1. Define: Operating Systems
1.1. The collection of software that directs a computer's operations, controlling and scheduling the execution of other programs, and managing storage, input/output, and communication resources.
2. Define: Open source
2.1. Pertaining to or denoting software whose source code is available free of charge to the public to use, copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute.
3. Define: RAM
3.1. Random-access memory; computer memory available to the user for creating, loading, or running programs and for the temporary storage and manipulation of data, in which time of access to each item is independent of the storage sequence. As a storage medium, RAM is volatile, so its contents are lost when the power fails or is turned off.
4. Market Share
5. Mac OS X
5.1. Pros
5.1.1. 1. Using the Mac operating system has its own advantages and disadvantages. For one thing, Mac OS is the only commercial operating system that is custom-made to work with Apple’s hardware. This gives it a level of efficiency, power, and stability, which is most important for the workplace.
5.1.2. 2. In Mountain Lion, Apple introduced Gatekeeper: a security feature to help protect users from potentially malicious apps.
5.2. Cons
5.2.1. 1. Using the Mac operating system has its own advantages and disadvantages. For one thing, Mac OS is the only commercial operating system that is custom-made to work with Apple’s hardware. This gives it a level of efficiency, power, and stability, which is most important for the workplace.
5.2.2. 2. OS X Mountain Lion also allows you to back up data to iCloud and your Apple ID will allow you to download apps across multiple Macs, but it doesn't offer support for syncing Mac settings like your privacy preferences or which accounts you've added to Messages.
6. Linux Ubuntu 12.10
6.1. Pros
6.1.1. 1. When you do search in the Dash, Unity will give you an interactive preview of the results. If the results are audio files, you can right-click the file to get a preview window. You can either show that file in its folder or play the file. If the file is a document, the preview will allow you to open the containing folder, open the file, or email the file.
6.1.2. 2. With Ubuntu Unity’s Dash, when you run a search, the search results will include items that can be purchased from Amazon.com. This feature takes online shopping (be it personal or for business) to a new level. Hopefully, at some point, the API for this feature will spread out and users and businesses will be able to include their favorite shopping sites. With all other platforms, you have to go through the steps of opening up your browser, launching the site, searching for the product, and clicking the desired product.
6.2. Cons
6.2.1. 1. Its biggest disadvantage is that its end-users and office workers are often scared of it at first.
6.2.2. 2. You won't find a lot of vendors selling Linux computers. Usually, you'll just end up having to buy Windows computer, reformatting the hard drive, and installing Linux yourself.
7. Windows 8
7.1. Pros
7.1.1. 1. The Windows 8 interface is new; Microsoft has rebuilt it from scratch and it’s one of the biggest points of criticism for the new operating system.
7.1.2. 2. In Windows 8, Microsoft introduced the Charms bar – an omnipresent sidebar that presents both context sensitive options for the currently active app and system wide options for managing the volume, brightness, internet connections, power options, notifications, devices, and context sensitive search.
7.2. Cons
7.2.1. 1. The Windows Store is young, has comparatively fewer apps, and the quality of the apps present is currently nowhere near what you see in some of the better Mac App Store apps. It is still welcome because it means that in the future, you won’t be pegged down to app installers, as the Windows Store will take care of all app downloads for you and will eventually fill with more apps. The quality of those apps, however, is something for Microsoft to work on. Currently, the Skype app for Windows 8 only supports some very basic features, for example you cannot even sign out of it for now.
7.2.2. 2. Hardware Outlay - Companies will have to upgrade their hardware to take advantage of the touch interface.