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This article was excerpted from: Buying a Computer for Dummies: 2006

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Believe it or not, you have a choice when it comes to selecting an operating system. Not every computer store carries all operating systems at one time, so you may have to shop around. But, options are out there and available - if you're willing to look. Use your own, personal observations and judgments to select an operating system just for you.

Windows XP

Windows is the most popular operating system available, sold with almost every PC. It's friendly and powerful, with a large software base and plenty of games. Chances are that your new computer will have Windows XP installed (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Windows XP looks like this.

Several flavors of Windows XP are available:

• Professional Edition: Most PC desktops include this full-featured version.

• Home Edition: Choose this less expensive version if you consider yourself more of a "consumer" than a business user, or if you want to play computer games (especially if you have older Windows games).

• Media Center Edition: This version of Windows XP Professional is preinstalled on Media Center PCs, and includes additional features that help you take advantage of your PC's media capabilities (such as pausing, rewinding, and recording live TV).

• Tablet PC Edition: This version is available exclusively for tablet computers.

• Professional x64 Edition: This version enables 64-bit applications to run faster and more efficiently.

Mac OS

The Macintosh operating system, or OS (see Figure 2), is synonymous with the Macintosh hardware: Buy a Mac; get an operating system.

Figure 2: The Macintosh OS looks like this.

Even if your plans include purchasing a PC with Windows, you may want to find a computer store that sells the Apple Macintosh and then sit down and take a test drive.

• The Mac OS is the only true alternative to Windows.

• If you're planning to use your computer for graphics, you would be remiss not to survey what's available on the Mac.

• Be aware that in addition to being tied to a certain version of the Mac OS, Macintosh software is geared to specific microprocessors. For today's systems, you want Mac software geared to the PowerPC, G4, or G5 microprocessor.

Linux

Linux is a free operating system that runs on just about any computer hardware platform, and particularly on PCs. You do pay for a release or distribution of Linux, but that also includes bells and whistles and programs that make installing Linux a snap. You can even add Linux to a computer that already runs Windows and "share" both operating systems.

Linux can be cryptic at times, but as long as you add a friendly shell, which adds a graphical user interface to the program, it can be easy to use. So, unless you're a programmer or Unix maven, look for a version of Linux with a shell program that helps you get used to the operating system. (This is the trade-off for Linux being as powerful as it is - even more powerful than Windows.)

• Linux is similar to the Unix operating system. If you like, you can get the Unix operating system for your computer as well. But, why bother when Linux can be had for next to nothing?

• Linux distributions go by product names such as Red Hat Linux, Mandrake Linux, and SuSE Linux.

• Linux fans like to use the word distro instead of distribution.

• Some versions of Linux are paid for by subscription. For a small price, you get new updates when they come out, plus support by email or direct phone call.

• Although Linux can be run on Mac hardware, what's the point? The Mac OS X is a better version of Unix than what Linux offers, and it has better software.

• With continued modification, Linux may one day be a popular alternative to Windows.

Older operating systems

These are the ancestors of today's computer operating systems:

DOS: Yeah, DOS is dead. IBM still makes a version of it, though, named PC-DOS. Lots of DOS programs are still out there, many of them available for free. A free version of DOS, named Open DOS, is also available from the Internet.

OS/2: Before Windows, OS/2 was to be the successor to DOS. Never happened. IBM still makes OS/2 available, though. But, you can't get software for it, or at least nothing worth looking at.

Unix: Unix is the oldest operating system available, originally developed for minicomputers but now available for just about every computer made. Various flavors of Unix are available, from the Solaris operating system for Sun workstations to FreeBSD and OpenBSD for most hardware platforms.

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