Try a New Operating System

[Lewis]

Try a New Operating System This Weekend


We write about a variety of platforms here at Lifehacker, and even if you're perfectly happy with what you're using, nothing makes you feel more appreciative (not to mention knowledgeable) than trying something new. Take some of your free time this weekend and give a new OS a shot.
Windows

Windows gets a bad rap these days, but it's actually a great operating system. If you haven't tried out Windows 7 yet (or if you haven't used it in a while), check out our master list of Windows 7 shortcuts, and get to know big features like the taskbar and the Windows 7 libraries. Of course, it has a lot of really underhyped features that rock, too, not to mention lots of clever hidden tricks.
Of course, if you've been using Windows 7 for the past few years, you still have some new things to try out in the awesome, upcoming Windows 8. You can download the developer preview now, and install it or run it in a virtual machine. It may not be ready to be your primary operating system, but it's cool to see how far it's come in terms of speed and features. Check out our Windows 8 in-depth guides, from the Metro interface (which isn't great without touch, not that it matters) to the desktop, to Windows Explorer and the brand new Task Manager. While you're at it, you can check out some of Windows 8's lesser known features, too.
Once you've got everything up and running, be sure to check out our Lifehacker Pack for Windows and the Windows App Directory for a ton of cool programs.
Mac OS X

If you haven't used Macs since the 80s, now's a good time to take another look. If your desktop or laptop is compatible, you can turn your computer into a hackintosh. They're tough, but with a bit of troubleshooting, you should have no problem getting it up and running. You can also run OS X off a flash drive, or run it in VirtualBox on Windows. The latest version of OS X has some pretty cool features both secret and obvious., especially once you've de-iOSified it (though you can get a lot of those features in Snow Leopard, if you aren't a Lion fan).
Once you've got everything up and running, be sure to check out our Lifehacker Pack for Mac and the Mac App Directory for a ton of cool apps.
Linux

Working with Linux is a hefty undertaking, but we've tried to make it easy with our Night School course on getting started with Linux. Of course, if you have used Linux before, you could always try a new distribution, like the super-customizable Arch Linux (my personal favorite) to the netbook-friendly Lubuntu or Archbang. Even if you've done your fair share of distro-hopping, you might try a new desktop environment instead, or even something a bit more out of the box like Chrome OS. Programs like Lili make it easy, by creating versatile, go-anywhere bootable thumb drives so you don't even need to install anything on your system.
Once you've got everything up and running, be sure to check out our Lifehacker Pack for Linux and the Mac App Directory for a ton of cool programs. Check out our guide to getting cool desktop effects in Linux, too, while you're at it.
Putting It All Together: Dual and Triple Booting

If you like what you see and want to give your new OS a more permanent spot on your hard drive—without losing your old one—you can dual boot your computer. We've done guides on how to dual or triple boot your computer with Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, whether you're on a Mac or a hackintosh-compatible PC. You can also dual-boot Windows 7 and Windows 8 side by side, or run all your OSes at once using VirtualBox. Once you've got it all set up, make sure you're able to share your data across all your operating systems, too, for super-seamless switching.

 

[Lewis]

I want a Mac

 

[Pard]

I want a machine that is actually compatible with Linux. I think I'll have to make one because it always seems that the name brand guys refuse to make their hardware 100% compliant with Linux drivers. My laptop is great on Linux, for example, until you hit hour two and the fan kicks in going at full blast and it NEVER goes off again...

 

[tim-from-pa]

For me, using Linux permanently is "something new" as it's only been in recent times I've installed it over Microsoft. I used to use it only as live CD for several years.

But I had enough of the Microsoft and the headaches that go with it to know I don't ever want it again, to mention that I've been using windows 7 at work and still see it a little buggy, ie. the same types of behaviors earlier versions had so I know if I was brave enough to dish out hundreds, it would be "same ol' same ol' " I won't go into any further of a rant that people here are already familiar with.

Is Linux bug free? Heck no! But usually they are more of a nuance than something that makes the computer downright unusable and the issue gets resolved quickly with their many updates a week.

Frankly, I have no issues on this laptop with Ubuntu 11.10. On my upstairs computer one day the adobe flash stopped working "all of a sudden" without warning. There's workarounds. For example most of my video watching is youtube and it's own flash works with that, and some videos use HTML5 (which is the trend of the future). But some sites, such as news sites and itouchmap streetviews I can't get on that computer and is annoying. But then again, ask me what I'm working with? --- 1GB RAM and 40GB hard drive, ten years old and original video card. I can't blame that on Linux, but I strongly and logically suspect the hardware. If it is software related, it's from adobe since they lately have attitudinal problems supporting anything Linux (while kissing the hinder parts of Microsoft:yes ) This happened even once when I had Microsoft, and it turned out that turning off the hardware acceleration worked. For some reason, I cannot find the controls in this version of adobe to see what I have on. Maybe some day I'll find it. Bottom, line, I need a new computer.

Even with all that, it is infinitely better than dealing with an OS that gets malware all the time. I, too, would entertain the idea of a Mac, and there's support for that as well, but the cost is what's keeping me away. Otherwise, I don't have anything bad to say about them, yet.

 

[tim-from-pa]

I want a machine that is actually compatible with Linux. I think I'll have to make one because it always seems that the name brand guys refuse to make their hardware 100% compliant with Linux drivers. My laptop is great on Linux, for example, until you hit hour two and the fan kicks in going at full blast and it NEVER goes off again...

As you know, Pard, I'm an older guy and I don't have the money or interest to invest in devices like iphones, blackberry smartphones and other such gizmos. I have a simple Motorola Razor and instead of using a smartphone actually use a GPS when traveling instead of integrating all my needs into one device.

However, I may be downplaying Linux Ubuntu due to my limited tech use. While I give Microsoft a boost by saying it can run more but at the price of more viruses whereas Linux is somewhat less versatile but more secure, I may be giving Linux a bum rap. When I installed Ubuntu, it said that it was compatible with devices and song and file sharing and all that good stuff. In addition, since Ubuntu 12.04 just came out 3 days ago, I'm seeing such devices in the news running off that OS.

Not too shoddy. That OS does a lot more than my being happy with computers that just "check emails, surf, forums and youtube videos" and a few other modest applications. If Ubuntu is on devices and you can connect such things to an Ubuntu OS, then that is some serious stuff.

And again, viral free! I'd be scared to hook up any device to a PC because some of these devices do carry viruses that do not affect them but affect the PC they are hooked up to.

BTW, as a side-note here, I do have an Android OS NOOK from Barnes and Noble. When I download files, there is no command to delete them and needs a PC. But as I discovered, Microsoft cannot understand their filing system --- it's like an Englishman trying to understand Chinese. Even with Windows 7, I see incompatibility complaints on forums connecting with the NOOK. But on my Linux computer, NO PROBLEM. It hooks up nicely using that OS with a simple connection to the USB port. I can manage my files then and delete what I don't want thru my Linux PC. Linux, Android and Mac all talk similar language (same type of kernel) and that's why those are free of the viruses. Microsoft uses a completely different OS structure making it inherently vulnerable.