Mac vs Windows vs Linux: Every OS Sucks!

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Thankful for Thanksgiving, Thanks!  - Nov 20, 2007 Internet Dating Tips for Geeks  - Nov 20, 2007 Do Macs Get Viruses? Anti-Virus for OS X?  - Nov 20, 2007Mac vs Windows vs Linux: Every OS Sucks! - Nov 20, 2007 Do Macs Get Viruses? Anti-Virus for OS X?  - Nov 20, 2007

1. How DARE you say Windows sucks!

Don’t you know that the goal of running on every piece of hardware made after January 1, 1980 is an impossible goal? They’re doing a better job of running on everything PC than anyone!!

2. How DARE you say Linux sucks!

It’s not a fixed code-base. It’s 100% customizable and can run on anything from your wristwatch to your toaster. It only sucks if you make it suck. Therefore, you suck.

3. How DARE you say Mac OS X sucks?

You must be on the Microsoft payroll! Are you Dvorak? Apple products are perfect in every way!!

Did I forget anything?

Chris Pirillo »Mac vs Windows vs Linux: Every OS Sucks!Posted 2 hours ago

I do agree with you about hype but I can’t say that really exists too much on the Mac side it’s more of a PC side thing in my experience. Most people don’t do any research when they buy a computer rather they buy whatever the sales person tells them to. The sales person will sell them whatever product is paying them the biggest spiff (is a small, immediate bonus for a sale). Apple does not offer any spiffs. Man want to be part of the herd, they want what everyone else has and if it works for them great. They keep those of us in support working.

Im not sure that I agree with you that all OS’s suck. I do think some suck less and here is why. I am an IT person and I have been supporting both Mac’s and PC’s for many years.

I have found the following to be true most IT people HATE anything to do with Apple not because Windows is any better many times they have never used a Mac. Here is what is really going on they are scared of the Mac or Linux for that matter because they have invested perhaps years learning Windows and they feel threatened by any thing that’s different. Also they know this simple fact the more computer problems you have the more money they will make or the safer their job will be.

While I like Windows XP over Vista I do prefer Mac’s. Why? Because they are less work and cost less in the end game. I have to spend big bucks to keep Windows computers humming along. I never have to deal with Viruses and Spyware, random DLLs problems on the Mac OS like I do on the PC. Lets not forget registry bloat problems too! I have never installed a Mac driver and had it thrash the OS like I have on the PC. Yes, still feeling the 2000, XP, Vista pain.

So while I love the Mac’s I know the sad truth of the matter is that I earn my living mostly supporting problems with Windows.

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wrong country. Any one of these would have been more than adequate for a science-fiction novel. But if you suggested doing them all and presenting that as an imaginary future, they’d not only show you the door, they’d probably call security.Every OSsucks! Just in different ways. Two mental blocks to making money. Actually, it really should be only one: By focusing on trying to get money, you’re missing the point. The point is to provide value to others. This means serving people in a way they

I agree with you - use the OS that fits your needs best. I have been
a Mac user and owner since 1984 and an Apple user since before that.
I use them at work (video post production facility) and at home.
They work best for me and the way I think. However, I also use
Windows in various flavors at work for Scheduall and some file
servers. You know what? Windows works just fine. It’s very
different from OS X, but once I learned a few things and remained
patient I was able to move forward and get work done. I generally
don’t recommend that Windows people switch to Mac unless they are
pretty geeky, are good problem solvers and have an open mind. For
normal folk it will be a frustrating and alienating experience unless
they have a Mac buddy nearby to hold their hand as they relearn the
even most basic functions. I have been through that a couple of
times with friends.

Anyway thanks for making a good point. Every OS does suck and every OS rules.

And so it goes.

One Laptop Per Child vs Asus Eee Notebook PC  - Nov 21, 2007  - chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) Internet Dating Tips for Geeks  - Nov 21, 2007  - chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo)Mac vs Windows vs Linux: Every OS Sucks! - Nov 21, 2007  - chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo)

OK… Chris… totally agree. I have been a lifelong Mac user and I must say… Apple’s OS X has significant flaws… I still throw my lot to Apple. I know first hand that Apple’s marketing hype is… just that “hype”… It’s like a friendship… you put up with the short comings because you appreciate the good things that come from the friendship. You also appreciate the kind of friend because it brings out the best in you. Mac OS X is not better than Windows or Linux… but it brings out the best in me.

I think Welshdog hits an important note. Almost everyone with a computer runs into serious, almost unsolvable problems at one point. At this point, he or she must go for help. I suggest that people choose the platform with the best local help. If your good friend and neighbor uses macs, go for macs. If the reverse is true, do the reverse. In worst case scenarios, take your computer to the local fix-it shop (or Apple store) and get help. If this is a work computer, same is true.

By the way, this is a reason that I like laptops over desktops: its a lot easier to take them to a help location.

So, when buying a computer, seek advice from the person who will be your major support. And make a contract, real or implicit, with that person to be your help provider.

I dabble in all 3 OSes almost on a daily basis and I made a living babysitting the Windows World for a while. Linux is for computer shade-tree mechanics and in my experience, Mac OS X for the most part gets out of the way so I can get work done.

I have Mac OS X Leopard running on my system at the moment and some apps have not caught up with it yet, which after a whole year of “waiting” just seems wrong to me.

If I were to go whole hog with Vista, I have driver issues. If I dink with Linux I have to figure out which drivers work with which hardware and Linux distributions. So I sell Macs. They are low maintenance hardware and software systems. And I am not afraid to “loose my job” for using them. My customer are happy and I don’t have to be a babysitter for them. Life is too short to be a shade-tree mechanic on computers.

Glad to see you’re stepping back from the kool-aid induced newb zealotry that you’ve been exhibiting since roughly a year ago where Apple is perfection epitomized and Microsoft is dastardly disasterous. Nice to see some perspective return.

Hi Chris,

The best operating system for a given user is the one that causes the least number of problems for that user. If we define “problem” as a difficulty that is not easily solved without technical skills beyond those of the average user, that excludes the geeks who just love having a puzzle to solve and ***** about later.

Easily 90% of users just want to turn the machine on and check their email, surf to Amazon or their favorite porn site, and so forth. If they want to do homework or make up a flyer for the quilting society, they want to do it in a word processing program they are familiar with, without messing around with complications of any kind. People like the familiar. I have a family member who once ran a nuclear power plant who won’t switch from AOL because he simply doesn’t want to take the trouble to learn a new system.

If these users started on Windows, the best system for them is Windows; if Mac, then Mac. They don’t want the hassles, even the little ones, of changing the way they do things on the computer, which to them is like the TV — turn it on, and it’s supposed to do what you want, and they couldn’t care less about the magic inside. I may well switch to Mac with my next machine, or to Linux, but I will not recommend either change to most people for the above reasons. Linux, in particular, will not become mainstream, in my opinion, until applications like Word, PhotoShop and T-Shirt Printing for Idiots work seamlessly out of the box. This will involve developers getting together on a distro, and working on it for maximum compatibility with computing’s legacy programs — the ones most of the world uses.

Until then — until all the fan-boys and -girls get their heads out of the sand and go for compatibility instead of parity — the best operating system for most users will remain Windows, whether we like it or not.
–
Bill

to start off. i think windows xp is the best for reliablility. it has crashed on my once and that was because i was playin around in the regestry. linux isn’t as reliable but is great for playing around and customizing if you know what your doin. Ubuntu and SUSE are my two favorite. Redhat is in a whole different relm of linux and is better for companies than the average user.