Linux Operating System for Desktop & its Features:

Operating system (OS) is a kernel. Linux operating system is Linux’s kernel. Generally, Linux OS can be
represented in the following sphere with three layers: User land, System land and kernel. In the
innermost, kernel houses all the operating system resources such as file systems, memory
managements, input/output modules and libraries. The outer layer, system land hosts system resources
such as Application System Interface (API).

1). Multi-user : One can have multiple accounts on a Windows 7 box, but that doesn't make it truly
multi-user. We can not log on more than one user at a time in Windows 7. To have concurrent user
sessions for Windows 7, one have to download a third-party tool. In Linux this feature is available by
default.

2). Centralized application installation: The new paradigm for Linux is a centralized location for
installation. The Ubuntu Software Center is turning out to be the culmination of much of this work. From
one source, you can search from hundreds of thousands of applications and install any one you need.
And with upcoming releases of the Ubuntu Software Center (version 3 to be exact), commercial software
will be available.

3). Log files: Windows operating systems have plenty of tools that enable the administrator to read log
files. But for system, administration, and security issues, the administrator must fire up the tools to see
those log files. But Linux places all system log files in /var/log and allows the user (with the right
permissions) to read these log files from a simple text editor. And the Linux log files are flexible in many
ways. For instance, if user want to follow a system log, user can open that log in a terminal window with
the tail -f command and watch as events occur.
 
Mac OS X Operating System for Desktop & its Features:

Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based graphical interface operating systems developed and marketed by
Apple Inc. It comes preloaded on all new Macintosh computers, or Macs. Apple also offers a version
called Mac OS X Server, which is designed to be run on servers.

1). Native PDF support: Apple’s Preview app is the visible face of Mac OS X’s system-level support
for the PDF format. Mac users can easily create PDF files with any program that supports the Print
command. Because PDF files recreate the layout of the original document, saving files electronically is
now as convenient as printing them, except you’re free to save, e-mail, or embed them in other
documents without losing their unique look.

2). Spotlight: Introduced as the desktop search successor to Apple’s Sherlock in OS 10.4, Spotlight
made waves for its metadata index and instant-search capabilities. The utility’s in-depth search allowed
users to search inside their files, rather than by name alone. And with Leopard, introducing the calculation
of simple math equations and dictionary searches, Spotlight has only grown as a reference and lookup
tool.

3). Multiple Displays: Before, one could easily hook up and “mirror” a Mac computer to an external
display. But everything on the device of origin — the dock, apps and open windows — would just appear
on another screen. Now, Mavericks offers multiple viewing options from the same machine.