Sorry in advanced for anything I say! Just getting that out there.


The Truth behind it is all three OS's And Both Computer types are equal. They will all give you headaches they will all get a virus or malware they will all break and they will all do things well.

To say None of them will do any of that is a flat out lie. Thats like saying a ford will never break down but a chevy will. Its just brand loyalty.

If you have the windows OS install disk you can easily install Windows side by side with linux and enjoy both the worlds happily. There are plenty of websites and forums to help you do that. There is also 100s of linux distros out there.

The same thing will go for linux distros. Brand loyalty and lack of knowledge will make people steer you towards almost anything in the end. Just like everything else in the world popularity does not make it thee best. A Great place to look at distros is http://distrowatch.com/. A Great way to check out linux is downloading whats called a Live CD. A live CD will run the OS off a CD without making changes to your PC. There is one major flaw to this form of running a OS in that with larger full CD size OS's it is slow. This is because it has to read data constantly off a 52RPM Or so CD instead of you 7200RPM hard drive. Without understanding the fact a Live CD will be a slow running OS many people quickly write the OS off as "junk" when it will run just as fast as your current OS if not faster depending on the Distro when it is fully installed to the hard drive.

As well with alot of these comments to say "This is for this type of person and this is for that type of person" is just stereotyping. Today All three OS's are easy to use (This is Depending greatly on which linux distro you use but ones like Ubuntu are just as easy as windows and mac) and will do at the minimal the basics that most people who use computers do.

The power behind the Computer lays withen the hardware not the price and not the OS. To compare a 200$ PC with windows to a 2000$ mac would be like comparing a razor scooter to a Car, there is no weight behind it and leads to bias flamming. Most 5-600$ PCs have roughly the same level of hardware as 1-1200$ macs (Do not fight or flame about this comment please cuz i know it will produce sparks for some).

To most people who simply "use" a computer The main differences would be the looks, File architect, menu layout, and program choice. Switching from one OS to another is easier then people make it out to be! Once you stop saying "Why isnt this more like windows" or vice versa and start calmly exploring the OS it becomes more fun and less of a aggravation. The best way to do this is to keep your current set up and use it for important daily tasks that you want done fast and use the new set up to "explore and have fun". Learning how to do one thing at a time helps greatly such as browse the web with the different software or how to play and organize music so on so forth.

Personally i prefer Linux and windows and HATE mac. That does not mean i will not help a person consider moving to mac if they really wish too but the first things i usually inform them on is the "Myths" behind the Product.

[Opinion oriented paragraph warning]

Macs are not magical mystical obelisks that will solve all your problems in the world. They are often overpriced for the hardware you get. They DO get Virus's and malware! When moving from a 10 year old PC that has not seen one ounce of maintenance A brand new mac will "Blow" windows away. The truth is the same computer with a reformat of the Current OS on it will blow its old self away! Even the most inexpensive Currently selling PC would blow it away. Its just a matter of taking care of your computer as with any OS. Times change, hardware and OS's evolve, and get better and better especially within 10 years.

[Opinion oriented paragraph Ended]

The First step to Checking out other OS's and Computer types is to ask others about them. The second step is to ignore the obvious magical properties people imbue on their personal choice and extreme Flaming of the one they do not like. After you have Done this and cherry picked what data points you wish to believe from what people have said the most important thing you can do is go out there and try everything before you make a purchase!!!!!! In the end its about what you like about what you experienced when trying them out! All three OS's can be easily checked out. Going to a local store like a best buy and trying windows and mac computers on display and Going online and getting a Live CD of linux is more important then opinions of others in the end.

Mac user since 1990, currently on a MacBook Pro.

Holly wars, huh?

IMO, Mac is for glamour dummies (sorry, no offense). Single button mouse. Single menu. Single way to do things. Very restrictive on what user can and what can not. Low quality of community support (on the forums). Absolutely unjustifiably overpriced core and peripherals.

PC+Windows7 is a way better everyday tool, which you can easily tailor to your needs, extend, upgrade, dispose.

I use a two button mouse on my Apple.

I also run windows for a couple of programs on it too.

Consumer reports always likes customer service for the Macs.

Things have always seemed more plug and play for the Apples than
xp pc's I have used. And there are fewer viruses created for Macs.

South Park's contribution to the discussion...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-22EpQOm8c

Everyone is entitled to an opinion but belittling those that make different choices is offensive even or especially when you say "(sorry no offense)".

My Mac easily handles a 3 button mouse (and I need one to properly use Xwindows and BSD) and other user input devices. Singe Menu is due to specific User Interface standards based on human factors studies and a philosophy that is focused on the consumer. More important than the single menu is the guideline that every possible command be reachable from the main menu, not hidden away in context sensitive menus or magic key combinations.

Macs are in no way restrictive to users or developers. They are different. I can do things on my Mac out of the box that no off the shelf PC or Windows install can do. I have a lot of Mac specific tools and software available for me and I can easily download and compile a huge library of UNIX (and some Linux) tools. If I can't find what I want I have the developer tools (compilers, frameworks, IDC) available for free, both the Mac OS ones and the ones familiar to Linux users.

Community support for OS-X and Mac is very very good but it is a bit smaller and you need to know where to look. You generally won't find it on typical computer forums because most Mac users will be in the minority and get tired of the put downs. Most people are pretty good but the Windows installation base is huge and it only takes a small percentage to ruin a good environment. Of course the Mac zealots are hard to take too (and yes Apple does make mistakes, no company is perfect).

The price thing is tired and flat wrong in most of the market segments where Apple chooses to compete. It is very hard to match the capabilities of some Apple computers at any price while others compete very well on price with the Windows equivalents. Apple does not have offerings for all segments so you can always find a cheaper computer, if you want to. I can always get a knockoff swiss army knife for less than a wenger too. If it works for you great, doesn't mean it will work for everyone.

My computer background basically goes UNIX geek since the 1980s - CPM etc. before that. DOS, Windows(3.x-7), Macs and various embedded systems floating around in there also. I also work in system design for complex embedded systems using both COTS and custom processors (chips not boards), controllers and communication links. Design always involves making trades and the ones we make at work would produce horrible personal computers but are needed to support our requirements.

Personally I am most productive on a Mac since it makes a nice (affordable) substitute for my hugely expensive UNIX box while providing me a nice GUI for accessing typical office tools. I have coworkers who prefer PCs with Linux or Windows. End of the day they are just tools and we all get the same basic job done.

Tools are tools and while I like SnapOn and Blackhawk wrenches the Craftsman and Stanley ones work OK also. If you don't know why I like SnapOn (or Apple computers) better than Craftsman (Windows PCs) then your needs/expectations are different than mine.

-Eric

I guess I'm just having a bad day because I can't let this pass. The power behind the computer is the software. The Hardware in modern computers is very very fast but all it really knows is TRUE, FALSE, MOVE, ADD, SUBTRACT and a variations there of (and yes I am grossly oversimplifying). Software is what makes or breaks a computer and the funniest thing about the relationship is that software has grown so fast to completely erase the amazing speed growth in the hardware.

The computer most of you are using is astoundingly, amazingly capable compared to early personal computers. Memory size/speed, disk size/speed even networking capability greatly exceed professional workstations only 10 yrs old and outperform nearly all the original "super computers" so we can surf the net, play flash games on facebook and edit our pictures.

Computer capability is more than just simple #s like GHz or GBytes. Fitting everything into a low power, light weight, sturdy package like a laptop pushes the envelope. Different constraints but similar challenges for desktop or server solutions. Component selection is also based on statistical models of predicted reliability and little things like circuit board design can have huge impacts on "usability".

So I can easily find PC Hardware down around $500-$600 because someone will make design trades to fit that market. Those trades mean they gave something up to get to that price. If that works for you great, but it does not make the alternative overpriced. In every recent evaluation of apple laptops I have seen, they have been priced nearly identically with equivalent PC laptops. Can I find a 15" PC for less than a 15" MacBook Pro - yes, the question is what are the differences and can I live with them. For a lot of people (and businesses) the answer is they can but that doesn't invalidate those that make other choices.

Sorry to rant - tried to keep it informative.

- Eric

I don't know, I definitely see a price advantage when it comes to Windows computing in general. It isn't because windows computers necessarily loose anything, it's more because they're manufactured on a significantly wider scale and have a greater level of competition among companies that support the Windows platform in some way.

I mean, when you want a MacOS based computer, you are basically stuck with Apple. They essentially have no competition, so they can charge whatever they want for their package. If you want a Windows based computer, there are literally hundreds of manufacturers out there competing for your money (or you can build desktops yourself and save a lot of money there). If anything, it's easier to get a Windows PC with exactly what you want than a Mac.

For example, lets say you want an internal Blu-Ray player/burner on your computer (as I did when I built my computer). With a windows based computer, it's no big deal. Plenty of companies out there are willing to build you a windows based computer to your specs which include a blu-ray player/burner, or you can toss one in and it will work fine. If you buy a mac from Apple, you can't even get an internal blu-ray player (never mind a burner), and even if you buy an external one there are compatibility issues since MacOS technically doesn't support Blu-ray.

Software may be the power behind computers, but software only really allows a computer to do what the hardware can support. If you can't get the hardware you want or need to begin with, then whether or not you can get the software doesn't really matter.

A valid point on scale and margins. PCs are commodity items and there has been a huge race to the bottom for prices. Most consumers won't see or care about the tradeoffs required to support that business model but they do happen and can (not will) have noticeable impacts..

Building your own pc - the trades are your time vs your money and for most people you won't be making your own chips or boards but buying off the shelf configurations. Saves quite a bit of money but it does impose constraints. Eg it is a bit challenging to build your own laptop.

Blue ray -as I said, Apple isn't addressing all market segments. If the market for blue ray gets large enough a third party may step in but if not we have choices.

Lots of choices is a good thing, competition is good too.

-Eric

I'm absolutely delighted with my MacBook Pro (13"). It's used primarily for Internet, word processing and photography. I'm not a computer geek or tech, am just an average computer consumer (who does not hang out at coffee shops caring if my laptop is glamorous).

The Apple Store buying process was delightful, didn't even have to stand in line at a cash register. I bought the $99 "One on One" service and have made good use of the knowledgeable teaching. Am going to pay them some more visits to learn how to revamp my website (which a friend who was a programmer put together a couple years ago). I don't need "community support" -- If there's ever a problem with my MacBook, I'll just pop over to the Apple store and drop it off.

Computers -- Windows-based, Apple, Linux -- have come a long, long way and are miraculous compared to several years ago or earlier. I paid $1000 less for my Apple than I paid for any previous computer so that was my price comparison more than contemporaneous competition.

With my first Apple so far being such a pleasure compared to all my previous Windows systems, I'm inclined to stay with Macs (and i-Pads and i-Phones).