Munich  - In a three-way battle among operating systems, Windows 7 comes out ahead by a nose. At least that's how the experts at Munich-based Chip magazine see it.

The magazine recently compared the latest operating system from Microsoft with Apple's Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Kubuntu, a Linux distribution. The testers found that Kubuntu is hardly a pushover, especially for tech-savvy computer users. Even so, the review ultimately turned into a duel between Mac OS and Windows 7.

Mac OS easily paces its rival when it comes to installing programs. "Thanks to its victory in the Features discipline, Windows is able to pull even with its rival, though," one tester noted. The experts were particularly positive about Microsoft's backup concept. The integrated media centre is also seen as a boon for Windows 7 because it not only works with devices like TV cards, it even provides the electronic program guide.

Windows 7 and Snow Leopard are equally impressive in the performance category. This includes factors like installation time, start-up time and the benchmark testing of the browser.

The element that won the day for Windows 7, however, was security. Mac OS and Linux are rarely attacked, but don't possess any real protective system, either. "Windows comes under fire every day, but also has the best defence," the testers noted. (dpa)