How Do Operating Systems Compare Across Desktop, Mobile, and Linux Distributions?

Eylenburg's Tech Website maintains several comparison tables that let you evaluate operating systems side by side: an 18-system OS comparison (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, ChromeOS, GNU/Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, DragonFly BSD, Illumos, Haiku, ArcaOS, RISC OS, MorphOS, AmigaOS, AROS, OpenVMS), a 6-distribution Android comparison, and a 19-distribution Linux comparison. Use these tables when you need to pick an OS for a specific device or purpose, understand how a distribution differs from its upstream, or trace where a system came from. The site also includes a timeline and family tree covering roughly 1,400 operating systems since 1950, plus an appendix on running them in a virtual machine.

Comparing the 18 Major Operating Systems

The main comparison table covers 18 systems spanning desktop, mobile, server, and hobbyist platforms. The set breaks into recognizable families:

• Proprietary desktop/mobile: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, ChromeOS
• Open-source Unix-like: GNU/Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, DragonFly BSD, Illumos
• Non-Unix or niche systems: Haiku, ArcaOS, RISC OS, MorphOS, AmigaOS, AROS, OpenVMS

The table's value is that it puts these on the same attributes rather than describing each in isolation, so you can see where, for example, a BSD differs from a Linux distribution on the same axis, or where a hobbyist system like Haiku or AROS stands relative to mainstream options.

The appendix explains how to run these systems in a virtual machine — useful if you want to test an unfamiliar OS before committing hardware to it.

Android-Based Distributions vs. Stock Android

The Android comparison covers six distributions plus stock Android:

These differ from stock Android mainly in what they remove (Google services, telemetry) and what they harden (security features, sandboxing). The choice between them depends on your device support, how much Google infrastructure you're willing to give up, and whether you prioritize maximum hardening (GrapheneOS) or broader device compatibility (LineageOS, DivestOS).

Two appendices add practical context:

• Work profiles vs. private spaces vs. secondary user profiles in Android — these are different isolation mechanisms, and the distinction matters if you're separating work and personal data or compartmentalizing apps.
• Alternative smartphone operating systems beyond iOS and Android — for readers considering non-mainstream mobile platforms entirely.

Linux Distributions: What Actually Differs

The Linux comparison covers 19 distributions: Debian, Ubuntu, openSUSE Tumbleweed, openSUSE MicroOS, SUSE Linux Enterprise, Fedora Workstation, Fedora Atomic Desktop, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, OpenMandriva ROME, Mageia, PCLinuxOS, Arch, Slackware, Gentoo, Alpine, Void, NixOS, Guix System, and Solus.

The meaningful differences between distributions come down to a handful of technical choices, and the site's appendix tracks exactly these across the most important distributions from 2000 to today:

• Desktop environment — KDE Plasma, GNOME, Xfce, and others
• Widget toolkit — Qt vs. GTK and related
• Display server — X11 vs. Wayland
• Package format — deb, rpm, and others
• File system — default choices per distribution
• Init software — systemd vs. alternatives
• Security module — SELinux, AppArmor, and similar

The appendix also asks how heterogeneous distributions are today versus historically — useful if you want to know whether the ecosystem is converging or diverging on these choices.

A separate desktop environment comparison covers 10 desktops (Microsoft Windows, Aqua, KDE Plasma, GNOME, Xfce, MATE, Cinnamon, LXQt, COSMIC, Budgie), plus discontinued and mobile environments, with screenshots and short personal reviews.

Tracing Lineage: The Timeline and Family Tree

The timeline and family tree spans roughly 1,400 operating systems from 1950 to today. This is the resource to use when you want to understand:

• Which modern systems descend from which ancestors
• When a given OS appeared and what it influenced
• How families like Unix, BSD, and DOS/Windows relate

Lineage matters practically: knowing that macOS and iOS share a Darwin/Unix heritage, or that the BSDs share a common ancestor, explains why certain tools, conventions, and security models recur across systems that otherwise look unrelated.

How to Use These Comparisons to Decide

1. Identify your constraint first — device (desktop, phone, server), hardware compatibility, or a specific requirement like de-Googling or maximum security hardening.
2. Narrow to the relevant table — the 18-system table for cross-platform questions, the Android table for phones, the Linux table for distribution choice.
3. Compare on the attributes that matter to you — for Linux, that's typically package format, init system, release model, and desktop environment; for Android distributions, it's Google dependency and device support.
4. Check lineage if compatibility or tooling is a concern — the family tree shows what a system inherits.
5. Test in a virtual machine before committing — the OS comparison appendix covers how to do this.

The site's tables are updated periodically (the OS table and Android table as of late 2026, the timeline as of early 2026), so check the "last update" note on each page if currency matters to your decision.