Without an operating system, the computer can sit in a corner and display profound messages on the screen, such as Non-system disk or disk error or Insert system disk and press any key when ready. If you want your computer to do more than that, though, you need an operating system.
ChromeOS: Cheap Chromebooks have long dominated the best-seller lists at many computer retailers — and for good reason. If you want to surf the web, work on email, compose simple documents, or do anything in a browser — which covers a whole lot of ground these days — ChromeOS is all you need. Chromebooks run Google’s ChromeOS. They can’t run Windows programs such as Office or Photoshop (although they can run web-based versions of them, such as Office Online or the Photoshop Express Editor). Despite the limitations, they don’t get infected and have few maintenance problems. You can’t say the same about Windows 10: That’s why you need a thousand-page book to keep it going. Yes, you do need a reliable Internet connection to get the most out of ChromeOS. But some parts of ChromeOS and Google’s apps, including Gmail, can work even if you don’t have an active Internet connection.ChromeOS, built on Linux, looks and feels much like the Google Chrome web browser. There are a few minor differences, but in general, you feel like you’re working in the Chrome browser. One downside is that ChromeOS, unlike Linux or Windows, can’t be installed on any PC you want. It's limited to the devices on which it is sold and preinstalled by their manufacturer. That’s why, if you want ChromeOS, you must purchase a Chromebook or Chromebox (the “equivalent” of a desktop PC).For friends and family who don’t have big-time computer needs, I find myself recommending a Chromebook more often than not. It’s cheaper, easier for them, and easier for me to help them out.
macOS: Apple has made great strides running on Intel hardware. If you don’t already know how to use Windows or own a Windows computer, it makes sense to consider buying an Apple computer or running macOS or both. Yes, you can build a custom computer and run macOS on it: Check out www.hackintosh.com. But, no, it isn’t legal — the macOS End User License Agreement explicitly forbids installation on a non-Apple-branded computer. Also, installing it is not for the faint of heart.That said, if you buy a Mac — say, a MacBook Air or Pro — it’s easy to run Windows 10 on it. Some people feel that the highest quality Windows environment today comes from running Windows 10 on a MacBook, and for years I’ve run it on my MacBook Pro and Air. All you need is a program called Boot Camp, and that’s already installed, free, on the MacBook.
Linux: The big up-and-coming operating system, which has been up and coming for a couple of decades now, is Linux, which is pronounced “LIN-uchs.” It’s a viable contender for cheaper PCs and older ones. Linux comes in many names (called distros) and versions. If you want to give it a try, you might want to start with Ubuntu Linux. If you plan to use your PC only to get on the Internet — to surf the web and send emails— Linux can handle all that, with few of the headaches that remain as the hallmark of Windows. By using free programs such as LibreOffice (www.libreoffice.org) and online services such as GSuite and Google Drive (www.drive.google.com), you can even cover the basics in word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, contact managers, calendars, and more. Linux may not support the vast array of hardware that Windows 10 offers — but more than a few wags will tell you that Windows has problems supporting it too.
WINDOWS RT, RIP
Back in the early days of Windows 8, Microsoft developed a different branch of Windows that was christened Windows RT. New Windows RT computers at the time were generally small, light, and inexpensive. They had a long battery life and touch-sensitive displays.
Several manufacturers made Windows RT machines, but the only company that sold more than a dumpster full of them was Microsoft. Microsoft’s original Surface (later renamed Surface RT) and Surface 2 ran Windows RT — and even they didn’t sell worth beans.
The fundamental flaw with Windows RT? It wasn’t Windows. You couldn’t (and can’t) run classic Windows programs on it. You can’t upgrade the machine to real Windows. But try explaining that to a garden-variety customer. Microsoft blew it when they gave the new, odd operating system the name Windows RT.
The company has essentially orphaned Windows RT. If you own a Windows RT device (most likely a Microsoft Surface or Surface 2), the folks in Redmond provided one last update, called Windows RT 8.1 update 3, which plugs what little they could muster. See www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/support/install-update-activate/windows-8-1-rt-update-3.
In the tablet sphere, iOS and Android rule, with iOS for iPhones and iPads — all from Apple — and Android for smartphones and tablets from a bewildering number of manufacturers. Windows 10 doesn’t exactly compete with any of them. However, Microsoft tried to take on iPad with the now-defunct Windows RT (see the sidebar “Windows RT, RIP”) and is trying to dip its billion-dollar toe back in the bare-bones water with Windows 10 S mode and the upcoming Windows 10X.
Yet another branch of Windows is geared toward phones and tablets, especially 8-inch and smaller tablets. Windows 10 Mobile (see the sidebar) owes its pedigree to Windows Phone 8 and Windows RT. At least conceptually (and, in fact, under the hood in no small part), Microsoft has grown Windows Phone up and Windows RT down to meet somewhere in the middle. As we went to press, Windows 10 Mobile was dead. Today, no one creates smartphones with Windows 10 Mobile.
Fortunately, Windows 10 S mode systems can be upgraded so that they’re no longer in S mode. For most people who want more than the basics, that’s a smart move. If you find that you can’t run real Windows programs on your Windows 10 in S mode machine, look into dropping S mode.
What do other people choose? It’s hard to measure the percentage of PCs running Windows versus Mac versus Linux. One company, StatCounter (www.statcounter.com), specializes in analyzing the traffic of 3 million sites globally and provides lots of useful statistics based on the data they collect. One stat is tallying how many Windows computers hit those sites, compared to macOS and Linux. Although their data may not be 100 percent representative of real-world market share, it does an excellent job of giving us an idea of operating system penetration. If you look at only desktop operating systems — Windows (on desktops, laptops, 2-in-1s) and macOS X — the numbers in April 2020 (according to StatCounter) break as shown in Figure 1-3. (Linux and ChromeOS, the two bottom lines, have barely more than 1 percent market share, each).
In April 2020, Windows (the top line) had a market share of 76.52 percent of all desktop operating systems, and macOS (the second line from the top) had 18.99 percent. In Microsoft’s world, Windows 10 is king with a 73.14 percent market share. Windows 7 is a distant second, with 19.44 percent, and constantly
