Today, Let’s Talk About Your Operating System

I wasn’t always an IT pro. By training I’m a techie, but my career kicked off in sales, then I moved into the warehouse and transport world—where I had my first taste of Windows (we’re talking Windows 3.0 here, ancient history!). I fell in love immediately and soon found myself scribbling little DOS programs after hours. After evening classes I became a Windows Small Business network admin, and before I knew it I was the IT manager in transport, running everything from laptops and desktops to the entire server farm.

Funny thing is, that’s also when my Windows obsession started to cool off. Toward the end of my career I got curious about Linux’s rock-solid stability and security—and eventually took the leap. Looking back with my current years of experience, it seemed obvious: once people saw all the free apps and the fortress-like safety of Linux, they’d switch in a heartbeat. Right? Well… turns out humans are clingy creatures. We stick with what we know, and the word “change” makes us break into a sweat.

As a photographer, chatting with fellow enthusiasts and pros, I’ve noticed that the same fear shows up again: giving up Photoshop, Lightroom, or any favorite app feels like cutting off a limb. But let’s be honest—if you strip away the fancy software talk and look at what most of us actually do on our computers every day, is swapping operating systems really that big a deal? Would it be hard… or would you barely even notice?

That’s an interesting exercise and consideration to explore — so let’s dive in.

What Do Most People Use When They Go Online? Windows, Mac, or Linux — Does It Matter?

When it comes to getting online, what do most people actually use on their computers? Is it mainly web browsers like Google Chrome? Or are there other apps involved? And does the choice of operating system — Windows, macOS, or Linux — really affect the online experience? Let’s break it down based on real-world data and statistics.

The Most Common Online Activities

Regardless of which operating system you use, the majority of people spend their time online doing things like:

• Browsing the web: Visiting websites, reading news, shopping, or streaming videos.
• Checking email: Using web-based email services like Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo Mail.
• Social media: Accessing platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
• Using cloud services: Working with tools like Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or Dropbox.
• Online communication: Video calls and messaging through apps like Zoom, Skype, or Microsoft Teams.

Operating Systems and Their Role

Most of these activities happen inside a web browser — and the big browsers you know, like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari, are available on all major operating systems. This means users enjoy a very similar online experience whether they are on Windows, macOS, or Linux.

The Numbers: Operating System and Browser Usage

According to the latest statistics from StatCounter (April 2025):

• Windows dominates the desktop OS market with about 71.1% of users.
• macOS follows with roughly 10.08%.
• Linux holds around 4.27%.
• Chrome OS accounts for about 1.83%.

When it comes to browsers on desktops:

• Google Chrome leads with approximately 66.16% market share.
• Safari comes next at 17.62%.
• Microsoft Edge stands at 5.17%.
• Mozilla Firefox follows with 2.52%.

These figures clearly show that browsers are the primary gateway to online services, and the choice of operating system has less impact on the average user’s web experience.

What Does This Mean for You?

For most people, online activities are platform-independent. Whether you use Windows, macOS, or Linux, as long as you have access to a modern web browser, you can perform virtually all common online tasks without restrictions.

Of course, if you rely on specific software that only runs on a certain OS, that might affect your choice. But for everyday internet use — browsing, emailing, social media, streaming, and cloud work — the operating system is mostly irrelevant.

Conclusion

Well, here’s the funny thing: I’ve been trying to convince people to switch to Linux for years. And every time, the same two things get in the way—habits and fear of change. But let’s zoom out for a second. If we ignore photography for a moment and just look at what you actually do on your computer at home, the answer is usually: you open Google Chrome… and then pretty much live your entire online life inside that browser.

Now here’s the twist: Chrome doesn’t care what system it’s running on. Windows, Linux, macOS, Chrome OS—it’s all the same to Chrome. So if you were using Linux right now, you probably wouldn’t even notice the difference. Wild, right?

Add to that the fact that Windows is basically a playground for viruses, malware, and digital crooks, while Linux gives you a much safer environment… and suddenly, switching to Linux doesn’t sound so crazy anymore. Maybe it’s time to give it a serious think—your computer might even thank you with fewer phishing pop-ups and a lot less drama.

To be continued… but tomorrow’s twist might just reboot your perspective.