By the way, most of those from those who have ever to hear discontent and watch irritation over Windows are the same by its users: Linux is not suitable due to the fact that there is no necessary software (usually, games), Mac OS X - because computers or laptops Apple though became more affordable and more popular in our country, they still remain quite expensive, especially if you want a discrete video card.
In this article I will try, if possible, objectively, describe what is good Windows and that in it is bad in comparison with other operating systems. It will be about the latest versions of OS - Windows 7, Windows 8 and 8.1.
Good: selection of programs, their backward compatibility
Despite the fact that for mobile platforms, as well as for alternative operating systems, such as Linux and Mac OS X, there are more and more new applications, such a number of software can not boast any of them. It doesn't matter for which tasks you need a program - it is necessary to be found for Windows and not always for other platforms. This is especially true of specialized applications (accounting, finance, organization of activity). And if something is missing, there is an extensive list of development tools for Windows, the developers themselves are also not small.
Another important positive factor on programs is excellent backward compatibility. In Windows 8.1 and 8, you can, usually without taking special actions, run programs that are designed for Windows 95 or even Win 3.1 and DOS. And this may come in handy in some cases: for example, for maintaining local secret notes, I use the same program since the late 90s (new versions did not exit), since all the evernote, Google Keep or OneNote for these purposes me A number of reasons are not satisfied.
You will not find such reverse compatibility on Mac or Linux: PowerPC applications in Mac OS X will not be launched, as well as old versions of Linux programs that use old libraries in modern Linux versions.
Poor: installation of programs in Windows - Dangerous lesson
The usual way to install programs in Windows - searching them on the network, download and install. The ability to get viruses and malware is in this way - not the only problem. Even when using only official site sites, you still risk: try download free Daemon Tools Lite from the official site - there will be many advertising with the download button leading to a different garbage, the present link to download just do not find it. Or download and install Skype from Skype.com - a good reputation for does not prevent him from trying to install Bing Bar, change the default search engine and homepage in the browser.Installing applications in mobile OS, as well as in Linux and Mac OS X occurs otherwise: centrally and from proven sources (for the most part). As a rule, the installed programs do not load a couple of unnecessary applications to the computer, placing them in autoload.
Good: Games
If one of the things for which you need a computer are games, then the choice you are small: Windows or console. I am not very familiar with the console games, but I can say that the Sony Playstation 4 or Xbox One graphics (watched the video on YouTube) is impressive. But:
- After a year, it will no longer be so impressive compared to a PC with NVIDIA GTX 880 video cards or which index they will receive. Perhaps today good computers show the best quality of the games - it is difficult for me to evaluate, because it is not a player.
- As far as I know, there will be no games with PlayStation 3 on PS4, and Xbox One supports only about half of the Xbox 360 games. You can run on a PC with the same success to run both old and new games.
Thus, I dare to assume that there is nothing better than a productive computer with Windows for games. If we talk about Mac OS X and Linux platforms, that you simply do not find the list of games that is available for Win.
Poor: viruses and malicious software
Here, I think everything is more or less clear: if you had a computer with Windows at least any long time, then you probably have faced with viruses, get a malicious software in programs and through the security holes browser and plugins to them and the like. In other operating systems, things are somewhat better. How exactly - I described in detail in the article there are viruses for Linux, Mac OS X, Android and iOS.
Good: Cheap equipment, its choice and compatibility
To work in Windows (however, and for Linux too), you can choose absolutely any computer from the thousands presented, assemble it yourself and will cost it that the amount you want. If you wish, you can also replace the video card, add memory, install SSD and change other devices - all of them will be compatible with Windows (with the exception of some old equipment in new versions of the OS, one of the popular examples is old HP printers in Windows 7).
With regard to the price, you have a choice:
- If you wish, you can buy a new computer for 300 dollars or used for 150. The price of laptops with Windows begins with $ 400. These are not the best computers, but on them without any problems can work in office programs and use the Internet. Thus, a Windows computer is available today to almost any person, regardless of his wealth.
- If your desires are somewhat different and the money is plenty, then you can raise an arbitrarily productive computer and experiment with configurations for various tasks, depending on the commercial components. And when the video card, the processor or other components is observed - to quickly change them.
If we talk about iMac, Mac Pro computers or Apple MacBook laptops, then: they are no longer so available, it is not enough to upgrade and to a lesser degree repair, and when obsolescence is subject to a complete replacement.
This is not all that can be noted, there are other things. Maybe add your thoughts about the advantages and minuses of Windows in the comments? ;)