Macs vs. PCs

[kski09]

Does anyone have any preferance? I'm in the market to buy a laptop, and I don't know if making the switch ((from PC to Mac)) is worth it. Opinions and experiences would be great.

[dboyd]

All about what you're going to use it for... because as we all know, pc's are the best for spread sheets and all that good stuff! hehe... but ya... i'm a PC fan... but like i said.. it's what you use your computer for... If you're a gamer.. i'd get a PC. If you use it just for work associated stuff, either one will really be fine... just if you're used to a PC it might be better to stick to PC... But ya, i hate to say this but pc and mac have their ups and downs... (i've been a lil mac hater for a long time heh). But mac is improving and it's got some neat programs you can't get on a PC.

sooo blah blah blah... that's my 2 cents.

[Rai]

I like Mac. I switched about a year ago and it's been heaven since. The thing I like about it is that it just works: no need for drivers, no registry, no viruses, o maze of folders, it is simple and well-thought out. But for gaming, I agree that it is near useless (well, since they don't really make good games anymore it doesn't really matter, but its still a pain in the arse) and there are some other programs that are problematic, but most things have an equivalent. But god, its so good living without Windows

[Emelie]

If you're a gamer, can't you dual boot xp or vista and play games on a computer with really good hardware?

[Tommy]

Problem is with Mac's is that their expensive and like impossible to upgrade, with a PC you can just pop in new bits like lego whenever you need to upgrade. I would just build yourself a PC as you can do it real cheap and get it real good and its not hard at all especially if you know someone who can give you a hand

[Cali]

another pc fan here. but like dboyd said, it depends on how you're gonna use it. the problem with macs, besides the very expensive software, is that it has a major compatibility issue. but i guess for music and graphic programs, you'd be better off with a mac

[Rai]

^There isn't much of a compactibility issue nowadays (hell, you can even get Microsoft Office for Mac). I haven't met anything besides .exe files that I couldn't deal with and I could transfer anything to a PC with ease.

[Cali]

the problem is that you need to have a fake platform thingie (i don't know the proper term). so, for people that have to work with a wide range of formats on a short notice, having a mac could be counterproductive

[carvinC980t_kid]

if i had no budget... i'd just buy a badass XPS like my brother... never used a computer i've liked more and he games so he has all the optional upgrades and it's hella nice.

me, i'm poor, so i think i'm acutally gettin an iMac with the 24" screen. are ya set on a laptop forsure? cause apples monitors are really really nice and you can get way better deals on macs with bigger better monitors then you can on other PC's.

my only problem with a Mac is, i run Lynx, not windows and you can't on a Mac.

oh, and there are viruses for Macs.... that's the downfall of them being unique... it means they are officaly the same as everything else that is a Big brand. Macs are basically PC's now. just look around and really.... you won't be disappointed... Macs are a little more "User friendly" but they run windows now... not really any different.

[.em.]

Originally Posted by Emelie

If you're a gamer, can't you dual boot xp or vista and play games on a computer with really good hardware?

I'm sure you could. I know you can dual-boot OS on Windows machines, so I think would would be able to do the same with a Mac.

I think it really depends on what you're doing with it, and how much you want to spend. I think PCs are generally a bit cheaper, and more compatible with a wider range of products, like games, and as someone else mentioned earlier, its not hard to say, add more RAM or whatever(though with laptops, you can't really upgrade THAT much, I've heard).
I've never used a Mac, but I've heard they work a lot better with some programs, and people seem to enjoy them. But I believe they are more expensive. Plus they look so smexy!

[Nine]

MMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCC

you know it makes sense

[dboyd]

^ lol no it doesn't

and yes.. like carvin said, macs can get viruses and a mac is literally a pc now with the addition that you can run Windows on a mac... The mac is a bit simpler than a PC though if your not really into the whole computer thing... but ya... PC can do everything a MAC can do if not better! hehe.

[Rai]

^To date, there are no viruses for Mac OSX an there hasnt been a single one. And I haven't met any PC in my life that could run without shutting down for weeks and still functioning perfectly.

[Bumpman]

It's somewhat inaccurate to say that there have been no viruses for Mac OS X, there have been about eighty four, but none of them can actually affect Mac anymore because the program now ignores them. It would be more realistic to say that there aren't any viruses 'out there' that you can get on a Mac. There are well over a hundred thousand viruses for Windows. Although having switched from PC to Mac a few weeks ago I can honestly say that in my eight years of having a PC I never had antivirus software, and I never got a virus, trojan, worm or otherwise.

Anyway; my solution: Mac OS X 10.5.1 / Windows XP SP3 / Ubuntu Linux 7.10

[Rovena]

Macs are cute, but I'm a life-long PC person. I thought about converting to a mac a little while ago, but nothing really sold me on the idea. I didn't think it was worth the few extra hundreds.

[Nine]

the operating system on mac, once you get used to how different it is, is just so much simpler and makes so much more sense than windows... it always makes me think - yeah, this is how is should be, why didn't Microsoft think of this!

But that's just me :P

[.em.]

Originally Posted by Bumpman

Anyway; my solution: Mac OS X 10.5.1 / Windows XP SP3 / Ubuntu Linux 7.10

wait...what? o.0 I know of all of those, but how does that work?

btw,
I had this really strange dream last night where this large group of people was forcing everyone to throw away their PCs and use Macs. It was a bit frightening because I had a PC, and didn't get rid of it, so I was scared of "the people" finding out and perhaps killing me for it. o.0 Plus, I cried a bit over it because my computer had some special meaning that was attached to my boyfriend. How odd.

[kski09]

thanks..... I am in the market for laptop use. I considered everything, and I mean everything, and I admit nothing matches Word, Powerpoint, and Excel, but since you can dual up in Mac and I would only use those programs sparingly for school, I figured Mac is the way to go. Along with the added bonus of less problems in generals ((viruses, etc)). It's a jump, and I understand it's going to take some re-orientation, but I think it's something I'm up for. Plus, I am just not a fan of Vista. What can I say I really liked XP.

And the seller was the eternal regret I'd live with if I just got a PC. Really, I'd always be wondering "what if...." so I suppose in a way it was calling my name. Hence fate is somehow invovled I suspect. We'll find out. I just placed the order.

[Rai]

^Iwork beats the living hell out of any version of MS Office. But there is nothing Open Officae can't do either and its freeware and available for Macs

[Bumpman]

Originally Posted by .em.

wait...what? o.0 I know of all of those, but how does that work?

It's called Parallels, since Apple made the switch from PowerPC to Intel processors it's been possible to run any Operating System on Apple hardware. Parallels lets you run Windows/Linux within Macintosh without partitioning your hard disk. They work as if they were programs, and it's pretty easy to get everything up and running.

Also ksik09, Microsoft also make Word, Excel and Office for Mac.

[Bumpman]

Y'see:

[.em.]

Originally Posted by Bumpman

It's called Parallels, since Apple made the switch from PowerPC to Intel processors it's been possible to run any Operating System on Apple hardware. Parallels lets you run Windows/Linux within Macintosh without partitioning your hard disk. They work as if they were programs, and it's pretty easy to get everything up and running.

Also ksik09, Microsoft also make Word, Excel and Office for Mac.

wow, that's really neat! (especially since on a pc you have to partition...)

[soda]

I recently got a mac and love it. It is currently in my backpack for a weeks long travel. So far I have had a connection everywhere, transfered some pics, read my mail, posted on this forum, watched a movie, etc. Love it.

There are some downsides too, for example the dvd drive is region specific (you can change it 4 times). I also think the hard disk is too small, but an external one with my music solves that. It takes some time to figure out and play with settings, the default settings are not that good (I love the two finger touch pad settings for scrolling, zooming and right clicks). One thing I am still a bit puzzled with is if you delete something by throwing it into the bucket does it really uninstall everything, is there a way to check?

All in all, great purchase

[Mark Hogan]

I think the Mac guy is cooler on the commercials - if that helps any.

[Nine]

Originally Posted by Mark Hogan

I think the Mac guy is cooler on the commercials - if that helps any.

hehe, i love all of your little posts, mark.
x

[Rai]

Originally Posted by soda

There are some downsides too, for example the dvd drive is region specific (you can change it 4 times). I also think the hard disk is too small, but an external one with my music solves that. It takes some time to figure out and play with settings, the default settings are not that good (I love the two finger touch pad settings for scrolling, zooming and right clicks). One thing I am still a bit puzzled with is if you delete something by throwing it into the bucket does it really uninstall everything, is there a way to check?

All in all, great purchase

It uninstalls everything in most cases, but some stuff can be left in Library/Application Support. And if you think the HDD is too small, you can upgrade it, its quite easy to do, I did it a week ago.

[Bumpman]

Originally Posted by soda

One thing I am still a bit puzzled with is if you delete something by throwing it into the bucket does it really uninstall everything, is there a way to check?

"Uninstalling" is a Windows phenomenon. On Macintosh programs and all of their files are stored in a 'package', and it's those that are visible in the Applications folder. The packages are generally autonomous from the system, meaning that apart from engaging with the OS, they only depend on the files within the package to run. Therefore when you trash a package you're getting rid of any application based files.

There are exceptions to that, like Rai said stuff does sometimes get left in the Library, but it's generally very insignificant, and it's identifiable because it's all in one place. Windows tends to do the same thing, it's very rare that I've found a program so competently built that it can remove its own signatures from the Windows registry.

The only 'perfect' solution is frequent OS reinstallation.

[Closing_Doors]

Microsoft may be evil etc etc but nobody likes a Mac person!

[Bumpman]

I wouldn't say they're evil, the free markets are an essential catalyst to civil stability and economic growth. The EU can tackle them on charges of being anticompetitive, but as far as I'm concerned it would be a fairly selective charge. A lot of companies are anticompetitive, you can't buy an iPhone outside France and Germany without being tied to a two year contract. To me that's more economically worrying then the integration of Internet Explorer or Windows Media Player with Windows XP. I always thought it was pretty irrational to see that and ignore the monopoly of iTunes.

[.em.]

Originally Posted by soda

There are some downsides too, for example the dvd drive is region specific (you can change it 4 times).

aren't all dvd players (even on computers) that way, unless they are "all region" or "region 0?"