[milhaus]

I'm a lifelong Mac user, temporarily migrating to Windows XP. I moved over because I was curious and wanted to "bulid my own PC" from parts just for the experience, and because of the delays announcing and getting new powerbooks in the pipeline (apple's delays with the G5s and no new powerbooks kinda soured me). So, I thought I would build a cheap machine <$600 and add some of my parts I had lying around.

That was a few weeks ago, and I'm finding very little reason to switch back as I had originally planned to. Here's what I like about XP:

1) Mozilla Firebird - superfast lean browser, looks great - this was the breaker for me

2) Skinnable UI - Stardock allows you to really customize your windows appearance

3) Security - though this would be an issue, but several excellent firewall programs running keep me well protected and norton keeps me healthy

4) For less than $600 invested (on top of some parts) I got 2500+, a SATA Raid 240GB, all the firewire I could use, all the USB 2.0 I could use, 1024 MB Dual Chanel 400MHZ Ram, and an ugly but quiet case

I had been used to a QS 733MHz so this machines feels super fast - especialy in file compression/extraction, audio video ripping, etc.

Convince me to go back. . .
What is it about Panther I won't be able to live without.

Signed,
Not a troll.

[Adam Betts]

We get a thread like this weekly

[OptimusG4]

WHAT delay in G5's? The dual 2.0GHz delay or because Apple didn't deliver a G5 2 years ago like people wanted?

[Sosa]

Damn .....

[Horsepoo!!!]

Originally posted by milhaus:

Convince me to go back. . .
What is it about Panther I won't be able to like without.

You don't need any convincing from us...you'll convince yourself eventually. Trust me.

[milhaus]

Originally posted by Sosa:
Here is one good reason:

"I just exported some divx files to 'dv steam' format on my athlon 2000 PC using Quicktime 6 and it took a very long time. About 15 minutes of video would take just under an hour to convert.

I figured the difference in megahertz would mean the PC would be much faster than my mac which only runs at 733. Lo and behold, doing the same clip on the mac takes around 5-10 minutes!

I don't care how well the PC runs games, I'm never using it for practical purposes again."

(the above is a quote from an earlier post of milhaus)

Uh,
This is not my post. Read the thread carefully. It's part of the initial post. When people try to be smart, they can really make an ass of themselves.

[Goldie]

Originally posted by Horsepoo!!!:
You don't need any convincing from us...you'll convince yourself eventually. Trust me.

Ain't that the truth. It is also the fact that it is new to you. New stuff always seems better. As Horsepoo stated and from someone that must use XP "enjoy it while it lasts".

[OptimusG4]

Well in any case, good riddance and don't look for a warm reception if you ever come back.

[milhaus]

This is precisely the reason many PC users make fun of Mac users. I am simply asking for a well thought out and reasoned response to my thoughts about the PC. Reacting to a "boring" question - as Adam called it (and it might be boring) - in that knee-jerk type of way only confirms that there is no good response to this question.

BTW, Goldie: this is a good point. It is new to me, and seems more than fully functional. However, I never did say that I found Windows XP better - only that it was comparable.

On the Mac OS I always found I was constantly having difficulty finding or having to jump through hoops to do things which were more easily done on the PC (using it with my xBox, backing up DVDs, etc.) but I could do everything (even though I did have to wait a while for divx files to play properly for example).

On the PC, I'm finding that I have to seek out applications which make the UI more inituitve and attractive. It will never be the equivalent - I won't for example, use the OS X skin for the PC because it doesn't get it right - but I'm finding it more than acceptable.

That seems to be the tradeoff. The other factor is cost, of course. I'm still hoping for the 12inch PB with all the features I want at an acceptable price, but have been holding my breath for a long time.

[Ganesha]

What about XP do you have to live with?

1. Activation, unless you are a thief.
2. Can't make radical hardware changes without the OS disabling itself, unless you are a thief.
3. Can't backup applications using drag and drop.

[Adam Betts]

milhaus, who told you to hold your breath for an updated powerbook?

Originally posted by milhaus:
This is precisely the reason many PC users make fun of Mac users.

x10!

You're just looking for a trouble, aren't you?

[chris v]

http://money.cnn.com/2003/09/10/tech...ex.htm?cnn=yes

CV

[Horsepoo!!!]

milhaus...you come in here and tell us it's our duty to sway you back to Mac. It's not. This obvious trolling.

If you really like XP, why fight it? Why do you need any convincing? Are you incapable of making your own decisions? Do I need to hold your hand?

I choose Mac because:

-I prefer the interface
-I don't want to mess around with firewalls
-I don't want to mess around with anti-virus utilities
-I don't want to surf the web and realize a page has auto-downloaded Bonzi Buddy onto my computer
-I like Safari because of the ad block feature (this kind of stuff is available on the PC but it's either applied via a patch or on a browser I don't like)
-I like the Quartz compositing engine
-The drag and drop in OS X is lightyears ahead of the drag and drop in WinXP
-I like the system-wide spellcheck, auto-complete (Panther)
-I like the emulators on Mac better than the PC
-I like the ease of use of iChat
-I like OmniGraffle
-I like iTunes' browsing feature
-I like Exposé and the whole window management system in Panther than Windows
-I like the integration between the hardware and software
-I like the Mac community
-I like the way most developers try to respect GUI guidelines to make things feel more consistent.

This is only scratching the surface...I can't sit here all day and list the things I like.

[milhaus]

Originally posted by chris v:
http://money.cnn.com/2003/09/10/tech...ex.htm?cnn=yes

CV

Point taken. Something I've forgotten about, and didn't take into account.

[milhaus]

Originally posted by Adam Betts:
milhaus, who told you to hold your breath for an updated powerbook?



x10!

You're just looking for a trouble, aren't you?

Ha! I'm just like all the other posters on the Powerbook forum!

[milhaus]

Hosepoo . . . well I don't think I'm trolling. I never said it's your duty to sway me back.

Thanks for making your points however.

There is no question about the interface - Skin XP all you like, it's not the Mac OS. But it does look better than stock.
- I like safari as well, but found it hopelessly slow; I refuse to use IE still, so am using Mozilla browser, with a built in no pop-up feature and ad block feature
- I didn't want to mess with firewalls and anti-virii either, until I had to do it, and it seems fairly painless
- ClearType is no Quartz - true. . .
- What do you need to emulate on a PC?
- On the developer-GUI front, that's true as well: on the PC, I'm finding I'm picking my applications largely on their UI, rather than their features, which are very similar.

Oh yeah, and I *used* to like the Mac Community

[Mrjinglesusa]

Originally posted by milhaus:
Hosepoo . . . well I don't think I'm trolling. I never said it's your duty to sway me back.

Thanks for making your points however.

There is no question about the interface - Skin XP all you like, it's not the Mac OS. But it does look better than stock.
- I like safari as well, but found it hopelessly slow; I refuse to use IE still, so am using Mozilla browser, with a built in no pop-up feature and ad block feature
- I didn't want to mess with firewalls and anti-virii either, until I had to do it, and it seems fairly painless
- ClearType is no Quartz - true. . .
- What do you need to emulate on a PC?
- On the developer-GUI front, that's true as well: on the PC, I'm finding I'm picking my applications largely on their UI, rather than their features, which are very similar.

Oh yeah, and I *used* to like the Mac Community

Safari hopelessly slow? Now I KNOW you are trolling. I still haven't figured out why people come to message boards asking for "reasons" to do something or not. Use your head and make your own decision. If you really like XP, stick with it. If you want good looking, functional computers that don't crash, don't need "Security Updates" EVERY friggin' WEEK, and make life easy for you, use a Mac.

[ablaze]

Originally posted by milhaus:

1) Mozilla Firebird - superfast lean browser, looks great - this was the breaker for me

http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firebird/...6.1-mac.dmg.gz

2) Skinnable UI - Stardock allows you to really customize your windows appearance

http://forums.macnn.com/forumdisplay...amp;forumid=94

3) Security - though this would be an issue, but several excellent firewall programs running keep me well protected and norton keeps me healthy

http://www.securemac.com/

4) For less than $600 invested (on top of some parts) I got 2500+, a SATA Raid 240GB, all the firewire I could use, all the USB 2.0 I could use, 1024 MB Dual Chanel 400MHZ Ram, and an ugly but quiet case

Macs have never been the cheapest option. But, and this is my experience, the best value.

Enough to get you back?

[Horsepoo!!!]

Originally posted by milhaus:

- What do you need to emulate on a PC?

I regularly use my Gameboy Advance (Boycott Advance), Super Nintendo (SNES9x), Nintendo (RockNES) emulators (and now sixtyforce the Nintendo 64 emulator and soon Flarestorm 2.0 the PSX emulator.)

All of these have a superb interface and seem to be faster on my Dual 800 than on my 1.5 Centrino.

The PC version of these emulators have a rather ugly and complex interface.

Although not everyone knows or cares about emulation, I thought it was worth mentioning as one of my points because I like old console games.

[MindFad]

It *is* just a ****in' computer. Enjoy it, I guess? Sign up at a Windows forum? Go outside more often? Use what floats your boat.

[Nonsuch]

Originally posted by milhaus:
Hosepoo . . . well I don't think I'm trolling. I never said it's your duty to sway me back.

Your exact words were "Convince me to go back."

I'm with the others—why should I? I feel no need to gloat to PC users that my computer is better, and I don't feel compelled to argue with someone who doesn't find the Mac floats their boat anymore. If you like XP, stick with it.

[Peter]

Help: I dont care....
seriously why come here, after you have decided to buy a pc?

[Developer]

Originally posted by milhaus:
Convince me to go back. . .

There is nothing wrong with liking XP. If you like it, continue to use it. Why should we convince you to go back?

This should be in the lounge.

[oVeRmInD911]

The only time I EVER really pester a Windows user about the Mac is my friend who just got a $2000 Sony VAIO to do video editing, and after trying to find a decent program for it that he could understand, now he ended up editing the movie he's making on MY old 500MHz iMac. So now he's got a $2000 internet terminal, and he's using a computer that probably would go for $600 now to do his editing. It's just annoying, but hey, I'm pretty sure the next computer he'll get will be a Mac.

[BZ]

(sorry kids.. can't resist)

1) Mozilla (and Firebird) available for the Mac. Can you get Safari and OmniWeb for the PC? How about OmniGraffle or Watson?

2) You can skin the UI. But to me, those are kiddie games. Like the cell phones with different covers. Apple made it look one way for everyone to use. Windows is skinnable b/c it is fugly out of the box (working on one now).

3) To say your not a troll, but to say that you LIKE XP security? OSX has a built in firewall that is barely needed.

4) Buying your own parts and putting them together will always be a thing for PC users. That is not the Mac experience. Apple produces all in one products, plug and play, drag and drop. Not "put-it-together-for-yourself-in-10-hours-and fight-with-the-com-port-or-the-bios-for-ever" products. For the money, on the low-end, you cannot beat a PC. Different story if you want a good OS AND quality hardware AND real power AND every built in feature that WORKS and you don't want to put it together yourself.

As for Panther... from what I have read (WAY TOO MUCH) it will be awesome.

I am personally looking forward to the new syncing iDisk. The new Mail.app. The 25% increase in speed. The new gui. The new Finder. Expose.

BZ

Originally posted by milhaus:
I'm a lifelong Mac user, temporarily migrating to Windows XP. I moved over because I was curious and wanted to "bulid my own PC" from parts just for the experience, and because of the delays announcing and getting new powerbooks in the pipeline (apple's delays with the G5s and no new powerbooks kinda soured me). So, I thought I would build a cheap machine <$600 and add some of my parts I had lying around.

That was a few weeks ago, and I'm finding very little reason to switch back as I had originally planned to. Here's what I like about XP:

1) Mozilla Firebird - superfast lean browser, looks great - this was the breaker for me

2) Skinnable UI - Stardock allows you to really customize your windows appearance

3) Security - though this would be an issue, but several excellent firewall programs running keep me well protected and norton keeps me healthy

4) For less than $600 invested (on top of some parts) I got 2500+, a SATA Raid 240GB, all the firewire I could use, all the USB 2.0 I could use, 1024 MB Dual Chanel 400MHZ Ram, and an ugly but quiet case

I had been used to a QS 733MHz so this machines feels super fast - especialy in file compression/extraction, audio video ripping, etc.

Convince me to go back. . .
What is it about Panther I won't be able to live without.

Signed,
Not a troll.

[KidRed]

Originally posted by milhaus:
I'm a lifelong Mac user, temporarily migrating to Windows XP. I moved over because I was curious and wanted to "bulid my own PC" from parts just for the experience, and because of the delays announcing and getting new powerbooks in the pipeline (apple's delays with the G5s and no new powerbooks kinda soured me). So, I thought I would build a cheap machine <$600 and add some of my parts I had lying around.

That was a few weeks ago, and I'm finding very little reason to switch back as I had originally planned to. Here's what I like about XP:

1) Mozilla Firebird - superfast lean browser, looks great - this was the breaker for me

2) Skinnable UI - Stardock allows you to really customize your windows appearance

3) Security - though this would be an issue, but several excellent firewall programs running keep me well protected and norton keeps me healthy

4) For less than $600 invested (on top of some parts) I got 2500+, a SATA Raid 240GB, all the firewire I could use, all the USB 2.0 I could use, 1024 MB Dual Chanel 400MHZ Ram, and an ugly but quiet case

I had been used to a QS 733MHz so this machines feels super fast - especialy in file compression/extraction, audio video ripping, etc.

Convince me to go back. . .
What is it about Panther I won't be able to live without.

Signed,
Not a troll.

So for fun and because the 15" isn't aluninum yet and the dual 2.0ghz aren't available yet you suddenly are a post-mac user looking for attention as you walk out the door?

Firstly, you say you are leaving a 733Ghz G4-why isn't that in your sig? Also, in you sig you are running 10.2.3, try upgrading, things are nicer.

1) I doubt Firebird is fast enough to warrant switching platforms and since you called it the 'breaker' I know you are trolling or full of BS about coming back to mac. Browsing the web a second or two faster on a crappy system with a crappy yet skinnable OS that is as secure as a drunk whore does not make me think 'wow, I should explore windows"

2)Skinnable- yea, as many fricking themes as OS X has, XP is skinnable. Oh and yea, let me know how long you stick with the skins. As many times as I've used a theme, I always find myself crawling back to Aqua.

3)Security, yea this is the deal breaker for me NOT switching. Viruses, hackers,etc. You surf the net faster and allow yourself yo be hacked faster. Oh yea, and check your email faster so you can get a virus faster.

4)Yugo's were how much? Yea, you get what you pay for. Go shop at walmart for your high end electronics-oh wait, that's an oxy-moron, sorry. We've been thru this troll bait price war flame debate over and over, Apple is competitively priced across the board. No longer an issue.

So, let's see. You have ZERO legitimate excuse to switch. So, if you still switch, your post is troll bait. This is why mac users laugh at PC users, because they like to say "I tried mac but it wasn't for me". Right, BS. If you were serious about using a mac and did use a mac, you'd throw your garage made $600 crap box thru Bill Gates' window and cuss at him while knocking over his trash cans.

[Adam Betts]

Haha, good post KidRed

[milhaus]

Originally posted by KidRed:
So for fun and because the 15" isn't aluninum yet and the dual 2.0ghz aren't available yet you suddenly are a post-mac user looking for attention as you walk out the door?

Firstly, you say you are leaving a 733Ghz G4-why isn't that in your sig? Also, in you sig you are running 10.2.3, try upgrading, things are nicer.

1) I doubt Firebird is fast enough to warrant switching platforms and since you called it the 'breaker' I know you are trolling or full of BS about coming back to mac. Browsing the web a second or two faster on a crappy system with a crappy yet skinnable OS that is as secure as a drunk whore does not make me think 'wow, I should explore windows"

2)Skinnable- yea, as many fricking themes as OS X has, XP is skinnable. Oh and yea, let me know how long you stick with the skins. As many times as I've used a theme, I always find myself crawling back to Aqua.

3)Security, yea this is the deal breaker for me NOT switching. Viruses, hackers,etc. You surf the net faster and allow yourself yo be hacked faster. Oh yea, and check your email faster so you can get a virus faster.

4)Yugo's were how much? Yea, you get what you pay for. Go shop at walmart for your high end electronics-oh wait, that's an oxy-moron, sorry. We've been thru this troll bait price war flame debate over and over, Apple is competitively priced across the board. No longer an issue.

So, let's see. You have ZERO legitimate excuse to switch. So, if you still switch, your post is troll bait. This is why mac users laugh at PC users, because they like to say "I tried mac but it wasn't for me". Right, BS. If you were serious about using a mac and did use a mac, you'd throw your garage made $600 crap box thru Bill Gates' window and cuss at him while knocking over his trash cans.

Dude, calm down. It is just a frickin question, and just a computer. If thisis troll bait, then don't asnwer me. Personally, I felt I was asking a legitimate question. As for the 733MhZ, I've sold the computer to somebody who needed it, so I'm not on it any more. I've been waiting for months on the new PB, and needed a computer in between them. Hence the decision to try something new. . .

I never said "Mac isn't for me" - I just said that the thought that "I could never use a PC" once strongly held by me, is no longer a valid one.

My point is that a contientious and savvy PC user (contast updates, keeping aware of the situation re: updates - like I did with the Mac, checking the Mac sites constantly (and still do)) can pretty much maintain control over his system.

I'm not even a former Mac user, and you want to kick me out the door because I voiced some attachment to *some* features of XP. Read my sig - I'm still waiting for my PB.

[Mediaman_12]

Oooo, look a useful post.

[quote]2) Skinnable UI - Stardock allows you to really customize your windows appearance[/quite]
Why on earth are you using Stardock's app to skin the UI. If you download and install a simple patch you can remove the block that MS put in the built in theme switch engine, then you can swap themes all you like without any 3rd party apps.

[KidRed]

Originally posted by milhaus:
Dude, calm down. It is just a frickin question, and just a computer. If thisis troll bait, then don't asnwer me. Personally, I felt I was asking a legitimate question. As for the 733MhZ, I've sold the computer to somebody who needed it, so I'm not on it any more. I've been waiting for months on the new PB, and needed a computer in between them. Hence the decision to try something new. . .

I never said "Mac isn't for me" - I just said that the thought that "I could never use a PC" once strongly held by me, is no longer a valid one.

My point is that a contientious and savvy PC user (contast updates, keeping aware of the situation re: updates - like I did with the Mac, checking the Mac sites constantly (and still do)) can pretty much maintain control over his system.

I'm not even a former Mac user, and you want to kick me out the door because I voiced some attachment to *some* features of XP. Read my sig - I'm still waiting for my PB.

So if you are waiting for a powerbook how can you be leaving the mac camp? I'm sorry, but like me I think a few of us just find a few inconsistencies which lead us to jump to possible conclusions about your real intentions behind your post. Again, this has nothing to with your like or dislike with XP. This has absolutely everything to do with your question/request "convince me to 'go back'" The 'go back' part means you 'left the camp' already and thus making it hard to believe your are sitting their sad eyed waiting for a 'delayed' powerbook. See my point? That's troll bait, not that I am questioning your platform preference, merely your intentions with your statement "go back" as if you are asking us from Dell-dome. Not sure what you plan on doing once you get your already paid for brand new powerbook. I am calm, just irritated by posts like yours. Whether you misrepresented yourself remains to be seen.

[Superchicken]

stay with the PC

[sandsl]

Stay with the PC and go join a Windows discussion board...

You should make your own decisions based on what you think you need/want and which you prefer, not because I say Mac is better.

[MDA]

One big thing I can think of right off the bat is multi-tasking. In OS X I can be burning a CD, surfing the web, listening to iTunes, etc. and notice virtually no slow down. On a PC trying to do this will bring the machine to a crawl.

MDA

[milhaus]

I concede that my initial language may have been inflammatory. My debate now is a new PB when they come out, or another Win XP laptop, which would mean that I will leave the camp altogether.

Being ridicuously indecisive - you should have seen how many times I was going to buy a G5, a SP G4, a DP G4, a current PB before I came up with the plan I went through with - I thought I would ask forum members here about the relative merits of the systems.

My sense is that the gap in functionality, convenience and aesthetics has narrowed significantly (in both directions) since I last tried the PC.

Some of the posts have reminded me of the big differences which remain. Whether or not those differences are going to be worth $1000 (the difference btwn a powerbook and PC laptop) are going to be up to me. I simply wanted to make the decision with as much ammunition for the Mac side as possible, since my experience in the last few weeks has shown me that I *can* work with Windows.

[voodoo]

If you are trying to deciding between a PC laptop and a PowerBook then you should go for the PB - Apple laptops are actually less expensive or similarly priced as their PC counterparts. Apple makes the world's best laptops and they got the longest battery life as well.

Oh - and they run OS X

[Stratus Fear]

Originally posted by MDA:
One big thing I can think of right off the bat is multi-tasking. In OS X I can be burning a CD, surfing the web, listening to iTunes, etc. and notice virtually no slow down. On a PC trying to do this will bring the machine to a crawl.

MDA

Myth. I do this all the time on my PC.

[Person Man]

Originally posted by milhaus:


My point is that a contientious and savvy PC user (contast updates, keeping aware of the situation re: updates - like I did with the Mac, checking the Mac sites constantly (and still do)) can pretty much maintain control over his system.

Yes, most of us here are "power users" and probably could "pretty much maintain control over his system."

But, I'd rather spend the time that I would be spending to "maintain control of my system" on more productive work.

Suppose it took you 30 minutes a day each time you used your computer to search for and apply all the security patches, carefully open (or not) e-mail, reconfigure your firewall, troubleshoot your system because you installed GreatApp v2.35 and finds that it breaks SuperDuperApp v4.5 because it installed an older version of a DLL file (and that includes the time it takes to "roll back" your computer configuration), reboot your machine because it suddenly decided it doesn't like your PDA, etc... 30 minutes a day isn't all that much, is it? It is certainly easy for a "power user" like me to fix, right?

While that may be so, on a Macintosh, most of that is unnecessary, and I'd save 3.5 hours a week.

Believe me, I spend 15-20 minutes a day at work troubleshooting the Windows machines at work so I can get simple patient data... time that I could be spending AT THE PATIENT'S BEDSIDE. Not to mention Blaster taking the whole hospital's network down for 3 days.

Is it easy for me to fix problems under Windows XP? Yes. Is it easy for me to apply security patches and update my antivirus software? Yes. Do I like having to do it ALL THE F*CKING TIME*? No. THAT'S why I use a Mac.

*I.E.: spend more than once or twice a month updating.

[goMac]

I recently got a Dell laptop. It was actually quite nice. It was about a year old, but Windows XP Pro ran very well on it. I could run any PC program, the UI was skinable, easy to navigate, and snappy. I was happy.

Then I started to use it.

Windows XP is one horrible, crashy, operating system. After about 2 weeks it goes down the tubes. When I wake my machine from sleep the system process often jumps to %99 cpu, meaning I can essentially do nothing. It also quite often decides to not find a 802.11 access point for no apparent reason. It even often decides to nicely turn on software base station for me in this case which disrupts everyone else's airport in the ofice. Nice. IE quite often locks up for no reason, and the UI under continued/heavy use begins to feel like a hack (i.e. windows not refreshing, desktop not refreshing, parts of the UI missing, leftovers from 2k). Not to mention random Explorer crashes.

The Dell is currently sitting on the floor by my bed. Maybe one morning with luck I'll roll out of bed and step on it. The most useful thing it does is either playing Half Life or running Mac OS 8.

[barbarian]

Hey, I've been a Mac user since Feb 1984. I love eat sleep and breath macs, but I have to admit windows xp is no windows 98. I have a bunch of machines most macs, but I also use xp quite a bit and it's not so horrific.

**Things I like about XP (none of which help me get work done except for maybe 4 or and 5):

1. themes

2. games

3. newest latest greatest sofware releases

4. the taskbar (yes I prefer it to the dock which for me is mainly useless)

5. the cheap hardware

6. feels fast on cheap hardware

7. customizability

**Things I hate about XP:

1. A drag to troubleshoot (although OS X is almost as difficult these days when you get down into the nitty gritty)

2. Rebooting all the time to change configs.

3. Installing apps (although way too many OS X apps also require installers)

4. MS's dumb policies

And while I'm at it:

**Things I still love about OS 9:

1. Feels speedy on modest hardware

2. Tabs (because with 2 clicks I can get at 100 apps all neatly subcategorized by name instead of hunting for icons in the dock... by far the best launcher I have ever used)

3. Taskmenubar (by far the best app switcher I have ever used)

4. Customizable

5. Very secure.

**Things I hate about 9:

1. unstable

2. Doesn't play well with other OSes

3. Barely multitasks

**Things I love about X

1. Stable

2. Canopener (I can interact with/run OS 9/XP/Linux all on the same box).

3. Unixy goodness

4. Launch bar

5. Great VM

6. Great built in apps (itunes, iphoto & safari especially)

7. Fairly secure.

**Things I hate about X

1. still sluggish

2. not easily customizable (geez I just want to change the desktop font/face/style).

3. In your face UI

4. the dock

5. Non spatial finder

6. Still lacks a speedy browser (when compared to linux/xp)

7. lack of certain apps

[osxisfun]

i just built a pc. put windows xp pro on it.

i can honestly say that for me at least it bites. its not hell. would i day if i had to use it everyday? no.

its just feels and acts 3rd rate... YMMV...

OBTW....its a pent 4 - 2.4 wth 800 mhz bus.. and 512 ram. and only running IE i can honestly say this..


its no way in HELL faster then my dual 867 G4. meaning meghurts myth or not this thing is slower than my mac at some things. probably faster than my dual 867 at others BUT about the same or not noticable either way for MOST things...

so the next time i see another but the pentiium is at 3 gig the mac is doomed. they can put this in their pipe and smoke it...

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Who cares, if you like it stick with it.

What do you use your computer for on day to day use anyway?

[rlmorel]

Stratus Fear...I do think OSX has much better multitasking capability than Windows. However, my only reference point is Win2000 on a 1Ghz HP with 1GB of RAM, vs. my DP G4500 with 1.25 GB RAM. My Mac wipes the floor effortlessly with the PC. However, XP may be better than Win2000.

That said...milhaus waits patiently...jiggles...sets the hook...reels in...lets line out...

Couldn't resist milhaus...sorry!

[DaGuy]

Why I like OSX

1. Stable beyond believe
2. The apps that I really care about are only available or work better on OSX i.e., iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, Final Cut Express get the picture?
3. It's UNIX so it has great command line functionality as opposed to stupid MSDOS.
4. Safari rocks and will only get better
5. Java is a first class citizen
6. Aqua is great -not perfect.
7. Very secure
8. I don't give a damn about any application (except games) that are Windows only.
9. Standards based system
10. Everything I care about JUST WORKS!

Why I don't care about XP

1. It was design by Fisher-Price
2. Dialog boxes are confusing and quite often are paragraphs!
3. Inconsistency of apps
4. Greate noise i.e., advertizing, spyware
5. Worse security in the industry
6. If HP comes up with great digital lifestyle app then don't expect an update...
7. The UI is ugly and unnatural
8. Doesn't have a dock
9. Hard to manage and to fix if something breaks
10. MS just cares about retaining their monopoly and quality and craftmanship takes a distant second position.

FInally, there's no excitement with PCs... there are just boxes to do work on. I love my mac -give it a big kiss everyday.

[mikemako]

yeah, OS X is better at multitasking.. quite a bit, in fact. I speak from personal observations only, of course.

I own an Athlon XP 2000 w/768Mb memory and a G4 1.2GHz (single processor upgrade) w/1.2 Gb memory.. burning CD's, opening several apps, downloading files from the net & surfing at the same time..

XP stutters frequently, OS X does not.

[goMac]

Yeah, XP stutters a lot. Its a pain to play MP3's in the background when doing heavy work.

[moreno]

¡milhaus!
dEnjoy your Windows System!

I remember when i got my iBook 500 with the 10.0 CD...i cried out!: "AND THEY CALL IT THE FUTURE?!?" then i bought powerbook.... i used 10.1, 10.2 then... i saw windows...

[Adam Betts]

Originally posted by moreno:
¡milhaus!
dEnjoy your Windows System!

I remember when i got my iBook 500 with the 10.0 CD...i cried out!: "AND THEY CALL IT THE FUTURE?!?" then i bought powerbook.... i used 10.1, 10.2 then... i saw windows...

You've trolled around here in the past so it's not surprising that you posted in this thread.

[rhogue islander]

I like WinXP. It is fast and stable. I just happen to like Mac OS X more. The time I spend on my mac is more satisfying and my experience is that it does multitask better without so much as a hiccup.

I like to tinker with hardware, however, and PC's let me do that. From a games standpoint more titles are available and can be had for less money after they've been on the market for a few months. I also do some 3D modeling and make use of 3ds Max, Rhino and Maya.

So the solution for me is two boxes, a kvm and three monitors with the middle monitor switched. That default winxp skin does put a hurt on my eyes though.

I think DaGuy sums up most of the relevant points nicely.

[MDA]

Originally posted by Stratus Fear:
Myth. I do this all the time on my PC.

Sorry. I'm only reporting what I hear and read from PC users.

MDA

[Apfhex]

Originally posted by goMac:
Yeah, XP stutters a lot. Its a pain to play MP3's in the background when doing heavy work.

Well...I've rarely experienced any stuttering under WinXP. My roommate uses Maya a lot, and it really brings his underpowered Compaq (it's really a POS - he's replacing it soon) to its limit, but Winamp 2.x continues on without a problem. Maybe other MP3 players for Windows don't perform as well. On my Powerbook, it's extremely rare for iTunes to stutter, only under the heaviest loads.

I think on a decent computer, WinXP can be alright...but I don't find it nearly as enjoyable to use as MacOS X, and I find that installing (and removing!) apps and hardware to be much simpler and better. That can also be said about other Mac things. It's true it's more expensive, but I think you really get what you pay for. As the owner of a $3000+ PowerBook, I can say I've never been more satisfied with a computer. If you can be satisfied using a Windows system, then that's fine!