Technology has brought us to a level where we can confidently make comparisons between these three platforms. Who would have ever thought that we’d reach a day where competition would be so stiff in the market to warrant for such comparisons? Even with the battle for supremacy continuing, let’s take a few minutes to understand the good and the bad of each of these operating systems. Today, the market is dominated by Windows PCs but does that mean that the Windows OS is the victor? We’ll find out in a short while.
Windows
With a market popularity ratio of almost 90 percent, Windows operating system dominates the rest in terms of the total market share. This dominance is understandable considering the fact that the OS was introduced in 1985. Over the years the operating system has continued to evolve to become one of the most mature and complete piece of software. The journey though has not been a cakewalk because some of their releases have been criticized heavily.
Pros of using Windows
- Compatibility – the OS is compatible with most drivers, games and applications
- Technical support – it’s quite easy to find these kinds of supports when using Windows because of its popularity.
- Huge functionality – once you fully understand how the OS operates, you can do anything with it.
Cons
- The operating system is prone to viruses and other malicious applications
- Windows was heavily criticized for the Windows Vista and Windows 7. These two versions require lots of resources to operate hence rendering them slow.
- It’s kind of pricy
Macintosh
In terms of market share dominance, Windows clearly trumps Mac OS. It ranks second to Windows.Even with that said, Mac OS belonging to the Apple franchise is still a big player in the industry. Besides the popularity, everything about Mac OS is superior to both Windows and Linux. Designed as a graphical-based OS, Mac became the first to succeed in the platform. You can find more about Apple laptops from here.
Pros
- Mac has a complete software/hardware ecosystem – Mac is without a doubt the best integration operating system that is currently available in the market. The manufacturers of the OS chose to give emphasis on creating a software/hardware ecosystem that specifically gets your computer to do that which it was bought to do.
- Elegance and ease of use – everything about Mac is prettier than windows; from the hardware to its software. The operating systems are easy to use to an extent that Apple does not even bother to give full manuals for the same.
- Security- Apple computers rarely fall victims of viruses.
- Super reliable – the fact that the OS only runs on Apple computers makes them less vulnerable to hardware and software crashing.
Cons
- They are slightly expensive even when compared to Windows
- They are only limited to Apple PCs
- Capable of only supporting a few programs
Linux
Among the three, Linux is the least popular operating system with the smallest market share ratio. The best thing about Linux is that it is available to consumers for free. That means you can download it, install it and even redistribute it free of charge.
Pros
- It’s free to download and install
- Available in different varieties i.e. Ubuntu, Fedora and Mint
- The operating system is virus free
Cons
- The operating system is complicated to work with and requires a good deal of knowledge to operate.
- It’s only compatible with a few applications
- There are no vendors who sell Linux computers. Therefore, you’ll have to buy a Windows computer are reformat it before installing your LinuxOS.
Bottom line
From the analysis above, it is quite clear to say that the Mac OS is the best operating system that is currently available in the market not only because of its looks but functionality as well.
