EggXpert

You need to define best operating system for what...

Gaming: XP hands down

File server: Linux no comparison

Web server: Linux.

 
Obviously linux fanboys might make statements of how they love playing Starcraft on WINE, etc. but you have to look at what an OS is good at and leave it at that, they all have their strengths... (Well most OS's have some strengths... I mean Mac's are lacking in them, but I am sure they have something...)
 

TheBMan:

Linux is a nice toy, but it doesn't get you very far in the real world.

 That quote is so funny I had to post. What "real world" are you living in? I don't think the internet would be the same without Linux and Unix. If your real world is centered around Counter-Strike and World of Warcraft then yes, Windows is superior. 

I'd rather spend a little time LEARNING something new then pay money to be a mindless windows user.

I multi-boot Windows XP, Ubuntu, Kubuntu64, and Sabayon.  I voted Linux.

BTW, I got Vista Home Basic upgrade for very cheap, so I was gonna give it a try. First it doesn't let you boot from the DVD and install, you have to be running windows. Second it wouldn't let me partition a blank disk, I had to partition and format through other means. Those 2 things I think are very basic for an operating system to include. I decided to not install and i will just sell it to some poor windows fanboy.
 

Macs (and the mac os) is good for video/image editing. The CPU is made to handle larger loads better, and they OS follows that same example.

 And I kinda of have to agree with one of the other guys. Windows has been around as the default for so long that people just get used to the speed and don't think anything can go faster (unless they upgrade the computer). So anybody that doesn't want to experiment, or that is a beginners, will say Windows.
 

sethdgordon:

I don't think the internet would be the same without Linux and Unix.

Interesting sentiment.

Now, what, exactly, is it that Linux/Unix can do so well that Windows Server 2003 cannot?

I voted for other because of the omission of of XP 64.

My other is XP64, though there are not many 64 bit apps, today and drivers for XP 64 are less than total, 64 bit processing is where desktop computing will eventually go, it took years to get from 16 bit to 32, and the next logical step will also take years.

 

I run Vista Home Premium on my laptop... it does fine, but I would hate for it to be my daily use PC, XP Pro on my older machines and XP 64 on my gaming rig... 

I still like XP.  You can pump your alternative operating systems but the most popular and most useful to the general population is Windows XP.

I voted 'other', not because I had a specific OS in mind, but because I don't think any of those listed are the "best". I don't want my "best" to be conditional, as all these systems are only "best" at certain things and that is debatable.

So here's to "other", the unmade operating system. 

jsi:

Found XP better for gaming.

Vista is the worse gaming OS yet. Hope they fix this.

I have been using Vista since release day 1, I have yet to have any big issues other than a video driver issue (which got fixed in the first week). On my dell... I just built my new PC and have yet to have any issues with it. Vista is more needy on performance and it keeps your ram working even while idle (indexing, updating, ect) but it has never directly effected any of my work, It seems to adjust the loads and makes what Im using the prioity. Im sure some people have had isues with it but it seems more people knock it before they try it.

WHAT! where's my windows 3.11 - Windows for Workgroups! 

 Kicks XP anyday - lol 

Running with DOS 5.0 or 6.11 - Bring it! 

 

LOL 

I voted Windows XP. A year ago I would have easily voted Windows 2000, but I think that XP has gotten more bug-free and more stable. I still think Windows 2k is an excellent OS. I also think that Fedora Core 6(linux) is a very stable OS.

Windows 2000 is the best to me for Networking multiple systems together.

I dont think its because its better or anything but I personally like linux better. If i had to choose a windows XP is far superior to anything that Microsoft has released. Vista has way too much flash and not enough substance for me. Its hard to compare Win Mac Linux because of their different attributes. Mac is fine but I dont really want to buy into one architecture. that is what makes windows and linux better in terms of availability. Ubuntu is my favorite Linux because everything just works. I have in the past used slackware and its difficult to get along with but i used it for years.

SO, i guess i'll be the one who takes Vista. I'm currently running Ultimate-64bit addition. DON'T have any issues. (knock on wood) I also game too, and vista has treated me nice. Though I was never able to crash Windows ME...SO, I guess Microsoft just loves me or something...lol

other because I won't give any os the #1  spot 

xp is pretty stable and has a fair amount of bells and whistles

But I also like PClinux and its free and they are taking all the pain out of linux where stuff does just work out of the box.

Win98 because there was no drm, no activation,and they finally put cdrom support on the startup disk.

IMO,

 Agreed...XP Pro SP2 32bit (even x64 bit, which runs strong and stable on my C2D gaming machine).

 I am partial to Vista however, which I use on my work laptop, a Dell D620, bad ass laptop, all the bells and whistles....

also, as mentioned before, Vista is a big resource hog, better have the machine to handle it...

I just installed XP professional 64 bit (was cheap) and it's OK. I mean, no way was I going to get Vista because it holds too much memory in reserve. I just wanted to see how far I could max out XP on a dual processor. I had problems with some older progs but most stuff was no problem. Performance increase from 32bit is noticeable when using multiple apps. Aside from that, it's just OK.

I will never go to Vista. It looks like a serious mess with heavy graphics and that strange sort of Java 'looking glass' desktop that really sucks up resources. I mean, you can download Java Looking Glass for free (I think it is still in beta?). I am getting another drive in the next few months and installing Ubuntu. By the time I am ready for another system upgrade, my hope is that I will be proficient in Linux and able to give back to that community. Most stuff comes with Linux drivers now. Safari (which is hot!) does. Firefox does. And most of the progs associated with Linux are free. What a kick in the head! For the money I'd spend for a OS upgrade I could get another drive, or memory, or an ipod toy.

 Here are the FACTS of March 2003 - September 2006.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 http://swivel.com/graphs/show/15297386

 

 

 

 http://swivel.com/data_sets/show/1000476

Year	WinXP	W2000	Win98	WinNT	W2003	Linux	Mac
Sep 2006	75.6%	9.2%	1.4%	0.3%	2.0%	3.5%	3.8%
Aug 2006	75.2%	10.1%	1.4%	0.3%	2.1%	3.5%	3.6%
Jul 2006	74.3%	10.1%	1.5%	0.3%	2.0%	3.4%	3.6%
Jun 2006	74.1%	10.6%	1.6%	0.3%	2.0%	3.4%	3.6%
May 2006	74.2%	10.7%	1.6%	0.2%	2.0%	3.4%	3.6%
Apr 2006	74.0%	11.2%	1.8%	0.3%	1.9%	3.3%	3.6%
Mar 2006	72.9%	11.9%	2.0%	0.3%	1.8%	3.4%	3.5%
Feb 2006	73.3%	12.3%	2.1%	0.3%	1.8%	3.4%	3.6%
Jan 2006	72.3%	13.1%	2.4%	0.3%	1.7%	3.3%	3.5%
Dec 2005	71.6%	13.6%	2.6%	0.3%	1.7%	3.2%	3.3%
Nov 2005	71.0%	14.6%	2.7%	0.4%	1.7%	3.3%	3.3%
Oct 2005	70.2%	15.0%	2.8%	0.4%	1.6%	3.3%	3.2%
Sep 2005	69.2%	15.8%	3.2%	0.5%	1.7%	3.3%	3.1%
Aug 2005	66.3%	17.5%	3.2%	0.6%	1.7%	3.3%	2.9%
Jul 2005	65.3%	17.7%	3.9%	0.6%	1.6%	3.5%	3.0%
Jun 2005	64.9%	19.1%	3.6%	0.7%	1.5%	3.5%	3.0%
May 2005	64.5%	19.4%	3.9%	0.8%	1.4%	3.3%	2.9%
Apr 2005	64.0%	19.7%	4.1%	0.8%	1.4%	3.3%	2.9%
Mar 2005	63.1%	20.2%	4.7%	0.9%	1.4%	3.2%	3.0%
Feb 2005	62.0%	21.1%	5.1%	0.9%	1.3%	3.2%	2.9%
Jan 2005	61.3%	21.6%	5.3%	1.0%	1.2%	3.2%	2.8%
Dec 2004	59.8%	23.5%	5.4%	1.1%	0.1%	3.1%	2.7%
Nov 2004	59.1%	23.7%	5.6%	1.2%	0.1%	3.1%	2.7%
Oct 2004	57.8%	25.0%	6.0%	1.3%	0.2%	3.1%	2.6%
Sep 2004	55.9%	26.2%	6.4%	1.5%	0.2%	3.1%	2.6%
Aug 2004	53.2%	28.1%	7.0%	1.8%	0.2%	3.0%	2.5%
Jul 2004	52.5%	28.4%	7.5%	1.9%	0.2%	3.1%	2.4%
Jun 2004	51.2%	29.6%	8.0%	2.0%	0.3%	2.9%	2.5%
May 2004	51.0%	29.6%