12-28-2008, 01:03 PM

Ok this Apple vs MS thing never really excited me- great debate for sure and both are great American companies (Apple being greater IMO- subject for another debate) I have bought a MacPro desktop about 6 months ago and have used OS X for that time to give it a full chance but I am switching back to Vista and here's why- and this is NOT a "dig" on either company- just real world stuff. And yes I do use Vista/Xp at work so like many potential and real life switchers- I have had a Windows frame of reference for a long time.

APPLE PROS-
1> Everything DOES look better- no doubt hardware software etc.. very enticing very elegant- everyone knows this. Sony comes close in the Windows world but no cigar.
2> LOVE the short boot up time! Why o Why MS cant seem to get this down (inherint flaw in MS-Dos based Windows?)
3> Mac Pro is the best desktop made in the world- configured correctly is runs Windows Vista faster than my sons Quad Core "gaming' machine- if you want to run Vista the best it can be run- (32 bit at least) buy the Mac Pro- pricey for sure but no comparison. Just wish it had a hard drive light.
4> OS X is more stable but not by much- I use computers 10-12 hours a day constantly- OS X does seem to be more stable HOWEVER and this is true of a lot of Apple users- the Apple just isnt running as much as my Windows machines do- Autocad- SolidWorks and other graphic intensive programs up and running all day.
5> Office for Mac has a BETTER INTERFACE than Office 2007 for Windows! Another subject but enough said.
6. Plus and minus- in the "socialist" world of Apple you dont get as many skin choices and everything looks the "same" after a while Big brother Steve picked it for you and that is it- Awesome but the same- Windows has skins galore and you can personalize down to anything you want- could be cause of some peoples problems with Windows??? Keep it simple and that is the Mac philosophy.
7> You can COLOR FOLDERS!!!! And Files LOVE THIS Ray Ozzie do this in Win 7 WHY HASN'T IT BEEN DONE YET!! very useful to the way I (we) work.
8> OS X widgets are implmented better than Vistas- Vistas take up too much screen real estate.
9> Buying Mac hardware gives you the best of both worlds- buy Apple hardware whenever you can afford it- it is simply made better than most PC's and run both OS's give you the best ocmputing experience that is available.

But you know thats about it after all this time-
Windows Plusses-
1> Vista closed the gap with OS X and works great and is very intuitive.
2> My main reason for switching back (but using the Mac Pro as my main PC's) VISTA/XP is a RIGHT CLICK CENTRIC interface and OS X is a click and DRAG interface- in the world of 24" monitors- click and drag is so 1980's. Right click is MUCH easier faster and better way to compute. Perfect case in point I want to email a document in Windows I simply right click and chose send to mail recipient- done deal. In the Mac I have to CLICK AND DRAG it to the dock and drop it into the Entourage icon. Fine when screens were 9" on the old Macintosh- now it is just a pain. Vista gives you every optionjust about with the right click- Not So OS X. Once you get used to right clicking for everything it just makes more sense and is a HUGE interface difference over MS.
3> Vista doesnt "crash" as much is advertised- it is much more a matter of Win98,2000 and even XP reputation. Been using it for the same 6 months with only 1 "crash" but OS X froze on me twice and had to restart. Both are stable.
4> Third party apps seem to work better in Windows- I know this sounds wierd but I create dozens of .pdfs everyday- Acrobat 8 in Windows simply creates .pdf faster and better than for Mac expesically when graphics are involved. I have called Adobe with no help but when .pdf-ing a website- Acrobat Vista just does it better than Acrobat- OSX. Also in Office Word for Mac when manipulating graphics- it is not as smooth or precise as Word 2007 for Windows. Have all updates installed and Id ont know if it is just me of what but I can move a picture "pixel by pixel" in Word for Windows but it "jumps" and skips in Word for mac- lmost like 5-10 years ago when WYSIWIG wasnt as precise as it is now. Placing grpahics in Word for Windows is better and easier.
5> On the interface front where Apple always touts is superiority Windows wins in two important areas. 1- Mouse Movement. Mice are more precise in windows and have a better driver. To get my mouse to be as responsive in OS X I had to BUY steermouse a $29 add-on- why? The mouse moves slower on a Mac. Period. And the Clear Type viewing on screen in Windows is more precise than on a Mac. macs are "Fuzzier" on screen- Windows is "sharper" I prefer the sharp look to the fuzzy look- you may not care I do. Not a deal breaker but is better on Wondows.
6> While Apple has caught up to where it doesnt matter as much as it used to, it is a fact that their are just more apps for windows still and especially for small business owners (Sync apps for Outlook abound, Other OFffice Add-ins, MS One Note for collaboration, Groove collaboration etc etc) that is if any small business owners will be left after the government runs everything and "shares" what little wealth is left. Our new president has repeatedly shown that he can SPREAD the wealth but when has he ever talked about actually CREATING it? Green collar jobs...? rriigghhtt ooops I am sorry- I digress.

So there you have it- more plusses on my list for Mac OS X but lack of the right click simplicity and more apps for Windows small business users. For those who just use their PC's for home only and surf the net I would say that a Mac is better for that AND IT IS- but in this day and age of competant $500 notebooks maybe it is not? That is for each buyer to contend with. As I stated earlier of one can afford Mac hardware it IS built better but if surfing is all thats needed that $500 hp notebook may be "better"
I am going back to Vista - knowing that Apple has more foresight, better designers and is better run than Microsoft.

Just my .02 for what its worth.

12-28-2008, 01:30 PM

Obviously, you like both OS's, so (considering you have a Mac Pro, and therefore a very powerful machine) why not run both Operating Systems on your computer?

12-28-2008, 01:37 PM

Well a good article, but at the end of the day we will all just settle for what we find more comfortable

12-28-2008, 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by Forum Shark

Obviously, you like both OS's, so (considering you have a Mac Pro, and therefore a very powerful machine) why not run both Operating Systems on your computer?

Z4MC does run both OSes on the Mac (see Point #3 and Point #9 in the OP). But Z4MC likes the mouse movement on the PC and prefers using the right-click feature over drag 'n drop, which is apparently the only reason Z4MC is switching back(?).

12-28-2008, 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by Z4MC

So there you have it- more plusses on my list for Mac OS X but lack of the right click simplicity and more apps for Windows small business users. For those who just use their PC's for home only and surf the net I would say that a Mac is better for that AND IT IS- but in this day and age of competant $500 notebooks maybe it is not? That is for each buyer to contend with. As I stated earlier of one can afford Mac hardware it IS built better but if surfing is all thats needed that $500 hp notebook may be "better"
I am going back to Vista - knowing that Apple has more foresight, better designers and is better run than Microsoft.

Just my .02 for what its worth.

There are utilities for adding commands to the right click menu on OS X.

The lack of apps for small business users is not relevant unless OS X is missing a required app. Just having more is pointless if you don't need them.

I switched after many years using windows and will never switch back.

12-28-2008, 04:07 PM

Originally Posted by Z4MC

My main reason for switching back (but using the Mac Pro as my main PC's) VISTA/XP is a RIGHT CLICK CENTRIC interface and OS X is a click and DRAG interface- in the world of 24" monitors- click and drag is so 1980's. Right click is MUCH easier faster and better way to compute. Perfect case in point I want to email a document in Windows I simply right click and chose send to mail recipient- done deal. In the Mac I have to CLICK AND DRAG it to the dock and drop it into the Entourage icon. Fine when screens were 9" on the old Macintosh- now it is just a pain. Vista gives you every optionjust about with the right click- Not So OS X. Once you get used to right clicking for everything it just makes more sense and is a HUGE interface difference over MS.

I don't really have an argument with much of anything you said, you have to decide what is best for you. This bullet is the one exception.

You are the second person in these forums (that I am aware of) who has complained about this specific issue, mailing from the right click drop down. Now, I've been using Macs for years and this was never an issue for me, but I can understand the convenience. I am not a programer, graphic designer, digital "artist" or any such thing. I simply use a Mac because it is what is right for me. The last member who had this issue got me to thinking about the usefulness of this capability. I opened the Apple-Script App and created a simple script to add the ability to send mail to my right click menu. That was my first, and to date only, foray into the world of making scripts. It took me 5 min and I actually like having the capability to send mail that way. 5 minutes, and I really had no idea what I was doing. Did something of this nature ever occur to you to even try or did you simply give up because it wasn't there already? There are lots of Apps that will allow you to add things to the right click menu, did you look into or try any of them? Surprisingly OSX is VERY flexible in this area, more so that I had ever imagined, yet it appears that you never bothered to explore your options for expanding the systems capabilities and just "gave up".

In the end it seems to me that you became too wrapped around one simple, and easily fixable, feature and allowed it to ruin your whole experience.

Pity.

12-28-2008, 05:03 PM

Baggss,
To ween me into scripting, would you be prepared to elaborate on your script for adding email to the right click menu?

Yes, i am being lazy but if I get an insight, it might stir me to script some more stuff.

Neil

12-28-2008, 06:02 PM

Originally Posted by neilf

Baggss,
To ween me into scripting, would you be prepared to elaborate on your script for adding email to the right click menu?

Yes, i am being lazy but if I get an insight, it might stir me to script some more stuff.

Neil

I actually posted the script and instructions to the forums some time back. Here is the link:

Things I like about OS X

Please note my above linked post was to the OP of this thread. That was back in July. He's still complaining about this being an issue when I already gave him an answer, over 5 months ago.