PC vs MAC vs Unix/Linux or should that be Mac users against the world?

[treggs]

Ok this has only really been sort of done before, pretty much limited to childish arguing between users in different threads. If you want to argue about the pro's and cons of different operating systems, computer hardware architecture and the like.... this is the place to do it. Let's limit the name calling (this clause is from past experience) and stick to LOGICAL arguments and you opinions. Please avoid "mine is bigger than yours".

SO some questions to start the ball rolling....
1. What systems are people using?
2. Why do you use this system?
3. What merits do you think your system has over other systems for your uses?
4. Why do Apple users defend their computers so much? [/ducks]

P.S. W2ttsy gets the credit for putting the idea for this thread in my head

 

[roasted]

I like my mac, but I'm not going to try and defend it. I will say it's more stable, but the compatibility things shit me. My view is that mac > PC for office purposes and heavy graphic work, and video editing, blah, but due to the one minded nature of most games developers, PC will always reign supreme for computer games. Im sick of badly done ports of games to mac (doom anyone?) and unless my future occupation involves resource intensive graphic design, I will be going back to a PC. I'd like a combination (wouldnt that be ideal ) of mac stability with windows compatibility, with a mac OSX like interface.

 

[treggs]

That's the first time I've heard a Mac user say they will probably go back to PC. Interesting.... I agree, MAC does seem to be nice for the mentioned applications but you gotta have games. I run Mandriva Linux and Windows dual boot cos I gotta play games.

 

[Binaural]

SO some questions to start the ball rolling....
1. What systems are people using?
2. Why do you use this system?
3. What merits do you think your system has over other systems for your uses?
4. Why do Apple users defend their computers so much? [/ducks]

P.S. W2ttsy gets the credit for putting the idea for this thread in my head

I mostly use Windows, because I have to for work. At home I run Windows and Mandrake Linux, which I love. I used macs heaps and heaps when I was a kid, because my old man was an engineer and once upon a time you could get a lot of good technical software for macs. I wish I didn't have to use Windows so much though; it's bloated and not very configurable.

My favourite operating system is probably Linux, since I used to develop quite a few software applications for it. The last one was a distributed robot control platform for a development robot Cave Dweller and I developed together in Red Hat 9. Very pointy-headed stuff, will post a video of the totally wild segment on it if there are requests. I chose that OS because it is simple, modular and very developer orientated. I stripped out everything I didn't need and coded what I did, which is important for embedded applications where you can't afford a full-on real time operating system. All worked a treat!

Mind you, a lot of simple things require a certain amount of bloody mindedness, like getting drivers for obscure hardware and so forth, and it pisses me off that there is not a lot of commercial software for the platform. Otherwise I like it a lot!

So before anyone slags Linux, consider this: can YOUR computer bring you a beer?

 

[cheese]

1. What systems are people using?
OSX on g5 and g4 imacs.

2. Why do you use this system?
Well the g4 is mine in my room. The g5 is good when i need something with some more power. Weve always had macs and im now used to them, i can use windowz as well but its just not quite as good.

3. What merits do you think your system has over other systems for your
uses?
Well i sit around on the net and just listen to music on the g4. It's linked up to my stereo. itunes is perfect for the job. I use the G5 for games (i started playing doom3 months ago and havnt realy gotten anywhere) I dont play games all that much on the computer but i think the G5 can handle games fairly well. I also use the g5 for producing music and video. The g5 can also run virtual PC so I can run windows programs if i realy need to.

4. Why do Apple users defend their computers so much? [/ducks]
Jealousy of the cool looking and performing computers creates spiteful comments from windows users, we just have to constantly defend them

 

[W2ttsy]

well as you may have guessed from my other post, i am the farkin mac zealot.

i will argue for them logically until the cows come home. weird, but its what makes us mac users.

i own two macs, a power mac tower, and a powerbook laptop. both are running the latest mac os x revision, which is tiger. i find them both very easy to use, and commanding as well.
the OS is very powerful, and with its unix underpinnings, i can also enjoy stuff like PHP, mySQL and apache web server and have them run natively.

as a web developer (primary role in my life), i like the ability to run all the above services without the need for a server edition of the OS, or expensive add on packs (SQL server anyone? $5-10k for the server app )

also, PHP and mySQL are fairly portable across all the platforms, so at the end of the day, i could get it all done on a nix box too. but i already have two, so the need for a pure linux machine isnt needed. that and apple provide all the stuff i need, so its guaranteed to work with out complications.

now before i get bashed for being a shallow minded mac user, i have used most versions of windows, including just dos, and also a fair few versions of linux. my experiences here have not been nearly as pleasant as the mac one of course, and thats one of the factors in me staying on the apple bandwagon.

i think mac users are especially defensive because people hang shit on them for using a computer that doesnt run windows, and most of the time it is ignorant shit, and that just makes us pissed off. no one likes copping shit that isnt even accurate.

"i dont like macs cos they suck" < that is not an argument, that is shit!
"i dont like macs cos they dont do windows" < side stepping improper use of english, of course they dont, they run mac os!
"microsoft invented macs" no they didnt, they are primarily a software company, with some hard ware holdings (ie xbox, intellimouse, etc). they didnt invent apple, or macintosh computers, or even dos.
"bill gates owns apple". the answer is no, he doesnt, he owns some personal shares in the company, and microsoft also owns a percentage of shares as well. Apple are legally not allowed to sell themselves or be bought by MS as it contradicts the monopoly/antitrust laws in the US.

stuff like the above bullshit is what sets us off. that said, present a good argument, and we are happy to share our views. and dont get me started on the ignorant shit that evolves in all the ipod threads ive seen come and go on the boards.
half of it isnt even true, and the rest is mac bashing. "dont buy anything with an apple on it, its crap" < what the hell is that?
if anyone has a mac or ipod issue, feel free to PM me, im a certified mac tech and can probably give you a decent amount of help before you need to take your apple gear back to the shop.

apple have innovated more IT products than any other company can put its name to. microsoft, and others have simply put their spin/logo on those innovations and passed it off as their own.
so before paying out apple, think about where legal music downloads would be without iTMS, where the mouse would be without Apple, where the GUI would be without Apple.
the answer is in the dustbin.

also, aside to all the above, i have made some progress on that MTB race management system i was talking about a while back. i should have something to show off in the next few weeks or so...

W2ttsy

 

[treggs]

^^^^ That's the sorta stuff I'm after^^^^
Nice one W2ttsy

Keep it coming boys and girls

Don't be afraid of posing your owns questions either....

 

[Elbo]

well as you may have guessed from my other post, i am the farkin mac zealot.

i will argue for them logically until the cows come home. weird, but its what makes us mac users.

i own two macs, a power mac tower, and a powerbook laptop. both are running the latest mac os x revision, which is tiger. i find them both very easy to use, and commanding as well.
the OS is very powerful, and with its unix underpinnings, i can also enjoy stuff like PHP, mySQL and apache web server and have them run natively.

as a web developer (primary role in my life), i like the ability to run all the above services without the need for a server edition of the OS, or expensive add on packs (SQL server anyone? $5-10k for the server app )

also, PHP and mySQL are fairly portable across all the platforms, so at the end of the day, i could get it all done on a nix box too. but i already have two, so the need for a pure linux machine isnt needed. that and apple provide all the stuff i need, so its guaranteed to work with out complications.

now before i get bashed for being a shallow minded mac user, i have used most versions of windows, including just dos, and also a fair few versions of linux. my experiences here have not been nearly as pleasant as the mac one of course, and thats one of the factors in me staying on the apple bandwagon.

i think mac users are especially defensive because people hang shit on them for using a computer that doesnt run windows, and most of the time it is ignorant shit, and that just makes us pissed off. no one likes copping shit that isnt even accurate.

"i dont like macs cos they suck" < that is not an argument, that is shit!
"i dont like macs cos they dont do windows" < side stepping improper use of english, of course they dont, they run mac os!
"microsoft invented macs" no they didnt, they are primarily a software company, with some hard ware holdings (ie xbox, intellimouse, etc). they didnt invent apple, or macintosh computers, or even dos.
"bill gates owns apple". the answer is no, he doesnt, he owns some personal shares in the company, and microsoft also owns a percentage of shares as well. Apple are legally not allowed to sell themselves or be bought by MS as it contradicts the monopoly/antitrust laws in the US.

stuff like the above bullshit is what sets us off. that said, present a good argument, and we are happy to share our views. and dont get me started on the ignorant shit that evolves in all the ipod threads ive seen come and go on the boards.
half of it isnt even true, and the rest is mac bashing. "dont buy anything with an apple on it, its crap" < what the hell is that?
if anyone has a mac or ipod issue, feel free to PM me, im a certified mac tech and can probably give you a decent amount of help before you need to take your apple gear back to the shop.

apple have innovated more IT products than any other company can put its name to. microsoft, and others have simply put their spin/logo on those innovations and passed it off as their own.
so before paying out apple, think about where legal music downloads would be without iTMS, where the mouse would be without Apple, where the GUI would be without Apple.
the answer is in the dustbin.

also, aside to all the above, i have made some progress on that MTB race management system i was talking about a while back. i should have something to show off in the next few weeks or so...

W2ttsy

Here Here W2ttsy

I think that speaks for the majority of mac users on Farkin, thanks for getting our views across.

 

[LordNikon]

I have both a PC and a Mac at home.

The PC hasn't been turned on for at least a week and I'm on some sort of computer every night.

I love my new powerbook, the OS is just plain fun to use. I've been working in IT for almost 10 years, on and off, and working on them has gotten boring. OSX just plain works, end of story.

As far as compatibility goes I haven't found a game I want to play that isn't workable for Mac, that's not difficult seeing as I only play Warcraft atm.

My reasons for going for a powerbook over a PC based laptop is that a laptop shouldn't be about the OS, it's about portability and reliability. The Powerbook offered me the best available hardware in the best package. Getting my work VPN access to work was a bit frustrating but now that it works it's all good. I'm even considering ditching my PC's all together and moving my home network to pure Mac OS. A G5 iMac for my desktop and a Mac Mini for my media centre, plus the laptop I've already got. It doesn't get any better.


I challenge anyone to use a Mac for a few hours, with a little tuition, and still complain about it.

 

[tu plang]

well as you may have guessed from my other post, i am the farkin mac zealot.

now theres an arguement with no substance

 

[Robb]

I use a mac at uni... because not as many people use them! - so i dont have to walk around in circles waiting for a machine. Also the MAC 24 hour labs are alot cleaner - maybe this says something about Mac users personal hygine?
They do all the stuff i need to get done at uni.. Microsoft word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power Point... all the important stuff.

Otherwise at home I use XP, and the same at work.

 

[rooks]

Simple,
Mac for editing/graphic suites PC for home use,
that that hard guys

the compatabilty explains it all

 

[rowanr]

SO some questions to start the ball rolling....
1. What systems are people using?
2. Why do you use this system?
3. What merits do you think your system has over other systems for your uses?
4. Why do Apple users defend their computers so much? [/ducks]

P.S. W2ttsy gets the credit for putting the idea for this thread in my head

1. i'm using a laptop with p4 3.4, 1gb ram 256mb video card and 17 inch screen. the only problems i have had is because i have either had too much shit on the thing, and the partition i used for windows was too small
2. i love it because i find it good to use, any decent program that is out runs on it, and i've always used it.
3. all the computers at school were macs and i hate them. i have more than one finger and i just found the simplicity of them insulting. i prefer the video cards you can get, the software, the price and the compatibility. most programs are on PC first, then linux/mac. in some cases games are out on mac a year after PC which is outrageous(i'm speaking for mac users here...)
4. i have no idea. i've heard the argument about photoshop/video editing being better but i've had no problems on my computers. i think they defend them because they are the minority and like to be different. or they have one finger and like the colour white seriously- please enlighten me.
i have nothing else to add... apart from the fact its 4:50 and i've had a few drinks. that you could probably light on fire and cook dinner with.

 

[rowanr]

I use a mac at uni... because not as many people use them! - so i dont have to walk around in circles waiting for a machine. Also the MAC 24 hour labs are alot cleaner - maybe this says something about Mac users personal hygine?
They do all the stuff i need to get done at uni.. Microsoft word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power Point... all the important stuff.

Otherwise at home I use XP, and the same at work.

or maybe no one uses macs
whats wrong with using them on the system they were designed for?
( . Y . ) thats all i have to say for tonight



that was an effort...

 

[nevot]

I primarily use linux for all of my work and play. I personally dont play PC games cause i have a dedicated console or two for this task.

Typically i run a combination of Redhat enterprise (Work) Gentoo(Laptop, Custom Firewall, routers etc) and some debian. I use this for a bunch of stuff. I work with it on a daily basis to provide web services, database clusters and some other additional border services (print, Proxys, samba etc)

The flexibility of the OS and the community that has driven it to the point that it currently occupies on the world market of computing is what has drawn me to this tool. Its fantastic that something so powerful and flexible is available for the small cost of YOUR TIME (allthough, if your time is really expensive i have very competitive rates )

As a desktop, with the functionality and compatability of Windows or Mac, there is a certain amount of voodoo that you have to know and a reasonable amount of time that you have to spend to get all of the drivers for your hardware to play the game in concert. Then you have to upgrade a core package and it all turns to shit.


I can use and do use both windows and macs for server and desktoop work, and i know that they all occupy a space in the computing eco-system that is separate and unique from the other. None of them are the "Killer app" that some would like them to be, but each has its strengths in a particular area. Without them all (and those not mentioned) computing market would be a very dull place with no variety or innovation to keep people on thier toes.

Having taken all this in to account, i still try to live a windows and mac free life. I have to use windows for work, corporate IT policy dictates this altough as soon as i have proper integration with some of the key systems and authentication i am going to push for linux on the Desktop for me.

I nether hate nor love any one OS in particular, BUT i have a huge preference for linux and its inherent power and flexibilty.

 

[naz]

Im a converted Mac user thanks to Nicho and a mate at work who has a 10g G5. im runnin a 12" powerbook that does 100x times more than my pc, bluetooth, 802.11g, dvd burner, cd burner, ethernet, firewire, usb2, dvi out. man this laptop does more than 90% of pc's out there.

the OS is amazing, its stable as fuck, and there are so many small things that make it a thousand times better, such as expose (which if u have multible windows open u can assign a corner of the screen, so mine i move my mouse to the top left and every window shrinks so it fits on the desktop and when u move the cursor over each window it tells u what it is, even if your watchin a movie it will keep playing when its shrunk down.

there was no trouble moving to mac, was used to it within 2 days. and the double finger srolling is sick on the mousepad, so if u use 2 fingers it scrolls vertically and horizontally. flawlessly.

for what i use computers for this machine is all i need. music, music production (logic, which runs sweeeeet), and internet.

im still aiming for my total wireless setup, having my hard drives NAS, to my router, and either a media centre network attached to the router to have a cable less setup (bar power)

ha

 

[Constable Care]

I have Both PC and Mac aswell i use my mac for all of my internet purposes, editing for videos and buring CD's and what not, but i use my PC's for games as they have a better range, i still find that PC's fuck up alot on me compared to my mac, i have only had one problem with my mac and that was a hardware problem with a Cat5 Port, where my PC's have had infinite problems with all firmware, software and hardware. Also with my iPod it runs 1000x better than when i used it with a PC, i never have problems with it, it went through a washing machine and still worked, where as when i used windows it had problems changing song. Well thats my experiences with them any way, linux is also good but its to far left wing for me reminds me of communists.

 

[rowanr]

oh yeah and a few years ago i installed linux, but the only thing i managed to do was install my video card. i didn't see what all the fuss was all about. i know its great for servers but as far as personal computing i don't see a point.
also, for a mac laptop to have the same specs as mine you'd need a mortgage on your house and kids

 

[treggs]

for a mac laptop to have the same specs as mine you'd need a mortgage on your house and kids

You can't get a mac laptop with the specs I have in mine. Show me a Mac laptop that runs a 256Mb Nvidia 6800.... I don't recall seeing one with a 1920x1200 display either (although I could be wrong on this one).

Edit: Just checked the apple site... 17 inch powerbook has a 1600x1050 display and runs a Radeon 9700 ???? And that's it? That's crap. Only comes with 512MB of RAM too.... Anything more is an upgrade and it starts at 4 grand.

I bought my dell 9300 over 6 months ago for 3600 bucks. It has a 2Gig 533Mhz FSB Pentium M with 256Mb Nvidia 6800, 1Gig of ram (533Mhz), Dual layer DVD burner, wireless etc etc....

Yep, apple is well priced....

(This is not meant as a "Mine is bigger than yours" just a value comparison)

 

[Fatman]

Here in England I'm stuck using my missus' laptop, it's a 2.6 Celeron with 512Mb of memory and bugger all else. I have an ageing PC back in Australia that mostly gets used for gaming, it's only a P4 2.4, 768 meg of Ram and a fast 512 graphics card, it runs both 98 and XP, some older games run better on 98.

A job I have since left used Sun machines running Solaris, I really didn't like using them as I thought they were very clunky. In my limited experience of using Apple's I found OSX to be very stable and had few if any issues with it. I have to reboot my laptop running XP at least twice a day due to system errors.

I really don't like using computers at all, they are just tools. If I can get the job done efficiently and easily using one then I'm a happy camper. I guess thats why I don't sell them anymore.