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Why did you choose MacOs over Windows
- Thread starter 40djbrooks
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Windows does not have any particular security issues, as far as I know. It is more vunerable than other operating systems, though, due to the fact that it is installed in over 90% of the computers in the world. Most malicious software are written for Windows, as it makes them easier to spread and their target audience larger.
However, this should not be a problem provided that you are minimally careful. If you do not navigate to suspicious websites, open suspicious software or e-mail, or click suspicious links, then you should be generally fine. By the way, these are behaviors you should avoid even when using macOS. In the past, viruses dissiminated through disks; now, it is over the Internet and easier to avoid (at least in my view).
Just to be safe, you could install an anti-virus. There are good paid options, and if you are not too erratic in your behavior, you can use one of the free options available.
I am a Windows user since 1993 and, while I had some infections with virus and other malware, they were very few and very easy to get rid of. And it has been at least some 10 years that my computers do not get infected.
Well, I never had any real security problem with Windows.
The way I see it, you can be safe using any operating system that you want. The "security" argument seems to me more an excuse than anything else. Or an attempt to convince people out of fear. Just choose the operating system that you prefer, and that is it.
No one is safe from a new virus on any OS, as the definitions for combating it have not been written and AV software updated for it. No three things are ever really equal. One is the best, and one is the worst. Users have to decide which to use based on their own criteria for several different factors. None of them would be the best in every aspect.
Windows didn't exist when I got my first computer. Apple ][+ in 1980, followed by an Apple ][GS (Woz Edition), and I never really liked the Mac. I had a run in with Xenix and VMS briefly, used an Atari in a class for a while, friends had C64s and Amiga's. I briefly played around with Minix until Linus released the very first version of Linux and I had a fun time with that. Used Sun's in college, still didn't like the Mac. Then I was able to get a NeXT and all worlds converged. UNIX roots, gorgeous UI (my first one had 32-bit color and a 21" screen, but the grayscale screens were delicious as well), what more could a guy want? This at a time when the default option was getting work printed on the campus green bar printers and I had a 600 DPI laser printer that talked (haha). Anyhow, by around this time you still had to type "Win" to get Windows to launch and I just didn't find a reason to use it. OS/2 was out and an improvement over Windows, and Mac OS felt like a toy. I used NEXTSTEP through the NeXT/Apple merger and once it became Mac OS X and hit the market I made the switch.
I did have to use Windows briefly in between as NEXTSTEP wasn't cutting it for work needs (this was around early 2000ish, but I dropped Windows like a hot potato as soon as I could get a Mac Pro and laptop running OS X. I also did briefly have a Silicon Graphics Indigo on my desk, but that was essentially useless for anything productive. I've supported Windows Servers for our own development and hosting apps (at the time), for clients, in data centers, etc. I grew up with nearly any computer you wanted (including Vax, PDP11's, OS's like AIX and I loved FreeBSD, etc) and got to know DOS, Windows and numerous other flavor's of hardware and OS's. At the end of the day, NEXTSTEP (essentially what the Mac is today - many of the same engineers, common engineering and design philosophy) always fit like a glove. I have many friends at prominent technology companies who think likewise and for day to day use use Mac's. The majority of senior engineers and consultants I've ever worked with use Mac's. Some may dual boot or use Bootcamp because they use/like/need Windows, but lean towards Mac's at least for hardware. For bang for the buck, it's a great value. Windows boxes always come with some goofy compromises that end up being a showstopper.
That's not to say Mac OS is perfect, it certainly has its issues, limitations and tradeoffs, but overall it's worked best for me.
I did have to use Windows briefly in between as NEXTSTEP wasn't cutting it for work needs (this was around early 2000ish, but I dropped Windows like a hot potato as soon as I could get a Mac Pro and laptop running OS X. I also did briefly have a Silicon Graphics Indigo on my desk, but that was essentially useless for anything productive. I've supported Windows Servers for our own development and hosting apps (at the time), for clients, in data centers, etc. I grew up with nearly any computer you wanted (including Vax, PDP11's, OS's like AIX and I loved FreeBSD, etc) and got to know DOS, Windows and numerous other flavor's of hardware and OS's. At the end of the day, NEXTSTEP (essentially what the Mac is today - many of the same engineers, common engineering and design philosophy) always fit like a glove. I have many friends at prominent technology companies who think likewise and for day to day use use Mac's. The majority of senior engineers and consultants I've ever worked with use Mac's. Some may dual boot or use Bootcamp because they use/like/need Windows, but lean towards Mac's at least for hardware. For bang for the buck, it's a great value. Windows boxes always come with some goofy compromises that end up being a showstopper.
That's not to say Mac OS is perfect, it certainly has its issues, limitations and tradeoffs, but overall it's worked best for me.
Yes, you are right.
But my point is, I would not take security into consideration when choosing an OS. For my kind of use, security is important, but, given that all OSs are minimally safe, it is not a deciding factor.
And I suppose that the vast majority of computer users should not be overly concerned about security as well, provided that their behavior is not too erratic.
Just choose the OS you like most, and then you can take the necessary steps to make it safe for you.
I became a Mac user when windows vista came out, I had a brand new windows laptop that had vista on it and OMG what a pile of garbage that was, constant crashes and just wouldn't work. Now I am a IT technician and we mainly work on windows based crap, windows 10 is a true disaster, and their recent feature build that was released last week, version 1903 looks to be a repeat of vista. My boss would prefer me to use the company laptop for work, umm probably so he can spy on me and see If I am actually doing work.... but I totally refuse to use it, and use my MacBook Pro for my work as well. I basically told him if he wants me to do any work, I am using the only computer and operating system that actually does allow me to do work and I refuse to use garbage. I will never go back to using windows at all even for my work, I will supply my own laptop which will always be a Mac, the very best computer around, and will never use anything but an iPhone or iPad either
I remember when Vista came out. I built myself a high end PC and was fairly happy with it at first. My attitude about people who complained about Vista was their hardware was just lacking. After so many annoying problems I gave up and decided to "downgrade" to XP. Without the bloat of Vista my super fast PC ran much faster. I came to realize that the "Microsoft experience" that was being advertised was BS. I wasn't using my PC to play in the OS but rather programs and games. The one that made my programs and games work better was better regardless of how it looked. Now fast forwarding to Windows 10 I haven't had the problems like I've had with Vista. It's mostly error free and smooth sailing. Now I'm not too excited about the MS telemetry but that's a whole new topic. This being said my Mac is my primary "PC" while I use my Windows 10 machine for games and other stuff that doesn't play nice with the Mac.
Sounds more like a personal rant than anything else. You had a bad experience with Win, others had with MacOS, both OS’es are coded by human beings after all.
Grew up with it since 1989. I really didn't know anything else, and honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. I still to this day get lost when I have to use a Windows based computer.
Same for iPhones, I never owned an Android, and have no desire to own one. When someone asks me for help on an Android phone, I literally don't even know the right buttons to press.
Same for iPhones, I never owned an Android, and have no desire to own one. When someone asks me for help on an Android phone, I literally don't even know the right buttons to press.
what i fool i used to be!
windows 10 is so incredible because I can delete anything i want and use anything i want.
I was completely unaware Apple even existed until I bought a cheap mp3 player. That thing had such a bad user experience, I had to return it to the store immediately. And so I bought an iPod Shuffle (1st Gen) for twice the price with half the storage and I couldn’t be happier. Using iTunes I began to watch keynotes, until the famous iPhone introduction came along. I just knew I wouldn’t buy any other phone until I could afford an iPhone that would last me for a decade. So without a smartphone option and eager to buy something from Apple, I had money to spend on a 27” iMac (Late 2009) which would double as a family TV. It’s still in use today, so I guess I got what I paid for. It took me half a year to learn and fully appreciate OS X, but I can say I never used Windows after 7 or Android at all. And I converted my whole family.
Mac Classic .. no modem..but ran excel / word etc. Came with a large carton of user reference books.. It was my son's and was used for his university papers.
Windows from the late 1990s. Windows 95 /98 >> XP SP2. All Dialup internet. I became totally fed up with all the broken promises that 'Longhorn' was going to have available and then MS brought out 'Vista'. Goodbye Windows.
2004 = 17" flat screen eMac, dialup modem, good speakers & disc drawer.. it was running OSX 10.3 Panther so I bought the 800 page 'Missing Manual'.
2006 Updated to laptops and never looked back. iBook to various laptops now 2018 15" MB Pro which is great.
Windows from the late 1990s. Windows 95 /98 >> XP SP2. All Dialup internet. I became totally fed up with all the broken promises that 'Longhorn' was going to have available and then MS brought out 'Vista'. Goodbye Windows.
2004 = 17" flat screen eMac, dialup modem, good speakers & disc drawer.. it was running OSX 10.3 Panther so I bought the 800 page 'Missing Manual'.
2006 Updated to laptops and never looked back. iBook to various laptops now 2018 15" MB Pro which is great.
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Actually I didn't choose the Mac OS over Windoz. I chose it over DOS. This was back in the late 80s. I signed up for a class on DOS and walked out at the break. I was completely confused and bewildered. At the time, I said the computer age is just not for me. A month or two later a saw a Macintosh SE at work and I was hooked. The rest is history.
Lou
Lou
I do agree with the people who say that. I actually started buying computers before Windows was ever released, doing everything from the DOS prompt. Upgrading some of the hardware over time and doing all the necessary commands in DOS. And then moved through all the Window versions except Vista and 8. Spent several years working in a Windows based IT department.
But as I get older and older, I don't have an interest in keeping up with the latest security threats and what part of the operating system they may or may not affect.
I also tend to make a few more mistakes as I get older, which can leave things in a more vulnerable state sometimes. I'm mostly talking about online activities. I do everything related to finances and investments online in addition to other activities.
So when my old, slower Windows 7 machine no longer had the speed and video capabilities I wanted, I had to make a decision. Go with a new Windows 10 machine, or buy a new 27" 5k iMac. I had read enough negative user feedback about Windows 10 to push me closer to the Mac side. And there were articles about privacy and security concerns in Windows 10 at that time.
The Apple/Mac eco-system is not as flexible but it just feels a little more "worry-free" to me. That might not be the right word to use but it's something like that. My iMac, iPad and iPhone all work nicely together. And even though the privacy and security considerations on Apple devices may only be a "perception", it just felt like a more logical choice to make at my age. I seriously doubt I would ever go back to a Windows machine or an Android phone even though I'm paying a little more now. Completely happy with my current setup.
As I journalist I was fortunate to experience Mac OS before Windows, so Windows' shortcomings were always obvious to me. My first employer had Macs too, which made the choice even easier.
I've never owned a Windows PC (though I've bought a couple for my son - he doesn't share my Apple enthusiasm!)
As an old-school user from the "Apple vs IBM" days, it's extraordinary to see Apple now makes IBM-compatibles and IBM is no longer in the PC space!
I've never owned a Windows PC (though I've bought a couple for my son - he doesn't share my Apple enthusiasm!)
As an old-school user from the "Apple vs IBM" days, it's extraordinary to see Apple now makes IBM-compatibles and IBM is no longer in the PC space!
My wife used Word on a Mac when she was employed, so when I decided to get a computer I got the PowerMac 7300, which happened to have Word pre-installed (1997). When OSX came out I bought a G5, and though this is still working, I now use an iMac (2015). [The G5 actually starts up quicker than the iMac.] My wife still uses the 7300 because she prefers it to the others.
I always used Windows because when I was growing up, having Win 95 and later was the only way to play videogames. I also knew about Mac existence since first Bondi blue iMac came out because they had one in TV show about technologies, etc. in my country. However, I always considered it less OS than Win because of inability to play games. My friend, who is avid Apple user showed me his Macbook couple of times and I really liked the UI but I always put money elsewhere (music mostly - instruments, recording studio, etc.). Then, when in 2015 I decided to build completely new PC (because I had my old one for 7 years and I felt it was time for new config) I thought I will try to Hackintosh it because installing macOS on VM under Win was PITA. I was already in Apple ecosystem because year before I switched from Android phones to iPhone 6 Plus. After 2 days of battling I finally managed to install Yosemite and I was stunned by the software. I used the Hackintosh for 3 months and then decided to sell the PC to my friend (who introduced me to his Macbook) and bought refurbished Late 2013 27-inch iMac. And since then, I am also avid Apple user, and my wife as well.
Until I was about 10, we had a Dell desktop PC in the house. When I turned 10, my mom bought me a Mac as a laptop because I needed one for school, and was obsessed with Apple lore and Steve Jobs. I loved the brightness of it all. Everyone was so passionate about what they were doing, and I always felt that you could feel that in the products. I have never used anything else because of a few things:
1. Interface Cohesiveness (even within Office on Windows, Word operates entirely differently than Outlook which operates entirely differently than OneNote.)
2. Snow Leopard-era Exposé. I loved this feature. I loved being able to see all of my windows with a remarkably responsive gesture, and Spaces was a great compliment to this. I still think that Spaces is maybe a better way to handle multiple desktops than the Mission Control-baked in solution. I loved the grid.
3. Trackpads!! They're smooth as butter. I love Apple platform inertia scrolling. I love every gesture baked in over time. So lovely.
Also, I just cannot stand how Windows shuts down applications when you close the window. When I have tried using PCs on my college campus, it does not work with my brain. Thank you for reading!
1. Interface Cohesiveness (even within Office on Windows, Word operates entirely differently than Outlook which operates entirely differently than OneNote.)
2. Snow Leopard-era Exposé. I loved this feature. I loved being able to see all of my windows with a remarkably responsive gesture, and Spaces was a great compliment to this. I still think that Spaces is maybe a better way to handle multiple desktops than the Mission Control-baked in solution. I loved the grid.
3. Trackpads!! They're smooth as butter. I love Apple platform inertia scrolling. I love every gesture baked in over time. So lovely.
Also, I just cannot stand how Windows shuts down applications when you close the window. When I have tried using PCs on my college campus, it does not work with my brain. Thank you for reading!
It all started with Logic Pro for me.
Today I wish MacOS could run on any system as I still love the applications that run on MacOS but Apple doesn't offer the hardware that I want.
Today I wish MacOS could run on any system as I still love the applications that run on MacOS but Apple doesn't offer the hardware that I want.
Until I was about 10, we had a Dell desktop PC in the house. When I turned 10, my mom bought me a Mac as a laptop because I needed one for school, and was obsessed with Apple lore and Steve Jobs. I loved the brightness of it all. Everyone was so passionate about what they were doing, and I always felt that you could feel that in the products. I have never used anything else because of a few things:
1. Interface Cohesiveness (even within Office on Windows, Word operates entirely differently than Outlook which operates entirely differently than OneNote.)
2. Snow Leopard-era Exposé. I loved this feature. I loved being able to see all of my windows with a remarkably responsive gesture, and Spaces was a great compliment to this. I still think that Spaces is maybe a better way to handle multiple desktops than the Mission Control-baked in solution. I loved the grid.
3. Trackpads!! They're smooth as butter. I love Apple platform inertia scrolling. I love every gesture baked in over time. So lovely.
Also, I just cannot stand how Windows shuts down applications when you close the window. When I have tried using PCs on my college campus, it does not work with my brain. Thank you for reading!
Exposé and the trackpad are probably the best things about macOS. At least for me.
Wasn't really a choice between MacOX and Windows. It just kind of happened by default.....
The first computer I used was the original Mac back in 1985, when I went to university, where we had a lab full of them. We also learned to use MS DOS in a lab across the corridor; a pointless exercise! Windows was still a few years away.
After graduating into a recession, I went back to doing itinerant farm work. It was several years before I touched a computer again, then only occasionally. People spoke of Windows 95 and 98 and so on, but it meant little to me. In use, computers were like the Mac I had used years before, just a little more advanced..... but they crashed more often! About all I did with them was sending e-mails to friends at an internet cafe. I still use the Yahoo and Hotmail e-mail addresses I got back then.
Moving into teaching around 1999 I started to use a computer at work, mainly for creating documents using Word. I knew there were various brands of computer, including Apple, but I was unaware that there were different operating systems.
Still moving around a bit early in my teaching career, I didn't want a large desktop computer, nor did I want a laptop with a pokey little screen. As I settled down into my present job I came to the point that I could see benefit in having my own computer, so that I could do more work at home.... and that was about the time the Mac Mini came to the market in 2005.
Easily transportable, but not a portable, the Mac Mini fitted my criteria. The salesman said that it came loaded with Microsoft Office, which included Word, so I bought the original 2005 Mac Mini, still unaware of the difference between OS X and Windows. I got it home, plugged it in and got to work on it fairly quickly. Sure it seemed a bit different from the computers at work (which were running Windows XP at the time; one of them still is!), but I knew not why. The Mac just seemed easier to use. I didn't have to load drivers for accessories and it didn't crash.
Eventually I became aware that there were different operating systems with proponents of each. From a practical point of view, the documents I created in Word opened OK on my Mac Mini at home and on the Windows computers at work. I could play DVDs and CDs, as well as dealing with photos when I got my girlfriend at the time a digital camera. It would be several years before I could get on-line at home, and then it was using wireless broadband. Few buildings in the neighbourhood had a telephone line, and my apartment was not one of them. (Fibre came to the neighbourhood about 5 years ago, and I now have fibre to my room)
When the HDD and power supply on the 2005 Mac Mini failed I replaced it with a 2009 Mac Mini, which I am using right now. I installed iWork, and with that came Pages, and Numbers, which I did not like at first. I got a version of Office installed, but it would not open documents with Thai script properly...... so I started using Pages and then Numbers more, and came to like them. They may not have all the features of Word and Excel, but they have all I need, and they are easier and more intuitive to use. Keynote was also intuitive, and opens PowerPoint ok.
When I got my own camera, I found iPhoto worked OK for me, and I have used it (and now Photos) to provide pictures to go with sports stories for the local press.
Last year I purchased a MacBook Air to supplement my Mac Mini because found myself needing a computer in class more frequently.
I do occasionally use the computers at work, but not much. They forever seem to need to have this or that sorted. I see nothing about Windows that would make me want to move over. My experience with Mac and OS X / MacOS has largely been trouble free, and it suits my needs quite well.
The first computer I used was the original Mac back in 1985, when I went to university, where we had a lab full of them. We also learned to use MS DOS in a lab across the corridor; a pointless exercise! Windows was still a few years away.
After graduating into a recession, I went back to doing itinerant farm work. It was several years before I touched a computer again, then only occasionally. People spoke of Windows 95 and 98 and so on, but it meant little to me. In use, computers were like the Mac I had used years before, just a little more advanced..... but they crashed more often! About all I did with them was sending e-mails to friends at an internet cafe. I still use the Yahoo and Hotmail e-mail addresses I got back then.
Moving into teaching around 1999 I started to use a computer at work, mainly for creating documents using Word. I knew there were various brands of computer, including Apple, but I was unaware that there were different operating systems.
Still moving around a bit early in my teaching career, I didn't want a large desktop computer, nor did I want a laptop with a pokey little screen. As I settled down into my present job I came to the point that I could see benefit in having my own computer, so that I could do more work at home.... and that was about the time the Mac Mini came to the market in 2005.
Easily transportable, but not a portable, the Mac Mini fitted my criteria. The salesman said that it came loaded with Microsoft Office, which included Word, so I bought the original 2005 Mac Mini, still unaware of the difference between OS X and Windows. I got it home, plugged it in and got to work on it fairly quickly. Sure it seemed a bit different from the computers at work (which were running Windows XP at the time; one of them still is!), but I knew not why. The Mac just seemed easier to use. I didn't have to load drivers for accessories and it didn't crash.
Eventually I became aware that there were different operating systems with proponents of each. From a practical point of view, the documents I created in Word opened OK on my Mac Mini at home and on the Windows computers at work. I could play DVDs and CDs, as well as dealing with photos when I got my girlfriend at the time a digital camera. It would be several years before I could get on-line at home, and then it was using wireless broadband. Few buildings in the neighbourhood had a telephone line, and my apartment was not one of them. (Fibre came to the neighbourhood about 5 years ago, and I now have fibre to my room)
When the HDD and power supply on the 2005 Mac Mini failed I replaced it with a 2009 Mac Mini, which I am using right now. I installed iWork, and with that came Pages, and Numbers, which I did not like at first. I got a version of Office installed, but it would not open documents with Thai script properly...... so I started using Pages and then Numbers more, and came to like them. They may not have all the features of Word and Excel, but they have all I need, and they are easier and more intuitive to use. Keynote was also intuitive, and opens PowerPoint ok.
When I got my own camera, I found iPhoto worked OK for me, and I have used it (and now Photos) to provide pictures to go with sports stories for the local press.
Last year I purchased a MacBook Air to supplement my Mac Mini because found myself needing a computer in class more frequently.
I do occasionally use the computers at work, but not much. They forever seem to need to have this or that sorted. I see nothing about Windows that would make me want to move over. My experience with Mac and OS X / MacOS has largely been trouble free, and it suits my needs quite well.
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