OS Smackdown: Linux vs. Mac OS X vs. Vista vs. XP

Michael DeAgonia, Preston Gralla, David Ramel and James Turner,
Computerworld

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/147262/os_smackdown_linux_vs_mac_os_x_vs_vista_vs_xp.html

In comp.os.linux.advocacy, Ablang
<ron916@gmail.com>
 wrote
on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:48:30 -0700 (PDT)
<1fc9ff8c-d6e9-486b-956b-a34f943d8699@m3g2000hsc.googlegroups.com>:
> OS Smackdown: Linux vs. Mac OS X vs. Vista vs. XP
>
> Michael DeAgonia, Preston Gralla, David Ramel and James Turner,
> Computerworld
>
> http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/147262/os_smackdown_linux_vs_mac_os_x_vs_vista_vs_xp.html
>

Linux: Light on its feet and ready to strut its stuff
Size and Speed
Stability, Security, Transparency, Flexibility
Applications and Interface

[Evaluation: reasonably good, though it mentions a 486, which
might turn off people.  Specifics on video and audio editing
(such as Audacity and Rosegarden) would have been nice.  Oddly,
it mentions Silverlight.]

Mac OSX: All You Need In One Dynamite Package
A complete software/hardware ecosystem
Elegance and ease of use
Security

[Evaluation: A little strange.  "Unity of purpose"?
"Hardware/software ecosystem"?  If I want an ecosystem
I'll buy a terrarium or fish tank, thanks.  I'll give
Leopard points for elegance, certainly.]

Vista: The best there is (despite the bad rep)
Interface, tweakability, and extras
Best choice of software
Security
Why it beats the competition

[Evaluation: The article goes into rather long detail
as to why Vista's Aero features are desirable, but does
not mention what one can do on non-Aero machines.  I
wonder what "enterprise software" means in this context.
Cheapness apparently counts, too -- but not if one
wants to run Aero.  Why does Minesweeper need DirectX 9?
And badmouthing one's predecessor makes one look...strange.]

Windows XP The people's choice
The people have spoken.  Windows XP rules.
Security
All the features you need.
Mac Or Linux -- why bother?

[Evaluation: The article starts with mentioning major
customer resistance to the Vista "'upgrade'".  It also
mentions that XP is faster than Vista, points to a site
that allows simulation of some Vista features in XP,
criticizes the Mac for being slightly elitist and Linux
for not being ready for the desktop only having 1%
of the desktop market, and way too many choices for
a cubicle stiff to handle.  Apparently wireless connectivity
was a problem here, too; it can be tricky.  "I just want
to work".]

[Conclusion: It's interesting but I'd take it with a large grain of
salt.]

-- 
#191, ewill3@earthlink.net
People think that libraries are safe.  They're wrong.  They have ideas.
(Also occasionally ectoplasmic slime and cute librarians.)
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

Verily I say unto thee, that Ablang spake thusly:
> OS Smackdown: Linux vs. Mac OS X vs. Vista vs. XP
> 
> Michael DeAgonia, Preston Gralla, David Ramel and James Turner, 
> Computerworld
> 
> http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/147262/os_smackdown_linux_vs_mac_os_x_vs_vista_vs_xp.html

And the conclusion that XP "wins" is drawn by a self-described
"run-of-the-mill cubicle stiff", based primarily on the assertion that
he prefers products just because they have a bigger market share. He
also misattributes this /ubiquity/ to /popularity/ ("The people have
spoken"), whilst conveniently ignoring Microsoft's racketeering as the
actual cause of that ubiquity.

According to eye-witnesses, after completing his contractually obliged
Microsoft evangelism, the author then left the premises in a rather naff
Volkswagen Beetle [1], went to eat an ulcer-inducing sawdust-burger at
McDonalds [2], before going home and settling down to an evening of
mindless banality and cringe-worthy Reality Television "entertainment"
with "American Idol" [3].


[1] "The Beetle is the world's best-selling car design"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Beetle

[2] "McDonald's is the world's largest chain of fast food restaurants,"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald%27s

[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Idol#Television_ratings


But then I keep forgetting ... bigger *always* equals "better".

According to the sheep, that is.

Baa.

-- 
K.
http://slated.org

..----
| "Stallman has frequently pointed out, Free Software is by no means
| antithetical to making money: it's just a question of how you make
| money." ~ Glyn Moody: http://tinyurl.com/4wn2l2 (ComputerworldUK)
`----

Fedora release 8 (Werewolf) on sky, running kernel 2.6.23.8-63.fc8
 11:23:40 up 183 days,  7:59,  3 users,  load average: 0.01, 0.02, 0.04

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____/ Homer on Saturday 21 June 2008 11:24 : \____

> Verily I say unto thee, that Ablang spake thusly:
>> OS Smackdown: Linux vs. Mac OS X vs. Vista vs. XP
>> 
>> Michael DeAgonia, Preston Gralla, David Ramel and James Turner,
>> Computerworld
>> 
>>
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/147262/os_smackdown_linux_vs_mac_os_x_vs_vista_vs_xp.html
> 
> And the conclusion that XP "wins" is drawn by a self-described
> "run-of-the-mill cubicle stiff", based primarily on the assertion that
> he prefers products just because they have a bigger market share. He
> also misattributes this /ubiquity/ to /popularity/ ("The people have
> spoken"), whilst conveniently ignoring Microsoft's racketeering as the
> actual cause of that ubiquity.
> 
> According to eye-witnesses, after completing his contractually obliged
> Microsoft evangelism, the author then left the premises in a rather naff
> Volkswagen Beetle [1], went to eat an ulcer-inducing sawdust-burger at
> McDonalds [2], before going home and settling down to an evening of
> mindless banality and cringe-worthy Reality Television "entertainment"
> with "American Idol" [3].
> 
> 
> [1] "The Beetle is the world's best-selling car design"
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Beetle
> 
> [2] "McDonald's is the world's largest chain of fast food restaurants,"
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald%27s
> 
> [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Idol#Television_ratings
> 
> 
> But then I keep forgetting ... bigger *always* equals "better".

No, but the conclusion best received by a majority of the crowd, to whom
justifying bad choices is important.

> According to the sheep, that is.
> 
> Baa.

The world is flat, too.

- -- 
                ~~ Best of wishes

Roy S. Schestowitz      | Useless fact: A dragonfly only lives for one day
http://Schestowitz.com  |  Open Prospects   |     PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
Tasks: 164 total,   1 running, 163 sleeping,   0 stopped,   0 zombie
      http://iuron.com - knowledge engine, not a search engine
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