My email
Hello there. I recently read your article on Apple's marketshare vs. PCs. Let me start off my saying you obviously have not done your research. However, unlike your description of "Birkenstock wearing, hippie tree-huggers" I'm going to sit in my house and try and do this civilly. And as far as I know, I'm not wearing Birkenstocks... whatever those are...
>(The funny thing is Scott can't read this.)
> Teh f|_|nny 7|-|ing i5, 5c077 c4n'7 |234d 7|-|i5, but I bet most of you true PC-lovers can. Knowing how to read leet-speak or even knowing what it is shows the very start of the division of the computer world and the undeniable superiority of the PC.
Scott... is a fairly common name. If you were referring to the CEO of Apple, then you might want to be reffering to Steve Jobs. And I'm pretty sure that it is debateable that l33t speek is proof that PCs are superior. A number of Windows-users that I know hate this but can read it, much like me. Also, its probably good to note that PC stands for Personal Computer, describing everything from a Macintosh to a Windows box to a Linux box to a 8086 to an Apple IIe you have.
>Everyone is familiar with those "other" computers. They come in a variety of colors gray and white and have some fruit symbol on them: the Macintosh the bane of the computer world.
Macs come in Aluminum and White. They have, in the past, come in black, beige, platinum, and various other colors. In fact, it is because of Apple using different colors that Dell and other companies started to use different colors in their product lineups. The symbol on the computers is Apple's product logo. Much like IBM's, Dell's, and even Microsoft's. It is an apple with a bite out of it so that people don't confuse it with a cherry tomato. The logo was created in the 1970s, when to see a piece of plastic with an insignia on it was rather rare.
>Apple Computer and all 3 percent of its market share are giving the other 97 percent of the computer world a bad name.
Sony computers have an even lower market share than Apple. Interesting fact, isn't it? Also the fact that Apple computers have a market share of between 5%-7%. The reason is because of Microsoft's selling computers to 3rd world countries. Each computer sold to those countries is a +1 for the marketshare on the "other" side. Additionally, those figures are based on new computers. Apple computers tend to last longer (including some classrooms that are still using LC 575s and not planning on replacing them any time soon). So marketshare is a misleading thing to look at.... also, what about the other operating systems? Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, etc?
>Mac users can best be described as a cult of Birkenstock wearing, hippie tree-huggers. They have their "pretty" computers that do "everything they want it to." Let me translate that for everyone: "I only check e-mail, write papers and steal music. I am a slave to aesthetics and I love using overpriced, overrated equipment."
Sorry, but I edit video while traveling on the road with my PowerBook. I edit photos too. I compose essays, check email, browse the internet, and sync with mobile devices wirelessly using the built in Bluetooth. I do it all at once, too.
>Most Mac users only do the most basic of tasks.
I am what you might call a "power user." I do amazing things with my computer.
>This isnt their fault; its the computer itself. Try doing anything useful with your Mac, like programming a class project or creating a Web site.
XCode is included-- free-- with all Macs. It is a C, C++, Java, Objective-C, and many other programming language IDE. (Integrated Development Environment) XCode consistantly wins awards for its easy-of-use, ability to use the low-level parts of OS X but without endagering security, and far more things.
>I hope you have plenty of time and money on your hands, because you'll either have to buy new software or find a free program that won't work.
Apple provides a list of software for the Macintosh OS X operating system from 3rd party developers that are shareware or freeware. And versiontracker.com has a massive list, too. I use a large amount of free software, all of it works great with no spyware/adware attached, and none of it took more than 5 minutes to find. Often times, I would hear about the software, try it, and then email the developers with my suggestions. My suggestions would be implemmented in the next release.
>As for entertainment, the Mac isnt too bad if you only like to watch Quicktime movies. The Mac media player is just too st00pid to learn how to read other types of movies. Have fun downloading.
It's called VLC. VideoLAN Client. Free. And DVD Player.... that's free too, and pre-installed. Can Windows play a DVD out of the box? It cant... there isn't an MPEG-2 decoder bundled with Windows. Macs have DVD playing out of the box, and can even play video CD and S-Video CDs with VLC.
>The real meat of the entertainment sector for computers is the almighty game. When was the last time you heard anything about a Mac game even being in contention for game of the year"?
Unreal Tournement has always come out for the Macintosh, as well as America's Army. However, this is a sore point among Mac users... but we haven't had too many problems getting along. In fact, this might be a reason we are more productive as a collective... less games to install?
>Comparing the performance between wait, did I just say comparing? There is no comparison. The fastest PC is nearly twice as fast as the fastest Mac.
Are you comparing clock speeds? Then yes, you are correct, the fastest x86 processor has a 3.8 GHz clock speed while the fastest PowerPC processor is 2.5 GHz. But you are forgetting something. The PowerPC processor has what is called a pipeline of ~7 stages. The Intel 3.8 GHz (that IS the highest-clocked chip out there) has a pipeline of ~20. This means that the PowePC can complete instructions in nearly half the time than a compariable Intel processor. And the fact that the fastest Mac bus speed is 1.25 Ghz, compared to a paltry 200 MHz quad-pumped bus on the fastest x86 side. What, you say? No 800 MHz bus? True. The Intel 3.8 GHz processor has a 200 MHz bus that is quad-pumped to 800 MHz.
>Oh, and it costs only a third as much.
Lets add in the cost of antivirus software, replacing it nearly twice as often, and then see what happens. The Mac has a TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) far lower than that of compariable Windows computers.
>The PC simply reigns supreme. A multitude of applications make sure that you'll never be left in the dark when its 11:59 p.m. and a class project has to be in by midnight.
Yeah... a multitude of malware applications. I have spent often times hours fixing and cleaning computers for people. And when I am done, the computer is still just barely maiking it along because a few of the viruses/malware/trogans/worms have damaged a DLL on their way out. Nice of them, isn't it?
>Anyone yes, anyone can create their own programs for the PC. One of my friends created a program to flash his keyboard lights with the beat of his music. And if you have trouble with one of the many PC programming languages, just make your own.
Anyone can make a program for the Macintosh. It is called AppleScript. You don't even need to know how to program! It is amazingly easy. And if you have trouble with AppleScript, you are an idiot. If you can't learn any of the Macintosh based languages... well... there hasn't been anyone who has failed to grasp at least enough of AppleScript, or enough of any other language for that to happen.
>The PC has evolved from your grandma's beige behemoth. Now you can get them in as many different styles as there are colors in the 32-bit color scheme (4,294,967,296). Car lovers pimp their rides. PC lovers pimp their cases. Ground effects, case windows, carbon fiber you name it, and it's a PC accessory.
Macs, BTW, supported 32 bit color approximatly 2 years before their PC cousins and never needed to restart inbetween changing colors. And with that said, some people have done crazy things to their Macs. You name it, someone has done it to their Mac.
>Mac users: come to the light, for Mac is the darkness. Darkness leads to fear, and fear leads to suffering. With your help we can eradicate this vile plague from the entire earth. We all need do our part to save the world from poorly designed, overpriced, inferior equipment.
Windows users, you have our pity. You are always welcome. We all need to do our part to help the blind, and we all pledge not to place a stumbling block before them. But we agree on Windows being inferior equipment.
>You all have nothing to fear. I promise we'll save the iPod.
Glad to hear it. Your iPod will work just fine on your Mac, no changes nessicary but to transfer your songs from your old Windows computer to your new Mac.
> LMAO. 5c077, j00 g07 pwn3d!!1!!1! Pwn3d 1i|<3 4 n00b.
>(Laughing My Ass Off. Scott, you got owned! Owned like a newb.)
There you go with that Scott guy again...
>Bill Wall owns 86 computers, 13 of which are sentient beings. Please send your comments to
opinion@spub.ksu.edu
Apparently, even with 86 computers, you don't understand everything about them.
A Mac user and IT tech support person,
Mechcozmo
(Please respond to his email, even with a breif comment, so that I know it was not picked up by a spam filter. Thanks!)
