Mac - Windows

Devotedly Mac, here, since late 1984 when they offered the "Fat" Mac with more RAM... all of 512k which I thought was more than I needed :D It was ALL about the user interface then and for a long time after. My Macs have been durable and elegant and upgraded to last a long time. I still have a formerly-Quadra 840av converted to a PowerMac 2500 with ethernet and firewire cards that is a simple file server and base for SCSI peripherals, but my main one now is a dual-G5. Back in Spring '84 I'd been looking at the DEC Rainbow to be my first computer and wishing it were fully "IBM compatible" until I laid eyes on the original 128k Mac, then it was all over but scraping up the price.
 
I use Macs pretty much exclusively.. used to use Windows (from 3.11 to Win98) and was the unofficial IT guy at my last job.. Windows/PC setups are pretty nice to tweak, but incompatibility issues are horrible.. I've known many many many people who have serious USB problems when installing new hardware or upgrading their OS.. but I have to admit there's a ton of software out there that's PC-only, and I get a bit jealous

so my next computer will be the awesome MacBook Pro with the Intel chip.. no longer do you need to use a PC and work and Mac at home.. get the Mac and run XP at the office.. then take it home and run OSX on the same hardware :)
 
I will consider using apple at home when they end the requirement that I buy their equipment. There's no reason for the requirement other than ensuring sales of Mac Iron.
 
about 10 years ago Apple licensed other companies to make Macs, but due to hardware issues, they yanked the licenses after about a year

as for the cost, if you built up a PC with the same features that are standard on the Mac, the Mac usually comes out slightly cheaper
 
Personally - all Linux, all the time.

I bang Perl code and SCM (software configuration management) tools on a pair of Sun boxen all day, and then at home I run a half-dozen various PC clones upon which I run various distributions of Linux. I use Vuescan, The Gimp, and Perl to keep it all under control photographically speaking.

When I scan a negative, later that night, a script of mine runs that inserts EXIF data, including my copyright notices, into the file. The script makes duplicate copies on duplicate hard drives, renames based on date stamp, and does an automatic resize for web-sized photos to put online if desired. I am working on Perl scripts to insert my copyright notices via steganographic techniques.

No commercial OS does everything I want it to do, so I do it myself. And I can run Linux on either a Mac or a PC, it makes no difference to me.

Life is good.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
I have a Sun Blade 100 as my "PC" here at home (Solaris 9 currently) and my wifes computer is a Mac Mini. I'd be happier if Solaris was still closer to it's BSD origins than USL, but at least it's still Unix as is Mac OS X (10.4.6).

I used to be an IT professional. I was forced to transition an excellent Data General Aviion Unix network with x-terms to Windows NT4 on PCs. Productivity never really recovered. I am so glad to be out of that rat's nest and even happier to know I'll never _have_ to pay MS for an OS again.

For many people, Windows really is the best solution as is a DSLR most of the time in the modern professional photographic world. I, fortunately, do not _have_ to use either. If it is appropriate, I can choose to. In the end, that's the best of all worlds.

William
 
JoeFriday said:
about 10 years ago Apple licensed other companies to make Macs, but due to hardware issues, they yanked the licenses after about a year

as for the cost, if you built up a PC with the same features that are standard on the Mac, the Mac usually comes out slightly cheaper
I had a Power Computing mac. It was decent enough. Loved the price at the time and it was better than Windows based PC offerings at that time.

Apple claimed that those products hurt their brand. I later bought a 9400. Enjoyed it right through OS 9.2.

I like OS X, that is after I turn off the "trippy" dock behaviour. I like that it uses Samba for networking.

Widgets - got 'em in XP here - I like to watch my gas prices at home and at work. Haven't found one that does much with my photos yet. Other than display them.

I can create and process images and animations equally well on both my work mac and my home pc box. The dual G5 at work is noticably faster. Not double the speed though.

Try this- go to Newegg.com and spec a home built machine using a PCI express mainboard as your starting point. The same Dual core Intel processors are available there. There might be surprises.

If you can manage, manipulate and scan your photos on your choice of iron - Mac, PC or Linux - and you are happy, then there you go- Viva Choice!

Security is another issue - Mac and linux are way better in that regard. Thank goodness for McAffee for XP.

Bob H
 
Fedzilla_Bob said:
I will consider using apple at home when they end the requirement that I buy their equipment. There's no reason for the requirement other than ensuring sales of Mac Iron.


But Apple is a hardware company.
 
Jon Claremont said:
But Apple is a hardware company.
Nope. Not really.

I will argue that they are a software company par excellence. One that is supported hugely by a line of hardware that has only a little to do with business computing.

The iPod.
 
Fedzilla_Bob said:
Nope. Not really.

I will argue that they are a software company par excellence. One that is supported hugely by a line of hardware that has only a little to do with business computing.

The iPod.

a) Apple is filed with the SEC under the industry heading "Personal Computers".

b) Total net sale in Q1/06 for software was approximately 7% of total net sales.

So, yes. Yes really.
 
They can file whatever they want. The SEC will not stop them. They do make computers.

With every one of their PC's (yes, they are PC's - personal computers) they ship a whopping amount of software. Without which they simply wouldn't have that Mac personailty-

I-Life -which is Garage Band, IDvd, Imovie, Quicktime, Iphoto
OS X
Quartz Composer
and lots of other very good software that you could get along with for a long time

Then as seperately marketed tools-
Aperture
Final Cut Express
Final Cut Studio
Motion
Shake

Apple's real innovations these days are the list above and the Ipod.

I will stand by my statement. No slam dunk for you, Rich
 
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Fedzilla_Bob said:
I will stand by my statement. No slam dunk for you, Rich

Just because you stand by it doesn't make it any less wrong :)
 
UNIX fan here, used Sun machines for many years. Running Solaris and NetBSD.

When Apple switched to a UNIX based machine it caught my attention. Running Emacs and UNIX shells together with Photoshop!
Almost 3 years ago I took the plunge for a dual G5 and it has been very good, still is. Yesterday it printed photos, ran Photoshop with huge MF files, scanned, played music and when I had to wait, I played an old shoot'em up game. It just hums along.

I use PC at worlk, they are far less useful. However, a decent modern machine with XP is actually quite useful, finally after some 20 years. Though they still cannot multitask properly.

/Håkan
 
I want to switch over to a Mac once they release the intel based desktops. The G5 chip blows.....

too bad I'd have to repurchase my software for the mac.. :(
 
I can't leave this one alone- Sorry guys...

Dell and HP are hardware companies. Without Microsoft they are next to nothing.

Apple - A very shrewd company that without it's software - would be nothing. Even the iPod. It would be just another MP3 player without iTunes and Fairplay, which is Apple's take on rights management.
 
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I`ve been using macs for a few years, currently a G4 ibook. All my friends,family and work mates use PC`s, and guess who`s the only one that never has crashes,virus,printer,scanner problems? It`s about time microsoft made an operating system that doesn`t need 3rd party software and constant upgrades to fix its shortcomings, god knows Bill Gates can certainly afford it! :D
 
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