The top 5 things I
don't miss about Windows:
1.
Having to purchase 90% of the software needed to use a computer.
Mac OSX has so many useful items included, and what isn't included is legally free. The OpenSource movement, and the quality of Freeware available for OSX has astounded me thusfar. I've yet to find a freeware app that is as good as Nero 7 Ultra, however, but I still have a PC if I want to do weird things as far as burning a CD. A few things I haven't tried, though I want to, is ripping my DVD's to the HDD and being able to just play them that way. If anyone knows how to do this, I'd be grateful for some insight.
2.
Having to use third-party software to make the OS as useful as it should be out of the box.
I use
Stardock products to supplement the lack of functionality XP has compared to OSX. I use ObjectBar to immitate Dashboard (though it doesn't have the cool function of Dashboard allowing it to wash over the desktop at the push of a button) and ObjectDock to immitate Dock (in some ways this is actually superior to Dock, such as the ability to make the Dock background completely transparent). I also use WindowBlinds to skin the whole OS, which isn't bad, but there are so many varied interfaces under XP that won't skin properly, leaving a bit of a perplexing situation: Do I skin for pretty, or leave it bland for functionality? To make matters worse, skinning the OS, adding ObjectBar, and adding Object Dock all consume the ever-precious system resources, leaving you with 90% (on a really good day) of your computer left to use.
3.
All of the stuff that has to run in the background.
Under Windows 9x and above, there are a bajillion things that run in the "System Tray" that consume a ton of system resources. Some of these can be eliminated, but some of them can't. To make matters worse, if you don't have a perverbial doctorate of Windows, you won't know how to keep some of things from running. Add to the the frustration created by buying a new computer and having all of the pre-loaded stuff running in the background, and you may just have an annurism.
4.
Pre-loaded software.
Under OSX the pre-loaded software bundle is a blessing, allowing you to use your computer right out of the box, the way it was intended. Minimal trial versions or hand-cuffed demos of software are included, leaving you with a very good computer and no additional coin needed. With a PC you spend the first few hours reformatting, repartioning, and re-installing, followed by several hours of uninstalling the pre-installed software, seeing that you don't get a Windows CD with a new PC - you get a System Recovery disc, which will re-load your computer as it came from the factory.
5.
Frequent System Maintenance.
To keep a healthy PC, a rigorous maintenance regimen is required. An anti-virus program running in the background, a third-party passive firewall (the one in XP might as well be an open door), and an extra-cautious mindset when downloading or opening email is a necessity. Frequent HDD defragmenting sessions are also required, though using Norton Speed Disk the painfully slow (days) of using the included defragmenter can be avoided. Although using the NTFS file system over the FAT32 file system avoids some of the inherent HDD fragmenting, the OS as a whole is not very good at cleaning up after itself.
