Operating System
The computer is a revolutionary invention that has changed the whole human civilization. It has evolved from big desktop boxes to more portable laptops and mobile phones.
Although, the fact that many people talk about makes these work the way they do. Yes, we are talking about the operating system or OS. Without an operating system, a computer cannot only function.
The debate for years is which operating systems are the best. We will try to find the best operating system with the help of the list.
What is an Operating System?
An OS is an interface between a user and computer hardware. It manages the memory and processes of a computer, as well as all of its hardware and software.
It lets you interact with the system without knowing how to speak the computer’s language. The computer seems to be useless without an operating system.
Best Operating Systems in the Market
- Ubuntu
- MS-Windows
- Fedora
- Mac OS
- Solaris
- Chrome OS
- Free BSD
- Cent OS
- Deepin
- Debian
Ubuntu
Ubuntu is a Linux-based operating system. It is generally designed for computers, smartphones, and network servers. The system is developed by a UK-based company called Canonical Ltd. All the principles used to create the Ubuntu software are based on Open Source software development principles.
FEATURES
- It supports the office suite called LibreOffice.
- The desktop version supports all the standard software on Windows, such as Firefox, Chrome, VLC, etc.
- It has an in-built software called Thunderbird that gives the user access to emails like Exchange, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.
- There are applications to manage videos and allow users to share them.
- There are a lot of applications for users to view and edit photos.
- The smart searching facility is quite easy to find content on Ubuntu.
- The best feature is that it is a free operating system backed by a vast open-source community.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| It is the most widely used Linux distribution. | NVidia graphic cards have poor support. |
| Drivers are available for the majority of the devices. | Older Wi-Fi drivers are unreliable. |
| Multiple supported desktop flavors such as XFCE, Gnome, KDE, etc. | High DPI monitor support needs more work. |
| It is extremely reliable as a desktop and server OS. | Font rendering needs to be improved, especially subpixel hinting on LCDs. |
MS-Windows
MS-Windows is an operating system and Microsoft designs it. Windows comes preinstalled on most new computers, which makes it the most popular operating system in the world.
Windows helps make it possible to complete all types of tasks on your computer. For example, check your email, edit digital photos, you can use Windows to browse the Internet, listen to music, and do much more.
FEATURES
- The Task View feature helps the users switch between multiple workspaces at once, by displaying all the open Windows.
- The User Interface is simple which helps in more straightforward navigation
- It has two separate user interfaces, one is for mouse and keyboard, and the other is ‘Tablet Mode’ designed for touchscreens.
- Multi Factor authentication technology is there for higher security like BIN, PIN, Fingerprint recognition, etc.
- It compresses system files to reduce the storage footprint.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Ease of use | High resource requirements |
| Available software | Closed Source |
| Backwards compatibility | Poor security |
| Support for new hardware | Virus susceptibility |
| Plug & Play | Outrageous license agreements |
| Games | Poor technical support |
| Compatibility with MS driven websites | Hostile treatment of legitimate users |
Fedora
Fedora is a Linux based operating system that gives Ubuntu’s open-source features a run for their money. Fedora is user-friendly, reliable and makes for a powerful operating system for any desktop computers and laptops.
Fedora is for casual users and caters to students, hobbyists, and professionals working in corporate environments.
FEATURES
- It gives you a complete open-source toolbox with languages, tools, and utilities in all just a click or commands away.
- A sleek user interface that allows the developers to focus on their code on Gnome 3 environment
- It will enable you to dig into powerful virtualization tools to get virtual machines up and running.
- Fedora has one of the most significant communities, and it will help you sort issues that might have you stuck while using the distro.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Backed by biggest linux kernels | Updating to new release can be problematic |
| Integration with Gnome | Proprietary drivers are unsupported |
| Fast and stable updates | Unstable |
| Huge array of binary packages | Not for beginners |
| Create user after installation | Controlled by big corps |
| Fast Performance | Optimus support is terrible |
| Spins and labs | Dnfdragor needs work |
Mac OS
Mac OS, operating system is developed by the American computer company Apple Inc. The OS was introduced in 1984 to run the company’s Macintosh line of personal computers.
The Macintosh heralded the era of graphical user interface (GUI) systems and inspired Microsoft Corporation to develop its own GUI, the Windows OS.
The MAC operating system has been entirely free with the occasional upgrade by its developers.
FEATURES
- A dynamic desktop helps to automatically sort your desktop files by kind, date or tag.
- A new feature of iTunes allows users to search for songs with few lyrics.
- A camera that scans or photographs a document nearby your iPhone will automatically appear on your Mac.
- The dark mode gives your desktop interface a more dramatic look which is good for the eyes.
- Discover applications with the MAC app store.
- It prevents websites from tracking your Mac by making your profile more anonymous online.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| More straightforward and cleaner interface than windows | Limited and Restricted Availability of Apps |
| Comes With Useful Free Productivity Apps | Inflexibility for Hardware Upgrades |
| Dedicated features for multitasking | It Can Be Very Expensive to Own a macOS device |
| Less susceptibility to malware and security issues | Lacks Appeal for Hardcore Gamers |
| Compatibility with other ios devices | |
| Optimized software due to better integration |
Solaris
Solaris, a Unix-based operating system that Sun Microsystems developed. Later it was acquired by Oracle and is known as Oracle Solaris. It is known for its innovative and scalability features such as DTrace, ZFS, Time Slider etc.
Solaris is a microkernel design, and creating a monolithic Solaris kernel is impossible. Oracle Solaris is known to be one of the best free open source OS in the industry by most of them.
FEATURES
- It protects the user’s data by encrypting everything as required at any time.
- It offers performance advantages for web, database, and java-based services.
- It provides control to prevent credentials misuse, and it is done by giving only necessary access.
- There are limited system privileges that are being provided to employees, contractors etc.
- Solaris secures cloud deployments by locking the virtual machines and using compliance standards.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Database hosting | It takes time to learn |
| Storage management via ZFS | Integration into Microsoft |
| Live update of patches in conjunction with the package management functions. This ability to rollback is very convenient. | It looks like Solaris is becoming an afterthought at Oracle. |
| DTrace | They should be more vocal in their commitment to Solaris. |
| They are built in compliance testing. | Support Costs |
Chrome OS
Chrome OS is Google’s operating system. This focuses on mostly inexpensive Chromebooks, that offer a low-cost desktop option for users with modest means or basic needs.
It is affordable, along with tie-ups to Google’s online productivity apps, which has made the operating system prevalent in the education market.
The recent additional feature to run Android apps has given the OS new life and millions of new software choices, though the support for those apps is inconsistent.
With that significant ongoing integration, Chrome OS feels like a work in progress, not suited to high-power computing needs. Yet, for the right users, Chrome OS is a healthy choice.
FEATURES
- Chrome OS focuses on the essential part of your computer, which is your web browser. Its interface is 100% web.
- It eliminates time.
- Nothing is stored on your system. Chrome OS is 100% web-based.
- Chrome OS is free
- It has a media player that lets users play music, view images and handle other multimedia files.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Powers low-cost computers. | Inconsistent app behavior among Android apps and between Android and Chrome apps. |
| Good security with automatic updates. | No desktop icons. |
| Runs Android apps. | Unexpected program and system shutdowns. |
| Tight integration with many Google services. | Weak file management. |
| Improved Offline features. | Difficult VPN setup. |
Free BSD
FreeBSD, a free UNIX based open-source software. It is compatible with various platforms and it focuses on features such as stability and speed. It was built in the University of California. FreeBSD is quite flexible.
The options set out-of-the-box may not suit your needs exactly, but FreeBSD provides lots of documentation. It gives a constructive community to many people with experience in dealing with many different situations and problems.
FEATURES
- It is ideal for intranet and internet services
- It can handle large loads and manages memory efficiently to maintain good responses for multiple simultaneous users.
- The advanced embedded platform which caters to higher-end Intel-based appliances.
- Easy to install through CD-ROM, DVD or directly over the network using FTP and NPS.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| It is a complete operating system by itself. | Less community support especially for newbies. |
| It uses ipfw as the firewall. | Lack of driver support. |
| It boots and reboots faster than Linux. | The file system is old. |
| The developers can manage the important operating systems remotely and efficiently. | |
| The license is less restrictive |
Cent OS
CentOS has an open-source nature that Linux was founded on. The first Linux kernel was developed by a college student at the University of Helsinki (Linus Torvalds) and combined with the GNU utilities based and promoted by Richard Stallman. It is best for people simply looking for an operating system that helps them perform their coding tasks.
FEATURES
- Features such as advanced networking, compatibility, and security are still missing in many OS today.
- Exclusive resources for coders looking to build, test and release their codes.
- It offers seamless interoperability by solving hundreds of software and hardware problems.
- It provides advanced security features such as process and user rights management, allowing you to secure mission-critical data.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Documentation and community support is good. | Sometimes you have to add some esoteric repositories. |
| CentOS is a workhorse and very stable distribution. | Sometimes you need to tackle SELinux if it is enabled. |
| Security and other updates are regular. | Little complex because of few c/c++ libraries. |
| It is a great OS for running Docker | Fewer text editors. |
| High performance on the hardware. | It has options for full access for admin users. |
Deepin
Deepin is an open-source operating system based on Debian’s stable branch. It features DDE. It has been praised for its beautiful and very appealing interface.
Deepin is very well qualified as to its own little niche OS. It is free and overcomes many shortcomings of Debian. With some more modifications, it will compete with the top operating systems like Windows and Mac in no time.
FEATURES
- Deepin apps include font installer, file manager, screenshot, voice recorder, Deepin screen recorder, image and movie viewer, etc.
- User-Friendly and Robust Aesthetics.
- Advanced security features.
- Simple Installation Procedure.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Best for daily use | Customization is a bit hidden |
| Blur and transparent design | Deepin store apps not up to date |
| Great design to the app store | Cannot customize the desktop environment. |
| Launches programs faster | Installer lacks features |
| Easy to install | Strange development organization |
| Great support for graphics cards | Slow default repos |
| Automatically cleans package cache |
Debian
Debian is a Linux kernel-based open-source OS. It comes with over 59000 pre-compiled software packages bundled in a friendly format. It is relatively easy to install and offers a user-friendly interface.
Debian might not be most of the Operating systems mentioned above, but it’s open source feature makes it something that one should try if you are less on cash.
FEATURES
- Advanced networking and security features are still missing in many OS today.
- Lighter and faster than the other Operating Systems, irrespective of the processor speed.
- It comes with built-in security firewalls to protect valuable data.
- It is easy to install through any medium.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| It is one of the easiest to update/upgrade | Debian tends to have rather old software |
| Debian is stable, though old, is one of the most stable | Debian is a pain to install |
| You can get newer software from Debian’s | |
| Nearly every piece of software in existence is available for Debian. |