Windows vs Mac: Which is Better?

[amaq4]

Which one do you think is better?
Personally i think windows because it is more user friendly, you can get more free ware for and it's gaming is slightly better. What do YOU think?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Gaming and freeware are the only reasons I use windows. I personally dislike Vista alot. XP was pretty good. Macs are great too, but still lag in those two categories.

 

[CRGreathouse]

I hear that Windows has much better selection for games, but I don't play ((new) computer) games so that's not a factor for me. I hate the handholding and the gooey GUI of macs, so I'd vote for Windows. But of course Vista, if anything, out-Macs the macs in terms of graphical candy, so that gives Windows only a narrow lead over Macs.

The good news is that most of that can be turned off in Vista (and, I hope, in Mac OS X). But I imagine a Linux system will outdo both... my next machine will probably be my first Linux PC.

 

[amaq4]

Gaming and freeware are the only reasons I use windows. I personally dislike Vista alot. XP was pretty good. Macs are great too, but still lag in those two categories.

I hear what you are saying Vista certainly needs a lot of refinement currently i have XP

 

[las3rjock]

I made the leap to Mac two years ago, and I haven't looked back since. For the odd Windows-only application or game, I have a Windows 2000 virtual machine installed in Parallels, which is really quite amazing (even to someone who started using virtualization with VMWare on a dual-processor Pentium II machine). Some of the coolest freeware and shareware out there is Mac-only--see, for example, http://bibdesk.sourceforge.net/" .

 

[Moonbear]

For user-friendliness, I'd go with Macs over Windows. Windows gets too stubborn about doing things that I find rather unfriendly.

Other than that, I think the answers is...it depends. What do you want to do with the machine?

 

[chroot]

Moonbear's right. Both operating systems are tools, and both solve different problems in different ways. Some peoples' needs are better served by Windows, while others are better off with MacOS.

- Warren

 

[Moonbear]

Moonbear's right. Both operating systems are tools, and both solve different problems in different ways. Some peoples' needs are better served by Windows, while others are better off with MacOS.

- Warren

And just to show I've been hanging around here too long, some are served best by Linux.

 

[chroot]

And just to show I've been hanging around here too long, some are served best by Linux.

All PF users are, for PF runs on a Linux machine.

- Warren

 

[vincentm]

Mac or windows?


Don't you mean OSX/UNIX or Windows?

 

[turbo]

I'm running XP SP2 on a pretty potent (for a 2-year-old) Dell box and I'm happy. I have used both Dos/Windows machines and Apple gear for years and was a network administrator for a very large medical practice in which one of the senior partners was such a die-hard Apple fan that I could not get him converted, so I had to live with his peculiarities. A really big wrinkle was that the practice-management software ran on DOS and the server had to run an old version of Novell that was quite hostile to Windows machines. Add to that the fact that the practice had 5 satellite locations of various sizes networked on dedicated phone lines and you can see the potential for problems. My next job entailed maintaining a network in a graphics-intensive business in which the graphics machines were Macs and all the other machines were Windows boxes.

I've logged a lot of time on machines of both types, and I much prefer the DOS/Windows OS. The major problem with Windows is legacy code. Microsoft had has always tried to make its newest OS backwardly-compatible with previous versions, and while that saves the users a lot of money (don't have to buy new application software) that compatibility comes with a price (OS bloat, slower performance). When a previous employer upgraded the computers of all field technical consultants to MacBooks, they had to upgrade all of our application software as well, because the new OS wouldn't run the old apps. At that same time, I could run any of my old DOS apps (like my precious WordStar) on my Windows machine at home, and they would absolutely scream!

 

[Kittel Knight]

ANYTHING is better than windows!

But I prefer Unix/Linux...

 

[fargoth]

why do you list only mac OSX and windows (all versions?) as options?

I mainly use Ubuntu, but if a game which is worth my time comes along (which happens about once a year) - I use windows XP.

for me, there is no reason to use mac OSX, although it's elegant, and well designed - it doesn't offer me anything i can't do with my linux system, and I hate apple's terms of use.

 

[binzing]

One of my buddies comp just sh** Vista, or vice versa. Anyways, I gave him an Ubuntu live cd, and he's truckin' like the dooda man.

 

[stewartcs]

Which one do you think is better?
Personally i think windows because it is more user friendly, you can get more free ware for and it's gaming is slightly better. What do YOU think?

Unix based systems run most engineering software a lot faster.

CS

 

[ghost02]

Linux. Slackware is the bomb.

 

[cimgo1903]

i think windows is the worst. because nearly, all viruses are developed for windows based because a lot of people use it . so windows is not more safety than the others.

 

[BryanP]

Depends on what you do I guess.

I use Leopard (OS X) on my Mac pretty much more often than I use Windows XP on the same system (dual booting them on my Intel Mac).

I mainly use Windows just for gaming but most of the work I have to do can be done on my Mac.

Personally, I think both have their pros and cons. I've used Windows since pre-1995 and never really had "security issues" with it as far as home-use. Just watch what you bring into your computer and you should be fine. Now, in terms of hackability, no clue.

However, in terms of user-interface and functionality, I like OS X better than Windows. Even simple renaming of files and installation of files are easy. It probably wouldn't matter much to someone who really knows how to use a computer, but for sure for someone just trying to start on their first OS (not my scenario obviously), I'm sure it'd be easier using a Mac nowadays than Windows IMO.

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

Would anyone use Windows if given the choice between a Mac OS and Windows? The only reason I use Windows is because Macs are not compatible with a lot of software, particularly games. Otherwise I would have no hesitation in using Linux or anything but Windows. It's like having the choice between IE7.0 or Firefox 2.0.0.20. No contest.

 

[Mike Cookson]

Which one do you think is better?
Personally i think windows because it is more user friendly

In my opinion people think Windows is more user friendly as it's what they have used their whole lives in reality once you make the change to mac it's a lot easier to use in my opinion. Some of it just seems odd to Windows users when/before they switch - I found the change over not that bad at all when I did it.

The only problem with OSX is that some programs are only released for Windows but now with bootcamp, to allow you to run Windows on a mac seamlessly, the problem is far lessened. My Intel Macbook Pro, which is my only machine now, quite happily runs Windows and windows based software - including games such as COD4.

 

[Ice_Chief]

http://gentoo.org" .
Mac is a terribly insecure operating system. The only thing it has going for it is the fact that there isn't as much malware made for it. Windows is also insecure, but you have to worry more about malware than say the security of a fully patched XP machine. Now, I'm not saying Linux boxes can't be owned, but Linux users are usually technically savvy enough to take proper precautions and prevent any issues.

 

[Mike Cookson]

Be reasonable, as far as I can see linux is next to useless for most users be it office based or like me in the design and/or audio industry...regardless of it's apparent invulnerable nature it simply isn't practical for me or 99% of computer users to use.

 

[Ksum006]

I think it really depends on what u want to do with ur computer. If ur an arts grad get a mac if ur an engineering/science grad get windows.

and i don't care what u are but don't get vista.

if u want something that's pretty much indestructible in its software architecture get linux.

Oh a more humourous note, read the following. I am sure most of you would have probably seen it, but for those who havent, enjoy!

:> Microsoft vs. GM
> ================
>
> For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for
> the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on.
>
> At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly
> compared the computer industry with the auto industry and
> stated, "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer
> industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1,000
> miles to the gallon."
>
> In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press
> release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft,
> we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:
>
> 1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.
>
> 2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would
> have to buy a new car.
>
> 3. Occasionally, your car would die on the freeway for no
> reason. You would have to pull over to the side of the road,
> close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and
> reopen the windows before you could continue.
> For some reason you would simply accept this.
>
> 4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would
> cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case
> you would have to reinstall the engine.
>
> 5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was
> reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but
> would run on only five percent of the roads.
>
> 6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights
> would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An
> Illegal Operation" warning light.
>
> 7. The airbag system would ask, "Are you sure?" before deploying.
>
> 8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock
> you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted
> the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio
> antenna.
>
> 9. Every time a new car was introduced, car buyers would have to
> learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls
> would operate in the same manner as the old car.
>
> 10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.

 

[Mike Cookson]

I like that, is it actually true? I hope so.

Anyway I'm an engineering undergraduate and a mac user, I have windows installed on my mac using bootcamp for the very rare occasion I have to use it. I also have my old PC which I use for any simulations but I still use OSX 99.9% of the time. It just runs smoother, is faster and you don't have the constant thought 'Would this be solved with a restart' like you do with Windows based computers.

 

[Air]

Windows: Sciences
Mac: Arts

 

[Coin]

Mac OS X *is* a UNIX and from a CS person's perspective, as far as I see it, Mac OS X is just Linux with a more convenient graphical shell. Basically any project I start on my mac I can just move seamlessly to a Linux machine when I am done developing it. I once briefly worked at a major UNIX vendor and basically everybody there had powerbooks, as far as I can tell basically for this same reason.

Meanwhile I am unable to understand why anyone would use Windows for any reason unless to play games, and even this reason is going away now that all the Windows games are moving to the XBox 360...

 

[Mk]

Windows: Sciences
Mac: Arts

More specifically,
Windows: Office work, mathematics, programming
Mac: Design, medicine

 

[Rogerio]

Windows: games (only)
Mac (& Unix): everything else

 

[Mghanem]

i think win better than mac

cuz it easy and usually

thx

 

[mdj]

Windows != science

Last time I checked it said Physicsforums.com somewhere up around the URL for this site.. How many of you do serious physics in Windows? All my programs needs *nix to run, a few has windows ports (like Mathematica, MATLAB etc) but most requires *nix.
But if you have just a tiny need of doing anything mainstream as well you can't go with Linux since Photoshop etc. isn't ported. Instead Mac OS X supplies the perfect combination of hard-core UNIX and super advanced OpenGL accelerated graphical sweetness as well as a platform where big companies are willing to develop (Microsoft, Adobe and so on) + Hey, my mac runs windows as well.

It's kind of hard choosing Windows for any reason other then being a conservative and perhaps a bit ignorant as to the other side of the ocean ;)

Yes, I'm provoking, but seriously I only have Windows on my Mac for two reasons, gaming and my bloody net-bank, and the latter is supposed to be mailing me some sort of device that let me bank from OSX soon, so as said earlier: Windows = gaming, OSX = everything else!

 

[pinestone]

The newer Macs (Intel based & Leopard OS) will run both Windows XP and Mac's OSX. The dual boot option is great for apps that are operating system specific. If you check around the web, you will find that Windows actually runs faster on a Mac than a PC. Be advised that you will need to install an antivirus program while running in the Windows partition, but not on the Mac side. If you are using a MacBook or MacBook Pro with the dual boot setup, a mouse is necessary to obtain the 'right-click' in Windows.