Posted on 01/30/2008 8:29:57 AM PST by Scoutmaster
Please excuse the vanity, but I know many of you have very definite (and often informed) opinions about PC v. MAC.
I have an opportunity to upgrade my home desktop and laptop with designated funds from work. In other words, somebody else’s money, enough to seriously soup up a Mac Pro desktop and a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air. If I choose PC, then I'll upgrade only my laptop. No need to upgrade my PC desktop - the drudgery of re-installing software far outweighs the little jump I'd make in PC desktop technology.
If knowing about my PC use is helpful, read on. If not, then just skip to the asterisks below.
Me? PC user since I bought my first desktop in 1991 but have since built about a dozen PCs for my family, the last couple with fairly high-end Core 2 Duo-type specs. I have a better working knowledge of the Windows XP Pro OS and PC hardware than most computer users, but in a room of IT people I’m a lightweight. My kids can call from college with a Windows OS or software problem and I can usually talk them through the fix or the installation of new or replacement hardware. No real Windows OS problems, perhaps because I’m finicky about regular maintenance of the OS, cleaning unnecessary files, fixing minor registry errors, defragging, optimizing the start-up processes, removing all remnants of programs I no longer use, etc. Feel as though I would be starting from knowledge point zero if I switch to a Mac.
Job involves lots of writing, so for work purposes my PC is a basically a word processor/research tool which I use for hours each day.
At play, I’m a heavy Internet user, a moderately heavy web design/video/graphics/Flash animation user, with a developing knowledge of 3d graphics/3d animation.
Often use my laptop for graphics, video, and animation play when on the road.
When I start to think Mac, my practical side reminds me that I have a metric Peruvian buttload of Windows software to support my graphics/animation addiction (software acquired at educational prices, a minor blessing) – such as most of Adobe’s current web design, graphics, photo, and video/DVD production software; and Maxon, Maya, SoftImage, and Z-Brush 3d graphics/3d animation software. I’m a sucker for 'superior' after-market (Open Source, if possible) administrative/maintenance software alternatives to the standard Windows programs - Diskeeper Pro, Firefox, Opera, GetRight downloader, etc.
Our family operates on a pass-down hierarchy of computer technology, so my switching to Mac would eventually result in Macs for three PC-savvy kids and for a please-just-do-it-and-don’t-make-me-learn-that-computer-stuff spousal unit whose computer use is frequent but involves little more than Office Word, Quicken, and the Internet.
* * * * *
I’ve read what I can find from technical pros and everyday geeks who tried and documented a test-run switch to Mac – some of whom drank the Mac Kool-Aid and some of whom stayed with a PC.
Spoke with several of our IT people. Mac would be compatible to network with work, but they warn that they are notably unsuited to assist with any Mac-related compatibility issues.
* * * *
I realize I could acquire the Mac versions of the video production, animation, and graphics software I use most often. I realize a Mac would run Final Cut Pro and other respected Mac-specific software titles. I also realize that in a pinch I can set up the Mac for dual OS and keep running the Windows version of that software.
What practical advice would you give to help me make an informed PC v. Mac decision?
You mean Time Machine? It's so simple and yet so brilliant. :-)
- Given that your computer is free, the cost of a Mac over a PC is the cost of a copy of Windows to enable Boot Camp to run all your PC software. After that, you have the same ability to run your old software that you ever had. Plus the ability to upgrade to VMware to run OSX simultaneously with Windows if you find that you wanna.
- If you do elect to run Windows under VMware, you boot from a clean install of Windows every time. Making your Windows system more reliable (so I am assured, I've never tried it).
- Time Machine is a reassuring feature of Leopard which I have provided with an external hard drive.
- Apple sends software updates to keep ahead of software vulnerabilities before they are exploited, and they produce upgrades to OSX that are real improvements and not change for the sake of change.
- You mentioned handing computers down in the family; I recently handed down a five-year-old G4 Mac to my daughter, and she is delighted. (in that time it did have a hard drive failure, and for Christmas my son upgraded the RAM, otherwise no maintenance besides getting a wireless mouse). Macs tend to have good resale value. I made a mistake not upgrading to Tiger when it came out, and as a result I ended up springing for a new iMac when Leopard wanted a faster processor than I had (but OSX isn't noted for running slower with each upgrade). Otherwise I'd still have the same box, and been happy.
Have you ever actually tried to get tech support help from Dell???
If you can work around the deep, incomprehensible accents, it's then a crapshoot as to whether you'll get someone who knows what he or she is doing, or (more likely) not. They've left me with unsolved problems (including the one for which I had to pay ~ $100 to some geek repair service) and often contradictory advice (because I usually had to make repeated calls to get problems solved).
This security estimation by counting advisories was well debunked a while ago.
However POSIX compliance isn’t that big of a deal.... Windows is mostly POSIX compliant
Windows is partially POSIX compliant through a compatibility layer, as you said, just enough to make the feds happy. In any case, POSIX compatibility is not UNIX certification.
Heck many flavours of Unix (including most Linux distros and FreeBSD) don’t really do any better then that.
Linux and FreeBSD are pretty much UNIX compliant in fact, but two things keep them from getting official certification: 1) You need a company with the cash and control over the source to push compliance, 2) they change so fast they'd be out of compliance by the time they were in. Apple basically forked BSD in order to have the control necessary to get it certified compliant.
That is good from a security standpoint but comes with a real trade off from the administrative overhead aspect....especialy for home users. Admitedly the last time I worked with Mac was only very early OS X.
It works pretty well. You can still call up Terminal and sudo to your heart's delight, but the average user never needs to do that. Some things are actually hidden too well IMHO. For example, you can check a box to enable power management on your hard drives and it works well, but to get the fine-grained control a geek would want you gave to go to Terminal. If I turn on Windows file sharing, OS X starts the service and opens the port, pretty simple.
Not by default. But a good tactic is to do an initial Windows install with all the updates to a solid starting point, then copy the VM file or use Fusion's snapshot feature. For this stage I'd suggest copying since you might later want to build a machine for a different function and this gives you the pristine OS to start with, saving you hours.
Then install all of your apps and configure them as you like, then snapshot again. Thus you always have two solid base points you can go back to.
Please list the model and OS version of the Mac you are allegedly finding this to be true on.
I made my Mac mouse function as if it has 2 buttons. Went to the Apple menu, then System Preferences, then into the section for Keyboard & Mouse.
Hm, if you made the “mistake” in October, that must be an Intel Mac.
Why is it “gathering dust” when you can use it as a Windows PC for free?
Doesn’t run Office programs well... really? What office programs have you tried.
I am a lifelong PC user and IT guy, but hey if you like Mac, go for it. The Intel-based Macbook Pros are great.
It’s even more beautiful to use! I got one for my birthday last month. :-D
I was going to order the faster 200 GB @7200 rpm HD and a second HD, the slower 250 GB @5400 rpm.
Am I OK?
OS X Alias = Windows Shortcut. That's all the average user needs to know.
The rest is pretty technical stuff, but the hard links with Time Machine are basically how Apple can get away with doing a "full backup" of 200 GB of data every hour and not fill a one terabyte hard drive in five hours.
On a side note, do you know anything about iTunes?
Just as a regular user. I've used most of the media apps out there, and it's my personal favorite, although others strongly disagree. A matter of personal taste I guess. I've never bought anything at the store, but my wife did once. You have to establish an account (which you already have if you've registered an iPod), takes under a minute, then I guess just try to load up your gift card and see if it works. Can't hurt to try.*
The help in iTunes tells you how to easily back up your purchased music with DRM (playing and transfer restrictions) in case your computer ever dies. The restrictions of the DRM are pretty loose, but I'd still stick with non-DRM music, especially if you have a portable player other than an iPod.
* Alternately, you could send me the gift card. :)
There's your answer. Since this is a work pc, if you want support from your IT department you should go with a pc. The only alternative might be a Mac that dual boots Windows.
No kidding! It was as hard as saying "Yes" to a dialog when I plugged in a USB hard drive. But beyond that I did need to go into Preferences and tell it to quit backing up my temporary video folder, otherwise it filled up that hard drive pretty fast.
Should be fine with that one..
“Hard drives are like baby clothes... The minute you buy them, they’re too small...”
:-)
““Hard drives are like baby clothes... “
You’re right. Maybe a nice 750 GB too. It’s only money, and it’s not mine.
Go to VMware Fusion at Amazon for $42.49
Where's the "Aw, Jeez?" guy when you need him?
If the PC mouse is USB, you just plug it into the Mac and keep on using it.
Um... where did you get the idea that the [current] Mac Mighty Mouse is "one-button"? The Mighty Mouse has 2 standard buttons ("left" and "right"), an extra button on the side(s), and has a scroll wheel/ball that works both up/down and left/right. And it's all re-programmable to your liking in the Mouse preference pane.
I use a Logitech MX-610 mouse on this Mac. It has TEN buttons. The MX-610 is/was marketed by Logitech as "PC-only". Logitech offers no Mac drivers and no Mac support for this one.
I plugged it into my PowerMac g4/1.25ghz "dualie" and OS X recognized it IMMMEDIATELY. No drivers, NO NOTHING. In fact, while I didn't think the "volume up", "volume down", and "mute" buttons would function, OS X knew what they were for and they work perfectly.
I have further programmed the additional buttons using either "USB Overdrive" or "SteerMouse".
Do you have any more complaints about the Mac and mice?
- John
Not just yeah, but HELL YEAH.
It's never been a problem. For a while, I was using a 3 button Logitech mouse at work and kept the one button mouse at home.
Now I have a Mighty Mouse with a scroll ball.
In some cases, the single button combined with the keyboard reduces the number of steps to perform functions.
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