PC vs. Mac deathmatch: Snow Leopard beats Windows 7

Computerworld ^ | 10/26/2009 | By Curtis Franklin Jr.

[Swordmaker]

I have a confession: I'm a switcher. My long journey with Windows, which began even before Windows with MS-DOS, ended with Windows Vista. While so many others navigated the Vista debacle by sticking with Windows XP, I gave Vista a try -- and gave up. I leapt to the Mac OS.

Could Windows 7 lure me back?

Windows 7 was built to fix the problems that plagued Vista, and it unquestionably succeeds in doing that. It's a bit less bloated, and it runs a bit faster. The annoying security alerts from User Account Control have been quieted. And the compatibility issues with third-party software and hardware device drivers have largely been ironed away; after all, it's been two and a half years since Vista debuted. Windows 7 even includes a virtual "XP mode" for running legacy programs.

[ Which is better? The Mac OS and Windows 7 UIs face off. | Get InfoWorld's 21-page hands-on look at the next version of Windows, from InfoWorld’s editors and contributors. | Find out what's new, what's wrong, and what's good about Windows 7 in InfoWorld's "Windows 7: The essential guide." ]

Windows 7 goes a few steps beyond merely repairing Vista. It borrows --and improves on -- tricks from the Mac's playbook to make it easier and faster to organize files and launch programs. Like Apple's operating system, Windows 7 not only looks good, but it has tools and shortcuts that help you work more efficiently. If there were ever a Windows that could challenge Mac OS X, Windows 7 is it.

[Swordmaker]

Another Snow Leopard v. Windows7 face-off... Leopard wins. PING!

Nice Kitty Ping!

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.

[FredZarguna]

You're posting an article from Computerworld as if it has some kind of technical value? Wasdn't People Magazine's Mac vs. Windows review available? Or Tiger Beat?

Computerword.

Snicker.

[microgood]

Based on the preorders vs Vista and projected sales for 2009 and 2010, Microsoft is going to make a big chunk of change on 7. I heard 68 million for 09 and 180 million plus for 2010.

[antiRepublicrat]

I’ve been liking 7 since RC1. If it had been out two years ago I might not have switched to Mac, at least for reasons of OS. I still might have gone for the great hardware though.

The OS X advantage over Windows is definitely slimmer now, but it’s still there. OTOH, there should be an OS X 10.7 (”Ceiling Cat”?) before there’s a Windows 8, continuing the pattern of OS X leaping ahead just before Windows lands just short of where it was.

[Island Girl]

I just upgraded to 7 this afternoon. Liking it much. You can keep your Mac ‘Fisher Price My 1st Computer’.

[Swordmaker]

Computerword.

Snicker.

CNet did a similar face-off and Leopard won that one too.

This is actually from InfoWorld, not much better.

Some of the kudos and points that this reviewer, Curtis Franklin, Jr., gives to Windows7—those about pinning a folder to the task bar—have been on Mac OS X since version zero. I don't quite see how duplicating something that Mac OS X has been doing since 2001 gives those "points" to Windows7 as though this functionality is somehow lacking in Leopard. In fact, on the Mac you can make those folders "Smart Folders" that dynamically change to include automatically new files associated with their purpose regardless of where the actual file is located. I suspect that, even though Franklin is a "switcher." he really doesn't know all the features of OS X. Perhaps he should have asked someone who really does know the features.

[Swordmaker]

You can keep your Mac ‘Fisher Price My 1st Computer’.

You apparently are not aware that Mac OS X is one of the four fully certified UNIX™ operating systems, and it can easily run OS X Leopard, WindowsXP, Windows Vista, Windows7, and Linux, all at the same time.

I suggest that perhaps that makes it more than a "Fisher Price" toy.

[awestk]

I hate getting involved in OS flame wars, but as a software engineer that has developed on Windows, Mac (OSX), Unix and Linux - that is just an ignorant statement.

being able to use the *nix command line makes tons of tasks faster than Windows for developers, plus I also do music and video editing which the mac is great for.

I have mac, windows (laptop and Vms), and ubuntu installed here at home.

Windows is my least favorite OS, but to equate Mac’s to Fisher Price toys is just ludicrous.

I hope to all get out you are being sarcastic or tongue in cheek. Unless you are hot, in which case, yes, mac sucks big time.

[Terpfen]

The annoying security alerts from User Account Control have been quieted.

I can say from first hand experience that, no, UAC has not been quieted. Modified, yes. Quieted, no.

Windows is in the unique position of being an OS that now asks you if you want to run the file you just downloaded, then immediately displaying a UAC prompt again asking if you want to run the file. And if the file you're trying to run happens to be an installer, then UAC will interrupt the installation process to ask you if you're sure you want the program to install!

Describing Microsoft's interface planners as incompetent would be an insult to the incompetent.

[John Valentine]

Can you tell me why so many PC users are gratuitously obnoxious and snide? I really would like to know.

[Swordmaker]

Another point that Franklin called a "draw" is strange because he says that both Windows7 and Snow Leopard "slow down" over a few days of not being rebooted. (He did eventually give the "points" to Snow Leopard because of quicker start-ups.) My professional and personal experience tells me that his reported slowdown in the operation of OS X is false.

I manage several businesses worth of Macs with Snow Leopard now running and I have three right here in my family room. None of them have had to be cold booted to restore lost speed.

My personal 24" iMac that I am typing this on has been operating continuously 24/7 since I updated it to OS X.6.1 on September 11th, 45 days, 6.5 hours ago. There is no observable slowdown in operation and it is currently running 22 major applications simultaneously.

My 1st generation MacBook Pro has been running for 16 days, 3 hours. No slowdown seen.

One of my client's business' has eight OS X Macs that have been running 24/7 on OS X.5.8 (I won't let them upgrade for awhile) going on 77 days with no slow-down.

I don't know what Franklin's problem with his reported slow down in Snow Leopard is (perhaps that unnecessary anti-virus he's running at start-up?), but it is certainly atypical for Mac OS X to evince any slow down in operation over time at all.

[spandau-guard]

I have one question for everyone:
On what computers will Windows 7 run on and on what computers will OSX-Leopard run on?
When a company controls both the operating system and the hardware that can be used to run the operating system it should beat any other operating system but be considerably more expensive to purchase.

There are always tradeoffs.
Windows-open architecture. Apple-closed architecture.
I used to work in a mainframe environment and software was always bundled, the hardware restrictive and extremely expensive. The PC changed all that.

[Swordmaker]

One other issue that Franklin seems not to know is that OS X's Dock can be easily placed on either the left, right, or bottom of the screen. Windows7's only advantage appears to be that the user can place it at the top of the screen, if they so want. Of course, Windows has had this capability to reposition the task bar since Windows95... it's not new to Windows7. Why is he so impressed? Did MS remove this option in Vista??? I don't know about that because I never had need or desire to move the task bar when working in Vista.

The only reason Apple will not allow the Dock on the top is because that is reserved for the Menu bar.

[TChad]

Did MS remove this option in Vista???

It still works in Vista.

[Swordmaker]

It still works in Vista.

Thanks, TChad. I thought so.

[WallStreetCapitalist]

You sound like I did 5 years ago before switching. Now, I’ve drunk the Mac Kool-Aide. I have a PowerMac system with two 30” dual HD monitors and can run Windows from a program called Parallel desktop. When I need to be in a Windows program, I click the launch button, do my thing, and then click back to my iTunes or whatever.

I would never go back. The space feature is huge for me. The only downside is the Mac version of Microsoft Office SUCKS. It is horrible compared to the recent PC version, so I run it from within Windows.

[PanzerKardinal]

Can you tell me why so many PC users are gratuitously obnoxious and snide? I really would like to know.

Obnoxious and snide?

You mean like those Apple commercials?

I own Apple products - iPhone and MacPro desktop. Heck sitting on my bookshelf is an origninal Mac running system 1.1.

But I'm never getting buying another Apple product because I'm sick and tired of how Apple operates.

Remember the whole iPhone headphone jack debacle? Oh we'll just make it 1mm longer so you have to buy our licensed headphones at a huge markup.

Ever try to buy a replacement power brick for a MacBook? No going down to Radio Shack. No it's off to the Apple store and the cost - $80!

And God help me if I ever try installing OS X on a non-Apple system. I've just violated the EULA.

I now equate a Mac with a Prius. It doesn't actually work better but it sure does show that you have bought into the "lifestyle" BS.

[John Valentine]

I’m not going to defend Apple’s commercials. They turn me off, but Apple seems to think they work.

And I appreciate that you choose to comment on actual issues with Mac hardware and software without ever implying that Mac users wear ladies underwear. Honestly, that is appreciated. And, it’s true that some hardware is designed to require Apple parts. But, some is not. I just installed two 2 terabyte hard drives in my MacPro. They are standard off the shelf hard drives. Off the shelf mice work pretty well. Laptop batteries are a different story.

[PanzerKardinal]

Speaking of Mac Pro’s.

I have a very fancy Mac Pro at work. Cost with corporate discount over $9,000, retail was around $11,000.

Have a PC machine at home which runs faster, has more memory, better graphics, better sound, better raid capacity, more hard drives, better monitor, even runs OS-X. Total cost $4000 out the door.

I’d say that’s a pretty hefty profit margin. Must be the price of the priviledge of owning Apple.