Out of the 1067 votes collected, here’s the split: 46% have 3-5 computers in the house; 32% have 5-10 computers in their house; 11% have 2 computers; 6% have 10-20 computers; 4% have one computer and less than 1% has more than 20 computers. Just one voter had no computers in their house.

Full results and this week’s poll follows below.

If you have 3-10 computers in your house, you can consider yourself normal for a MakeUseOf reader.

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This week’s href="http://www.makeuseof.com/service/polls/">poll question is: How Many Operating Systems Do You Use?

Consider all the different computers and smartphones you use at home and for work and let us know how many different operating systems you use in a normal week. Consider the various major versions to be different operating systems (eg. Windows 7 versus Windows NT or Linux versus FreeBSD) but leave out minor version differences like Windows NT Home versus Windows NT Professional.

Now that you’re thinking about it, let us know which operating systems you use. Are they mainly all Windows/Mac/UNIX or some combination of different tools for different purposes? />
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If you’re already running Windows, perhaps it’s worth taking a look as it’s designed to run alongside and get you booted into an Internet-ready session in seconds. You’ll also get the power of class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-chrome-web-apps-check">Chrome web apps.

Download & Install

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/splashtop-os-install-1.png" alt="free netbook operating system" width="570" height="410" />

Head over to class="vt-p" href="http://www.splashtop.com">SplashTop and down the latest SplashTop OS. It’s a small 2MB installation file, but once you launch the application it’ll download a further 312MB over your Internet connection.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/splashtop-os-download.png" alt="netbook operating systems" width="500" height="63" />

When THAT installation has finished, you’ll be given the option to import either IE or Firefox favourites as well as your Wi-fi settings, which is a nice touch. Restart the machine, and your boot menu will now show you a SplashTop OS option too. The boot-up is hardly instant, but it’s certainly faster than Windows.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/splashtop-os-select.png" alt="free netbook operating system" width="580" height="155" />

Features At A Glance

• The Internet, with Google Chrome.
• Chrome Apps.
• A sandboxed environment.

That’s it, basically. It’s not designed to replace Windows. It’s a simple no-frills approach to using the Internet. So why would you use it then?

Faster Boot Time

So you don’t have to wait for the bulk of Windows to load. It’s not just the time taken to show you a desktop either – once you’ve loaded the desktop, you often still have to wait for various drivers, anti-virus software, automatic update checks – all of which prevents you from doing your simple 2 second Internet search. If 90% of your netbook use is using a browser, then you really don’t need all the bloat of Windows. SplashTop provides a simple alternative.

Snappier Response

If you are running lots of background apps in Windows when you really just need the Internet, it’s a pain to close them all after a Windows restart just to get a quick speed up. On limited netbook machines, every ounce of computing power that you can squeeze out is important.

Sandboxes Security

You can’t download files to your hard drive, only to USB drives. While this might be annoying, it does provide a great deal of security by preventing browser based attacks – of which there are none for Chrome anyway.

Easy Reset

For security reasons or anonymity, there is a Restore Defaults option under the Enviromental Settings -> General screen. It will wipe everything, and restore the initial OS image.

Making Use Of An Old Computer

Okay, so you need to install Windows first, but then you can install the lightweight SplashTop OS for daily use as a basic Internet station.

Although I wasn’t able to make screenshots within the OS, here’s a short video from SplashTop to tempt you.

width="580" height="430"> name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ryrBGjRx7v8&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" /> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="430" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ryrBGjRx7v8&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always">

If you’re worried about trying this out on your main machine then bear in mind it unfortunately won’t work on a virtual machine (at least it wouldn’t for me). Don’t worry though, an uninstall option is added to your Windows installed programs list so it’s easy to get rid of if you don’t like it.

Conclusion

Despite apparently being powered by Bing, all my test searches using the browser bar defaulted to Google, so don’t let the Bing branding scare you off. It’s simple, lightweight, perfect for a quick browsing session on a netbook. It’s not going to replace your main Windows installation, and it’s not supposed to – it’s complementary. If you’re living in the cloud though, it’s a great way to simplify your computing experience.

Let us know in the comments what you think of it. />
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Even if you’re firmly based in the Microsoft or Apple camp, taking a walk on the wild side and class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-safely-dual-boot-windows-and-linux-with-wubi-installer/">installing a secondary computer operating system can still be worth the effort. After all, variety is the spice of life.

Here are just a few of the lesser-known free options that might just be worth a go, if you’re that way inclined.

id="more-51793">

class="vt-p" href="http://www.freespire.org/">Freespire

Another Linux-based operating system, Freespire uses the popular class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/ubuntu-1004-extremely-simple-operating-system-linux/">Ubuntu (version 7.04) at its core and stamps its own mark on the class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/the-beauty-of-open-source-and-free-web-apps/">open source OS. With the popular class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/accessing-kde-applications-from-your-windows/">KDE suite at hand, users of Windows and Mac OS will feel right at home finding their way around.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/freespire.jpg" alt="computer operating systems" width="580" height="435" />

Freespire adds the power of the CNR Plugin, allowing fast and easy one-click installs of popular software suites including some commercial ventures. There are enhanced “modified” versions of programs you’re probably already using (like class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-cool-firefox-tools-that-are-not-addons/">Firefox and class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-must-have-thunderbird-addons-25-more/">Thunderbird) to make life on the free side that little bit sweeter.

This freeware open source effort also comes complete with on-demand proprietary class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/an-introduction-to-codecs-converters-and-rippers/">codecs (including one for Windows Media files) and a whole host of proprietary drivers for your wireless, graphics card and more.

For a powerful, ready-to-go Linux distribution with a difference Freespire does the job quite nicely.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os">Google’s Chromium

If you only use your netbook for the net (which probably makes sense) then Google’s Chromium might be just what you need. The lightning fast startup time means you’ll be checking email, social media and wasting time online before Windows has even reached its login screen.

Best of all you can run it straight from a USB stick, making it ultra-portable between PCs. We’ve shown you how, class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/download-google-chrome-os-and-run-on-a-real-computer/">right here.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/chromium.jpg" alt="computer operating systems" width="580" height="435" />

The current official builds can be a bit of a hassle to get going on a lot of computers, but a nice guy by the name of class="vt-p" href="chromeos.hexxeh.net">Hexxeh has compiled his own build called Flow which adds vastly improved hardware support. Check out class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/googles-chromium-os-laptop-netbook-flow/">our how-to for a complete set of instructions.

That old laptop sitting in a cupboard might find a new lease of life with the help of Chromium and its class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/play-chrome-web-apps-stay-top-chrome-features/">web apps.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.pcbsd.org/">PC-BSD

Many of you will have heard of BSD, one of the many UNIX-based operating systems floating around the web. Often favoured for its secure and reliable nature, the team at PC-BSD have aimed high and developed a user-friendly version aimed at the “casual” user.

The idea behind PC-BSD is to provide users with a complete desktop operating system that doesn’t require resource-intensive protection against viruses and spyware. In today’s computing world, many of us dream of such a charm.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/pcbsd.jpg" alt="free operating systems" width="580" height="435" />

The release runs class="vt-p" href="http://www.freebsd.org">FreeBSD at its core, and expands on this with unparalleled ease-of-use. Self-installing software packages make adding extras a breeze, and the desktop can be sexed-up with fancy 3D effects and transitions.

The team behind this OS just wants you to enjoy more of the time you spend at your PC, and less time worrying about it.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.haiku-os.org">Haiku

Inspired by BeOS (and implementing certain features and bits of code from the old operating system) Haiku is an open source operating system aimed at personal computing. This makes it extremely user-friendly, as the primary audience are average users like you or me, looking for a way to get our daily computer needs tended to.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/haiku.jpg" alt="free operating systems" width="580" height="435" />

What makes Haiku different to other UNIX-based operating systems (specifically class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/getting-started-guide-linux">Linux) is its vision to provide a unified experience, rather than using multiple layers of software that can often over-complicate the computer operating system.

Haiku does not use the Linux class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/learning-linux-lingo/">kernel but a custom-built one which has been designed for responsiveness. Couple this with a threaded design for increased performance on multi-core processors, and the whole package begins to look quite appealing.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.jolicloud.com/">Jolicloud

class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-killer-apps-to-maximize-your-netbooks-potential/">Netbook owners listen up! This might be the one you’ve been waiting for. A simple operating system, aimed at armchair surfers who live for the web.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/jolicloud.jpg" alt="computer operating systems" width="580" height="340" />

Incorporating a quick and easy one-click-install method for over 700 of the web’s most popular services, Jolicloud enables you to surf, chat, listen, watch and connect from a clean and attractive interface. Plus with Jolicloud’s Stream feature staying in contact and sharing fascinating finds with your class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/20-tips-to-manage-your-online-social-life-part-1/">social networks is easy.

You can synchronize your Jolicloud across as many devices as you like, and if you’ve not got your netbook with you simply log in with a HTML5-compliant browser to manage your account. Jolicloud might just be what your netbook’s been missing, check out our class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/jolicloud-operating-system-download-for-netbook/">full article here.

Conclusion

You’re not going to get the compatibility of a Windows or Mac OS install with many of the above, but if you don’t really need everything under the sun running on your machine then one of these (or even a few of these) might be for you. Even if you do use another primary OS, try partitioning or one of the many Live CD/USB releases. You might be surprised! />
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