How Much Does Your Operating System Really Matter?

I ran into an article, titled “Windows 7 is the same as Ubuntu” and it caught my attention.   I know that there are VERY significant differences in Operating Systems, and I’ve heard many of the arguments as to why one OS is better than another.  Once reading through the article, I understood where the writer was heading.

Apparently the writer had his son, who had been using Ubuntu for the last few months, give Windows 7 a test drive.  One of his son’s opinions was that there really wasn’t much of a difference, at any that effected him.  You see, he pretty much “lives” within a web browser so the operating system had little effect on him.

This is the part that interests me because I think many people these days fall into this category.  As the Internet evolves, web applications seem to be replacing desktop applications (Google Docs being one example).  People are using web-based email, word processors, time management solutions, to-do lists, social networking tools, and the list goes on.

At home, most of what I do is through my beloved web browser, Portable Firefox.  I check my email, work with Google Docs, read the news, and so on.  In fact, since I’m using a portable version of Firefox, I’m not even really using a browser located on my computer.  Either way, the Internet is undoubtedly taking the place of local programs.  Isn’t there a term for this phenomenon?

Can you think of tools you used to use which resided on your computer that you now have replaced with a web-based application?  How many programs do you still use on your computer?  What are some cool web-applications you’ve come across that you find useful (or fun)?

Related posts:

1. Yet Another System to Help You Get Things Done