A switcher who doesnt hate Windows? Wow, lol

Hey all. I just got myself a shiny new 20" 2.4GHz iMac after years of never considering Apple products. Unlike the average switcher it seems, I didn't switch because I hate Windows. Quite the contrary actually. What finally made me consider an iMac is its adoption of Intel processors and its ability to run Windows as well as OS X, and all the other "all-in-one" computers on the market are hideous things when compared to the new aluminum iMacs.

I also made my decision on a iMac to hopefully help curb my needless PC upgrade problem, lol. I used to be a hardcore PC gamer, but I haven't been for the last few years, unfortunately that hasn't stopped me from having to upgrade processor, memory, and graphics cards to support the latest games...ya know, just in case.

So I've got my shiny new iMac, and I'm just waiting on the 4GB of memory to get here (it was so cheap, how could I not buy it) and then I'm going to reinstall Windows Vista through Boot Camp. Vista ran very smoothly on my old system with no OS related problems (I know, crazy ain't it?), just the rare 3rd party software problems at first, but nothing serious and all was taken care of with time. Anybody else have Vista on their iMac, and if so how do things run?

*edit* Oh, and I forgot to ask. How about Linux? I dabbled in it quite a bit before and would love to have Windows, OS X, and one of the many versions of Linux all running back to back and available at the push of a button. Can it also be installed using Boot Camp and then available by holding down the Option key during the system post?

Vmware fusion is something you might want to consider. If you have a external hard drive you can install windows and linux flavors and then just run those or the external.

Welcome to Mac forums.

You cannot run Linux from BootCamp, but you can from VM Fusion or Parallels. The speed is virtually as fast as it would be on a native machine.

I do hope you give OS X a chance, otherwise you'd be missing out on a fantastic OS that you might enjoy.

Congrats on your new hardware.

Im also a switcher who likes windows. if windows was as crap as lots of people say then why is it easily the most popular operating system in the world. My main desktop computer runs windows XP and my laptop is a macbook running OSX.

tobywuk said:

Im also a switcher who likes windows. if windows was as crap as lots of people say then why is it easily the most popular operating system in the world.

Click to expand...

Well... in the beginning there was this company called IBM and they licensed this little program called DOS from this nothign company called MS. All the other computer manufacturers wanted to make IBM clones, and MS charged these companies to use DOS in their machines and made loads of cash.

In the late 1980's, IBM realised where this was going and started creating OS/2, which was there followup to DOS. IBM got into trouble when making OS/2 and so MS actually sent developers to help them (in the UK as it happens).
MS publically supported OS/2, whilst secretly working on a protected mode version of DOS, later NT (Windows 1.0 and 2.0 were just seen as toys).

When NT 3.1 was released in 1993, virtually everyone on DOS went that route - OS/2 was dead. In 1995, Win95 was released to replace DOS/Win 3.1 in the home and finally in 2001, XP unified NT and the DOS based Win 9x platforms.

I'm a recent switcher and I don't hate Windows either. I never really had many problems with Windows but that's because I knew how to take care of it (defrag, sypware, virus protections, etc). In fact, my job is to support a few hundred Windows machines at work. That being said, I have found that I love the way OS X handles everything and the great software that shareware developers have created.

Would I recommend Windows to anyone? Only if they had a truly good reason to need it. Would I recommend Mac to most everyone? For the most part yes. Someone who absolutely needs some of the Quicken software is someone I *might* not recommend a Mac to (yes I know you can run Boot Camp or virtualization software but some don't want the hassle). Other than a few exceptions, I do recommend Macs to all my friends/family.

Zoolook said:

You cannot run Linux from BootCamp, but you can from VM Fusion or Parallels.

Click to expand...

Well, you can, but it takes some work:
http://wiki.onmac.net/index.php/Triple_Boot_via_BootCamp

tobywuk said:

Im also a switcher who likes windows. if windows was as crap as lots of people say then why is it easily the most popular operating system in the world.

Click to expand...

Yeah, and if McDonalds is unhealthy, as lots of people say, then why is it by far the largest restaurant chain in the world?

Because people like the tast of mcDonalds as they do with windows I guess. people could choose to go to a different restraunt if they wanted to, but they choose not to. the same is with windows. OSX is a great operating system, I use it myself and I like it But so is windows.

by all means go blind to the fact that windows is the most popular OS and there must be a reason for this, but if you do it does not mean that its true.

tobywuk said:

Because people like the tast of mcDonalds as they do with windows I guess. people could choose to go to a different restraunt if they wanted to, but they choose not to.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't carry that analogy too far, because generally it is poorly educated, economically disadvantaged people who eat at places like McDonalds regularly, because it is quick, cheap and convenient.

In the consumer market, people pick PCs for the same reason. It's no secret that the Mac demographic is generally more affluent and better educated, generally because macs have been traditionally used by academics, writers and creatives. It's far easier for Joe Average to pop into Target or Best Buy and pick up a PC than it is to go to an Apple store or shop online...

This is not a very constructive conversation, but I think the point is that popular != good in every case. Britney Spears is more 'popular' than Mozart... does it make her a better musician? CSI: Miami is more popular than Dexter or Rome, but is it really better?

There is nothing wrong with Windows, most people on this board refrain from bad mouthing it. I am making this post from a Dell running XP in IE6...

My favorite part of OSX is that I never have to give advice to my friends when their PC breaks. I just tell them to buy a Mac as I don' deal with windows anymore.

Gbeav, I couldn't agree with you more. My parents laptop died two weeks ago so my brother and myself got the mac ball rolling, mom used my macbook for a day and really started to like it. Little do they know they are getting a new macbook to replace there old laptop. ;D

tobywuk said:

if windows was as crap as lots of people say then why is it easily the most popular operating system in the world.

Click to expand...

Price is also a huge issue here. You can easily drop $350 and get a decent PC just for surfing the web, if thats all you need it for. Macs aren't necessarily for "Power Users", but they are for people who know what they want, and are willing to pay the premium. My 11 year old sister just received a PC for her birthday and it suits her just fine. Accessibility is the main factor in my opinion.

Edit: I'm not saying that Macs can't be for power users either. Thats not a flame I am trying to spark.

Evnas said:

... Unlike the average switcher it seems, I didn't switch because I hate Windows ...

Click to expand...

I don't hate Windows -- well, Vista blows ropy goat chunks. But I still have a top-end XP box. It's designated "game machine" now. I do everything else on the iMac.

I have to agree... its far easier for someone to pick up a WIntel PC for the price point rather than a Mac. 600 bucks for a simple Mac Mini... but nothing else but the little cube, you still gotta cough up the monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Where as a WIntel machine can be had with all said accessories for about 600-700 (granted they arent fantastic machines, but really... the only thing good about the Mac Mini is OS X).

Part of what turned me off of Macs was the prices most times (that and being a huge gamer)... and fortunately, the Intel switch made it much easier for me to switch back to Mac (I was a Mac user in the OS 7 days).

tobywuk said:

Im also a switcher who likes windows. if windows was as crap as lots of people say then why is it easily the most popular operating system in the world.

Click to expand...

Popular does not equal best.

In this case the word popular is not the correct word. Perhaps the phrase "most used" would suit better. After all, when you've spend most of your corporate history driving the competition out of business, often by downright illegal or ethically questionable tactics, you end up being "the most used" by default.

Zoolook said:

I wouldn't carry that analogy too far, because generally it is poorly educated, economically disadvantaged people who eat at places like McDonalds regularly, because it is quick, cheap and convenient.

In the consumer market, people pick PCs for the same reason. It's no secret that the Mac demographic is generally more affluent and better educated, generally because macs have been traditionally used by academics, writers and creatives. It's far easier for Joe Average to pop into Target or Best Buy and pick up a PC than it is to go to an Apple store or shop online...

This is not a very constructive conversation, but I think the point is that popular != good in every case. Britney Spears is more 'popular' than Mozart... does it make her a better musician? CSI: Miami is more popular than Dexter or Rome, but is it really better?

There is nothing wrong with Windows, most people on this board refrain from bad mouthing it. I am making this post from a Dell running XP in IE6...

Click to expand...

Very true. The demographic is narrowed by the price and versatility that a mac has. For example i was at a local bestbuy who happens to have a mac stand/area. A woman, more rather a teenager of about 16-17. She was trying a macbook and it was evident she liked the macbook from her expression and also her statement to her brother. But of course her brother replied "Why do you want a macbook, for 600 dollars you could get a windows computer. Macs are mostly for graphic designers, are you going to be a graphic designer?" Which was a surprise because even though she replied saying she wasnt, she still wanted a macbook.

I myself have no problem with windows, am typing from one right now until i get my macbook. Windows xp was good, but i think the ma os x operating system is far better. In my opinion of course.

k3s said:

I myself have no problem with windows, am typing from one right now until i get my macbook. Windows xp was good, but i think the ma os x operating system is far better. In my opinion of course.

Click to expand...

Same here - coming now from my MacBook, OS X and Safari...

Zoolook said:

Welcome to Mac forums.

You cannot run Linux from BootCamp, but you can from VM Fusion or Parallels. The speed is virtually as fast as it would be on a native machine.

I do hope you give OS X a chance, otherwise you'd be missing out on a fantastic OS that you might enjoy.

Congrats on your new hardware.

Click to expand...

That is disappointing that Linux wont run with Boot Camp, but oh well. Maybe I'll just use Grub as my boot manager if it comes down to it.

And no worries about me not giving OS X a chance, thats why I bought the iMac, so I can legally run it. Otherwise I would have just dropped $1,200 on fresh equipment for my other PC ;D

The main reason I want Windows on as well is for the occasional game as well as other odds and ends that I dont want to buy for OS X (such as another copy of Office).

*edit* And I personally would never say OS X is "better." Of course I wouldn't say Windows is better either, or any of the many choices of Linux. Each has their ups and downs. I'm all for choice, and competition. The more options we have, the better experience for the consumer and thats the big plus. I like to at least dabble my fingers into as many different flavors as I can, and personally I like em all. Each OS brings something to the table that the other doesn't

baggss said:

Popular does not equal best.

In this case the word popular is not the correct word. Perhaps the phrase "most used" would suit better. After all, when you've spend most of your corporate history driving the competition out of business, often by downright illegal or ethically questionable tactics, you end up being "the most used" by default.

Click to expand...

iPod and iTunes feels like it fits well here.

I dont want to start a flame war or anything. But please be aware that all companies do this... and even your beloved Apple does illegal or ethically questionable tactics... I hope you are not aiming this at only Microsoft, because Apple is easily the next runner up in these cases. These two companies are certainly not the only two either.

That being said... the iPod is ridiculously popular... but by far not even close to the best MP3/PMP out on the market. They are popular... not the best.

I love Apple, but please... dont act like they are innocent to anything Microsoft has done.

Kalison said:

iPod and iTunes feels like it fits well here.

I dont want to start a flame war or anything. But please be aware that all companies do this... and even your beloved Apple does illegal or ethically questionable tactics... I hope you are not aiming this at only Microsoft, because Apple is easily the next runner up in these cases. These two companies are certainly not the only two either.

That being said... the iPod is ridiculously popular... but by far not even close to the best MP3/PMP out on the market. They are popular... not the best.

I love Apple, but please... dont act like they are innocent to anything Microsoft has done.

Click to expand...

I also agree with this. I ipod is not the best, but it is the most popular, common among teenagers.

Also i was going to say. The reason windows is the most popular operating system is because people grew up with it. Using it at school in elementary through hight school at some points. I remember using the computer lab in middle school and using windows. But some schools like my high school have seemed to realize that the apple operating system is better suited. My whole school is windows free save the computers in the main office.