“We know what you’re thinking. You think we’re crazy. Why on
earth would CNET compare Linux to the Mac OS? They’re totally
different operating systems.”
“You’re right, of course. But here’s the thing: although
Linux is a tech-head outgrowth of Unix, and the Mac OS is a
polished, artsy descendant of the very first consumer OS, they each
own equal percentages of the consumer desktop market. Both
compete–with marginal success–against the Windows empire, and
they each have their own advantages.”
“So, we recruited true believers from each camp and asked them
to present their cases for the two operating systems. Rex Baldazo,
a software engineer for CNET, championed Corel Linux, our favorite
consumer distribution of the OS. Becky Waring, a former MacWeek
editor, took up the flag for Mac OS 9, Apple’s most recent
consumer-only OS. Our combatants compared installation routines,
interfaces, compatible applications and hardware, and Internet
support. After five rounds of competition, we’ll tell you which OS
works best on the Net, which is easiest to use and install, and
which ultimately deserves to run your computer.”