My favorite PC is an ancient HP Compaq featuring the ability to boot into four different operating systems:
Three of them are Linux-based.
One is Microsoft-based.
And none are macOS-based.
***
I read an article about which operating system you should use: Windows, macOS or Linux.
It was well written like too few of the pieces to be found on this subject are, but also too short to render all the possibilities–pros and cons, for running any of these systems.
As someone who runs all three systems in various configurations of hardware and software, I was disappointed the article failed to mention the intangible and subjective noun that is excitement.
Back during the Microsoft-Apple desktop operating system wars, excitement was a word bandied about by users of both tech companies’ systems–Windows and Mac. Linux was really not in the conversation.
Now, however I would suggest times have changed and the real fun and quality experience of using a desktop computer can be had when running a Linux OS distribution.
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My quadruple-boot Core 2 Duo Intel processor PC runs my choice at boot startup of either Zorin 12.4, Deepin 15.9.3, Linux Lite 4.4 (which I’m typing this on now) or Windows 10.
If I wanted the ability to boot into macOS (legally) on this system I would need an actual Mac to run macOS and then I could run the other operating systems mentioned above on the Mac, too–which, as they say, kind of defeats the whole reason for using a Mac in the first place and which, I might also add contributes to the difficulty of consumers to justify the Apple tax they must pay when buying a Mac.
***
Macs are overpriced. And Apple renders them obsolete after a certain number of years as to the ability of the hardware to keep up and run Apple’s latest and most current version of macOS software.
Apple has to make money and I get it.
Plus, there’s Linux if you want to run a modern operating system on older hardware like I do.
While Windows 10 runs alright on the 1.83 GHz Intel processor, it is the slowest OS of the four systems on the PC. There is also the annoying time suck that is Windows operating system updates–big, time-consuming and restart-intensive.
***
All of my Linux systems update all the software at once. It doesn’t take as long as Windows. With Macs and Windows PCs you have to update the individual software like browsers (Firefox, Chrome, etc.) unless in the case of Macs it’s Apple software like the macOS itself or something like iTunes–which all gets done via Software Update functions in the App Store.
Only Linux offers the seamless ability to update everything at once. When you combine that with the ability to run a secure, modern OS on a less than modern PC, that’s exciting!
Another thing that is fun is the ability to make many Linux distributions appear like either macOS or Windows. Granted, it’s not completely the same as a Mac or Windows PC, but using skins in conjunction with having familiar looking drop-down menus, start menus, docks, cursors and/or windows with minimizing/maximizing looks that mimic either Windows or Mac makes for familiar good times.
Sure, at the end of the day I need to get work done and I don’t have precious time to waste messing around with a tool that doesn’t do what I need it to.
But, you undoubtedly can’t go wrong using either Windows, Mac or Linux to get work done.
If you want to have some fun while toiling away, however, trying out a new Linux distribution on an otherwise forgotten PC may be just the right mixture of fun, accomplishment and cost-effectiveness that brings the excitement back to personal computing.
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doug
Why did you include MacOS in the article? You don’t use the OS as you state and only make annoying inferences to what you think of it. I’ll admit my linux knowledge is lacking and I don’t know how seamless the update process is on it but MacOS updates (and most of the applications that I use as well) come down automatically without any interruption most times and if a reboot is required on one, it is normally only couple months and only a few minutes of down time.
It is also true that Apple entually leaves behind older hardware, but it is not like systems become obsolete and insecure a couple years after purchase. I’m writing back to you on my 2012 macbook pro, running the current version of the MacOS and it will probably get 1 or 2 more. Apple creates security updates for the past 2-3 versions of the OS so this laptop will have been fully supported for most of a decade if I want to keep it online that long.
As for excitement, I use virtualization so no reboot required and I have access to XP, Windows 7, Server 2012, and Windows 10 and I have a co-worker who also keeps a linux distro up and running.
My only annoyance with this laptop is that it is still working too well so I have not been able to justify upgrading and enjoying the speed toys of the next generation of Mac’s.
Harvey Lubin
“Macs are overpriced. And Apple renders them obsolete after a certain number of years as to the ability of the hardware to keep up and run Apple’s latest and most current version of macOS software.”
Those are two dubious assumptions.
On Macs being “overpriced”, wise consumers understand that the cost of any commodity is not just the sticker price. They know that there are other costs involved such as maintenance, service, and longevity (more on that one to follow).
IBM has been switching hundreds of thousands of its employees from Windows PCs Macs, because it found Macs to be much less costly. There have been many articles about this. You could search for this article online: “Macs are a third as expensive to own as Windows PCs, IBM’s IT guy says”.
For this reason, many other companies have also been either buying Macs for their employees to use at work, or allowing employees to bring in their own Macs to work.
And as for Apple rendering Macs “obsolete after a certain number of years as to the ability of the hardware to keep up and run Apple’s latest and most current version of macOS software”, that is blatantly untrue.
Owners keep and use their Macs much longer than Windows PC owners. The reasons are twofold: 1) Unlike Windows PCs Macs are built to last, and 2) Apple has been optimizing its macOS operating system with each major version, allowing Macs to run faster (not slower) on each major update.
As for #1, I can attest to the fact that I have always kept my Macs for many years. In fact, I recently sold a 14 year old Mac that was still running perfectly. As for #2, even the most recent version of macOS (Mojave) runs noticeably faster than the previous version (High Sierra). This is because Apple optimizes each succeeding version in many ways. For the next version of macOS, Apple is removing all of the 32-bit cruft, making it a 64-bit-only operating system (32-bit applications will no longer run on it).
Everyone has certain biases, and I do understand you as a Linux user having yours. But sometimes being biased impedes and limits your intake of knowledge to similarly biased misinformation about other computer systems.
John Davis
You might like to read this comparison of the OSes:
https://rixstep.com/2/20190330,00.shtml