Important Note: You need to use the Operating System for which your computer was designed. It should support the applications to accomplish the functions for which you want a computer in the first place. With this said, some computers can operate with more than one operating system. There is considerable discussion among computer support people and others who have used several different systems. I have had modest experience and humbly offer the following:
Microsoft Windows. This is the "elephant in the room." I will not attempt to summarize the history of Windows. If you are reading this you probably know enough write several paragraphs yourself. Let's just say that Microsoft dominates the industry. Microsoft made several persons billionaires and they made many people millionaires. The company was hugely successful. The success was due to business acumen and marketing genius. The product is only fair to good. For a scholarly discussion of what's wrong with Windows, click here: http://www.arachnoid.com/linux/index.html
Apple MacIntosh. If you own a Mac or Apple Computer, you need that system and you are using what might have become the leader. Apple pioneered the user friendly features of point and click devices. Their Graphical User Interface was so good that Microsoft copied it. (Some say "stole" it.) Unfortunately, the company held fast to proprietary hardware. This kept their prices up which meant that hard-nosed business managers went for the lower cost option: the commodity PC. Nevertheless, there is a large body of loyal Mac users willing to pay the premium.
The Proprietary Software Business Model. Macintosh and Microsoft did not invent this model. But they embrace it.
Many small business use commercial software for billing, customer records, and similar functions. These are frequently more or less standardized across an industry based on the dominance of one or two suppliers whose products were developed for Microsoft operating systems. The business model for such suppliers features proprietary data formats, proprietary processes, software sales, expensive user training, annual "support" agreements, and a steady income stream from captive customers. Microsoft's frequent introduction of changes in its operating systems accompanied by corresponding upgrades of third party software feeds this business model.
Discontent among information technology professionals regarding the abuses of the proprietary software business model has led to the Open Source initiatives including The GNU GPL. This is an international initiative led by scholars and computer professionals. The goal is to make computing more reliable and more available to everyone. Read more at this link: http://www.gnu.org/. Also see the the Free Software Foundation link: http://www.fsf.org/
UNIX and LINUX. The UNIX system and its PC derivative the LINUX system deserve special note. These systems are quite valuable and are widely used in special applications and in applications that require high reliability such as internet servers and office file servers. As does Windows, large UNIX and LINUX installations require systems managers (computer gurus.) If you have a UNIX or LINUX system that is critical to your business applications, you need a dependable UNIX or LINUX system manager to keep the system working properly. These systems do frequently run for months unattended. But no business manager in his right mind would be willing to accept the risk of not having someone available to assign and manage accounts, supervise and verify backup procedures, and respond to contingencies. Contingencies include power outages, the occasional hardware or software failure, and the always-present threat of attack by cyber-terrorists.
Unix and LINUX are not the same! An important distinction must be made: LINUX is Open Source and Free. Unix is Proprietary. Read more at http://www.linux.com/
Once LINUX is installed on a PC, that PC can then access a large body of free applications that rival the best Adobe and Microsoft have to sell. In times past, I used to say "Someday, LINUX and the world of free software may provide a viable alternative to Microsoft's Windows Operating System and the Microsoft Office suite of software." The time has come now to assert that day has arrived. LINUX, most assuredly does often require a greater expenditure of energy and time to install and configure than Windows. But this is being addressed. Some vendors (Dell and Wall Mart, for two) will sell you a computer with LINUX already installed. The improved stability and the access to Open Source Applications are now available to all.
I have personally experimented with several versions of LINUX. I found complexity of installation, steep learning curves, and, sometimes, a shortage of drivers for my particular hardware units. The need to master command line interfaces was a bit of a put-off.
Motivated by the release of Windows 7, I looked again at the current state of LINUX. To my great pleasure, I found that Ubuntu, distributed for free over the internet, installed without any problems in an old Dell Dimension 4550. The human interface (running, mind you, on the obsolete Dell) is every bit as flashy as VISTA's Aero interface which would not even start in this configuration. Much of the functionality one expects from a PC is present: Open Office, Internet and e-mail, local networking, games, sound and video applications. All that, plus access to the open source software world.
Here is a link to the Ubuntu site. Check it out! http://www.ubuntu.com/
Revised: November 11, 2009