It talks to all system and external hardware, loads programs into memory, connects to the internet, and manages storage on disks.
#Linux vs ubuntu vs mac software#
Windows: Which OS Really Is the Best? What Is an Operating System?Īn operating system is the software that makes your computer work at all. Even further from the scope of this article are some bizarre and obscure operating systems most have never heard of.įor a blow-by-blow comparison of the two leading choices, Windows and macOS, read macOS vs. We’ll leave IBM i, Suse Linux, server OSes, and the rest for another day. In this mini-roundup, we’re just talking about consumer operating systems. You can also create a Linux partition on a Windows PC and boot to that when the need arises. For example, you can run Windows on a Mac inside a virtual machine (VM) or dual-boot using Boot Camp. Of course, if you need to run software that only runs on a particular operating system (usually Windows or macOS), then you’re somewhat limited, though there are ways around those obstacles with multi-boot setups and virtualization software. Windows and macOS are generally the most powerful in terms of hardware and software options as well as interface conveniences and utilities, while Chrome OS is more lightweight and runs on inexpensive hardware. Three of them come from gargantuan commercial tech giants, while one, the Linux-based Ubuntu, is a free, open-source option. Though that’s not a huge number, they definitely are options, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. The four OSes included here are the most viable options. You don’t have many choices when it comes to operating systems, but the choice you make can have far-ranging effects on your computing experience.