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Windows vs. OS X
- Thread starter Hook'Em2006
- Start date
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He can try Linux. No problem with spyware, malware and virusses too.
E-mailng documents form a Mac to a Windows PC is no problem, I do it all the time
( Office 2011 for Mac )I don't even have bootcamp or a Virtual machine anymore.
In my experience that seems to be the fault of the computer manufacturer which adds a ton of unnecessary programs.
I build my own Windows machines and never ever have the issues I hear so much about. My Windows 7 experiences is basically as reliable and speedy as my OSX experiences.
Out of the box, Apple wins hands down unless you can find a more obscure PC company that builds laptops without all the BS.
idk, i'm relatively young and tech savvy and my first encounter with Win 7 on my parent's Vaios haven't really lived up to the hype re: performance and ease of OS X. but I was raised on Mac with limited contact with Windows, so a portion of that might be general unfamiliarity, but not too much.
if you're Dad is comfortable with the OS, then go with a cheap, reliable Windows lappy, otherwise a Macbook w/ Office 11 is absolutely the way to go -- Win 7 may be better at detecting autoextracting .EXEs, but hey, Macs don't open them at all
if you're Dad is comfortable with the OS, then go with a cheap, reliable Windows lappy, otherwise a Macbook w/ Office 11 is absolutely the way to go -- Win 7 may be better at detecting autoextracting .EXEs, but hey, Macs don't open them at all
Dell Vostro computers don't have any crap on them, except for the Dell Backup Utility.
IMO, Windows 7 is a good and stable OS. Being that said, to have any Windows OS run smoothly, it should be properly configured by someone who has decent knowledge of what they are doing before using it on a regular basis. Windows 7 does run smoothly out the box but that won't last unless you configure it properly.
I bought my mother a W7 machine last X-mas and I configured all the settings for her just right before I let her use it. Everything from uninstalling the crap that came with it, installing all the programs she needs on custom settings(to avoid more crap), setting up the firewall, UAC & AV just right, disabling some start up programs, adding extensions to Firefox like adblock, and a whole bunch of other stuff. So far she's had no problems at all.
Now if your dad is one of those who clicks and downloads everything that's advertised, a good solution would be to create a non admin user account for him and set the right restrictions\permissions which will safe guard him the best and still allow him to function on his PC as normal.
Now OSX has a slight leaving curve, but it's worth it and I do prefer it over Windows. I think he'll have no problems at all adjusting to it. And far as documents go, if you don't want to pay for MS Office you can always use Open Office.
Linux distros like Ubuntu are also good and FREE. But the thing with that is, you can't just link any device, printer/scanner, camera, etc: and expect to be able to install or find drivers without going through hell. And it's about 3x more of a learning curve than OSX.
I have to agree with this. If that's all he's using it for, then his additional money would probably be better spent on a quality internet security program and the regular use of MalwareBytes, maybe even the paid version.
Go Mac.
Nerds, the sexy tuned out of the box feeling you get from your OEM copy of Win 7 with freshest drivers direct from the manufacturers oven in your water cooled rig with overclocked everything and 80+ gold certified PSU is....
NOT the same experience that joe user gets from buying their POS box from Worst Buy.
Vendors these days don't care about the user experience.
They just want to one up the other guy sitting next to them on the store floor. How is this accomplished? Loading the OS with all sorts of BS trialware and garbage apps that the end user has to the option of "paying" to have it removed. Every vendor tries to customize their box and makes it frustrating for the users, particularly those annoying apps that are customized to functions on the device themselves.
So just because your out of the box windows experience feels crisp and clean (heck, mine does) doesn't mean that everyone can have that sleek feeling.
Nerds, the sexy tuned out of the box feeling you get from your OEM copy of Win 7 with freshest drivers direct from the manufacturers oven in your water cooled rig with overclocked everything and 80+ gold certified PSU is....
NOT the same experience that joe user gets from buying their POS box from Worst Buy.
Vendors these days don't care about the user experience.
They just want to one up the other guy sitting next to them on the store floor. How is this accomplished? Loading the OS with all sorts of BS trialware and garbage apps that the end user has to the option of "paying" to have it removed. Every vendor tries to customize their box and makes it frustrating for the users, particularly those annoying apps that are customized to functions on the device themselves.
So just because your out of the box windows experience feels crisp and clean (heck, mine does) doesn't mean that everyone can have that sleek feeling.
If you have the money to spend then a mac is probably worth it. I am broke, I use windows but I am pretty sure it is taking years off of my life expectancy. I produce music / dj / run a label from my windows machine. Among the normal crap that everyone does. Would love to go Apple so I can quit trouble shooting and get stuff done.
He can't run Quicken on a Mac unless you use bootcamp and Windows. The mac version of Quicken is horrendous.
He's right you can't do everything since they are different. Yet based on what you've described, he will be fine after he's trained. A task you can help him with.
Apples a very good old persons computer. Even my grandmother uses one.
Once you spend time with him he will surely enjoy it. Macs are great ! Good Luck.
See, thats the thing, he doesn't want to have to scan his computer and do computer maintenance every time he opens the dang thing up just to do a couple of quick emails and produce a few invoices. Thats the main thing I love about having converted over to Mac.
he doesn't. I'm obviously a fan of apple products owning a mba 11 and an iphone4 but jesus christ bro windows 7 isn't that bad that you have to do a virus scan every time he opens his computer! what the hell type of sites is he looking at?! some brazilian midget fart porn involving retarded donkeys?!!?? your father is one sick sick twisted bastard! what in the blue hell is going on with your dad's computer? can you smellalalalalalalalala what the rock is cooking?! it doesn't matter what you think jabroni!
Well, quick scans aren't going to take but maybe a minute or 3. However, you've got all the pros and cons you need about the concerns. The only other thing you should consider is the fact that someone who isn't computer savvy is not going to want to re-learn everything. Maybe you should also consider focusing on showing him how nifty Mac OS is and that it's less foreign than he probably imagines?