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Final Score
About the final scores
Scores are defined as the following:
- Not natively supported, solutions may be purchasable
- Not natively supported, but freeware/open source solutions are available
- Exceptionally poor support
- Poor support
- Below average support
- Average/acceptable support
- Slightly above average support
- Good support
- Very good support
- Exceptionally good support
- Perfection - improvement is not possible
How to read the scores:
"Regular" scores are written simply as their number (out of 10).
Adjusted scores — that is, scores that take additional free software from the operating system manufacturer into account — are written in parenthesis. In some cases, Windows XP Professional Edition supports additional features that Windows XP Home Edition does not (or contains more thorough support for the same feature). If so, XP Professional and XP Home will receive individual scores, separated by a slash. XP Professional's score will be written first.
Reminders about the final scores:
Scores aren't weighted. Each section is worth 10 points, regardless of how important you, the reader, consider it to be. This is not because of an error on our part, but rather because different people have different needs for their computer and operating system. As the authors of this website, we can't tell you that legacy application support is more important than video playback, for example, or that searching for files is more important than burning CDs. That's up to you to decide.
We've attempted to make this website as inclusive as possible, and we will continue to add new sections and refine older ones as time goes on. But we're only human, and neither we nor anyone else could ever create a truly perfect comparison that discussed every single possible point and feature of each operating system. Thus, these scores are only as accurate and reflective as the way we've divided up sections and points/features we've covered. As we add new content and rework existing comparisons, scores can and will change.
In summary, these final scores are by no means meant as a definitive conclusion, but rather as a starting point for thoughtful discussion.
Are you shopping for laptop computer to run a new copy of Windows on? We carry inexpensive refurbished notebooks and quick desktop computers too. Stop by and check out a new system today.
Final scores
|
|
Mac OS X |
Windows XP |
| Applications |
| General |
Installing & Uninstalling |
7 |
5 |
| |
Accessing |
5 |
8 |
| |
Legacy Application Support |
3 |
9 |
| Audio |
Audio Playback |
9 |
9 |
| Video |
Video Playback |
4 |
9 |
| |
DVD Playback |
9 |
1 |
| |
Video Editing |
1 |
7 (8) |
| Photos |
Photo Importing |
8 |
8 |
| |
Photo Management |
4 |
6 |
| |
Photo Slideshows |
5 |
5 (7) |
| Internet |
Web Browsing |
8 |
8 |
| |
Email, Basic |
8 |
7 |
| |
Email, Advanced (Junk Mail Filtering) |
8 |
2 |
| |
HTML Editing |
5 |
4 (5) |
| Chat |
Instant Messenging (Text Chatting) |
8 |
5 (8) |
| |
Audio/Video-conferencing |
8 |
3 (6) |
| |
Advanced Conferencing |
1 |
8 (9) |
| Miscellaneous |
Calendar |
8 |
1 |
| |
Calculator |
9 |
6 (8) |
| |
Games |
3 |
7 |
| |
Dictionary/Thesaurus |
9 |
1 |
| |
Developer Tools |
9 |
1 (8) |
| Total (out of 220) |
139 |
121 (133) |
| Files & Folders |
| Burning CDs & DVDs |
Burning CD-Rs (single-session) |
9 |
8 |
| |
Burning CD-RWs (multi-session) |
4 |
9 |
| |
Burning, Advanced |
7 |
1 |
| Viewing Files & Folders |
Browsing Files & Folders |
5 |
9 |
| |
Sorting & Grouping Files |
5 |
9 |
| Working with Files & Folders, Basic |
Opening & Saving Files |
8 |
7 |
| |
Opening Recent Files |
9 |
6 |
| |
Copying, Replacing, & Moving Files/Folders |
8 |
8 |
| |
Renaming Files/Folders |
9 |
7 |
| |
Forbidden Characters in Filenames |
7 |
6 |
| |
Aliases & Shortcuts |
9 |
8 |
| |
Working with Busy Files |
8 |
3 |
| |
Deleting Large Numbers of Files |
8 |
8 |
| |
Managing Deleted Files |
7 |
8 |
| Working with Files & Folders, Advanced |
Creating & Opening Compressed Files |
5 |
9 |
| |
Encrypting Files |
7 |
8 |
| Searching |
Searching, Basic |
9 |
4 (8) |
| |
Customizing Search Behavior |
8 |
5 (8) |
| |
Creating Complex Search Queries |
8 |
5 (7) |
| |
Saving Searches |
9 |
7 (8) |
| Working with Metadata |
Viewing & Editing Metadata |
4 |
7 |
| |
Indexing File Contents & Metadata |
8 |
4 (7) |
| Total (out of 220) |
161 |
146 (159) |
| Graphic User Interface |
| General |
Adherence to Fitt's Law |
8 |
7 |
| |
Dialogs |
8 |
5 |
| |
Feedback & Responsiveness |
8 |
9 |
| |
Menu Bars |
8 |
7 |
| |
Menu Extras vs. System Tray |
7 |
7 |
| Appearance |
Appearance & Themes, Basic |
4 |
9 |
| |
Appearance & Themes, Advanced |
5 |
9 |
| |
Finder vs. Explorer Customization |
8 |
8 |
| |
Icons |
9 |
5 |
| Working With Information |
Cut & Paste |
8 |
5 |
| |
Drag & Drop |
8 |
5 |
| Window Management |
Dock vs. Taskbar, Basic |
7 |
7 |
| |
Dock vs Taskbar, Advanced |
Non-scoring |
| |
Maximize vs. Zoom |
7 |
7 |
| |
Moving & Resizing Windows |
5 |
8 |
| |
Moving Windows Off-screen |
9 |
9 |
| |
Working With Open Windows |
8 |
4 (6) |
| Total (out of 160) |
117 |
111 (113) |
| System Incomplete! * |
| General |
Help & Support |
7 |
8 |
| |
Updating the Operating System |
6 |
8 |
| |
Networking |
? |
? |
| |
Power Management |
7 |
8 |
| |
Printing |
8 |
7 |
| |
Sending and Receiving Faxes |
5 |
7 |
| Fonts |
Viewing Fonts |
9 |
6 |
| |
Installing & Managing Fonts |
8 |
7 |
| |
Applying Fonts |
8 |
7 |
| Backup and Data Synchronization |
Backing Up and Restoring Files |
4 |
9 |
| |
Synchronizing Files and Data |
4 |
7 (9) / 1 (7) |
| |
Transferring Files and Settings |
7 |
6 |
| System Maintenance and Troubleshooting |
System Details and Activity |
9 |
9 |
| |
Disk and Temporary Files Cleanup |
4 |
8 |
| |
Defragmenting Disks |
5 |
7 |
| |
Checking and Repairing Disks |
8 |
9 |
| |
Restoring and Recovering System Files |
6 |
9 |
| |
Formatting and Partioning Disks |
? |
? |
| Security |
Logging into Your Account |
7 |
8 |
| |
Managing User Accounts |
8 |
6 / 4 |
| |
Managing User Accounts (Parental Controls) |
8 |
0 |
| |
Managing Passwords |
8 |
3 |
| |
Protecting Your Computer (Local Security) |
8 |
6 |
| |
Protecting Your Computer (Firewall Security) |
7 |
8 (9) |
| Total (out of 220) |
151 |
153 (156) / 145 (152) |
| Power User |
| General |
Booting From Alternate Drives |
Non-scoring |
| |
Command Line Interface |
8 |
5 |
| |
Creating Screen Captures |
8 |
3 (6) |
| Automation |
Scheduling Automated Tasks |
8 |
8 |
| |
Scripting & Workflow Automation |
8 |
3 |
| Working Remotely |
Network Installs |
7 |
7 / 0 |
| |
Remote Control |
4 |
9 / 1 |
| Total (out of 60) |
43 |
35 (38) / 20 (23) |
| Miscellaneous |
| General |
Odds & Ends |
Non-scoring |
| External Devices |
Bluetooth Incomplete! |
? |
? |
| Input Devices |
Keyboard |
8 |
6 |
| |
Speech & Voice Recognition |
8 |
3 |
| Internet Features |
Searching The Internet |
8 |
5 (7) |
| |
Web Serving |
7 (8) |
7 (8) / 1 (2) |
| Total (out of 40) |
31 (32) |
21 (24) / 15 (18) |
* This section is not yet complete. Individual shootouts will become available as they are completed. Scores will be assigned at that time.
Grand total (out of 920 points):
Mac OS X: 642 (643)
Windows XP Pro: 586 (630)
Windows XP Home: 557 (605)
Your thoughts?
We sincerly appreciate reader comments and feedback. Discuss our conclusions with other like-minded readers in our site forum.
