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OS shoot-out: Windows vs. Mac OS X vs. Linux

2008 saw Windows' market share drop to less than 90 percent. Should you switch to Mac or Linux, too?

· By Galen Gruman www.infoworld.com

The Mac's been on a roll, both due to its highly regarded Mac OS X Leopard operating system and to an unhappy reception for Microsoft's Windows Vista. The result: For the first time in memory, the Mac's market share has hit 9.1 percent, according to IDC data, and Windows' market share has dipped below 90 percent. (Linux distributions make up the rest.)

But can either Mac OS X or Linux be more than a niche OS? After all, Windows runs practically everything, from widely used productivity apps such as spreadsheets to highly niche applications such as chemical modeling. Mac OS X and Linux simply don't have the app base that Windows does. Of course, the fact you can run Windows on a Mac or Linux system, thanks to Parallels Desktop and EMC VMware Fusion, lets you have your cake and eat it too.

For some users -- often technically savvy people such as engineers, consultants, designers, and CTOs -- it is clearly an option that already works quite well. In the past year, running Mac OS X or Linux as your default OS has been made easier by the capability to run Windows in a virtual machine, giving you access to both Windows-only applications and Web sites that rely on Microsoft's Internet Explorer-only ActiveX technology. But in a business environment, switching to a Mac or Linux PC may not be quite as easy.

The Windows option Despite the increasing adoption of alternatives to Windows, the Microsoft OS remains the standard choice for the vast majority of businesses. After all, it's been their standard for nearly two decades; they know it, have become dependent on it, and understand its capabilities and limitations. Plus, it's backed by a company that puts a lot of resources into maintaining, supporting, and enhancing the OS for its very wide user base -- and has a huge third-party support system, from vendors to consultants.

For most businesses, considering something other than Windows is not even a question; their concern is when to shift to a new version of Windows. Still, as users (re)discover the Mac and questions over Windows' long-term resource requirements hang in the air, some are considering alternatives to, or at least supplements for, Windows in the form of Mac OS X and Linux.

The Mac OS X option Of the plausible alternatives to Windows, Apple's Mac OS X has the largest market share and history. InfoWorld chief technologist Tom Yager has written that the latest version of the Mac OS, Leopard (10.5), is simply the best operating system available . And Macs are indeed popping up more frequently even within IT circles -- I've seen more MacBook Pros in the hands of CTOs and IT execs at conferences in the past year more than ever before. Although there are no real numbers on just the business adoption of Macs, it's clear that Apple is in growth mode, gaining an increasing proportion of all new computer sales for more than a year now.

Many businesses have already adopted the Mac as a standard platform , discovering that the hardware is typically better designed than equivalent Windows systems for the same price, that security risks are lower, and that there are more enterprise-quality management tools than they expected. InfoWorld has chronicled how to make the switch to Mac OS X . The drive for Mac adoption often comes from users, not IT. InfoWorld's Yager has chronicled the adventures of one PC user who switched to the Mac OS, showing that for an individual, the conversion was ultimately a rewarding one .

A key tool for any Mac OS X switcher is a virtual machine to run Windows for those apps and Web sites that require it. Both Parallels Desktop 3.0 and VMware's Fusion software will do the trick, as InfoWorld's comparative review has shown. Although Macs are compatible with most typical hardware, such as monitors and drives, fitting a Mac into an enterprise's management systems and ERP applications can be a different story. Yager's Enterprise Mac blog and the Mac Enterprise user group both provide advice on managing Macs in a traditional IT environment.

The Linux option The more technically inclined may be attracted to Linux, the most popular form of desktop Unix. Linux desktops typically are challenged by limited hardware compatibility (due to lack of drivers), limited application options , and user interfaces that require active participation to get work done, which tends to keep Linux away from the general user population. Still, it's possible to do, and InfoWorld has chronicled how to make the switch to Linux .

But those who work with a Linux server all day may find that using it on the desktop as well actually makes their lives easier.

Just as Mac users need occasional access to Windows, so do Linux users. Because Linux distributions run on Windows-compatible hardware, it's straightforward to use desktop virtualization software , such as Parallels Workstation, Sun's (formerly Innotek's) VirtualBox, and VMware's Workstation software, to provide access to both environments. Although some enterprises have committed to wide Linux deployment -- such as automaker Peugeot Citroën's plans to install 20,000 Novell Suse Linux desktops -- most have left Linux to the engineering and development staff.

InfoWorld Enterprise Desktop blogger Randall Kennedy argues that desktop Linux is doomed to remain a tiny niche OS , given the Linux community's lack of interest in providing a UI that regular people could use. Kennedy tried to spend a week working on nothing but the Ubuntu distribution of Linux but gave up on the fifth day .

But Kennedy's take isn't the last word on desktop Linux. Frequent InfoWorld contributor Neil McAllister put together a special report on how to move from Windows to Linux , concluding that the effort was not as hard as you might think.

Who's right? As with any platform choice, they both may be. A one-size-fits-all approach may be unrealistic. And that likely explains why many businesses will have a mix, dominated by Windows XP today (and perhaps Windows 7 in a few years) but not exclusively tied to Microsoft's OS.

The geek gifts you didn't get for Christmas 2008

Thankful as you are for your presents, the techie in you wasn't quite satisfied. These 10 options may scratch that geek itch.

* By InfoWorld

It's hard to be a geek at Christmastime. Sure, there are lots of cool tech toys and gadgets on display on store shelves, and a few may have landed under your tree this year. Perhaps Absolutely Mad: 50 Years of Mad Magazine on DVD, a Microsoft Xbox 360, an Apple MacBook Pro 2008 edition , a Garmin Nuvi 880, and one or more of the hot smartphones: the Apple iPhone 3G, the Palm Treo Pro, the RIM BlackBerry Storm, or the T-Mobile G1 .

But it takes a geek to know what a true geek really wants, and chances are your friends and family aren't all that geeky.

So which true-geek items might they have given you? InfoWorld's band of mad scientists -- a motley crew of software, networking, datacenter, and hardware experts that habituates the InfoWorld Test Center -- offers recommendations on what they lust after ... and know their fellow geeks do, too. Christmas may be over, but you can still give the gift of geek tech to yourself

In alphabetical order, top 10 picks: * Apple Time Capsule
* Botanicalls DIY Plant Twitter Kit
* Cathode Corner Nixie Watch
* EVGA GTX 200 Waterblock
* Eye-Fi Explore
* 4th Motion Gyroxus Full-Motion Game Chair
* MvixUSA MvixBox
* Sky Factory SkyV
* SRS Labs iWow for iPod Adapter
* Yoggie Gatekeeper Pico

Apple will unveil netbooks next month, says analyst

Gloomy economy, climbing sales of the least-expensive laptops, and comments by Steve Jobs are cited as evidence Apple will show a pair of netbooks at Macworld next month

* By Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

Apple will introduce two netbooks at the MacWorld Conference and Expo next month that will be tied to the company's App Store, as is its iPhone , an analyst said Tuesday.

"I don't have any inside information," said Ezra Gottheil of Technology Business Research, as he spelled out his take on Apple's next hardware move. "This is just by triangulation."

Citing evidence that included the gloomy economy, climbing sales of the least-expensive laptops, and comments CEO Steve Jobs made in October , Gottheil said Apple would show a pair of netbooks at January's conference, then as it did two years before with the iPhone, put it on the market mid-year.

"They like to have a big surprise at Macworld," Gottheil said. "They don't need to have one, but they like to."

But Gottheil had more than just Apple's habit of springing surprises in mind. "It looks like netbooks are real, and getting a certain amount of traction. And this recession looks serious."

In a research note three weeks ago, Gottheil concluded that Apple would enter the netbook market sometime in the first six months of 2009, in large part because of slowing consumer spending. Unlike other computer makers, Apple has avoided the bottom of the market, leaving it vulnerable as $300-$400 netbook sales have surged. The problem with producing a netbook, Gottheil said then, was that if it was simply a stripped-down MacBook , Apple ran the risk of cannibalizing sales of its higher-priced, and higher-margin, notebooks.

Apple, in effect, needs something completely different, Gottheil said. That's why he believes Apple will introduce netbooks next year that, like the company's iPhone, will exist in an Apple-controlled "closed system" where software is delivered via the App Store, device restore is done from iTunes , backup is available through an optional online service, most likely MobileMe, and peripheral and add-on choices will be limited.

The App Store will be one of the keys, Gottheil said. "By controlling the software that can be loaded and the hardware that can be attached, Apple's device will be simpler, easier to use and more reliable than a PC, and will excel at the functions most required by users," he said.

With the infrastructure and connections Apple already has, it can redefine the netbook category. "The issue here is making it dirt-simple for the user," he said. "Macs have a good deal less hassle than PCs, but they don't have zero hassle. To some people, they are intrinsically intimidating."

The problem with current netbooks, including those powered by open source Linux, is that while they may sport a simplified interface and be attractively priced, they lack many of the elements that Apple has. "The vendors did not invest in everything necessary to deliver the device, including software development, partnerships with other hardware vendors and online services," Gottheil said.

To succeed, a netbook needs strong software, an online delivery system for that software and "enforced limits" on the supported peripherals, he said, pointing to Google as a possible software partner and supplier, the App Store as the delivery system and Hewlett-Packard as the most likely peripheral partner. Gottheil's betting that Apple will unveil two netbooks next month, one about the size of the MacBook Air, the other a $599 machine similar to the smaller Linux- or Windows-based netbooks. The time between then and a mid-year release would be required, by Gottheil's reasoning, to prime the developer pump, as Apple did earlier this year when it announced it would open the iPhone to third-party programs four months before it launched the iPhone 3G.

"I don't necessarily expect it to be a touchscreen," he said. "In fact, I don't think it will. But I do think that the interface would present simple, straightforward choices."

The App Store connection also makes sense, said Gottheil, even if Apple doesn't make much money from its cut of software sales, as it's claimed on iPhone program sales. "Because all the applications are delivered through the iTunes App Store, Apple will maintain sustained relationships with users, making it easier to up sell and cross-sell," he said.

On the down side, although this different tack would reduce MacBook cannibalization, some would be inevitable, Gottheil predicted. And if Apple sells the device at the $599 price he expects -- that number derived by parsing Jobs ' comment that the company doesn't "know how to make a $500 computer that's not a piece of junk" -- that still puts its system at nearly twice that of the lowest-priced netbooks.

"The issue, really, is that even Macs are too complicated for some people," Gottheil said. "But a [Mac] netbook doesn't have to be all things for all people."

Merry Christmas from Bear IT

Google Chrome races out of beta

Google has announced that its Chrome web browser is ready for a full release having been available to the public as a beta for the past 100 days.

Sundar Pichai, Google's vice president of product management, made the announcement and states that "Google Chrome is a better browser today thanks to the many users who sent their feedback and the many more who enabled automatic crash reports, helping us rapidly diagnose and fix issues."

Since its well-publicised launch, Google Chrome has been used by over 10 million users. The latest version, 1.0.154.36, is the browser's fifteenth revision and the first to lose the beta tag. The release, available now from Google.com/Chrome, promises enhancements such as better stability and performance of plug-ins, increased overall speed and an improved bookmark manager.

Despite its quick progress, Pichai adds that further work is needed. "We have removed the beta label as our goals for stability and performance have been met, but our work is far from done," he states. "We are working to add some common browser features such as form autofill and RSS support in the near future."

Official product page: Google.com/chrome

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We offer a fantastic range of 'Get Into' open courses - these are bite sized one & two day courses specifically designed around the needs of people in business today.  Please check out our newly launched Get Into website by clicking on the course titles below.

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East Midlands Young Director Forum Launch

Young refers to "young" in experience of running a business as opposed to age. However, previously it was felt up to 45 years being 10 years younger than the average age of Chief Execs on the Board of FTSE 100 companies. Any events organised will ultimately be open to anyone, just are more likely to appeal to "younger" directors so don't worry too much on the age front.

Please read the information below, if you are interested please contact either Sarah or Sue.

Hope to see you there,

Adam & Mark.

 

Used PCs still being dumped despite high demand

Emerging markets will pay for used PCs, Gartner says, yet companies keep throwing them into the trash heap.

More used computers could be reused; only 44 percent of computers entering the secondary market end up in the hands of a new owner, despite the fact that worldwide demand for such computers is greater than supply, according to a Gartner report.

Export tariffs and high transportation costs are restricting exports from mature markets to emerging markets. Environmental legislation is also making it harder for low-volume players to compete, according to Gartner.

Demand is growing fastest in the Middle East, Africa, and emerging markets in the Asia and Pacific region, in particular China. The largest exporters of secondary PCs are North America, Western Europe, Japan, and Australia.

As pressure increases on developing countries to accept used PCs as a viable technology solution for more basic computing tasks such as Internet surfing and Web e-mail, demand is likely to grow, said Meike Escherich, principal analyst at Gartner.

But competition for second-hand PCs is increasing as the average selling price of new PCs falls, and as buyers increasingly prefer notebooks with the most-recent specifications, or ultra-low-cost mini-notebooks.

Nevertheless, "We expect that most buyers of used PCs will prefer a higher-specification A-branded PC over a basic mini-notebook," said Escherich.

In the end, business is generally good for the commercial resale of secondary PCs, and it is not uncommon for refurbished PCs to offer equal or even better margin opportunities than new PCs, according to Escherich.

Resellers' success depends on their ability to get their hands on multiple PCs of the same configuration, mainly provided by large and midsize businesses and government agencies, rather than dealing with individual systems.

Microsoft tipped to bid for Yahoo! again

The possible deal between Microsoft and Yahoo! has been one of the on-off stories of the year, but it appears to be a prospect again.

Earlier this year, Microsoft made a move to buy Yahoo! in a bid to strengthen its position against Google, which is starting to move beyond traditional search into the hosted application market.

But with Yahoo! rejecting the approach and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer indicating it would give up on the deal, all went quiet.

But there are now indications that a $20bn deal is taking shape for the search business and Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang, who rebuffed the first offer in February, is planning to step down from the company as soon as a replacement can be found.

Since Microsoft's original $44.6bn bid for Yahoo! was turned down, Ballmer has repeated his position that the vendor would not be quick to make another offer.

In recent weeks, however, Ballmer has been reported in the US press as indicating that a deal or partnership for the search business could be a distinct possibility.

Apple quietly recommends using antivirus software

As Apple gains market share, hackers could increasingly look to exploit the platform -- particularly if it is perceived as an easier target.

I'm a Mac. You're a PC. But we both need antivirus software.

Apple, which has long perpetuated the belief that its operating system is immune to security problems, is recommending that users install security software to make it harder for hackers to target its platform.

"Apple encourages the widespread use of multiple antivirus utilities so that virus programmers have more than one application to circumvent, thus making the whole virus writing process more difficult," according to a support note posted last month.

Apple's position -- while prudent -- undercuts its popular advertising campaign which anthropomorphized PCs running Windows as an overweight nerdy man with the flu.

But data by computer security researchers has shown that while Apple hasn't been affected by malicious software nearly to the extent as Windows, it's merely because hackers go after the most widely used platform.

Apple is gaining market share, however, which means hackers could increasingly look to exploit the platform, particularly if it becomes perceived as an easier target.

In the past, Apple has been slow to patch, according to researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. They released a study in March looking at so-called zero-day vulnerabilities, when a security problem is publicly disclosed without a patch.

That measure is important since it means users are unprotected during the time it takes to create, test and then apply a patch. The study concluded Apple often had more unpatched vulnerabilties than Microsoft.

Apple systems are also not immune from problems in third-party software, such as plug-ins, which are used to view animated Flash graphics and PDF (Portable Document Format) files.

Security problems in plug-ins have frequently been manipulated to cause browsers to redirect to malicious Web sites, which are rigged to try and take advantage of browser flaws.

Compared to Windows, there aren't nearly as many antivirus products for Apple computers. Russian security vendor Kaspersky Lab, however, said earlier this year that it has a prototype Apple version of its software that it could publish in days depending on market demand. Symantec, McAfee and Intego offer Apple antivirus products as well.

Sophos, based in Abingdon, England, currently sells an enterprise-level product for OS X, and interest has been increasing in the product, said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant.

Analysts in the company's labs have seen more financially motivated malicious software for OS X, Cluley said. Last week, the company spotted " OSX/Jahlav-A ," a Trojan downloader.

Jahlav is often planted on Web sites as a purported key generator that can be used to figure out valid product codes for hacked software. But if it is installed, a hacker has complete control over the Apple computer and can download other bad software to the machine to steal data, Cluley said.

Businesses that handle credit-card data using Apple computers may also be required to use antivirus software as part of recent security guidelines adopted by the payment card industry, Cluley said.

Additionally, Apple is now using Intel chips in its machines, which means some users may be using virtualization programs to also run Windows. Although the operating systems would run separately and can't infect each other, it could increase the likelihood of an Apple user passing along Windows files that are infected to another person in the office, Cluley said.

Malicious software is "nowhere like as big of a problem as on Windows but it does exist," Cluley said. "You can still get hit by it."