Both are pretty much equal at the moment in my books. I actually think Windows 7 has the edge over Snow Leopard due to better graphics performance. There are some other +'s and -'s with both, however, they are pretty tiny and fall into the user's personal preference.
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Windows vs Mac OS X
- Thread starter LggN
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I've been a Windows user since windows 3.0, so I've learn that is better to have your docs in a different partition than the windows folder because no matter what sooner o later you are gonna need to format the HD and reinstall windows.
Nowadays my Windows usage has been reduced to fixing my girlfriends PC and as a web desingner I have to deal with Internet Explorer almost every day.
Sounds to me like you selected not to back up the documents folder. By default, Windows Backup backs up everything on all partitions, it asks you to use an external drive, and it runs in the background and only alerts you if it's run into a problem.
All of the apple apps you mentioned are all availible on the app store, which are installed by that method.
I should have stated well. Windows can do some of those things, but it can get messy. Not as smooth and the registry gets messed up easy.
In my opinion, OS X is inherently better. I know there are those who think they are equal or that Windows is better, but OS X is not only more robust but is tighter more elegant code. I haven't seen the source code, but I have spent years working with both OS and found that things almost always work better on OS X in almost every category. Ten years ago Apple took a step in going to OS X that MS has yet to take. Apple has a robust Unix OS underneath the OS X gui and relegated pre OS X apps to run under "emulation" (Rosetta).
Try running Windows on a full C drive. Say goodnight! I had an OS X drive fill up and only found out it was full when I tried to save something. I had full control of the OS for all the time I spent deleting things so I could free up some space to save my work.
There are a handful of things I like better about Windows. I like having cut in Explorer and I don't want to have to run Pathfinder (or any other third party software) to be able to cut and paste files. I like having access to more software on Windows and I find that there is more legit freeware available on Windows while on OS X, I often find myself pondering whether to register shareware or simply do without something that I might have gotten as freeware on Windows. Perhaps this will improve with the OS X app store and more freeware will be available. I like the transparent windows so I can see what's behind the title bar and status bar of windows.
There are hundreds of things I like better about OS X but I will name some here. I don't get asked "are you sure" fifty times a day. I don't worry (much) about malware. The ability to print is an inalienable human right and OS X recognizes this fact. Folders are sorted right along with files in Finder. I didn't like this at first but now I depend on it and I get annoyed with the way Windows does it. Spotlight kicks some serious butt and is probably the main reason I like OS X. I've just about purged every icon from my dock and use spotlight to launch most things. Click, type two characters, click on the right search result and I'm good to go. I like the single menu bar though I wish it spanned multiple monitors (without gimpy third party software). I really like System Preferences and it puts Control Panel to shame. The absence of the registry... Need I say more?
Try running Windows on a full C drive. Say goodnight! I had an OS X drive fill up and only found out it was full when I tried to save something. I had full control of the OS for all the time I spent deleting things so I could free up some space to save my work.
There are a handful of things I like better about Windows. I like having cut in Explorer and I don't want to have to run Pathfinder (or any other third party software) to be able to cut and paste files. I like having access to more software on Windows and I find that there is more legit freeware available on Windows while on OS X, I often find myself pondering whether to register shareware or simply do without something that I might have gotten as freeware on Windows. Perhaps this will improve with the OS X app store and more freeware will be available. I like the transparent windows so I can see what's behind the title bar and status bar of windows.
There are hundreds of things I like better about OS X but I will name some here. I don't get asked "are you sure" fifty times a day. I don't worry (much) about malware. The ability to print is an inalienable human right and OS X recognizes this fact. Folders are sorted right along with files in Finder. I didn't like this at first but now I depend on it and I get annoyed with the way Windows does it. Spotlight kicks some serious butt and is probably the main reason I like OS X. I've just about purged every icon from my dock and use spotlight to launch most things. Click, type two characters, click on the right search result and I'm good to go. I like the single menu bar though I wish it spanned multiple monitors (without gimpy third party software). I really like System Preferences and it puts Control Panel to shame. The absence of the registry... Need I say more?
I purchased Aperture the traditional way and so I had to use an installer. My point is while dragging and dropping is great, its no consistent especially with the large suites that are available. With the App store AFAIK, it installs the software for you, so you still go through an installation process. That process may just be copying the application but it may also be doing other things
True, but if you don't know what you're doing, going into ~/Library and doing stuff (to copy your preferences) can lead to issues. In both cases you need to know what you're doing if you don't it can lead to issues.
I would like to pop a hybrid ssd/500GB drive in my Macbook. I can't justify one of those sweet new Macbook Pros when my machine is working (relatively) well. I also ordered 4 gig of RAM from Crucial to put in next week sometime.
To prepare for the drive swap, I decided to create a new Time Machine backup on a firewire drive rather than use Carbon Copy Cloner which would have required me to buy one of those little $30 SATA to USB gizmos. It ran almost all day and only made it to 20 gig and then hung. It sat there for hours doing nothing. So I googled "stuck time machine" and found that I needed to quit spotlight indexing. This immediately aborted the backup. So now I went in System Preferences and turned off indexing the removable drive I'm using for the backup but the backup was still slow. It turns out I had a finder window open on the root of the drive and finder was eating 80 to 98 percent cpu and my fan was running full. I closed that window, relaunched finder and now my backup is going at a more "normal" rate. (3 gig while I typed this.)
Time Machine and Time Capsule are examples of software and hardware from Apple that is not quite up to snuff. These aren't going to spoil my opinion of how well Apple stuff, particularly OS X is designed, but those that go around saying Apple can do no wrong aren't right either.
To prepare for the drive swap, I decided to create a new Time Machine backup on a firewire drive rather than use Carbon Copy Cloner which would have required me to buy one of those little $30 SATA to USB gizmos. It ran almost all day and only made it to 20 gig and then hung. It sat there for hours doing nothing. So I googled "stuck time machine" and found that I needed to quit spotlight indexing. This immediately aborted the backup. So now I went in System Preferences and turned off indexing the removable drive I'm using for the backup but the backup was still slow. It turns out I had a finder window open on the root of the drive and finder was eating 80 to 98 percent cpu and my fan was running full. I closed that window, relaunched finder and now my backup is going at a more "normal" rate. (3 gig while I typed this.)
Time Machine and Time Capsule are examples of software and hardware from Apple that is not quite up to snuff. These aren't going to spoil my opinion of how well Apple stuff, particularly OS X is designed, but those that go around saying Apple can do no wrong aren't right either.
No!
It is 100x better!
FASTER
EASIER TO USE
LOOKS NICER
SIMPLISTIC FEATURES
the list is endless
It is 100x better!
FASTER
EASIER TO USE
LOOKS NICER
SIMPLISTIC FEATURES
the list is endless
Debatable
Down to personal experience.
Down to personal preference.
Windows 7 has plenty of simplistic features too.
In short, they are pretty much evenly matched, both having advantages and disasvantages, its down to personal preference.
One man's opinion
I use both OSX (home computer) and Win 7 (work computer).
First and foremost, Win 7 is a really good OS. Microsoft finally got it right. Unfortunately there is so much (totally justified) baggage from XP and Vista that there is a perception that it is still a sheety OS.
I have been using a Mac at home since 2008. I found the platform and OS to be quite stable and relatively bug-free.
Win 7 pretty much leveled the playing field with OSX. Both are really good. Both are running most key business apps (except for MS Project and Visio). Both automatically update as bugs are address though Microsoft seems to do it all the time and Apple does it much less frequently.
A more important question you should ask is about hardware: Apple products are highly regarded and the customer service is better than anything I experienced on a PC. Maybe THAT is the key differentiator.
I use both OSX (home computer) and Win 7 (work computer).
First and foremost, Win 7 is a really good OS. Microsoft finally got it right. Unfortunately there is so much (totally justified) baggage from XP and Vista that there is a perception that it is still a sheety OS.
I have been using a Mac at home since 2008. I found the platform and OS to be quite stable and relatively bug-free.
Win 7 pretty much leveled the playing field with OSX. Both are really good. Both are running most key business apps (except for MS Project and Visio). Both automatically update as bugs are address though Microsoft seems to do it all the time and Apple does it much less frequently.
A more important question you should ask is about hardware: Apple products are highly regarded and the customer service is better than anything I experienced on a PC. Maybe THAT is the key differentiator.
If it's all down to personal preference, how can you say that they're evenly matched? That implies an objective view which you... I guess can't really have when comparing operating systems. Of course you can go the mathematical route and just run benchmarks on similarly spec'd machines (however i don' tthink there's an "official" windows machine so you couldn't really do that (due to variables of course)).
I do agree with your overall argument though. It's all down to personal preference. I love my Mac and I love OS X. Very efficient and productive machine.
Hmm? By key differentiator what exactly do you mean? The reason that people love Apple over Windows? Although I do agree with you on the fact that the customer service is amazing with Apple and you can get pretty much any issue squared away quickly, basing that on why (remember, it's a small number) people like OS X over Windows 7.
I personally think it's a mixture of hardware, software, and the overall experience that you have when using an Apple device. Yes the experience is a good one when you're in an Apple store or getting something fixed, but how often does that happen? I think we should focus more on the entire experience one has when using either an OS X or Windows machine.
For me, the experience was, and still is, far better when using Mac computers. I would love a better ratio in relation to price vs. performance when choosing a future Apple product though.
Here I am at reply #37 and the OP has not responded. Hmm, I'm avoiding the "T" word, but if he ever comes back, I'd like to know specifically why does he "feel" like Windows is better? 🙂
Until my MacOS unravels like every copy of Windows I have owned (Win98-Vista) excluding 7 which I must use for a couple of years before I'll know, the MacOS is superior hands down. I recently listened to a friend tell me about how she spent all morning straightening out her husbands copy of Windows Vista. I realize 7 is new and might be better, but this is what I thought of Vista for 3 years until it took a crap on me. (I run maintenance utility suites on it regularly.) Just my opinion. 😀
My impression is that Windows requires a HIGH amount of maintenance vs MacOS where you can just let it roll if you want to. It might be a good idea to run Disk Warrior on your MacOS now and then. 🙂
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OP if you're still checking:
It's simply a matter of what you're comfortable with.
I was a heavy Windows user until 2006. When I needed a new computer I decided to skip Vista and give OSX a try. I was initially happy with my iMac 24. However, after two years I got tired of the incompatibilities with Windows and decided to go back to MS when 7 came out. I owned the iMac for two years and didn't really have software issues of any kind, nor did I have to tweak anything substantial. Conversely, it feels like I have to tweak my W7 machine occasionally even though it is a professionally built high end PC.
My biggest problem is that I work all day on a Windows PC, frequently working on Word documents at home. Word for Mac is NOT 100% compatible with Word for PC. That was a deal breaker for me as a business professional.
The old iMac 24 sits there on my wife's desk, who uses it only for email and VPN. Occasionally the kids will do some funny stuff with Photo Booth 🙂.
No OS is perfect. Computers are tools and they should help you get your work done. Pick what works for you. I am now considering getting a Macbook Air because it offers the absolute best form factor for an ultraportable and I am OS neutral.
It's simply a matter of what you're comfortable with.
I was a heavy Windows user until 2006. When I needed a new computer I decided to skip Vista and give OSX a try. I was initially happy with my iMac 24. However, after two years I got tired of the incompatibilities with Windows and decided to go back to MS when 7 came out. I owned the iMac for two years and didn't really have software issues of any kind, nor did I have to tweak anything substantial. Conversely, it feels like I have to tweak my W7 machine occasionally even though it is a professionally built high end PC.
My biggest problem is that I work all day on a Windows PC, frequently working on Word documents at home. Word for Mac is NOT 100% compatible with Word for PC. That was a deal breaker for me as a business professional.
The old iMac 24 sits there on my wife's desk, who uses it only for email and VPN. Occasionally the kids will do some funny stuff with Photo Booth 🙂.
No OS is perfect. Computers are tools and they should help you get your work done. Pick what works for you. I am now considering getting a Macbook Air because it offers the absolute best form factor for an ultraportable and I am OS neutral.
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I like both, Mac at home, Windows at work
One of the downsides for me on MACs is the way Apple are trying to remove needing to look at files, I like to organise things into folders how I like them, not just have the app organise them in its own way
Interesting few months coming up, where I decide whether to keep with OS X or move to another OS
One of the downsides for me on MACs is the way Apple are trying to remove needing to look at files, I like to organise things into folders how I like them, not just have the app organise them in its own way
Interesting few months coming up, where I decide whether to keep with OS X or move to another OS
Can you give some specific examples on how you have no choice in file organization? I use a number of apple apps and I've not found that at all, whether its iWork, or Aperture.
Just going by what I have read about Lion (could be wrong but I havent used it), Lion does things like Aperture does if you use managed files
this is the impression I get for example using Pages
I create a new document (does it allow me to save this anywhere, bring up the save box and allow me to select the folder where it goes)
If I want to make a brand new version from this (duplicate?, version?) does it allow me to specify where this gets saved
From what I have read in a few threads, Lion will just create a Pages document (like aperture managed) and store all pages documents within this (so this can easily be put on iCloud for sharing)
thats the type of thing I am talking about, would be nice if its all not correct
so my main thing would be, if I use Pages etc in Lion, can I save things the same as now (just different wording on menus)
Oh really - that is most unfortunate. I have not tried the beta and from the looks of this little tidbit I may not want to upgrade.
this is what I wold like to see clarified
the idea of iCloud is to make sharing between devices easier, iOS doesnt have a file system as such so its confusing how documents can be shared
this whole managed file would make sense when sharing as its an easy way to get documents accros
and Apple have said they want to remove the need to use files/folders
its all getting very confusing 😕
He's probably referring to the iPhoto/Aperture Libraries. They are tucked inside their own folder to protect the user from themselves. If those Library folders were not the way they are, people would be manually moving folders and files screwing with the iPhoto/Aperture database. I personally like the Library method so all of my originals are protected. I know its easy to get into the Library manually, but I don't because I know the apps need to be organized properly to work.
If you read the other posts I made after the one you quoted you will see I am not talking about iPhoto/Aperture, I know very well how both these store files
I dont like this all stored in one big file route, and wanted to see if its true that other apps are going to do the same
Sorry, I started from the beginning of the thread.😀
I just created a Pages document under Snow Leopard and it gave me the option of saving where I wanted. 😕
no prob
I have seen written on here that in Lion this is not the case (works like iphoto/aperture)
unsure if it's true or not
As far as duplicates go, you'll probably be asked where to store the duplicate. But imagine that Lion would ask you where to store every version of a file as you're editing your file... That'd be ghastly.
It'd be like a code revisioning system like SVN or Mercurial asking you where to put every changeset for every codefile *shudders*
I only require 2 versions while editing
main version
backup incase of problems (which can be deleted after main file saved)