The Right Operating System for You

Vista or XP? Windows, Mac, or Linux? How about all of the above? With improved virtualization technology, you might not have to settle for just one OS.

Once, you were either a Mac person or a Windows user. Or maybe you were a Unix geek. Whichever your poison, you likely had only one operating system in your life. Thanks to the ubiquity of the Intel processor and the hard work of untold legions of software developers, however, those days are over. Now, Apple's machines can run Windows XP. Windows Vista is available on brand-new computers, but you can also boot the same PC with an Ubuntu Linux disc that you downloaded and burned for free. And if you like Ubuntu, you can install it alongside Windows in a few clicks.

Drastic improvements in virtualization software, along with hardware advancements and standardization on x86 CPUs, allow any operating system to play host to virtual versions of other OSs.

Every machine still needs a primary operating system, but mixing and matching them is now much easier. My home office contains a mix of Macs running OS X and PCs running Windows XP, Windows Vista, Ubuntu, and OpenSuSE Linux. And my next system will likely be a Mac with three or more of those OSs installed--maybe even running--at the same time. If you can afford Apple's hardware, that's the choice I'd recommend. Why? Check out our operating systems comparison chart below (click the icon) for a breakdown of the major contenders' strengths and weaknesses, and read on for a look at the state of each OS.

Desktop Operating Systems: You Can Have Them All Multi-OS options like dual-booting and virtualization software have made it easier than ever to use whichever OS is best suited to the task you need to perform. Here's our take on the strengths and weaknesses of the major contenders.
OS	Interface	Security	Software	Hardware price/performance	Virtualization	Bottom line
Windows XP	Familiar and responsive, even on older machines. It's not always intuitive, but you probably know how to get around the OS pretty well by now. Lacks consistency. Menus, dialog boxes, and appearances can vary widely across different applications. Lacks hardware acceleration and 3D effects present in Vista and OS X; virtual desktops available only through third-party software. Rudimentary file search feature, especially without an add-on like Windows Live Desktop. GOOD	Unpatched, Windows XP can't connect to the Internet for more than a few minutes before worms attack and crash it. It will remain the biggest malware target for years to come. Requires Service Pack 2, third-party bidirectional firewall and antivirus software, and who knows how many future patches and upgrades for safe online usage. Windows XP Professional Edition supports file and folder encryption. FAIR	Included utilities, such as Outlook Express and Windows Media Player, offer minimal features but do the job. Free upgrade to the more-secure Internet Explorer 7 Web browser. Lots of top-notch free and commercial software available, including Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Office. Gaming platform of choice for now. EXCELLENT	Performs fine with slower processors and limited RAM and disk space, allowing you to minimize expenditures on new hardware or put them off indefinitely. Until Vista drivers improve, XP will remain the preferred choice for gamers and others concerned with performance. EXCELLENT	Linux boot managers allow easy multiboot setups. Can host most x86-compatible operating systems (except Mac OS) via third-party virtualization tools like the free VMWare Server or Microsoft's free Virtual Server 2005 R2. Runs in virtual machines hosted on Intel-based Macs and PCs. GOOD	By now, you know it and you either love it or hate it. If you're okay with XP, there's no pressing need for you to switch. Five years of updates have made Windows XP as secure as it's going to get, though not as safe as Vista, OS X, or Linux. Minimal hardware requirements will make it the top gaming platform until DirectX 10 takes over. If you're not dying to buy a new PC, XP will be a fine OS for at least another year or two. VERY GOOD
Windows Vista	Still confusing to navigate, but in new and different ways. Some Control Panel apps contain useful new settings, but many are unchanged from XP and lurk in new locations. Transparency, animation, and other effects provide helpful visual cues about files and programs. Flip 3D program switching lets you scroll through a three-dimensional animation of all your running apps. Systemwide search and indexing finds files, programs, and Web pages on or beyond your PC's hard disk. VERY GOOD	Improves on XP's security with User Access Control and ActiveX tweaks, but remains a major malware target. Still requires a third-party bidirectional firewall, since its own firewall settings for outgoing connections are for experts only. Includes Windows XP's file- and folder-level encryption options. The Business and Ultimate Editions' industrial-strength Bitlocker encryption protects your entire hard disk from tampering. GOOD	Includes enhanced versions of Media Player, Media Center (except in Business edition), and Movie Maker, plus new mail, calendar, and DVD authoring tools. Won't run 16-bit apps and some 32-bit utilities written for XP. Otherwise, it runs most existing Windows software. Current game performance is particularly slow compared with XP, perhaps due to still-buggy drivers. DirectX 10 promises a dramatic boost to 3D gaming when supporting hardware is more widely available. VERY GOOD	Requires significantly more memory and hard-disk space, and runs slower than XP on the same hardware. Minimum system requirements are an 800-MHz processor, 512MB of memory, and 15GB of free disk space. The Aero interface works best with recent graphics accelerators and requires an additional 512MB of RAM. The sometimes difficult upgrade process means you're better off buying a new PC with Vista preinstalled. FAIR	Same capabilities as Windows XP, but higher memory requirements could either reduce performance or prevent Vista from serving as a host or guest OS on systems where RAM is tight. License prohibits running anything but the expensive Enterprise or Ultimate Editions under virtualization software like Parallels or VMWare. GOOD	Get it if you're buying a new PC; XP users, though, have few urgent reasons to upgrade. Windows Vista's interface is alive compared with XP's relatively flat scheme, an innovation that could get you more excited about your daily computing tasks. Vista also includes some useful new tools and is safer to take for a spin around the Internet. Does that justify the hefty upgrade price and even more costly hardware requirements? Probably not, but if it's time to buy a new computer anyway, you won't be tempted to reinstall Windows XP. GOOD
Mac OS X	Interface is uncluttered, efficient, and logical, though some applications break its legendary consistency. Subtle transparency and 3D effects aid with navigating dialog boxes and program windows. Exposé lets you see and choose among all of your open windows or the desktop with the press of a key. The forthcoming Spaces feature adds virtual desktops. Dashboard desktop widgets are built-in. Spotlight searches file metadata, and will expand to the Internet in OS X 10.5. EXCELLENT	Supports strict separation of user and system files for maximum security against malware. Default settings aren't secure. Target disk boot mode can turn your Mac into an external hard drive for another machine. It's useful for system recovery, but it bypasses user file passwords. Includes disk encryption. VERY GOOD	The iLife suite's slick iPhoto digital photography tool lets you edit, print, and share photos. iWeb builds sites, and iMovie and iDVD offer lightweight digital video production. A dearth of available game titles compared with Windows, but Photoshop and Microsoft Office are both here to stay. VERY GOOD	Gorgeous design all around. Budget Windows PCs are less expensive than even Mac Minis. Low-end MacBook laptops don't cost much more than similar Windows models do. Attractive but pricey Mac Pro and MacBook Pros compare well with high-end PCs from Lenovo and Sony. GOOD	Boot Camp allows you to install Windows or Linux as a dual-boot option on Intel-based Macs. Parallels and VMWare utilities permit Mac OS to run virtual versions of Windows and Linux. Apple prevents OS X from running on non-Mac hardware, so a Mac is the only way to run all three OSs on the same machine. EXCELLENT	If Apple's hardware fits your price range, you'll get a nicely designed machine running a beautiful OS, plus you'll be able to switch to any other environment at the drop of a hat. While early versions of OS X were buggy and incomplete, Mac OS X 10.4 is much more solid. Version 10.5 promises additional polish and a few yet-to-be-announced features. All current Mac models run Windows and Linux, too, something no other platform can boast. Plus, as long as malware authors continue to focus on Windows, it's likely to remain relatively virus- and spyware-free. EXCELLENT
Linux	Gnome and KDE interfaces emulate the Mac OS and Windows XP, respectively, in many ways; they offer virtual desktops, as well. Hardware graphics acceleration is available, but requires expert installation and configuration. Beagle desktop search utility indexes local files and Web sites. GOOD	Like OS X, Linux is more secure than Windows; for example, by default Ubuntu doesn't even create the root user account that's a logical target for Linux malware. Also like the Mac OS, it's more obscure -- its lower installed base attracts fewer malware authors than Windows does. Disk encryption requires expert configuration or third-party utilities. VERY GOOD	Access to thousands of free applications, including office suites, graphics and media editors, games, and software development tools. Some of these programs rival commercial OS X and Windows apps, but most offer subsets of their features. If you want Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Office, use virtualization or dual-boot for better performance. VERY GOOD	Specialized distributions and kernel customization allow Linux to perform well on older and inexpensive systems. Support for newer hardware often lags behind that of Windows and OS X. VERY GOOD	Runs as a guest or host with other OSs through VMWare or other stand-alone virtualization software. Distributions compiled with support for the Xen virtualization spec can serve as a guest or host OS without additional software (Windows does not support Xen virtualization). VERY GOOD	If you're tired of fighting Windows malware and viruses, it's simple to find out whether Linux will meet your needs -- just grab a bootable CD and give it a shot. Easy-to-install, free, and feature-rich Linux distributions like Ubuntu 6.10 and OpenSuSE 10.2 are great options for tech-savvy computer users. Without a Steve Jobs type driving development forward, the Gnome and KDE interfaces evolve gradually. While Linux lacks the polish and deep-pocket support of its rivals, its improved ease of use, functionality, and security make it a viable alternative to Windows and OS X. VERY GOOD

Windows Vista's long gestation and protracted birth pangs are over at last, thank heavens. Vista's running nicely on my fairly modern desktop system, and I've enjoyed using its updated interface and utilities for everyday work and recreation. But before we get to the new kid, a few words about good old Windows XP.

Despite its reputation for swiss-cheese security, XP quickly became a very successful OS. Before XP (and its admirable predecessor, Windows 2000), Microsoft operating systems crashed, died, and blue-screened weekly or even daily. Though crashes still occur, they're far less frequent than in previous Windows versions, and some XP users (including me) have PCs that rarely see so much as a hiccup.

XP has been the biggest-selling operating system in the universe for almost half a decade now, so it's where most of the action is. Whatever you long to do with a PC--accounting, blogging, photography, engineering, aimless wandering on the Internet--the necessary hardware and software will work under Windows XP.

Of course, to keep that copy of XP running smoothly, you'll have to work to keep the wolves at bay. While Service Pack 2, Windows Security Center, and Internet Explorer 7 have closed a lot of holes, XP is sure to attract hackers and malware writers for years to come. Your firewall, antivirus software, and spyware protection remain as important as ever.

According to Forrester Research, 40 percent of business Windows customers will transition to Vista within the next year, and consumer adoption will expand gradually from 12 million users in the first year to 73 million after four years. Microsoft will continue to roll out Windows XP security fixes for at least five years after it releases Service Pack 3, currently slated for the first half of 2008. So relax. There's no rush.

Windows Vista does deliver improvements in security (though you'll still need a third-party firewall unless you're up for some complex configuration tasks), plus several improved utilities and new features. It's the look, though, that makes Vista a desirable upgrade for most people. Vista's Aero environment displays windows, icons, and other desktop elements with more colors, shading, and shadowing, as well as--for the first time--transparency. Buttons glow like red or blue LEDs when you hover over them. Translucent window frames, menus, and title bars remind you of other applications buried a layer or two deep, and the Flip 3D task switcher is clearly inspired by Apple's Exposé, which displays cleverly arranged thumbnails of all your running applications.

Cribbing more directly from Apple, the gadget-populated Windows Sidebar is a variation on OS X's Dashboard widgets. However, the redesigned Media Player, Control Panel, mail, and photo previewing interfaces are evidence that many of Vista's changes are only skin deep. Drilling down through a new menu structure often reveals the very same dialog boxes that were present in Windows XP.

Gamers should eventually see great dividends by switching to Vista. DirectX 10 promises to accelerate games eightfold, and it won't be available under Windows XP. And Vista's Windows Presentation Foundation makes it easier for software developers to produce graphics-hardware-accelerated applications.

Vista's many innovations come at a cost, however. Recent PC World Test Center trials demonstrated that although Vista performs just fine on the Microsoft-recommended hardware, Windows XP runs the same applications significantly faster (see "Lab Tests: Vista's Fast If You Have the Hardware"). So unless you can tolerate a downgrade in performance, you may want to upgrade your PC right along with your operating system. Nevertheless, on a reasonably equipped machine, Windows Vista provides fast search results for files, documents, e-mail messages, and Web sites.

Or maybe you're ready for an even bigger switch. The simple, clean lines of MacBooks and Mac Pro desktops hint that using a computer could be straightforward--easy, even. Mac OS X offers the same promise. Although Apple's operating system and Windows generally let you do all the same kinds of things, the Mac interface just seems to have fewer layers, levels, and cryptic settings.

It's nearly enough to make a 20-year Windows user jump ship. But that's not necessary, of course. Apple's Boot Camp allows Intel-based Macs to boot Windows and other x86 operating systems, such as Linux. Now, both übergeeks and regular folks who enjoy OS X's simplicity but still need to run applications in Windows XP, Vista, or Linux can run all of these operating systems on one computer.

Apple still won't allow OS X to run on non-Mac systems, making Apple hardware the only way to run all OSs on one machine. And with the addition of inexpensive or free virtualization software from Parallels and VMWare, Macs can run those operating systems simultaneously. Parallels' software even provides a unique, somewhat eerie feature, "Coherence," that runs virtualized Windows applications side by side with OS X programs. Parallels got a bit of a jump on VMWare, whose first OS X product, code-named Fusion, is due this summer. At press time, both companies were working to add 3D acceleration to their products, which could finally make serious gaming on a virtualized OS a reality.

But the big Mac OS news arrives this spring when Apple releases OS X 10.5, aka Leopard. The update promises a modest but desirable collection of new features, including Time Machine, a new automatic backup system that lets let you flip back and forth through previous versions of your files. Leopard also adds support for stationery and an integrated to-do list in Mail; an expansion of the Spotlight search tool to locate files on other Macs on your network; an Exposé-like virtual desktop feature called Spaces; and some as-yet-unannounced (killer, we hope) features.

Distributions like the increasingly popular Ubuntu are going a long way to change Linux's reputation for being difficult and complex to install and configure. Ubuntu's bootable DesktopCD lets you see how you'll like Linux (and a bit about how Linux will like your PC) without installing anything to the hard disk. A few more clicks will make room for Ubuntu and set it up on your hard drive, alongside Windows. (See "Windows and Ubuntu on One PC" for more.) Once the OS is in place, a couple of simple applications let you choose from and install hundreds of free programs, including productivity, multimedia, and development tools.

Another popular distribution, Novell's OpenSuSE, provides configuration utilities and libraries of applications that are nearly as easy to navigate as Ubuntu's. Both Linux distributions deliver frequent bug fixes and automatic updates.

And visually-minded Linux fans can choose from dozens of user interfaces, chief among them KDE and Gnome. Both interfaces are evolving steadily, borrowing good ideas from each other and from Apple and Microsoft as well.

With its minimal hardware requirements and solid security, Linux can serve as a bulletproof primary OS. And with painless dual-booting and virtualization options, including several free and open-source apps and the kernel-based Xen software, you can easily try out the latest in Linux without having to give up your current operating system.

Scott Spanbauer, PC World

Scott Spanbauer is a PC World contributing editor and writes the Internet Tips column.