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Steve Ballmer recently stated that Windows 7 is the best version of Windows ever. Now that Windows 7 is officially out, the public at large can join that debate and determine if Windows 7 is the best version of Windows yet, or even the greatest operating system of all time. Let’s consider the hypothetical question of whether Windows 7 is the greatest operating system of all time.

Before the flaming comments start flowing about what a Microsoft fanboy I am, let me begin by stating that it’s a hypothetical question, not a statement of opinion, never mind an assessment of any empirical facts.

How do you even measure such a thing, though? Choosing the ‘best’ operating system is a little like selecting the ‘best’ religion. They all have their pros and cons and the decision is very subjective because what one person considers a feature, the next person considers a bug.

Windows 7 has been favorably reviewed thus far and it seems to be doing well out of the gate, but, let’s take a look at some factors you might consider in trying to choose the best operating system ever.

Price

Price alone can’t determine the best operating system, but it can certainly be a factor. You have to be careful about how you calculate the price of the operating system though. For example, the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade edition costs $120, compared with Snow Leopard, the recent upgrade for Apple Mac OS X, which came in at $29. However, comparable hardware to run it on costs two to three times more for the Mac OS X system, and the cost of compatible hardware devices is typically higher as well.

Linux is open source, which means that an operating system like Ubuntu can be downloaded for free. There are some intangible costs to the learning curve if you aren’t already a Linux-user, as well as some additional effort to adapt other hardware and software to work with it. But, overall the winner on price would appear to be Linux.

read full article : Is Windows 7 the Greatest OS Ever? Let Me Count the Ways
pcworld.com

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