Wow.

[BlitzNCS]

I don't want to start any OS wars or anything, but here's the thing...

All my life I've been using various versions of windows, in fact the only time I've ever touched mac was using the school iMacs during music lessons, which don't last very long and you can't mess with them. So anyway, recently I completely reinstalled vista onto my laptop. My hard drive is automatically partitioned into two - ACER and DATA. So anyway, wanting to experiment a little, I found myself installing mac on DATA while vista is still installed on ACER - a dual-boot situation. And I tell you what, I am VERY impressed with OSX.

For starters, it boots up 100 times quicker. I'm in before I realise it. Then there's the speed of the system in general. It's just amazingly quick. I install firefox expecting to have to install all these plugins - no. Everything just works. When recording in windows, I get so much latency (recording delay) that I can't produce anything good. In OSX, it's almost instant. It sounds like I'm trying to sell OSX here, but I'm just really impressed. The only downside is that it's a little TOO user friendly (that and the fact that my wireless network card and built in speakers have no Mac drivers ) Oh yeah, and most programs don't have a Mac counterpart.

So what do you guys think of mac?
Any similar experiences?

Oh, and would someone explain to me what linux actually does that Mac and Windows can't? I've never looked into it. All i know is that it's more code-y and develop-y.

[Kudistos Megistos]

Oh you!

And although you're impressed now, I bet that "a little TOO user friendly" thing and the lack of programs will mean that your feeling will change later. It's possible that you'll still like it, depending on what you do, but everything I've heard suggests that although it's better for "beginners", it's extremely limiting for people who want to do things that are more advanced.

What Linux does that Mac and Windows can't do is be completely free. It's more customisable and has the potential to be far faster than either of its two rivals, and has a huge software library (much bigger than the Mac's) despite having about 1 or 2% of the market share. Basically, you have the security of a Mac and the customisability and software library of Windows. On the downside, it's much less user friendly than either of them, no matter what the people at Ubuntu tell you.

Finally, most of the Windows vs Mac stuff is about Apple's hardware, its fanbase and its business practices rather than its OS, so the fights usually aren't really OS wars.

[Covarr]

Vista is shit. The playing field, at least as far as speed and stability are concerned, is MUCH more level if you use Windows 7.

[Kudistos Megistos]

Vista is sh*t. The playing field, at least as far as speed and stability are concerned, is MUCH more level if you use Windows 7.

Oh. Yeah. I didn't read the bit about Vista

Yeah, that isn't a fair comparison; it's comparing OSX to the shittiest Windows ever.

[pyrozen]

The new laptop i bought has the best of both worlds. It's got ASUS quickboot, which boots up in 5 seconds to a linux OS that allows you to view pictures, check email, and surf the web. If you require more, just press the boot button and it takes you right into windows 7.

I have limited experience with OSX, but what i have had i didn't care for. The way windows constantly shirk and move around depending on where my cursor was drove me nuts. Things would minimize at odd times and it basically baffled me I'm also a pure PC guy for the last 15 years, so switching to a mac was a fish-outta-water tale if there ever was one. Also, the mac vs PC hardware arugment is almost moot, most Macs are built with PC hardware at this point, it's a purely software difference now.

I am very impressed with win7, and i honestly can't complain about it at all. I was lucky and i never bought into the Vista hype, so they never burned me on that front. Anyone still using XP should move to win7 if they can afford it and their computer can handle it.

[Bosola]

So anyway, recently I completely reinstalled vista onto my laptop. My hard drive is automatically partitioned into two - ACER and DATA. So anyway, wanting to experiment a little, I found myself installing mac on DATA while vista is still installed on ACER - a dual-boot situation. And I tell you what, I am VERY impressed with OSX.

I'm not quite sure I follow. Did you torrent a cracked version of OS-X for PC?

[titeguy3]

Oh you!

And although you're impressed now, I bet that "a little TOO user friendly" thing and the lack of programs will mean that your feeling will change later. It's possible that you'll still like it, depending on what you do, but everything I've heard suggests that although it's better for "beginners", it's extremely limiting for people who want to do things that are more advanced.

What Linux does that Mac and Windows can't do is be completely free. It's more customisable and has the potential to be far faster than either of its two rivals, and has a huge software library (much bigger than the Mac's) despite having about 1 or 2% of the market share. Basically, you have the security of a Mac and the customisability and software library of Windows. On the downside, it's much less user friendly than either of them, no matter what the people at Ubuntu tell you.

Finally, most of the Windows vs Mac stuff is about Apple's hardware, its fanbase and its business practices rather than its OS, so the fights usually aren't really OS wars.

QFT

OSX - Beginner
Windows - Intermediate
Linux - L33t

That being said, I don't have the balls to exclusively run linux, though I wish I did.

So anyway, recently I completely reinstalled vista onto my laptop. My hard drive is automatically partitioned into two - ACER and DATA. So anyway, wanting to experiment a little, I found myself installing mac on DATA while vista is still installed on ACER - a dual-boot situation. And I tell you what, I am VERY impressed with OSX.

I'm not quite sure I follow. Did you torrent a cracked version of OS-X for PC?

I believe the term is "hackintosh".

[Kudistos Megistos]

BTW, have I ever posted this link here? I don't think I have. Anyway, it's essential viewing.

[Timu Sumisu]

i've been using mac for bout 5-6 years, and I must say, I've never really found a lack for software, or have much trouble finding an app to do what I want. The exception would be ff7, which i set up bootcamp for (btw, only computer ff7 ever ran on nicely )

Out of curiosity, what do you guys find you can't find software for for mac?

[titeguy3]

i've been using mac for bout 5-6 years, and I must say, I've never really found a lack for software, or have much trouble finding an app to do what I want. The exception would be ff7, which i set up bootcamp for (btw, only computer ff7 ever ran on nicely )

Out of curiosity, what do you guys find you can't find software for for mac?

the majority of the software that I use is homebrew on windows, and thus incompatible with macs.

List:
FF7 mods
Project64
Mame*
WinKawaks
Winamp*
SNES9x
Virtual Boy Advance
Anvil Studio MIDI editor
Switch Audio Converter*
Magic Video Converter*
PSP Video 9
ePSXe
Gens
WinMugen
Daemon Tools*
MPC*
And every PC game I own.

I put a star by the things that one could probably easily find a Mac alternative for. When you look at the list, 90% of it is gaming applications.

[Timu Sumisu]

I concur for games and homebrew, not much on mac. As to emulation, there are equivs for mostly every platform. (some of the apps I dont know, as to daemon tools, most of its mounting and disc emulation stuff, well that I've ever used it for, OSX does on its own lol)


EDIT: another thing, anvil is nice n easy, I havnt found ne good midi sequencers for mac, (cracked logic pro fer my gf, but thats the music eqeuivalent of Maya)

[titeguy3]

I concur for games and homebrew, not much on mac. As to emulation, there are equivs for mostly every platform. (some of the apps I dont know, as to daemon tools, most of its mounting and disc emulation stuff, well that I've ever used it for, OSX does on its own lol)


EDIT: another thing, anvil is nice n easy, I havnt found ne good midi sequencers for mac, (cracked logic pro fer my gf, but thats the music eqeuivalent of Maya)

Yeah I was really happy when I found Anvil, I never thought I'd be able to use a MIDI editor. I'm surprised that Macs support mounting virtual discs, that's cool.

[Bosola]

The difference between Apple and Windows is one of 'closedness' and 'open-ness' or 'breadth'. Windows is a large and bulky operating system because it has to support a massive amount of potential hardware configurations, because it has to be able to run legacy software (many businesses use bespoke packages produced in the early 1990s still) and needs to support programmers using different suites if it's to maintain its appeal to a large range of users (because these users can only have their needs met if there's a large dev community on Windows). It's a myth that the the OS-X kernel is any more efficient than the 'true' Windows kernel. The Win6 kernel is about the same size as the OS-X 'core'. Because it has to support a large range of software and hardware, though, Windows becomes less efficient and less secure as a whole.

Apple, by contrast, offer a small range of software, integrated into the OS, that means the operating system has to store less redundant data. Apples run on a small range of hardware - as you'll note with a hackintosh, you have to seek out specific hardware to work with OS X. That's not just because market share prompts developers and manufacturers to build with Windows in mind, but because OS X isn't built for anything but the iMacs it ships on.

Thus the advantages and disadvantages of Windows. Windows is very 'open' - it supports a large range of software and hardware, and is ubiquitous. This means redundant portions of the OS and security flaws, however. Apple is 'closed'. You get a speedy and stable OS, but you can only run it on (expensive!) Apple hardware (unless you steal the OS / break the EULA on the software you own, as per a frankenmac), and your options as a user are extremely limited (Macs don't break... because they don't let you break them). You get to do what Apple has in mind, but if you have specialist needs that the OS doesn't cater for, you may be better off with Windows.

[Covarr]

Windows is very 'open'

Say this in a Linux forum. I dare you.

[Bosola]

You know what I mean. 'Open' not in the sense of sharing stuff, more in the range of hardware and software.

[titeguy3]

Windows is very 'open'

Say this in a Linux forum. I dare you.

lol. Linux fanboys.

[Hellbringer616]

I was told about hackntosh a while back, and that i should try it. looked into it. No AMD support

And i'm a 64bit junkie which i believe hackintosh doesn't support.

[Kudistos Megistos]

And i'm a 64bit junkie which i believe hackintosh doesn't support.

Is that the case?

It seems odd that one wouldn't be able to make a 64-bit hackintosh.

Nonetheless, I don't think that you'd miss out on much, depending on how many Mac programs are 64-bit only. You won't be able to use your old 64-bit programs anyway, and if you only want a hackintosh to try things out rather than use as your main computer, then the RAM limit of 32-bit systems won't really be a big deal.

[Hellbringer616]

True true. i only have a few x64 only programs on here. But my media player and photoshop are MUCH better on 64 bit. and it see's all 4gb of RAM and the 1GB from my cards

But i digress. Always wanted to try a Mac. my dad has one. But Macs dont have games like Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Think they do have Call of Duty MW2 though.