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Most of you must have had at least one opportunity to see and use the much hailed OS X. I know its very user friendly and has many features which makes it easier for people to migrate form Windows to OS X.

But there are a very few people out there who actually have no idea that the OS X is based on Linux and infact there are much better Linux based OS out there for you to use and that to free of cost.

With this post I want get the word out there, that Linux is much better than OS X and I don’t even feel like comparing Windows in the same league as Linux as that would be degrading for Linux. ( In short I hate Windows )

There are many reasons for Linux been the better Operating System, however with the help from Jack Wallen I would like to mention and bring forward the most important factors.

1) Open Source

The worst part that Apple did was to license the OS X. So its the same as Windows and is not Free to distribute. Apple took a BSD kernel and developed its own Darwin Kernel. There were attempts from Apple to develop a Open Source OS based on the Darwin Kernel, however it has not seen so much success as its OS X. So in no way can the OS X compete with the likes of Linux in terms of been Open Source.

2) Hardware Requirements

If anyone has a old Mac with a configuration as follows, 800 Mhz with a 512 MB of RAM. The OS X runs very slowly on this configuration. However if you replace the OS X with a Linux OS, it will run much faster than the OS X. Also take a New Mac and compare that with a Intel based System running Ubuntu 8.10. The results will blow you away and you will find that the Ubuntu System runs n times faster than the Mac with OS X. Thats the reason I say Thumbs up for Ubuntu 8.10.

If you compare the minimum system requirements for OS X and Ubuntu 8.10 you will be able to understand it easily:

Ubuntu 8.10: 700 MHz x86 processor , 384 MB of RAM, and 8 GB of disk space.

OS X: 876 MHz or faster CPU, 512 MB of RAM, 9 GB of disk space.

I say the test which claim that OS X is faster than Ubuntu are nothing but bullshit only worth making Bio-gas.

3) Using the Command Line

Now I know most people who use OS X would say that they don’t find any need for the command line. However if you are a power user you will find the need of a command line. With Linux you can can do everything with the command prompt. You can install via Command line, It has  command-line security, and also the option to start and stop services using the Command Line. Even though OS X is Linux based it has does not have the Linux coreutils. Apple missed that part while developing the OS X and I wonder how can they miss such a big feature. Now even if Apple is planning to incorporate that in OS X it will have to start from the Scratch.

If you want to know how important the command line is, use Ubuntu 8.10 for few days and you will understand the importance for the Command line in OS X.

4) Security

It easy to crack int0 OS X and Windows than it is to crack into a Linux OS. People would again defend this however what I would say that the only reason that I find Linux more safe is because with the help of Kernel Level Tools such as iptables, fwbuilder, and SELinux you can lock down Linux as various levels. Though I wont say that OS X is completely unsafe, it is still much safer than Windows. But when it comes to comparison between Linux and OS X in terms of Security, Linux scores much higher.

5) Cost

Now this is one of the most important advantages of using Linux. And believe me no one can even come close to defending OS X and Windows when it comes to a cost comparison. Linux cost $ 0.00 or Free. To add more to it if you go to Ubuntu Website and register they will even send you a free Installation CD to your door step and that too without any charges. Compare that to OS X which cost $129.00 and if you add the cost of the hardware it will cost you atleast $999.00 which is the cheapest Mac book available. Now if you want to know the cost of a Laptop with Linux it will be only $399.00. You save a whooping $600.00. Now beat that Apple and Windows.

6) Flexibility

Window and OS X have one major drawback they are not flexible enough. You only get what you see if you want something more you have to live with what you have. The most you can do to change the look is install themes or move, shrink or auto hide the Dock. You cannot do away with the taskbar in OS X. Taskbar to OS X is like the Blue Screen of Death to Windows 95. But in Linux you can do whatever you feel like. Hell if you don’t like the complete Desktop look install a new Desktop or a Window Manager and you are good to go.

7) Portability

One of the other important feature in Linux is that you can migrate the installation form one PC to another as long as the architecture on the systems is the same (e.g x86 to x86 and not x86 to x86_64). But if it is only migrating few folders such as /home folder even that would work fine. On the other hand if you want to do the same thing with OS X and Windows not possible because they are landlocked to the machines they were installed in. Migration is a breeze with Linux.

8) Keyboard

Now most non OS X user dont know this but it is a well know fact that the delete key does not work the way it normally should in OS X. You have to use the hit fn + Delete key to get the normal result as a normal delete in Windows. And its just not the delete key, but the End Key also has the same issues. Also the Mouse buttons have issues when it comes to OS X. It only has use of one mouse button. Hell with Linux you get the option for three Mouse buttons which is an added advantage. You have the option to just select a particular text and you can paste the same with the use of the Third button or the Scroll on your regular mouse. No more do you have to right click select, copy and paste. Also the Keyboard is much more efficient in Linux than in OS X.

9) Software Availability

Most people have the wrong notion that with LInux you dont get the option of having many Softwares atyour disposal. The best and the Easiet way to prove this is go to Google and Search for Linux Software and you get 47,900,000 results. Now again serach for OS X software and you get 160,000,00 results. Also you get various software options to do one perform one task in Linux. As all of them are free of cost you can try al of them and use the best one. But sadly that not the same in case of OS X and Windows, most softwares are paid and licensed and you have to shell out bags of money to try one and all.

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