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Which OS Crashes Less Often: Mac OS X, Linux or Windows?

In the world of technology, there is hardly “one best suited” operating system that works just fine for everyone. A large business corporation might choose to stick with Windows 7 despite its often-sluggish nature in comparison to other operating systems.
This might be because of it’s software compatibility component and user-friendly nature in addition to various other points. Others might opt for Mac OS X because of its reliability being that Apple hardware are controlled by manufacturer making it less susceptible to virus attack.
Again, others might choose a GNU/Linux because of it’s stability as it has a way of combating hardware faults leaving the system unharmed.
The purpose of this article however, is to take a look at which operating system crashes less often.
Mac OS X
Mac OS X, BDS-based and part of the UNIX family, is the operating system developed in the year 2001 to succeed Mac OS. Designed specifically to operate on Mac computers, it has been the default operating system on all Mac computers since the year 2002.
Generally, Mac OS X are seen to be safer in terms of security compared to windows. In the past, it was even thought to be immune to viruses or malware. However, this is no longer the case. A Mac OS X might survive for a while without an anti-virus but that doesn’t mean that the system is invulnerable to virus attack. One advantage a Mac OS X has over others is that it’s drivers are very stable due to the fact that they can only be targeted to very few devices.
Again, this makes the system less susceptible to crashing. However, as little chances there are of a Mac OS X crashing, it still does crash. The crash can be caused by software bugs and incompatibilities, there might not be enough system memory for applications to run, too many applications running at once or applications vying for disk access.
GNU/Linux Operating System
Linux, just like the Mac OS X, is also part of the UNIX family. It was created in 1991 by a student called Linus Torvalds. Not only is Linux the dominant operating system for most market segments, it is the most widely developed operating system.
What makes Linux different from others is that it is an open source software. It is free and available to everyone to view or edit. Unlike the Mac OS X, there are numerous distributions of Linux including various software options offering users the choice of choosing the one that best suits the need.
Ubuntu OS
It is also common knowledge that Linux system rarely crashes and even in the advent of it crashing, the whole system normally won’t go down. The programming code is available to all for viewing and as such, the Linux is also less susceptible to malware due to its numerous viewers constantly watching it.
Spyware, viruses, Trojans and the like, which often compromise computer performance are also a rare occurrence with the Linux operating system.
Windows Operating System
Windows 7 is an operating system part of the Windows NT family, developed by Microsoft. Vast majority of software are written for windows making it more compatible with other software in comparison to Linux.
However, a Window 7 has been known to crash for various reasons ranging from bad memory or motherboard to corrupt registry or drivers. Windows 7 is also quite susceptible to viruses and Trojans without a good anti-virus in place.
Also, Window 7 has little or no control over hardware and as such it’s quite open to attacks which can lead to crashing. For people who just want to fulfil basic needs with their PC, windows 7 is more user friendly in comparison to Mac OS X and Linux.
However, although Window 7 remains popular, Microsoft has released Windows 8 and Window 10 respectively. The question is, how much do they improve on the vulnerabilities of windows 7? the answer is not very much.
Windows 10 the most recent version and has a longer period of extended support which is the period in which Microsoft will stop supporting security updates for the Operating System. With Windows 10 you get 2 years more than Windows 8 and five years more than windows 7.
This may be a great help when it comes to solving crashes but does not stop the crashes itself. One can recall the KB 3081438 update which was forced on users shortly after the launch of windows to fix a bug that caused frequent crash loops. There were reports popping up in the web that not only did the update force a reboot but would install only partially, and after the reboot would re-install again. This would never happen with a Linux distro.
This is may be debatable but to my mind, the only other advantage that Windows 10 has on its two predecessors is that it was offered as a “free upgrade”. But of course, is this has nothing on Linux which is also free to download amongst many other advantages.
In conclusion, just like it was stated at the beginning of the article, there isn’t one perfect operating system that suits everyone. That being said, most reports show that all things considered, a Linux operating system is less likely to crash. Mac OS X too has very limited chances of crashing and some would prefer it over a Linux.

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Avast and AVG collect and sell your personal info via their free antivirus programs.....

Avast and its subsidiary AVG, caught selling customer data to corporate clients last year, are at it again—this time using its free antivirus programs if you opt in to data collection.

The joint report by Vice’s Motherboard and PCMag build upon reports by Adblock Plus creator Wladimir Palant, who reported in October, 2019 that the Avast Online Security Extension as well as the AVG Secure Browser spy on users, harvesting their information.

Palant alleged that the information—which included a unique user ID, the page you visited, whether you’d visited that page before, and other information—could be provided to third parties, and suggested that Jumpshot could be a possible destination. (Avast acquired Jumpshot in 2013, and a statement on the company’s website says that it “provides insights into consumers’ online journeys by measuring every search, click and buy across 1,600 categories from more than 150 sites, including Amazon, Google, Netflix, and Walmart.”) At the time, the news caused browser makers like Google to remove both from its web store, though the extensions have since returned.

In the report, Avast told Motherboard/PCMag that data collected by the Avast browser extensions is no longer provided to Jumpshot. But other sources alleged that it is instead collecting that same information from the Avast and AVG free antivirus programs. That data is then passed along to Jumpshot, those sources said, and from there to its corporate clients.

“Last week, months after it was spotted using its browser extensions to send data to Jumpshot, Avast began asking its existing free antivirus consumers to opt-in to data collection, according to an internal document,” Motherboard wrote.

In a statement, Avast said that it “acted quickly to meet browser store standards,” and in December completely discontinued the practice of using any data from the browser extensions for any other purpose than improving the core security engine. “We ensure that Jumpshot does not acquire personal identification information, including name, email address or contact details,” the statement said.

The statement went on to describe the opt-in and opt-out choices available. “Users have always had the ability to opt out of sharing data with Jumpshot,” it said. “As of July 2019, we had already begun implementing an explicit opt-in choice for all new downloads of our AV, and we are now also prompting our existing free users to make an opt-in or opt-out choice, a process which will be completed in February 2020.”

Avast supplies a long list of optional modules to install as part of its free security software.

Avast’s statement also sought to minimize concerns about its practices. “We have a long track record of protecting users’ devices and data against malware, and we understand and take seriously the responsibility to balance user privacy with the necessary use of data for our core security products,”
The policy allows Avast to “enable use of your personal data to create a de-identified data set that is provided to Jumpshot to build trend analytics products and services.”

When installing the free Avast antivirus software, users are given the option to uncheck virtually all of the optional modules that the software installs: password storage, disk cleanup, and more. By default, the Avast security browser extension and SafePrice browser extension have a check mark next to them, showing that they will be installed. Those can be unchecked and not installed.

Out of curiosity, PCWorld unchecked every option. The Avast software reported that the installation process completed, and Windows Security reported that the Avast software was installed. However, we weren’t able to open the Avast software itself, including its dashboard. We've reached out to the company for more information and will update this story if we hear back.

There’s an old adage: When you’re not paying for the product, you’re the product. For now, this seems to be the case with Avast’s antivirus software.

Windows 7 end is coming - and Microsoft wants to make it easier to upgrade​

Upgrade process is well under way, but help is still at hand for the millions of Windows 7 users​

Microsoft has reassured Windows 7 users they still have time to migrate to Windows 10 before support for the former ends soon. With the official Windows 7 End of Life set for January 14 2020, companies and consumers still running the aged software still have around ten months remaining to upgrade, and Microsoft is ready to assist the process any way it can.
A new Microsoft update released recently will see Windows 7 users reminded of the 10-year-old software's impending end, and the need to upgrade to the latest version as soon as possible.

Microsoft is set to start nudging Windows 7 users to upgrade soon, with pop-up notifications informing the imminent end of life due to start soon.
But for those companies that need to remain on Windows 7 a little longer than next January (such as those needing to address certain compliance regulations), Microsoft will still provide support for up to three years - although you will need to pay.