A Real Mac to Windows Switcher?

[dannewell15]

I have used a mac for the last year and I love it. Yes, it has some flaws, but compared to my old Acer Pc its incredible. I am forced to use Pcs at my school which I hate. I will never ever switch back. But if you don't like Macs, switch back and get a Sony or a Dell.

 

[Fungazi]

overrated...

I got caught up in the MacOS hype and purchased a refurbished Mac Mini about 7 months ago to use as a principle home computer for email, www and itunes. For this purpose, the machine generally works well (although it occasionally does hang on startup and certain apps do crash now and then). I must say, though, that while I definitely do appreciate certain features of the operating system, I find the MacOS experience to be, by and large, over-rated.

In particular, I do not enjoy having to switch between “PC” keyboard shortcuts and MacOS shortcuts, which gets particularly irritating when working with virtual machines. Additionally, standard PC keyboard mappings for languages other than English (ie: Arabic, Windows ‘International English’) are completely different on the Mac, and Office 2008 for Mac doesn’t even support languages with different script orientation such as right-to-left or mixed format! Additionally, I haven’t been able to find a mail app for the Mac that supports mixed Arabic/English input well - my attempts thus far have only resulted in the recipient receiving a bunch of undecipherable gibberish.

Yes, I know these issues are not entirely Apple’s fault, but at the end of the day I still need to use my Windows machine to accomplish many of my tasks. For people who only use a computer to surf the internet or compose emails (in English/Spanish or a well-supported language) the Mac may be a fine purchase, but for people who are looking to purchase a computer with specific tasks in mind, I would suggest investing some time in researching whether or not it is easy, or even possible, to accomplish these tasks on a Mac.

For those people who argue that with Bootcamp or vmware/parallels the issue is moot, I must say that having to purchase an additional Windows license on top of the already high cost of a Mac is a huge disincentive for many people. These days, I find myself using the Mac less and less, instead using my fantastic ThinkPad x61s which runs the more stable 64-bit Vista SP1 (based on Windows 2008 code base) natively, which is something that most Macs can not do with Bootcamp (only Mac Pro, I believe…). I just don’t have time to fuss around with running virtual machines within MacOs (which, btw is slow…) to accomplish the same simple tasks that my Windows machine can do natively.

 

[Plutonius]

It's your money. Go with what you like.

 

[deputy_doofy]

Hates (most --> least)
1.) Safari crashes more than it stays open - Seriously, what is wrong with it? I have version 3.1.1., which is the latest version as far as I know.
2.) Wifi does not recognize my network after waking up from sleep - Its like it forgets that its preferred. However, after I reconnect manually, there are no such connection problems. Additionally, on startup, it connects just fine, its just sleep...
3.) .mac - server goes out way too often, which sabotages my email address and stops me from using the entire service. Also, I cannot get the 10GB space to work very well on Windows machines. I just expected a paid service to work better, overall.
4.) Dead pixels - This one is my fault, as my MacBook had an unpleasant drop.
5.) Pages '08 - No format painter!!
6.) Apple fanboys irritate me - Seriously, they are the worst. It makes me embarrassed to own a Mac when I see people blindly defending Apple in all manners of language, credit Apple for the invention of the wheel, and assault Microsoft at any given chance. (I like Microsoft )
7.) Apple commercials - It's a bad thing when you see the commercial and you nod your head at the problems PC is having, instead of Mac.
8.) Games, Games, Games - I know I can use parallels or boot camp to have windows, but I don't want to fork over $400 for a copy of Vista (what were they thinking??), or $200 for XP.
9.) System Crash - It has only happened once, and I had to boot in safe mode. Still, it tells me that OS X is not very different from Windows.
10.) Shortcuts - Apple needs to get rid of the symbols, or at least put them on the key itself. I can't tell you how much time I have spent trying to decipher them.
11.) Arrow Buttons and system alerts - Why, oh why, can I not select the buttons with the arrow keys?

1. Not really a fan of Safari. I use FF. Mac or Windows.
2. I have this problem in both Tiger and Leopard as well. For whatever reason, it likes to pick my neighbor's Linksys, even if I remove it from my list. Doesn't seem to remember that my router is the preferred one. It's inconvenient, but easy enough to fix.
3. No experience.
4. I have one. Lower-left corner. I consider it a birth mark at this point and a potential way to identify my machine, if need be.
5. Little experience.
6. Windows has MORE fanboys and has had them longer. How many of them since the mid 90's STILL tell Mac users in 2008 that Macs have no software, can't right-click, can't access the internet, etc., etc. Bill Gates has more zombies following him than the polygamists in Utah.
7. I like some of them. A few are spot on. Some are crap. You'll have that.™
8. Yes. You do need Windows for the latest and greatest 3D games.
9. NO OS is 100% fool-proof. However, I've had less than a handful of OS X crashes since 2001. Don't confuse that with application crashes. That's FIVE or less in 7 years. No Windows user can make that claim and be telling the truth.
10. Yes. I hate some of those symbols, too. Especially the control and options one, since I always forget those. Command and shift I always remember.
11. I'd like to be able to use the arrow keys as well, though I've heard some people say to hit command-first letter of button. Don't actually know if this is true.

 

[GimmeSlack12]

People who call other people fanboys irritate me.

I like this comment.

 

[pagansoul]

I've been using Mac's as my Home machine for about 6 years. I still have my old PC in my little room (Gateway Profile 5) but I rarely turn it on. I have an old G5 iMac (before the built in camera days) that I keep in my kitchen. I will watch a DVD on it from time-to-time (20inch screen) or play music. My main desk-top is a MacPro coming on 2 years old. I use my Macbook all the time in bed, it's like a good book that I can't put down. Sometimes I bring it to work to sit next to my company Dell Optiplex (XP, 1GB ram, 80GB HD) that I have to work on. I thank the Goddess I don't have a Dell notebook, I can hear those users scream all day but my company isn't one for buying the best or newest models for their workers. I have been lucky with both Microsoft and OSX as I never run into serious program problems. I just like the look and feel of Leopard better. Again, I don't use my machines for any heavy lifting. I think my fixing old photos is the most taxing but the MacPro is way over specs to do that job.

I do have Parallels but have not brought a XP OEM yet. I know I will have to do it soon as Microsoft will stop supporting and I'm sure the programs will become scarse. I did see a sale in Micro Center for $100 for the Home Edition but don't know what it is now. One day.

I'm sorry about your not getting a warm and fluffy feel with OSX but different strokes for different folks.

 

[gibbsjoh]

Airport problem (gripe 2) is real

2. Cant say I've had that problem on any of the three Macs I'm using. Perhaps it is your router?​

I've had the same (well, worse) issue. Filed a bug report on ADC and had a reply from Apple saying this is an acknowledged issue. Just FYI... dude has a point on this one. I've tried 2 routers with different chipsets etc.

John

 

[nerdeus]

I have a fix for #11.
Tab key works, after you change some settings in System Preferences.
Then go to Keyboard and Mouse
Click on the Keyboard Shortcuts menu
And at the bottom, change the button to: ALL CONTROLS.

This will also fix the problem of not being able to use the Tab key to select lists. It took me a while to find that one too.. dunno why Mac doesn't just make it the default.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Have you tried wiping and reinstalling Leopard?

I noticed that a factory install of the OS never feels as clean as a fresh install.

 

[mags631]

By the way - just a word to the wise, but be a bit cautious about Sony Vaio laptops - they're very prone to problems with the power board. I've seen more failures on Sony machines than I've seen on HP, Toshiba and Dell put together....

I can't speak to HP, but I agree with your comment about Sony Vaio laptops. I had one for over a year before giving it back to my employer and buying my MBP. I had driver problems with both XP and Vista. Secondly, the quality of the plastic on the back of the LCD is very low. After a year of heavy business use, the laptop creaked and the letters on the key were very faint. I definitely paid too much (>2000) for that laptop given what it was.

 

[Mac OS X Ocelot]

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10. Yes. I hate some of those symbols, too. Especially the control and options one, since I always forget those. Command and shift I always remember.

I was confused until I actually looked at them. Command is the easiest to recognize because it's on the key. I actually think Option is very easy to recognize, since it's the weirdest symbol. It's the only one I couldn't explain easily to other people (it looks like an X but with the lower-left leg missing?). Shift is an arrow pointing up and Control is a caret pointing up. Control is the hardest for me to remember because it's not in any menu commands.

Does Windows have any symbols? If anything, I'd mark these symbols as a plus for Mac since it's easier than typing "Ctrl+Alt+Del".