Mac OS X Leopard vs. Windows Vista vs. Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon

Quick warning, as you can see from the title of my blog, i’m a Ubuntu fan, so my perspective is not a neutral one, nor is it being presented as such, you have been warned!

I’ve been following all the debate and divided opinion across the net and the blogosphere about how the 3 operating systems square up to each other. I find this an interesting debate, interesting in the fact that Linux is actually being considered as an alternative to the big two.

This is a huge development. Kudos and pats on various backs must be distributed around Linux development houses for this. Usually Linux is the joke alternative, usually given a single line at the end of these comparisons, now its *almost* being considered seriously.

In my, humble opinion, I think alot of this has to do with the new focus on ‘eye-candy’. One of Vista’s huge new features is the Aero visual interface. Now I’ve seen it in action, as well as Mac OS X’ interface, and I honestly think that neither of them compare with my Compiz-Fusion enhanced Ubuntu desktop.

This is a standard Vista desktop. Even I’ll admit that it looks quite shiny and sleek. Here’s an OS X desktop,

Also pretty nice, I can see why people like the simplicity of the dock, and the interface as a whole, now for a Ubuntu desktop,

…..Wait a second…. isn’t that a Mac OS X screenshot?…..Ok lets look at another one….

NOW COME ON!!

As you can see, with a bit of modification, Ubuntu can be modded to look like either, or, if you really wanted to, look like this….

My (rather obscure) point is that, with visual appeal coming to the fore, Linux’s unlimited modification possibility’s are appealing to people who want a custom desktop.

One cannot enter into a Linux vs. {insert OS here} debate without the price issue coming up, yes, linux is, mostly, free, and I believe that if PC’s were supplied without an operating system, this would be a major ’selling’ point, but PC’s aren’t. They come with Windows, or Mac OS X. Therefore, people don’t feel as if this is an issue, I don’t feel as if i paid for Windows, I feel as though it came with my laptop. I actually think people who completely switch to Linux by uninstalling the pre-set OS are quite stupid, you paid for it, so you may as well use it. Dual-Boot.

An interesting facet of the price issue is the example set by companies like Everex, with the gPC (which runs a modified variant of Ubuntu), and Asus, who’s Eee PC runs Xandros Linux. All of these manufacturers offer pre installed Linux to keep the price down, and make the PC’s appealing to the “I just want something to surf the net and play my music crowd”. And this has become an amazing success, with Wal-Mart selling out of the gPC all over, the glowing reviews on the product page just show that Linux is no longer the preserve of the l33t h4×0rs of this world

One of Ubuntu’s main philosophies is that they try to have it so everything just works, it will recognise mostly all of your hardware and eliminate the bane that is locating and installing drivers, when I went to Ubuntu, I didn’t expect everything to work, but I was amazed when it did, i was able to use all the devices i usually use without problem, like my mp3 player! When you consider that so many things don’t work with Apple Macs, this makes Ubuntu more and more appealing.

Security, what can I say that hasn’t already been said? Nothing thats what. It baffles me so that people still use Windows despite its vulnerability to viruses. The constant scanning and updating sofware is painful, and also a chore that shockingly many novice users don’t do, give them a Ubuntu PC and they’ll never have to worry about any of that unnecessary hassle.

In summation, who will win the OS fight? Em duh.. Vista, but Linux will be second. I don’t forecast a sudden takeover by Linux because of the reasons i stated above, but i do expect a steady increase in numbers of people using Linux over the coming years, just look at these figures (scroll down).

And that folks, is my humble opinion.

I don’t express any claim to ownership of the copyright of above images, i merely picked them up from the net, don’t sue me!

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