Windows Vista vs. Mac OS X « Columbus Underground Messageboard

Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion

Windows Vista vs. Mac OS X

[28 posts] [11 contributors]

Topic Rating:

(Total Ratings: )
Rate this topic:

Started 4 years ago by cab124
Latest reply from ddavis

Tags:

No tags yet. Add them below.

12 Next »

cab124
Downtown Columbus
Login to Send PM

I have always been a Windows guy. I even develop Windows software for a living. Over the next couple of weeks, I need to buy or build a new desktop computer for personal use. I will mainly be using it for web surfing, MS Office applications, Google Earth, Quicken, CorelDRAW, movies/audio/TV/DVR, and some gaming.
I am leaning towards a Windows Vista machine, but a lot of people are telling me that Vista sucks and that I need to check out OS X Leopard. Any thoughts?
Is there anyone out there who uses Vista and really likes it???
Thanks!!

Posted 4 years ago #
Daz
Tweeting about some totally unimportant event
Login to Send PM

Ya know... I dig the layout and overall look of it, but there just isn't that much of a diference anymore.

Posted 4 years ago #
lisathewaitress
SoHud
Login to Send PM

I'm probably not the best person in the world, because I'm not a total tech geek, but I do spend a ton of time on the computer. I guess in theory, I would love to have a Mac, it just isn't financially possible - a decent desktop PC is less than $500. I haven't had any problems with Vista - I have a desktop with XP and a laptop with Vista - one thing I really like about it is that it recognizes anything you plug into it and automatically looks for a way to jive with it, which is something that I think Mac is known for and PC doesn't always do. When I plugged it into my printer, it automatically went to hp and downloaded the driver.
Vista also intuitively fixes problems - if you get an error message, it will look for a solution to the problem, which is helpful. For some reason, I set the MoJoe wireless signal as my default (like the 2nd day I had my laptop), so for awhile everytime I came home it wouldn't recognize our wireless signal, but it always found its own solution to the problem. It's pretty fast and seems (knock on wood) to be pretty glitch-free.

Posted 4 years ago #
Roland
Clintonville
Login to Send PM

I haven't really used either. I've been thinking about getting a laptop lately and was considering giving Apple a try. I like Apple hardware and you can run Windows stuff on them too.
Ive had a copy of Vista Ultimate sitting on my desk and haven't gotten around to installing it yet. I'm such a bum! I've been curious to try developing applications for Vista.
Tough call. I haven't decided what I will do.

Posted 4 years ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
Login to Send PM

I've hardly spent any time with Vista so far. It's ok I guess.
I'm a fan of OSX though.
The Leopard Guided Tour Video is worth watching though. Lots of cool new stuff. Makes me want to upgrade. ;)
http://www.apple.com/macosx/guidedtour/

Posted 4 years ago #
Ltrgman
Columbus
Login to Send PM

If you're doing some gaming I would go with a PC.
I haven't tried Vista yet but have heard it's not the greatest. Although, I think MS just released a new Service Pack for Vista that supposedly will fix some of the bugs.
If you're building your own PC you could always install Windows XP if you're not satisfied with Vista.

Posted 4 years ago #
shroud
Polaris
Login to Send PM

I've used both, and provided technical support for both. (Though not MUCH with Leopard yet - it's only been out a few days!)
The most important points have been covered, but to highlight:
-For most folks, at this point the user experience is pretty much the same.
-Mac hardware will run you more than PC hardware. I think Mac hardware is really solid, looks nice, and is well put together, but a comparably spec'd PC WILL be cheaper.
-If you're looking for computer gaming, a lot of games don't offer a Mac version. You can play World of Warcraft on the Mac, but not The Orange Box, to give a couple high profile examples. More things will NOT be available for Mac than will.
This extends somewhat to non-gaming software as well, but while the most popular games may NOT have a Mac version, the most popular other apps most likely WILL.
Something else to keep in mind with a Mac though is you can have your cake and eat it to (to an extent) through Boot Camp or Parallels - allowing you to run Windows apps from within Mac OS X, or just plain boot into Windows and run Windows on your Mac hardware. Note, of course, that Parallels isn't free, and you'd still have to buy (or obtain) a copy of the Windows OS to use as well.
Both Vista and Leopard do have some bumps right now - some application incompatibility, some areas where they're not quite stable. I know of a lot more for Vista, but that's probably at least partially due to it being out so much longer. Vista really needs a Service Pack update to get it over the hump and into the more stable OS realm. It doesn't suck, but it is in a similar place to where XP was when IT first came out... stability will come.

Posted 4 years ago #
Brewmaster
Portland, OR
Login to Send PM

I'll be getting an iMac here pretty soon. For what I use my computer for, internet, photos, email, a few spreadsheets, and a page layout every now and again, the Mac software is just better from a useability standpoint (iLife and iWork).
I don't care so much about the OS, although Macs tend to "work better". The interface seems to have fewer clicks involved, more of the processes is automated, there are fewer popups, beautifully designed graphics, and creative animations. I don't think any of that swayed me to get a Mac, but I appreciate the sleekness of it all.

Posted 4 years ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
Login to Send PM

shroud wrote Something else to keep in mind with a Mac though is you can have your cake and eat it to (to an extent) through Boot Camp or Parallels - allowing you to run Windows apps from within Mac OS X, or just plain boot into Windows and run Windows on your Mac hardware. Note, of course, that Parallels isn't free, and you'd still have to buy (or obtain) a copy of the Windows OS to use as well.
Yeah, I just set all of this up on my mac recently so that I could play a few games at a lan party. Parallels is pretty impressive, and I like a lot of the features of being able to run windows inside a window on my mac (shared clipboard for copy & pasting across OSes, being able to drag and drop files from one OS to another, etc) but Parallels currently doesn't handle Direct X very well. So while Quake 3 (openGL) ran as smooth as butter, Half Life 2 ran about a frame per second.
You can also dual-boot directly into your Windows partition and skip the Parallels route, but I've read that some of the mac hardware isn't set up to be recognized by XP (and there were no driver fixes last I checked) and while I can deal with my built-in blue tooth antenna or camera not working, I've read that the temperature-controller CPU fan is also not functional under Windows, so the last thing I'd want to do is run intensive games for any length of time like that.
And I agree with the part about PCs being cheaper... but I've spend so little time troubleshooting issues with my two macs I'd say that the extra money is worth it in increased productivity for me so far.

Posted 4 years ago #
vestanpance
Harrison West/at work OSU
Login to Send PM

I was also wondering if Parallels or Boot Camp will run Direct X 10 built software/games. Since more and more seem to be coming out and direct X 9 is being phased out.
I use both Mac and PC at work for cross platform web design testing but for personal life I use the PC. Mostly because of games and because that's all the versions of Adobe's products I have.
One thing that does bug me about the Mac/PC conflict when designing stuff is the damn fonts. So many fonts have the same names and don't look that same on both machines!

Posted 4 years ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
Login to Send PM

vestanpance wrote I was also wondering if Parallels or Boot Camp will run Direct X 10 built software/games. Since more and more seem to be coming out and direct X 9 is being phased out.
I'm sure this is something that will be fixed either with an upcoming update or a new version of Parallels. I think the Vista support is pretty shaky right now (I'm only running an XP partition) so I'm sure a new version is in the works.
Apple does seem to be getting better about coaxing game developers to release simultaneous ports for OSX:
http://www.apple.com/games
And I'd assume with an increasing userbase, game developers are going to be more inclined to port to OSX.

Posted 4 years ago #
vestanpance
Harrison West/at work OSU
Login to Send PM

Walker wrote
And I'd assume with an increasing userbase, game developers are going to be more inclined to port to OSX.
I would agree to that. We'll have ihalo, and iSims..... :lol:

Posted 4 years ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
Login to Send PM

Oh, and while I don't play too many computer games these days, you can be sure that I'll be picking up Starcraft II for OSX. ;)
http://www.apple.com/games/trailers/starcraft2/

Posted 4 years ago #
shroud
Polaris
Login to Send PM

vestanpance wrote
Walker wrote
And I'd assume with an increasing userbase, game developers are going to be more inclined to port to OSX.
I would agree to that. We'll have ihalo, and iSims..... :lol:
Halo (1) was actually being developed for the Mac by Bungie before Microsoft paid the big bucks for the Xbox-exclusive license. Of course, in the very early stages then it didn't look anything like the FPS that would "take the world by storm" anyway.

Posted 4 years ago #
vestanpance
Harrison West/at work OSU
Login to Send PM

Walker wrote Oh, and while I don't play too many computer games these days, you can be sure that I'll be picking up Starcraft II for OSX. ;)
http://www.apple.com/games/trailers/starcraft2/
I will own you on battlenet! (wow that's geeky..... but true)

Posted 4 years ago #
cab124
Downtown Columbus
Login to Send PM

Thanks for all of the input. I appreciate it.
I guess I will probably end up just staying with Windows. I really like what I see in OS X, and I love Apple hardware, but I can't justify the extra money when I can continue on with what I am used to. I think that Vista will mature over time and become just as reliable and easy to use as XP is.
Also, now that I really think about it, I don't think I want to deal with running two different operating systems on one machine.
One thing is for sure.....it is GREAT to have a choice!! Competition is good for everyone. I hope that Apple continues to grab market share.

Posted 4 years ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
Login to Send PM

cab124 wrote I can't justify the extra money when I can continue on with what I am used to.
I used to say the same thing, so I bought a Mac Mini to play with. I'm hooked after that. ;)
cab124 wrote Also, now that I really think about it, I don't think I want to deal with running two different operating systems on one machine.
Really the only thing you'd need it for is games. And only some games at that. I'll have to give you a demo next time I see if you if I have my laptop on hand. ;) Running two OSes is really very simple to do.

Posted 4 years ago #
vestanpance
Harrison West/at work OSU
Login to Send PM

walker = apple fan boy :P

Posted 4 years ago #
cab124
Downtown Columbus
Login to Send PM

Walker wrote
cab124 wrote I can't justify the extra money when I can continue on with what I am used to.
I used to say the same thing, so I bought a Mac Mini to play with. I'm hooked after that. ;)
cab124 wrote Also, now that I really think about it, I don't think I want to deal with running two different operating systems on one machine.
Really the only thing you'd need it for is games. And only some games at that. I'll have to give you a demo next time I see if you if I have my laptop on hand. ;) Running two OSes is really very simple to do.
What specifically hooked you about the Mac OS, Walker? Were you primarily a Windows guy at one time?
Well, as I think this through, I think I would need Windows for a couple of things besides games. For example, ever since I used CorelDRAW to produce the illustrations for my master's thesis, I have been hooked on it - and they no longer support the Mac (I know this is complete blasphamy, but I am not a fan of Adobe software so I don't see myself ever switching to Illustrator).
Also, I am very dependent upon my Pocket PC and I have a few software development ideas for it. So, I will want to use MS Visual Studio for that. I sync my data with MS Outlook.
Then there is MS OneNote which I use quite a bit to organize all kinds of random data. If you have Windows on your Mac, you ought to check out OneNote. Some people think it is one of the best pieces of software MS has ever developed.
I would really be into a demo though. A lot of Windows developers I know are now using Mac hardware and dual booting into both operating systems, so I know I should give it some serious consideration.

Posted 4 years ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
Login to Send PM

vestanpance wrote walker = apple fan boy :P
I've grown to appreciate them. I'm a fan of computers in general. I do have an Xbox360, so that has to count against Apple in my household, right? :lol:
cab124 wrote What specifically hooked you about the Mac OS, Walker? Were you primarily a Windows guy at one time?
The first PC I had (or my family had I should say) was a 286 (came with MS-DOS 5 and some non-Windows GUI, but I later installed Windows 3.1 on it) way back in the day. I was maybe 10 or so? 12? I started building my own systems after that and probably went through two dozen PCs and a handful of laptops over the past 18 years. At one time I was very anti-apple mostly because they were too expensive and they had terrible gaming support. The whole one-button mouse thing was a joke too.
After I started into college and really started using Macs on a regular basis (right around the same time OSX came out) I was very impressed with the improvements that had occurred. I also started working with them at various jobs, but still used PCs exclusively at home. I thought about getting one, but I didn't want to maintain both a mac (for design) and a PC (for games).
When the mac minis were released, I picked one up since they were fairly cheap for a decent system with such a tiny form factor. I loved having it at home and pretty much quit using my PC after I bought it.
Earlier this year, I plunked down for a MacBookPro and I have to say that it's probably my favorite computer I've ever owned. There's a lot of things that Apple does very well both hardware-and-software wise and it's those fine deatails that make it all worthwhile over a PC in my opinion. Whenever you buy a factory built PC the first two things you're probably tasked to do is delete a bunch of crap that the PC maker installs by default and install a bunch of programs that aren't included in the OS. I think OSX does a great job of including OS-ready software that can pretty much do anything you would ever want to do. Of course, I'm sure Vista is an improvement over XP, but I was always stunned by how long it took Microsoft to build UNZIPPING software into their OS. They always seem to be behind the curve while Apple is ahead in this regard.
Anyway, to make a long story short... I can't give you several big reasons why I like Apples over PCs, but I can give you a million tiny reasons that I think add up to the price difference.
cab124 wrote CorelDRAW... Pocket PC.. MS Visual Studio... MS Outlook... MS OneNote...
I'm sure there are good equivilants of these programs for OSX. The switch isn't as hard as you might think. And running Windows through Parallels means you can continue to use these programs in a Windows environment on a Mac without rebooting into another OS.
But yeah... to each his own. I'm a fan, but I'm not out to convert anyone. ;) Just stating why I like what I like.

Posted 4 years ago #