Should I switch to a Mac?

[InternalPrimate]

I'm about to make a very big decision. Life-altering even. I'm deciding on whether or not I should switch from being a PC-user to a Mac-user.

I grew up on Windows. And until recently, I had been perfectly satisfied. My HP Windows '98 machine was torn to pieces 5 years ago by spyware and viruses. Looking to avoid this, I took precautions with my newest machine. I first tried free anti-thingys like AVG and Ad-Aware. Eventually I bit the bullet and went all-out with Norton anti-virus and spyware.

Sure enough, my computer's been acting finicky. A couple of usb ports (out of a total of four) have completely stopped working, and connecting to the internet has become a thing of chance (I DO have broadband). I know this probably has more to do with my actual computer than anything else (my connections for both the Wii and 360 work flawlessly), so I'm in need of a new computer.

So should I go with a Mac? Is it true that they're much safer than Windows based machines? Or is that all a bunch of nonsense hype? Is Tiger more stable than Vista? Will learning how to operate a different OS be difficult? Any opinions would be greatly appreciated :)

[Joe Redifer]

Windows is a piece of crap OS. Mac OS is a bit less shitty. But anyone who thinks Windows (any incarnation) is well-designed probably has AIDS. Apple stuff is more expensive because it is Apple. You have to pay for the right to use Apple products. But yes, the MacOS is definitely less prone to viruses and all of that nonsense simply because there are far fewer users and therefore far less morons who write malicious code. Windows seems to attract all of the script kiddies. I don't run any kind of adaware-type stuff on my Mac nor any anti-virus BS. Never have. And I've purposely visited malicious websites and double-clicked on stuff that is attached to SPAM e-mails. Nothing happens. It's great!

Learning to use the Mac depends on you. It's not really that hard. The Dock is annoying and I recommend anchoring it to one side or another and turning off the lame magnification feature (unless you are a graphics whore). Turning off magnification prevents items in the dock from moving around when you are trying to click them or drag an item to an icon in the Dock. Trashing files becomes a pain in the ass because the trash can keeps moving as you try to drag files to it! Turn off the magnification. It's über gay.

New Macs run on Intel, so you can still install Windows if you start missing viruses. Macs don't have a lot of games, but running games on a computer is not worth anyone's time anyway. Macs have far fewer emulation options as well. Also, don't believe rumors that Macs have can only deal with one-button mice. Just use the same mouse you are using with your PC. Use the included Apple keyboard, though. Speaking of keyboards, the shortcut keys are different. For example instead of Control+S to save something, on the Mac it is Apple/Command+S (Apple and Command are the same button). However the Apple button is in the same exact place on a Mac (next to the space bar) that the Control key is on a PC, so it shouldn't be a big issue. Control+S on a Mac will do different things, so there are more shortcut options.

[InternalPrimate]

Thanks for the quick response.

Lack of games means absolutely nothing to me. The last game I played on a computer was Oregon Trail. I've been researching iMacs, which come with the "mighty mouse", so no worries over a single-button mouse. A lack of emulation might be disappointing though.

I guess my main worry is that a lot of my current "extra" hardware isn't going to work properly. I'd rather not buy a new wireless router or printer. My work's computer tech guy said that the reason Macs have less problems is because they keep the Mac community in a bubble. "Only Apple products work properly, therefor third-party companies can't start trouble". Of course, he could be talking out of his ass, I just want to make sure I'm making the right decision in switching.

[Joe Redifer]

Do iMacs use USB2 yet? I think they do. Anyway just about any printer can work with the Mac and they usually have drivers built right in to the OS (it WILL print), but to get any special features you might need to install the printer software from disk or download it. It should also work effortlessly with your wireless or wired router provided you get a model with wireless built in.

Speaking of having drivers built in, my Mac does not natively support USB2. A while back I bought a USB2 card for my PC so I could download PS2 games and illegally transfer them to the PS2 hard drive at faster-than-light speed. It didn't take long before I realized that the USB2 card would be more useful in my Mac than in my PC. So I put the card in my Mac and turned it on. It booted up and worked. None of this "Windows has found new hardware" BS. It just worked. I have USB2 on this Mac now and it is faster than anything ever conceived, even faster than warp 10 on Star Trek.

[Rusty Venture]

My recent Mac experience has been in school (and 3 years ago) but I found that the Mac crashed about as often as a PC did.

I think the important question you need to ask yourself when it comes to computers is what you want to do with your machine.

PC's are cheaper and you can build your own, but you have to deal with a less than perfect OS and the threat of viruses.

Macs are more expensive, but have a more stable OS (than windows). Viruses are less of a problem but there are a lot of programs that aren't made for Mac.

Yeah you can run windows on a Mac, but if you are going to do that then why not save some $$ and just buy a PC instead?


I have personally decided that I'm going to more cost effective route and opted to build and upgrade my computer as needed. I'm tired of doing the same "buy a new computer every 2-5 years" and deal with all the bullshit that goes with it. But you do run the risk of getting conflicts and whatnot via the endless combos of parts you can cobble together.

Do you want options or do you want a pre-made system...that is one thing to ask yourself.

[Mr Smith]

Despite feeling like a nerd, every few years I re-build my PC as it is cheap. I hate Apple (especially iPods) and would rather run shitty windows than give a penny to Apple. One of my friends had a mac back in college and it was good for playing Cro-Mag Rally, however, he has since switched back to a PC.

Maddox article: One thing PC users can do that Mac users can't (http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant)

[Dartagnan1083]

The maddox article is odd,
as it's usually been my PC using friends that try to steer me to PCs.
They tried for years before giving up. It was they who could not shut up.


I don't really care THAT much, but I grew up using macs and prefer the comparatively stable OS. That and the shareware titles I really liked were more abundant on the mac.

I also enjoy the in-jokes concerning that damned OS9 and the early versions of OSX.
Made famous by the 'crash different' movie.


But you just need to decide what you want to do with your computer.
For multimedia heavy stuff, go with a mac.
In this respect, there are many programs not available on PC (the utility of which are debatable, but you can find similar arguments that concern just about everything else).

For apathetic general purpose, go ahead and stick with PCs.



On the apple utility thing your computer guy spoke of.
There is a grain of truth to it, as Apple's own programs unsurprisingly function beautifully within their native environment (none of the Quicktime/iTunes errors that PC users regretfully get).

But macs are not immune to errors.

A poorly organized directory can make macs run slower and eventually lock up until repaired. This can be prevented only by 3rd party Mac software along with 'proper' care (not force quiting).

Macs have weird memory management as well;
when you're watching an illegally downloaded movie or legally purchased DVD, the memory doesn't quite prioritize itself to the movie as it does on a PC. It will continue managing the memory for programs in the background which can lag everything up if you're using AIM, Firefox, iTunes, The [Movie-player of choice], or whatever else you forgot to close out of.


But in any case,
if I were in your position, I'd just build my computer as a PC and get a hacked European version of windows. Because I'd have a basic computer, and a free version of windows that works better than ours (certain terms of Microsoft's user agreement are considered illegal under European Law and the entire thing is thusly void over there from what I've heard).

[GeckoYamori]

Macs are and will probably remain as niché computers. If I ran a dedicated studio I would probably use a Mac with Logic (Since Apple decided to buy them out and screw over the PC userbase in an ironic twist of fate).

[David J.]

Every time I've used a mac they crashed more often than a PC, go figure!

When I was in elementary school, they used Macs, and they where godawful compared to pc's. I was lucky to have my own computer back in the day, and I loved it to death.

When I was in sixth grade, the iMacs came out and the sixth graders used them. They crashed quite often, the hockey puck mouse sucked dick, and where slow. Hell, the AMD K6 clocked at 200mhz, Windows 95 OSR 2, 64megs of Ram, and a 3Dfx Voodoo 1 I had at the time was a LOT faster. Barely crashed also! Damn, I miss that computer… I have some fond memories of playing games on that computer. Never again I'll touch a mac.

[Joe Redifer]

Your memories are of OS9. It was designed to crash. And I certainly can't disagree with anyone who hates the hockey puck mouse!

[Rusty Venture]

I do have quite fond memories playing "Tron" on ancient Macs in High School. But they crashed like every three games (network code or some such).

[Mr Smith]

Somebody start a new poll: PC or Mac.

[Joe Redifer]

Done.

PC will win the poll simply because there are more PC users.

[Elusive]

install linux problem solved

[Dartagnan1083]

Macs used by Schools are designed to keep the student from truly utilizing it.
Which is the prime reason they crash so much.
Functions are locked out and resources are hogged by whatever program is used to lock the user into a 'for students' OS.

It happens on my University's XP equipped PCs as well.
despite being more stable, programs will still quit themselves due to illegal action.
We're also limited basically to MS-Office and internet.

[InternalPrimate]

Thanks for all the responses everyone.


Do you want options or do you want a pre-made system...that is one thing to ask yourself.


I guess I should address what I am and what I am not looking for in a computer.

+ Simple media tasks: Burning, sharing, creating, etc...
+ Simple internet tasks
+ Cheap (maybe free?) security
+ Advanced word processing and presentation making.

Computer gaming means absolutely nothing to me. I've been a console person all my life, and I doubt thats going to change. As for upgrading, I've never done so before. But I guess that leads to be buying a computer every 5 years, so that's kind of a negative.

Right now the biggest reason I'm holding off on a Mac is because of Microsoft Word. I was raised with, am very comfortable using it, and it just would suck to have to buy it for a Mac. Apple does offer iWorks for $60, which couples "pages" - a word processor - with Keynote. While I'd love to use Keynote, Pages just seems really lacking. Adding $90 to $150 to my overall purchase for Word just depresses me. I know it's probably worth it, and it's not much more than iWorks, but I don't know.

Of course, I could just download OpenOffice

[David J.]

There is open office, and did you know that there is Office for Mac?

[InternalPrimate]

There is open office, and did you know that there is Office for Mac?

Yes, it costs $125 though. It comes pre-installed, but needs to be unlocked. As for Open Office, I love the word processor (and it's compatibility with Word documents) but it's versions of Power Point and Excel are only passable.

[David J.]

Eh, trying out open office, it's way back on the long list of things I intend to do... :(

Well, with most PC's, when something comes preinstalled... it doesn't need to be unlocked, now I know there are exceptions to the rule, but you'd think that apple would ship the computer with the program unlocked because they love to hype the Mac as doing everything the PC can. :rolleyes:

Tech support will be a pain with an Apple, if something happens, tech support is limited. That and you mentioned you have some devices that won't work with a mac... how much money have you spent on the devices? You could get a new PC that works FINE and will give you NO issues for the $$$ you spent on those devices. A lot of the issues you mentioned like the USB and internet can happen with ANY computer, even a Mac, so you could get a mac that has the same issues.

I've been using XP since the middle of 2002 and I've had very few crashes compared to Windows 9x - the only crashes I've had are crashes are fincky programs, but not windows itself. Spyware isnt too bad, and the same with viruses. You have to keep an eye on it, and mantain your computer and its not that bad.

[Rusty Venture]

Open Office has been a blessing.

$100+ for Office? Whatever. Open Office suits my paper-writing and spreadsheet needs perfectly...plus the price is very nice.

I also have WinGimp for photo editing...free is nice.

Now if i could just find a nice freeware CD/DVD burning program.


And XP has been light years better than shitty ass Win98. I remember that pile of dung crashing on me at least once a day.

[Joe Redifer]

Tech support will be a pain with an Apple, if something happens, tech support is limited.

Not really, check out www.macfixit.com as well as The MacFixIt Forums (http://www.macfixitforums.com/php/ubbthreads.php?Cat=&C=7)

[Vyse of Arcadia]

You could get a new PC that works FINE and will give you NO issues for the $$$ you spent on those devices. A lot of the issues you mentioned like the USB and internet can happen with ANY computer, even a Mac, so you could get a mac that has the same issues.
Speaking from personal experience, I have Windows crash waay more often. XP even. I don't call random crashes working "just fine." Not to mention the incredible bloat and slowdown. Even with all sorts of random crap starting when I boot on Mac OS X (including Seti@home), it takes under a minute for the computer to be fully up and running, compared to closer to five with Windows doing nothing at all when it boots. And to be completely fair, my Windows box is more powerful than my Mac. We're talking an AMD Athlon 64 3000+ with a gig of RAM compared to a G5 with 512MB.

And as far as hardware goes, I have much more trouble getting Windows to recognize hardware than a Mac. I can plug a printer in, install the drivers, reboot the computer and everything, and I'm still lucky if it actually prints with Windows. In a Mac, I just plug it in. Hell, it's easier getting a printer working in Linux than in Microsoft's joke of an operating system.

Granted, I'm not really arguing for Mac OS X...just against Windows. Mac OS X has a lot of emerging problems. For one thing, it is a bit of a resource hog...not as much as Windows, but still. New Mac security holes are being found every day. The native programs just plain suck. Finder, iTunes, Safari...iPhoto is the only one out of them that still has a shred of good design, and I never use it. Apple really needs to get their act back together. Mac OS X has gone from a kickass OS with a slew of excellently designed integrated apps to a mediocre OS with a slew of sloppily designed apps.

I'd say Linux, but that has its own problems too. Even less game support than Mac OS X, a lack of drivers from major vendors (even if things are starting to shape up nicely as far as video cards go...) FreeBSD is even worse in that respect.

Anyway, the point of this increasingly long rant is that every OS has its problems. Windows just has the most. It is certainly not "just fine" in any respect. If you must play games, go with Windows. But if you want to do anything, anything else, choose another OS. Just Say No to Microsoft (http://microsoft.toddverbeek.com/).

[Joe Redifer]

What's wrong with the Finder? Without it you'd be operating Macs via command line.

Anyway, my Windows XP boots up extremely fast, much faster than my Mac, and it is a bit less powerful, too. But then again it probably boots fast because there isn't too much installed on it.

[David J.]

Not really, check out www.macfixit.com as well as The MacFixIt Forums (http://www.macfixitforums.com/php/ubbthreads.php?Cat=&C=7)

O RLY?

I'm suprised there's only one mac tech support site. :(

[Rusty Venture]

Speaking from personal experience, I have Windows crash waay more often. XP even. I don't call random crashes working "just fine." Not to mention the incredible bloat and slowdown. Even with all sorts of random crap starting when I boot on Mac OS X (including Seti@home), it takes under a minute for the computer to be fully up and running, compared to closer to five with Windows doing nothing at all when it boots. And to be completely fair, my Windows box is more powerful than my Mac. We're talking an AMD Athlon 64 3000+ with a gig of RAM compared to a G5 with 512MB.

You seriously need to look for tips on how to streamline your startup. My computer boots up to desktop in less than a minute (a full minute if I wait for my anti-vir and spyware to get going).

[Joe Redifer]

I'm suprised there's only one mac tech support site. :(
There's more than one, but that's the only one I ever look at. They have tons of peepz on their forumz as well, so it b a gud place, g.

[j_factor]

Historically, Macs totally sucked ass IMO. It was only with OSX that they became worthwhile. Even so, I find a lot of the user-interface annoying, and some of the different commands irk me. Maybe it's just because of my familiarity with Windows. I dunno.

I was kind of disappointed when Apple switched to Intel. I liked the PowerPC architecture and thought that it nicely differentiated them from regular PCs. I've also never been a fan of Intel in particular; I prefer AMD. Anyway, nowadays, hardware-wise, a Mac is practically the same as a PC; it just costs more.

I also don't like how Macs -- even moreso than Windows PCs -- come with preinstalled software like Quicktime that seems to take over the whole computer. I don't like this new trend of bloated, all-encompassing programs. As Vyse said, those native programs aren't even very good.

It's true that Macs are much, much less prone to viruses and stuff. But if that's your only major concern in making the switch, why not just save your money and go for a Linux PC? The only differences between a Mac and a Windows PC are the OS, the preinstalled software that comes with it, Apple's sometimes crazy physical designs, the Apple coolness factor, and the fact that Macs are overpriced. Linux PCs have the first difference without the latter ones. Linux does have a lack of games, but you said games aren't really a concern. Linux has a pretty good community of free/shareware programs, and its Windows emu is passable for most things.

Linux does have other problems though. The many different versions available make for a complex issue (that issue alone has turned off a lot of people). That issue has been worsened by some of the buyouts (Lycoris, we hardly knew ye). On the positive side, most versions of Linux are available for free, so you can pretty much try them all. And Linux takes up a lot less space and is much less of a resource hog than Windows or Mac OS.

Actually, you know, I doubt you'll ever get any viruses on a Commodore 64. Go get one.

[Joe Redifer]

Quicktime is part of the Mac OS. It's hardly "bloated" and it certainly doesn't take over everything. Quicktime destroys WMVs in quality at the same bitrate, and you can even choose your codec. A Mac without Quicktime? Might as well have a Mac without a monitor. Quicktime in NO WAY hinders the Mac. If you want to harp on something sucking ass, harp on WMVs, AVIs or any kind of video which originated in Windows.

[Rusty Venture]

I'd rather deal with WMV's than have to install & use RealPlayer.

I 'm pretty sure Satan himself programmed RealPlayer.

[Joe Redifer]

Agreed 100%. I'd agree more than that if I could.

[InternalPrimate]

UPDATE:

I took the plunge and bought a Mac. I'll let everyone know how the transition goes :)

[Joe Redifer]

Be prepared to be berated a lot. PC users will love taking digs at you.

[Vyse of Arcadia]

Be prepared to be berated a lot. PC users will love taking digs at you.
That they do.

"Oh, a Mac! How nice! Too bad you can't play any games on it! I can play *insert FPS* and *insert RTS* and *insert RPG* and..."

...and that's when you quietly fold up your i/Power/Macbook and smack them upside the head with it while they go on and on about the games you can't play. Despite the fact that you actually can play most of them. Especially on the newer Macs that can book Windows too.

[evildragon]

i've been using my Mac for 2 years now... Mac mini, 1st gen.. it plays Doom III, UT 2004, Quake 4...

great little computer... and I love how it can boot from Firewire HD's...

[ApolloBoy]

I just got my MacBook about a week ago and so far, I think I made the transition from Windows XP quite well. Now I don't have to worry about my computer crashing at inopportune moments or programs hanging up. The only big downside for me right now is that I can't play all my PC games, but that's nothing Boot Camp can't fix.

[Joe Redifer]

Do not, I repeat DO NOT upgrade your OS to 10.4.10. 10.4.9 or lower is fine. Apparently there are a ton of issues with the new version (one of them being the 5 digit version number itself which confuses some apps into thinking it's 10.4.1). But there are reported instances of sound issues and a ton of other crap. Wait for 10.4.11.

[InternalPrimate]

I've had my iMac for five days now, and I'm really enjoying it. The biggest surprise thus far has been the ease of moving from Windows to OS X. A great many people had advised against going with a Mac because it's so "different". Everything seems simple enough though.

One disappointment, though, has been Genesis emulation :( Genesis Plus works nicely, but lacks the bells and whistles of Kega Fusion.

[Joe Redifer]

Yeah. It works nicer if you have you have Bannister's "Emulator Enhancer" or whatever he calls it these days. It doesn't improve the actual emulation itself, but it increases the amount of bells and whistles.

Also, if you have any questions about the Mac, ask here since I know everything. Or at least I like to pretend that I do.

[InternalPrimate]

Yeah. It works nicer if you have you have Bannister's "Emulator Enhancer" or whatever he calls it these days. It doesn't improve the actual emulation itself, but it increases the amount of bells and whistles.

Also, if you have any questions about the Mac, ask here since I know everything. Or at least I like to pretend that I do.


Downloaded! Now I can use my Gamepad to play :D
And I'll be coming back for advice... I love electronics, but I get easily confused.

[Joe Redifer]

The nice thing about Emulator Enhancer is that it works for all of Bannister's emulators. So it works automatically with Genesis Plus, Generator (another Genesis emulator), SMS Plus, etc etc.

[evildragon]

Do not, I repeat DO NOT upgrade your OS to 10.4.10. 10.4.9 or lower is fine. Apparently there are a ton of issues with the new version (one of them being the 5 digit version number itself which confuses some apps into thinking it's 10.4.1). But there are reported instances of sound issues and a ton of other crap. Wait for 10.4.11.
I found a work around for the version number issue. ;) PM me if you want to know it.. The apps only check a FILE, you can edit this file to something like 10.4.9.. OS X will "think" it's 10.4.9, when it actually is 10.4.10...

[Joe Redifer]

But you'll still have all of the other shitty issues that come with 10.4.10.

[evildragon]

I haven't had any issue with 10.4.10 at all. I use a Mac mini, 1st gen PPC model..

[Joe Redifer]

Man, that's gotta be slow. What were those, only 12 CPU cores at like 10 gigahertz with only 16 Gigs of RAM? Pathetic.

[evildragon]

Man, that's gotta be slow. What were those, only 12 CPU cores at like 10 gigahertz with only 16 Gigs of RAM? Pathetic.
lol, YOU wish..

1.42GHz, 1GB RAM..

it's good enough to do things, it does all the games I stated above, and very well too..

[Joe Redifer]

Screw games. Macs are for Final Cut Pro.

[Mr Smith]

I have just looked at the poll options, how can anybody vote windows as "genius"? I do think PC's are better than Mac's, however, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I knew I had voted windows as "genius".

[Zebbe]

Windows. - It's design is pure genius and the programmers left no stone unturned.
Mac OS X - It's so easy to use, no thought or skill is required whatsoever!

[FishySaysSpoon]

Have the best of both worlds and duel boot. Or emulate the other. Every OS has its shares of pros and cons such as certain exclusive software. No OS will ever be bug free (unless they are simple as hello world type programs ;). I believe well programmed embedded systems os' will run better than general operating systems since you have specific hardware you can optimize the os for.

I personally use windows xp.. why, because A) my program at school uses microsoft programs and we got a bunch of them for free including Xp pro, Vista business, office 2003 and 2007 etc etc etc B) I have a tablet PC and like the windows tablet programs. Now for school I need linux/unix and dont feel like duel booting myself I run an old distro of corel linux in a virtual pc.

Dont laugh, it was easy to set up (had to recompile the kernel to get sound to work) and runs smoothly in a virtual pc. I have tried installing debian in a virtual pc and the screen resolution is set too high and I cant change it. My tablet screen only supports 800x 600 and 1024 x 768 (640 x 480 as well). If i hook up another monitor I get more.

I feel that all operating sysetms these days are more bloated then they used to be but with the right configuration certain os' are less hogs then others.

On a side note you can install quicktime without itunes but they hide the link in the apple website.

And thats my two cents....

[Joe Redifer]

The Quicktime download like has ALWAYS been:

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/

[esb09]

If you don't care for games, go for a Mac. I have an iBook basically for school stuff/internet access and Ive been extremely pleased thus far.

[nat]

Without caring to read through the first 4 pages of this discussion, I'd have to say go for a Mac. Unless you like playing games on your computer, which everyone knows totally blows and is why we play on consoles instead.

I used mainly Windows from the 3.1 days through the release of XP. I'd used a Mac during those years as well, though not as my main computer. When it became obvious Micro-penis-soft was shoving it's head farther up it's own ass with every subsequent Windows release, I started using OS X on my G4 as my main computer. I never looked back.

Pros: no viruses (if you're one of the 6 total people on the Earth that has had your Mac infected with a virus, God must really have it in for you), virtually no spyware, quick interface, no bloat, powerful UNIX framework & neat command line, secure, the list goes on...

Cons: fewer games (although many of the good ones get an OS X port, especially now that Apple has moved to Intel processors), smaller available software library as far as freeware/shareware utility-type things go

[Dragon Force]

Take it from a mac owner. Macs Suck

[nat]

Macs Suck

Thanks for that insightful review! I'll be sure to keep it in mind next time I go computer shopping.

[Dragon Force]

Was that sarcasm[/sarcasm]

[InternalPrimate]

For those who didn't read through the previous four pages :D I ended up purchasing an iMac. Which I'm using right now... and am very pleased with. There's still a shit-ton of things I want to do with it, but everything so far has worked flawlessly.

[nat]

For those who didn't read through the previous four pages :D I ended up purchasing an iMac. Which I'm using right now... and am very pleased with. There's still a shit-ton of things I want to do with it, but everything so far has worked flawlessly.

Great choice. I'm sure you will continue to be pleased with it. Hopefully you got one of the current generation models with an Intel CPU.

[Joe Redifer]

Is it an INTEL iMac? If so, you can run Windows on it at the computer's native speed. Just download and burn boot camp (http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/) and if you have your own copy of Windows XP or higher (via an install disc), you're good to go.

[evildragon]

I honestly didn't think PPC macs were still being sold..

[nat]

I honestly didn't think PPC macs were still being sold..

Apple doesn't sell them new anymore, no. But I think you can still buy them "refurbished" through Apple's program.

[InternalPrimate]

It is an Intel-based Mac, but I have no interest in running Windows ever again.

[Joe Redifer]

But... it's Windows!!!!!!!!!

[evildragon]

If you buy a Mac, you buy it for OS X.. :P simple as that, case closed! lol

Windows sucks with memory management, end of story! (MS certification even proves it!)

[Joe Redifer]

how DARE you say anything bad about Windows!! If Windows was bad in any way, why would so many people use it? You'd have to be a moron to use a bad product.

[FighterHayabusa]

how DARE you say anything bad about Windows!! If Windows was bad in any way, why would so many people use it? You'd have to be a moron to use a bad product.

95% of the population of Planet Earth are morons in my experience...
And yes, I do realize that was quite possibly irony :cool:

[FighterHayabusa]

It is an Intel-based Mac, but I have no interest in running Windows ever again.

So you bought a Mac, GOOD FOR YOU!
Linux is my primary OS but I'm also a Mac-owner and I love OSX plenty. If you're not like me and into tinkering excessively and tweaking your OS and computing environment endlessly Macs are the way to go.
My Mac is an iBook 12" G4 though, so I think I'm gonna bless myself with an upgrade soon :cool:

[evildragon]

how DARE you say anything bad about Windows!! If Windows was bad in any way, why would so many people use it? You'd have to be a moron to use a bad product.
I can talk bad about Windows see, I have MCP certification, so I have every right. ;) And yes, 95% people are morons, because they chose the EASY and CHEAP way.. You get what you pay for, however.

[Dragon Force]

I suggest and eMachines windows XP. Good waranty, least targeted by viruses, and easy to use. ;D

[XMARLTONX]

So you bought a Mac, GOOD FOR YOU!
Linux is my primary OS but I'm also a Mac-owner and I love OSX plenty. If you're not like me and into tinkering excessively and tweaking your OS and computing environment endlessly Macs are the way to go.
My Mac is an iBook 12" G4 though, so I think I'm gonna bless myself with an upgrade soon :cool:

I have a 2.0 Macbook C2D and I love it!

You could upgrade that iBook pretty good, I think they old a max 1.25 gb memory, and HD can be upgraded. Whats the processor?

[MitsuruX]

I'm about to make a very big decision. Life-altering even. I'm deciding on whether or not I should switch from being a PC-user to a Mac-user.

I grew up on Windows. And until recently, I had been perfectly satisfied. My HP Windows '98 machine was torn to pieces 5 years ago by spyware and viruses. Looking to avoid this, I took precautions with my newest machine. I first tried free anti-thingys like AVG and Ad-Aware. Eventually I bit the bullet and went all-out with Norton anti-virus and spyware.

Sure enough, my computer's been acting finicky. A couple of usb ports (out of a total of four) have completely stopped working, and connecting to the internet has become a thing of chance (I DO have broadband). I know this probably has more to do with my actual computer than anything else (my connections for both the Wii and 360 work flawlessly), so I'm in need of a new computer.

So should I go with a Mac? Is it true that they're much safer than Windows based machines? Or is that all a bunch of nonsense hype? Is Tiger more stable than Vista? Will learning how to operate a different OS be difficult? Any opinions would be greatly appreciated :)


I have struggled with this same situation... should i switch over to a Mac... but every time i get close to putting money on the table.. i get a surge of fear knowing that alot of the programs i use (or have) will not be compatable or will be very different then how i am used to them... not to mention alot of the stuff we have spend money on may not work...

So i guess fear.. is preventing me from moving to something else..

[nat]

I have struggled with this same situation... should i switch over to a Mac... but every time i get close to putting money on the table.. i get a surge of fear knowing that alot of the programs i use (or have) will not be compatable or will be very different then how i am used to them... not to mention alot of the stuff we have spend money on may not work...

So i guess fear.. is preventing me from moving to something else..


Fear is the one true enemy, the only enemy.

Seriously, though, just do it. I haven't talked to a single person who switched to Mac OS X from Windows XP and regretted it.

Just this last Christmas I bought my mom an new iMac. She's almost 60 years old and has been a DOS/Windows user for a quarter of a century. She loves it. Her work requires that she also run XP so she uses Boot Camp. She's an editor, and her company provides the programs and tools she must use (Windows-based). She admitted being skeptical at first, and had in mind she was still going to use the "Windows" side for most things. As of right now, she has converted everything but her work to the "Mac" side and loathes having to boot in Windows. I'm not a Windows-hater (although it may come across that way), but today, in 2007 OS X is seriously superior to XP. I haven't used Vista yet so I can't speak to that point. After a year in hell with XP when it was first released, I went Mac and didn't look back. ;)

Unfortunately, I still have to use XP at work and 20% of my day is spent waiting for the OS to boot up and other various menial tasks that shouldn't cause the system to hang (but do). And yeah, I know about (and practice) defragging.

[Joe Redifer]

Hey Mitsuru... you can run Windows XP at native speed (just as long as you have an install disc) on any new Mac with Intel processors. Check out this page (http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/).

[evildragon]

All that bootcamp does, is install an AT BIOS Emulator into EFI, and burns you drivers... learned that at training.. ;)

[InternalPrimate]

I like the website evildragon :D

[evildragon]

mine? thanks :p i did that on a Mac, via Rapid Weaver... devoted to publishing my game console programs, instead of just talking about them ;)

[Dragon Force]

Macs also suck with memory and games. Which are the two main things people want on a computer which you wont get on a mac.

[evildragon]

NOT true.. Windows sucks with memory, BIG time. Macs use Unix as the underlayer, and Unix is the best with memory management...

Macs are also good with games now as they can run Windows just for your games.. Anything else said is just pure stupidity and stubbornness..

PCs are still stuck in hell with Conventional Memory, and Extended Memory, which is a big hurdle to get around... Macs NEVER had this problem, and have always just had one big chunk of memory to use...

You need to get used to the fact, that today, PC's suck.. If PC's used EFI, then maybe it would be different, but PC's still run on the AT BIOS introduced in the late 80's... Even Microsoft tried to push EFI with Vista, but it failed, and now look at the EXTREMELY high requirements for Vista as far as memory is concerned...

I'm a programmer, and a certified technician in hardware, and operating systems.. Without a heartbeat, I can say Macs win.. You? Just the "hate"...

[Joe Redifer]

I don't think games are one of two things people want when they get a computer. Games are usually what the teenage crowd wants (gotta have their Warcraft and FPS games). My Mac can hold 16 GB of memory. Right now it only has a wimpy 4GB installed. Sucks, huh? I should just throw this away.

OS 9 and before had pretty crappy memory management. I remember that a lot of times it didn't free up much RAM when an application quite. You'd have to use a shareware app like Memory Purge or some such thing.

[evildragon]

I don't think games are one of two things people want when they get a computer. Games are usually what the teenage crowd wants (gotta have their Warcraft and FPS games). My Mac can hold 16 GB of memory. Right now it only has a wimpy 4GB installed. Sucks, huh? I should just throw this away.

OS 9 and before had pretty crappy memory management. I remember that a lot of times it didn't free up much RAM when an application quite. You'd have to use a shareware app like Memory Purge or some such thing.
Yes, the "Classic" days sucked..

On those operating systems, you had to ALLOCATE memory before the application loaded, and the application couldn't exceed it.. You also couldn't add too much or you'd waste memory..

OS X isn't like that, that's why it's dynamic...

Windows tried doing this, but in the end, Windows uses the Page File improperly, and yields WAY too many page faults... (Bill Gates never did like the 286's extended memory thing, he called the CPU "brain dead")

[Joe Redifer]

Yeah, in the GET INFO window of any application in OS 9 or before, you could allocate the maximum amount of memory a program would use, and also the minimum if I remember correctly. For big apps like Final Cut Pro, this helped a lot as the default memory settings were usually too low. If you had mega memory in your machine, you could increase it to take advantage it. You could also turn Virtual Memory on and off. I always had it off since I was high-stylin' with my 256 megs of RAM.

[FighterHayabusa]

NOT true.. Windows sucks with memory, BIG time. Macs use Unix as the underlayer, and Unix is the best with memory management...

Macs are also good with games now as they can run Windows just for your games.. Anything else said is just pure stupidity and stubbornness..

PCs are still stuck in hell with Conventional Memory, and Extended Memory, which is a big hurdle to get around... Macs NEVER had this problem, and have always just had one big chunk of memory to use...

You need to get used to the fact, that today, PC's suck.. If PC's used EFI, then maybe it would be different, but PC's still run on the AT BIOS introduced in the late 80's... Even Microsoft tried to push EFI with Vista, but it failed, and now look at the EXTREMELY high requirements for Vista as far as memory is concerned...

I'm a programmer, and a certified technician in hardware, and operating systems.. Without a heartbeat, I can say Macs win.. You? Just the "hate"...

I agree with most of your points but I wouldn't go as far as saying that PCs suck. I'd keep it at "Windows-PCs" suck. Sure the BIOS-thing is a sad state of affairs but it's not the complete downfall of the PC.

I run Linux on all of our boxes at home (and at work) except on my iBook (naturally..) and I think that with Linux you'll get a hell of a lot more out of your PC-hardware. It's not the memory-hog Windows is and that's just one thing out of many that Linux does way better than Windows.

Oh well, as long as it's Unix in one form or another I'm pretty much happy :D

[evildragon]

I was tired when I wrote that.. LOL

Yea, not all PCs are bad.. Even though people hate Dell PC's for example, atleast their BIOS does better, and is actually directly designed from the ground up for what it's intented purpose is (and not an off-the-shelf modified version like most PCs)...

Most servers are modernized with better systems. Too bad they aren't desktop PCs...

[Elusive]

***just imagine I wrote a really big block of text here about how my operating system is infinitely superior to yours and how aloof i am about even having to explain myself***

DEBATE THAT ONE, INTER-TOADS!!! *smugly reclines in chair, swills brandy*

[Joe Redifer]

If I have to imagine the block of text, then you lose because your OS accidentally deleted it before you could post. My OS wins!

[Genesis Knight]

Elusive: I will now proceed to laugh long and loud.

[XMARLTONX]

I just recently switched to mac and I love it!

http://www.mac-forums.com

^for questions

[Meoang]

Having tried both, personally, I prefer Windows, it's just more useful for me, probably because I grew up with it.

[j_factor]

How about neither Mac nor PC? I think I'm going to get one of these (http://www.amiga.com/news/?art=28&PHPSESSID=430e0503f51b6381724b74de445da1ee) when they're available.

[Joe Redifer]

I never cared for the Amiga OS, so hopefully they improve the hell out of it. Also, what's the big deal with two ethernet ports? Is it so the computer can act as a hub of some sort? My Mac has this, and either port works. Maybe I can plug one into Comcast and the other into a different ISP for double-awesome internet speed? :)

[Meoang]

One can hope.