Mac OS X Tiger vs. Windows XP

If the "crashing" of the Mac was, in fact, a Mac crash or whether is was an Adobe Premier crash. that program is particularly sucky on the Mac and is not the editing software of choice for the majority of DV editors. Final Cut Pro & it's big brothers, are much better and more powerful that AP.
By the time you have configured your PC to come up to the Mac G5 specs, the rpice is around the same. We are taling name brand here, not Build it yourself stuff.
Given that none of these Mac's that you have been using actually belong to you, but are part of a school media program, they maybe get more abuse than a machine that was yours.
Try decent editing software and you will be pleased with the results

P

I have a friend who used to be an ASR (Apple Service Rep) at CompUSA. He had, for a while, done a good job of convincing me that my next computer had to be a Mac. I also read Michael Hyatt's blog. He switched from a Tablet PC to a Powerbook. I've been following some Mac blogs and enthusiast sites for a while now, and I've learned some interesting things.

Mac's aren't exactly without their problems. Mac originally did a terrible job with USB on the first iMacs. It's also not exactly true that Mac's are virus and hacker free, and as more people buy them more hackers are working to invade them.

Mac has the advantage of developing the software and hardware. I could go to a computer show this weekend, pick up all the pieces to a computer seperately (it's much more fun that way), slap them together, install Win XP, and expect XP to work. Microsoft obviously has no control over the manufacture of the hardware that I would just have bought, yet it is expected to support it. They put themselves in that place, however. I'd like to see Apple write an OS that will, for the most part, universally run on anything you happen to find at a computer show.

I find Apple products to be much more expensive, although that may not be a fair comparison. In order to get the system I would want, I'd have to drop close to $2000 on a Powerbook. No way my wife would approve that. I could get a fairly adequate laptop for half of that.

I'm trying to be as fair and impartial as I can. Mac is known for simplicity, Windows is known for universality. Each has a great place in it's own niche, and either will work fine depending on the platform you want to run and the needs that you have.

I agree to that....
During 1980's I love Apple computer, it's easy to use. After I graduate from college, and landed a programming job used boring IBM machine and PC/AT.
I went on searching for a new computer myself and found cheaper computer from my company that is IBM PC. It's kind of complicated than Apple. All the PC does was boot up to DOS prompt. HUH?!?!? Apple just automatically boot up to any software that you insert in the slot, no prompt blink blink blink....
As years goes by, I owned 5 PCs (four are gifts from friends and sister) and wish to have a MAC! A month ago, My sister gave me her daughter's iMac G3. The only thing I don't like is the mouse.
My daughter always caused too many spies and viruses in my PC's, she said 'I've never have problem with my computer'. DUH! She got Mac!
Mac never have any problem with viruses and spies and popups. I just wish I had Mac from the beginning. The reason I don't own Mac is that I have so many softwares that are for PCs only.
Soon, I will get a new MAC if I could afford it.

Just to add to my previous message to so that I can clear up a few things. The software I use on the Mac is Final Cut Pro HD in compliance with the whole studio made by mac. Don't get me wrong, they're not bad programs I just prefer Adobe Premier Pro. Also it is true the macs I use are school computers however the good macs we have (the two PowerMacs and the two Imac G5s including the new Imac G5 just released) are in a seperate room from the media macs. The only people to use the good macs are me and one other student, and we take good care of those macs, they're like our baby's . I like macs, but I don't think they're significantly better for video editing than PC's although simple editing is easier thanks to Imovie although I prefer to use Final Cut. This is just from my experience.

-Justin

For name brand parts you have to build it yourself because your not going to find an ASUS, DFI, or ABIT mboard in a dell, hp, compaq, gateway or others "name brand companies". With the right config on a pc it will be more stable and faster than a mac. Cost of antivirus is only a problem for lazy pc owners it is very easy to get free antivirus, spyware/adware, and firewall protection. I'll recommend using Linux for people looking for minimal viruses and spyware/adware, high stability, it's almost universal, and it is becoming more userfriendly with every release.

''Macs are the better computers, but they just don't have software. Which software do you use the most? If it's Microsoft Office, i'd recommend you stay with the PC.''

Any particular reason why this should be so? Are you saying that MS don't make a version of Office for the Mac? Are you saying that if they do make a version for the Mac, that it's not as good? Or are you just making assumptions based on your limited knowledge? On what do you base your opinion?

''Microsoft keeps Apple in business b/c if it killed the competitor, then it would monopolize the industry, and that's illegal.'' When did legality worry MS. Without Apple, MS would have to invent Apple to get new ideas, without which the PC world would just stagnate.

P

Everyone says that Microsoft copies Apple. Who the #(* %$ Cares!? Good ideas will always be copied. There, as a Windows user, I said that. Now, if Apple finally does die in the computer market, the designers will just go over to Microsoft without any problem, since both of the companies have become what IBM was back in the '80s:CORPORATIONS. And so, Microsoft will become the innovator. And who knows, someone else might come along, kill Apple, and knock Microsoft into a niche market.There, I admit that even the all-mighty Microsoft might die one day. But for now, and getting back to the topic, I think you should go with Windows XP or 2000.

Microsoft has always been slow to upgrade Mac Office products. I know b/c I owned Office for Mac. If you're going to ask me questions, ask politely instead of being so rude. It's computer talk, don't make it so personal.

and you were called on it.
I don't think it's personal, I think it's more a case of being fed up with misinformation.
MS have always produced Office for the Mac faster than the Windows version.
Current Office for Mac is 2004 and for Windows 2003
By MS own admission, Office for Mac is much better than for Windows but your statement intimated that Office was not available for the Mac which is obviously incorrect.
From your posts, I gather you are not actually using OS X at all. Would that be correct?

If I am wrong, then I would not be shy to publicly admit it. But I would assume that there are more PC users than Mac users. And logically, a corporation would update in favor of the majority. The latest version of Office is Office XP i thought?

Even if the the Mac Office version is better, the standard is still PC. Most of the business world runs on PC's. It's a sad truth b/c the Mac is a superior machine. But it's still the truth.

Granted, the standard machine for business is a PC, the standard suite of Tools is Office. A considerable number of businesses conduct there entire business using Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Stick those companies in front of a Mac, running Office, and after a few days they would not notice the change. The two Office suites are completely interchangeable, with files from one being opened on the other.
I know of at least three businesses in my area that went Mac after being constantly attacked by virus's, etc. and were surprised to find that Office existed for the Mac, but that's another topic.

I believe Office XP was some form of interim upgrade before 2003.

I like the previous post but I think I can add some Real World style... Forget the stale debates and the geek stuff.

If you have an office job and plan on taking work home or vise versa, then stick to whatever OS they use at the office. Think of it as free IT support and software training. You may even score the occasional cool hand me down like a monitor or some expensed software. (MS Office costs a lot! Like $300+!)As for family and friends that share file types made from a specific program like, say, a Pinnacle video editor just for sake of a name, find out what they are and which operating system supports it. Some (many) programs are only supported by one or the other. It is more rare nowadays but it can sure burn you up after a $1k+ computer purchase to find out you can't use the $40 program that mom uses. Keep in mind that any computer is just a tool for running software used to perform a task. If someone you know wants to 'hook you up' with their cool video editing software and maybe even teach you how to use it, (It's way more complicated than any commercial would have you believe) then make sure you get the compatible OS and a system with the hardware to run it. Mac people love to talk about Windows emulators (those are programs that allow you to run Windows stuff on a Mac) but they are not free ($100+) and they don't run Windows programs as well as a Windows machine does. It is my opinion that you should buy a pc that best supports the new hobby or goal you have in mind. Either Mac or XP is totally capable of the basics (email, internet, printing cards, playing DVD's, typing letters, etc.) with hardly any difference in performance. I've got both sitting side by side.

If you or anyone in your family is or plans on being a cutting edge gamer that follows games like teens follow cd releases, (like me) then XP is the ONLY answer. That and a $300+ video card upgrade. Only about 10-20% of major game releases are EVER ported to MAC and usually there is at least a year to wait. Not to say that there aren't some really good games for MAC but if you have to have the latest and greatest that the choice is a no-brainer.

If you are a virtual newbie with no specific plan beyond getting online and learning to work your digital camera then Mac may be a perfectly logical choice. It is a beautiful and stable OS. It is, however a niche OS. Once you are a computer owner you will most likely see Sunday adds with all kinds of cool software titles blowing out from all of the major retailers. Guess what? They are RARELY Mac titles. Mac is certainly cool but there is always a trade off. XP on the other hand, will run almost anything currently made that actually sits on a store shelf.

Mac's are the default pc's as far as professional artists, architects, videographers, movie studios and so on. That is a big lure and Apple really plays on it. (who can blame them?) Remember, these people are doing things that you most likely never will and they are using programs that cost THOUSANDS of $$! Neither Mac's or PC's come with much of anything for free so price out the programs you'll want to use too. XP is not quite the video editing OS that OSX is but it's not that bad and there are dozens of fairly cheap XP titles in almost every major retailer. Both OSes come with basic photo and video editors already installed. The Mac video editior is certainly a better 'free' program. The photo editors, in my opinion, are a draw. I'd give a heads up to the Mac for basic photo file organization. Neither is a deal maker or breaker though as there are so many cheap or even free programs for both OSes that are far superior.

A big deal; Viruses. They exist. I don't worry too much because I'm fairly good at avoiding them in the first place and am pretty regimented in keeping my system clean. Unfortunately, I personally think that more than half of all newbies probably have at least one on their XP machines right now. (please, no debates. I'll admit that I pulled this figure out of the sky and can accept being very wrong) Most are not fatal. Some you'll never know you have. Some are really bad. If you do not want to really learn your machine and how to avoid them, then Mac has a real edge there. You'll see many debates as to whether that is because XP has more holes or because Mac is such a small niche that virus writers can't be bothered. The answer isn't really that important to me. The fact is, at least for now, that viruses are pretty much no issue at all for Mac's.

Last thought; Cost. I really think that life with a Mac is a more expensive one when considering the more limited selection of software titles (Yes, it IS still true) and especially hardware upgrades but it is a little more stable and is better integrated. Is it a lot of either? Nope. I've sucessfully crashed both plenty of times. Speed? Who cares? If you do then you probably already know what you want and need. Set your budget and get the most you can for it. The old rule of buy as much storage, speed and memory as you can afford is still a good rule. You will get more bang for the buck with an XP machine and much less of a chance of file incomapatibilty but there is the whole virus thing too.

Good luck...

Oh, and just because some people say the Mac looks good, personally, I feel that the Mac and it's OS look kind of ugly.

in your last two posts, I would surmise that you have not even seen, let alone used, OS X on a Mac.
The "Tiny Apple in the top left hand corner" has not shown a list of programs since the introduction of OS X over 5 years ago.

You haven't used a Mac since the horrible OS 9. I could always crash OS 9 easily. But I have issues on crashing OS X, it's hard for me to do. As for loading web sites, I usually find them faster on Safari than on IE or Firefox, on either platform.
Macs kind of do ship with nothing, but rather have better built in features. Like requiring you to enter passwords to install software, something Vista is including. This helps eliminate viruses from installing themselves on your HD. And as for losing everything, you should back up everything on ANY system.
$3,000 for a decent system is not true. The 20 inch iMac for $1699 is a decent system. Apple has tried to make it easy to be user-upgradable.
However, I do recommend getting a computer with all seperate components. Monitor, PC, keyboard, etc. That way if anything goes wrong with one, you can replace or repair and still have your system.

If by 'mainstream' you mean that most people buy windows-based machines, sure?windows is mainstream. But if you go deeper and look at what both systems are built on, you'll see that the Mac is much more mainstream in terms of standards: Unix-based OS, etc etc... I recommend checking out their overview.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/overview/

Decide for yourself. Tiger is WAY more than a specialized workstation OS. iLife is the simplest, easiest to use digital content creation and management suite in the world. Sure, you don't need to spend three hours editing videos (unless you want to), but would you rather spend three hours downloading virus patches and anti-spyware applications?

By the way, Windows itself is more expensive. The UPGRADE is over $200!!! Tiger costs $129.

Come to the light side of the computing world. Just buy a Mac.

is now down to zero!
Any reader of your posts would soon become aware that you have no experience with a modern operating system like OS X, although you continue to attempt to compare it with Windows XP. Windows Xp is still Windows 95 with lots of paint and Vista is just XP SP3. That is not my opinion but those of the "informed PC pundits" It will be released with a great hullabaloo, but will still be two steps behind OS X. For "the most secure Windows OS yet", Vista sure has a bunch of virus's for it right now.

Apple introduced "Widgets" in Tiger, a feature that MS has decided to "borrow" and call "Gadgets", have they no R & D of their own? I'm not sure they have had an original idea since DOS, and that wasn't theirs.

I wonder if you could tell me what a Corporate Drone does with their PC during their "real job" This might help convince me that you are correct, also, I would appreciate it if you could explain "some Mac software for your Windows".

P

XP is NOT `95 with paint. It's Win NT 5 with paint. Considerable difference. If credibility is as important as you allude perhaps you should brush up.... no pun. Well maybe a little...

Yes they are different, my booboo

The underpinnings may be more unix like (anything is better than windows 95/98/millenium and DOS), but windows XP Pro is to me, not really different than windows 2000 Pro with bells and whistles...and even microsoft has given up on windows 2000. Microsoft's own chief architect (James Allchin) admits that windows vista (formerly longhorn...if you will)does not work. Mac OS X is here...it works...it is infinitely more stable than any windows product I have ever used (and that covers them all). It can do virtually anything windows can do...and do it better. Microsoft Office is drag and drop from macintosh to windows (as well as is appleworks for that matter), and it has been a source of much consternation to windows users, that it actually runs better on the macintosh (by microsoft's own admission). Microsoft is once again playing catch up to Macintosh...that is a very simple basic fact. If and when microsoft ever comes out with its' own new OS...to go head to head with mac OS X...it will be an also ran. It will be a pale copy of the macintosh system...and according to its' own architect....it will not work. Were it not for its basic installed base size...it would be a dismal failure...and still might be anyway. Sure...I'll stupidly stand by, and wait in the wings for an operating system, that may be reality sometime in the future...an OS microsoft internal memos and windows pros term a "mess"...while a vastly superior and proven OS is here and now. Makes a lot of sense to me...!!???

I suppose that I am one of those. I have 2 19'' LCD monitors running on my desk with an average of 3-5 IM dialogs, 2-3 Excel spreadsheets, 10-12 Outlook emails, PDF reader, at least 5-7 Mozilla tabs and our propriatary software running at the same time. Of course, I also run Word and Photoshop less often but still often. My workstation is a 2-3 year old 2GHZ Pentium running XP Pro. I have occasional browser crashes. Maybe one a day. (Mozilla is better the IE but not quite as stable) I only reboot it once a week because I power it off on Friday only for power consumption reasons. I may have rebooted it due to a crash once in the last year. Well, I did have to power it down when I installed the new vid card. There are also occasional patches that require rebooting. Other than that, it is rock solid and plenty quick enough for the above mentioned tasks. Could I use a Mac? Sure, but there is no compelling reason. In a company of 500 networked Win PC workstations, to be the only Mac would be foolish and expensive.

Now life at home is all of the above PLUS my miriad of video games. Battlefield 2 is the current fave. Out of the dozen or so high end games I have installed and use, only one of them is ported to MAC; Doom III. No way could I enjoy my games on a Mac. I'm sure the mac is quite capable of running them if only anyone would port to Mac. Not going to happen anytime soon. My home system is a home built (forget that hobby too in Mac land) 3.5G Gaming rig. 2 g of ram. 300g of hard drive with RAID. A 256MB vid card and so on. It never crashes either. I mean NEVER. Not to say I haven't had issues but they were all self inflicted. Overclocking and the like. Some of the games are little sketchy and may crash once in a while but XP is rock solid. oh! I also make photo slide shows, home vid's, cards, prints and all of that stuff too. No sweat.

Now, I have a G3 sitting here too. It has been set up for my daughter to use to cruise her Barbie web-sites etc. I do really appreciate many of OSX's features and do wish MS would implement some of them. Email management and file indexing would be the first I'd like to see. Now, if I were a serious video editing guy I may think about the Mac a little more seriously. I am not that serious and XP is just fine for the limited tasks I perform which I bet are similar to 80% of home PC videographers.

Mac's are cool with the whole ''I'm an independent, anti-establishment type and I'll prove it by overspending on my home computer'' crowd. Yes, they are off the hook in the virus war for now too. Are they so dang superior that there is any one real reason to absolutely have to have one over a Win PC? No way.

to earn a living, they don't pay you enough