Why a MAC?

[Volume]

I'm not trying to be arrogant, it's an honest question... What is the pointof having a Mac? Isn't it much less compatible than PC?

 

[fibroptikl]

I'm not trying to be arrogant, it's an honest question... What is the pointof having a Mac? Isn't it much less compatible than PC?

Oh no, not again.

 

[Avatar666]

Because of OS X.
And it's not less 'compatible'. Actually, what do u mean by compatible?

 

[Mojo]

Less compatible, for PC programs. There is a wide variety of Mac applications that do everything that the PC programs do that aren't "compatible" with macs.

Macs are very good because they are:
-Rock stable
-OSX is amazingly good, pretty, easy to use, and stable
-Macs are very fast for graphic applications, and just as fast for desktop applications.


Only con in my mind is lack of games. But since I don't play games too much anymore, it doesn't worry me.

 

[somecallmeTim]

We has a dually G5 at our last LAN acting as a game server - mostly UT2004 and we also played on it and holy crap was it fast, smooth and very very effective. I'm impressed. Granted, all I own now is windows and 'nix boxes, but I did own a Mac when they first came out 9" b/w screen and everything.

The overall engineering on a Mac is fantastic, and they run cooler and quieter than a comperable windows system, but then again, it's not a fair comparison since the OS is so different as well as the hardware.

 

[ZenPirate]

I'm not trying to be arrogant, it's an honest question... What is the pointof having a Mac? Isn't it much less compatible than PC?

Mostly because it's what Linux could be. That and because I like an intuitive product designed in and out by the same company, with software designed for specific hardware, with *me* the user in mind.

Oh, I was also sick to death of having to run a half dozen programs to kill spyware, viruses, hacks, cracks, and other crapola.

 

[Josh_B]

Mostly because it's what Linux could be.

[...]

Oh, I was also sick to death of having to run a half dozen programs to kill spyware, viruses, hacks, cracks, and other crapola.

You mean Linux could be all about looks and be (at least partly) closed-source? Sounds good to me.

I agree 100% with the second part though

 

[Centauri]

You mean Linux could be all about looks and be (at least partly) closed-source? Sounds good to me.

 

[CentronMe]

Sexy looking hardware.

Sexy looking OS.

Sexy looking media player,

I can't beleave I jsut said that.

 

[RancidWAnnaRIot]

I'm a PC user.. MACs aren't bad at all.. i would say they are fine machines.. but i think OS X is a jsut a bit overrated... not a lot .. just a little i've seen OS X machines that get unstable... which it claims not to be since it's unix based.

I believe they are way better for doing things like animation, and recording.. when i recorded a CD with my old band a few years back, All the studio computers were MACs.

And this wasn't a mom and pop studio, this was the real deal

 

[Tengis]

From my knowledge, PCs can do everything a Mac can do AND more. I saw something a while back... best dual G5 vs comparibly priced PCs. The AthlonFX based Pc did everything the Mac did, and in most cases was a bit faster. I honestly would never buy a Mac, but thats just me.

 

[Sinister6]

for music production use: NEVER a PC...(some people does use cakewalk nowadays, but MAC is still a majority, like 99%)

 

[Black Morty Rackham]

Not this again...

I was hoping we wouldn't have to put up with lame attempts at trolling more, but....


Anyway, I'll reply just for the hell of it.

Mac OS X is a superior OS, it's just that simple, at least for an end user like me.

People saying that Macs aren't compatible... well, it's the other way around, at least software-wise. I miss more killer apps when running everything but Mac OS X. There is no OmniWeb, Proteus, Butler, etc etc etc for any other platforms, and after using such apps for years, other products that try to do the same seem awfully primitive.

 

[Sean]

... Oh, I was also sick to death of having to run a half dozen programs to kill spyware, viruses, hacks, cracks, and other crapola.

The only reason why there aren't as many hacks, cracks, etc because the user base is so tiny. Its more likely to get to a Windows user because more people use it. If it was the other way around, people would be trying harder to exploit macs.

Cheers,

 

[Tengis]

Lame attempt at trolling? Show me some numbers that prove what I just said, and have seen, wrong. Just because you like Macs and I dont doesnt mean a Mac is better, its just your personal preference.

 

[emorphien]

I'm not trying to be arrogant, it's an honest question... What is the pointof having a Mac? Isn't it much less compatible than PC?

I fear the responses this will get.

Short answer is why not? Because someone likes Macs. I've not got preference either way so bang 4 the buck largely dictates my decisions.

 

[Black Morty Rackham]

Lame attempt at trolling? Show me some numbers that prove what I just said, and have seen, wrong. Just because you like Macs and I dont doesnt mean a Mac is better, its just your personal preference.

I wasn't talking to you...

I never said it was "better", though... but that's a word you had better remove from your dictionary if you discuss computers. Mac OS X is better for me, and that's all I can say about it. However, I have a plethora of perfectly logical and sound arguments to explain why it's better for me, unlike most who just yell "<Macs/PCs> suck."

Also, numbers proving someone wrong? How the hell would that even work in a debate about which is "best"? Even if 99.99% of the computer users ran Windows and the rest used Mac OS X, I'd still be equally convinced MOSX was better. A large user base means it's popular, not that it's good.

The only reason why there aren't as many hacks, cracks, etc because the user base is so tiny.

That's only half true... I won't bother explaning that, not right now anyway, just take my word for it when I say that it's not nearly as easy to write viruses or other such malware for Mac OS X, or any UNIX-like OS, as for Windows.

I fear the responses this will get.

I think we've been keeping it relatively clean sofar.

 

[ghm007_2000]

Why a Mac?

Because it's the best.

and I've only used it for max 2 months!

 

[RancidWAnnaRIot]

LIek i saisd before.. i think MACs are fine machines.. but one thing that gets me is that there is only on clicker.. you can't highlight something and then right click and copy... or can you?

 

[Elledan]

The real answer, I think, is that when you buy a Mac you aren't just buying another piece of hardware, you're buying a different kind of experience, or life-style, if you wish.

If I had the money, I would buy a dual G5 tower without giving it a second thought, since as far as I'm concerned, everything (or at least a lot) about a Mac is very likeable, down to the tiny details on the outside of the case.

<---- has nearly enough money to buy an iBook =^_^=

 

[CentronMe]

So I can go to Borders with my iBook and iPod and have the college chicks sneak peaks.

I'm not saying they are perfect. My iBook has crashed on my several times since I purchased it. But is has been a lot less than any of my PCs.

Like i said before.. I think MACs are fine machines.. but one thing that gets me is that there is only on clicker.. you can't highlight something and then right click and copy... or can you?

Yes, you hold down a keyboard button and click. This wiil give you your context menu. After a few days you get use to it and it becomes natural. Heck you get use to using keyboard shortcuts like flower-q to quick quit an app.

 

[bdavids1]

The only reason why there aren't as many hacks, cracks, etc because the user base is so tiny. Its more likely to get to a Windows user because more people use it. If it was the other way around, people would be trying harder to exploit macs.

Cheers,

Ok, so why are there viruses out now for Windows 64-bit? The user base of Windows 64-bit is way smaller than the user base of OS X.

OS X is based on BSD UNIX which has an extremely strong security track record. When a system is designed from the beginning with security in mind, it will be far more secure than a system which was designed without considering security.

 

[RancidWAnnaRIot]

HA!! so that crazy looking kay is called the flower key? heheh i always wondered what it was.. i call it the squagly thing... i use MACs at the computer lab on campus. that's where all my MAC experience comes from.

 

[bdavids1]

I'm not trying to be arrogant, it's an honest question... What is the pointof having a Mac? Isn't it much less compatible than PC?

The reason I got a Mac (Powerbook 12") is that I wanted a really good UNIX laptop. I'm working on a Master's Degree in Computer Science, and UNIX/OS X provides the tools and flexability I need.

"Much less compatible than PC" -- there's a dangerous statement. By PC, I assume you mean Windows/Intel. Microsoft has a horrible track record with regards to standards compliance. I would argue that that makes Windows less compaible than most anything else that's out there. It's just that they have a huge market share, so it gives the impression that it's the other systems which not being compatible.

 

[Lethal]

HA!! so that crazy looking kay is called the flower key? heheh i always wondered what it was.. i call it the squagly thing... i use MACs at the computer lab on campus. that's where all my MAC experience comes from.

LOL, in all my years of using Macs I have never heard it referred to as the "flower" key. It is the "command" or "Apple" key.

 

[CentronMe]

LOL, in all my years of using Macs I have never heard it referred to as the "flower" key. It is the "command" or "Apple" key.

All the same thing. My Apple friends called it that, so thats what I called it. It is the Apple key though.

 

[Keith130]

Ive been following this thread 'cos im interested in Mac's: they look soooo cool and they are reliable, no spyware etc. I just had to comment on the 'flower' key, it sounds funny, I have always heard it as the Command key or the control key, the control key is probibly incorrect since thats a Windows thing no?

 

[emorphien]

Ok, so why are there viruses out now for Windows 64-bit? The user base of Windows 64-bit is way smaller than the user base of OS X.

OS X is based on BSD UNIX which has an extremely strong security track record. When a system is designed from the beginning with security in mind, it will be far more secure than a system which was designed without considering security.

Anticipation of the market share. That's why there are already viruses out.

Either way, use what you like. In end use there's not a lot of difference for most things.

There's only one clicker (it is stupid if you do high end imaging or CAD or other things) but you can easily put a good mouse on and be off and running.

 

[Lethal]

Ive been following this thread 'cos im interested in Mac's: they look soooo cool and they are reliable, no spyware etc. I just had to comment on the 'flower' key, it sounds funny, I have always heard it as the Command key or the control key, the control key is probibly incorrect since thats a Windows thing no?

Actually, Macs do have a "control" key and an "alt/option" key in addition to "command".

Most of what PCs use the control key for is done with the command key on a Mac, tho, like command+c for copy, command+v for paste, etc.

 

[Black Morty Rackham]

[...]but one thing that gets me is that there is only on clicker.. you can't highlight something and then right click and copy... or can you?

Oldest "let's hate Macs" reason in the book, and the most over-used attempt to put it down. Also one of the most incorrect, and that is very impressive. I have a normal optical Logitech mouse, two buttons, scroll wheel, middle button. Never had a problem, didn't need extra drivers or anything. NO third party software installed for mouse routines. My brother has an MX310, same thing there. I've never had any problems what-so-ever in Mac OS X with USB appliances. I wish I could say the same about WinXP Pro.

Ok, so why are there viruses out now for Windows 64-bit? The user base of Windows 64-bit is way smaller than the user base of OS X.

OS X is based on BSD UNIX which has an extremely strong security track record. When a system is designed from the beginning with security in mind, it will be far more secure than a system which was designed without considering security.
[...]
It's just that they have a huge market share, so it gives the impression that it's the other systems which not being compatible.

My points exactly.

HA!! so that crazy looking kay is called the flower key?

I believe it's called the "command" key....

the control key is probibly incorrect since thats a Windows thing no?

Macs have the following keys in the corners:
Shift: same as on Windows/PC, a modifier key
Control: always system control, never a modifier
Alt: always a modifier key, never a controller key, as its name suggests. Alt as in alternative.
Command: Always a controller key (the main, actually), never a modifier key.
All keys do the same, regardless of which side they're on, with the exception of "special" functions. If you use your right Shift for Exposé, for instance, it will just be the right one.

Obviously, modifier keys can modifiy commands.

To me, this layout is way, WAY, more logical than the Windows/PC layout. The Windows button is a waste of space, Ctrl Esc does the same. What Lethal said, too.

Anticipation of the market share. That's why there are already viruses out.

That's not the only reason. Not by a long shot.

 

[BillLeeLee]

I'm a PC user through and through (though should we really call them PC vs. Mac, cause Macs are a kind of personal computer?) and having used a Mac on rare occasions (the Mac G4 in my school's computer science dept), I can appreciate how Apple has crafted an appealing computer and nice looking OS that's easy to use. However, that's just eye candy, and I'm the kind of person who doesn't care how 'sexy' or 'curvy' my OS or comp box looks.

I like how the OS now is based on BSD Unix and the Mach kernel, but I use Linux on my PC, so that doesn't really matter to me. Also, whoever said why there are Windows XP 64-bit viruses now; well, there was a Mac OS X virus released into the wild a few weeks ago. Windows is targetted more because the huge majority of users in the world run Windows based systems, and the Windows security model is pretty weak in comparison (everyone by default gets superuser privileges), and also Outlook Express (another popular channel of virus propogation). So while OSX and Linux are more secure than Windows, that means nothing if the user improperly configures his security (or runs everything as root, ick). A computer is only as secure as the user makes it.

So it's not that I hate Apple, they're just selling a product that appeals to different users, and they do that job well.

 

[Black Morty Rackham]

I'm the kind of person who doesn't care how 'sexy' or 'curvy' my OS or comp box looks.

I'd rather use Mac OS X in a box that looks like an old Viktor. I'd prefer Mac OS X over Windows, even if the looks were reversed. "User Interface" is so much more than "looking good".

[...]well, there was a Mac OS X virus released into the wild a few weeks ago.

No, there wasn't. There has never been a single Mac OS X virus caught in the wild, even though a few theoretical ones have appeared.

Windows is targetted more because the huge majority of users in the world run Windows based systems, and the Windows security model is pretty weak in comparison (everyone by default gets superuser privileges), and also Outlook Express (another popular channel of virus propogation).

Again, only half true... also, why does the reason matter?

So while OSX and Linux are more secure than Windows, that means nothing if the user improperly configures his security (or runs everything as root, ick). A computer is only as secure as the user makes it.

Indeed. But in Mac OS X, far fewer things are enabled by default. Also, "root" in Mac OS X isn't the same root as in UNIX/Linux... Just being administrator doesn't make you root. There is no root account accivated by default in Mac OS X, and anyone who's clueless couldn't possibly activate it, either.

 

[BillLeeLee]

No, there wasn't. There has never been a single Mac OS X virus caught in the wild, even though a few theoretical ones have appeared.

Yes, my apologies. I was thinking of the Trojan Horse (MP3Concept), the first Trojan Horse that affects Mac OS X.

And my idea of a user interface is one with a simple panel and everything accessible from the right click (I use OpenBox under Linux).

And interesting to learn Mac's root isn't the traditional *nix root user.

 

[Sinister6]

5 years ago
me:"its 5pm, time to go" (push the power button left my desk)
pc user co-worker:"what the hell? wont you have to 'shut down', the computer is not yours but part of the companys property"
me:"This is a Mac, not windows98, i dont scandisk or crash during shutdown or while booting"
oh well, this is kinda old but it does happened to be ask lots long time before..

actually when you get used to OSX, its more convinent then WindowsXP on keyboard commands. i use both OSs, when im at home i prefer my winxp box tho.. just because some gamming is needed

 

[Black Morty Rackham]

Yes, my apologies. I was thinking of the Trojan Horse (MP3Concept), the first Trojan Horse that affects Mac OS X.

And my idea of a user interface is one with a simple panel and everything accessible from the right click (I use OpenBox under Linux).

And interesting to learn Mac's root isn't the traditional *nix root user.

No worries. Nobody can be expected to keep up with all the virus news, even though the only news is that therea ren't any.

Well, that's one of the things I love about Mac OS X... I could just run Xfree86 (or GNOME, or whatever) and switch between that and Aqua with a single click on the keyboard. I'm also quite sure I could get the contextual menu for every application I want, but Command Space "first few letters of application (or of any object I've told it to search for)" Enter works quite well too.

To be honest, I prefer Mac OS X's root thingie... I can still sudo whatever I want, enter my "semi-root" account and get root priveleges. I just don't have to worry about it most of the time.

 

[emorphien]

I believe it's called the "command" key....

I prefer to call it the "splat" key

For XP 64, I'm referring to actual viruses. The security flaws that are there are a separate issue, but nobody is going to write a virus for something that is anticipated to have a small market share. That's why I am saying the amount of viruses already out for XP 64 are in anticipation of its market share.

Back to the other thing. Future Windows versions will supposedly have more things off, we'll see what happens. I'm not sure how much they'll actually have changed to improve security. Although many of you are quick to point out the underpinnings of OS X are more secure, and I agree technically they are, I don't know for sure it would be as secure as we all like to think it is if there were enough desire to hack, crack and write viruses for it. Small market share isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

[RancidWAnnaRIot]

Hey, I wans't using it as a reason to put down MACs. I was just saying that's what get same when i use the computer labs in school.. if you read my ealier posts i completly respect apple machines.. And why the hell do you peopel bother arguing about this crap anyway?

 

[Black Morty Rackham]

Oh, I'm not saying it's impossible to make malware for *nix or Mac OS X... the small user base does help, of that there is no doubt. But saying it's just because of the market share is... well... simply not true.

 

[Black Morty Rackham]

Hey, I wans't using it as a reason to put down MACs. I was just saying that's what get same when i use the computer labs in school.. if you read my ealier posts i completly respect apple machines.. And why the hell do you peopel bother arguing about this crap anyway?

Ahh, well... Never judge a system based on the ones your school had. They pretty much always suck, and if they're good, the platform must be awesome indeed.



I was bored.

And I'm convinced that if I keep firing logical freight trains at idiots, sooner or later it will hit home, no matter how good they are at dodging it.


PS, while we're down to technicalities, it's "Mac," not "MAC." It's short for "Macintosh," not "Media Access Control."

 

[pistola]

This question comes up more than it should.

I am a cross platfrom user, I own and use bot Mac and PC, OSX, and Windows. Frist off just remember that Windows is a Pirated version of the Mac OS. Also everything that Windows has and will have, the Mac OS had it frist, always happens. Macs are industry standard in most of the media fields. If you go to a TV station 9 times out of 10 they are using Macs. Graphic Design firms, Macs. The Film industry. Macs. Music industry, Macs. This is because software that is only available for the mac systems. Like Quark Express, Final Cut Pro, Soundtrack, ProTools, Motion, Reason... and like a million more that put any PC program that does the same thing to shame.

But,
Macs aren't good that great for 3d, like they have Cinema 4d, but the hardware isn't really meant to handle 3d well. A PC can handle 3d much better than a mac can, due to the range of high end video cards avaiable for windows based systems. (Quadro, and FireGL). Also theres not many games that get ported to the Mac system.

The way I look at it is, Macs are professonal machines, where as PCs are more for play.
I perfer macs over PCs, but my love for games makes me use the PC more often that the Mac.