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Mac (Tiger/Leopard), Windows (XP/Vista), Linux (Ubuntu). The whoz who of OS, take periferral. This is a desktop shootout because in my opinion, the server shootout is pointless. Linux wins hands down there. So lets take aspects of desktop needs and compare the OS’s.

Eye Candy

Out of the box, Mac is a clear winner. It’s clean, functional and good looking. The dock, minimalistic yet functional toolbar, gorgeous icons are all craved for and replicated across other OS’s. Ubuntu comes in at a distant second, closely followed by Vista. XP just looks plain ugly out of the box.
However, when it comes to customizing the UIs as per user needs, Mac provides little help. Ubuntu comes with compiz, AWN/cairo docks (among several others) and plenty of other UI tools providing the user with a ton of options to tweak the UI as needed. Vista/XP also has freeware apps such as Uxtheme patch + msstyle themes, docketdock/object dock and freeware shell replacements that provide plenty customization. If done right, I’d say Ubuntu is a clear winner here. Mac still comes in second and XP/Vista last because of the lack of good/reliable freeware apps. However is you are willing to pay for software, XP/Vista are just as good if not better than the competition.
Winner
Novice: Mac
Expert: Linux

Ease of use
This one is a toughie. In my opinion, Windows is probably the winner here. Out of the box, its just plain usable. Installation compared to other options is a breeze. Program locations are in a simple start menu. Mac is a very close second. Although the layout of mac is better, apps such as Finder do a poor job of File System access. Spotlight is great but a little messy is showing the data and doesn’t search system folders by default. Ubuntu has come a long way from its Linux past. Gnome’s bloat is reduced, the layout is clean and thunar/nautilus are good file managers. Apt is a good installer app, but problems with installation means digging into the CLI and figuring out what happened. For beginners, this usually equates to game over.
The other aspect of use is what happens when you hit issues. Web searches will usually reveal good solutions for Windows. Ubuntu forums are quite good but novice users will find it hard to fix some complex issues. Mac, in my opinion is the hardest to find help online. The search results don’t usually yield good results.
Winner
Novice: Windows
Expert: Linux

Software
This is easy. In my opinion, Windows is a winner by a long shot. People have been making software for windows forever now. Which everyday apps is a close call, specialized software is almost always made for windows. For example, cell phone sync software, universal remote software, firmware upgrade for audio/video compoenents, wireless etc. However, if we narrow the field down to freeware standard software, I think Linux wins. Almost any software for windows has a free mac equivalent that work as good, if not better than its windows counterpart. Mac is probably lacking here overall. This is some really good stuff on Mac that is better than Windows/Linux but a lot isn’t available at all. However, with the switch to Intel hardware, this is changing rapidly. I think pretty soon, they’d reach parity. However, Mac will face similar issues as Windows where you will have to pony up the dough for the good stuff.
Winner: Linux

Hardware
Why is hardware here. We are comparing OS’s. Well, Mac only runs on, well Macs. Bummer. This alone keeps a majority of the population out. The overpriced hardware attracts the rich and the wannabees. Windows and Linux work on anything, including the overpriced Mac hardware.
Winner: Windows and Linux

Security
Hmm. This is everyone and their mom says, Windows sucks. Well, not so fast. First consider the number of users who run windows. They’be be the perfect target for attack and hence the number of attacks on windows. Also, these days you rarely that many security patches on Windows. Over time, windows has gotten to be a lot steadier OS with fewer flaws. Mac (bsd underpinnings) and Linux are equally prone to security flaws. However, there aren’t as many people on it to really focus on.
Having said what I have, the Windows folks do shoot themselves in the foot. ActiveX is probably the worst thing out there. Clicking yes on a simple little informational bar in IE will let remote sites execute stuff on your machine. With the number of ignorant users out there, there is little reasoning for such poor insight.
Winner: Mac and Linux

Conformance/Standards
Microsoft is the anti-christ when it comes to conformance or standards. They just make their own stuff up and ignore standards. With the majority behind them, they can afford to do this and get away. I can’t stand it. I can’t put up with it. Mac users, don’t be all smug either. What’s with ITunes and quicktime on windows looking like OSX. Conformance is cross-platform. If you want windows apps to look Mac-like on Mac because it fits with the theme, make Mac apps look like windows apps on windows.
Winner: Linux

Resources
Linux is super-light on the resources. Out of the box, gnome is a bit on the heavy side. But there is a minimal install option or the Xubuntu option (XFCE) really keeping things at next to nothing. I’ve personally run Debian in 4GB HDD and less than 512MB of mem running everything I needed.
Just the basic Windows install runs around 12-16gb. OSX takes up quite a bit as well and is resource heavy with all the cool graphics et al.
Winner: Linux

Overall, there isn’t a clear winner. For everyday hassle-free computing, any OS will do. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. The Mac fanboys won’t like this, but fanboys aren’t what make an OS successful. Mac’s have some catching up to do, which I’m sure they will.
I think power users would run the Linux route. It is resource conscious, has all the eye candy and highly customizable with plenty of options. Also, running Wine on Linux will let you run the one-off apps for which you absolutely need Windows for (Fanboys, don’t even get me started on Darwine).

Overall Winner: Linux