Another thing to note is that while Apple limits the hardware it will work with, and Microsoft is able to demand the market to cater to them at this point, Linux has had to not only develop drivers and such without the help of the hardware manufacturer, but also handle more hardware than either Microsoft OR Apple!

How many things are out there that Apple won’t work with, yet Windows does and Linux may?

And how many things are out there that Microsoft won’t work with yet Linux and possible Apple can (such as the PPC chip? or ARM?)

And how many Windows users have actually had the pleasure of installing Windows?

- Service Packs can add major hardware support. XP SP1 added USB 2.0 and Tablet PC support. SP2 added Bluetooth support and improved Wi-fi functionality. Though these (admittedly) aren’t major additions to the driver cabinets, Service Packs (and the numerous hotfixes they employ) absolutely improve driver support and overall OS performance.

- If you really think that Vista hardware support is superior out-of-the-box to any Linux distro’s hardware support, I’m afraid you simply have not done your homework (or read the above article). Are you aware that the 64-bit version of Vista requires ALL drivers to be digitally signed? For an eclectic hardware collection, that is going to greatly limit what you can get working. If you want to be taken seriously, show some evidence of superior hardware support under Vista. (Hint: you won’t find any.)

- Of course Linux is an ever-evolving OS, but you could easily argue that Windows is also (in some ways). They release stability and security updates on a rolling basis. Software functionality for core Windows components is also released on a rolling cycle (IE6 -> IE7 -> IE8, for example). In the modern age of broadband, point releases are becoming less and less relevant because updates can be pushed out whenever they need to be – something that Windows attempts to utilize every bit as much as Linux. So just because Linux is released on a rolling schedule does not make Linux/Windows comparisons irrelevant. XP is the current market leader, and so the majority of people will be interested in an XP vs Linux comparison, not a Vista vs Linux one.

- That said, Vista vs Linux comparisons mostly certainly exist. Take this one, for example. Identical hardware, cross-platform benchmarking software. Ubuntu 8.10 outperformed Vista by almost 20%. That’s FACT, pal – not opinion. Do your homework before expressing such firm assertions.

At the end of the day, you haven’t shown a single place where this article distorted facts or spread misinformation. You just can’t stand the fact that there is clear evidence for the assertions I’m making, and none for yours.

If you actually knew anything about operating systems, you would have face-palmed yourself for writing the above.

Read and learn:

- Service Packs do not supplement the driver cabinets in any major way. Very rarely will Windows suddenly gain OOTB support for some new piece of hardware post-XP. Ubuntu, with its collection of 2008/10-era drivers, will handily beat XP in hardware support OOTB because of this.

- Linux is an ever-evolving kernel with no set development plan or milestones. All of its subsystems have gone through so many rewrites (and continue to do so) since its inception that it is virtually a completely different beast every couple of years. Linux right now probably doesn’t share a single line of code from the Linux kernel of ‘91-’92. Nice straw man there.

The rest of your FUD I’ve heard before from Linux fanboys left and right (“Windows software runs better in Wine”, “Ubuntu faster than Vista”, “Linux supports more hardware”, etc.), that I’m not going to bother. You have your opinions that make you feel warm and fuzzy — keep them.

… But don’t spread misinformation or distort the facts.

And yeah, the Windows fanboys would have LOVED me comparing Vista and Ubuntu. They’re all over that goodness. (See here, for example.) Besides, my Windows software actually works better under Wine than it does under Vista, so that would not have been a favorable comparison for M$.

But you’re a Mac user, so why the hell do you care? Wait – let me guess. You’re upset over the likely outcome of tomorrow’s earnings release. Say no more… :)

For a fair comparison, compare XP to a distro from 2001. Or, compare Ubuntu 8.10 to Vista SP1.

If you compared Windows 7 to a Linux distro from 2003, and then concluded that Windows 7 had much better hardware support for your modern system, the Linux fanboys would be all over that like white on rice.

Mint is a fine distro; been using it on my old laptop for awhile as it seemed to like my wireless card more than Ubuntu did…

And it’s amazing how a couple years change things. Linux is a world-and-a-half better than it was five years ago. I’m just hoping the next five years bring as many improvements!

I’ve had Ubuntu on as my primary operating system for about a year now, and don’t really miss it (except Starcraft is a little buggy under wine :( ) and have been mussing around with Mint for a few weeks.

Good to see you’re still around making a stir.