Steve Jung
Explorer
I didn't know that. But it does sound like a bit of effort.
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Is The Apple OS More Stable Than MS Windows?
- Thread starter Angel Tarragon
- Start date
Steve Jung
Explorer
I didn't know that. But it does sound like a bit of effort.
PatrickLawinger
First Post
Hmmm
Okay, this really depends on what you want a computer for. If you are just doing basic "email mom and dad a few pictures" Windows and Mac should both serve you fine and you can probably get a Windows machine cheaper.
Here is the issue, in my experience (and this is my experience, everyone else's will vary) the Mac is FAR more dependable than Windows. I have two (desktop) PCs, one about 4 years old (XP, SP2, more table than the Vista machine), one practically new (my wife has software for her job that only runs on Windows) and I have 3 macs (4 but one is so old it is only for the kids). One mac (the one I am typing on) is almost 6 years old. When purchased it was top-of-the-line and it STILL runs everything I need, this includes the Adobe CS3 suite, a variety of other photo and video editing software, etc. I also have 2 laptops (3 yrs and 1 yr, the older one is used by my wife). We have had consistent problems with the PCs, including the NEW machine running VISTA (been cleaned, well, hell, LOTS of work done on that machine really). My 6 year old Mac, well, it is my workhorse machine and literally hasn't crashed a single time during 2008. I believe some MS Office programs have crashed something like 2-3 times this year, but that won't bring the whole thing down.
What are you going to do with the computer? If you want a machine for games, Windows wins hands down. no question about it at all. If you do ANYTHING with heavy graphic use of photos or video editing, well, I am sorry but the Mac kicks Windows around the block and leaves it whimpering.
If you are only dabbling and use your machine for email, appointments, a few photos here and there, and maybe some simple writing or bookkeeping then you have a different decision. Honestly, you do not NEED a powerful machine for these things, you can literally buy an old second-hand machine and find software to do all of these things fairly easily. It WILL require work on your part though. Otherwise, you need to choose between an inexpensive Windows machine or one of the cheaper Macs (still expensive, but I'll get to that).
My personal bias is that the Mac is going to have more USEFUL tools out of the box than a PC and that those tools are easier to use than those on a PC. Remember though, I am used to Macs, they are different. Once you get used to a Mac it is easy to point at laugh and the steps people go through on a PC, but if you are used to a PC, the things people do on a Mac will make you feel the same way.
So, long story longer, it boils down to taste and what you use the machine for. If you are playing games, I don't care what the Mac fans (like me) might say, you need a top of the line PC with a huge honking video card. Otherwise, the Mac is a stable robust machine that can last a very long time. In addition, the Mac comes pre-installed with software you are actually likely to use, and if you use it, it really does save money over buying equivalent software for the PC.
Let's face it, when I bought the machine I am typing on now I figured in 2 1/2 years I would need another. Right now, I can't find an excuse to buy a new desktop (even though my year-old laptop is a little faster for some things). Do you know anyone that can say that about a 6 year-old PC, even if it was top of the line when it was purchased?
I hope this confuses the issue nicely
.
Patrick
Okay, this really depends on what you want a computer for. If you are just doing basic "email mom and dad a few pictures" Windows and Mac should both serve you fine and you can probably get a Windows machine cheaper.
Here is the issue, in my experience (and this is my experience, everyone else's will vary) the Mac is FAR more dependable than Windows. I have two (desktop) PCs, one about 4 years old (XP, SP2, more table than the Vista machine), one practically new (my wife has software for her job that only runs on Windows) and I have 3 macs (4 but one is so old it is only for the kids). One mac (the one I am typing on) is almost 6 years old. When purchased it was top-of-the-line and it STILL runs everything I need, this includes the Adobe CS3 suite, a variety of other photo and video editing software, etc. I also have 2 laptops (3 yrs and 1 yr, the older one is used by my wife). We have had consistent problems with the PCs, including the NEW machine running VISTA (been cleaned, well, hell, LOTS of work done on that machine really). My 6 year old Mac, well, it is my workhorse machine and literally hasn't crashed a single time during 2008. I believe some MS Office programs have crashed something like 2-3 times this year, but that won't bring the whole thing down.
What are you going to do with the computer? If you want a machine for games, Windows wins hands down. no question about it at all. If you do ANYTHING with heavy graphic use of photos or video editing, well, I am sorry but the Mac kicks Windows around the block and leaves it whimpering.
If you are only dabbling and use your machine for email, appointments, a few photos here and there, and maybe some simple writing or bookkeeping then you have a different decision. Honestly, you do not NEED a powerful machine for these things, you can literally buy an old second-hand machine and find software to do all of these things fairly easily. It WILL require work on your part though. Otherwise, you need to choose between an inexpensive Windows machine or one of the cheaper Macs (still expensive, but I'll get to that).
My personal bias is that the Mac is going to have more USEFUL tools out of the box than a PC and that those tools are easier to use than those on a PC. Remember though, I am used to Macs, they are different. Once you get used to a Mac it is easy to point at laugh and the steps people go through on a PC, but if you are used to a PC, the things people do on a Mac will make you feel the same way.
So, long story longer, it boils down to taste and what you use the machine for. If you are playing games, I don't care what the Mac fans (like me) might say, you need a top of the line PC with a huge honking video card. Otherwise, the Mac is a stable robust machine that can last a very long time. In addition, the Mac comes pre-installed with software you are actually likely to use, and if you use it, it really does save money over buying equivalent software for the PC.
Let's face it, when I bought the machine I am typing on now I figured in 2 1/2 years I would need another. Right now, I can't find an excuse to buy a new desktop (even though my year-old laptop is a little faster for some things). Do you know anyone that can say that about a 6 year-old PC, even if it was top of the line when it was purchased?
I hope this confuses the issue nicely
.Patrick
Aus_Snow
First Post
How so? No, I'm not one of those Mac hatahz, just FYI.
I'm curious, is all. Some people I've known in these fields use (powerful) Macs mostly or exclusively, and others, (powerful) PCs all the way. But damn nice monitors either way, gotta say. Grr.
Ankh-Morpork Guard
First Post
That used to be true, but its not anymore.
These days, the major graphics programs(i.e. Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash) are available on both PC and Mac and work equally well on both. The days of Mac's dominance on that end are gone, and all that is actually left are the old standby of people saying "Mac is better for it" only because that's how it was for so long.
This isn't just me hating on Mac, either. I work with both Apple computers and my home PC with the exact same programs for editing photos, inking sketches, adding colour, and simply using a tablet to sketch directly into the programs and...well, there's no difference. I find I prefer the PC if only because I can also have all the game on the same system.
Admittedly, Mac still holds an edge when it comes to video editing. The way things are going, though, it probably won't last too much longer.
PatrickLawinger
First Post
Man, I typed a long reply to this and a couple of other points and the board crashed or something last night and lost it.
My experience with photo/video editing on the PC is several years old and I can easily believe that there is much better Windows software out there now. It is a big area for some people and I know that there are more and more software packages, and updated packages for the PC. Photoshop on the PC and the Mac is pretty equal in my hands.
That said, a major workhorse PC for heavy graphics work is easily as expensive as a top-line Mac. I would say for people working at that level the price of Mac vs PC isn't a factor and that it all boils down to personal preference.
If you want a computer for gaming, well, you want a Windows machine. Sure, some Mac fans are going to tell you that you can use bootcamp and boot into Windows, but if they are honest even they have to admit that a dedicated game machine is going to be a PC (it'll also be expensive).
If you want a computer for email, maybe a few photos, your blog, a personal website, well, I would say that you could get a very inexpensive PC from Wal-mart or Target (ideally, ask a friend to build it for you, it'll be more stable without the bloatware). I am a Mac fan but I convinced my parents that an inexpensive PC was the right choice for them.
If you do a bit more with pictures and video and want more options then you move into an area that I feel the Mac is better equipped for. It has a more stable (in my experience) OS and it comes pre-loaded with good, easy-to-use software that can handle most simple photo and video editing, storage, and uploads. That software generally puts the price of a Mac in the same range as a mid-range PC plus the cost of comparable software.
I'd post more and might later, but I'd rather see if this goes up successfully.
Patrick
Calico_Jack73
First Post
As others have said it really boils down to the applications you want to run. Apple/Mac has a much smaller library than Windows. If I just wanted a machine to read my e-mail, surf the internet, and write documents on then I'd probably go with Ubuntu Linux. Heck, you could download Solaris if you like a full blown server OS. Both are free. However, I'm a big time gamer so Windows is the OS I choose to run. For photo and video editing I've been told that Mac is the way to go... both my step-father and younger sister (who just graduated from KU with a degree in Computer Animation) swear by it but neither of them are gamers.
From my small amount of experience with Mac (my wife had one when I first met her) I can tell you this. MAC OS seems to shield normal users from getting into the guts of the OS where they can make changes that might adversely affect their machine. Windows doesn't (Vista is a bit better about warning you than previous editions) but then again I can tweak out a machine to make it perform just the way I want. For a casual user I'd say go with Mac (if you don't want gaming) but for a power user go with Windows. That is assuming that you don't want to consider UNIX/LINUX in which case I'd say go with Ubuntu Linux for the casual user and don't even consider Mac.
As an alternative you could configure your system to dual boot so that you can choose Windows or Mac when you power on your machine. VMWare Server for Windows is free so you could also have Windows running as your core OS and then have virtual MAC, Unix, or Linux virtual machines to play with.
From my small amount of experience with Mac (my wife had one when I first met her) I can tell you this. MAC OS seems to shield normal users from getting into the guts of the OS where they can make changes that might adversely affect their machine. Windows doesn't (Vista is a bit better about warning you than previous editions) but then again I can tweak out a machine to make it perform just the way I want. For a casual user I'd say go with Mac (if you don't want gaming) but for a power user go with Windows. That is assuming that you don't want to consider UNIX/LINUX in which case I'd say go with Ubuntu Linux for the casual user and don't even consider Mac.
As an alternative you could configure your system to dual boot so that you can choose Windows or Mac when you power on your machine. VMWare Server for Windows is free so you could also have Windows running as your core OS and then have virtual MAC, Unix, or Linux virtual machines to play with.
Calico_Jack73
First Post
Oh yeah...
Some of the folks have been citing that MAC comes with more software that you are actually going to use and that you'd have to pay for the same functionality. Don't you believe it! There is plenty of free software out there for Windows if you just know what to look for. Here is my standard load list:
1) Open Office - Basially free MS Office (without Outlook). You can work on Word documents, Excel Spreadsheets, Powerpoint presentations, and Access Databases. The funny thing is that SUN distributes the product.
2) Thunderbird - Who needs Outlook anymore?
3) FireFox - I shouldn't have to say why this one belongs.
4) AVG - Because nobody should have to pay for anti-virus.
5) Zone Alarm - Because nobody should have to pay for a firewall either.
6) GIMP - Because I really don't want to pay for Photoshop.
7) Ad-Aware - A decent spyware detector/remover
8) VMWare Server - So I can run any variety of the free Unix/Linux OS's on my machine.
All of these apps are free. I really can't think of any more that I'd want for typical use.
Some of the folks have been citing that MAC comes with more software that you are actually going to use and that you'd have to pay for the same functionality. Don't you believe it! There is plenty of free software out there for Windows if you just know what to look for. Here is my standard load list:
1) Open Office - Basially free MS Office (without Outlook). You can work on Word documents, Excel Spreadsheets, Powerpoint presentations, and Access Databases. The funny thing is that SUN distributes the product.
2) Thunderbird - Who needs Outlook anymore?
3) FireFox - I shouldn't have to say why this one belongs.
4) AVG - Because nobody should have to pay for anti-virus.
5) Zone Alarm - Because nobody should have to pay for a firewall either.
6) GIMP - Because I really don't want to pay for Photoshop.
7) Ad-Aware - A decent spyware detector/remover
8) VMWare Server - So I can run any variety of the free Unix/Linux OS's on my machine.
All of these apps are free. I really can't think of any more that I'd want for typical use.
Calico_Jack73
First Post
Yep! ME!
Back in 2001 I bought a Dell P4 2.0Ghz machine with Windows XP Home on it. I just got rid of it this year because some high end games were coming out that it couldn't handle. That is 7 years of solid computing bub!
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