I was born in a small town... and am being raised in it! I just wanna know what the differences are and how each is to use. I use windows and its hard to imagine it any other way since so many programs run on windows/linux/mac and nothing else. I don't know anything! tell me!

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Well, you seem to know Windows so let's start there:
It is the operating system by Microsoft, it is the one, that most home users use and it is also the one, that most games and stuff are developed for (maybe after game consoles like PlayStation etc.). Windows is a pre-compiled system, so you install a finished package on your computer and it is supposed to work right from the start. It can NOT be installed on any computer, not Power PCs for example.
The advantages of Windows: It is very common, so probably all your friends have one, this makes it easier to use them, for example for LAN parties etc.
Most applications come out first for Windows (especially games and such, applications for creative work are always released for Macintosh too).
The disadvantages of Windows: It is so common, that almost every virus out there is developed for it, so it is VERY vulnerable and if you surf the internet, you need extra software like Norton AntiVirus and a Firewall.
It costs money.
It is quite unstable compared to other operating systems.
The software that it comes with is quite bad, so a good user will use nearly only third party applications.

MacOS X:
This is a quite young system by the company apple, it is based on the first system: UNIX (very stable), but unlike UNIX it has a GUI (Graphical User Interface).
The current version is called OS X Tiger, it is also what I am using. OS X used to only work on special Apple Computers (the ones with the nice Design, iMac, iBook, etc.) but now they're making it compatible to the Intel-architecture too.
The advantages of Mac OS X: Very good look & feel, they invest a lot in design and user friendliness.
It is quite stable, because it is based on UNIX.
There are not that many viruses.
It comes with a lot of very useful applications (iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie HD, iCal, Mail, GarageBand, Safari (Web Browser), that many of the users use, because they are so user-friendly and nicely designed).
If you want to design and be creative (Programming, web-design, photoshoppin', Music mixing, etc.) then you got all apps that you need.
Gamers get satisfied a bit more every day, since Mac OS gets more users, but still there are fewer games available.
The disadvantages of Mac OS X: It is not compatible with all the HOT, NEW stuff like games, periphery etc.
It is quite expensive.

Linux:
There are MANY variants of Linux, so you can't really describe the Linux. The important thing to know: It is available under the GNU license, which means: you can look at the source code, you may change it, you may use it, whatever and it is free (as in speech, but also as in beer). A linux system is not something that you plug in your computer and it justs works, you usually compile your version to fit your needs (there are precompiled version though).
The advantages of Linux: You can adapt it to your needs very easily, it is getting better all the time and it's free. + you can help to improve it.
The disadvantages of Linux: Well, there are near-to-no commercial applications for Linux and GNU-apps are usually a bit behind, because they are, well, free. No real incentive to spend all your time on it, eh.
You have to learn how to use Linux if you are used to Windows.

That's a very summed up version and there are a LOT more sides to the subject and also more OSes but these are the three most common and now you at least have an idea, what the differences are, so you can read on :-)

 

 

 

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well I will list the basic disadvantages and advantages of linux and Windows

Windows

Advantages:

• Easy to use
• Easy to install software
• More compatible with software (most software works on windows)

Disadvantages:

• Not very secure....

Over all: Very popular, Recomended for most people

Linux

Advantages:

• Secure (more than windows)
• Very popular for servers (especailly RED HAT LINUX)

Disadvantages:

• Not much popular software works on this
• Hard to setup software

Overall: Recomended for Advanced people


Comments: you can have both running on your operating system with a bootup menu.

Hope this will help

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@cherri: It's not necessarily hard to setup, yet it just take some time to read twice before clicking next on the menus provided (if you're using a distribution that has GUI built-in.

There are certainly a lot of popular applications that can run on Linux: Photoshop (via WINE), Office (via WINE), Internet Explorer (via WINE), Quake 4, GIMP, JBuilder, NetBeans, Apache, Maya and etc.

xboxrulz

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Windows : Easy to use, lots of apps, everyone owns one. However, more security holes than you can shake a stick at (admittedly better than it used to be). Interface is basically the same as it was back in the windows 95 days, just prettier.

OSX : Pretty looking, of course, and the interface is undescribably better. It's the millions of little touches that make OSX feel very refined.

OSX is also built on a variant of FreeBSD, so you can literally run anything on OSX you can run on Linux, natively. OSX is great for learning how to use linux because it starts you fully set up, but lets you hack away as you please. Also, OSX is vastly more secure, mostly because it's built on *nix and secondly because it's a minority target for malware.

While it's commonly argued that OSX has less software, the software that is developed for mac only tends to be of *very* high quality, as if Mac developers have much higher standards. (apologies if anyone here is a Win32/*nix dev.) For an example, see BBEdit (www.barebones.com), which many people cite as a reason to own a mac, all on its own.

Also, though this isn't strictly realted to the operating system, on new mactel boxen you can dual boot winxp SP2 using Boot Camp, so the 'no software' and 'no games' arguments against buying macs become effectively moot.

*Linux*

Very secure provided you stick to some basic rules, (like not leaving your PHP install wide open, last time I do that one...) rock solid reliable. Absolutely free.

You can use emulators or WINE to run win32 applications and games (World of Warcraft, for example, runs on linux), but hardware support tends to be a little flaky. Software IS easy to get, but can sometimes be hard to set up of you don't like command lines.

From personal experience with Ubuntu, the Synaptic package manager (a front end for something called apt-get) does a pretty good job of downloaing things from the internet and installing/configuring them.


Alright, i'm going outside to get some air/ see some friends. Bleh.

Cheers;
-lws

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Something else which people have not said but is fairly important is the organization of the systems. Mac OS is very visually oriented, not just in the sense of glitzy graphics, but that it is organized in a way which makes sense to people who think visually and spacially. The Mac system was designed with artists in mind. Linux is much more textually oriented--- it is a work horse. It is very easy on a linux system to do rather complex things with a bit of typing, without touching the mouse or digging through lots of menus, especially if you want to act on a bunch of things at once (e.g. print every document with "SMSU" in the title). Windows is in between, and, in my oppinion, does not do a terribly good job at either, frustrating both classes of users.

That being said, Mac OS X does a good job of providing UNIX/Linux-like features underneath its nice spacially-oriented GUI. There is a UNIX command-line where you can type commands and run scripts. Scripting (Apple-Script) is also built into the GUI in many places, so if you are tired of doing the same thing over and over, you can write a script (e.g.: automatically save all Mail messages from so-and-so as a PDF in a certain folder). Also, Linux with the GNOME GUI is starting to become more spacially oriented like Mac (or even better than in places).

Myself, I think both ways, depending on the task. I find that Mac OS X does a very good job of combining the too, though I am beginning to like Linux with GNOME better with each version as well. a command-line and typing does not bother me. Digging through layer upon layer of menus and dialogs does.

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yes, I find that digging thru menus are annoying rather than typing a simple command line with options.

xboxrulz

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