. BUT I like that the desktop changes on my friends Leoparded MacBook Pro. As far as Mac as a whole is concerned, I absolutely detest their physical systems because of how proprietary they are... I switched to custom builds in 2003 and haven't looked back (except for the laptop, but that will change in a few years when I decide to get a whole new custom-built laptop for a lot less than any crappy name-brand system).

Linux: Not using: Never used, so no comment.

[JamesSavik]

My OS preference is based on the role that the machine is playing.

 

As a client, Win XP is the most stable and bug free windows distribution that I have used.

 

As a high performance workstation, a fast Intel CPU, lots of hard drive and RAM and one of several Linux variants. Mandrake is my favorite but Ubanutu has a lot going for it.

 

As a web/email server for a box that is going to deliver network services, Linux is the gold standard. I've used Mandrake, Red Hat and a couple of distros. On one server I had an uptime of over four years. The only reason I shut it down was to add RAM and hard drive space. Another one was pushing 2 years when I had to shut it down for the Y2K network upgrade/cutover when I readdressed that subnet.

[Azure Dragon]

I don't dislike Windows for any real reason, but Apple is the standard for graphic design and most programs like QuarkXpress and Indesign run better on Macs, so I made myself get use to them and happened to like them. It also helps that Apple tends to get it right the first time without releasing shit that's full of bugs, and not having to worry about spyware or viruses (for now) is a plus too. It does suck that most computer games aren't Mac-compatible though. But I have my Warcraft and Spore is due out this summer, so I'm content with that :axeman:

[YaP]

I agree with what James said.

All in all, i do prefer Linux (especially for servers), but i run Windows (2000/2003 server/XP) on most of my boxes as i develop software which needs to run on windows. And i agree with rknapp on his comments about the various windows versions. Actually i never used ME (it was too crappy to begin with), and i only use Vista for testing. I am not a fan of all those fancy visual features (usually i switch it all off so XP/Vista does look and behave more like 2000 ).

From my experience Windows is really OK since Windows 2000. Win98 was already much better than 95 or 3.1 (not to mention Windows 1.0 *lol*).

As for Mac's: i have never owned one, but i had to help some friends out when their Mac crashed and they didn't know what to do. So, from my experience, the "user friendliness" of the Mac ends if you have a serious problem... I actually don't think Macs are better or worse than Windows in terms of "stability" or "user friendliness". They definitely look better, and are more expensive. The benefit of not being so vulnerable to viruses/trojans because there are not many viruses/trojans that affect the Mac is still there, but the hackers actually do catch up on that recently. And from a research some guys in Switzerland did recently, it seems Apple takes longer to fix bugs and close security holes than Microsoft does..

All in all, i think we do get a lot for what we pay for a Windoze PC or Mac. Considering the complexity of a PC's hard- and software (whatever OS you run on it), they are amazingly stable nowadays.

Edited April 1, 2008 by YaP

[Drewbie]

My favs has been XP Pro and OSX Leopard.

 

During school it was mostly on the pc side windows 2000, worked great for the most part.

 

Although mac fixed the bugs quickly with Leopard.

 

I won't get into the whole mac vs windows debate, be to much energy

Edited April 1, 2008 by Drewbie

[Tom]

Well, I can still remember using windows2.0 Way back then, I could get it to do everything I needed. Windows 95 was nice and 98 just added a few things(and killed all my dos based games ) I kinda got forced into XP and I'm kinda liking it .

 

Vista isn't bad, I just need my nephew to show me how to log in as an admin so I can delete things...Okay, Okay, because of all the "protected' filesthat windows thinks it still needs and I know it doesn't...VISTA SUCKS!!

 

sorry, didn't mean to get all rilled up

 

Hugs,

Tom

[Former Member]

WinME - No longer using: MOST INFURIATING OPERATING SYSTEM EVER MADE!

 

How dare you complaining about WinME? *pets screen: he didn't mean it like that*

 

Tob

[GaryK]

As I've stated before I am quite agnostic in terms of what OS others prefer. Whatever works best for you is what you should use.

 

I grew up writing software that ran against MS-DOS so transitioning to Windows seemed reasonable to me. I've made a good living using and selling Microsoft products to end users.

 

For my own personal daily use I like XP Pro. In all the years I've been using it I've never seen a BSOD. Applications have crashed, but the OS has always remained stable. About the only time I reboot is during Patch Tuesday.

 

In terms of servers I very much like Server 2003 and IIS6. Again both have proven themselves to be very reliable. IIS6 in particular is so much easier to use than previous versions. The Application Pools are a godsend. Again, I totally understand why some people prefer Apache. I guess it depends upon what you're used to. I'm used to Windows. I'm beta testing Server 2008 and believe it will be Microsoft's best server OS to date. The whole virtualization architecture is brilliant.

 

I've got seven machines here at home.

 

Two run Server 2003. I use one as a web server and the other for database development and other things related to my business.

 

The third one is my beta-testing machine and it's currently running Server 2008.

 

The fourth and fifth run XP Pro. Those would be my desktop and my lappie.

 

The sixth runs Server 2003 Web Edition which I use to coordinate all the backups I need to do both locally and for all my production websites.

 

The seventh runs Win2K. It's as stable as XP but without all the bells and whistles. I use it for all my multimedia stuff. My phone management software. Trillian. iTunes. Various other things.

 

That's what works best for me. I hope whatever you're using works well for you.

[Jack Frost]

XP but I got sick of it so Vista was a nice change.

[Eddy]

I mentioned Linux in a thread last month my growing interest in that OS. Ubuntu Hardy Heron was in the final stages of development with a beta 5 which I had installed on my laptop. Hardy was VERY IMPRESSIVE from the get go. Much like windows so it was comfortable right out of the gate. Ubuntu 8.04 was released last week and I fell in love with it. It has replaced XP on my laptop and am doing a clean up on my desk top as I am writing this. Ubuntu will be installed on it later today.

 

I can't even begin to express my pleasure with Ubuntu. Much faster than XP - cleaner desktop, configurable (customized) in a few hours (instead of days with XP) with everything being handled from a 1/4 inch band at the top of the screen with drop downs for applications/places/system and room for small icons (1/4" x 1/4") for favorite programs. No more digging through endless windows buried behind more endless windows and then duplicated a half dozen times!! Firefox 3.0 beta is included in the package.

 

On top of all that great stuff is an awesome tech support forum with real people that know what they are doing! Just really awesome!!!

 

Have a look see here http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/hardy/alpha5 -- Download the live CD from their website here http://www.ubuntu.com/

You can boot from the CD (you need to burn the download to a CD) no changes are made to the harddrive but it is a full functioning drive through disk. (edit) The same CD will also serve as the install media.

 

Do yourself a favor and give it a try -- I'm 99% sure you will love it!!!!!!

Edited April 28, 2008 by Eddy

[rknapp]

How dare you complaining about WinME? *pets screen: he didn't mean it like that*

 

Tob

I meant every word. When I switched from WinME to Win2k, life was worth living. My grades improved dramatically, I was happy (for once!) and the BSOD was a thing of the past. I upgrade way back in 2002 and I haven't had major system trouble since then beyond the occasional bug that pops up around formatting time anyway.

 

You might think I'm kidding or being dramatic, but I'm dead serious.

[GaryK]

WinME was the kind of OS where it either worked fine or it was totally buggy. There seemed to be no middle ground. I know someone who is still using it and it works fine. As for me I skipped it and waited until Win2K was released.

[DragonFire]

I think that without doubt Windows XP has been the best OS. Whilst I do like Vista, or at least the concept, it does have issues with certain programs, and has more bugs than you can shake a stick at.

I have both versions on Vista [32 and 64 bit], both on my laptop and desktop, and it's the 32bit that is causing me the most problems. From browser to security issues, it's still failing badly where XP and to a certain extent the 64bit Vista are quite strong.

 

There is no logical reason for the anomaly between the two versions of Vista, and quite frankly I'll be glad when Windows 7 gets the all clear. It can't be any worse...can it?

[Rabble_Rouser]

Windows 7 looks like it will solve most of the pet peeves people had with Vista. In reality Windows 7 is really Vista SP2. MS is hoping to keep the progress\improvements they did with Vista and upgrade\tweek the interface to ditch the annoying parts.

 

One of the big reasons people had so many problems with Vista (although I'm sure there have been whole thesis papers done on the "why" of problems with the Windows OS) is the move to 64-bit architecture. I expect Apple will go thru some of the same pain as MS did with Vista when they introduce Snow Leopard in the fall. (although probably less due to the UNIX based architecture and the fact they control the hardware design). In order to continue with performance improvements both the hardware and software need to move to 64-bit as 32-bit designs limit your ability to get the most out of current hardware.

 

Microsoft's biggest problem has always been trying to support legacy (read "old") hardware and software to prevent a backlash from owners complaining that their favourite hardware\software won't work on the new version of Windows.

[Rabble_Rouser]

Oh, yeah an opinion was what I forgot:

 

- Skip Vista and give Windows 7 a whirl, you won't regret it.

- Windows ME is probably the worst Windows version EVER!

- I'm retiring my beast of a computer next month and am giving Mac OS X a shot.

[Hoskins]

I do computers for a living and I have quite a few various and sundry virtual and physical machines with different OS's and configurations. I get asked "which one is the best" a lot. The answer to that question is best answered with a question - what are you doing to do with it?

 

On the personal side, my favorite OS for home use is a Mac running Leopard. It's so easy to use the OS is transparent. I write a fair bit and I use Pages. I don't get bothered by little paper clips or handy tips or annoying "ribbons". So yeah.

I can't wait for SL to come out. It will probably kill my Mac mini though. I hate HATE HATE trying to get printing to work on a Mac tho. I end up making PDFs and sending em to a PC to print. Frustrating.

 

My workhorse OS is Vista 64 bit. Its stable, I've shut off all the annoying bits, and it runs VMs like a champ. I tend to run systems hard, lots of apps open and lots of strange programs. Vista lets me do this and crash programs out when needed without stopping anything else or getting shaky. It handles virtualization much better than XP does, also.

 

I've been running Windows 7 as a virtual machine and it seems fine and has some definite improvements over Vista, I need to spend more time with it.

 

So to sum up: I like Mac over PC for ease of use and Vista when I need to get serious about working some systems. I like the idea of Windows 7 but it's too early to form an opinion, except for one: IE 8 stinks.

[Sir Galahad]

This is going to buck the trend, but Vista 64bit edition I feel is the best system to date. Yeah it did have an awful lot of problems when it was first released, but is very stable now.

 

Win 7 still has issues, especially with the top end graphics cards. I imagine these will be worked out in due course, so will grab my free copy and give it a go....in 6 months!

[Kia Zi Shiru]

my first computer was a Macintosh II (build around 1987/1988) meaning when i got it at my 8th birthday, it was almost as old as I was. After that, I grew up with it.

The first M$ computer to get into out house was when I had to use it for school at the age of 13. I've had a 98 and an XP.

Now I have linux (debian lenny) on my laptop and I do like this one over both of the others.

My second choice would be an apple, mostly because I grew up with it and just love the way everything works.

and I detest M$, they work like shit and they are annoying as hell (my personal opinion).

 

(and to people who want to tell me that ubuntu for the eeepc (also known as EasyPeasy) is a good way to go... I killed it after I thought 2 gig of useless programms should be banned from it... Debian lenny only costs me 1,3 gig (including the programs I wanted on it) and easypeasy costed me around 3,5 gig.)

[Tarin]

Presently I am running Symbian S60, and I <3 it. Yeah, yeah, I know it is for smartphones but that s what I'm on right now.

 

My PC at home is WinVista64 home extended or some mouthful like that. I hate how it operates, but I've never had it crash so I cannot complain too much. I do have issues with my wi-fi but I think that might be some HP useless software.

 

I've always wanted to try SUSE Linux, but I've never had the balls to. I tries once on an old PC, but it didn't have enough RAM to run the OS!

 

Anyone have any comments on Chrome OS? I'm sick of Google at this point.v

[Phantom]

I'm gonna make it quick...

 

I hate the idea of windows but since I do use it for work and need to use specific MS applications, I'm stuck with it. When they released Windows 7 RC1 and beta, I ditched windows xp for it. I have to say I love it a lot.

 

Now, on my netbook I use Windows XP, but that is until Google Chrome OS is released that or I get off my lazy butt and go and compile Android (a different Google OS).

 

But out of all OS's that I've used, I prefer Kubuntu (KDE GUI running on Ubuntu). It's a really nice system and very stable, but unfortunately for me, my desktop and netbook doesn't have the support that I need for NVIDIA drivers (I use an Nvidia motherboard) and linux is very 'special' when it comes to non-opensource hardware and drivers.

 

The next system I'm going to build when I have the time and money is going to probably be a media center PC that is compatible with Linux. If not I'll probably go with a Mac-Mini because I actually liked using Mac. Until then I'll stick with windows 7

 

 

PS: Forgot to mention, I've used Mac OSX before and while it was new, I liked it. It was a nice change of pace and very Unix similar. I liked it mainly for the graphics aspect of it, but it was also a nice clean system to use and very innovative, but something that I can chalk up to the would be nice ideas.

[TheGreyFrost.HW]

Currently I'm a Linux user. My laptop came with Vista but it kept crashing and freezing up. Before that I'd have to see I really liked XP. Not sure how the new Windows is gonna go. Was thinking of getting another hard drive with Windows.

[Emulated]

Windows XP all the way!

 

Win 7 still has issues, especially with the top end graphics cards. I imagine these will be worked out in due course, so will grab my free copy and give it a go....in 6 months!

Yes, we all know about you and your graphics cards! Or more to the point, how Win7 doesn't seem to like you that much!

[shadowgod]

 

The next system I'm going to build when I have the time and money is going to probably be a media center PC that is compatible with Linux. If not I'll probably go with a Mac-Mini because I actually liked using Mac. Until then I'll stick with windows 7

 

 

Eric are you feeling alright? Cause damn I remember someone telling me off for going to a closed system....

 

Its a toss I use windows xp and vista and OS X Leopard.

 

XP is on the desktop. Vista is on the hp laptop as well as on the macbook pro using bootcamp.

 

All and all OSX is damn pretty but I prefer to use windows. Ive had the macbook for about 3 months and in that three months my overall computer usage has dropped. I wont list the reason as there are many little things that have contributed to this, but the biggest on ehas been the Mac experience.

 

Its beautiful and intuitive and "almost" everything apple advertises. Still I find it just off. I would prefer to run the windows installation, but it doesnt seem to be overly stable while running on the Mac.

 

I should try an XP installation perhaps. Then I am shallow and much prefer the dark vista themeing over the XP theming...

[Niwa Fox Rose]

Well I use Vista, but I prefer OS X leopard. It just worked better during my Electronic Music class I took. I miss those Macs! D: