Windows to Apple worth the switch?

[sassysue]

So im getting sick of windows and years i been on the band wagon to switch to full mac i was looking at the imac i5 or i3 any suggestions i want something that is fast currently i have an amd chip and is running at 3.8ghz oc but wanted to try something different please let me no thanks

[coriolis]

So im getting sick of windows and years i been on the band wagon to switch to full mac i was looking at the imac i5 or i3 any suggestions i want something that is fast currently i have an amd chip and is running at 3.8ghz oc but wanted to try something different please let me no thanks

Sure, why not. Up to you. What do you do on your PC most of the time anyways.



I use a PC, doubt I'll ever switch to Mac, but I do understand why people love it. I just don't like the people who worship it and feel like they must act a certain why once they make the switch. :|

[r1lee]

Why do you hate windows? Personally I've never had any issues with Virus's/Trojans etc. You just have to be smart on what you open. Microsoft Defender works pretty well and its free.

We attempted to switch to Mac and both my wife and I still prefer to use Windows. She still uses the Macbook Air, but its only cause we already own it.

All I can say is try it, you'll probably like it. It suits certain individuals very well. I switched my parents to a Mac and they've had no issues. Where before on a windows machine, a lot of junk was installed.

[Rehan]

I switched to Mac and then back to PC. My wife and kids' computers are still Mac, though. Whether it's worth it to you depends on what you do on your computer and how diligent you are with updates and virus scans.

[sassysue]

its not that i hate windows i mostly surf the internet and do my business stuff on the computer nothing special i just have a small area and love the imac for its space and of course its a mac :razz:

Is there really alot of stuff you can do on a mac now? couple of years ago macs were useless for games and stuff.

What would be the preferance a mac laptop or a imac then again for business i need a physical computer for auditing.

[zod]

its not that i hate windows i mostly surf the internet and do my business stuff on the computer nothing special i just have a small area and love the imac for its space and of course its a mac :razz:

Is there really alot of stuff you can do on a mac now? couple of years ago macs were useless for games and stuff.

Macs still make up a very small fraction of the PC market. Ergo there is still alot of software (including games) designed for windows based PC's over MacOS based computers.

[cloakster]

its not that i hate windows i mostly surf the internet and do my business stuff on the computer nothing special i just have a small area and love the imac for its space and of course its a mac :razz:

Is there really alot of stuff you can do on a mac now? couple of years ago macs were useless for games and stuff.

What would be the preferance a mac laptop or a imac then again for business i need a physical computer for auditing.

iMacs are All-in-one computers, there are many windows based all-in-one computers that can serve the same purpose of being a small desktop.

[cwb27]

Think of it this way...

If you want to pay more for hardware and have limited/expensive upgrade options but pretty decent support.. Go with Apple products.

I'm not saying Apple is bad, there is definitely a trade off though.

[Anonymouse]

Unless you are just struck by the design elegance of the iMac, get one of the new Macbook Pros that are coming out in a few months, and a nice big monitor. I have 2 MBPs and an Air in the family now, and have never looked back. It is so nice not to have to download virus signatures every night, or wait when I shut Windoze down while it installs 60 mandatory security patches. There is no screwing around with device drivers on my Macs, stuff just works when I plug it in. I don't even remember what a blue screen of death looks like. Also, speaking as someone with a CS degree, the OS X operating system architecture is simply superior to the kludged-together Windows one.

I am buying my parents an iMac simply so I don't have to un-fsck their Windows box every time I visit them.

[ichpen]

Unless you are just struck by the design elegance of the iMac, get one of the new Macbook Pros that are coming out in a few months, and a nice big monitor. I have 2 MBPs and an Air in the family now, and have never looked back. It is so nice not to have to download virus signatures every night, or wait when I shut Windoze down while it installs 60 mandatory security patches. There is no screwing around with device drivers on my Macs, stuff just works when I plug it in. I don't even remember what a blue screen of death looks like. Also, speaking as someone with a CS degree, the OS X operating system architecture is simply superior to the kludged-together Windows one.

I am buying my parents an iMac simply so I don't have to un-fsck their Windows box every time I visit them.

You had to drop that drivel in didn't you. :) Not sure what they teach in CS at uni these days but your last experience must've been on Windows 98 because none of what you said really applies any longer. My W7 server has officially been up for over a year with the exception of 2 reboots and 2 power outages. Whole year, 24/7, no blue screens, constant usage. Same for my htpc and all my laptops. Win 7 is lightyears ahead of ye old vistas, NT and 98 builds. It's not perfect and now of course there's a crapload more people running Windows that OSX with a crapload of more hardware so inevitably you may hit problems but really overall it's pretty damn stable.

As a fellow CS degree holder you should learn to look at things more objectively and holistically. :)

[r1lee]

Unless you are just struck by the design elegance of the iMac, get one of the new Macbook Pros that are coming out in a few months, and a nice big monitor. I have 2 MBPs and an Air in the family now, and have never looked back. It is so nice not to have to download virus signatures every night, or wait when I shut Windoze down while it installs 60 mandatory security patches. There is no screwing around with device drivers on my Macs, stuff just works when I plug it in. I don't even remember what a blue screen of death looks like. Also, speaking as someone with a CS degree, the OS X operating system architecture is simply superior to the kludged-together Windows one.I am buying my parents an iMac simply so I don't have to un-fsck their Windows box every time I visit them.

ahh no and you should go back and get a new CS degree. Seriously, you should.

[Kuurgen]

It is so nice not to have to download virus signatures every night, or wait when I shut Windoze down while it installs 60 mandatory security patches.

The virus definitions isn't a big one, most programs do it in the background. The patches one, I have to agree. One day I was in a hurry and had to look up something and had to sit through an agonizingly long update before I could access my machine.


Having said that, very happy windows user, with the one wish to try some products that Apple made exclusive just as soon as they bought the companies. Final Cut Pro and I believe Logic Pro Audio were 2 programs I've always wondered about.

I've never really used Apple systems, so maybe I am missing the latest and greatest. However I always refer to this:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlc1hAlLXcA

[desidealer49]

Well for just business, browsing and media a mid level PC tends to be very good compared to an expensive mac IMO.

I do like the fact though that you can run both OS X and Win 7 on a mac. Best of both worlds. But that only helps if you need it otherwise just a waste of money.

[Zelig]

They're both good, Windows and Mac OS are largely comparable in features if you're not gaming.

All my home equipment (which I use for my Windows development work) is Windows, all my work-expensed equipment (which I use for my unix development work) is Mac OS.

[time space]

OP - did you end up going for Apple or Android in your recent tablet decision (http://forums.redflagdeals.com/ipad-2-android-tablet-1157558/)?

[DirectHostingCanada]

You do know the OSX architecture is less secure than Windows right ?

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/kaspersky-investigates-mac-security-after-spate-of-malware-attacks/76735


Unless you are just struck by the design elegance of the iMac, get one of the new Macbook Pros that are coming out in a few months, and a nice big monitor. I have 2 MBPs and an Air in the family now, and have never looked back. It is so nice not to have to download virus signatures every night, or wait when I shut Windoze down while it installs 60 mandatory security patches. There is no screwing around with device drivers on my Macs, stuff just works when I plug it in. I don't even remember what a blue screen of death looks like. Also, speaking as someone with a CS degree, the OS X operating system architecture is simply superior to the kludged-together Windows one.

I am buying my parents an iMac simply so I don't have to un-fsck their Windows box every time I visit them.

[gnuman]

Unless you are just struck by the design elegance of the iMac, get one of the new Macbook Pros that are coming out in a few months, and a nice big monitor. I have 2 MBPs and an Air in the family now, and have never looked back. It is so nice not to have to download virus signatures every night, or wait when I shut Windoze down while it installs 60 mandatory security patches. There is no screwing around with device drivers on my Macs, stuff just works when I plug it in. I don't even remember what a blue screen of death looks like. Also, speaking as someone with a CS degree, the OS X operating system architecture is simply superior to the kludged-together Windows one.

I am buying my parents an iMac simply so I don't have to un-fsck their Windows box every time I visit them.

You can do one better instead of blowing money on a Mac is by getting a PC and remove windows and install Ubuntu. Saved you a bunch of money by having an OS which is free and gets updated more often


Well for just business, browsing and media a mid level PC tends to be very good compared to an expensive mac IMO.

I do like the fact though that you can run both OS X and Win 7 on a mac. Best of both worlds. But that only helps if you need it otherwise just a waste of money.

You can also install Ubuntu within Windows and have a full fledged Linux Distro. What you're describing is just a virtual machine running parallels or VMware Fusion or boot camp to dual boot. Nothing special

[Zelig]

I find Gnome, KDE and XFCE all ugly and not particularly pleasant to use compared to either Windows or Mac OS.

[gnuman]

I find Gnome, KDE and XFCE all ugly and not particularly pleasant to use compared to either Windows or Mac OS.

I'm not a fan of KDE with the big menus but there are very nice distros out there with themes that make it look awesome. I'm a fan of Linux Mint and prefer it over Ubuntu. I'm not too crazy about HUD

[warpdrive]

I say give it a try. You might like it better.

Personally I don't. I can get more done with Windows 7 platform....just more options. I tried to like OSX more, but in the end, even though some things in Windows are just plain stupid, I could probably find an equal number of things that are equally annoying in OSX

Stability of both is about the same. Sometimes apps hang and I have to kill them or force close. I am careful about what apps I install in Windows to keep the system clean and fast booting. I never have to reboot. I used to get blue screens but that's only because I had a OCZ SSD

[sassysue]

OP - did you end up going for Apple or Android in your recent tablet decision (http://forums.redflagdeals.com/ipad-2-android-tablet-1157558/)?

im waiting for my free apple tablet still for my daughter for her disability were waiting for the speech therapy for the mean time we just bought a vtech.

I got my 2nd blue screen of death the other day with windows 7!!!! almost lost all my data forgot to back up on my 2nd hd i may go with mac for the looks i can only fit a 24" sense my computer desk is a corner desk :( till i get my 1million dollar home gotta keep what i have i guess lol

[Supercooled]

Do it.. Its a great platform to do everyday task.

[johnnydoe1894]

Do it.. Its a great platform to do everyday task.

Yes, and you get to pay twice or three times as much for it as a PC would cost you to do the same thing. And you get an O/S that doesn't get updated in a timely fashion so you can enjoy being one of the 560,000 people who got hit in the last month and now get to explain to their bank why their credit card is maxed out and their bank account is empty and to tell the nice policeman why someone is downloading kiddie porn through their IP address. Sounds like a great thing to me!

[cwb27]

Do it.. Its a great platform to do everyday task.

This?

http://imgace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/2000-facebook-machine.jpg

[596722]

im waiting for my free apple tablet still for my daughter for her disability were waiting for the speech therapy for the mean time we just bought a vtech.

I got my 2nd blue screen of death the other day with windows 7!!!! almost lost all my data forgot to back up on my 2nd hd i may go with mac for the looks i can only fit a 24" sense my computer desk is a corner desk :( till i get my 1million dollar home gotta keep what i have i guess lol

Um, a BSOD wouldn't lose you any data, the only thing that could be lost is any unsaved work but most software autosaves these days. Still, the fact you got a BSOD means you did something very wrong somehow. Haven't seen a BSOD myself since windows 98 (skipped ME).

[Ironsmack]

Well, most PC users (whether Mac or Win) often forget to update their softwares. Patches, AV updates, etc.

Of course, sometimes thats the reason why they have BSOD's. You dont have to be technical and be an IT person to do it. Just as long as your smart and you do your due diligence in updating your computer.

If your really set on getting a Mac, make sure all the software you use is available as a Mac version. It would suck if you buy a Mac and the software you use the most is only available on a Win platform.

[sexyj]

are you trying to say osx don't crash ?


I got my 2nd blue screen of death the other day with windows 7!!!! almost lost all my data forgot to back up on my 2nd hd i may go with mac for the looks i can only fit a 24" sense my computer desk is a corner desk :( till i get my 1million dollar home gotta keep what i have i guess lol

[KorruptioN]

It is so nice not to have to download virus signatures every night, or wait when I shut Windoze down while it installs 60 mandatory security patches.

I don't remember the last time I had to manually download virus definitions and run them on my own. Nearly all decent antivirus solutions include a silent auto-updater.

When you first take a current MacBook out of the box, there are about 2GB worth of updates for OSX waiting for you to download.

Stop sensationalizing, please.

[time space]

Yes, and you get to pay twice or three times as much for it as a PC would cost you to do the same thing. And you get an O/S that doesn't get updated in a timely fashion so you can enjoy being one of the 560,000 people who got hit in the last month and now get to explain to their bank why their credit card is maxed out and their bank account is empty and to tell the nice policeman why someone is downloading kiddie porn through their IP address. Sounds like a great thing to me!

...I believe KorruptioN says it best:


Stop sensationalizing, please.

[Anonymouse]

I've never really used Apple systems, so maybe I am missing the latest and greatest. However I always refer to this:



It would suck if you buy a Mac and the software you use the most is only available on a Win platform.

I can run any Windows software on my Macs in a virtual machine, or directly through Boot Camp. The software available for a Mac is a superset of what is available for Windows.

Here are the products Apple has given the world, from a biography of Jobs. Please can someone make a list for Microsoft?

- The Apple II, which took Wozniak's circuit board and turned it into the first personal computer that was not just for hobbyists.
- The Macintosh, which begat the home computer revolution and popularized graphical user interfaces.
- Apple stores, which reinvented the role of a store in defining a brand.
- The iTunes store, which saved the music industry.
- The iPhone, which turned mobile phones into music, photography, video, email and web devices.
- The App Store, which spawned a new content-creation industry.
- The iPad, which launched tablet computing and offered a platform for digital newspapers, magazines, books and videos.
- And Apple itself, a place where imagination was nurtured, applied and executed in ways so creative that it became the most valuable company on earth.

[gnuman]

I can run any Windows software on my Macs in a virtual machine, or directly through Boot Camp. The software available for a Mac is a superset of what is available for Windows.

Here are the products Apple has given the world, from a biography of Jobs. Please can someone make a list for Microsoft?

- The Apple II, which took Wozniak's circuit board and turned it into the first personal computer that was not just for hobbyists.
- The Macintosh, which begat the home computer revolution and popularized graphical user interfaces.
- Apple stores, which reinvented the role of a store in defining a brand.
- The iTunes store, which saved the music industry.
- The iPhone, which turned mobile phones into music, photography, video, email and web devices.
- The App Store, which spawned a new content-creation industry.
- The iPad, which launched tablet computing and offered a platform for digital newspapers, magazines, books and videos.
- And Apple itself, a place where imagination was nurtured, applied and executed in ways so creative that it became the most valuable company on earth.

Apple created a brand, nothing more. Jobs was full of himself. He was a marketer and nothing else. We can ask this question, if it wasn't for Bill Gates agreeing to give Apple billions of dollars, where would Apple be? Bankrupt. Jobs himself screwed out Woz as well at the beginning of Apple.

Microsoft was never a PC maker, if you went back to the same time Apple started the Apple II, IBM was the PC vendor and Microsoft was the OS developer with DOS. But there was also PARC that had a graphical OS which was both taken by MS and Apple. Mac OS was quickly falling behind Windows because of the lackluster development and Jobs cried like a baby when he was ousted out of Apple and created NeXT for his own cause.

iTunes store was a joke that Richard Branson launched on the music industry back in 1986. Here's his article about the prank: http://www.canadianbusiness.com/article/79578--richard-branson-humour-can-boost-a-company-s-profile-more-than-an-ad-campaign

The iPad while a nice product, wasn't the first tablet out on the market. There were others as well but when they were launched the hardware was not there. The Nokia N100 tablet which was based on a modified Linux distribution was out in the early to mid-2000s.

iPhone was not revolutionary at all. I had a Nokia N95 running Symbian OS and it did all of that. I played music, took pics on a 5MP Carl Zeiss lense, had email as well. Video was too early on in the stage. Lets not forget that Blackberry had a huge market share.

iTunes store only made things easier for people, it wasn't a revolution. Picture a site like Download.com but in an application format and you got iTunes store. That's what it is but to Apple it is a platform to market everything on.

[Anonymouse]

That's nice, but it doesn't matter who catches the ball, the only thing that matters is who carries it into the end zone. PC sales were declining 1% year over year last time I looked, and Macintosh sales were growing 20%.

[wilsonlam97]

Um, a BSOD wouldn't lose you any data, the only thing that could be lost is any unsaved work but most software autosaves these days. Still, the fact you got a BSOD means you did something very wrong somehow. Haven't seen a BSOD myself since windows 98 (skipped ME).

I had a BSOD all the time on windows 7. I figured out the problem. I had an HP. So I tried to remove as much HP crapware as I could. Instead I just reinstalled stock windows 7. It fixed the problem but now I'm on windows 8 consumer preview and I couldn't be happier.

[ichpen]

That's nice, but it doesn't matter who catches the ball, the only thing that matters is who carries it into the end zone. PC sales were declining 1% year over year last time I looked, and Macintosh sales were growing 20%.

So from virus definitions to market share? What are you smoking buddy... Find a fanboy thread and go pound your chest there. You're becoming a cliche in this thread.

OP, feel free to switch. Do check that the software you intend to use runs on OSX natively. Boot camp to me is a stupid argument, it's like saying I bought a 2 seater to do my groceries. You should be looking to run your software natively on that marvelously superior OSX platform we keep hearing about. Also OSX crashes just like any other operating system. You're definitely not immune from it albeit it's a much more closed (read expensive) hardware environment.

[hades]

That's nice, but it doesn't matter who catches the ball, the only thing that matters is who carries it into the end zone. PC sales were declining 1% year over year last time I looked, and Macintosh sales were growing 20%.

PC shipments grew by 1.9% [http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1981717]. Since the market for Windows is approximately 10x bigger, thus they (in real numbers, not percentages) would have experienced the same amount of growth.

hades

[DrXenon]

PC shipments grew by 1.9% [http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1981717]. Since the market for Windows is approximately 10x bigger, thus they (in real numbers, not percentages) would have experienced the same amount of growth.

hades

The numbers I saw for Q4 2011 had peecee sales down 1.4% year over year. Apple was the number two maker of personal computers, after HP. Not sure if that included iPads. And the profit share is much much higher.

But, yah, speaking as someone who took a graduate level OS course, I'd have to say that the Apple product is far superior in terms of clean and secure design. Windows was hobbled by having to maintain compatibility with legacy software, it's kludges on top of kludges. I spend lots of time fiddling with and rebooting my work XP laptop, I really look forward to going home to my Mac.

As for the cost, I'll just say that some people are successful enough to have and appreciate an automatic Breitling watch. Not to say that a quartz Timex is not good too; to each his own.

As for games, unless you are living in your parents' basement, it doesn't much matter. But enjoy your Diablo 3; I will be out on my sailboat.

[LeUgim]

At least on a Mac you can install Windows 7. The opposite isn't possible.
This will ease the transition on moving to Apple and will give you time finding their equivalent on OS X Lion.
After, you will see by yourself what do you prefer.

[Zelig]

I can run any Windows software on my Macs in a virtual machine, or directly through Boot Camp.

I can run any Mac software on my Windows PCs in a virtual machine.

[vip3r87]

As for games, unless you are living in your parents' basement, it doesn't much matter. But enjoy your Diablo 3; I will be out on my sailboat.

First you compare current OSX to winXP....then you throw that line?

You sound like a true winner. Enjoy the sailboat

[sassysue]

:D this thread has turned into a good thread:facepalm:

[Anonymouse]

I can run any Mac software on my Windows PCs in a virtual machine.

Only if you're a scum-sucking thief. :D

[Agafaba]

The numbers I saw for Q4 2011 had peecee sales down 1.4% year over year. Apple was the number two maker of personal computers, after HP. Not sure if that included iPads. And the profit share is much much higher

Apple definitely does well compared to other brands, but PC isnt a single brand where Mac is. How well did apple do Compared to Dell+HP+Acer+Lenovo+everyone else I am forgetting as well as custom built systems. Also yes that does include iPads.

[Agafaba]

Only if you're a scum-sucking thief. :D

Agreed, biggest mistake Microsoft ever did was allow their operating system to be run on Apple products.

[hades]

The numbers I saw for Q4 2011 had peecee sales down 1.4% year over year. Apple was the number two maker of personal computers, after HP. Not sure if that included iPads. And the profit share is much much higher.


What's your point?


But, yah, speaking as someone who took a graduate level OS course,

If your throwing qualifications around, then yes, I raise you a PhD in Computing Science and ~10 years programming experience.


I'd have to say that the Apple product is far superior in terms of clean and secure design. Windows was hobbled by having to maintain compatibility with legacy software, it's kludges on top of kludges. I spend lots of time fiddling with and rebooting my work XP laptop, I really look forward to going home to my Mac.


I would also be looking forward to moving off of XP. Good luck with your Mac, just make sure you install a virus scanner.


As for the cost, I'll just say that some people are successful enough to have and appreciate an automatic Breitling watch. Not to say that a quartz Timex is not good too; to each his own.

Mine's Tissot, why bring watches into this?



As for games, unless you are living in your parents' basement, it doesn't much matter.


I don't get it... What does one have to do with the other?


But enjoy your Diablo 3; I will be out on my sailboat.

Good...

------------------

Seriously though. What do I care whether you use a Mac or not. I stated a fact, so what's your problem?

hades

[desidealer49]

You can do one better instead of blowing money on a Mac is by getting a PC and remove windows and install Ubuntu. Saved you a bunch of money by having an OS which is free and gets updated more often



You can also install Ubuntu within Windows and have a full fledged Linux Distro. What you're describing is just a virtual machine running parallels or VMware Fusion or boot camp to dual boot. Nothing special

Yeah but it is special because you cannot run OS X on any PC as you wish, and on some which do allow it through hackintosh, the experience is never perfect (bugs, incompatibility with some system modules, inability to fully enjoy working with software like xcode etc).

The Kepler cloud computing method from Nvidia looks like a fine start. Waiting for the day when OS choice won't matter no matter what we want to run, even development software produced for another OS :D

[lostintransit]

At least on a Mac you can install Windows 7. The opposite isn't possible.
This will ease the transition on moving to Apple and will give you time finding their equivalent on OS X Lion.
After, you will see by yourself what do you prefer.

this is not true, hackintosh, osx86 etc.

[time space]

If your throwing qualifications around, then yes, I raise you a PhD in Computing Science and ~10 years programming experience.
Good luck with your Mac, just make sure you install a virus scanner.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OkwEseF-xaM/Tx27UDT7C9I/AAAAAAAAAJQ/K8oWPjU_UhY/s400/different.jpg

One of these things is not like the others. ;)

Internet Rule of Thumb #38: Beware anyone claiming to be an "expert".

Check out hades post below...


I just hate the tight control the OS has on the hardware.

And how expensive the machines are.

I don't understand why Mac users say it never crashes, when I know Macs crash.

What do I care if you want to pay twice for the same computer solution to a company whose greatest invention was the Reality Distortion Field?

I couldn't do my job on Mac.

Does THAT summarize it well enough for you?

Does that sound anything like the writing of an expert?

:lol:

[Anonymouse]

If your throwing qualifications around, then yes, I raise you a PhD in Computing Science and ~10 years programming experience.


I realize your schooling might be a bit out of date in this fast moving field, but why (if you do) do you think that Windows is better than the Apple offering? You are honestly the first CS person I have ever encountered who feels this way. Most of the technically trained people I know much prefer that all the original *nix tools come with the Mac, e.g. (t)csh, bash, grep, emacs, pipes, etc. I have used Linux since the original Slackware (when you risked blowing up your monitor and/or video card if you configured X wrong), AIX, Solaris, QNX (as well as some embedded OSes you haven't heard of), NT, XP, and OS X since Tiger. My favourite so far is OS X - I have a 1000 page book by Singh about its design, but have so far been unable to locate the Windows 7 analogue, I think because it was not so much designed as organically evolved.

Of course, if you are a gamer and didn't want an Xbox for some reason, you would probably want a Windows box. However, this doesn't really apply to people who have already graduated from university and have real lives.



I would also be looking forward to moving off of XP.

The thing is, there are many many companies who cannot or won't upgrade because Vista was such a disaster and (in our case) Windows 7 breaks too much expensive in-house software. My 50k-employee company bought us new laptops that come with a Windows 7 sticker so I think they paid for Win 7 licenses, but the IT dept installs XP on them out of necessity.



Good luck with your Mac, just make sure you install a virus scanner.


I think if you stay off the seedier parts of the Interwebs, and disable 3rd party browser modules like Java that let random folks run stuff on your machine, you are still fairly safe on a Mac.



Mine's Tissot, why bring watches into this?

Not sure if serious, but I think the claim is Timex:Breitling :: Windoze:OS X.

[hades]

I realize your schooling might be a bit out of date in this fast moving field, but why (if you do) do you think that Windows is better than the Apple offering?

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. You are insulted if you DON'T have a graduate level education in CS, and you are insulted if you DO. Fine. My degree was awarded May 2010. Yours?

It's vulnerable. So is Windows. For example:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/flashback-malware-exposes-big-gaps-in-apple-security-response/4904?tag=search-results-rivers;item6
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/new-targeted-mac-os-x-trojan-requires-no-user-interaction/11545?tag=search-results-rivers;item15

So security cannot be a deciding factor because both are vulnerable. How about applications/programs? If I wanted to do my work on a Mac, I would have to resort to Mono and hope there are no compatibility issues.

Macs have more or less equivalent software than Windows. I just hate the tight control the OS has on the hardware. And how expensive the machines are. I don't understand why Mac users say it never crashes, and Windows always does, when I know Macs crash, and I do not have any stability issues with Windows 7. I maintain many computers, and they all run fine.


You are honestly the first CS person I have ever encountered who feels this way.

You don't encounter many people, do you? With my colleagues (IT or otherwise), the mac usage was on par with the statistics, 1 in 10ish. The others were quite happy with Windows.


Most of the technically trained people I know much prefer that all the original *nix tools come with the Mac, e.g. (t)csh, bash, grep, emacs, pipes, etc. I have used Linux since the original Slackware (when you risked blowing up your monitor and/or video card if you configured X wrong), AIX, Solaris, QNX (as well as some embedded OSes you haven't heard of), NT, XP, and OS X since Tiger. My favourite so far is OS X - I have a 1000 page book by Singh about its design, but have so far been unable to locate the Windows 7 analogue, I think because it was not so much designed as organically evolved.

Good for you. *this* attitude is the main reason why I hate debates about Mac/Windows. Why assume I haven't heard of the OS you're referring to Mr. Geek-whose-been-programming-since-the-dawn-of-computers?

Windows works for me, what do I care if you want to pay twice for the same computer solution to a company whose greatest invention was the Reality Distortion Field?


Of course, if you are a gamer and didn't want an Xbox for some reason, you would probably want a Windows box. However, this doesn't really apply to people who have already graduated from university and have real lives.

Graduated, wife, kids, house, xbox, ps3, windows. Been there, done that. All of the tools I need are on Windows. I couldn't do my job on Mac.


The thing is, there are many many companies who cannot or won't upgrade because Vista was such a disaster and (in our case) Windows 7 breaks too much expensive in-house software. My 50k-employee company bought us new laptops that come with a Windows 7 sticker so I think they paid for Win 7 licenses, but the IT dept installs XP on them out of necessity.

If they had bought Macs, would it magically have solved your compatibility problems? No? Then why add this to the discussion?



I think if you stay off the seedier parts of the Interwebs, and disable 3rd party browser modules like Java that let random folks run stuff on your machine, you are still fairly safe on a Mac.

Unfortunately, 600,000 people apparently did NOT stay off the seedier parts (http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/second-source-confirms-1-in-100-macs-are-infected-by-flashback/4737?tag=search-results-rivers;item0). However, the same is true for Windows. I personally never had a real issue with my personal network of computers. Then again, I don't trek into the seedier side of things.

----------------------

Let's boil the discussion down to the critical elements of any computer:
Security: Same. Mac & Windows 7 are on par
Speed: same?
Price: PC
Compatibility: Same?
Portability: Same
Visuals: Same
Application count: PC
Variety/choice: PC

Anything else I missed? Does THAT summarize it well enough for you?

hades

[Anonymouse]

Snort. CS is only one of my degrees; I design hardware/software systems that control driverless vehicles travelling at 100 km/h. You may have ridden on one given your location, and rest assured they do not run on anything out of Redmond, Washington. They do run on a unix kernel, though. As a new grad, you may not appreciate the reasons for this.

If a sane person has a choice, he wants his hardware and OS to come from the same vendor, for integration reasons. If you are so unfortunate as to be unqualified for anything more interesting than Windows development, by all means buy a Dell, but you can also do it in a virtual machine on a Mac in most cases.

I have read of 1 threat to Macs over the past year or so, and it was a Java thing, nothing to do with the OS; by contrast I think there are hundreds of thousands of threats to Windows boxes at any given time. You would go out of business in short order if you started a standalone Mac antivirus company. The only claims I have read about Mac unsecurity come from alarmist antivirus vendors, some of them former communists.

[Coz4k]

So im getting sick of windows and years i been on the band wagon to switch to full mac i was looking at the imac i5 or i3 any suggestions i want something that is fast currently i have an amd chip and is running at 3.8ghz oc but wanted to try something different please let me no thanks

Be prepared to massively overpay.

[Agafaba]

Guys there is no reason to debate Mac vs PC, because people on both sides seem to think their OS is their gods (steve or bill) gift to them.

@OP
Go and try a Mac, if you like it than stick with OS X, if you dont than stick with windows. Both have problems, both crash, and in the end all that matters is how enjoyable your experience is while it is running smoothly.

[al3x89]

Guys there is no reason to debate Mac vs PC, because people on both sides seem to think their OS is their gods (steve or bill) gift to them.

@OP
Go and try a Mac, if you like it than stick with OS X, if you dont than stick with windows. Both have problems, both crash, and in the end all that matters is how enjoyable your experience is while it is running smoothly.

this^

there is no right or wrong, or best or worst.

[zod]

- The iTunes store, which saved the music industry.


I think the Itunes store destroyed the music industry. It definitely caused a shift from albums to singles. I could argue all night long, but as a fan of music I take great offense to your statement.

[Zelig]

The thing is, there are many many companies who cannot or won't upgrade because Vista was such a disaster and (in our case) Windows 7 breaks too much expensive in-house software. My 50k-employee company bought us new laptops that come with a Windows 7 sticker so I think they paid for Win 7 licenses, but the IT dept installs XP on them out of necessity.

That's not really relevant to any consumers though.

Comparing XP to any modern OS is completely unfair, it's much, much worse than any modern version of Linux, Mac OS or Windows.

[mikeo007]

I made the jump to Mac a couple of years ago. After using my MacBook as my solo computer at home for 2 years, I've decided to go back to a Windows. It's time to upgrade and I've gotten nothing out of OSX to justify the almost double price.

You can try it yourself to see if there's any value to you, but I found none at all.

As a side note, I think the best of what Apple has done is summed up in the iPad, where the closed ecosystem actually makes sense.

[toalan]

Windows gives you enough rope to hang yourself, Apple gives you no rope at all.

[packardbell]

personally i don't like to be controlled by apple.

[Magoomba]

I love iOS but I despise MacOS. Used it for 3 months and went back to Windows 7.
To each his own.

[maxkal]

It is not a massive over pay... If you compare an ultrabook dell to a macbook air, it is about 200 dollars. You also get better support/warranty coverage and able to bring in your computer to an apple store... Also, in terms of build quality, I would give the edge to Macs.

Both Windows 7 and Mac OS have similar performance. iTunes performance on windows is terrible. I have purchased a lot of media on iTunes.

But with Mountain Lion, you get iOS features. So if you have an ipad/iphone, makes sense to have an imac/macbook.

[time space]

personally i don't like to be controlled by apple.

Who do you prefer to be controlled by?

[JuliTheNub]

Who do you prefer to be controlled by?
I prefer to be controlled by myself.

For complete software freedom, I'd recommend Linux distributions over Apple.

[596722]

I prefer to be controlled by myself.

For complete software freedom, I'd recommend Linux distributions over Apple.

I'd just like to point out that it isn't linux, it is the linux kernel with the GNU operating system you are referring to, not just linux itself since the kernel by itself is useless; however, likewise an operating system without a kernel is useless as well.

Linux/GNU though is not entirely free, many distributions contain non-free (free as in freedom, not free as in free beer) software. If you don't know much about it you might want to read up on here http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/common-distros.html and http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html

Many don't use truly free distributions of linux/GNU, if you happen to be one who does, good job.

That being said, even if you use non-free (as in freedom) software with linux/GNU, you're still much more free than people using apple's proprietary software.

[ichpen]

This thread always brings a cringe and a smile.

IOS is brilliant for the masses
MacOS/OSX is really not spearheading anything at this stage (security or performance).
W7 - good as it gets at the moment until W8 hopefully. Its far from perfect but as stable as OSX if not more so in my experience.
iTunes - an above average music player/apple acquisition 10 years ago turned into the most horrific application that I've ever seen. Apple has a lot to learn about basic functionality that needs to be supported. There is not one positive thing I can say about it.

[Nikhilvoid]

Who do you prefer to be controlled by?

iPirate :)