Among most computer users there is a general tendency to claim that laptops should either be Dell, Compaq, Toshiba or Lenovo (formerly IBM) when wanting maximum battery life.

Later in life I discovered that Apple have MacBooks ranging in battery life between 7 and 10 hours. 10 hours is achieved when you buy a 13″ MacBook Pro. Truly an amazing battery life. I can still remember the times in the mid-90s when a battery life of 3 hours was considered maximum.

What you should consider is that there are different operating systems for different needs. No two computer users are the same. You have a choice between the following three operating systems:

  • Windows
  • Linux
  • MacOS

Windows – Advantages and Disadvantages

For most people, Windows will be the primary choice. Not only is Windows the most used operating system, but it normally also comes pre-installed on most systems. Some Windows versions take up quite a bit of battery life. That was the case with Windows Vista. Windows 7 has been redesigned, and takes up much less battery life than Vista did. For laptops, the best choices are either XP or Windows 7.

One of the disadvantages of Windows is that you can’t get behind the kernel – the heart of the operating system. When errors happen you are mostly shut off from making changes. Most who migrate to Linux give this as their primary reason for changing their operating system.

Linux – Advantages and Disadvantages

Linux exists in many distributions. You can get Mandriva Linux free of charge – and some others choose Ubuntu, SUSE or Fedora (the free version of Red Hat).

Linux can run on older laptops, and takes up very little memory. In Windows, you need as much memory as possible. 2 or 4Gb is never too much when running Windows with some graphical programs running also. When using Linux, you will find that 1Gb of memory can be enough for most usage.

The main disadvantage for some is that you need to think in Unix terms when needing to make changes. If you mess up your partitions, you can end up losing data. So you should leave system changes up to people who are familiar with the ins and outs of the Linux operating system.

MacOS – Advantages and Disadvantages

My personal favorite, I admit it, is the MacOS operating system. From the second you unpack your Mac to the first time you use it, there is no need for technical knowledge. Everything is highly intuitive and you can use a Mac regardless of whether you are a beginner or a well-versed user of computers.

The price of buying a Mac was previously much higher than buying a normal laptop. Prices have changed quite a bit, and today they are very competitive when you compare with similar computers running either Windows or Linux.

In Conclusion

You can get lots of free software for all platforms, and for your student needs, OpenOffice will be your natural choice. It can be downloaded free of charge – and can run under all three operating systems. You can save documents in the Microsoft Office-format, and you don’t have to pay anything to use it.

For your graphical needs you will normally find Gimp to be an excellent choice. Gimp can also run under all three operating systems.

All in all, you will find lots of download opportunities, and for student users you have excellent possibilities to find both free and low-cost tools. When you get a decent laptop you can concentrate on finishing your studies. Good luck with college.

Thanks for reading this article. Hope you enjoyed the information.
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Author: Henrik Blunck
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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