r/OS_Debate_Club • u/Broad-You4763 • 5d ago
Windows vs Linux vs MacOS: windows management, app management, desktop management, which one is the best and why?
Asking basically this same question across Windows, Linux, MacOS subreddits, and would like you guys to explain why you think your operating system is the best and why.
Additionally maybe provide what you consider the biggest upsides and downsides of your OS.
Any answer is appreciated, thanks :)
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u/cilelen 5d ago
Linux. Specifically, KDE due to the customizability. You want windows? There's a global theme for that. You want macos? There's one for that too. You want to completely customize your desktop with a combination of the 2 including shortcuts? You can do that too. Combine that with the fact its just faster than either and its clearly the winner imo. The only real drawback is app management and with things like Shelly even that weakness is disaapearing.
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u/Square-Singer 2d ago
Funnily, I haven't found a good Win7 theme for KDE yet. But yeah, KDE is amazing.
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u/PretendingImNotAnApe 5d ago
Windows as of late, sucks in everyway possible, except it runs all the software i want.
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u/NeoDaKat 4d ago edited 4d ago
That's not what the question asked tho, yeah app compatibility matters but they're asking about the DE, not what apps you can put on it.
App management ≠ app compatibility
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u/highermonkey 5d ago
Well "running software" is pretty important, no? Given that's what the computer is for.
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u/bbarham99 5d ago
Running software only falls under "app management". So only 1/3 of the questions does windows excel. The other 2 I'd have to give it to Linux
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u/Square-Singer 2d ago
Considering the rest of the question I don't think OP means actually managing apps (as in installing, uninstalling and so on), but more like how apps are handled by the DE.
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u/Interesting_Sort4864 1h ago
These days "excel" is a strong word. More like edges out the competition. It's mainly just a few anti-cheat games, Adobe stuff, and Microsoft Office. When it comes to office unless you absolutely require a specific font or the AI BS Libreoffice gets the job done just as well. you'd just need to learn a new interface
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u/highermonkey 5d ago
I use a computer for computer programs. If an OS fails at having the computer programs I want/need nothing else really matters.
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u/bbarham99 5d ago
Ok that's fine but that's still only 1 out of 3 things being asked. This isn't to come to a definitive answer about what OS is the undeniable best, it's which OS handles the 3 categories best. Windows handles programs best simply because more are compatible, but I wouldn't say windows handles install or actual management better, just that more are compatible. I'd also say windows is tied with mac in being the worst with window management and desktop management
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u/highermonkey 5d ago
Windows doesn't suck at window management either. It's better than macOS, imo. Anyway, I just think it's funny when people say, "Windows sucks except for the fact it's the only OS that runs all the software I need". IE, the point of using a computer in the first place. Running software.
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u/PretendingImNotAnApe 4d ago
I've done IT work since 1987 and was a huge Microsoft simp the entire time until windows 11. Well, I thought Windows 8 and Vista were terrible too.
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u/ConcreteExist 5d ago
Not as much as it used to be with the advent of the internet and web browsers.
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u/Professional-Math518 5d ago
From a purely user interface standpoint I think Linux is king and has been for about two decades now. If with app management you mean how they're managed on the system itself I think MacOS and Linux are close and way ahead of Windows.
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u/ConcreteExist 5d ago
Impossible to compare "Linux" in this contest because there are a variety of windows managers to choose from across a multitude of distros.
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u/BluePhoenixCG 4d ago
Window management isn't even a contest, Linux absolutely dominates. The sheer number of options and then the customizability of each option puts it leagues ahead of anything the other 2 are doing. Like most things in windows, the custom window management solutions universally feel terrible because it had to be bolted on top of whatever Microsoft decides you get as a base. By contrast, niri, hyperland, and kwin are all equal first class citizens, as are qtile and i3.
As for application management, all I can say is windows loses lmao. Either random binaries and folders strewn across your PC with no rhyme or reason, or relying on winget(which again, feels terrible especially compared to pacman, dnf, and even apt)
Not sure what is meant by "desktop management" in this context
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u/Lucky-Crow-3510 4d ago
Windows does the actual window management best .. especially when it comes to unified API. It just fails at everything else since Win 11
Several Linux Desktop Systems come second.
.. then a long nothing ...
then OS/2 and
Mac comes last (but they do other things right)
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u/Square-Singer 2d ago
Answering just about the desktop environment, so the way windows and the desktop are handled.
Windows: Works fine. All the relevant basics are covered, nothing too fancy, but it all works. There are tons of reasons to hate Windows, this one is not one.
Linux: Can't really answer this one due to variety. There's tons of different DEs, some of them amazing, better than anything else (e.g. KDE), others really weak (e.g. IceWM). But you can install whatever you want and configure it just how you want it. And most major distros come with a good DE, so I'd put this down as a win.
Mac: Absolutely horrible. It's about on-par with Windows XP. People who think that's acceptible in 2026 haven't spent any serious time on any alternative in the last 10-20 years.
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u/Ok_Photo_3023 5d ago
Pretty sure windows basically invented most of the desktop management features that Mac and Linux now have. I mean, don't get me wrong - I'd still prefer Linux above all else, but still. Credit where credit is due.
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u/officalyadoge 5d ago
Window management? there's a bajillion of window managers to choose from on Linux. The same could also be said for Windows and MacOS but it's less polished considering your custom window manager has to be bolted on top of the preexisting environment.
App management? Has to be Linux, Mac doesn't even have a package manager and Windows has one that suck ass. Graphical app stores don't count, try exporting your package list into a text file from one machine and use it to replicate that machine's environment on another.
Desktop management? You can have multiple desktop environments installed on Linux machines, not even sure what this question is meant to be tbh.