![]() With smartphones such a prevalent part of modern life, a good desktop operating system needs to work in concert with those devices. ![]() Much of an operating system's security and stability is maintained by an automated update process that makes sure the system receives timely fixes to hardware and software compatibility and vulnerability issues. Most even include built-in security features and support for VPNs. Those apps include photo editors, video editors, web browsers, email clients, calendars, text editors, music players, among others.Īn operating system also includes tools to keep your computer running smoothly, safely, and malware-free. Today's modern OSes include slick user interfaces and loads of utilities, tools, and preloaded apps that let you do a lot without even installing third-party application software. It provides an interface between the hardware, the application software running on the hardware, and the user interacting with the software. Windows: Which OS Really Is the Best?Īn operating system is software that makes your computer work at all. And well beyond the scope of this article are some bizarre and obscure operating systems that most people never heard of.įor a blow-by-blow comparison of the two leading choices, Windows and macOS, read macOS vs. We'll leave IBM i, Suse Linux, server OSes, and the rest for another day. In this mini-roundup, we only include consumer operating systems. There's no running macOS outside of an actual Mac computer, though, unless you're comfortable jumping through the technical hoops required to create a Hackintosh (Opens in a new window). You can also create a Linux partition on a Windows PC and boot to that when the need arises. For example, you can run Windows on a Mac inside a virtual machine (VM) or dual-boot using Boot Camp (if you have an Intel-based Mac). ![]() If you need to run software that's only compatible with a particular operating system (usually Windows or macOS), then you're somewhat limited, though there are ways around those obstacles with multiboot setups and virtualization software. Windows and macOS are generally the most powerful in terms of hardware and software selection as well as interface conveniences and utilities, while Chrome OS is more lightweight and runs on inexpensive hardware. ![]() Four come from gargantuan commercial tech giants, while one, the Linux-based Ubuntu, is a free, open-source option. That's not a huge number, but these operating systems differ distinctly in strengths and weaknesses. The five OSes included here are your most viable options. You don’t have a great many choices when it comes to your computer's operating system, but the choice that you make can have wide-ranging consequences. Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. ( Read our editorial mission & see how we test.) How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.I recommend learning how to edit the text files when possible since GUI’s shouldn’t be installed on a server anyway, you can also easily write code to customize these files, and it’s generally much faster to edit a text file than it is to change something in a GUI. (And, of course, most systems have one or more GUI’s to edit these files, too, but these are highly system dependent. In Debian and derived distributions such as Ubuntu and SimplyMeppis, the network configuration is stored in the /etc/network/interfaces file.įor Red Hat, Fedora, and derivatives such as Mandriva and CentOS, the file is /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts, such as ifcfg-eth0.Įach of these files should be appropriately commented and/or have man pages associated with them. Of course, just changing a config file will not force a change of the IP address until the next boot, so you may still want to use ifconfig as detailed above or force a restart of the network configuration. In most systems, the “SEE ALSO” section of the ifconfig man page (i.e., “man ifconfig”) will refer you to the configuration files that are referenced on startup. The method for making such a change permanent is dependent on the system. You would have to run this ifconfig again after every bootup. Excellent blog post! Here’s a few extra details on IP address configuration on Linux and UNIX.įor UNIX, as well as Linux (which is not UNIX per se), ifconfig will only change the IP temporarily.
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