Review: Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon takes on Mac OS X Leopard for the OS of the Year

Today we have a technological cage match involving two operating systems, both UNIX- based, both mature, both with passionate detractors and even more passionate defenders, and both released just a week apart. I'm talking, of course, about Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon), with its final release on October 18, and Apple' s Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, which was available for purchase on October 26.

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So does Leopard eat up Ubuntu? Or does Ubuntu trounce Leopard? It depends on your needs. If you're a student with no money, go for a decent cheap PC and put Ubuntu on it. If you value freedom above all else, then it's obvious-- Linux is the only way to go. If you're heading into a future in multimedia, you're gonna want a Mac. If your life revolves around your iPod and your iPhone, you need a Mac.

Ideally, though, you'll have both, since each offers features the other lacks. I use both every day. If you have the money, I would recommend buying a Mac with at least 2 GB of RAM and then immediately installing a virtualization solution that will let you run Ubuntu (and Windows, for when you just have to run Windows), as well as any other Linux you desire. That way, you can run two of the world's best operating systems at the same time, on the same machine, and bathe yourself in yummy UNIX-y goodness. And that, my friends, is just amazingly cool.

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Skeptik said:

Ubuntu is highly over-rated. It has also not improved much for the past few releases. I don't see the point in running Linux & UNIX on the same box.

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bwana said:

Some people like to be able to work and tinker.

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