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Mac vs PC

Apple PC's might be more expensive but they do have superior support IMHO.

To whom is their support superior? Every other computer maker?

I've only had to call Apple a few times for support but each time it has been a pleasurable experience. I had issues with an Airport that I purchased for a client once and the Apple tech was friendly, knowledgeable and competent. I have almost NEVER had the same luck with Windows tech support. I spent 3 hours on hold with a clients ISP and then Dlink trying to figure out how to change their routers lan subnet from 192.168.0 to 192.168.1 before I finally stumbled across the setting myself. I think because Apple makes the hardware AND software this allows them to control the user experience better.

You are comparing Apple support with Dlink support, a router manufacturer. So here you are not focusing on Apple as a computer maker, but on Apple the router maker vs Dlink the router maker.

Another thing regarding the price issue is that Mac OSX is based on the worlds most secure operating system OpenBSD and Mac users will have to pay lessto remove viruses/malware or reinstall operating system. Some of my Windows clients call me twice a year for this service. :D

The world's most secure operating system? Can you show that to be more than marketing hype?
 
Another thing regarding the price issue is that Mac OSX is based on the worlds most secure operating system OpenBSD and Mac users will have to pay lessto remove viruses/malware or reinstall operating system. Some of my Windows clients call me twice a year for this service. :D

Oh dear. There's so much wrong with this statement I don't even know where to begin.

OS X may use various userland portions of BSD, but it is not based on OpenBSD. It is a direct descendant of NeXTStep (which was later OpenStep) and runs on the mach kernel. This OS was developed by NeXT when Steve Jobs left Apple in the 80's. OpenBSD forked from the BSD tree in 1995 - almost a decade after NeXT was developed. Therefore it could not be based on OpenBSD. While NeXT incorporated BSD pieces from a very early version, the Mach kernel is in no way related to BSD's kernel, other than to use certain userland portions. Mach was developed at Carnegie Mellon University. Any guesses where BSD was developed?


As for security...well you're completely full of it. OS X can be rooted the same as any other operating system, and in many cases has been easily done so with a vanilla OEM install.

How about these links:

http://www.phrack.org/issues.html?issue=64&id=11
http://www.phrack.org/issues.html?issue=63&id=5
http://www.phrack.org/issues.html?issue=63&id=16#article

http://www.phrack.org/archives/66/p...cOS X Kernel Rootkits_by_ghalen and wowie.txt

Or these:

http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/securi...=com.ubuntu:en-US:unofficial&client=firefox-a
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-147087.html


So please, do not spread further rhetoric.
 
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OS X is UNIX/BSD
Windows is VMS


Why the heck do they even bother making new versions if they've already built from perfection? You all are being bamboozled with every new release of the operating system you buy!
 
OS X is UNIX/BSD
Windows is VMS


Why the heck do they even bother making new versions if they've already built from perfection? You all are being bamboozled with every new release of the operating system you buy!

funny-pictures-kitten-shoe-loled.jpg
 
My main work computer is a Mac...it sits right next to a PC.

There is nothing I can do on one better than I can on the other. The misconception that Macs "just work better" or are "easier to use" is just that, a misconception. 20 years ago Mac OS was better than DOS or the 1st gen "windows" OS.

Today, it's just a personal preference on what you think is prettier. I work in IT. I set up dozens of computers a month. There just as many WTF moments on a Mac as there is on a Windows based PC.

If anything Macs are "worse" because of compatibility. Older printers are a super pain in the arse to set up on a Mac. Authenticating to Active Directory on a Mac is a super pain in the arse. Getting some enterprise applications to run on a Mac is a super pain in the arse. It has nothing to do with Macs being crappy. It's simple logic. There are 20 PC users for every Mac user, so companies cater to the side that makes them the most money. If you write viruses for a living, you make a better living writing for Windows....it's not because Macs are virus proof, it's because your target audience is bigger with Windows.

Even something as benign as MMO's show how skewered the tables are. The only MMO designed from the onset to run on Macs is World of Warcraft. There are at least 40 MMO's on the market at this moment.

This is the opinion of someone that uses both Mac and PC on a daily basis.
 
I think I have noticed a trend in this thread, those that seem to mainly use one platform favour that platform, those that use both tend to view both platforms with... er... frustration!

Have I mentioned recently that I hate iTunes equally on both platforms?
 
I think I have noticed a trend in this thread, those that seem to mainly use one platform favour that platform, those that use both tend to view both platforms with... er... frustration!

I've used both, and find them both not that different.

Myself, though, I prefer Windows because of the control I have over specific settings (as a gaming enthusiast, it's important).

Have I mentioned recently that I hate iTunes equally on both platforms?

I 100% agree.

Though I've got less issue with the way it works with older iPods than the new stuff. My old iPod Mini, and even my iPod 5th Gen would work on multiple computers. So long as it was authorized, I could pull my music off of more than one machine.

Now that I have an iPhone? Forget it. I get one computer, and that's it. And the piss-poor remedy of Home Sharing (which should have been there from the start) doesn't make up for the fact that I can't bring in my music from more than one computer, unlike my older iPods.
 
Full disclosure for me:

- I own shares of Apple stock and have for a long time. I wish them the very best.
- I own an iPhone. I can't imagine life without it.
- I use iTunes to manage my music. It can be annoying but it works.
- I just built a beautifully performing computer with a quad core processor. The whole thing cost me less than $500.00 USD.
- I installed Windows 7 64-bit and have been using it for a couple of weeks now. It's a pleasure to use.
- I work with all different kinds of computers including many made by Apple, and am very familar with the various OSs they have produced.
- I am also familiar with other common operating systems such as Linux and Solaris.

I am arguing against a lot of the nonsense being spread around, especially this "Mac vs PC" idea, which is filled with misconceptions.
 
To be fair the spork is bar far the best utensil.

Not at all.

You've only got that pathetic little bit that's a fork, and you have reduced spoonage because of it.

As someone who's hiked and camped quite a bit, the obvious answer is that a spoon is the far superior utensil.
 
So, basically, we've got 14 votes for the PC, and 2 for the Mac.

PC WINS!!

Close the thread.
 
I don't know if this will add anything, or if everyone will just tell me I am full of crap again. But this is my experiences:

I use a PC (Dell) at the store, partly for cost, and partly because I wasn't aware there was a Mac version of the inventory software available. But mostly it was cost. At home, I use a Mac. I do this because I am more comfortable with the system. I just am. This could easily be because it is the system I have used the most, so naturally this is subjective.

In my work experience, I have worked for 3 catalog companies. In each one, the departments that put together used Macs, as did the photo studios they worked with (4 in total). All three had very different method of production, but they were using Macs. I don't know why, since everyone has been saying that they can do everything on a PC that can be done on a Mac. Maybe artists are just stuck in their ways.

Now in addition to the store I sort of have a side business where I help people in Philly with their computers. This is nothing hardcore or IT related in any way because I am essentially working with people who are friends of, or friends of friends of, or friends of friends of friends of my parents. These are not young people. The median age is about 70+.

Many of them are computer luddites. Some are not, such as my dad who took to computers and CAD work with ease (I joke that Dad was a computer nerd who had to wait for the technology to be developed). But many of them had trouble getting the clock on their VCR to stop blinking "12:00". Very often what I am doing is helping them set up the computer for the first time or doing some kind of fix for a problem that cropped up (it is usually not the computer's fault, such as Verizon denying the use of a STMP port and messing up emails all around town). I am dealing with a mix of PCs and Macs, very often these folk's first computer.

Now make of this what you will (and it could mean nothing) but I have noticed that the ones who got Macs seem to *do* more with their computers than those with the PCs. The PCs are often just filling in the position that one of those old email machines could have done - with perhaps a word processor added on. I was amazed when I explained to one person with a lovely looking brand-new Dell laptop that they could use the browser for more than just going to look at their stocks. Wheras another woman who had a Mac, and I thought would never use their computer except to print out medieval paintings (to do so I had to explain the browser and google to her) and maybe email has found all sorts of things to do online, such as downloading German radio programs and other things that interest her. This is typical across my 'customer base' with only a few exceptions.

Mind you, pandering to elderly folks isn't going to be a winning business plan in the computer world, but I do put it out there because when several very highly skilled and knowledgeable computer folks start arguing stats and whatnot and assume what they think is best is what average folks want they might be missing something rather crucial.
 
That seems a little odd. If you're able to use the browser on Mac or PC, I cannot imagine anything making you more likely to visit other websites, since the OS and hardware do not really intrude. You're pretty much in a sandbox.
 
Now make of this what you will (and it could mean nothing) but ...

I does not mean what you think it means. There seems to be a lot of confirmation bias in this thread.

They are just computers. They are the same. The operating system can be different, but it doesn't make much of a difference. The web browsers perform the same functions, the e-mail software as well. Besides, Apple and Microsoft software is available for both platforms anyway.

I wish Apple would allow people to install their OS on any machine. I don't like breaking license agreements but I would enjoy having Snow Leopard in the mix of operating systems I use at home without feeling ripped off or buying an extra more expensive computer.
 
I does not mean what you think it means. There seems to be a lot of confirmation bias in this thread.

Maybe, but there is a lot of it coming from people who are high-end or medium end users who have quite a level of experience with computers. We forget sometimes what things might look like to someone with very little experience

They are just computers. They are the same. The operating system can be different, but it doesn't make much of a difference. The web browsers perform the same functions, the e-mail software as well. Besides, Apple and Microsoft software is available for both platforms anyway.

I wish Apple would allow people to install their OS on any machine. I don't like breaking license agreements but I would enjoy having Snow Leopard in the mix of operating systems I use at home without feeling ripped off or buying an extra more expensive computer.

:confused: Why? According to you they are the same.
 
The whole Apple Vs PC thing makes no sense. I mean people do realise that Apple make PCs, right?

If we want to talk companies however, you can distinguish between Apple and "Anyone Else". And "Anyone Else" comes out on top for one obvious reason.

Apple does its best, in everything it does, to retain absolute control over all aspects of its products. They make using any other products with theirs incredibly difficult, and instead force most users to use only their products. They're the epitome of "Evil Corporation".

By stark contrast, other companies (such as Microsoft) tend to produce products that are as widely compatible as possible, able to be used with a vast myriad of different products produced by different companies. The epitome of "Open Corporation". That is why Microsoft is vastly more popular than Apple, as it should be.
 

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