Which OS do you think wins?

[Axxer]

The topic is exactly what it says: which OS do you like best and why? I also would like this to turn into a discussion of advantages/disadvantages of certain OSes versus others. Here is my opinion:

1. Power and Speed: Linux > OS X > Windows
Linux has the best command line and speed. Period. OS X has an excellent command line as well, with plenty of the Unix goodness that Linux has. Windows is a complete mess IMO, so it has speed and feature issues.

2. Usability: OS X > Linux > Windows
OS X is very easy to use, and has the best app-switching available if you use a trackpad. Linux has so many different GUIs there is almost always one to suit your style, but if you don't really have a preference Xubuntu is excellent IMO. Windows GUI is fine, but the ridiculous issues it has sometimes really make the user angry. Plus Windows 8 ruins the traditional desktop, so it loses again.

3. Security: OS X = Linux > Windows
Must I even explain? Unix is more secure than Windows. Keep in mind, though, that this hardly matters for an intelligent user because they are unlikely to go somewhere where they would get a virus. The biggest security hole in the modern computer is the user, so this section is almost rendered moot.

4. Developer Support: Windows > OS X > Linux
Windows has the support of all of the major developers pretty much, along with the support of a ton of minor developers who make freeware or open source software. OS X also has the support of almost all major developers, but not quite as much open source/freeware developers. Linux has very little major developer support, but a lot of open source/freeware support.

My Winner: OS X because it is faster than Windows and has more support than Linux. Otherwise, Linux would win hands down.

I'm working on making a poll, but in the meantime what do you guys think?

[daaceking]

I have only ever used windows and my opinion is that Microsoft doesn't know how to make a decent operating system.

Firstly there are issues with windows 7 such as something as basic a displaying icons in the clock area. Even their browser has security threats according to Norton since version 6. The opengl API has better speeds than DirectX, so why does DirectX even exist? XP was my favorite windows and Microsoft have been trying to rid themselves of it. So Microsoft exist and remains popular because majority of companies exist supporting windows rather than other OS's. I think that's a fair comment of windows.

[neobrain]

The opengl API has better speeds than DirectX, so why does DirectX even exist?

Because OpenGL is just a pain to work with while D3D11 is an amazing API to use.

EDIT: Plus, DirectX wasn't about D3D only, it also had a D3D utility API, a sound API, an input API and a media playback library. Meanwhile, the sound API has been replaced by XAudio, the input API by XInput and the media playback library is part of the Windows SDK (and probably has been replaced by some other API, too). The D3D utility library has been deprecated and has no pendant for D3D11. Functionality basically moved to various other libraries (d3dcompiler.dll, WIC).

[DefenderX]

Everyone know, that I use OS X ^^ And I agree with Axxer.

[daaceking]

At neobrain

fair point.your the dev.

but why is it then that dolphin chooses opengl? I mean isn't it the most stable?

[Anti-Ultimate]

What do you mean with "Dolphin chooses OpenGL"?

If you mean that there's only OpenGL on Linux and OSX than that's because DirectX doesn't work on them

[daaceking]

the explanation i get under dolphin is that opengl is the most stable 9 is the fastest and 11 is in the middle. So what i mean is that haven't the majority of devs worked on gl? And if it is not a good api, then why?

Edit. You've already explained. Never mind then. ok. Forget the directx argument. The rest still stands.

[neobrain]

"And if it is not a good api, then why?" - Because it's the only thing that works on non-Windows platforms and because it has 1:1 mapping for a big part of the GX (the GC/Wii's GPU API) functionality.

"the explanation i get under dolphin is that opengl is the most stable 9 is the fastest and 11 is in the middle" - One reason might be that OpenGL long time has been the only option (IIRC D3D had been around later, but eventually bit-rot so it didn't even build anymore) and D3D9 only later has been brought up to standards again. Concerning D3D11, I took great care not to repeat some of the design mistakes in the D3D9 backend, so it should pretty much be rock stable. I guess there are one or the other oversight, however.

[Shonumi]

Eh, I don't think you can say something is objectively "the best" when it comes to something like OSes. For everyone personally, of course some are better than others. Coming up next month, I'll have primarily used Linux for 4 years. I switched mostly because there wasn't any way to massively change XP's look, feel, or workflow to suit my needs. Basically, I was a computer control freak (still am). Linux has been a good learning experience too. It feels like there's nothing I can't do or solve :p

I don't mind the fact that there isn't a lot of major commercial game development on Linux (there are a lot of little companies releasing games here and there). I'm not much of a PC gamer anyway, and I use emulators a lot. But recently I've been enjoying the fruits of some very well made open-source games: Xonotic, NeverBall, and VDrift. I'm glad to see something impressive like them. It's like a treasure hunt when you find something worthwhile to play it. Hopefully Steam will bring some more game as well (and paid-for apps?)

[Axxer]

I want to edit the poll to reflect that it is just what works best for you, but I can't change it so oh well.