Many people use Windows as their main computer operating system. However, if you are new to programming, you may see many references to Linux and Mac by experts in the field. Linux is a very widely used operating system; Even according to the official Linux website, one of the most popular operating systems, Android, works with Linux.
There are many arguments about whether Linux or Windows is better for programming; But after a bit of searching on the internet and checking the forums and discussions about it, you will realize that choosing the right operating system is entirely up to you. You have to decide based on your criteria, goals and mood which one is more useful for you. So, join us in this article to compare these criteria in all three operating systems and see which one is more attractive and suitable for you.
Purchase cost and budget
One of the most important factors in choosing which is better for Mac or Windows programming is to pay attention to the budget needed to buy a computer or laptop that hosts these operating systems.
It is interesting to know that most Linux distributions are completely free for anyone to use, but systems that have Linux operating system by default are more expensive in the market than Windows. This is while Windows has a freemium model and buying its systems requires less budget. Of course, you can install Linux or Windows distribution on any system with a little effort, but due to the internal coordination between hardware and software, this practice is not recommended by the manufacturing companies. On the other hand, Mac only runs on Mac computers, which are very expensive.
Software compatibility
Among novice programmers, Windows is the most widely used operating system, and for this reason, Microsoft has tried to make most software such as Photoshop and Adobe products, office programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, etc., compatible with this operating system. Also, installing and running computer games in Windows is much easier than other operating systems.
In the past, Linux was not compatible with many of the programs available on it, but recently this has changed and its most popular distribution, Ubuntu, is increasing this compatibility. Also, despite being less popular, Mac is similar to Windows in terms of software compatibility, and Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. software can also be run on Mac.
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Hardware quality and compatibility
When choosing which is better for Mac or Windows programming , Apple comes out on top when it comes to hardware quality and compatibility. Apple is directly responsible for the computers on which the operating system runs, and its hardware and software are highly compatible with each other. Apple’s policy is to provide high-quality products, and for this reason, the latest computers of this company are usually the products with the best performance and the highest price in the entire market.
In the Windows and Linux section, the quality of the hardware completely depends on the purchasing power of the user. As we said, you can install these two operating systems on any hardware you want. This is especially useful when you’re thinking of installing Linux-style distributions instead of installing a heavy operating system like Windows on an older system.
Ease of use, security and stability
Windows and Mac are very simple and user-friendly operating systems. In the case of Linux, ease of use depends on the distribution you choose. As mentioned, distributions like Ubuntu are practically as simple as Windows or Mac, and others like Arch are intended for advanced computer users.
Some Linux distributions are considered among the most secure and stable operating systems. You might think that because Linux is open source and its code is available to everyone, it is considered a security threat, but it is not. Because of this feature, bugs can be detected and fixed faster, and when a security breach is detected, many people can work on it at the same time and propose solutions. On the other hand, Windows has the least security and stability among these three operating systems. Considering that Windows is the most popular operating system among general users, many malwares have been developed to attack it.
Community of users
If you are interested in learning more about a particular operating system, studying how it works, how to modify it and create projects based on it, Linux is definitely the way to go. We said that this operating system is open source; So its code is available to everyone and its online user community is very wide. In fact, although Linux is not as widely used by ordinary users as the other two operating systems, it is very popular among programmers and software and technology enthusiasts, and there are many developers who like to talk about it and learn about it. and share their knowledge.
Mac also has its fans and is especially popular among creatives (graphic designers, video editors, animators, etc.). Finally, Windows is usually used by normal users and in corporate environments.
Programming field
The operating system you choose for programming also depends on the field of programming and the language you want to code with. Simply put, there are some platforms that work better with Windows, and some of them can only be tested with Mac. If you want to build Windows applications, it is better to choose the Windows operating system to run and test the application. Also, you probably know that getting output for Mac and IOS programs is only possible with their dedicated operating systems (i.e. Mac and Linux).
So, according to the above points, before choosing an operating system for programming, be sure to think about the field in which you are going to program.
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File system
The way files are organized in Windows is different from Mac and Linux operating systems. Windows uses “drive”. In every Windows, there are usually at least two drives, C and D, on which all computer files are stored. A separate drive is also considered for external devices such as CDs, USBs, etc.
Mac and Linux have a similar file organization system that comes from UNIX. In these operating systems there are no drives, everything on the computer is considered a file (even external devices) and all files are organized in a path where they are all members of the same root directory. Finally, the directory structure is formed as a tree and its root is unique. This doesn’t necessarily make much of a difference to the end user, but if you’re only used to one of these types of organization, it’s a difference you should keep in mind.
terminal
Linux and Mac both have a Bash environment (Bash) by default, while Windows, in addition to its CMD environment, has also made available the possibility of managing software with a graphical interface.
Many servers use the Linux terminal to manage applications and user interaction with the computer, and learning how to work with this environment has many benefits. So familiarity with Bash and programming in Mac and Linux is recommended to all up-to-date programmers and especially to developers and users who feel more comfortable with the terminal environment.
Package management and package installation
Mac and Linux come with a package management system by default. A package management system is software that allows you to install or update programs from the terminal by just entering a few commands. The package management system is very useful; Especially when you are constantly installing and running new programs and packages: because installing programs this way is much more efficient than manual installation.
Mac’s package management system is called homebrew. In Linux, the default package manager depends on the distribution type. For example, Ubuntu works with APT, Arch with Pacman, etc. But in general, all package management systems work in a similar way and there are only differences in the syntax used for each. But Windows operating system does not have any package management system by default and you have to install it yourself if you need it. One of the available packages for Windows is Chocolatey.
Conclusion
As for which operating system is better for programming, Mac is better, Linux or Windows is better, the decision is up to you! Windows is a more well-known and useful operating system. More than 90% of computers in the world have Windows as their operating system, compare that to the 1% that use Linux! But as we said, contrary to its limited use and less popularity, Linux has a special popularity, especially in the programming community, and many developers prefer coding on Mac and Linux to Windows.
Since software development for mobile and web is one of the most discussed areas of programming, in the article, what is the minimum system requirement for Android programming? We examined this issue in a specialized way. To learn how to start programming, be sure to visit the programming alphabet course.