Apple's Mac muscles in

Boston Globe ^ | 8/20/2002 | Hiawatha Bray

[ArcLight]

High-powered computers are the "tech" in biotechnology. So it's no surprise that Cambridge-based biotech giant Genzyme Corp. uses lots of muscular workstation machines, most of them running the sophisticated Unix operating system.

But what is surprising is that some of these powerful Unix boxes bear the trademark of Apple Computer Inc. They're Macintoshes — the same user-friendly computers that have earned Apple a loyal following among artists, publishers, and home computer users.

Apple is in the midst of a high-profile effort to persuade consumers to abandon computers using Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system in favor of the Mac. It's a campaign that'll heat up this week with the release of Jaguar, the newest version of Apple's OS X operating system. But OS X has already made inroads among scientists and engineers. They say the software has transformed the Mac into a computer capable of heavy-duty scientific and technical computing tasks.

[zarf]

Macs kick butt.

[basil]

I concur!

[Cosmo]

Aside from the lack of zippiness I experienced with OS 9, OS X is virtually flawless for my applications at this point. I have not had a crash since last October. Windows users don't know what they're missing

[Illbay]

Macs kick butt.

And their operating systems are only nine years or so behind the curve! (NOTE: I'm talking about Linux, not Windows).

[egarvue]

I'm not going to disparage Apple, because they do make fine computers. But as for Windows users not knowing what they're missing: I develop on and use Windows 2000 workstations and servers at work, and use XP at home. I have yet to experience a crash on either. Ever.

[Dick Vomer]

Yawn....... every couple of months.... Macs "kick butt" or are coming out with the "best" hard drive, monitor, video system, audio transfer, yada..yada... yada.... blah..blah...blah .... blah....

so why if they are so freaking great don't they sell more than Windows based machines.... oh that's right 95% of the world is stupid and can't figure it out... ....

oh that's right the software weenies are too stupid too make programs for Apple.......

oh that's right everybody is wrong and Apple and the savants of Cupertino are the saviors from Bill Gates...

how about this... how about just selling it cheaper and licensing out the Mac or Apple and if you can get to 15% market share tell us all how great Apple is ... only lib weenies and rich folk can afford the expensive software jihad against Microsoft. ( i think there stuff blows but it has lots of games, programs etc...)

[Andy Ross]

A Mac version of Matlab is available again (6.5 is out for OSX). Should make them much more attractive in many engineering fields: especially in academia.

But I'll still never use them. I've got five buttons and a scroll-wheel on my mouse, and I never intend to have less.

Andrew

[Mortimer Snavely]

FYI

[Fred Mertz]

iPing!

[Mortimer Snavely]

"oh that's right everybody is wrong and Apple and the savants of Cupertino are the saviors from Bill Gates..."

Got it in a trice! An absolutely correct observation.

[ThinkDifferent]

I've got five buttons and a scroll-wheel on my mouse, and I never intend to have less.

And you don't have to. You can plug in a multibutton mouse to a Mac and use it right away, scroll wheel and everything.

[Mr. Jeeves]

OS X looks cool. Macs won't do me any good at work, but I would still like to have one of those high-end PowerBooks to play with.

[MadIvan]

It is a question of having the right tool for the right job. Macs have been very good for specialised tasks like desktop publishing. But most programmers I know use PCs and that is just how it is. One is not necessarily better than the other - but one is more useful to certain trades than the other.

Regards, Ivan

[ThinkDifferent]

so why if they are so freaking great don't they sell more than Windows based machines

The same reason why more people drive Escorts than Mercedes.

[TomServo]

Windows users don't know what they're missing

Interesting. Been using W2K since it hit the stores and have yet to experience a crash. My server is running W2K advanced server. Needless to say, it hasn't crashed either.

[zarf]

My music sequencer isn't OSX compatible yet, so I'm OS X deprived at this hour.

I am a Logic Platinum user, so being that Apple just bought Emagic....I should be OSX ready within the next decade.

[ZeitgeistSurfer]

Macs are about aesthetics, not power or practicality. And about 5% of the population thinks aesthetics are important. Frankly, I can't live without the right mouse button.

[js1138]

I have yet to experience a crash on either. Ever.

Same here. When I saw a recent two-page MAC spread in the New York Times that was entirely anti-Windows, my first thought was, "Now that Win95 and 98 are gone, Apple is going to have to work to preserve the idea that Windows is unreliable. Those of us who Switched to NT some years ago simply don't know what the fuss was about.