Ubuntu vs Mac OS X

The desktop version of Mac OS X was released in 2001. Since then, Apple has released four more editions, each selling for over $100.

Each version of OS X is named after a big cat. Version 10.0 was named Cheetah, and the other versions were named in sequence: Puma (10.1), Jaguar (10.2), Panther (10.3), and Tiger (10.4). The next version, Leopard (10.5), is due in early 2007, and may be expected to cost users another $100 or more for each computer and that for the operating system upgrade alone.

Aside from the basics of any operating system, one might ask what else Mac OS X offers. Apple is well-known for pushing the bounds of graphics, and OS X is no different. OS X comes with high quality graphics, fonts, and video features. Mac OS X also has a more extensive set of interface guidelines than Windows. This ensures a higher level of consistency between applications -- particularly those not made by Apple.

Apple also leverages the Unix history of OS X to offer networking capabilities that Windows simply does not have natively. In particular, Apple's operating system allows one to distribute computing problems to several Macs that are on a single network.

Other than these rather modest innovations, the MacIntosh operating system does not offer much beyond a new edifice for the basics. This has led some to switch from Mac to Linux.

Mac OS X is based on a version of Unix called BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution). BSD itself has been developed at the University of California at Berkeley since the 1970s.

However, when Apple adopted BSD for its operating system, it adapted it, as well. It changed substantial parts of the OS to suit its needs. These changes have ultimately resulted in a less secure operating system.

There are indeed so many security issues with the flagship operating system that some researchers spent January 2007 posting new, previously undocumented Mac OS X exploits every day for the entire month. This was commonly called the Month of Apple Bugs.

As if this were not bad enough, Apple has actively sought to suppress news of security problems in the operating system. In 2006, an editor at ZDNet, George Ou, detailed an "orchestrated assault onMacBook wireless researchers."

For this reason and the general lack of practical innovation, many have switched from OS X to Linux, and to Ubuntu in particular.

• Ubuntu
• Edubuntu
• Kubuntu
• Xubuntu

Unlike some operating system manufacturers, Ubuntu does not differentiate between its home and professional editions. The version homemakers use for recipe collection or children use for games is the same version used by programmers in large businesses like Google. The focus of professional or enterprise editions - security and stability - is equally available to the non-professional user.

Beyond Ubuntu, there are a few specialist packages. Edubuntu is specifically oriented toward schools and teaching. It includes educational games for children as young as three. But it also includes key applications for students in higher levels, including high school or college. At its core, however, it remains the same as regular Ubuntu.

In addition to these, two other editions of Ubuntu are available for different graphic interfaces and pre-packaged programs. Kubuntu is oriented to those who prefer to use the KDE graphic interface instead of Ubuntu's default, GNOME. Xubuntu is for those who prefer the xfce graphic interface.

Like OS X, Ubuntu offers high quality video and Unicode capabilities throughout the operating system. It also offers a bevy of desktop applets (called 'widgets' in Apple's OS and 'gadgets' in Microsoft's Vista) including a stock ticker, dictionary, desktop and web search capabilities, and multimedia controls.

Also like Mac's OS, Ubuntu - and Linux in general - is very robust and is able to be networked for the purposes of distributed computing. It can also run on relatively old computers. Therefore, there is no need for a legacy edition. But it can also run on full media centers without needing a new version of the operating system.

One of the great frustrations endured for some time by Linux users and Mac users alike was incompatability issues between the interface of the software and the operating system. Where Mac has recently come upon a highly structured interface for computer users, Linux users can choose from many interfaces. The two most pervasive, GNOME and KDE, both have similar, highly-structured interfaces to ensure consistency for users.