mac vs. windows

[Qwerty the Sir]

I like things from both. I started using a Windows PC since I was young, and have a Windows PC now (XP), so familiarity with it is probably the biggest asset. Also, it runs everything I need it to run and has the largest medium for games which is good for me.

 

That being said, I started to use the Macs at school and they're pretty nice too. They usually have all the software (minus games of course) that Windows PC's have and they have a nice interface, but what I really like is the Mac hardware. They have these really flat keyboards which look great along with everything else that matches great.

 

I've also had to use Linux to do some work at school, and it's probably my least favorite. First of all, it has a stupid name: Red Hat Enterprise...wtf... Also, I hate how opening folders keeps all the older folders open as well, clogging the desktop like crazy (there's got to be a way to change this), but the roughest part is the terminal command line. Still, I saw a friend who uses Ubuntu (much better name) and it does some sweet stuff with the interface that even Vista can't do, and it seems to have gotten rid of all the opening files hassles. I'd probably like that too.

[Tale]

To Vista proponents:

 

Justify to me why I, an average Windows user, should change from XP to Vista. Consider that XP is stable and essentially bug-free, while Vista is simply growing stable and bugfree. Further consider that Vista offers no new innovations in word processing, gaming or multimedia compared to XP. And don't go quoting "dual cores" and "64-bit" like you actually know what they mean or could actually name a way they've made your life as an average user easier.

 

Vista may not be bad as such. What it is is redundant, bloated and for all intents and purposes, unnecessary.

This is my complaint against Vista. Of all of Vista it sounds like there's only one feature that would be of interest to my demographic (mid 20s gamer). And that's a feature that was planned for DX 10 but eventually cut.

 

I doubt Microsoft even bothered doing research into what consumers wanted when they designed and built Vista. Or if they did, they didn't bother asking any of the gamers. All we frelling want is a smaller OS footprint and increased performance, for the most part. Smaller install size (less bloat), is up there too.

[Hurlshort]

I see no reason to upgrade to Vista unless you are getting a new computer. It's a long term decision, really. Someday, Visa will replace XP as the standard OS, Microsoft will force that. But XP still has life in it, so I see no reason to rush out to get it. But if I'm building or buying a new PC, I see no reason not to upgrade either, as it will save me the need later on.

[thepixiesrock]

Vista ftw!

 

True that

 

 

As for Macs, I haven't used one extensively since high school. As I understand, they're dominant in a few industries, like publishing and advertising. But outside those areas, the premium they charge on their hardware makes them tough to recommend.

 

They're pretty huge in music too. I'm pretty sure just about all the good music school uses macs. I think it's Berklee that gives you a free mac book thing when you get accepted.

[@\NightandtheShape/@]

I use both Vista and XP. Vista is more stable, but then again there is no NEED to upgrade to vista if you don't want to, atleast not yet. Does it offer me anything new, DirectX 10 support. End of.

 

The whole Vista sucks thing clearly comes from users who don't wanna upgrade, so don't nobody is forcing you.

 

As for Mac's, aren't they just glorified fisher price toys for retarded adults?

[taks]

wow. i find vista to be much less stable than XP. of course, i'm running programs that most in here have never even heard of. i can't tell you how many times my video driver has just suddenly "stopped," only to turn back on with a message that says "your video driver unexpectedly stopped and has restarted." WTF? granted, i have a tablet laptop from HP so it came with all the virii the manufacturer installed, but i have removed most of that crap (as well as an inadvertent removal of the processes that deal with the screen buttons that control various "features" of the laptop, which i have since re-installed).

 

as an aside, i hate the changes they made with office 2007. the interface is definitely slicker, but i don't find it nearly as functional. at least, they moved things around enough that there is a learning curve to find everything anew. some things are no longer located where you would logically expect them to be.

 

taks

[Tigranes]

WHERE? RUN!!!

[Bokishi]

Taks, update your video drivers. The new drivers don't have the stop error anymore.

 

Krezak, Crysis addresses texture memory better in 64-bit, so the mountains look better.

 

Everyone else. We don't live in 8 months ago, so stop acting like it.

[taks]

ah, a known issue, eh? i had not heard of that one. now if i can just get matlab to stop hanging (actually, i know how to avoid the hangs simply by not doing certain things, but inevitably, i accidentally do them on occasion without intent).

 

taks

[@\NightandtheShape/@]

Well... Vista does have to have a tendancy of being unstable when I'm running programs nobody else ever could aswell... Seriously, Laptopvideo2go has the latest laptop drivers if NVIDIA is no help to ya.

[Bokishi]

I'm not gonna bash mac users either, since my dad uses one, heh.

[taks]

matlab is quite stable with XP (and 2000). most of my other issues with vista are simply due to all the formatting changes, which makes it hard to search through and solve problems i know how to solve on XP. i have the same issue with macs, btw: i just don't know the interface (well, that and the screwy one-button mouse thingy). my boss is a mac user and we often have to struggle to get office documents formatted so we can both see/edit them, that's a real pain, particularly since i have the latest MathType installed, and he does not (MT is the "advanced" equation editor, which basically means i have certain fonts and symbols that he doesn't have).

 

taks

[LadyCrimson]

I didn't start thinking about Mac's until my mother bought her new one, and it was all pretty and shiney. Yes, that's a silly reason, but it did make me look at them more closely again, since like many here, I hadn't done so for years and years. They do still have the software availability issue, but since you can now run Windows on them, that at least allows you to pick up the latest copy of "quicken" and use it, if one really wants to. I'd also debate a little about the long-term cost comparisons, but I think that would be pointless on this forum.

 

My family is mostly Mac because way back when all their kids schools were using them, and they wanted the home pc's to match what they were using at school ... and its stuck. Although I think some of them - like the cousins closer to my age - do have both Mac & PC's at this point.

 

And btw, none of my family are ignorant, unintelligent, or jerks - they just don't care about the same things PC-gamers care about - ie keeping up with the latest software/games/tech gadgets. They don't spend much non-work time on the computer or internet overall, either. My mother had her old Mac for ... um ... maybe 10-15 years before she finally decided she needed to upgrade - mostly because she was having a hard time viewing images/videos her kids and grandkids were sending her. heheh

Edited December 12, 2007 by LadyCrimson

[@\NightandtheShape/@]

I still believe Mac are glorified fisher price play centres for adults. Perhaps the comment on retardedness was a bit much, but I can't help but feel distain for Mac's, and pity their users as people whom much have a bizzare thought process to find that kind of interaction with a computer natural. It's not because I'm used to windows either, windows based os's aren't the only os's I've used.

[Kools]

Taks, update your video drivers. The new drivers don't have the stop error anymore.

 

Krezak, Crysis addresses texture memory better in 64-bit, so the mountains look better.

 

Everyone else. We don't live in 8 months ago, so stop acting like it.

 

And that's the one and only reason to have it, really. Crysis. Are there even any other games out there right now that'll run in 64-bit mode?

 

I mean, I've got it, since it is eventually going to replace XP and I might as well start getting used to it now, but I also run XP on the same box, and there's honestly nothing Vista offers at the moment for me outside of that one single game that XP can't match.

 

Slick interface, though. It's been mostly okay - no driver difficulties, no major bugs, though it does absolutely despise PunkBuster and I had to do a manual update of said softwhere in order to get COD4 to stop kicking me.

[Walsingham]

it is is redundant, bloated and for all intents and purposes, unnecessary.

 

For one dizzying moment there I thought I had been outed.

[Hurlshort]

Speaking of PC's, I just got my fancy new Alienware-51 7500. It's wonderful. I'm now using Vista...it's not too different so far from XP, but I'm still busy installing stuff.

[Humodour]

it is is redundant, bloated and for all intents and purposes, unnecessary.

 

For one dizzying moment there I thought I had been outed.

 

I love you. Never leave.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

Speaking of PC's, I just got my fancy new Alienware-51 7500.

 

I envy you, although I should, hopefully, be able to upgrade soon - I'm going to probably wait until the 9xxx series is out...

Edited December 13, 2007 by Deadly_Nightshade

[CoM_Solaufein]

Lucian, XP was great but Vista is better. Vista is very stable on my system and more than gets the job done.

My parents have it on their new computer they bought this year. I've used it browse around on it to see how it works. The only thing I like about it is the 3D like effects when you go through your open windows.

[Walsingham]

it is is redundant, bloated and for all intents and purposes, unnecessary.

 

For one dizzying moment there I thought I had been outed.

 

I love you. Never leave.

 

[Kaftan Barlast]

I had Vista on my laptop for a while but it made my programs lag(and it took 2minutes for the laptop to boot) so I formated it and went with Xp instead. But for home users that doesnt do anything more than type stuff in Office or play a game or two, its fine.

 

 

But if it wasnt for Directx10, no one would really have any reason to use Vista at all. It has a few new features, but nothing very usful.

[Kools]

I had Vista on my laptop for a while but it made my programs lag(and it took 2minutes for the laptop to boot) so I formated it and went with Xp instead. But for home users that doesnt do anything more than type stuff in Office or play a game or two, its fine.

 

 

But if it wasnt for Directx10, no one would really have any reason to use Vista at all. It has a few new features, but nothing very usful.

 

True, but Aero grows on you after a while. When I boot into XP now, I find myself wondering where all the pretty went.

[Spider]

That's just because you don't have it installed. My XP is plenty pretty.

[thepixiesrock]

Yeah, pretty ugly.

 

Zing