What is the best operating system and why?

Note: Both Mac OS X and Windows have come out with newer versions as of the writing of this answer. Some details may be different from what is written below, and the answer should be updated accordingly

The best desktop operating system to use depends on what its intended use will be and who will be using it. There is no specific operating system which can be called "the best" overall, and since most current operating systems share most common and advanced features there is much debate on the topic. A few of the most popular operating system, their pros and cons, and some of their best uses are described below. 

Microsoft Windows

Pros:

• The largest library of programs and applications.
• Some commercial games work only with Windows and DirectX.
• Almost all hardware has drivers which are compatible with Windows. 
• Most widely used. 

Cons:

• Prone to viruses, spyware, and adware if proper steps not taken such as installation of internet security software, which reduces performance speed.
• Requires regular maintenance to avoid system errors and reduced performance.
• Even with maintenance, issues can slowly accumulate requiring a re-installation of Windows to restore performance and fix software issues.
• Purchasing a Windows license/install disk can be relatively expensive
• Windows Vista, the most recent version of Windows, has high system requirements.

Notes: 

• Windows Vista has relatively high system requirements compared to its Windows XP and other operating systems. This has caused many individuals and businesses to continue using the older Windows XP. 
• The two most common versions of Windows are Windows XP and Windows Vista. Vista, although it has some issues, does have some new features such as search-as-you-type search and a 3D-accelerated desktop, features up until now only found in Mac OS X and some versions of Linux.
• With the introduction of Virtual-machine software, Windows has become a popular add-on for Mac and Linux in order allow those computers to support Windows-only software or hardware when needed.
• The Windows market share has seen some decrease in recent years and months.

Best uses:

• Gamers
• People who must use Windows-only software for work or school.
• People or businesses looking for an inexpensive computer yet do not have the ability to use Linux.

  

Mac OS X

Pros:

• Relatively simple and intuitive interface with many advanced features. 
• Not a target for virus or malware attacks, generally: there are no Mac OS X viruses in the wild, and with its UNIX base, it is fairly resilient. There are a small number of trojans (malicious software) which have been known to take effect through applications running in Mac OS X, though they are almost always found on illegal-content-based websites and are not of significant concern. Apple has begun integrating malware blacklists into Mac OS X to prevent infection. 
• Second-largest selection of software, with many high-quality Mac-only programs in existence, such as those found in iLife. Although at one point software for certain tasks were not Mac-compatible, most software is now either Mac-compatible or has an equivalent that is. Most advanced games have also recently became compatible with Mac OS X.
• Reliable and high performance. 

Cons:

• Limited to Apple-manufactured hardware.
• Some hardware does not have Mac-compatible drivers, though the number of this hardware has recently become small and negligible.
• In some cases, it may be difficult to do cross-platform network hardware sharing for a Mac OS X based computer in a Windows network or visa-versa. For example, a printer's Mac driver may not support cross-platform printing to a Windows-connected printer, and replacement drivers may or may not exist.
• Smaller library of applications in comparison to Windows. 

Notes: 

• Macs occupy the medium-range to high-end computer market and as such are not sold for the same prices of some low-end PC brands (e.g. the low-end Mac Mini costs $600 USD yet many mainstream low-end PC brand desktops can be purchased for around $400-500). As a result, Macs are popularly considered to be more expensive than PCs, however Macs have been shown to have competitive pricing to comparable PCs (e.g. the Lenovo Thinpad X300 costs about $2,500 while the MacBook Air runs between $1,800 and $2,700 and outperforms the Thinkpad, or the Dell XPS One prices at about $150 higher than a comparable iMac. Additionally, the following factors can cause the total price of owning a Mac to be even less compared than that of a PC: Apple iWork is relatively inexpensive compared to Microsoft Office, PCs experience hardware or software failures more frequently than Macs, increasing service and replacement costs, Macs do not require the frequently expensive internet security software subscriptions.
• Though Mac OS X suffers from relatively very few real-world hacks, security holes in Mac OS X do exist, just like in any other operating system. Also like in other operating systems, they are fixed with software updates upon their discovery. 
• With a relatively low market share compared to Windows, there are still individual programs which are only Windows compatible. However, virtual machine software with a Windows installation or compatibility layer software can allow those programs to run even on a Mac.
• The Mac has seen significant market share increases in recent years and months, something which has also increased the amount of Mac-compatible software. 

Best uses: 

• Students who are not required to use Windows-specific software (though Windows can easily be installed to use Windows software). A recent study indicated that the number of American students intending to purchase Macs has neared that of Windows-based PCs. 
• Home users looking for an easy and reliable computing experience who are willing to pay more than low-end PC prices.
• Graphic designers and photographers.
• Scientists. 

Linux and other UNIX-based

Pros:

• Low number of viruses and other malware, similar to Mac OS X 
• Usually free
• Large selection of Linux distributions to choose from. 
• Has a large amount of free and open source software equivalents to commercial Windows and Mac software
• More easily customizable
• Can run many Windows programs with the use of a compatibility layer such as Wine. (Programs such as Cedega can be used to run many Windows games) 
• Reliable with good performance and low requirements. 

Cons:

• Advanced use and installation of some software may require more advanced knowledge than is required for use of Windows and Mac.
• Many commercial programs do not support Linux
• Small commercial game library

Notes: 

• There are a few main types of Linux: Debian, Fedora, Red Hat, and SUSE. Ubuntu, a type of Debian, is highly popular among home users, as is SUSE, to a lesser extent. Fedora is more popular among businesses.
• There are many other (non-Linux) UNIX-based operating systems (with the same UNIX base as Linux), including Mac OS X and SunOS (which are based on Free-BSD). There are also some UNIX-like operating systems. 
• Through customization and software like Beryl, Linux can be made to have advanced desktop effects similar to Aero on Windows Vista or Aqua on Mac OS X.
• "Dependency hell" can make installation of certain programs on Linux difficult even for advanced users.

Best uses: 

• Experienced computer users looking for a good, free operating system.
• Businesses looking for reliable and affordable computing, so long as they do not need Windows-only software and have a competent IT manager.

Bottom line

Though there is no one clear best operating system, each does have its advantages and disadvantages, and different people will be best using different ones. Microsoft Windows is the most common operating system and is a reasonable choice for most people. Mac OS X is second-most popular (and gaining market share) and is an excellent operating system for those who can purchase a Mac. Linux is a very good advanced operating system available for free and is recommended for experienced users. 

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Mobile Operating Systems

Aside from the main question of which OS to use in your home or work computer, lightweight mobileoperating systems are also used (and almost always pre-installed or even hard-wired) in mobile devices such as cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, and Internet Notebooks/Superportables (which are similar to downsized laptops with low specifications). There is not a great deal of choice among these, and features differences are based more on the mobile device itself, and less on the operating system. Windows Mobile is usually used in Pocket PCs and Smartphones; iPhone OS (based on Mac OS X) is used in the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch; Symbian is used in Nokia, Sony-Ericsson, and other cell phones; and Linux-based mobile OSes are common both on cell phones and small Internet Notebooks.

37 Seconds To Read: May Change Your View For A Lifetime

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.

His bed was next to the room’s only window

The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation..

Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.

Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats.. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.

Although the other man could not hear the band – he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days, weeks and months passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.

She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.

He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed.

It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.

The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

She said, ‘Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.’

Epilogue:

There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.

Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.

If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can’t buy.

‘Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present .’

The origin of this letter is unknown, but it positve energy expands when you share this.

Facebook vs. Orkut vs. Twitter vs…

For the longest time I wondered what Orkut had done wrong. Initially, I thought maybe it was Facebook’s college affiliations that won over credibility and stole the crowds. Then I mused on how the difference could be Facebook Apps, a definite unique selling point over Orkut in 2006. But now I have a completely different view. I beleive the global shift to Facebook (barring Indians and Brazilians who seemingly are the only inhabitants of Orkut left) was because of Orkut’s inability to scale in its baby days. The frequent “no donut for you” message may have been an expression of Google’s typical sense of humour but it certainly didn’t leave much to laugh about as Facebook gave everyone their..umm..donuts.

The explosion of social community websites has completely flipped the web paradigm. Where in the nineties, we had elite companies spoon-feeding us content, we now have a concept of generating content on our own through massive collaboration, individual creativity and social experiences. People themselves are the central content. People want to know other people are doing, what pictures they are taking and what videos they are getting embarassed in.

With this ongoing battle from friendster to MySpace to what not, I stand at this point wondering how the race track looks like in the world of socialy community websites.

So, I picked five of my favorite social sites that I had accounts on and compared the number of unique visitors that they attracted per month. I used compete.com to get the stats and found out that the leaderboard looks like this:

For June 2009

 

1. Facebook – 122 Million

2. Twitter – 22 Million

3. LinkedIn – 12 Million

4. Hi5 – 2.3 Million

5. Orkut – 0.5 Million

Well, no surprises there except for the fact that Orkut’s approval ratings seem to be waning even when compared to Hi5 – which I don’t believe to be a showstopper app thats caused many waves in the market. In fact, Hi5 trounces Orkut’s visitor count by nearly 5 times so either Orkut’s completely lost out or Hi5 is smartly marketing their product to a loyal niche. And the more recent Twitter phenomenon has truly made a ground-breaking entrance to the market, sweeping millions into its tweeting influence.

Also, Facebook’s undisputed and gargantuous kingship is reinforced by the gaping hole between Facebook’s trend line and the cluster of ‘others’ beneath it. This is what I call extreme pwnage. And it looks like Zuckerberg’s precious is not going stop there – the line’s getting steeper !

If you really want to know how rampant Facebook’s popularity is, then the following will give you an idea:

I compared other popular websites with FB including myspace, flickr, Digg and the search Giant Google.com. 

The rankings came out like this:

1. Google

2. Facebook

3. MySpace

4. Digg

5. Flickr

Notice how Facebook was trailing behind MySpace till late last year but then it kick started its jet pack and simply took off like an airplane to a point that it now has twice the amount of users i.e. it doubled its count in just 5 months ! Moreover, FB s just 30 thousand visitors behind Google and their trend lines are well on their way to converge. That speaks volumes. Never knew that virtual socializing could surpass the universal need to find information.

So, whats’ next ? Will Facebook evenutally monopolize ? Will Twitter catch up ? Will Google throw out a curve ball to unsettle things in the social sphere ? Is there something else out there that will turn the tables around ?

I guess time will tell.

Restore GRUB2 after installing Windows

How I Restored GRUB2 after a Windows 7 Install. GRUB2 (Grand Unified Bootloader)  is a universal bootloader used by Ubuntu and other Linux Distributions. If you have a Linux Distribution installed on a partition, and attempt to  install Windows alongside it, your GRUB bootloader will be overwritten by the Windows bootloader, and your computer will only boot into Windows.

Recovering the GRUB2 Bootloader after a Windows Install  is simple. When finished, your Bootloader should detect all installed Operating Systems and automatically add a bootable menu item for each of them.

Note: This GRUB2 Installation process assumes that a Linux Partition still exists. If you overwrote Linux with Windows, this tutorial will not work for you, as there is no Linux system to recover boot.

How to Restore GRUB2 after installing Windows:

1. Boot from an Ubuntu Live CD or Live USB
2. Once up and running, Open a Terminal 
3. Type sudo su (press enter after typing each command)
4. Type fdisk -l 
5. 
6. Note which device contains your Linux partition (IE: /dev/sda1) 
7. Type mount /dev/sdx# /mnt (replacing x# with your actual device and partition number)
8. Type mount --bind /dev /mnt/dev
9. Type mount --bind /proc /mnt/proc
10. Type cp /etc/resolv.conf /mnt/etc/resolv.conf
11. Type chroot /mnt
12.  
13. Type grub-install --recheck /dev/sdx (replacing x with your actual device)
14. Type reboot (to reboot your PC) 

Make sure to remove your Live USB or CD. Upon reboot you should be presented with a GRUB2 menu. However, Windows is missing. Now, I show you how to fix that.

Making GRUB 2 detect Windows Installs:

1. Proceed to boot into your Linux environment.
2. Open a terminal and type sudo update-grub (enter your root password when prompted) 

If all went well, grub should have updated it's menu entries to reflect what it detected. Including existing Windows partitions.

43 Ways to Start Making Money Right Now

I often hear people saying that they’d like to start making some extra money to complement their full time job, but they don’t know what to do.

I know there are a lot of things one can do, especially with basic computer skills, so I sat down and wrote a list of activities I could do to make some money right now.

Many of these tips will certainly not make you rich, while other have some great potential. The goal of this list is to inspire you to act and do something right now. It’s better to start with something small than to not start at all. I hope you enjoy.

1. Sell used stuff on ebay. Chances are that you have lot of stuff you no longer use in your home. Why not making a list of all the stuff you have in excess and then selling it on ebay?
2. Compile online surveys. Online surveys are a quick way to make some money.  Keep in mind that most websites only works for US residents.
3. Put adsense on your website. Adsense is the fastest way to make money from your website. And if you don’t have a website, you can always start one.
4. Post your resume. Wherever you are a writer, blogger, designer, programmer, etc, there are many websites like elance.com where you can find some part time work. Give it a try and post your resume.
5. Write for ehow.com. Ehow is a how to articles directory. You can write as many articles as you want and receive money when someone visits your articles and clicks the ads.
6. Teach English via skype. If you are a native speaker, you may find someone who’s willing to pay you for simply having some conversation over skype. Just do a quick search on google to get an idea.
7. Post your photos on istockphoto. Stock photo websites like istockphoto can bring you a lot of money. Some people are even making a high 6 figures income from it.
8. Search for free adwords/yahoo/msn coupons and use them to make money through affiliate marketing. I recently received an adwords coupon from google, so the first thing I did was to run a campaign and link to an affiliate website with my referral id. Quick money, zero risk.
9. Coach or teach others. Do a list of your top skills (hint: you have many) and teach them to other people. If you are good at something, there’s always someone else that wants to learn it, so take the opportunity to make some money and to learn something new at the same time.
10. Submit your design to sites like 99designs.com or zooppa.com. If you are a good designer or video maker, the ways you can make money online are infinite. Using websites like 99designs or zooppa you can submit your work and earn some real money.
11. Sell your own product. You can follow the step by step process described in the four hour work week and start your online business in no time.
12. Do baby sitting. If hanging around with a baby is no problem for you, consider doing baby sitting.
13. Offer to do some errands for your neighborhoods. Everyone’s busy, but you are can alleviate their days by doing some errands for them like going to the groceries store in the afternoon.
14. If you know a foreign language, offer to do translations. There are many companies who would benefit from a native speaker for doing some translations. Often you can get a serious work from this, so do some research to see what’s available.
15. Make money with clickbank.com. Create an account at clickbank.com and find a genuine product to promote through your website, or build a dedicated website if you are good with SEO (you can always learn).
16. Petsitting. Offer to take care of your neighborhood pets when they go on vacation, or take their dogs for a walk while they are at work.
17. Offer computer assistance. You may be surprised by how many people don’t know how to do basic stuff like setting up an email account or uploading a video on youtube. Offer them your help for a  small fee.
18. Build websites for small companies. You don’t have to be a programmer to make websites. There are excellent content managers and templates you can buy for making small websites. You can also outsource the complete process of course.
19. Write a book. This is huge, but it may be worth it. Write about something you really care about, and then knock every door until you find some publisher who’s willing to publish your work.
20. Start a blog. If you have something to say, start a blog. It might take a while before you start to see some serious money, but they’ll eventually come if you do things right.
21. Sell a blog. Of course you can also sell a blog. Blogs are sold every day and many people make and sell blogs as a part of their day job.
22. Work in a bar. If you like clubs, bar and night life, consider working in one of it in the weekend.
23. Sell your gold. Maybe you have an old bracelet that you really have never used. That could be a quick way to make some bucks.
24. Gardening. If you are not afraid of doing manual work, you could take care of someone else’s garden.
25. Clean house. If you don’t like gardening, you can always clean homes.
26. Sell your old books and DVDs. Are you really going to real all those books again (I would)? If not, consider selling them on ebay or craig list.
27. Cook for others. Your job would be to buy, cook and freeze food for others to enjoy. Only do this if you are a good cook.
28. Direct selling. Many companies will be more than happy to give you part of their revenues if you refer to them new clients. You could give presentations of a product to your friends or go door to door.
29. Personal shopper. If you have good taste and you love shopping, there’s nothing better than being a personal shopper.
30. Deliver pizza. This is an old school way of making money. Be sure you are not afraid of driving fast if you want to do it.
31. Waiter. Try to get a part time job as a waiter and you’ll likely get nice tips from customers if you are working in a nice place.
32. Rewrite ads. If your grammar is good, take a look at ebay ads and if you notice one that sucks, offer its owner a rewrite for a 1% or 2% fee. Only target big items of course.
33. Rent your car. If you don’t use your car every day, you could rent it to some friend.
34. Drive people to the airport or station. Same as before, there’s always someone who needs a drive to the airport.
35. Take a look at craiglist for job ideas. There’s always some odd job you could do on craiglist. Take a look at your city’s listings every once in a while and catch every opportunity you can.
36. Have a garage sale. If you are moving to a new house, do a garage sale to get rid of your old stuff.
37. Sell umbrellas on rainy days. Be the right man in the right place at the right moment ;)
38. Buy and sell tickets. If your country laws permit it, you can buy tickets in advance and then resell them on ebay once they are sold out.
39. Forex trading. I’m not a forex expert but you may want to take a look at it if you want to make some extra dollars per month trading currencies.
40. Tutoring. If you are good at math, english or something else, you can tutor kids during weekends or summers.
41. Market research. Many market research agencies are paying people for conducting market research. This is also a great way to brainstorm new business ideas.
42. Do a part time job. A part time job is often the easiest way for making some extra money.
43. Ask for them. If what you really want is more money, perhaps you could simply ask for a raise?

Jessica lal Case Summary

11 Years of fight for justice. 11 years which saw jessica’s family pitched against rich and powerful. Witness turning hostile ,trial court acquitting the accused including manu sharma , highcourt finding him guilty and now finally supreme court uphelding highcourt’s judgement.

Jessica lal murder case is case study of how a normal citizen can finding hard to get justice against powerful people . Jessica lal muder case is also case study of how our judiciary system still delivers inspite of loopholes in the system. Jessica lal murder case is also case study of power of media and normal citizens. Above all jessica lal murder case is case study of how determined family can keep in fighting for justice and keep hope alive for all other Indian citizens in our legal citizen.

Announcing the verdict , “The Delhi High Court has given cogent and adequate reasons for reversal of acquittal given by the trial court,” the bench said. “The presence of accused is proved by ocular evidence of prosecution witnesses.”

Jessica’s sister Sabrina Lal welcomed the Supreme Court’s verdict. “It’s not impossible to nab the culprits. We should not lose faith in judiciary. I would like to thank god, my family and media for this justice,” she said.

Jessica Lal’s soul might be able to finally rest in peace.