Why I'm a Macintosh person.
- Thread starter Duke
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Here's my question: Microsoft should have an absolutely enormous knowledge and testing base. What with being one of the largest corporations in the world. Why, then, do they produce such bug-ridden, vulnerable, and generally mediocre software? It seems wholly illogical to me.
Sage
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They can get away with it... so many people rely on M$ that no matter how bad the stuff gets, they'll still have to buy it just because everybody else does.
I'll just say thank goodness that they have an entirely separate division to make their Mac software.
:tup:
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Thanks for the heads up, Duke.
I guess I'm a lemming then. I use windows because it works and that's what I have always used. The most important thing is, I like it. That's what matters, right?
Is it really that bothersome to just download and install a tiny patch? I'd rather do that than have to learn a brand new operating system. Microsoft obviously did something right because so many people don't use windows because it just mediocre.
Macs also seem a bit overpriced to me for what you are getting. If Apple drops the prices on their computers, I would honestly buy one if I could find one worth the price. But right now, an Apple comprable to the PC I'm using, that I bought 2 years ago for about $1,800, costs about 400 dollars more. I see a problem there.
Are you serious? How many people do you know that were forced into buying and computer with Windows because everyone else uses it? How many people do you know that bought a Windows PC because they liked it, or it was affordable.
I'm not trying to start some flame war in a thread about why nobody likes Windows. I just felt that these things needed to be said. The point in the end is that your computer meets your needs and you like it.
OA
I guess I'm a lemming then. I use windows because it works and that's what I have always used. The most important thing is, I like it. That's what matters, right?
Is it really that bothersome to just download and install a tiny patch? I'd rather do that than have to learn a brand new operating system. Microsoft obviously did something right because so many people don't use windows because it just mediocre.
Macs also seem a bit overpriced to me for what you are getting. If Apple drops the prices on their computers, I would honestly buy one if I could find one worth the price. But right now, an Apple comprable to the PC I'm using, that I bought 2 years ago for about $1,800, costs about 400 dollars more. I see a problem there.
Are you serious? How many people do you know that were forced into buying and computer with Windows because everyone else uses it? How many people do you know that bought a Windows PC because they liked it, or it was affordable.
I'm not trying to start some flame war in a thread about why nobody likes Windows. I just felt that these things needed to be said. The point in the end is that your computer meets your needs and you like it.
OA
GilesGuthrie
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You try writing 14 milllion lines of code without a single error, loophole or vulnerability. Then, issue it to a user base of, let's say, 25 million people, some of whom are incompetent or foolish, and some of whom are malicious.
Ultimately, there was a vulnerability, and now there's a patch for it. Anyone who's using the Microsoft Critical Update notification should find themselves with a useable system that's pretty much free of vulnerabilities.
Neon_duke, you say you get three or four a week, how is that a big deal? I get about 4 Red Hat Errata notifications per day!
GilesGuthrie
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It's available on the Windows Update site
Sage
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Yes, I'm serious, and yes, plenty of people... There are many people who have to rely on the compatibility of trading Windows documents and what not-- My dad is forced to use Windoze at work because of that, and that's probably part of the reason why Duke is forced to use a PC at work.
You're the first that I've personally known.
(Seriously!)Plenty of people. As a side note though, wouldn't it be reasonable for a product that holds something like 95% of the consumer market be less expensive? Apple obviously has to keep its hardware more expensive so that it has a profit margin and doesn't go bankrupt.
Which is exactly why Duke is complaining, because he's being forced to use a computer that he doesn't like.
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I'll use either. I like them both but lean toward Macs for reliability.
- 2,732
On computers that come with Windows, I prefer Linux. It's just more stable, less expensive, and more customizeable. Plus, you don't get as many attacks because hackers aim for Windows computers because that's the stuff they know most, because they're on 95% of the market.
If I had the money, I'd go Mac, no questions. But I simply can't afford any decent mac(Meaning anything other than their eMac, as far as I'm concerned), so once the computer I'm on becomes mine and not my family's, I'm going to put Linux on one of the two 80GB hard drives.
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Hey, hey! I was just asking. No need for flames. I'm a Windows user myself.
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Well, Giles seemed kinda irritated.
I have very few problems with Windows. The only chronic problems I've had were hardware problems. Crashes are usually the fault of applications. So yeah, incompetency probably accounts for most Windows problems....
I have very few problems with Windows. The only chronic problems I've had were hardware problems. Crashes are usually the fault of applications. So yeah, incompetency probably accounts for most Windows problems....
I work as a network admin and I get notifications for vulnerabilities. (sans.org if you must know). To say one OS/system is superior to another is oversimplifying the situation. There're places for all 3. Although the overwhelming majority of the vulnerabilities I've seen belongs to *nix AND Windows. That's not to say Macs aren't without problems... I would say they're "field tested less rigorously" than the other 2 just from the sheer differences in the number of users with the OS/system. Out of the box, I would agree that Macs are the most secure out of the 3 systems. But with a little work, Windows and Linux can be every bit as secure as a Mac, and then some. I would say Linux is the superior server OS while Windows would be the superior home user OS. Mac's great for media editing and makes for a great workstation but until someone can find me a copy of Grand Theft Auto 3 AND Mechwarrior 4 for the Mac, I wouldn't say Mac would be the superior home user OS.
kideng
kideng
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The debate over Linux vs Windows is so hard to side on. The thing is that for most people that have PC's, Linux is superior. That's because most people don't buy computers for the sole reason of gaming, most people use them for browsing, word processing, and the like. On that level, the capabilities of both Linux and Windows are just about equal. Then you add in the price variable, and Linux comes out ahead. But for gamers, then Windows is higher for the SINGLE REASON that the game manufacturers program their games for Windows, not Linux. If they programed more games for Linux(such as Unreal and Wolfenstein), I have a strong feeling that Linux could come out the champ. That is, if IBM wins the lawsuit over some part of Linux's source code...
About refurbished macs... I couldn't have one, mostly because ever since I've seen the video on the new G5, I've becomed infatuated with their dual 2Ghz
. But given a few months, and I'm sure that their product lines will become less expensive somewhat, and then maybe their lower-end G5 desktop will be semi-affordable, maybe even affordable if refurbished.Originally posted by rjensen11
The debate over Linux vs Windows is so hard to side on. The thing is that for most people that have PC's, Linux is superior. That's because most people don't buy computers for the sole reason of gaming, most people use them for browsing, word processing, and the like. On that level, the capabilities of both Linux and Windows are just about equal. Then you add in the price variable, and Linux comes out ahead. But for gamers, then Windows is higher for the SINGLE REASON that the game manufacturers program their games for Windows, not Linux. If they programed more games for Linux(such as Unreal and Wolfenstein), I have a strong feeling that Linux could come out the champ. That is, if IBM wins the lawsuit over some part of Linux's source code...
About refurbished macs... I couldn't have one, mostly because ever since I've seen the video on the new G5, I've becomed infatuated with their dual 2Ghz
You mentioned that the application capabilities of the 2 OSs are equal. What about Photoshop, Excel, or even Flash? If you want to talk about a superior end user GUI OS for the PC, I would pick IBM's OS/2 any day over Windows and Linux. But why did OS/2 die out? Because there's no software support for it, the same problem Linux is facing right now. The difference is, Linux won't die out because it'll always be around as a great server OS. And the reason (pure speculation here) why software developers are reluctent to write for Linux goes something like this... "If an user is not willing to pay $xx for an OS, what makes us think that they will pay $xx for a Linux version of our software." It would be nice if they make more games (and apps) in Linux. But don't expect it to happen anytime soon.
And, rjensen11, seeing how you're such a strong advocate for Linux, I'm curious what you do for a living and how much experience with Linux do you have?
kideng
http://www.ancientspear.com/mac.wmv
Dialup User Warning: File is 3.5mb
We need a crossbone emoticon...
kideng
We need a crossbone emoticon...
kideng
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...and still, he used a Mac to edit the video...and then encoded it as a .wmv?
GilesGuthrie
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I'm interested in the news that Adobe are dropping Mac support for Premiere and Encore.
If I were a Mac user, I would be very concerned at Adobe dropping Mac support.
If I were a Mac user, I would be very concerned at Adobe dropping Mac support.
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Actually, since I'll be 40 in about 18 months, I fully expect I'll feel exactly the same way about Macs and Windows as I did a few days ago when I wrote that.
I don't say Mac is the only way, or even the perfect way. My Macs tick me off too. Mostly what I say is I can't believe that 97% of the world willingly and/or unknowingly runs such a Byzantine operating system and tolerates such unbelievably poor consistency and functionality. If anybody is interested I'll try to cite some examples in as much detail as I can muster.
I've seen that "Think Different" ad parody. I admit it's pretty funny, but having listened to it several times, I'd say a bunch of the problems are directly attributable to not knowing how to use the computer. For instance, he talks about thinking he was making copies of files, but actually just making shortcuts. To make a shortcut, you have to hold a modifier key while you drag and drop; the default is to copy the files. So if that happened, they were doing it wrong, pure and simple.
GI-GO.
GilesGuthrie
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That's an interesting passage Snoopie.
Neon_Duke, doesn't it bother you that OS X is built on Unix, and is therefore up there with OpenWindows, X-Windows, or the 3 different GUIs that you get with Linux?
Have you read Alice in UNIXland?
It's "horses for courses" fundamentally, and I don't think that the Mac or Linux evangelists are right/wrong or any more or less valid than those people who run Windows. I have a Linux box. I hate XP (NT5.1: why did they bother??), and think that 98 was unforgiveable. Microsoft, like any company, has its faults, but the fact is that Windows 2000, Outlook and Excel are (with Paint Shop Pro 6 and Dreamweaver MX), the products that I (personally) think are the best pieces of software ever written.
But Neon_Duke, Sage et al: enjoy your Macs. I respect your choice. I hope (and think you do) respect mine to use a Win2K/Office2K system.
And on GroupWise: I run a 2,500 user, 36 Post Office GroupWise system, and can say that if you could run Outlook on a GroupWise back-end, you'd be onto a winner. Shame it took them until GW6 to work that one out.
Neon_Duke, doesn't it bother you that OS X is built on Unix, and is therefore up there with OpenWindows, X-Windows, or the 3 different GUIs that you get with Linux?
Have you read Alice in UNIXland?
It's "horses for courses" fundamentally, and I don't think that the Mac or Linux evangelists are right/wrong or any more or less valid than those people who run Windows. I have a Linux box. I hate XP (NT5.1: why did they bother??), and think that 98 was unforgiveable. Microsoft, like any company, has its faults, but the fact is that Windows 2000, Outlook and Excel are (with Paint Shop Pro 6 and Dreamweaver MX), the products that I (personally) think are the best pieces of software ever written.
But Neon_Duke, Sage et al: enjoy your Macs. I respect your choice. I hope (and think you do) respect mine to use a Win2K/Office2K system.
And on GroupWise: I run a 2,500 user, 36 Post Office GroupWise system, and can say that if you could run Outlook on a GroupWise back-end, you'd be onto a winner. Shame it took them until GW6 to work that one out.
Sage
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Sorry if this is a silly question, but why would that be bothersome? It seems to me that building the Mac OS off of Unix was one of the best things Apple has ever done...
I have!
Certainly.
(We just kinda scratch our head occasionally at many of the consumers who could benefit from using a Mac, IMO )
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Why do you hate XP, Giles?
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