ONE reason why OS X is better than Vista and Linux

Davey Winder
Wednesday, 10 September 2008 05:19

Business IT - Technology

Vista looks nice, if you like that kind of thing, but cannot compete with OS X when it comes to such things as the Time Machine back up functionality, the web clips to widgets conversion, the virtual workspaces. All of which 'just work' and that's that.

Linux can, of course, claim to be capable of matching OS X for functionality but it comes via the customisation route than courtesy of out of the box usability. You might argue that this is a good thing, and it is. But only if you are a geek.

Try explaining to my 75 year old mother how to configure a Linux machine to do what she wants, and why that is a better approach than a MacBook which does everything she wants, when she wants and without any hard work on her part.

OS X scores highly in the usability front because of the consistency factor with most every application sharing a look and feel. Neither Vista nor Linux can match that.

Which in turn leads us to usability through intuitiveness. There is no learning curve on a Mac. Drag and Drop is not a hard concept to crack, after all.

Look, the whole Mac is better than Linux is better than Windows thread is, when all is said and done, just a bit of fun. Everyone wants and needs different things from the computer, and the operating system, they use.

So while OS X is the best operating system in terms of usability, security and stability you might conclude that Linux gets the nod when approaching the argument from the customisation angle and Windows Vista, well, I am sure someone will be along in a moment to suggest something...