Mac? PC? Both?

[ntrprnr 0]

Someone in skydiving forum posted something about how he made a new version of a landing pattern game, something I can't use, because it's PC only.

Any Mac people on here?

Feel free to tell why you choose one over the other. Always fun to watch a fight. I'll get popcorn.

_______________
"Why'd you track away at 7,000 feet?"
"Even in freefall, I have commitment issues."

[AggieDave 6]

I ran Apple for a good while. I ran Linux for a while. I used to admin a few BSD servers. I've run PC for a while.

Out of all of those, I like PC for my personal systems for ease and convenience.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[normiss 891]

Until software like that becomes fully virtual...I don't see the value.
YMMV.


There are valid corporate reasons the Apple server platforms have not succeeded.

[Misternatural 0]

Atari

Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires.
D S #3.1415

[jcd11235 0]

Quote

Someone in skydiving forum posted something about how he made a new version of a landing pattern game, something I can't use, because it's PC only.

Any Mac people on here?

Feel free to tell why you choose one over the other. Always fun to watch a fight. I'll get popcorn.

I primarily use OS X. I have two versions of Windows installed as virtual machines on my Mac, but rarely use them for anything other than checking for compatibility issues. I also use a couple Linux distributions a little bit.

To me, OS X has the most intuitive and easy to use user interface, without having to sacrifice the power associated with UNIX/*nix operating systems. (In other words, it's equally well suited for users who are nearly computer illiterate and SuperGeeks.)

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[NWFlyer 2]

My own computers have always been PCs because they work for my needs and the cost/value equation makes the most sense for me. At work (where I seldom, if ever, have a choice) it's always been PC as well in a variety of environments from small start-up to extremely large enterprise.

And I've found that most Mac users have drunk the corporate Kool-Aid so much that they become incredibly smug and arrogant about their choice to use Apple products. Maybe it's the right choice for them, but they can't possibly see that it's not the right choice for everyone. It's just a consumer product, people.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[jcd11235 0]

Quote

Maybe it's the right choice for them, but they can't possibly see that it's not the right choice for everyone. It's just a consumer product, people.

From my experience, that applies to a portion of users of all three common platforms, Windows, OS X, and Linux.

An older PC running a Linux distribution will meet the needs of most consumers. Some of those distributions don't even require a CS degree to install. Some even rival or surpass Windows w/r/t ease of use.

Sometimes a need to run a particular application mandates use of Windows or OS X.

From a hardware perspective, you generally get what you pay for.

Last winter, when my sister needed advice about what laptop to buy, I steered her towards a PC, even though she liked using OS X after trying my Macbook Pro. She wanted a 17 inch screen, but otherwise only needed an entry level machine, a configuration for which Apple doesn't provide. A couple months earlier, a friend needed to replace a laptop, and in an effort to save a couple hundred bucks, ended up buying a PC that was significantly inferior to (and much bulkier than) the entry level Macbook that I recommended, which had the same screen size.

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[skydance1954 0]

I have my feet firmly in both worlds. PC at work, and for the wife at home, MAC for myself. I've used it for video and photo processing for over 20 years, and so far, been very happy with its much easier use, the fact that everything works - all the time, no virus's and it never crashes. I only have had to upgrade when the hardware won't drive the new levels of software anymore.

On the PC side - I'm always fixing or tweaking something. Too much time spent in daily/weekly maintenance IMHO.

Mike Ashley
D-18460
Canadian A-666

[lost_n_confuzd 0]

I use a PC at work. I have no problem with MACs, but none of the software I use at work will run on them

[normiss 891]

Not that you did...but my favorite thing to hear from the is how much extra work the PC takes to keep it running...followed closely by recommending Unix.


I've not had the problems that I hear repeated regarding Windows. Maybe some users just don't know the operating system....

[skydance1954 0]

Quote

I've not had the problems that I hear repeated regarding Windows. Maybe some users just don't know the operating system....

Now THAT is definitely true. A great deal of the trouble is caused by the carbon based unit running the system.

Mike Ashley
D-18460
Canadian A-666

[SarahC07 0]

I own a Mac, a PC laptop and a PC desktop. The PC desktop is essentially useless, but still running ... and just celebrated it's 6th birthday.

I haven't owned the Mac for long but have already started making "mac moves" on my PC. Apple has thrown in a ton of really small but COOL features that make it pretty fun to use. And I haven't decided if I'm still learning how the OS on my Mac works or if it really is a small pain in the ass.

I like 'em both... I think once I'm really accustomed to the Mac, it will be my favorite. Right now... I'm still playing around.

[repcool 2]

Technically I run both and have the best of both worlds. I have a MacBookPro which I love, and I run Parrallels with a virtual machine for Windows XP for doing VPN and other work on it. It runs Windows better than any PC I ever owned.

[VectorBoy 0]

And I've found that most Mac users have drunk the corporate Kool-Aid so much that they become incredibly smug and arrogant about their choice to use Apple products.

I'll put a little perspective on this for you. Just like the loud bar drunks you can't miss in the bar you can't help but notice the Apple corporate I drunks but be aware there are plenty MAC owners that don't really care and have the view that all computers are junk and a long way from being as reliable as other electronic goodies in our lives.

[murrays 0]

I'd say that a lot of PC users also can't see that for some people a Mac makes much more sense....so it's not just us smug arrogant Mac users running around with that mindset.
I switched my mother in law to a Mac several years ago and it is a way better platform for her. Her PC never worked due to malware, viruses etc picked up by a grandson that used the machine. Just getting rid of that headache was worth the switch. She's as illiterate as they come but never has any issues with her Mac. It has worked for her for years with no problems.

I really don't give a shit what computer anybody uses. I like Macs, mine have all given me outstanding service with minimal headaches and they suit my needs perfectly.

--
Murray

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey

[normiss 891]

Basically you're saying the issue is your mother in law and not the OS?

Understood.

[murrays 0]

Actually, the problem is with the OS for her...Mac works for her and Windows didn't. Hey, don't get me started on my MIL issues

Like somebody said up above, Mac OS X is great for the illiterate and the geeky ones that love the Unix stuff. She's one of the illiterate and the Mac is a better choice for her. No doubt in my mind.

I love being able to run anything on my Macs...I use Fusion to run XP and Linux. I use XP to run tax programs and I just run Linux to say I can, I don't really do anything with it but it looks cool having them all going at once with a Terminal window open as well. I think a Mac gives you more choices ... you really don't have to give anything up.

I hope that Windows 7 is a great OS. That will drive Apple to improve OS X even more. I have installed Snow Leopard and I could easily have lived without it. Some more competition from MS would be good I think. I could see myself building a machine with Windows 7 running if it is as good as some reports I've read.

--
Murray

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey

[justinb138 0]

So you're saying the best thing about a Mac is that it runs XP?

I've been using Windows 7 for a few months now and I'm really liking it. They seemed to have improved performance with it and fixed all the issues & quirks with Vista.

[DSE 5]

Quote

Someone in skydiving forum posted something about how he made a new version of a landing pattern game, something I can't use, because it's PC only.

Any Mac people on here?

Feel free to tell why you choose one over the other. Always fun to watch a fight. I'll get popcorn.

I was a die-hard Macolyte in the early years (Still have my Lisa and IISi) but when SlowTools became shit, I turned to PC for the majority of my work. Now I run both, have two laptops with Bootcamp running both Snow Leopard and XP or Vista. I find I work on the PC side more than the Mac side. Mac is 100% hype and 90% functional compared to PC, IMO, but it is indeed "prettier" and has a few things I love over the PC. To say one or the other is easier is fallacy. They're just tools. But...there are a LOT of things you can't do on a Mac that you can do on a super cheap PC. And almost nothing that a Mac can do and a PC can't.
In the end, they're just tools. That said, no PC laptop can compare to the build and elegance of a MacBook Pro, running Vista, IMO.