Windows or Macbook - what do you use and why?

trcooke

DatabaseError wrote: »

^ happily...Is there a version which will run on my hardware?

Granted, it's not just an O/S investment involved to switch to OSX. The equivalent Mac Quad Core is pretty dear.

DatabaseError wrote: »

Also, will it allow me to run 2 instances of a 64 bit linux VM concurrently alongside my other software (100% cpu usage over 4 cores, GPU usage 100%, 24x7)..

You run these from within Windows?!?! Wow! You can run these from within OSX too.

DatabaseError wrote: »

Then...at the end of the day...I'd like to play some games, currently fallout 3, crysis warhead and dead space (with a bit of trackmania nations for the kids).:)

This one is a bit of a clincher for Windows. Most game developers only support Windows.

Zazen999

Mac for fun and browsing
dell/windows for work as it's got XP on it [hate vista]
asus is my official work lappy, as I can carry it long distances without losing all feeling in my arm, uses linux.

Mac is quick and the best computer I've ever owned, and I've had alot of over the years.
Dell is slow but I have photoshop CS3 and all the other programs i need and I won't re-buy these until I absolutely have to. Even if this laptop goes go, I've got the OH's toshiba which I would use in the meantime for the CS3 and use freeware for the rest of the windows stuff.

linuz is ok but firefox drops me out of browsing every now and then. Still quicker than the dell for getting started.

I would never buy a windows based computer again, ever.

mymatebob

As we replace our machines at home we will be moving over to Macs.

I don't play games and only use my machines for writing, photo manipulation, audio editing and browsing.

Leopard

There is little to add to what Marty J and isofa have already written. It is always a pleasure to read their postings because they have much wisdom, they have experience of both platforms and they are possessed of great ability to combine the two with constructive and insightul objectivity. Those who heed their advice (on many issues) should be very grateful to them for offering their counsel on here.

Marty_J wrote: »

Macs cost more than some PCs, and less than others. They are well built, exceptionally beautifully designed machines which generally last a lot longer than PCs at the same price point.

With a Mac you can run OS X, and also Windows and Linux if you really want to. Macs come with the iLife suite of applications, which has no equivalent on Windows. Many tasks are much simpler on a Mac; to install software, you generally just drag it to your applications folder. To uninstall it, just delete it. No buggy and slow add/remove program lists.

While any computer can get a virus, the threat level when using a Mac is vastly lower than using Windows. The same goes for trojans, malware, spyware, etc.

It just makes sense to me to buy a computer which is designed by the company who designed the OS I'll be using on it.

isofa wrote: »

I use both, desktop Macs and PCs, laptop Macs and PCs...

If I had to choose one starting out now, it'd be a Mac, because I could then run Windows XP/Vista under virtualisations, and have the best of both worlds on one box.

However as a developer, designer, director and all sorts, I need both, and use both constantly!

PS Apple is one of the most profitable and richest companies on the planet, it's cash reserves dwarf most other companies in the sector.

The very title of this thread is self-contradictory because a MacBook can run Windows natively. It can also, and alternatively, run Windows and Mac OS X simultaneously, displaying both on screen at the same time - ideally running one of them on a large external monitor.

Anyone who does that will discover after quite a short while how much more agreeable Mac OS X is to use than Windows and will in all probability then phase out their use of Windows to the minimum level consistent with retaining their own personal degree of regrettable but necessary compatibility with those who insist on inflicting Windows (and all that goes with it) upon themselves.

So, the only advise that I would add to Marty J's and isofa's is that the OP should ignore entirely the views expressed in this thread by everyone who has failed to grasp that a MacBook can run Windows anyway (if, as Steve Jobs put it drily, you would ever actually want to) and even do so natively. With a MacBook you can enjoy the advantage of running both operating systems.

The oxymoron inherent in the title of this thread has at least had one useful benefit: it has lured those who know nothing whatsoever about Macs into revealing that fact by what they have posted.

BillScarab

The title of the thread is not self-contradictory, it's just wrong, it should be "Windows or OSX".

For once I agree with Steve Jobs, why on earth would you buy a Macbook just to run Windows?

For me the big problem with OSX is that you need an Apple computer to run it (I know thta's not strictly true but Apple don't take kindly to people running it on non-Apple hardware). It does mean it's easier for Apple to tailor the OS to the hardware and avoid compatability issues. It also means though that they can charge what they want. One of the major advantages of Windows PCs is that the openess of the hardware has led to cheaper PCs and faster advances in technology.

I dread to think what the cost of computers would be if PC hardware was proprietary as well.

If Apple released OSX as a seperate product that you could install on any PC it would make tings very interesting.

Sput2001

For once I agree with Steve Jobs, why on earth would you buy a Macbook just to run Windows?

Indeed. A minimum of £929 for a Macbook and then you have to buy a copy of Windows on top of that.

Alternatively, £400 will get you a perfectly decent laptop (or PC) with Windows included.

Leopard

NickMidgley wrote: »

Indeed. A minimum of £929 for a Macbook and then you have to buy a copy of Windows on top of that.

Alternatively, £400 will get you a perfectly decent laptop (or PC) with Windows included.

http://www.currys.co.uk/product.php?sku=890418

Thank you for illustrating my point so well.

Sput2001

Leopard wrote: »

http://www.currys.co.uk/product.php?sku=890418

Thank you for illustrating my point so well.

OK, so I'm saving £400 instead of £600! :rotfl:

randomtask_2

I bought into Mac as when I wanted a laptop, Leopard was just released. I actively decided against Vista as I was not prepared to chance my arm on whether it would work smoothly or not. So I took a punt on a Macbook (bought in the US in Nov 2007 when the dollar rate was far more favourable than now) and it has been a joy to ditch the Windows interface for my personal/home computing.

I wouldn't say Macs are suitable to everyone, the price alone means those sticking to a budget are unlikely to ever pick one up, but for sheer simplicity (and I'm all about simplicity when it comes to being a end-user on a computer) OSX is unrivalled IMHO. I've no interest in the seeing the file architecture or background system operations of Windows, I just want a highly functional and polished front-end that allows me to get on with what I'm doing with minimal fuss.

My work laptop (which still runs XP since our IT department think Vista is pointless - a view many seem to have) is fairly powerful in spec but is painful to use at times, crawling to a stop or just crashing. And its ugly. There are a number of nice looking Windows laptops out there (like the Sony VAIO range) but ultimately they still run Windows and that's the crux of it for me...I hope Windows 7 is better for everyone's sake but I doubt I'll ever go back...

demadodgydave

I have 2 macs and a PC desktop, and if I had the money I would get a Mac desktop too, as with the PC desktop there can quite often be conflictions with various programs I am running, so sometimes I need to shut one down to use another. But PC's are a lot cheaper to upgrade etc, but then again, my mac's are so solid, they don't need upgraded. I also use them for music production/editing & photo editing. There used to be a problem with OSX where the upgrade would sometimes not be compatible with some of the programs, but they have a backup function called time machine which lets you revert to the previous version if some of the software providers are slow on the updates.