Poll: What Operating System do you use?

I have not tried the Mohave “upgrade” to Vista, but I really have serious ethical problems with MS sneaking that out, and only then revealing it was a form of Vista. A look at the “outside” of an OS is *not* the same as having to work with it!

Windows 7 Ultimate!

I use Windows XP (bundled with it), but it’s probably just a matter of personal choice. Otherwise, I might get Windows 7 when my current PC finally expires, maybe the “Ultimate” package – if it doesn’t cost too much money to obtain. It would most likely be a laptop/notebook, or whatever the hell they like to call it..

I have two Macs and one Windows-platform netbook for testing. Both Macs have OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard) installed and so far I really love the new OS! My only concern is that it sometimes does not render fonts correctly in Firefox 3.5.5 – fonts render as oblique or italic when they should be regular. At the first available opportunity I will contact Apple Care to inquire about this glitch. Other than that one issue, I love Snow Leopard!

I develop on a mac and test on 2 different versions of Windows – you can never be too careful. Why isn’t using a virtualization solution such as xVM virtualbox or VMware Fusion a valid answer for running multiple OSes on the same system?

I have an Asus netbook running xp and eeebuntu netbook re-mix as a dual boot and mint and ubuntu as virtual machines. I also have Slitaz running on a USB stick and use g.ho.st via firefox.I like having choices.

Why is Linux mentioned, it’s just a kernel, would not GNU/Linux be more appropriate if you mention Operative Systems? And why are so many other popular Operative Systems not on the list? Yes i said popular, i use none of the operative systems in this pool, not professionally nor personally, and i don’t find that any of the operative systems i use are unusual in fact they are all very common, the ones i use at work for servers for instace which does at times run any of the above but are heavily outnumbered by several not mentioned.

I’m using gNewSense GNU/Linux – the ultimate operating system containing 100% free (libre) software only.

I’m using Ubuntu Linux with Windows XP and Windows 7 running in Sun VirtualBox VMs. The majority of my work is unix-based, so it just makes sense for me.

@leth: While the technical term is indeed GNU/Linux (referring to the various applications that are run on top of the Linux kernel), the general term that everyone uses is “Linux”, and the fight by a very few to insist on using the technical term was lost a long time ago.

I use GNU/Linux.

@Douglas: I don’t want to start a flamewar on this subject, but there are really several reasons why GNU should be mentioned. GNU is for instance the major part of a GNU/Linux system, GNU is actually an OS while Linux is merely a Kernel, Linux was developed partly with GNU tools and is built using the GNU C Compiler. Furthermore GNU/Linux systems use a userland of GNU developed tools, these tools are essential for the system to work, Linux simply can’t run without a userland.

To summarize: The GNU Project is the reason GNU/Linux systems exists, are usable and popular as of now, to fail to recognize the actual name of the OS is not only an insult to the GNU Project and the many developers involved in creating a GNU OS but also incorrect.

I’m surprised how few Mac users are in this poll. But then I’m an ardent convert

I use Windows XP x 64 in general, on two boxes. One has IE7, the other IE8, both for testing purposes since my primary browser is Firefox. I also test with Opera and Safari.

For fun I run Linux Ubuntu x64 in a dual-boot setup on one of the aforementioned machines.

I also run Windows 2000 on a separate HDD in one of those boxes so I can test with IE6 .

I don’t care much for VM, even though I run more than enough RAM to support it. I prefer to just boot up another box.

Soon I will upgrade one machine to Windows 7. Can’t wait!

Yes! The winner is Windows XP . I use it too, it never dissapointed me! XP is focused on productivity and compatibility, most of HTML editors works with it. I voted XP.

Irene: I am too! I have been using Mac only for 19 months now (since my son was born) and I love it. I don’t think I’ll ever switch back. And for those desperate situations (and testing) I use Parallels and Browsercam.

I use both…xp…for business and Mac OS for my more artsy stuff…

I use Mac OSX 10.5 at work and I don’t care for it. I prefer Win XP or a Linux flavour. Windows 7 isn’t too bad – I played with a RC for a while.

I have thirty years Unix experience, roughly 25 with Windows (I have the first 5-1/4″ floppy of my Windows 1.0 prerelease SDK framed in a dartboard, and I spent all day yesterday debugging a client’s Win7 problem). I did some Mac development from ‘84 to ‘87 before getting washed away in the hype that was/is Windows. I’ve been using and developing for Linux since the Red Hat Hallowe’en Release, and Fedora 12 is currently up and chewing on a database…

So I’ve used everything – including some really oddball shtuff. Almost two years ago, I switched my workaday system from Linux to…Mac OS X.

Why? Because:
1) I am measurably more than twice as productive on the Mac as I was in Linux, and almost 5x my Windows personal best;
2) I spend less time and angst maintaining my Macs (plural) in a month than any Linux box I’ve ever had used in a week. For Windows XP/Vista/7, substitute ‘year’ and ‘fortnight’ for the relevant timeframes. Again, a several-to-one relationship.
3) After decades of formal training and experience in usability and software quality engineering, I’ve lost all patience with both the Linux and (especially) Windows camps. Your typical Mac developer has temporarily forgotten more about either subject than the aggregate of the first two communities will ever know.
4) Linux is fantastic if you’ve got the temperament and buckets of time to invest in noodling out every little nuance that affects what you’re interested in at the moment; it’s (by definition) completely learnable. Windows, on the other hand, to use a well-known metaphor, “is a Trabant with the hood welded shut, that makes you pay extra for tires or for gasoline without sugar added.” But the marketing! If the Trabi had half of Microsoft’s marketing force and aggressiveness, East Germany would be the automotive and economic powerhouse of the world. But it collapsed – and Windows is well along that road, too.

I’m studying and using OpenSolaris, a handful of GNU/Linux variants, and FreeBSD.

I use Linux Debian with KDE.