Are you a Windows user and want to switch to Mac? Then, you won’t miss anything and the same moves for Mac OS to Windows users. But learning a new operating system is quite a frustrating factor in any switch. But sometimes the advantages outweigh the loss of the unfamiliar.

There are people on both sides of the OS War, who do not know what the other side has to offer. Let’s move towards the next step and see, the features standard of the operating system, Setup experience, hardware choices, security, etc comparison Windows Vs Mac offerings along the way. Yes, there will be a winner in each category, and considering the tally points at the end. but your choice of OS just includes features, hardware and software support, efficiency and capabilities.

A Short Description On Windows Vs Mac OS

Windows has now become the most popular desktop OS across the world, with over 800m users. Its biggest rival, macOS, is far behind in terms of market share. Windows operating system is also defined as an IBM-compatible computer. This means that its architecture is based on the IBM microprocessor.

The Macintosh is commonly referred to as the Mac. This is a brand name marketed by Apple Inc. Covers multiple lines of personal computers designed, developed. Mac is the only computer that is able to run all types of major operating systems. Such as- Mac OS X, Windows XP, and Vista. macOS previously known as Mac OS X – has been on Mac since 2001.

Windows vs mac os both have dedicated followers, and each type of computer has its own strengths, weaknesses, and efficiency.

Brief Comparison Between Windows Vs Mac OS

Setup Experience

Both Windows vs Mac OS provide a clear and polished setup process. You can easily configure it both without signing in to an account with Apple or Microsoft. Although, both provide a rich experience. You won’t miss out on anything by not signing in like- Syncing machines, voice assistants, app roaming, messages, and many other good things. but still, get a better experience.
Microsoft lets you install the OS with your own voice using Cortana. Apple installs the update through the system preference in the Mac App Store. Both automatically identify and install drivers for standard hardware peripherals such as mice, keyboards, and drivers for storage.

Result: It’s a Tie between both.

Hardware Choices

Apple offers some great computer hardware options, but the selection is insignificant in comparison to the mass availability of a diverse array of Windows PCs. And that non-traditional options like HoloLens, VR headsets, and Raspberry Pi cannot be mentioned, all of which can run in Windows as well. A greater variety of Windows-friendly peripherals is also available.

For internal components – things like CPU, graphics card, and storage – there is no competition. Windows gives you a lot of flexibility in configuring a system with the components you want, and more flexibility to upgrade later.

Result: This time, windows win the round.

Voice AI Recognition: Cortana vs. Siri

Cortana arrived on Windows 10 a good year before Siri was built on Mac, and is still more capable reliable in some important factors. Can open both apps and web pages, tell you the weather, change system settings, do the math, control smart home devices, set reminders, send emails, and search the web. Both will be invoked by voice recognition. But Siri cannot be logged out or shut down from the computer.

something I find very useful at the end of the day when I am moving away from my PC. Cortana can now send a request to Amazon’s Alexa as well.

Result: Again, Windows wins the round.

Security and Stability

Windows PCs have fallen victim to more malware attacks than Macs in recent times, including ransomware, spyware, botnets, and good old-fashioned viruses. But Microsoft is constantly increasing its security, rolling out Windows Defender updates and even introducing anti-ransomware measures.
Macs have a much cleaner record, but they are not immune to handling vulnerabilities. Look at the recent meltdowns and specter vulnerabilities that affect both operating systems. Both operating systems offer built-in VPNs support. And all the top VPN service options are available on both platforms.
There is an issue of stability in Windows. This time, Mac os wins on this count, just because Apple controls the hardware ecosystem. For example:- third-party drivers are a major cause of instability on Windows PCs. As well as, saw blue screens on Microsoft’s own Surface computer. However, those looking for the ultimate in stability should check Linux.
A Mac PC can also work after installing software such as Boot Camp or a virtualization solution such as a Parallels desktop.
Result: Great! This time, Mac OS wins.

Window and Desktop Management

Microsoft’s OS is easy to use and reliable. Even it is quite easier to arrange windows on the screen. Want to take an application up to half the screen? Drag it to the left or right corner of the screen. How is it displayed on a quarter of the screen? Then, click and drag it to any corner of the screen. If you run apps side-by-side, the boundary between them can be resized. If you want to show or switch the desktop behind any running apps, click on the right side of the taskbar.
Although. Both operating systems let you make multiple virtual desktops. Windows now Combine the desktop switch with the timeline feature. This will clutter up the task view screen, but it can be useful if you are trying to return to a web page or document for which you have forgotten the location.

Additionally, one of the best Windows vs mac os tricks is the window-management trick: Users can hold and shake the mouse key on a window title bar to minimize everything else.
Result: Once again, Windows OS won

Price Comparison Between Windows Vs Mac

The MacBook Air starts at $ 999, while the MacBook Pro costs $ 1,199 approx. or more than it, depending on the model.
Current prices for various models and accessories are available on Apple.com and Amazon.com.

PCs typically cost less than Macs along with comparable hardware. The major reason behind this is, PCs are manufactured by a large number of hardware manufacturers, resulting in increased competition and lower prices. A wide selection of PCs with varying costs are available online.

Conclusion

In the Mac vs Windows comparison, it is quite difficult to give advice on which is best. But according to the comparison, find yourself what you want and for what you want it. Is it for home use or business, which you prefer? If you want higher security and Stability. Then, there is no doubt that the Apple Mac wins hands down.

We’ve tried to be fair and objective, and as you can see from the options above, in many cases the Windows operating systems are at top of the count. And it’s up to you to have your own priority weights based on your OS needs.

The post The Operating System Battle Between Windows Vs Mac appeared first on TechTapo.

As you may know, many proprietary software comes with a license that has a price. It is understood that there are several companies who develop software and are sold to consumers to serve its purpose. On the enterprise level, it is fair. There are businesses and organizations which can fulfill their tasks and objectives through the use of commercial software, by using them on their computer systems.

However, as far as home users are concerned, it is not necessary that you have to spend all your pocket money on purchasing software that provides limited license and you are compelled to renew the software product’s license at a given period of time.

A common home user who owns a PC will basically use his/her computer for purposes like browsing the internet, online and offline entertainment, social activities, e-mails, creating documents, connecting portable devices, transferring data, installing software and games, downloading files and content online, etc. Therefore, these home users will be glad to know that you can make good use of your PC by using free software.

What is free software?

A free software is developed on the open source platform and distributed free of cost under the terms of the GNU/General Public Licence (GNU/GPL), which frees users from obligation. In other words, free software allows users to take complete ownership of the software, which includes copying and distributing the software. Thus, it focuses more on the ‘freedom of use’ rather than ‘pay to use’.

My concern of free software is primarily intended for the home users who are naive about software and computers and are not yet ready to pour in their pocket money on proprietary software products.

There are many alternatives to commercial software that are available at no cost and which also fulfils the same purpose that are provided by paid software. Read further to find out some of the best alternatives to commercial software which you can use on your PC that does the same job and comes free of cost.

Get These 10 Free Software Applications For Your PC

I have personally compiled a list of some of the popular software applications that offer similar tasks and are available with no price tag. This is also a good solution for both home users as well as other users who seek an alternative to proprietary software products for their PCs.

Note: I have excluded web browsers from the following list of free software application products. Since, all web browsers comply to more or less the same terms of use and are, of course, freely available to download and install on PCs as well as other operating system platforms.

Let’s take a look at these free software applications.

1. LibreOffice

My first pick for free software is LibreOffice. This is a suite of applications and a perfect alternative to the world’s most popular and proprietary software known by the name of Microsoft Office. LibreOffice has a lot to offer. It includes all the features of the MS Office software product and provides additional features, too. It’s suite of applications include Writer, Impress, Calc, Base, Draw and Math. LibreOffice user-interface is similar to MS Office. It’s easy to install and can be customised to your needs.

2. VLC Media Player

VLC needs no introduction. The start of the 21^st century brought about the creation of this wonderful “all-in-one” media player that is built for all operating system platforms. And, it’s absolutely free! Whatever media file you throw at it, this beast plays all of them. Additionally, it lets you stream media online, convert audio and video files to your desired media format, record video, take snapshots of videos (while paused as well as when playing video) and save them to your hard drive so that you can use them as your desktop wallpaper, use skins to change the player’s look and interface, customise the player and much more. I bet you will fall in love with this player after using it on your PC.

3. Audacity

Audacity is an audio editor that lets you perform various tasks related to audio and does not charge you for using the software. This software has been around for many years and is used by millions of beginners, enthusiasts and professionals. This software has plenty of built-in features that lets you record audio, cut, copy and paste and also lets you do all sorts of editing tasks that you possibly can with an audio file. So, if you want to amplify your favourite song, or perhaps, record your own voice and add some music to it and impress your friends, Audacity is the tool that will let you do such things with no cost at all.

4. Sumatra PDF

Sumatra PDF is the perfect alternative to the popular document viewer Adobe Acrobat Reader. The main advantages of this document viewer software are:

• It’s free
• Installer/Set up file is just 5MB (approx.)
• Very easy to install
• Has a simple user-interface and controls
• Supports all document file formats, E-books and certain archive files

This software application does not bog users with controls or preferences that are not required at all. It is built to deliver simplicity and focus more on the display of documents with easy viewing and provides custom zoom features.

5. GIMP

This is a great software for graphical designers and photo editors. GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is available as a free software and includes most of the features of Adobe Photoshop and provides tonnes of additional tools, too. If you have used Adobe Photoshop, or are fond of creating and editing photos and other images, you will be very much drawn to this amazing photo-editing software for your PC. Many professionals use this tool in place of Adobe Photoshop for creating new designs, adding effects to images, etc.

6. 7-Zip

If you use WinZip or WinRAR on your PC for compressing and decompressing archives. There is another similar tool that does all the required tasks and is available for free. It is a great archiving tool for both beginners and professional computer users. This software tool has the ability to support all archive formats and also includes support for many other archiving formats such as 7z, ISO, Bin, Tar, JAR, APM, ARJ, MSI, EXE, etc. The tool has its own file manager, where users can perform several tasks such as add and extract files, create new archives, copy, move and delete files, test archives to detect errors, view complete information of archives, etc.

7. FileZilla Client

PC users who often share files with other users over the internet can do the task better and faster with this amazing free software. FileZilla Client is developed for the purpose of letting users share any type of file. Upload them on the cloud and let others download the files. It is a safe and secure FTP (File Transfer Protocol) tool and offers plenty of features to users. It also allows users to pause and resume file transfers and the connection is encrypted with the latest security certificates. There are more features included as you explore the software.

8. Bleachbit

Most of the time, many PC users complain about the slow performance and lack of space on their Windows computers. CCleaner is the most popular software tool for Windows computers. It will also let users clean their PCs and make them run faster. But, some of its advanced features comes with a price. Although there are several software products available that lets you clean and optimise your PC. There is one such tool that is more elite than the paid products.

Bleachbit is available for free and is a perfect competitor of CCleaner and other similar software in the category. This software is also focused on users’ privacy. Simply install the software, select the options, preview the space you can gain and get the task done with the push of a button.

9. YouTube Downloader

The name of the software itself suggests its purpose. YouTube Downloader is a free software tool that lets users download videos from the popular YouTube site. It is a great option for users who want to watch movies offline, instead of streaming online. This tool also lets you convert videos into your favourite audio formats such as MP3, OGG, AAC, M4A, etc.

Downloading videos using this tool is easy – simply copy the video’s URL from the address bar and paste it in the application’s text box. Select the format and hit the download button. This tool supports the YouTube site only. You’ll find lots of videos to download here.

10. AVG Free/ClamWin Anti-virus

My final pick in this list is basically the most important of all software applications, which is the anti-virus software. Microsoft’s Windows is the most widely used operating system around the world. However, the downside is that it also attracts many hackers, which eventually increases vulnerabilities and cyber-crime. This is the main reason why I switched to using the Linux operating system. Now, I’m at peace. All PC users need to protect their Windows computers, and for this, you need an anti-virus software. The built-in Windows Firewall alone is not sufficient to protect you.

There are many anti-virus and internet security suite software products in the market but are expensive, too. Above all, you are compelled to purchase a yearly license annually. But, there’s an option. AVG Free and ClamWin are basically worth trying for. AVG has a free version that is very effective and can protect you online and offline (requires additional customization of protection settings). It works better than Avira’s and Avast’s free anti-virus software editions.

The other security software is ClamWin anti-virus tool. This tool requires an additional CalmSentinel tool, which installed, gives you real-time protection. ClamSentinel does not come with the bundle. You have to separately download from the manufacturer’s website and install it alongside ClamWin. It is a simple tool, but enough to protect your PC from many vulnerable attacks and unknown threats.

Well, these are my favorite picks in the category of free software products for Windows/PC users. Many of the above-mentioned software may be known to a lot of users. However, for those of you who do not like to pay for software and are seeking alternatives, hope this will help you.

The post 10 Free Software Applications For Windows/PC Users appeared first on TechTapo.