What are the differences in Windows, Mac, Unix and Linux operating systems?

Thats a loaded question... but I'll have a go...

Windows - the odd one out being that it follows pretty much a path of its own that motsly the others aren't as related to... it started from DOS, and they built a GUI ontop of it... windows is an operating system but it has many differences, however, that doesn't mean it doesn't interface with the others in some ways.

Unix - the next easiest since its one that goes way back like DOS (if not before)... Today I guess UNIX is mostly the base for operating systems like Linux and Mac (more on that later), it is a multi-user system thats proven over time to be flexible and quite useful... it tends to use X-Windows as its main GUI. Historically it is a commercial product and its main Desktop was CDE (built on Motif widgets/etc.)

As for Linux, its based on UNIX and retains many of the kinds of features Unix has, it uses X-Windows (known as xorg, formerly xfree) and it has a choice of different desktop/window managers the two most common being Gnome (built on GTK widgets/etc.) and KDE (built on QT widgets, etc.). Not only that but it comes in "flavours" called Distributions, the major ones being Redhat (the-non-enterprise versions more recently known as Fedora, and Mandrake Linux, now known as Mandriva was at some point based on it)... Debian (which Ubuntu is based on) ... and Slackware, the major differences between these distributions are generally the type of package management (to oversimplify packages = programs) that they use.

Another one to take note of is Gentoo... a lower-level Linux that runs each package through the a compiler to "emerge" it into your system.

Sidenote: Aside from perhaps the Distributions aspect, much of the same can be said about BSD, however it is a little more like a type of UNIX...

Mac - another odd one out, since Macintosh has gone through the most significant changes through generations, from m68k processors, to Power PC's to now Intel processors... Mac used to be an operating system like no other, using an OS that was identified by a System version, with a file manager called Finder, which is still the case today, but OSX is a very different animal. OSX is built on top of a hybrid of BSD Unix called Darwin, its current GUI is called Aqua, before that there was Cocoa, and Carbon (which are also built into OSX I believe)

I hope that goes some way to answering your questions, it higlights mostly the origins and pathways they took to become what they are in breif, but doesn't really explain the differences between them all that much, I suggest, perhaps that you google for more information..

sidenote: my favourite Distro of Linux is Kubuntu (uses KDE)

Windows: Got its start with IBM Personal Computer in the 1980s and that alone caused businesses to focus on it. I can't see anything about Windows that indicates it is targeted at businesses. It just so happens that many small to medium sized businesses like the Microsoft Office software which makes them think Microsoft for the operating system as well. There are two main advantages to Windows: 1. Most companies only train their technical staff in troubleshooting Windows. 2. Almost all games have Windows compatibility even though an increasing number have Mac and Linux compatibility. Mac OS: Based on Berkeley (University of Cal at Berkeley) Software Division version of UNIX and centered on the kernel developed at Carnegie Mellon University. It is the fastest growing operating system (6.7% market share as of September 2007). From the introduction of the mouse and windows (lower case w) to the latest version, the Mac has set the pace for all other home computer systems. Advantages are ease of use, fully integrated hardware configurations thus avoiding conflicts and pre-installed applications that 'just work', no-brainer printer and peripheral hardware setup, second-largest software selection, tremendous power and high security. Linux: Based very roughly on UNIX, it has a small and diminishing following (less than 1 percent market share) and the fewest ready-to-run software titles. The technically-challenged public has little interest in the complexity of partitioning and software tweaking that is often necessary to make it work and keep the computer up and running. Advantage: Lower initial cost and image of the underdog. Mainframe systems: The computer hardware tends to be rigidly configured since they are intended to produce some specific results. Most modern systems are based on UNIX, particularly in government and military because of the tremendous power, versatility and security. The IBM mainframes can use a variety of operating systems, even Linux, but the most popular is z-OS which is UNIX with a multitude of advanced logging systems, security enhancements and Network File System improvements.

I'll let Wikipedia explain Windows to you

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows

This Tour guide can show you Apple's Leopard which is MUCH nicer

http://www.apple.com/findouthow/macosx/

And Linux although free and open source and a great system is more ideally suited to techies and tinkerers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux

The other difference would be that Apple uses Unix, Linux is built on ...Linux which is derived from Unix and Windows code is explained here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_program_i...

Out of that lot on Linux is open sourced meaning you or I could make changes to the code and post instructions about it on the internet for other users to download.

Both Microsoft and Apple use proprietary code although Apple's is based on open standards and Microsoft just creates its own locks you into them.

They do the same things primarily: compute.

The main difference is their coding. Some are easy to understand while others need to be "decoded" to understand.

The differences are too numerous to detail here.

This will get you started, http://www.commercialventvac.com/~jeffs/OS_compari...

You just had to open up _THE_ can of worms, have ya? :)

Why don;t you start here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Windows... and let me know if you have further questions.

Ummm...Window's actually works. And is widely accepted.