Pcs Vs Macs

Since the 1990s, hardcore PC and Mac users have been waging an epic food fight over which system is better. In the old days, PC users poked fun at the underpowered processors and buggy software that Mac users had to endure. Mac users needed only to counter with "Windows Me." Today, the argument is more philosophical: who's good, who's evil, who's more brainwashed. Let's take a fresh look at PC vs. Mac and see who's winning the battle (if not the war) in key categories. Depending on your needs, it might help you make a decision.

1) PRICE

Winner: PC

Some of the highly engineered Ultrabooks have finally caught up to or dipped under the $1,000 entry-level price tag for MacBook Air. But most PC users can buy a perfectly good laptop or desktop for around $500. If you walk into an Apple Store with $500, you're still $100 shy of a Mac mini.

2) DESIGN

Winner: Mac

Many devotees appreciate that Apple spends years sweating design details. If you want a space-saving all-in-one desktop - and actually want to look at it all day - the iMac is the only choice. However, demanding design pros also know that the inside of an iMac can handle the most intensive tasks. You won’t find many staunch PC advocates defending their laptop trackpads against MacBook users. On-the-go PC warriors learned a long time ago to pack a mouse.

3) OS

Winner: Tie game

Both OS X and Windows become second nature for users with a little experience. Now three years old, Windows 7 offers PC users superb speed, stability and functionality - with very few problems. Mac users have the option of installing and running Windows with the Boot Camp tool. Both operating systems are heading for a slimmed down, touch-based, mobile-influenced future.

4) SOFTWARE

Winner: PC

For the average user, this may be more of a tie. But if you're a finance person or a gamer, you know the Mac finishes a poor second. Microsoft Office hasn't gotten around to optimizing Office for the retina display. Besides that, the productivity suite for Mac is every bit as functional as the Windows version. Adobe programs and other major software titles are very similar or identical on both platforms. Mac versions of Quicken and Quickbooks Pro, however, have long been considered poor substitutes to their PC counterparts. And pity the poor Mac gamer. He's been wandering the desert for years. If a game-maker even deigns to make a Mac version of a title, it will come out months after the PC release. PC gamers enjoy a vast library of games and can take advantage of extreme graphics cards tweaked for gaming performance.

5) CUSTOMIZATION

Winner: PC

The compromise you accept when you choose Apple's super-sleek design aesthetic is that do-it-yourself upgrading is impossible unless you're an expert. You can't even replace the RAM in a MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro with retina display because the memory is soldered to the logic board. With PCs, it's easy to swap out drives and sound and graphic cards, or even build a custom PC from the ground up, if you're reasonably handy.

6) SECURITY

Winner: Tie game

High profile malware attacks against Macs this year should have shattered the illusion that Apple computers are inherently more secure than PCs. You're not safe just because you haven't been attacked or are attacked less frequently. You're secure when you have antivirus software installed - and can withstand a hit.

So the tally for now, with ties factored in, is:

PC - 3 1/2
Mac - 1 1/2

Choosing to buy a PC or a Mac is only half the battle. There are still dozens and hundreds of form factors and hardware configurations for each. You should check online to find out which machine is best for you. There are several excellent sites that offer knowledgeable tips on what to watch for. In Google just type in "choosing the right computer", or visit your local computer hardware store.


source: Kim Komando - edited by: BelieverX
 
I prefer a Linux PC for cost and freedom.

Hardware: With a PC, you can shop around and buy components and systems from a large range of manufacturers to arrive at a computer to meet your requirements and price range. With a Mac, you are pretty much tied to Apple and IMO end up paying rather more for a machine with similar capabilities.

OS: Linux is stable, secure and free. It is free both in terms of cost and in the sense of what you can do with it. Personally, I can see no reason to look further unless a specific hardware (Linux supports a lot of hardware but eg. perhaps there is some peripheral device you must have that can only run on Windows) or software (eg. perhaps you want the latest games that only run under Windows) requirement dictates otherwise.

That said, even though Linux supports a number of desktop environments (Gnome, KDE, etc) which give the user a great range of choice over look and feel, some users may find they prefer the look and feel of the Windows or Mac desktops. The great thing about Linux here is that you can try it (from Live CDs - no need to install anything) for free and assess whether a particular distribution will suit you (the best fit for me is openSuse with the KDE desktop but other distributions are more popular).

Here are some links to popular distributions.

Linux Mint
Ubutntu
Fedora
openSUSE
 
I run a dual boot for only one reason, FMS. And that can easily be laid account to being lazy as Iǘe grown older. Except for flying model aircraft to sharpen my skills on certain planes there is no need for the irritation of root kits being built into Windoze7 and no promise from MS nor from the NSA to keep it out of Windows8, it is, in my opinion, a fool that wishes to be, perpetually, tracked by the Governments of this world. Until some time this year, I believe it is, Apple was user rated as number 2 in the OS world but that is now held by Ubuntu.

When I discovered Ubuntu/Linux, early in '07, I ran it on both my main and my backup units for two years without the Clam Antivirus and did not install the Firestarter Firewall. The only intruder during those two full years was a
Windows Tech I had been conversing with and he decided to play the childish little baby role and to fill my main units harddrive with trash, making it hard to use but easily cleaned. With the switch between my units and modem I saw him doing the entire operation and just laughed at him for being such a child.

Software, Windows is such a looser! For Ubuntu there are well over 40,000 packages available for just point and click install... at no cost. Anybody that has kept up with the development of Ubuntu knows that there are very good reasons why governments have moved all of their computers over to Ubuntu and now, US government offices can also request the Ubuntu OS in place of Windows. You can now save money when purchasing a Dell by asking for the Ubuntu OS instead of Windoze and HP, this year, will not sell you a server with anything but Ubuntu 12.04 loaded on it.

Yes, today, all my units are running the, seemingly, unneeded antivirus and firewall, but then, what else can you expect from a security freak. A timely and a needed examination of Operating Systems but you need t do more homework. Ubuntu, Mint, Simply Mepis, Debian and hundreds of other Linux systems are just as intuitive (point and click) as Windoze.

Oh yeah, about the RC Flight Simulator, FMS, in the Linux world we have crrcsim and all one need do for the other models is to take the .par models from the FMS program and email ggunter, the author and he'll exploain how to easily port them into crrcsim for use there.
 
Can't help with RC planes on Linux. For RC helicopters, Heli-X is worth a look. They do offer an old (0.9) version for free but you have to pay for the current version. I've got the paid for version (which is the only paid for software I have on this computer).

It took me a while to start getting used to it but I'm growing to like it.

heli-x
 
I build my own PCs. You can build your own system to look better then a mac, perform better then a mac, and run windows linux, or whatever you want. I used to like mac, back in the day before they switched to intel, now that their intel your paying twice as much for a fancy looking PC with the MAC OS, which I dont like, I can build my own system for half the cost-that after loading OpenSuSe, will outperform the mac OS hands down. Just my .02 cents.
 
I guess as far back as 1998, I have built my own systems. Once I learned the MS OS, it was pretty easy to build my own PC's. The only time I haven't was when I bought a laptop in 2006. It came with Vista and I never really had any problems with it. If you use the Windows OS, then you have to keep it updated. Many people get into problems because they don't do this. Mac and Linux are basically the same OS, built on UNIX. Good for those who KNOW Unix and are up to the challenge. Most users prefer Windows, as the sales statistics show.
Thanks, but for me, MS rules and the programs I rely on, function very well on my Windows 7 desktop.
 
actually, theyre not the same. Linux, while having some similarities with Unix, was not based off unix at all, they were just similar, and it is setup far different then mac. Windows, even kept up to date, is a virus magnet and while I never had issues with it on OEM computers and lower end builds, I had all sorts of problems with it when putting together a performance build, had all kinds of driver conflicts, and was just plain unstable, especially when running multiple video cards.
 
I'm pretty sure I said they're basically the same in terms of their being built on Unix. That Mac has a better GUI than Linux does probably have more to do with available money to develop their GUI. The more GUI's that are sold for Linux now the better it performs. Not the way it used to be 10 years ago. I have had very little issues with viruses/malware on my Windows OS, and my AV (supplied by my ISP BTW) catches everything. I practise safe surfing and don't frequent warez sites or other suspect sites. My last desktop was a gaming one and I had no problems with viruses, drivers or the like. Sounds like maybe you were trying to tweak just a little to much. Hardware compatibility issues are not unique to Windows my friend, but are definitely more problematic with Linux given they don't have a whole lot of drivers for NEW hardware. Hopefully it is getting better now-a-days?
 
Ive built a lot of systems, and had a lot of issues with vista. I was always able to overcome them but it was a hassle sometimes. The biggest hassles always came when I was trying to setup either a crossfire or SLI setup, and after service pack 1 it did get a lot better. My biggest issue, however with vista was how vulnerable it was (all windows OSes are like that) or even the driver compatibility issues, it was the fact it was a performance hog, it used up way to many system resources I thought. Was very relieved when 7 came out and solved that problem.

and actually, as far as linux goes, if you dont like the GUI of the variant your using, use a different one. theres a million and one different flavors, the ones I like are OpenSuSe and Mandriva-both have good driver support, and performance wise will blow windows and mac right out of the water.
 
Well like I said that has NOT been my experience, except for the RAM issue. Going to W7 was great as I required nothing more out of my hardware. Crossfire and SLI were issues for a lot of people, but don't blame MS when the drivers were NOT Windows certified. They were rushed to market for one purpose... making money.
That may be a fact with Linux these days, but not a big enough one for me to try it ever again. My initial experience was informative enough to make me realize I was a Windows user for life.
 
it was with me, especially the higher end systems. Even with windows certified drivers-which both NVIDIA and ATI released, the problem with system building, is that there is a million and one different brands and makes of computer parts out there, and any host of different combinations. Sometimes, the certified drivers from NVIDIA/SLI worked best, other times the ones from the video card manufacturer worked best. it was hit and miss. I had a few brands that I liked that worked well, but people are notorious for not researching their parts, custom ordering parts THEY think are good, regardless of what anyone tells them, etc. etc. It got to be a pain, I would setup a crossfire system, that worked great in XP, but not in vista without doing some major tweaking.

After service pack 1 was released, a lot of the compatibility problems did go away, or were at least easier to fix, so at least the service pack did what it was supposed to for the most part, they still didnt take away the fact it used up way to much CPU and memory power then it should have. And the fact it was horribly insecure, but thats my complaint with every MS OS.

Dont get me wrong, I used vista when it was out, I use 7 now and enjoy it a lot more. I would go straight Linux, but Linux still doesnt support directX real well, and I do enjoy my video games.
 
I'm pretty sure I said they're basically the same in terms of their being built on Unix. That Mac has a better GUI than Linux does probably have more to do with available money to develop their GUI. The more GUI's that are sold for Linux now the better it performs. Not the way it used to be 10 years ago. I have had very little issues with viruses/malware on my Windows OS, and my AV (supplied by my ISP BTW) catches everything. I practise safe surfing and don't frequent warez sites or other suspect sites. My last desktop was a gaming one and I had no problems with viruses, drivers or the like. Sounds like maybe you were trying to tweak just a little to much. Hardware compatibility issues are not unique to Windows my friend, but are definitely more problematic with Linux given they don't have a whole lot of drivers for NEW hardware. Hopefully it is getting better now-a-days?
Me thinks there is a profound lack of understanding of the differences between what is called a GUI and what is commonly cherished as a 'Desktop'
In any event both are 'free' for use with open source systems, and mostly come included in the various distros.
Since Linux and friends are open source OS, they do not show up in sales statistics. In a way that is a pity because if the already high and growing number of Linux users were known, Software developers might abandon their sad devotion to windoze and start writing intelligent code.
Trivia: Did you know that blu ray players are really dedicated computers that run a UNIX based OS?
What OS does Xbox, Nintendo and other didicated game boxes use?....probably it ain't windoze.
 
oh its ok th1bill. I wouldnt call him angry, and it dont hurt my feelings anyway. See, windows, especially vista, is job security for me-I repair computers for a second job. the more vista machines out there, the more money I make. thats all Im sayin lol.
 
oh its ok th1bill. I wouldnt call him angry, and it dont hurt my feelings anyway. See, windows, especially vista, is job security for me-I repair computers for a second job. the more vista machines out there, the more money I make. thats all Im sayin lol.
I do the same thing for my Church Family and it does keep me busy but he is a personally angry man. He won't open up about it, so there is no telling why.
 
And as far as Ubuntu is concerned, its a decent variant, I keep some of the older Ubuntu Live CDs on hand for windows rescue, however theyve stopped offering Ubuntu Live, which saddens me. As far as what I use for my own use, I prefer OpenSuSe, and use it regularly on my personal systems. Its far more powerful out of the box in my opinion. I am also a fan of Mandriva, but it has so much more proprietary software you have to pay for unfortunatly.
 
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