 When challenged with the inferiority of their favorite OS, a Windows fan might point out one feature or another as proof that their OS is better than the rest. However, they make the critical mistake of confusing secondary functionality with the operating system's core properties. The unfortunate truth is that MS Windows, in its current state, will never be secure, nor can it ever be notably stable or reliable. Fundamental parts of the OS design are to blame for this, so this fact cannot change unless Windows is re-written, nay, redesigned from the ground up.
Since this is extremely unlikely to happen, I would advise those who are not satisfied with the current state of Microsoft Windows to strongly consider migrating to an operating system with a fundamentally better design. Otherwise, they should rest assured that MS will continue to promise the world and then deliver the same old stuff we've grown to hate. Remember, Microsoft is a marketing company much more so than a technology company, and they always have been. For my part, I have chosen to almost exclusively utilize the UNIX-like operating system called Linux. It is fast, stable, secure and easy to manage and maintain. I made the decision to leave the Windows world a long time ago, and let me assure you, I haven't lost any sleep over it. The biggest problem I have with my OS is the ignorance of many others concerning it, and this trickles down in the form of less 3rd-party software available than in Windows. That said, my Debian Linux distro has well over 15,000 software packages in its repositories for me to install, and I'm only using a mere few hundred. Besides this, I haven't payed a dime for software outside of retail games for years, all legally mind you, and I want for nothing.
So, in conclusion, if MS Windows is the OS you want, then run it! Buy it, use it and be happy. If you don't want Windows, there are a lot of solid choices today (all UNIX-like OS's, not coincidentally) which are flourishing despite the MS monopoly. These include Mac OS X, the BSD's, and literally hundreds of unique variations of the Linux platform. All of these are more cost-effective in the long run than Windows (some more than others of course -- BSD and Linux are free), all of these are more secure, and all of them have better user interfaces (at least, IMHO). Linux fits my needs perfectly, even for gaming, so I'm one of the lucky ones who has left MS behind with no regrets at all. If you can do the same, I say go for it!
If you are interested in more information on this topic, please have a look at Novell's brief white paper on the subject. Novell certainly has a proverbial axe to grind, but the information is concise and accurate nonetheless. |
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