TuffNut2Crack
Registered
I'm doing a report on the Macintosh, and I need some someone to give me the lowdown on mac v.s. PCs, including pros and cons of each, why macs ar better, etc.
Mac V.S PC
- Thread starter TuffNut2Crack
- Start date
Matrix Agent
Masochist Mascot
try this tread, get a little psycological, but cool nonetheless.
http://www.macosx.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=11843&highlight=why+are+macs+better
http://www.macosx.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=11843&highlight=why+are+macs+better
unlearnthetruth
Recycle Me!
also, if you go to my website (in my sig) and go to the file sharing page, you'll find a great, though a little dated, article to exploit.
dlookus
Disgruntled user
I don't think that's exactly what he's(?) looking for.
Here's the way I see it:
Mac Pros:
-Easier to learn
-Easier to maintain
-More intuitive
-the OS is more aesthetically pleasing (many will argue it doesn't matter, but if you're spending 10 hours a day in on a computer, you had better like the environment.)
-the hardware is also aesthetically pleasing (similar reasons.)
Mac cons:
-Not as much software
-Apple makes every mac (less variety)
-Fewer people using them
-Slightly more expensive
-Slower (I'll get crap for this one, but I'm being honest)
Why I use a mac: As far as the cons go. The software that is out for the Mac is usually the good software anyway, with a few exceptions. Apple being in control of the Hardware makes for more stable machines. You typically don't have to worry as much about compatibility. They're slower but for most things they're plenty fast enough.
This is just my perspective. I'm sure I missed a few things.
johngibbons
Registered
One comment on this. I've had my Mac for three days now and I love it. But it's important to mention that the statement "The mac is easier to learn" isn't always true. It's possible that some people may find it easier than Windows, but having used both I can say that Windows is a lot easier in some ways, and the Mac is easier in others.
As a Windows user (I will still use it, certainly at work) here are the things that ARE easier on the Mac. There are more, but these two come to mind right away.
- Installing or uninstalling programs is simple. Just drag and drop. That may be the worst thing about windows. Because of the registry and installers it causes all sorts of problems.
- Downloading things off the Internet. It all happens automatically, and it's fairly obvious where things are. Only VERY recently has Microsoft finally made if obvious what's happening with a download and where it is, etc.
What's bad about the mac in comparision to Windows (UI related).
- The windows task bar is a far superior way to work with programs. You see ALL programs/windows in the task bar. On the Mac dock you see both running and non-running programs. Sometimes you see minimized versions (if you minimize), but if you "hide" an app you don't. It's VERY confusing trying to figure that all out at first. This never, ever, ever happens on Windows. You always know where a program/window is, and can get to it with one click.
That's my number one complaint with the Mac OS. I've tried some shareware utilities (ASM, etc) and they are ok, but it's not the same. There is a taskbar for the Mac (GoMac) but it's not available for OS X yet. And I for one don't like third party replacements for UI elements. Apple needs to rethink how they deal with this. I should never have to wonder what's running, and how to find it. Another thing that Windows has is a "Show desktop" button. Click it and everything goes into the task bar and you have a clean desktop. The closest thing you have on the Mac is clicking on the desktop, then telling finder to hide others. But you still have all the finder windows open.
I'm sure there are others, both good and bad. But I wanted to mention the few things that have really stood out.
All in all I much prefer Mac OS X to Windows.
Cheers,
John
As a Windows user (I will still use it, certainly at work) here are the things that ARE easier on the Mac. There are more, but these two come to mind right away.
- Installing or uninstalling programs is simple. Just drag and drop. That may be the worst thing about windows. Because of the registry and installers it causes all sorts of problems.
- Downloading things off the Internet. It all happens automatically, and it's fairly obvious where things are. Only VERY recently has Microsoft finally made if obvious what's happening with a download and where it is, etc.
What's bad about the mac in comparision to Windows (UI related).
- The windows task bar is a far superior way to work with programs. You see ALL programs/windows in the task bar. On the Mac dock you see both running and non-running programs. Sometimes you see minimized versions (if you minimize), but if you "hide" an app you don't. It's VERY confusing trying to figure that all out at first. This never, ever, ever happens on Windows. You always know where a program/window is, and can get to it with one click.
That's my number one complaint with the Mac OS. I've tried some shareware utilities (ASM, etc) and they are ok, but it's not the same. There is a taskbar for the Mac (GoMac) but it's not available for OS X yet. And I for one don't like third party replacements for UI elements. Apple needs to rethink how they deal with this. I should never have to wonder what's running, and how to find it. Another thing that Windows has is a "Show desktop" button. Click it and everything goes into the task bar and you have a clean desktop. The closest thing you have on the Mac is clicking on the desktop, then telling finder to hide others. But you still have all the finder windows open.
I'm sure there are others, both good and bad. But I wanted to mention the few things that have really stood out.
All in all I much prefer Mac OS X to Windows.
Cheers,
John
I agree with John's comments (clicking the wrong icon and having it launch is a pain), but I find that by putting everything in one place that I use regularly I can completely clear everything from my desktop - yup not a thing. This means that I can use the desktop for whatever I am working on without mixing it up with other stuff, and that, for me, is a large benefit of Mac OSX. I didn't manage that on OS9.
I use a PC every day at work as well, and I know Win32 systems inside out. I much prefer using OS X - I find that I am much more productive.
Roger.
I use a PC every day at work as well, and I know Win32 systems inside out. I much prefer using OS X - I find that I am much more productive.
Roger.
dlookus
Disgruntled user
I agree with some of this. I think it's not clear enough which programs are open, which is in the foreground etc. But, I really hate that windows makes a button for every window open at the bottom. I think it's horrible. I haven't used XP much so I don't know if they've made it more like OSX, but I like in OSX that you can get to the windows in an app by holding/right clicking/control-clicking the app in the dock. It doesn't get nearly as cluttered if you have a lot of files open.
Other things I think are much better are the system preferences it doesn't get much simpler than that. Sheets are amazingly simple.
One thing that I think may really confuse people is that you can have windows from a program running in the background in front of windows belonging to the program in the foreground. I can see why you'd want to do that, but I think it's confusing.
I've used both systems and I truly believe OSX is much easier to learn.
johngibbons
Registered
The task bar in XP defaults to grouping program windows together. For example, all IE windows are under one IE bar at the bottom, click it to pick the one you want. I turned that off after about 30 minutes though. Same problem I had with OS X. However it's still better than the way the Dock works. This is my opinion of course. I understand that this is a personal preference. Although I do honestly believe that the way it works now in Mac OS X, makes it hard to find things and seriously slows the user down. It certainly slowed me down, and confused me a time or two, and I make my living on computers. Hopefully Apple will come up with something in a future update.
Cheers,
John
Cheers,
John
ElDiabloConCaca
U.S.D.A. Prime
Howabout removing all your programs from the dock, save the preferences/finder/trash can, then placing aliases of all your programs on your desktop to the left side of the desktop? Then it would be EXTREMELY similar to the way Windows operates: you double-click an icon on the desktop to launch the program, or navigate to it via your Start menu (which is simple to reproduce in OS X via a folder with aliases in it in the dock) and the program only shows up in the dock when it's running. When you quit it, it goes away.
The Mac's customizability never ceases to amaze me day after day. There's always a way to do a task more than one way... simply love it.
johngibbons
Registered
While that's clever, it doesn't solve the problem I have. I don't mind the dock for launching programs. What I want is a task bar that shows EVERY window that's open, like what windows has. I can live with things the way they are, I understand the Mac well enough now to get around. I just think it'd be a big interface improvement to have that feature. The old Mac OS had that menu in the upper right hand corner for switching apps, and I know a lot of Mac users hate the doc and want that back. I think my suggestion would make everyone happy. Like it or not, Windows has some good ideas, along with a LOT of bad ones!
Again, having said all of that, I love my new Mac. I *LOVE* that it's real Unix. The benefit of that (for me at least) FAR outweighs the other issues. I feel way more empowered on Mac OS X than I do on Windows XP/2k. Mac OS X really is the best of Windows and Linux. I have my important MS Apps, and all other mainstream programs too. I have real Unix, X Windows, etc. Plus I have all the cool Mac stuff. It rocks!
Cheers,
John
I think you said already that you've tried ASM. This adds the feature of os9 you mention to OSX when it comes to seeing what's running.
I switched from PC to Mac as OS9 was coming out, so I have some experience with it, and tons with Windows. I much prefer the way X does things. Why anyone would want 15 IE windows in their task bar, each so small all you can see is the logo, is beyond me. I think XP's way of doing things is a step in the right direction.
I like that on the Mac programs are represented, each window in a program is not. This is a huge functional difference in Mac vs. Windows. On the Mac the titlebar is detached from the windows and is constant for all windows in a program. In Windows the equivalent is attached to each window, and moves with it. This lends itself to making a user view each window as a separate entity to be managed (in a sense a separate program, even if just another window of the same program) whereas the Mac lends itself to viewing windows as components of a single program.
At least that's my experience. Anyway, the point is that I hate having a representation of each window. If I want something, I go to the program, then I go to the "Window" menu and pick the right one if it doesn't jump to the front for me. Or you can flip through the windows of a program with cmd~ if that's more your style. I got rid of ASM after I tried it.
To each his own. The main flaw I have with the dock is having to scrub to see what something is, this is especially a problem if you minimize a bunch of things. But like I've said, I find it easiest to work with programs and so tend to hide instead of minimize anyway.
I switched from PC to Mac as OS9 was coming out, so I have some experience with it, and tons with Windows. I much prefer the way X does things. Why anyone would want 15 IE windows in their task bar, each so small all you can see is the logo, is beyond me. I think XP's way of doing things is a step in the right direction.
I like that on the Mac programs are represented, each window in a program is not. This is a huge functional difference in Mac vs. Windows. On the Mac the titlebar is detached from the windows and is constant for all windows in a program. In Windows the equivalent is attached to each window, and moves with it. This lends itself to making a user view each window as a separate entity to be managed (in a sense a separate program, even if just another window of the same program) whereas the Mac lends itself to viewing windows as components of a single program.
At least that's my experience. Anyway, the point is that I hate having a representation of each window. If I want something, I go to the program, then I go to the "Window" menu and pick the right one if it doesn't jump to the front for me. Or you can flip through the windows of a program with cmd~ if that's more your style. I got rid of ASM after I tried it.
To each his own. The main flaw I have with the dock is having to scrub to see what something is, this is especially a problem if you minimize a bunch of things. But like I've said, I find it easiest to work with programs and so tend to hide instead of minimize anyway.