ONE reason why OS X is better than Vista and Linux

Forget 10 reasons why Vista is better than Linux, or 20 reasons why Linux is better than Vista. All you really need to know is that there is one single reason why Apple Mac OS X is better than them both. You might consider that usability is wrapped up in terms of security. Certainly Apple users do not have to worry anywhere near as much as Windows users, even 'the most secure Windows OS ever' Vista users about malware, infection and system compromise. Now there are no doubt many people jumping up and down at this point waving the red card at me and saying that Linux is just as secure, just as capable of beating Vista on the security argument. Well, yes, maybe. But the point being that Apple just provides the secure environment to work in, whereas Linux demands a certain amount of work on behalf of the user to get it and leaves the novice potentially exposed to danger. That's what I mean by security in the sense of usability. Or you might consider usability in terms of the applications available for the OS. Again, Apple hits the front running here. Neither Vista nor Linux has any serious contender to match the 'pick it up and get productive' functionality of the iLife suite or the automatic backup tools for example. Then there is the small case of defining usability as consistency of the user interface, ease of use of that interface, immediacy of that interface. What else does OS X offer that Linux and Vista cannot? Where does my 75 year old mother fit into the argument, and what can we conclude from the OS X is better than Linux is better than Vista debate? Vista looks nice, if you like that kind of thing, but cannot compete with OS X when it comes to such things as the Time Machine back up functionality, the web clips to widgets conversion, the virtual workspaces. All of which 'just work' and that's that. Linux can, of course, claim to be capable of matching OS X for functionality but it comes via the customisation route than courtesy of out of the box usability. You might argue that this is a good thing, and it is. But only if you are a geek. Try explaining to my 75 year old mother how to configure a Linux machine to do what she wants, and why that is a better approach than a MacBook which does everything she wants, when she wants and without any hard work on her part. OS X scores highly in the usability front because of the consistency factor with most every application sharing a look and feel. Neither Vista nor Linux can match that. Which in turn leads us to usability through intuitiveness. There is no learning curve on a Mac. Drag and Drop is not a hard concept to crack, after all. Look, the whole Mac is better than Linux is better than Windows thread is, when all is said and done, just a bit of fun. Everyone wants and needs different things from the computer, and the operating system, they use. So while OS X is the best operating system in terms of usability, security and stability you might conclude that Linux gets the nod when approaching the argument from the customisation angle and Windows Vista, well, I am sure someone will be along in a moment to suggest something...