DACS General Meeting
Meeting Review:
January 2012: Mac, Windows, Linux—Side by Side

By Lisa Leifels

At the January 3rd general meeting we were fortunate enough to have three different presenters each showing us their expertise on how to perform some of the more common tasks in the three most popular operating systems.  Jim Scheef showed us Windows 7, Richard Corzo demonstrated Mac OS X Lion and Drew Kwashnak presented Ubuntu Linux.  Isn’t it comforting to know that you have more than one choice when it comes to operating systems? 

The presentation was done in a round-robin format with each person demonstrating how the operating system they were using handled specific tasks such as browsing files, installing and removing applications, customizing your desktop and using productivity software.

Most of us are familiar with the Windows operating systems, since it comes pre-installed on the majority of computers sold and it is the predominant choice in the business community.  Jim Scheef presented Windows 7, which is the latest version of Windows available.  There are many different ways to accomplish the same task in Windows, which at first may seem confusing, but this also gives you the ability to navigate through the software in the way that you prefer.  One of the advantages to using Windows is that it will work with a wide range of hardware and software, but as we all know, it isn’t free. Another drawback is that due to its popularity most of the computer viruses and malware are targeted at Windows computers.  Many of the people who use Windows computers also use the well-known Microsoft Office suite of products, which includes Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint for word processing, spreadsheets, email and presentations.  Microsoft is now offering Office 365, which gives you access to their office suite delivered in the cloud for a monthly cost.

The Mac operating system is included when you purchase a computer from Apple.  The advantage to Apple bundling their hardware and software together is that the Mac software is generally more stable, and works extremely well with the Mac computers, since they were designed to work with each other.  There are also not as many viruses targeted at the Mac operating system.  Unlike Windows, there aren’t quite as many ways to perform the same task, which some people feel lends itself to ease of use.  Many people like the user interface of the Mac operating system and say that it is intuitive to use.  Richard showed us how you can use the Mac App Store application to download and install new software applications on your Mac.  The Mac App Store also gives you the ability to browse or search for apps by category, read user reviews and even see screenshots.

Drew pointed out that one advantage of using Ubuntu is that it is open source software and it’s free.  He also showed us how you can integrate your online chat software with your email, so that you can communicate with everyone you need to all in one place. Ubuntu is very fast and has an easy-to use graphical interface with new versions being released every six months.    Ubuntu also comes with many free applications already installed including LibreOffice, which is an open source version of Office and Mozilla Thunderbird, which is an email application.  One disadvantage of Ubuntu is that it may not be compatible with all the hardware and software you need.  It may also take a little extra time to get over the learning curve, especially if you have a long history of using Windows.

Unfortunately the presenters ran out of time before a few of the other topics could get covered such as handling your photos, music and videos.  These subjects will be covered in detail at the next general meeting.  If you are ready to step out of your comfort zone and try using a brand new operating system, then you may want to learn more about it by attending the next general meeting on February 7th.