Okay guys, here's a question for you all: OS X vs. Linux.

As for Windows, I refuse to upgrade to Vista. I've heard too many problems with it, and I'm tired of all the issues I've had with Windows since 3.1. I'm willing to try out OS X/Mac and Linux. Here's where I stand:

I don't do heavy gaming on my computer, -however-, if I do see a game for Windows I'm interested in, I would love to play it. Plus, there are some programs which are pretty much Windows only that I like to run..
Which platform has the better Windows emulation available?

Mac
Is Mac really that stable? Sure, sure, there are those lame commercials that claim they are, but I want to know from real-world experience.

How fast does Mac run on the internet? Most of my uses on the computer are either internet browsing, chatting, movie viewing, music listening, and word processing.

Does the Mac Mini look like a good piece of hardware to you guys?

Linux
What's a good, easy to use distribution that I can mess around with if I wanted, and customize and fit to my needs? I don't have much experience with Linux but I am willing to learn, and I'm not afraid of the command prompt like some people are, although I will probably have to learn through books and helpful websites.

What companies make good Linux machines? What companies make good but inexpensive Linux machines? I don't know a thing about putting a computer together, what with all the different parts and compatibility issues, but if someone can point me in the right direction, I can go that route.

I'm basically a computard that's been using Windows for over a decade now, and I want to move past that, try something new. I'm not a programmer or anything, just an average joe.

 

Windows Vista- Im not sure what peoples' problems with it are. I really enjoy using Vista. Ive run it since beta, have two machines running it now, and have only had minor bugs relating to the operating system. Drivers have also greatly improved since launch. The only real problem with Vista is improperly coded drivers and software (Indexing may cause some problems too, but you can turn that off). Also so far as compatibility with older programs is concerned, Ive been pleasantly surprised by Vista so far.

OSX- I got a Mac notebook recently, so Ive been running OSX along with Windows Vista on the same machine using Bootcamp. OSX is nice. I can see why people love it, but I can also see why people hate it. Mac's OS still has some of those design choices with certain things that make me cringe. But the OS itself seems fast and is quite pretty and elegant looking. Internet browsing is fast, but to be honest, I cant really tell you which machines/OSs of mine are faster. I don't know of any Windows emulation software for it though, sorry. Funny note: on this Mac, so far Ive had OSX crash on me more than Vista. OSX= 1 crash, Vista = 0 crashes. Also, from my experience Vista as a whole runs really well on a Mac.

Linux- If you want Linux, go for Ubuntu. Easy to set up and use, but I would make sure that you have everything nice and stable before you start to rely on it (Ive had it freak out on me randomly before). You can use Wine for Windows emulation; it works fairly well, but last I used it I had some problems. You can also set up eye candy that is nicer than both Vista and OSX. I think Dell sells Ubuntu machines, but I dont know how good they are or anything.

 

I can't really comment much on Mac OS X, but I agree with Gigatron that Ubuntu is probably your best choice for Linux. If you want to just play around with it before committing to switch, you can use the Live CD, or maybe try installing it through Wubi without changing your partitions. Ubuntu is very easy to install, and has only required very minor tweaks to make it do what I want. There's a large and very supportive community available to help you with any problems you might have.

Other good options for ease of use might be Linspire or Foresight Linux, but I have no real experience with either of these.

Personally, I recommend Linux to only two kinds of people:
1) People who are willing to leave their system exactly the way it was installed and just need their computer for web browsing, e-mail, pictures, word processing, etc. Linux distros focused on ease of use do all of this very well after installation.
2) People who want to customize and get the most out of their operating system and are willing to spend the time playing with the system to learn what they're doing. Anyone who wants Linux because they can tweak so much of it exactly to their liking stand a very good chance of breaking their system at least once or twice before they figure out what they're doing.

It sounds like you fall into category two. If you're interested in Linux, I say go for it. You can try it out on your current computer without having to shell out for a Mac (and if you find you don't like it, you can still do that later). When I first started using Ubuntu and started trying to do somewhat more advanced things with it, I did seriously screw up my install a few times. I haven't had a major issue for nearly two years now though, and most of the things I was trying to do have been made much easier since then (installing and using nVidia drivers, installing Compiz, configuring additional drives & partitions, etc.). Overall it's been an enjoyable experience.

 

I own Windows XP and Mac OS X, and have had both for years. I've dabbled in Linux (Ubuntu). OS X, I've never had crash on me, and that's been since, well, it came out. Linux is 'generally' stable, but there's a lot of compatibility issues.

Bottom line is, every OS has their good points and bad points. If I had my preference, I'd always use Mac OS X.

 

I personaly find the the question as quite strange. Since Mac OS X is UNIX and linux is simply a copy of UNIX. Linux was designed to make a free version of UNIX that is all.

As for systems, I personaly have a Mac Mini and it is plenty of machine for me. And I do prefer Mac OS X to windows, but to me the GUI and system design for windows is backwards to and to busy. I just wish with next version of windows they finaly loose the registry and adopt Apples idea of packages. Which allow a self contained app with no need for an installer or uninstaller.

But beyond that get which one is going to work better for your needs. Just keep in mind you can boot both on a Mac Mini. But I suggest looking in to VM ware so you can run windows as an app on the mac.

 

The advantage that OS X has is that the OS is designed for the hardware that it runs on. That lone makes it quite stable. I use OS X and XP, I have to use VIsta at work and despise it. OS X does crash on occasion, but tis not htat often and happens far less than Windows. There are lots of quality free apps on the Mac that I would have trouble liveing without. Most of the problems people have ghad with Leopard have been corrected by Apple.

 

Apple's support of Boot Camp and other emulation/virtualization software is generally better most of the stuff you'll likely find on Linux, simply from a tech support standpoint. But keep in mind that you WILL see a performance hit (especially on games) regardless the option(s) you look at. Relatively recent 3d games are pretty much a no go regardless the option.

1. I have had my iMac for just over a year now, and have not had ANY of major issues I had with Windows. Hell, I haven't turned my system off at all except for doing a RAM upgrade and to do software updates. I would NEVER have left a Windows machine in sleep mode for a week like I have with my Mac, and from my experience, it has one of the fastest cold boot times I've yet seen.

2. Depends on your internet connection, more than anything. Just about ANY computer made in the last three or four years could do this stuff without breaking a sweat.

3. My current iMac (the long discontinued education model with integrated graphics) is roughly comparable to the baseline Mac mini being offered by Apple, and for the uses you mention, is MORE than adequate. But due to issues with the integrated graphics, you're kinda screwed on games. I have been able to get The Movies, Lego Star Wars 2, Civ 4, Age of Empires 3, stuff from Pangea and Ambrosia to run to run quite well. But any game that uses the Cider emulation (like EA's recent ports) WILL NOT run on integrated graphics. Just remember that Apple does NOT give you a mouse and keyboard with the mini.

I'm fairly experienced a computer user, and even I have greatly enjoyed using the Mac OS, and have even dabbled in Linux a bit.

Linux is an explorable option, but remember that you are largely on your own with Linux. If you are really interested, I would read online, buy some books, and get a spare machine to experiment on. Linux is compatible with most of the common computer parts available, I've even gotten it to install on my Sony Vaio some years ago (which has several more specialized parts than a given desktop). But for basic computer use, I would go with the Mac OS

 

Just want to make point. Boot camp is not emulation software. Since the Macs now run on intel chips. Windows is running right on the hardware, which means that any that fits those specs will play in boot camp.