Windows 10 is highly anticipated for a variety of reasons, including it brings a great deal more sanity to the unmitigated mess of Windows 8, and it does not require a third-party utility to make it usable for a natural (or a classic, depending on who you ask) desktop workflow.
However, the underlying operating system (OS) that a user runs is becoming an afterthought. The primary focus for many users is on the web -- as such, the availability of browsers and day-to-day productivity software is more relevant to end users than the old era of buying boxed software in stores.
This gallery highlights various OSs that are, for most users, adequate replacements for Windows 10. Many of the options featured here can be used in VirtualBox, if you prefer to give it a spin without dual-booting or formatting your system.
OS X 10.11 El Capitan
El Capitan is a beta product -- though, in general, OS X is still the biggest commercial competitor to Windows. For the most part, it makes more sense if you already have or plan to buy other Apple products.
In comparison to the current release (Yosemite), El Capitan changes the system font to the San Francisco typeface used in the Apple Watch and the upcoming iOS 9. El Capitan also brings support for snapping two windows side-by-side, a feature other OSs have had for years.
Also new in this release is improved display support for Chinese and Japanese, and an improved Japanese IME (Input method editor). The IME allows the user to write in Japanese by typing phonetically (in Hiragana), and generates the correct Kanji without user intervention by using frequency and context-sensitive clues to determine the correct Kanji.
Killer feature: HiDPI ("Retina") display support is more mature than what's available with other OSs.
Price: Free upgrade, though using OS X requires Apple hardware, which starts at $499 for the Mac Mini.
Ubuntu 15.04
Ubuntu remains the most visible Linux distribution for people not necessarily predisposed to installing a different OS. The Unity interface requires some level of adjustment compared to Windows, though the name Unity is at least accurate in regard to presentation -- the system behavior is reasonably well thought-out, and is uniform across applications.
Ubuntu, like other Linux distributions, has native versions of popular open-source software, such as Firefox and LibreOffice, which are installed by default; offerings that can be installed by the user include VLC Media Player, Pidgin instant messenger, FileZilla, and Audacity. Additionally, closed-source products such as Google Chrome, Skype, Trillian, Steam, Dropbox, and TeamViewer are also available.
Of note, Ubuntu Kylin, the derivative intended for Chinese users, includes a preconfigured IME and an additional migration assistant for people switching from Windows, as well as Kingsoft WPS Office in place of LibreOffice, as that product is more popular there.
Killer feature: It's a good entry point for people who don't have prior Linux experience.
Price: Free
Kubuntu 15.04
Kubuntu is the first distribution to ship version 5 of KDE Plasma, an alternative desktop environment with much improved HiDPI support, and a more modern visual style compared to previous releases. Like Ubuntu and other Linux distributions, it has native versions of various popular open-source and proprietary software.
Killer feature: It's the de-facto flagship distribution for KDE, setting it ahead of competing distributions that still include KDE Plasma 4.
Price: Free
Fedora 22
Fedora is the flagship distribution for the GNOME desktop environment. Fedora releases serve as the basis of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and a significant amount of the development work on Fedora is done by Red Hat employees. Consequently, Fedora uses more recent versions of the Linux kernel than other distributions. This strikes a balance between having advanced support for newer hardware (compared to Ubuntu), but with greater stability compared to bleeding edge / rolling release distributions such as Arch Linux.
Compared to Ubuntu, the Fedora project has a much stricter policy about the use of non-free code in official repositories for software such as audio/video codecs and proprietary programs such as Flash, Java, Google Chrome, and Skype. These can be added with relative ease using the third-party Fedy utility.
Killer feature: Being the de-facto flagship distribution for GNOME, it provides the most mature HiDPI support among Linux distributions.
Price: Free
Haiku
Haiku is an open-source implementation of BeOS, which was the first OS designed for symmetric multiprocessing and preemptive multitasking. Haiku is named for the peculiar error messages from the default browser in BeOS.
The Haiku project is the most feature-complete original OS targeted toward general users that is not related to the Windows, Linux, or OS X / BSD family. While still in Alpha territory, it's generally stable enough to browse the web, listen to music, and do other basic tasks.
Killer feature: Super light-weight, and it doesn't require much in the way of system resources, making it a good choice for migrating on older systems.
Price: Free
eComStation 2.2
eComStation 2.2 is scheduled for release in October 2015 from the new developer XEU, which has taken over from Mensys BV, the previous maintainer of the project. eComStation is the successor to IBM's OS/2, with updated driver support and current software packages such as Firefox and Apache OpenOffice.org. Despite the relative age of OS/2, it still has vibrant community support.
Killer feature: Full binary compatibility for Win16 applications (this is better than the compatibility in Windows).
Price: $145 for the Home/Student edition.
Chrome OS
Google's Chrome OS has slowly added more and more packaged applications, making Chromebooks much more than the internet appliance they started as. Apps can be added through the Chrome web store, and partial support for Android apps is available through the App Runtime for Chrome (ARC).
Chrome OS lacks the ability to do very specific things that traditional desktop OSs can, such as burning CDs or DVDs, though the frequency with which this is a common task is far less than it was 10 years ago.
Killer feature: Extremely hardened security makes the prospect of viruses on Chrome OS less likely.
Price: Free, though it is only available on Chrome-branded hardware from various OEMs, starting at $149. This makes it a prospect of purchasing new hardware, instead of an in-place software upgrade.
Remix OS 1.5
Remix OS from Jide, a startup founded by ex-Google engineers, takes Android 5.0 (Lollipop) and gives it a productivity-minded desktop feel, with proper windowing support and multitasking. Remix OS ships with the Jide Ultratablet, and ROM images are available for the Nexus 10 tablet. Jide has also launched a Kickstarter for the Remix Mini, which brings the OS to desktop users.
Killer feature: Proper windowing for Android, with support for Microsoft Office.
Price: Free, though it only runs on specific ARM hardware either from Jide or the Nexus 10. A ROM for the Nexus 9 is planned for a future version.
Solus
The Solus OS is a new Linux distribution that is targeted for desktop users. It includes the Budgie desktop, which is designed for this distribution. Like Ubuntu, it adds a different interface to the existing GNOME software stack, and like Ubuntu, it has a well thought-out, consistent user interface. Solus is still in beta.
Killer feature: A new, minimalist interface intended for and targeted to desktop users.
Price: Free, though they are soliciting donations via Patreon.
Windows 7
The biggest competitor to Windows 10 is still Windows 7, the most-used desktop OS in the world. Windows 7 users who are are satisfied with the system performance, and who have no desire for the Microsoft ecosystem (Bing, OneDrive, etc.) to be forced upon them might want to wait. Windows 7 support will continue until January 2020, and the free upgrade offer expires in July 2016, so there is no big rush to move to Windows 10 on day one.
Killer feature: It’s a sufficiently sensible desktop that works with Win32 programs and doesn’t fight the user for control of the PC.
Price: Home Premium is $89.98 on Amazon, other SKUs and vendors have different prices, YMMV. Though, it’s possible under some circumstances to get Windows 7 for free.
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