Mac vs. Windows

Jahntassa · Post by **Jahntassa** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 2:41 pm

I'm sorry, I had to vent. I replied to a thread over on XMfan..and i'm just really tired of all the OS whining... http://www.xmfan.com/viewtopic...art=0So...I felt like sharing.Quote Â»I ran an IBM Aptiva with WinXP on it for about 5 months without rebooting it. Granted, it wasn't the daily driver, and it actually wasn't rebooted, the building lost power for five hours and my UPS only lasted about 20 minutes.Turning equipment on and off creates more stress than leaving something on. How many times have you seen a lightbulb blow turning it on than leaving it on all the time? Granted, if you leave it on all the time, it will eventually blow, but more often than not, they blow when they've been off for a while. On/Off does add wear and tear.Harddrive spindowns aren't neccarily a bad thing. Mine spin down (with the exception of my server) every night. I usually have it on a four hour timeout. That way, it doesn't spin down and up constantly.XP is a bit overgrown, yes. But it works. And who's the monopoly here? Microsoft products work on 95% of computer hardware, compared to Apple. Apple only lets their products work with Apple products. Note that there was only one company that was allowed to clone Macintoshes, and that was only for a few years before it was once again bought out by Apple. Note, that Apple nearly died before it introduced the iMac, and people bought it mainly because of the 'cute' factor. Also, because it was convenient, especially for college students.Macintosh is a very easy to use operating system, in most respects. I've never been a fan of their filesystem, or the ease of which you can randomly move around system files, or have to dig through the harddrive to get to anything. (Don't correct me here, I know there are other ways to do it, especially since X came out)There're only two three things that Macs can do well, one of which they will always do better than XP.1) Graphics. Macs have always been the better platform to do graphic design. Any designer will tell you this.2) Video. Avid first came out for a Mac, then recently ported with it's Xpress line. Still more stable on a Mac.3) Word processing/Internet. Marginal, but more or less better.It's harder to diagnose problems with Mac's. Ask any repair shop. Generally, it's time to buy a new one when problems start popping up. What configurability? You can add a little bit of ram, Oh! And -maybe- a new video card. How's that one ATI upgrade looking?Nevermind the fact that games for Mac are few and far between. Just ask the guys over at redvsblue.com.Mac's are great for people who think a computer is something made of magic and mystery. They're great for people who want to be the bomb. They're great for graphic designers. They are NOT for everyone. Their program lineup is certainly empty compared to what's available for XP.And i'm tired of the open source hippies who say that Linux is the next best thing to sliced bread. Okay, for programmers. Absolutely. You can do anything with it. For run of the mill people? Hell no. And besides the free stuff that you can get online, who writes ANYTHING for linux?There are perfect reasons why Linux (any version) is better than XP. There are definite things that Mac can do that XP simply barfs at.Yes, XP has plenty of problems. Security? Why write a virus for a Mac? So you can mess with the 5 people that have it? Same goes for linux. I understand it's harder, but it's not impossible. XP, with how many lines of code? Is certainly not perfect. I don't expect it to be. People take advantage of things that nobody thinks about when they're writing the code. Why? Who knows? What's going through the mind of someone that wants to write a virus to cripple half the internet.Microsoft is not at fault that people target their products. They're not at fault that people find measly little flaws, like a carthief finding a car door unlocked. It's the people that write the nasty viruses and worms that want to cause trouble. I'm glad Microsoft is stepping up and actually updating flaws. It'd be a lot worse off if they hid it under the carpet.And i'm glad Microsoft is trying to standardize something. How many versions of Linux are there? At least I don't need to recompile something when I move from one computer to the next.Stop whining about it. Either deal with it, or move on. You're not special.

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 10:39 pm

Quote Â»Mac's are great for people who think a computer is something made of magic and mystery. They're great for people who want to be the bomb. They're great for graphic designers. They are NOT for everyone. Their program lineup is certainly empty compared to what's available for XP.Well, I'm sure the whole board knows by now that I have a Mac and I switched from Windows 2.5 years ago. But I do have to say that I am a very experienced computer user, so I definitely don't think a computer is something of "magic and mystery," nor did I buy my computer because I wanted to be the bomb. And I'm not a graphic designer, either...I dabble in it, but it's nothing I can't do on my parents' Windows machine. Yet I still think the Mac is for me, and I simply prefer OS X to XP, on a much deeper level than just its attractiveness. And I don't have any trouble finding a program to do any task I need to do, thanks to VersionTracker.com. (And the security non-issue is really a huge plus when you're hooked up to an infested dorm network.)I used to bash Macs. Really. I was a big-time Windows user who thought Macs sucked the big one. Then I actually sat down and used one because I was forced to, and I complained about it constantly. (We used them in the journalism program here.) Then I decided I needed to give it a fair chance if I was going to be stuck with it for the next 4 years. So I did, and in the end, I bought one of my own. Edit: I just wanted to add that I'm not trying to start a fight or argument; just respectfully disagreeing.

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 11:18 pm

in all honesty, i think people who bash either format are pretty much dorks.

millster · Post by **millster** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 11:45 pm

Quote, originally posted by drunkenvibe Â»in all honesty, i think people who bash either format are pretty much dorks.Right. All computing platforms have their uses. I'm going to have to agree with Jahtassa to an extent here to say that part of the Windows security problems are related to market saturation. However, it goes deeper than that. With Windows as the mainstream, everybody-uses-it operating system, there are many users without any loyalty to their fellow users. Linux and Mac on the other hand tend to have something of a cult following whereby users of that platform come together to help their fellows. They don't tend to have the desire to try to damage their "friends" machines.Add to that the ease of coding in VB (it really is easy) and Windows is a huge target. I am a Machead (my signature and avatar reflect that). I may occasionally poke fun at Windows and play the rabid pro-Mac part, but it's just that: fun. I spent my past few years in the IT industry as a Windows system admin so for me to say I hate it and won't use it would be a lie. I simply love computers, I better if I make a living off of them.

Jahntassa · Post by **Jahntassa** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 12:24 am

And I do apologize to both Kari and Millster (and any other Mac user). I'm not a Mac basher. I do actually have a vaguely healthy respect for the platform. I simply can't afford to buy it right now. I think I was more venting my frustration at the people who constantly say "M$ suxors! Linux rox! Mac rulez!" I know Macs are much more capable now than they were back in the days of OS9 (hell, they were pretty capable then, too). Applications such as ProTools, a very powerful audio editor, is STILL based on the Mac platform, for very good reason.Mac is a very powerful OS underneath, I'll be the first to say that. It definitely has advantages over XP, as XP has some advantages over Mac, neither are perfect. I, personally, get more use out of XP. Kari, obviously, gets more use out of Mac. Everyone has their own 'thing' that they use it for.Once again, please don't take any of my late-night rant offensive, I do like Macs, even though i'm currently broke and can't even score a Mac Mini

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 12:26 am

actually, i still use os9 here at work! but, there are also functions that must be done on the pc. both serve a purpose.

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 12:29 am

Quote, originally posted by millster Â»Linux and Mac on the other hand tend to have something of a cult following whereby users of that platform come together to help their fellows. They don't tend to have the desire to try to damage their "friends" machines. Hmm...I hadn't thought of that before. But I bet that probably is a big reason why there are only about 5 viruses out there for OS X. Not just the low market share, but also the "community" idea.I don't bash either platform now; I agree that both have their merits, but I just personally prefer the Mac platform now because it serves my purposes and gives me much less trouble and maintenance issues.

kostby · Post by **kostby** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 1:01 am

Sorry, Drunkenvibe, but I just couldn't resist the temptation to hijack your Garfield sig for a moment...I use what I can afford that does the job... today it's a Windoze PC, in 1982, it was a Commodore 64, in '84, it was Apple IIc (my wife's a teacher), in '87 it was a Toshiba 'Laptop'...Tomorrow? Who knows...

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millster · Post by **millster** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 3:17 am

Nice Kostby! I like the Garfield thing! As for the apology, Jahntassa, no problem. I read it as what you intended. A rant against the narrowminded who bash Windows just because it's the popular thing to do (though maybe some of the wording was a tad strong ). Some people have a legit reason to dislike one platform or another and that's fine, but it seems a growing majority just want to be "like everyone else" and hate Microsoft just for being Microsoft. That has become irritating. MS may not be perfect, but few things ever are.

Atomb · Post by **Atomb** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 3:25 am

i'm with drunkenvibe on this too...if you're getting that caught up in arguing that one is better than the other, you really need to get a life. just use what you like best! same goes for cars, sports teams, etc.my dad used to say that none of these companies/teams are paying your way through school/life so why do you get so defensive for them?the only people that should be arguing are actual employees of the companies or players on the teams!

Jahntassa · Post by **Jahntassa** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 10:25 am

Quote, originally posted by Atomb Â»just use what you like best! same goes for cars, sports teams, etc.Amen to that... Everyone has their preference. And as for the 'strong words' It was a late night rant at stupidity..soo..yeah. Heh!

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 12:31 pm

Arrgh! Say it isn't so!!!?!?? Find out what OS you are here: http://bbspot.com/News/2003/01/os_quiz.php So far, I've had the thing tell me I'm TRSDOS, Windows 1.0, and Windows ME. Not sure how you have to answer the thing to be a cool OS like OS/2 or Debian.

millster · Post by **millster** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 12:40 pm

Heh, Windows XP...

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 1:08 pm

Go figure, I am: Which OS are You?

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 1:30 pm

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 1:38 pm

Love the Windows 1.0 one...

Luna · Post by **Luna** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 3:38 pm

I'm a mac user, largely because it's what most people in my profession use, but I do prefer it for most things. Hubby has PCs, I have macs. Combined we have too many computers. I don't really care what I use to browse the net, but much prefer the mac for real work, which to me involves photos and graphics.

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 9:49 pm

chilling, i am osx!!

kostby · Post by **kostby** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:55 pm

And here I thought 'PDA' meant 'public display of affection'!

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:58 pm

go ahead man, post one more...

Atomb · Post by **Atomb** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 2:35 am

i thought this was hillarious when i first saw it...not really OS related but still fits in the thread!

Attached files Announcing_the_Apple_iProduct.pdf (43.4 KB)

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 3:54 am

heh... I'll take two copies. As long as it doesn't require Windows, I'm happy... lolSwitch: http://www.warptv.com/Switch.html

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 6:07 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Switch: http://www.warptv.com/Switch.htmlOMG that was great...it deserves its own thread in the humor forum. Side note: Jeremiah Cohick of the real Apple switch commercials lived in Kingsport once upon a time. We're famous! Haha.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 7:08 am

I have a windows machine, that's the only PC OS we use at work. Never had a Mac, or had/got to use one. Stuff I learn on my personal one helps at work, stuff I learn at work helps at home. Work with Solairs a lot too, but have no use for a Solaris box at home, at least now that the new boss has decided telecommuting is too much trouble to regulate.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 8:24 am

lol! I just doubled my wardrobe! And I gotta say, ELLEN ROCKS! http://www.ellenfeiss.net/

rasermon · Post by **rasermon** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 8:56 am

This is old, but I just had to post it. **Adult Language**http://home.comcast.net/~D_gcn/mac.swf The language was a little rough but given the guys circumstances....

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 11:45 am

I love that video, it's hilarious...It's Apple+Option+Esc! The dock thing is funny though...everywhere but the top. Heh.

Stang2Vibe · Post by **Stang2Vibe** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 2:36 pm

"...it's kinda like boxing with your computer." ROFL!!!Rich, that vid had me in tears! I can't personally condemn anyone for preferring one system over another. People will always like different things, so I say let them. I happen to love XP for the most part and I think that it's the best Windows platform that I've ever used. Mac is just foreign to me and I don't have the time to play around with different OS's just for the hell of it to see what I like or don't like about them. I've had XP since the fall of 2001 and I've probably only used about 10% of it's capabilities so far. By the time I learn enough about an OS to be competent and comfortable with it, the next version is out and I have to start all over again.The first computer I rememeber using was a Commodore 64. When I was in 4th grade and a computer class was mandatory for all students, we even had them in the school computer lab. About a year later they switched over to some very primitive Apple computers. Then came the Apple II. When I graduated high school, the school computer lab was all Apple IIe computers--the cheesy looking kind where the monitor was built on top of all the computer guts. And I swear they were only 6 inch monitors. Three colors on the screen--Apple green, black, and light gray. That was it. You had to save to your disk every 10 minutes religiously because sometimes they would just randomly freeze up right in the middle of whatever you were working on. There always seemed to be 2 or 3 of them in the computer lab that were out of order until the lab monitor had time to revive and cure them.At home, our first computer was a Tandy 1000 XL that my mom bought new from a local Radio Shack. I remember that the big thing with it was that it had an internal hard drive so that you didn't have to load all your programs every time you rebooted. That, and it had Tandy's "desktop" that could be used as a primitive OS that operated in a similar manner to very early Windows OS's. But when you started up, you had to do everything with DOS commands. Same with copying disks, running games, and all kinds of other things. That got me through high school. I didn't really get to become familiar with Windows until my mom got remarried and I began to use my stepdad's Dell that he bought around 1995-96. I'm pretty sure that it was running Windows 95. Then he bought a new computer with Windows 98 SE. I think that 98 SE was probably the best Windows platform until XP came out. My mom bought a laptop in 2001 that ran Windows ME and I hated that version. She had the option for that or XP for the same price and for reasons that I think only God will ever know, she chose Windows ME. I bought her an upgrade kit for XP, but I think that she still never had it installed. My stepdad's current desktop is running XP, as is my sister's laptop and my desktop. Well, most of the time mine runs. If I kick it and swear at it a lot. When I think back to the computers that I used in about the first 5 years of my exposure to them and compare it with the computers today, it just blows my mind to think of how far they've come. It really is amazing.One thing I never understood, though. In the programming lab at college, all the computers use RedHat Linux, but to use VB for the programming class, you have to switch to Windows through RedHat. And I hate RedHat. I never quite figured that one out. We asked the professor about it one time, and we got some half thought out answer that didn't make sense. I think the school got a good deal on a multiple license agreement with RedHat and then realized that they couldn't do what they wanted with it and ended up having to get Windows anyway.

Stang2Vibe · Post by **Stang2Vibe** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 2:48 pm

Oh, and here's my OS personality thingy:

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 2:51 pm

Tandy Deskmate was the bomb...

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Stang2Vibe · Post by **Stang2Vibe** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 3:01 pm

Yeah! That was it! Haven't seen that in a LONG time (thank God). It would be next to useless by today's standards, but at the time it was really cool.

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 3:03 pm

I remember having that on my grandmother's old Tandy. Except we only ever used DOS, and all I ever did was play Family Feud, Classic Concentration, and Jeopardy. When we got our new computer when I was in 8th grade, mom threw away ALL of those old disks with those games on them...I was so upset. I still miss my Family Feud.

Stang2Vibe · Post by **Stang2Vibe** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 3:10 pm

We had Family Feud and Jeopardy too. Also had trivial pursuit, battle chess (which would still be pretty cool today), and some crazy cracked-out space travel game that just seemed to go on and on forever. Had Ghostbusters (had to load 8 disks for that one and 3/4 of the time it didn't work) and some pretty cool flight simulating game. There were some decent games out at the time for it.

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 3:15 pm

Did your Jeopardy have a tendency to crap out in the middle, too? I didn't know they had Trivial Pursuit, but I bet I'd like that one too. Man. Now I miss those games even more. LOL I'm sure they're out there on the Internet somewhere, if only I had a way to play them. Wonder if someone has a free DOS emulator for Mac out there? Heh.Edit: Another one I just thought of that I loved...Lemonade Stand. It was for Mac, too. Hmmmmmm. *goes off to google*

Stang2Vibe · Post by **Stang2Vibe** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 3:24 pm

Oh yeah, Jeopardy used to get all screwed up for me too.I forgot that we had Wheel of Fortune for it as well. That one would just royally pi$$ me off. Usually right as you were entering the final bonus round it would freeze up. You'd play through the whole game for 20-30 minutes and finally earn a chance at the final puzzle, then somehow the game would "poop" itself just as the last round was loading.Trivial Pursuit was fun, but I think we had a demo version that we somehow got for free and the question database was very limited. You'd get the same questions coming up too often. That game taught me that Mark Twain's real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. LOL. That question would come up about 10 times per game.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 3:37 pm

I played Lemonade Stand on my Apple //c when I was a kid!

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 3:44 pm

Well I found a DOS emulator *and* Family Feud...now if I could just figure out what exactly I need to do to mount my home folder as the program's C drive. The Linux instructions didn't work, and they don't have Mac instructions...I've tried everything I can think of. Bah. It should be /home/kari but noooo, apparently it's something else.I couldn't find Lemonade Stand, sadly. I found a link that was supposed to go to it, but it was outdated (2000) and broken.

Stang2Vibe · Post by **Stang2Vibe** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 4:00 pm

Somebody actually picked up the old Lemonade Stand concept and modernized it for today's PC's. I played a trial version of it. You start out on the sidewalk in front of your house and it gets all complicated from there. You have to order the right amount of supplies and use them before they spoil, mix the lemons and sugar in the right ratio so people will like it, research your markets before relocating your stand, and all this stuff. You start with the little stand and work your way up to where you hire people to work your stand, buy advertising, and so forth. I moved into a subway terminal before the game ended. I think you can eventually work outside concert venues, have a location in the airport, and the goal was to reach a point where you franchised. Somebody really got into designing that game.

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 4:14 pm

Would that be Lemonade Tycoon? I know I ran into that one many times in my Google search...but it's PC only. Which is funny since the original was an Apple/Mac game. Heh.I got Family Feud to play in my DOS emulator but I had to change a setting to make the sound work right and it won't load my new configuration file now...bah.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 4:29 pm

Ahh, emulation! It's scary how many CPU cycles on a modern machine it takes to emulate some cheeseball I used to run a C64 emulator on my 486 SX/33... Ran, but sloooow... It was usable when I finally upgraded to a Pentium 233. lol! Almost ran at the original C64's full speed!

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Fri Feb 25, 2005 12:34 am

It wants to take 3000 cycles, so I reset it to 1000, and the instructions give what I think is a command to load the program through terminal with the new configuration file, but it won't work, and I've tried variations of it and they don't work either. I'm a GUI person, can you tell? LOL It plays, sort of. It's just slow. The color scheme in the game is different from the one I had though. I think mine was red and yellow and this one is purple and teal like Classic Concentration was.

Atomb · Post by **Atomb** » Fri Feb 25, 2005 1:04 am

This is me...actually pretty accurate! I'm impressed.what does it say when i can't figure out how to link the image!? oh well... EDIT: YAY! Thanks Kotsby. whew...for a second there i thought i should change my "OS" to "paper and pencil"!

Keely · Post by **Keely** » Fri Feb 25, 2005 4:19 am

I'm a switcher. There, I said it, and I mean it.Like many switchers these days, it all started when I bought a U2 iPod for my SO. Greg got his iPod for Christmas, and within a week I bought a 12" PB (1.33GHz, 512MB RAM soon to be 1.2+ GB) off eBay. My iPod was Greg's birthday present to me a few weeks ago and now I've got a fully-loaded 20" iMac on the way for both the boys. I'll admit that as a geek I'm exceptionally vulnerable to gadgets, to the point that if you marry tech with aesthetics you've practically raised the object to the status of chocolate in my life. Still, I challenge anyone to open up and iPod's exquisitely crafted package, hold it in your hand, glide your thumb around the click wheel and not completely give yourself over to adoration. I've been attracted to technology many times before, but nothing prepared me for this.Sounds pretty flaky and not all that objective, doesn't it? Well, let's get objective. I'm a tech consultant and every one of my clients is on Windows PCs. I dabble in Linux on the server side of the equation as well. I make my living off the trials and tribulations of law offices trying to get PCs to work for them, and there is never a shortage of work. It's just a question of my clients being able to afford my expertise. The short story is that I'm tired of providing free tech support to my family, and having to work so hard myself at my own machines' problems. I don't pay me very well. I want my SO and stepson to be excited about computers instead of dreading the next crash, indecipherable error message or inability to figure out an easy task for themselves. I want them to be able to do things themselves.After two months with a PowerBook, I have no doubt that they will in fact be able to do so. The biggest challenge will be for me to adjust my tendency to hover over the two of them when they're on the PC, ready for the invariable tech support requests. My PowerBook has crashed an application only once - and it was Virtual PC (a Windows emulator). The whole OS has never crashed. Without having to go to a manual, I was able to figure out the differences in the Mac OS 10.3 interface so quickly that I was working within minutes of powering it up the first time. Wireless networking? Say "yes" and you're on. Networking and file sharing with Windows and Linux computers? To say that I had to "configure networking" would be such an overstatement, all I can say is that "it happened". The integration between elements like iTunes, iPods and the OS is so seamless that it brings tears to my eyes.Do I bash Microsoft now? Heck no. Realistically, I'll always need a Windows machine in my office to run a couple of legal-specific programs and hardware, and to keep my skills sharp. Moreover, without Windows PCs and their utter domination of the computing landscape, I'd be out of a job. No need for hating - there's a positive to everything, and we can all get along.

kostby · Post by **kostby** » Fri Feb 25, 2005 5:07 am

Quote, originally posted by Atomb Â» What does it say when i can't figure out how to link the image!? It says, "Who cares! It's FRIDAY!"So you don't feel helpless, just add the following html tags (removing ALL quotation marks)"[IMG]" before "http://www.bbspot.com/Images/News_Featu ... ckware.jpg" and "[/IMG]" after it. Delete all the rest of the stuff in that string.You're welcome!

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Fri Feb 25, 2005 5:52 am

Quote, originally posted by Keely Â»Without having to go to a manual, I was able to figure out the differences in the Mac OS 10.3 interface so quickly that I was working within minutes of powering it up the first time. Wireless networking? Say "yes" and you're on. Networking and file sharing with Windows and Linux computers? To say that I had to "configure networking" would be such an overstatement, all I can say is that "it happened". The integration between elements like iTunes, iPods and the OS is so seamless that it brings tears to my eyes. *nods head fervently* I completely agree with everything you said. I switched a couple of years ago and couldn't be happier. I am still the family's tech support call person, but now I don't have to troubleshoot my own machine. (Unless of course I'm trying to run a PC emulator like I was above...heh.) I hope you'll love your Mac as much in a couple of years as I still love mine now.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 3:54 pm

Those of us on the other side lose again... (removed)!http://www.kstatecollegian.com/article.php?a=5792

Keely · Post by **Keely** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 11:34 pm

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Those of us on the other side lose again... (removed)!http://www.kstatecollegian.com/article.php?a=5792The only argument he has that holds water is that there's no games for the Mac. But why would I spend $1000 to outfit my beige box PC properly to play games when I can spend $250 on a superior PS2?Availability of apps? I've found far more freeware and small ticket shareware for Mac OSX than for Windows - might have to do with the fact that it's built on the open source Unix platform that runs 90% of the world's servers - BECAUSE IT'S STABLE.Programming your own? Has this guy never heard of AppleScript? Cocoa? The plethora of other languages that you don't have to be a g33k in order to use?Hey, there's pros and cons to each platform. But to call Macs the "bane of the computer world" does no more than make his column a waste of web space.

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 11:56 pm

*starts itching to write a really nice letter to the editor, then remembers that most student papers won't publish letters that aren't from their own students...blah*I do a lot more than surf the internet, send e-mail, and "steal music" with my Mac, and that includes designing web pages! Four of them, including my own! I've had absolutely no problem designing a web site on my Mac, so I'm not sure what problems he's referring to.I've downloaded the proper plugins for QuickTime, and mine can play almost any format now, including DivX. No media player program that would come with your machine plays every format right out of the box, though.I find free programs out there for the Mac work a hell of a lot better than the 10,000,000 pieces of crap put out there by amateur programmers who know how to write a few lines of sloppy Visual Basic. There are good Windows freeware programmers out there, but I've downloaded quite a few more bad programs for Windows in my day than I ever have for my Mac.Macs are simply not gaming machines, but not everybody wants a gaming machine. As Keely said, I'd rather by a console that is far superior to any hardware I could ever load into a PC. Besides, they don't make Super Mario for PC. He's also buying into the megahertz myth...my iBook is every bit as fast as these 2 million gigahertz Dells we're running everywhere else on campus, and it's more than a year old and "only" has an 800 mhz processor. As for price, I'm a firm believer that in many cases, you get what you pay for. I've had zero problems out of my Mac, and I've had it for 18 months. By this time, my Toshiba laptop (which actually cost $500 more than this iBook did) had already gone completely nuts and developed weird errors I couldn't fix. Not the case with the Mac. No weird errors, period...not even anything *to* fix. It just keeps running along, as smoothly as it did on the day I took it out of the box.I used to be a Mac basher, but I never would have been as presumptuous as he's being in this article. My main beef with the system was the slow mouse speed...heh. He's just asking to make an (removed) of himself, and I think the mission was accomplished...heh. I'm sure there will be some Mac lover on their campus who will write him a publishable letter to the editor...one can only hope.

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 4:03 am

And now, for something completely different......sort of. Here's the counterpoint article from the same paper: http://www.kstatecollegian.com/article.php?a=5791Nice to see a college paper that actually has balanced point-counterpoint editorials. There was also a poll of which one you like better, and it was pretty much split 50/50, which I think says a lot for the increase in Apple's market share on college campuses, especially with as many problems as they're having with viruses and such. People just don't want to deal with that, so they buy Macs. I'm sure there is something (probably more than one thing) exploitable in Mac OS X, but as of right now, it's not worth it to take down 3 computers when you can take down 300 by attacking Windows.I wonder how many people are switching after buying an iPod, too...