uhno wrote:

Without any specific purpose in mind, which is better to use, a PC, or Mac? I guess it's hard to answer without a purpose in mind, but in the general sense.

[biased]

I'd say the Mac would be for general purpose. The reason being that the Mac doesn't have many viruses targeted towards it, is more secure in general, is more stable and just works out of the box. Apple also doesn't force you to use crazy ass reg codes and call them for authorization.

[/biased]


That being said, I own a number of Macs and only one PC. I also have one Linux box. I am not tied to one platform and can easily say that the Mac is the best platform for average users. However, for gamers Windows is King. For tinkerers, Linux is King. For everyone else, there's the Mac. And the Mac is kind of absorbing Linux people like crazy the past few years.

uhno wrote:

Without any specific purpose in mind, which is better to use, a PC, or Mac? I guess it's hard to answer without a purpose in mind, but in the general sense.

You just opened up the floodgates....

Macs aren't targeted for viruses because they're a small percentage of all the computers that are out there... For the same reason Ferraris and Lamborghinis are rarely stolen: they're aren't many out there.

bmwracer wrote:

You just opened up the floodgates.... Macs aren't targeted for viruses because they're a small percentage of all the computers that are out there... For the same reason Ferraris and Lamborghinis are rarely stolen: they're aren't many out there.

Just because they are a minority, doesn't mean they can't be targeted.

I dunno. Perhaps it's just a dead-end topic.

bmwracer wrote:

You just opened up the floodgates.... Macs aren't targeted for viruses because they're a small percentage of all the computers that are out there... For the same reason Ferraris and Lamborghinis are rarely stolen: they're aren't many out there.

Nonetheless it still holds true that theer are fewer viruses. (Note I'm not claiming there are zero as a zealot would).

Here are a few things proponent for both sides of the 2-sided war. Please note that I am avoiding opinionated things such as 'better for creativity' and 'b35t g4m3z 3v4r!'

Pro Mac
1) Fewer viruses... Meaning hundreds of thousands fewer.
2) Almost zero malware (spyware, etc)
3) No draconian tracking or registration schemes
4) Don't go slower over time due to registry 'gunk'
5) Works out of the box with little to no configuration
6) MS Office and OpenOffice are both available for productivity needs and are compatible with MS Office on Windows if you need to open documents from friends/family/coworkers.
7) More stable. Mac OS X is built on FreeBSD which is rated by technologists and programmers everywhere as being the most stable OS available today.
8) Easiest OS to setup usage of Japanese language and other languages. (Trust me I've done it on all OSs purchasable or free today)
9) Updated more frequently than Windows. This means bugs are fixed faster, and that new versions come out more frequently to offer new features and help you take advantage of major new technologies. Upgrade prices also cost less than Windows.
10) Best technical support, should you need it. Apple never touts it, but they've been rated #1 in customer support satisfaction for over 10 years running now. Most calls are resolved in less than fifteen minutes. That includes hold times!

Pro Windows
1) Most common OS on the market today. This means you'll encounter other users more frequently.
2) More games are available for Windows than any other OS.
3) More software available for Windows. While Mac OS X has been gaining thousands of new software programs every year, Windows still trumps all in overall software quantity. Please note that I've said nothing about "quality".
4) Customizable hardware. Most Mac systems don't let you just pop in a new graphics card or processor. You can pleace HDDs and supplement with external stuff, but most Macs take a lot of effort and knowledge to upgrade internal (exception for the MacPro which is regarded as one of the simplest to upgrade towers when compared even with popular Windows based hardware companies).
5) Customizability. Windows is a more customizable OS (you can make the interface look how you want it) than Mac OS X is. This is because Apple takes its interface design 'very' seriously and a standardized interface helps Apple provide the top notch support that they do. However, It's still nice to be able to theme the OS to look different ways based on your mood or workflow. I personally set up a number of my PCs to look and work like my Macs do. But I don't get the awesome software and efficiency I do from my Mac.


+++++++++++++

I have an old friend of mine who just bought a new MacBook Pro recently to do his work on. Granted he's literally a supercomputer programmer, and he does some crazy crap, but he says he gets almost 40% more workflow efficiency out of his new Mac than he did out of his Windows or Linux machines. He's also found that he's more prone to download and try out shareware and other software toys since they're not 80% malware.

uhno wrote:

Just because they are a minority, doesn't mean they can't be targeted. I dunno. Perhaps it's just a dead-end topic.

I don't think it's a dead end topic at all. Certainly they are, have been, and will be targeted. But if you note, I never said they weren't. I said they have fewer viruses and malware than Windows does.

uhno wrote:

Just because they are a minority, doesn't mean they can't be targeted. I dunno. Perhaps it's just a dead-end topic.

Indeed. Apple just released 2 patches for their Airport Extreme. The wireless router didn't filter external IPv6 connections. Allowing them all to enter your private network.

There are tons of security firms and people working day and night to find security holes. They work mostly on Windows because 90% are running it and Linux/Unix, because of enterprise servers and mainframe. The only Mac users I know are either working in schools or in graphics / publicity.

Their computers are nice. With the intel processor, you can always dual boot Windows, OS X and Linux. See which one you like the most.
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tabana wrote:

Indeed. Apple just released 2 patches for their Airport Extreme. The wireless router didn't filter external IPv6 connections. Allowing them all to enter your private network. There are tons of security firms and people working day and night to find security holes. They work mostly on Windows because 90% are running it and Linux/Unix, because of enterprise servers and mainframe. The only Mac users I know are either working in schools or in graphics / publicity. Their computers are nice. With the intel processor, you can always dual boot Windows, OS X and Linux. See which one you like the most.

For the record though I do Macintosh related software and web development, R&D, database development and deployment and usability consulting. I run two small companies off my Macintosh systems, and usually watch my dorama/anime/H!P videos on my Macs.

Oh, and I like to eat in front of them. Makes them jealous.

uhno wrote:

Without any specific purpose in mind, which is better to use, a PC, or Mac? I guess it's hard to answer without a purpose in mind, but in the general sense.

My stock answer. Use them both. Buy the one you like.

Unless you're a hard core game freak, then just buy the Windows machine. Although you can dual boot, i'd choose the PC cause it's cheaper, which leaves more $$ for games, 7.1 speakers, more ram, etc.

You can install Mac OS on a PC?
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tabana wrote:

You can install Mac OS on a PC?

I think it's the other way around.

tabana wrote:

You can install Mac OS on a PC?

actually you can, it's a gigantic pain though. not even close to being worth the effort.

I see. It must be hard to find drivers for hardware parts like motherboard... If they have those on Mac.

And it seems VMWare doesn't support it as a guest OS.
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tabana wrote:

I see. It must be hard to find drivers for hardware parts like motherboard... If they have those on Mac. And it seems VMWare doesn't support it as a guest OS.

You're correct. VMWare doesn't support OS X as a guest OS. It's FAR simpler to buy an intel based Mac and dual boot with Windows. You have all the same hardware support you normally would, + the ability to book into the Mac if Windows goes stupid.

There's a VMWare-ish program called "Paralells" which let's you run Windows and the Mac OS simultaneously. MUCH better than that crap Virtual PC used to do (granted VPC had to do realtime hardware translation between two massively different hardware systems). Nice setup anyway.

I've never heard of it. I'll check it out.

I think the company behind Virtual PC was bought by Microsoft, because they have a new product call MS Virtual PC. I doubt they'll spend money to improve Apple's OS compatibility.
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Danji wrote:

I don't think it's a dead end topic at all. Certainly they are, have been, and will be targeted. But if you note, I never said they weren't. I said they have fewer viruses and malware than Windows does.

I didn't mean that it is was a dead end topic, as in there isn't much to say. I mean that the ambiguity will always be there. It will be either or, and for different reasons. A cyclical discussion rather than linear. That's all I meant.

Anyway, I'm a having a problem with my PC. You see, when I start my computer, not all the icons load in my taskbar. Specifically, the volume control icon. Also, my Nod32 loads, but then doesn't appear in the taskbar.

The weird thing is, sometimes they do appear when I start up my computer. Sometimes only one of them, and rarely, sometimes both. Does anyone know how I can solve this?

Could be a problem with the driver. A security patch released 2 weeks ago, caused problems with Realtek HD audio. There's a fix on MS's website.

You can also check the hide list, by right-clicking the start button. properties \ taskbar \ customize button.

It could be a spyware \ virus problem too.
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tabana wrote:

Could be a problem with the driver. A security patch released 2 weeks ago, caused problems with Realtek HD audio. There's a fix on MS's website. You can also check the hide list, by right-clicking the start button. properties \ taskbar \ customize button. It could be a spyware \ virus problem too.

It's has nothing to do with the hide list, cause I made sure they are always showing.

I doubt it is spyware or a virus. I'm doing scans everyday.

I doubt it's a driver issue.

I don't know what it could be. Thanx for the help!

uhno wrote:

It's has nothing to do with the hide list, cause I made sure they are always showing. I doubt it is spyware or a virus. I'm doing scans everyday. I doubt it's a driver issue. I don't know what it could be. Thanx for the help!

You should backup everything and do a fresh install... That usually takes care of these nagging little problems.

It's painful, yeah, but it beats pulling your hair out over the problem.

bmwracer wrote:

You should backup everything and do a fresh install... That usually takes care of these nagging little problems. It's painful, yeah, but it beats pulling your hair out over the problem.

We did reformat the computer. But it still happened.

uhno wrote:

We did reformat the computer. But it still happened.

At what point?

Right after you installed the OS or after you started installing other software?

I can't imagine it happening right after a fresh OS install... Especially if the problem was just a recent occurrence.