I am an agnostic when it comes to operating systems. I have several Windows based computers, an Ubuntu machine and a Macbook. I feel that the best thing to do is use the right tool for the right job, so I don’t really have a favorite operating system. That said, I should point out that no operating system can be all things to all people. Linux is solid and free, OSX is stable and great for working with graphics and Windows is ubiquitous and easy to find software for, both games and business applications. All bring something to the party. The trick is in identifying what your major uses of the computer are and loading the operating system that suits most of your needs. Finally. Microsoft wasn’t always the front runner in computer operating systems. Apple was a much greater force in the personal computer arena for years. The way things are going Apple may regain the crown, and Ubuntu Linux is making great headway. The choices are there.

Never had a BSOD in Vista. It has been incredibly rock solid no matter what I throw at it. I’ve really been impressed. Never had harware issues either.
Linux is too much of a pain in the a** to use on a reg basis. Apple is a hardware company that charges way too much for their pc’s.If they sold their os though,i would buy it if I could run it on MY hardware.

The Finnish gentleman is absolutely correct. If I walk into an Office Depot, e.g., one narrow shelf is allocated to Mac software; there is no Linux shelf. Oh, maybe an install disc will be on display for Fedora or SUSE, but no app software. Microsoft truly has no competition. No one has the deep pockets required to create a large-scale, state-of-the-art commercial competitor for MS Windows. And it would have to be commercial. Such an undertaking would be on the level of a “we will go to the Moon within this decade” (quoted inaccurately!) space program. So we’re stuck with Windows, it seems, for many years to come. And there is no question that they are the only game in town in the gaming area, if you exclude the gaming consoles.

Never understood why M$ bashing is the in-thing; they offer affordable software which has improved over the years and I haven’t seen a BSOD for at least 5+ years. Users of an OS have no concept of its intricacies. I installed IBM mainframe software as part of my career and each month they would send us a tape(s) of all their fixes. Have you ever written a multi-million line bug-free program?

There are 3 main problems/concerns with Linux and Gaming.
1. Most games would need separate coding for each different OS. That my friends takes lots of money.
2. The installation on a Linux machine would be a problem. Too many Linux Distro’s with different setup routines.
3. Some of the games use “anti-cheating” programs, that monitor spaces in memory, that Linux just doesn’t allow. I have written many times to some of those companies to see if they could “overcome” this….. but alas, I have never gotten a response. In fact most of the online-games (WoW), use this type program. Lots of doors could open…. if they just saw the BIG picture.

As for Other Software, you CAN find most in a Linux form (not the same, but close to it).