"Compare Windows Vista Ultimate $399 with Mac mini $599. Mac mini has all the same OS features and INCLUDES THE HARDWARE. It's very hard to promote Windows as some kind of cheap option that you make do with because you can't afford a Mac."
For the average person it is still more affordable to buy a Windows based pc than a Mac. Yes, the Mac mini is affordable, but I can get a more powerful machine for the same money (or less if you are a good deal shopper) that runs Windows. I am talking value, not just the amount of money spent.
I still would pick a Mac if I was in a creative field, but you are exagerating about how bad the pc is with regard to tools that work well. Maybe not as well (not nearly in some cases), but not the IMPOSSIBLE task you describe.
I have always, and always will, say that you use the right tool for the right job. I applaud both Windows and Mac for being good in their particular niche. They just aren't both for everybody.
Not sure what planet you have lived on for the past few years, but I recall hearing LOTS about how great OS X is and has been. I am a "native" Windows user (as in it is all I have ever been able to afford to use due to the high $'s required to buy a Mac) but have tried OS X on a newer model Apple laptop. It is as good as people say, so I won't bash it.
I personally have never had the issues I hear people bash Windows over. I am a pretty experienced user and am very attentive to updated virus protection, firewalls and such. I can honestly say that I can count on one hand (and not use every finger) the number of "blue screens of death" I have had on my own pc's.
I do have relatives and friends that have had those kinds of issues, but usually it comes down to them doing something stupid like deleting the folder with the operating system files in it, deleting a key system file, opening attachments on emails they shouldn't have (with no virus protection/detection), etc.
I guess I am saying there is a certain class of user that is well suited to Windows, and I am in that group. I do a lot of business work (spreadsheets, etc.) that are pretty mathematically intensive, and even the famous Mac commercials give Windows its props in that arena.
I also know there are classes of users that are better suited to the Mac. If I were in the graphic arts or music fields I would have a Mac, without a doubt.
I will admit that Bill Gates lives in another world from the rest of us and his sense of reality is probably way off from what we "normal folks" see. It is humorous sometimes to listen to one of the "elite" act like they really understand the common man.
If you want to call what was only a nicer looking version of the DOS Shell a GUI, and technically it was (including the DOS Shell), then yes you are right.
To add to my statement I should say I used pre-windows DOS, having to do everything on the command line. AND the first versions of Windows did require DOS to work so I would hardly even call them an OS.
Yes, GUI's did exist before WINDOWS...don't recall saying they didn't! Just that Windows was the first that I used. I also know that one of the first (if not THE first) was actually developed by Xerox (not Apple or Microsoft)...
I did own a computer prior to 2001, and have used in some capacity (I was VERY young when I first encoutnered it) every version of Windows, even prior to the GUI. Yes, the first versions SUCKED big time, and some versions since have as well. I have also used various versions of Linux and have owned and used a Mac with OS X.
If you slam any of the 3 major OS choices out there (stretching a bit lumping all Linux together since they are not all created equal, but it will do for this discussion) and have not made a significant attempt to try the others you are arguing from a VERY weak position, but I have so here goes....
Linux is great, and is finally to a point where you don't have to be an extremely technical person to install and use it. If you want to like Linux, try Ubuntu. Put it on a CD and boot it from there to try it out without having to install it on your machine...it is easy, see the website.
OS X is great. I used a few previous versions of the Mac OS and wasn't impressed, but that changed with OS X. The re-engineering they did was needed and successful. If you can handle the higher prices and fewer choices with regard to applications and such (including games) then you won't go wrong by going with a Mac.
The argument that you shouldn't get a machine for gaming, that you should use a console, is a ludicrous suggestion if you understand WHY people game on PC's. The graphics power that can be had from a PC blows away any console (even the "next gen" ones), and that is ALL I will say about games.
I am a computer savy person and do know how to go in and do the various tweaks that are possible with Windows. This is basically because I grew up with it as it has evolved. Because of this I, personally, have never had a problem with the stability of a Windows machine I have had. A lot of my friends HAVE, so I am not stupid enough to say that Windows is perfectly stable. Just that in MY experience this hasn't been a problem.
The PC's I could afford growing up were always Windows machines. This fact (because this is not just MY experience) has led to the widespread use of computers at home. If people had to have the money it took to get a Mac, or the technical knowhow it took to use Linux, in years past then PC's in the home would be years behind where it is now.
Does Microsoft deserve all the credit for this? NO, because they only made the software, and hardware was a big part of this too.
The fact remains, however, that Microsoft played an important role in "regular people" being able to experience a PC at home for whatever use they wanted or needed to put it to. And the applications that Microsoft introduced have allowed MANY small businesses to have "big business like" capabilities from a systems perspective that would not have been possible otherwise.
Today, Linux is probably becoming the better choice for low cost alternatives, and there is even enough Linux based software (hurray Open Source!) to make it somewhat viable for small business. This is a good thing, and is progress toward a better world.
My problem is that people have demonized Microsoft to the extent they have when much good HAS been brought about by them. Are Microsoft products too expensive? YES. Are they sometimes buggy? YES, they USUALLY are at first. Are they the most evil company ever? NO, Wal Mart probably is:o) Is Windows THE best solution for everybody? NO, even the Apple commercials that are popular now mention the things that Windows/PC's are good at and the things Mac's are better at.
They are tools and you should pick the right one for the job. Don't use a hack-saw to try and turn a screw.....
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"Compare Windows Vista Ultimate $399 with Mac mini $599. Mac mini has all the same OS features and INCLUDES THE HARDWARE. It's very hard to promote Windows as some kind of cheap option that you make do with because you can't afford a Mac."
For the average person it is still more affordable to buy a Windows based pc than a Mac. Yes, the Mac mini is affordable, but I can get a more powerful machine for the same money (or less if you are a good deal shopper) that runs Windows. I am talking value, not just the amount of money spent.
I still would pick a Mac if I was in a creative field, but you are exagerating about how bad the pc is with regard to tools that work well. Maybe not as well (not nearly in some cases), but not the IMPOSSIBLE task you describe.
I have always, and always will, say that you use the right tool for the right job. I applaud both Windows and Mac for being good in their particular niche. They just aren't both for everybody.
Not sure what planet you have lived on for the past few years, but I recall hearing LOTS about how great OS X is and has been. I am a "native" Windows user (as in it is all I have ever been able to afford to use due to the high $'s required to buy a Mac) but have tried OS X on a newer model Apple laptop. It is as good as people say, so I won't bash it.
I personally have never had the issues I hear people bash Windows over. I am a pretty experienced user and am very attentive to updated virus protection, firewalls and such. I can honestly say that I can count on one hand (and not use every finger) the number of "blue screens of death" I have had on my own pc's.
I do have relatives and friends that have had those kinds of issues, but usually it comes down to them doing something stupid like deleting the folder with the operating system files in it, deleting a key system file, opening attachments on emails they shouldn't have (with no virus protection/detection), etc.
I guess I am saying there is a certain class of user that is well suited to Windows, and I am in that group. I do a lot of business work (spreadsheets, etc.) that are pretty mathematically intensive, and even the famous Mac commercials give Windows its props in that arena.
I also know there are classes of users that are better suited to the Mac. If I were in the graphic arts or music fields I would have a Mac, without a doubt.
I will admit that Bill Gates lives in another world from the rest of us and his sense of reality is probably way off from what we "normal folks" see. It is humorous sometimes to listen to one of the "elite" act like they really understand the common man.
If you want to call what was only a nicer looking version of the DOS Shell a GUI, and technically it was (including the DOS Shell), then yes you are right.
:)
To add to my statement I should say I used pre-windows DOS, having to do everything on the command line. AND the first versions of Windows did require DOS to work so I would hardly even call them an OS.
Yes, GUI's did exist before WINDOWS...don't recall saying they didn't! Just that Windows was the first that I used. I also know that one of the first (if not THE first) was actually developed by Xerox (not Apple or Microsoft)...
Go ahead and nitpick this now...
I did own a computer prior to 2001, and have used in some capacity (I was VERY young when I first encoutnered it) every version of Windows, even prior to the GUI. Yes, the first versions SUCKED big time, and some versions since have as well. I have also used various versions of Linux and have owned and used a Mac with OS X.
:o) Is Windows THE best solution for everybody? NO, even the Apple commercials that are popular now mention the things that Windows/PC's are good at and the things Mac's are better at.
If you slam any of the 3 major OS choices out there (stretching a bit lumping all Linux together since they are not all created equal, but it will do for this discussion) and have not made a significant attempt to try the others you are arguing from a VERY weak position, but I have so here goes....
Linux is great, and is finally to a point where you don't have to be an extremely technical person to install and use it. If you want to like Linux, try Ubuntu. Put it on a CD and boot it from there to try it out without having to install it on your machine...it is easy, see the website.
OS X is great. I used a few previous versions of the Mac OS and wasn't impressed, but that changed with OS X. The re-engineering they did was needed and successful. If you can handle the higher prices and fewer choices with regard to applications and such (including games) then you won't go wrong by going with a Mac.
The argument that you shouldn't get a machine for gaming, that you should use a console, is a ludicrous suggestion if you understand WHY people game on PC's. The graphics power that can be had from a PC blows away any console (even the "next gen" ones), and that is ALL I will say about games.
I am a computer savy person and do know how to go in and do the various tweaks that are possible with Windows. This is basically because I grew up with it as it has evolved. Because of this I, personally, have never had a problem with the stability of a Windows machine I have had. A lot of my friends HAVE, so I am not stupid enough to say that Windows is perfectly stable. Just that in MY experience this hasn't been a problem.
The PC's I could afford growing up were always Windows machines. This fact (because this is not just MY experience) has led to the widespread use of computers at home. If people had to have the money it took to get a Mac, or the technical knowhow it took to use Linux, in years past then PC's in the home would be years behind where it is now.
Does Microsoft deserve all the credit for this? NO, because they only made the software, and hardware was a big part of this too.
The fact remains, however, that Microsoft played an important role in "regular people" being able to experience a PC at home for whatever use they wanted or needed to put it to. And the applications that Microsoft introduced have allowed MANY small businesses to have "big business like" capabilities from a systems perspective that would not have been possible otherwise.
Today, Linux is probably becoming the better choice for low cost alternatives, and there is even enough Linux based software (hurray Open Source!) to make it somewhat viable for small business. This is a good thing, and is progress toward a better world.
My problem is that people have demonized Microsoft to the extent they have when much good HAS been brought about by them. Are Microsoft products too expensive? YES. Are they sometimes buggy? YES, they USUALLY are at first. Are they the most evil company ever? NO, Wal Mart probably is
They are tools and you should pick the right one for the job. Don't use a hack-saw to try and turn a screw.....