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By: John Mason on Fri Oct 2, 2009

Two major software giants and two of the hottest operating systems are set to lock horns in the run as to whose is the best and most powerful. They are Windows 7 from Microsoft and Apple’s Mac OS X Snow Leopard. Often dubbed as a “copy” of Mac OS X, Windows 7 is the upgraded version from Microsoft from its previous offering, the embattled Windows Vista.

Microsoft claims that it has redone the whole structure and core of Windows 7, so as to increase quality and put it on par with its competition. Advances such as touch interfaces and new features of handwriting recognition, support for virtual hard disks and better compatibility with multi-core processors with faster boot are highlighted features of the new Windows 7.

The most significant changes have been done to the taskbar when compared to Vista features of the same. Windows Security Centre has been renamed Windows Action Centre with advanced and stable security upgrades such as User Action Control and more.

On the other hand, Apple has been rather busy working on delivering a further upgraded version of its very robust Mac OS X. This is the 7th release of Mac OS X from Apple for its desktops and server operating systems. Drivers are now downloaded and installed only as and when required saving a whole lot of disk space, as much as 7GB!

An elementary anti-malware component has been included in the new version. The user will experience a faster start-up, shutdown and installation, making this version of OS X a faster system to deal with than its predecessors. The Object Dock now has been decongested by allowing you to minimize your windows to the icons on the Dock. Menus which earlier popped out of the Dock now come with more options and a semi-transparent grey background look with white text.

If the question on your mind is which of these operating systems you should be looking forward to, it will be a decision which involves various factors. OS X always stands out when it comes to stability and some breath taking features and interfaces. Windows 7 is more of “your friendly neighborhood” operating system with ease of hardware compatibility and a whole lot of third-party tools which are easily available. OS X is designed to run on Apple’s very own desktops and notebooks, thus making its accessibility limited while Windows 7 on the other hand can turn out to be an unstable operating system, as it has been with many Windows products, due to the ability to install the OS on any manufacturer's PC make. An operating system catering to most of your requirements with all its loaded features is what you should be zeroing in on. Weigh the pros and cons of each OS and decide what's right for you.