Student that uses OSX,GNU Linux, and MS Windows(only when forced too) opinion on OSs.

[compphysics]

I bought my first Mac because of OS X. I had prior experience with Linux and knew the stability a UNIX derived OS provides. I was still being forced to use Windows for several reasons including Direct X games(still am) and QuickTime or WiMP streams.

I knew my 600 MHz iBook's 8MB ATI graphics card was weak, but I also have a PC for games. Being an undergraduate student I can order 10.2 for $69, but I not sure it's even worth that for the following reasons.
{
Quartz Extreme: My less than a year old Mac doesn't meet the 16MB VRAM requirement.

Ichat: Um Fire, Proteus, or even AOL's client let me IM my computer illiterate AOL using family members and friends.

Mail: I bought Office X(academic priced) and would most likely continue using Entourage.

Sherlock 3: Looks like they ripped off Watson, which I already bought a license for it.
}
I’m not a “Switcher”, but do prefer using OS X, PC’s still have better Linux support: easier to find RPM’s. I do have Yellow Dog Linux installed though. I’m still being forced to use Windows most recently for the GRE PowerPrep review software and a small number of websites don’t work right with IE or Mozilla on OS X. Windows Media Player X doesn’t support all the codecs (try anything on techtv.com).

I have no intention of using windows as my primary OS, heck I never even upgraded to XP, but I can't get around not using Windows. I had to check my Java programs for a Computer Science class last semester on my PC before turning them in. The alignment of stuff never worked out right. Even so I loved using Project Builder to write them first even if I had to make slight modifications later. I almost couldn't help laughing when the console output came up in a dos prompt box on other people's wintel laptops. They had to insert pauses to verify their output. Project builder slides down a separate pane with color output and a Scroll Bar(LOL). We moved to Graphical apps and applets so that didn't matter long.

The Physics Dept at my school has a dual 800Mhz G4 tower, and I can't wait to see MATLAB on it. It's going to be the control for an Appleseed cluster soon.

Enough of me ranting, I believe OS X is the best operating system, but Apple needs to not piss people off with pricing. Maybe they just need a long pipeline, inefficient but high clock speed processor a la P4 to grab the uneducated consumer's eye.

 

[AlphaTech]

I use OS X about 95%+ of the time at home on my TiBook, because it IS so damned stable (10.1.5). I occasionally boot into 9.2.2 to run UT, otherwise, I stay inside OS X.

I have a game pc that I built, and continue to 'tweak'. I installed win2k on it, since I refuse to pay ~$200 to 'upgrade' to heXPee. When I call it a game pc, that because that is the ONLY thing it does. All my internet stuff, as well as real work gets done on my TiBook (rev. c).

As we get closer to the August 24th date, I will have to start contacting Apple stores and Apple itself to see about using my software coupons that came with my TiBook as well as those that came with the retail version of 10.1 that I purchased. Apple should give people that purchased 10.1 as well as a system after 10.1 came out a break on the cost of 10.2. My TiBook came with 10.1.4 installed on it, so I really do feel I should get a reduced cost upgrade to 10.2. Either that, or they really need to include some great "extra's" inside the retail box of Jaguar. They also need to make the decision to do that (if they do) VERY public.

I will be getting 10.2, I just don't know how fast I will pick it up. It all comes down to the cost of it (as it will with more then a few people).