Having the whole office running on the same operating system makes everything run a little more smoothly. When you know that you can use the same software, there are no worries about sharing a .PSD file and hoping that they know how to adapt it for GIMP, for instance. But what operating system should you be running?
The short answer is Windows. Whatever the most current version of Windows is, that’s what you should be running in nine offices out of ten. You can find any kind of software you might need for Windows, you can get constant updates from Microsoft, and whether or not you like the smartphone-inspired interface of newer versions, it is nevertheless one of the most accessible, easy-to-use operating systems out there.
The main reason to use Mac OS is because maybe you have some kind of partnership deal with Apple, or you’re running an animation studio or something and you really love how Macs are fine-tuned to fit the needs of artists and multimedia professionals. In any event, this choice is easy, too: Just use whatever Mac released last.
The rare instance where you’re actually going to be considering using any other operating system, you’re probably going to be looking at Linux, and if you might actually need Linux, then you know the answer better than we do when it comes to the question of which OS you should be installing.
Installing Linux across the typical office is sort of like assigning an M1 Abrams tank as the company car. In the right hands, it’s immensely powerful, but it’s also a little more muscle than you need to do most work. Being open source, and free, Linux is an incredibly popular operating system for very tech-oriented users. You know all those supercomputers you read about from time to time? The ones that are measured based on how much of a football field they take up? Almost all of those machines use Linux. IT teams frequently use Linux, as do many advanced tech companies. Using Linux is not a bad idea if your entire staff is very tech-savvy, and if your particular corner of the industry is focused on advanced technology. Otherwise, it’s more muscle than you need, and more trouble than it’s worth.
In short: Most of the time you can just use whatever operating system came with your computers, whether that’s Windows or Mac OS, but a supergeek company can get a lot of mileage out of an open-source OS like Linux.
