Most computer owners in this country run Microsoft Windows 98 at the moment. However, Microsoft is sending out mixed messages about the way forward. Currently, Windows ME and Windows 2000 Professional are possible upgrades, with Windows XP somewhere on the horizon promising a completely revamped user experience.

But upgrading to Windows ME and Windows 2000 is likely to involve a hardware upgrade for many users, and hardware upgrades have a tendency to escalate into complete system replacement. Because of this, we've taken a deep breath and decided to compare the alternative desktop operating systems on the market. This market is alive and kicking, with many interesting and completely viable systems itching to show Microsoft a thing or two. What better time to round them up for a mammoth group test?

The way we see things, the major operating systems are currently Microsoft Windows ME, Windows 2000 Professional and Linux for the PC, and Mac OS as the dominant non-PC OS. Frustration with operating system software can make users passionate, and often one-sided. But if the best of the current crop of operating systems were compared fairly, which one would really stand out as a winner? Is such a task even possible? Are we mad to even try? Perhaps.

Regardless, here we take a look at the latest desktop operating systems from Microsoft and Apple, and compare these with Linux, BeOS, and Sun's Solaris 8 Personal Edition.

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