I’m sure many people have heard the three names above. They represent three operating systems, probably the three most present in the media in the last three years. What is an operating system? Well, the operating system (I will spare you the textbook definition, useless for the common user) is that program which provides basic functionality and accessibility for your computer. In practice, it allows you to use the computer on a minimum level, foundation upon which you get access to other programs.
This definition has expanded in practice as today operating systems come with software packages which provide a set of computer programs for the most common activities: listening to music, watching movies, editing documents, working with emails and surfing the web. However, the fist question every computer user has had to ask when he/she got their first computer was: which operating system to choose? Back in the old days, Windows was the first accessible operating system for the IBM-PC compatible (aka the first desktop) computer, today there is heavy pressure from the open source market which is gaining momentum due to a very simple fact: Windows costs money while Linux is free! But the question remains: which is the best? continue reading…
