Could you ditch Windows?
A few years ago the idea of running an office without Microsoft Windows was an unlikely scenario.
Since Windows 3.1 came out, and subsequently the 95, 98, 98SE, Me, NT, 2000, XP and now Vista variants it’s pretty much been at the core of most computer systems. But could you run your computing life without it? What are the alternatives?
At Elmnet we run Apple Macintosh computers. We’ve used PC’s before, and they were OK, but we needed more processing power and the only machine really up to the job was a Mac Pro. The newer Intel Mac Pro range allow the user to install and use just about any operating system, for us this is very handy for checking websites in different browsers on different platforms. Before we launch a site it is checked in IE, Firefox, Opera and Safari on Vista, XP, Mac OSX and Ubuntu Linux. In doing this we’ve become quite used to different operating systems, and we reckon that a user can quite easily get by without having to turn to Microsoft.
XP is old now and is showing it’s age, but it still works and as long as people are unimpressed with Vista will continue to feature. Personally I quite like Vista, but then our computers had plenty of RAM in them – vital for Vista to perform even reasonably. The problem is that Vista needs at least 3GB of RAM to function properly, and could benefit from much more, but the standard 32 Bit operating system can only handle 3.5GB max. For us this is a non starter – our work means that we need at least 8GB, but a standard office instalation can probably do fine with Vista on 3GB.
Linux is both the new kid on the block and the old timer! It’s been around for forty years, but it’s new to lots of people as it has become increasingly reported on in the computing press. It is more complex to set up and administer than Windows, and there are not as many applications available for it, but it’s far more stable, just as productive (most web servers are based on Linux) and some of them are even free. If you want to try it out download a Live CD of Ubuntu – you can run it direct from the disk without changing your computer configuration and see for yourself.
The jewel in the crown for me has to be Apple’s beautiful OSX though. It’s come a long way since it’s introduction in 2002, and is quick, stable, full of features and doesn’t need that much RAM to work well. One of the reasons behind it’s stability is Apples insistence that OSX only runs on Apple computers. This means that they can control the whole hardware and software package leading to a much more tightly integrated and efficient overall package.
The verdict?
OSX wins for sure, but at a price. Macs are not cheap, but they age well. If you’re an advanced user then you’ll love Linux, as there is plenty of opportunity to tinker under the hood! If you’re not an expert though, and you don’t have the budget for a Mac then I would still go for Windows over Linux for now as it’s easier to maintain and there is more out there for it. Linux will have it’s day, but that day isn’t here just yet!
