Yeahhh maybe they're priced a bit high..... but they're so much more fun to use!

In all seriousness though. Of course Macs have their own issues that are different from PC. I haven't seen any of the yet *fingers crossed*, but it only makes sense that they ARE there. And I'm sure that a very large portion of PC problems are actually USER ERROR, not pc error.

*Macs are prettier
*Macs are great for the home user (I have no idea about office job people, I guess not really.)
*Macs are fun

I used PCs for years, until recently. I don't regret the convert. It's just so much more interesting.:) For me, anyway. I don't do much with it besides schoolwork, internet, photography, music, etc.

I'm sure pc will continue to dominate the market, though. It's perfect for you IT and corporate types.

I really dislike the Apple vs PC debate since people always end up making odd comparisons (on both sides). I won't convince Eugene, but I will at least try to present a balanced view.

Cost: Apple does not offer a system at every price point. They are a single company and their focus is not on selling the most units and fitting every possible niche. For systems with similar capability (Hardware and included software) and characteristics (the ever nebulous quality - see below) they are very price competitive. Of course if you are already invested in windows SW, there will be more cost jumping to a different SW ecosystem. Similar debates come up on knives, flashlight and other HW, usually without as much "heat". It all boils down to what is good enough for you.

Limitations: In general, Apple hardware and software has very few limitations and the argument can easily go the other way in some contexts since many professionals rely on software that only runs on Apples MacOS. As I noted above, Apple is not interested in every possible niche so will not be addressing some perceived needs. Vague statements don't help others make decisions so if T_co or others have specific questions/concerns about limitations I will try to pass along what I know.

Company reputation / Customer service. Anyone can have a bad (or good) experience with any company. Personally I, and the people I know have all had good experiences the few time we have needed support from Apple. While not proof in any way, it does at least align with all the various surveys of customer data. Keep in mind, Apple is primarily a retail provider of computers (well electronics) to the public, not businesses. The quality of Apples support to businesses (which is not where they market or make money) is not really relevant to discussion of how they support retail (home) customers.

I also think it is unintentionally ironic that you state that apple is higher priced, not worth it in on statement and immediately follow it up with noting that most people buy the cheapest thing possible at some big box store while talking about support and quality.

I have worked with a lot of PCs in a corporate/engineering environment. The best built (non Apple) PCs, the ones we buy for labs and server farms, are designed (and built) as well as the Macs I have taken apart. They use lots of custom designed internal components, from circuit boards and Flex circuits to structure. Lots of attention has obviously been paid to thermal issues along with design for assembly and maintenance. The stuff we pass out for office equipment is closer to what the typical home PC would be like and the hardware quality (a combination of design, parts selection, attention to detail in assembly) does not come close to what Apple offers. Both approaches produce working hardware platforms (most of the time) but their is a real difference in value between the approaches (at least for me).

There is no winning the Mac vs PC debate, since choices like this are personal, just like choosing a knife or a flashlight. All we can do is provide information to others about our experiences and let them make the best decision for their circumstances.

oh, and trying to stay at least loosely on topic. Firewalls/routers won't solve the problem since you will need to put a lot of effort staying ahead of the surfer. I like the idea of limiting hours of access (there are software solutions that do this for windows, and built in to MacOS) and keeping the computer in a public place. User accounts with logging would be another good way to at least have some objective records of use for future discussions on what is and is not appropriate behavior.



- Eric

Disclaimer: I don't see myself as a Mac or a PC person. Think back to the old Dilbert cartoon about the UNIX guy. I keep waiting for everyone to get a real computer (and yes this does date me pretty badly).

I was trying to be somewhat brief by not going into too much detail but trying to post a little info to show that the grass isn't always greener.
I myself don't like Windows or Mac, my "pc" hardware runs Linux.

Understood. Looks like I am a bit challenged with "brief" today.

- Eric

A live CD will also acquire no malware - a virus vanishes when the surfing history does.


That's what the HTTP CONNECT method (secure https:// pages) is for: to keep a router from sniffing for malware.


This is my approach to security now except that I use VirtualBox instead of VMware (VirtualBox is free for noncommercial users).

In addition to malware this also helps prevent "barnacles": various software like drivers, plugins, utilities, updates, etc, that you maybe tried out, or maybe got downloaded by some program anyway. My host system only has four programs installed - VirtualBox, SpeedFan, PuTTY and TightVNC - and about 20 VMs where the action is. Internet Explorer is disabled in the host.

Unfortunately you need a high degree of nerdhood in your soul for this to be practical.

Just wondering ... why did you choose Windows as your host rather than Linux or some other *nix variation?

Virtual box works well. I used vmware workstation back when I transitioned to Linux and now vitrualbox if I need a windows OS. Linux does make the better host, the difference in memory management becomes noticeable.

Windows makes a very good dumb graphics terminal.