Everyone knows Windows of course, and it is also pretty safe to assume that most of you have at least heard of Linux, even if you have never used it before. For those whom have used both, what do you personally think is better overall? I like Windows and Linux for different but equally valid reasons. Linux is more stable, efficient, and you are less likely to worry about it. On the other hand, Windows supports a vast amount of software which may not be available yet for Mac or Linux. What do you personally prefer, and why?

I prefer linux but it has been so long since I used it that I doubt I could any more. I prefer the safety and stability basically, and never found anything I couldn't do on it.

I have never been able to properly work a command line OS and struggle with things like the GZip installers on *nix. So I am not at fan at all.

Of course there is a third option that wasn't mentioned here....

Actually that's not a problem now either. There are plenty of Linux distros (like Lindows) that are completely graphical, needing no command line input. You might do ok with something like that.

I have played around with Linux, even with the older distros - and I like it. The thing is, I just just don't want to leave my comfort zone in Windows to move to an OS which is still pretty much niche right now - not unless I have a compelling reason to.

Could you ever imagine if Microsoft was to work with Linux developers, to help make a new and much better Windows version? On the other side of the coin, could you imagine if we started to see Linux bundled with more computers right out of the box? I seriously hope that Linux will get more popular eventually, but that's what I have been saying for ages now already.

Versions of Linux, such as Ubuntu, are available bundled with some systems. Dell ships European machines with it.

In Asian nations Linux is the norm.

While that may indeed be true, I would love to see many more computers being bundled with Linux builds. You know how you could buy a computer in the store by HP, and they would include the Netscape browser pre-installed? Well, it would be awesome to see more computers in the U.S being bundled with Linux like that.

Though I use Windows more often because of the software written for it, I much prefer Linux for its stability and security. One time I bought Linux pre-bundled with a Dell tower and it cost me more to do this. Ironic, as Linux is basically a free OS.

Yes, but unfortunately it means actual work for the Dell technicians as it isn't production lined like Windows is. There is real set up involved.

There are now laptops, and desktops that come bundled with Ubuntu on US Dell, and with Redhat server edition-I checked last night.