Windows versus Linux performance benchmarks are nothing new. Linux versus Mac OS comparisons, however, are quite a bit more interesting.

Matthew McKenzie, Contributor

November 7, 2008

2 Min Read

Windows versus Linux performance benchmarks are nothing new. Linux versus Mac OS comparisons, however, are quite a bit more interesting.Today, Phoronix.com has the latest in its recent series of OS benchmarking results. Last week, the site did head-to-head tests of current and previous Ubuntu Linux releases, and somewhat surprisingly, it found that more recent versions of Ubuntu Linux aren't performing quite as smoothly. It then moved on to similar benchmarking tests of recent Fedora Linux releases.

This time around, however, Phoronix is stacking the latest Ubuntu Linux release up against Mac OS 10.5.5. A head-to-head performance battle between Hardy Heron and Leopard really isn't something one sees very often, so the results are bound to be noteworthy.

Which critter comes out on top? According to the folks at Phoronix, "it's almost a toss-up as to which operating system is faster."

That's not to say every point of comparison was a dead heat. Tests involving graphics performance, for example, and especially those using integrated graphics hardware, gave Leopard a big advantage. On software compiler-based benchmarks, however, where kernel optimization plays a big role, Ubuntu turned the tables on Mac OS pretty decisively.

It's always a tricky business, of course, to set up relevant performance benchmarks comparing two completely different operating systems. Then again, given the Mac's move to Intel hardware and the fact that Mac OS X is based on a Unix foundation (and an open-source one at that!), such comparisons are much easier than they would have been a decade ago.

Even if you're not comparison-shopping the two operating systems for your small business, this type of testing can provide valuable insights into making the right hardware and software choices. That is especially true when the benchmarks are thoughtful, well-crafted, and employ careful testing methodologies, all of which are true for the Phoronix tests.

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