The choice a business owner makes in operating systems is integral, as their costs vary as enormously as their capabilities. An operating system is the behind-the-scenes warrior of your computer -- it's the host of the computer that sets the standards for all application programs and handles the details of the operation of the hardware. Here are the pros and cons of the top five operating systems.
Mac OS X v.10.5 is a Unix-based operating system. With each new version -- all named after big cats, with version 10.5 being dubbed Leopard -- Mac OS X has evolved away from a focus on backward compatibility with the earlier versions of Mac OS toward an emphasis on enhanced business applications like iWork, which was recently revamped for the small-business market.
Mac OS X v.10.6 is expected to be released this June, but rather than delivering new functionality, Snow Leopard will focus on stability and performance improvements. It will feature Microsoft Exchange Server support, 64-bit technology capable of supporting greater amounts of RAM, QuickTime X, advanced GPU performance with OpenCL, better use of multicore processors through Grand Central, and SquirrelFish JavaScript interpreter, improving the JavaScript rendering speed of Safari by more than 50%.
Mac OS X holds a 9.63% market share among operating systems -- far behind Windows OS users yet still well ahead of Linux users. Apple will always have its devotees, just like Microsoft will always have its haters, but Linux also has rabid fans, and those users have a major point when they note the price difference between Linux- and Mac-based systems. Running a Mac-based office may look pretty and be user-friendly, but what will it cost you?
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