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UNIX vs. Windows

Both UNIX and Windows are well known operating systems (OS). You can commonly know an operating system as a program that enables the user to interact with the computer, as well as any software and hardware that is loaded or hooked up to the PC/Server.

Windows is the operating system developed by Microsoft and is currently the most popular OS in the world. However, Microsoft is mainly used on home, and small business computers. UNIX was developed and first launched in the 1960’s and later redeveloped to meet the needs of today’s computing technologies. Many people know UNIX as its current version Linux. Linux can be used on far more types of computers than Microsoft’s Windows OS, including home and small business computers, mainframes, microcomputers and even supercomputers.

Windows main selling points is it’s extremely easy to use graphical user interface (GUI), a large market share which makes finding software products and hardware easy for consumers. Microsoft also has more support options than other operating systems including UNIX. It is also important to note that Windows is compatible with the most popular office software suites and programs including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc). Microsoft Windows also comes already loaded on most home and small business computers making it extremely convenient to use.

UNIX also has many advantages including, the ability to be installed on many different types of computers, more security features built in and generally more processing power. It should be noted that UNIX is an open source software product that is free to use. It is also important to note that just like Windows; UNIX has a graphic user interface (GUI) and is generally regarded as more stable and less likely to crash. While Window’s may have the most market share for home and small business computers, Unix, is used by as much as 90% of all computers on the web (through Apache web server, which runs via Unix)