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Windows vs OSX (Can we ever agree to disagree?)

post #1 of 22
Thread Starter 
First I want to say that I'm leaving hardware out of this. It's no secret that a Mac in terms of its hardware is just a PC in sheeps clothing and frankly, we all know that from a hardware standpoint alone, Macs are generally overpriced. But that's just an aside. Not what I'm here to talk about.

I've used windows for 15 years now. You'd think I'd be among the die hards of the Microsoft camp. But to be honest, I don't really see it that way. In my eyes, each OS is completely valid depending on the needs of an individual. And for the record, I really really wish this "OS War" would come to a halt, and that the companies and the fanboys would quit their ignorant bickering.

Let's look at both OS's and see what they offer to certain users.

Windows 7
-The standard. Quite simply, when it comes to office use and the bulk of professional programs, Windows wins. OSX just hasn't broken the mainstream as being the worldwide standard of compatibility.
-Games. This is a given. Some users could care less about this, while others hang on it like a life rope.
-Familiarity. For me, this is big because after 15 years of windows, I'm not about to start over. And with Windows 7 being so reliable now, I don't have to.
-Support. Face it. The vast majority of 3rd party software and hardware out there is designed around windows. This is a harsh reality, but true nonetheless. If you use a lot of 3rd party apps, OSX might be a choice you can't even make.


OSX
-Multimedia. To start with, OSX has a decent suite of media editing/playing programs. While most professionals will obviously upgrade to some 3rd party apps, this is another place where OSX shines. Logic as well as Final Cut Pro are OSX exclusives and industry standards. And with full support for Adobe CS and the like, OSX is quickly becoming a standard in the media industry. If you make music or film, OSX might just be a no brainer in many cases.
-Reliability. While Win 7 is arguably just as reliable, OSX is certainly less prone to viruses than Windows. Which for many is a huge plus.
-User Friendly. This is a nice way of saying "stupid proof." It's a frank truth that most power users are going to use Windows, simply because OSX isn't as much of a tinkerer. OSX admittedly tries to take care of itself and keep its users from having to make any tough decisions. For the vast majority of PC users who don't go "under the hood" a lot, this aspect of OSX must be very appetizing.
-Cosmetics. I'll give Win 7 a pat on the back for trying, but at the end of the day, OSX beats its corpse in terms of looking good.

I want to open up a discussion here. Why do you use Windows? Why do you use OSX? Is it for the above reasons, or something else?
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post #2 of 22
The two main things keeping me from OSX is cost and games. I love win7 but i want a shot at OSX and their media suits
post #3 of 22
Thread Starter 
Well 2 things I could say about that.

1.Why not dual boot? I'm not a big fan of it, but if someone really needs both, then heck. It's fairly easy and solves the problem right there.

2.I think a lot of people make too much of a fuss over the OSX media suite. Is it clever and marginally useful? Well yeah. But I think anyone on a professional level will tell you, they're essentially just functional toys. There's a reason why music producers use Logic and not Garageband.
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post #4 of 22
Quote:
Originally Posted by james... View Post
Well 2 things I could say about that.

1.Why not dual boot? I'm not a big fan of it, but if someone really needs both, then heck. It's fairly easy and solves the problem right there.

2.I think a lot of people make too much of a fuss over the OSX media suite. Is it clever and marginally useful? Well yeah. But I think anyone on a professional level will tell you, they're essentially just functional toys. There's a reason why music producers use Logic and not Garageband.
It's not as easy as you think it would be. There are hardware compatibility problems left and right. Hackintoshes are difficult to build.
Ex Nihilo
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post #5 of 22
I see no reason to use OS X. I have 2 OS X leopard machines, however I have no use for them. What can OS X do that win7 can't? Nothing. The only thing I see in OS X is limited applications. That is it. No reason to use it.
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i7 :D
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post #6 of 22
Quote:
Originally Posted by james... View Post
Well 2 things I could say about that.

1.Why not dual boot? I'm not a big fan of it, but if someone really needs both, then heck. It's fairly easy and solves the problem right there.

2.I think a lot of people make too much of a fuss over the OSX media suite. Is it clever and marginally useful? Well yeah. But I think anyone on a professional level will tell you, they're essentially just functional toys. There's a reason why music producers use Logic and not Garageband.
Most PC's will not run OSX because of hardware incompatibilities....
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post #7 of 22
It's definitely arguable, but you have a pretty fair comparison there IMO.
    
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post #8 of 22
Having owned a macbook I have to say while it is user friendly for the average user, but as soon as you try and do some more advanced stuff it quickly becomes much more difficult to use.
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post #9 of 22
let's think for a moment, you're posting on overclock.net, overclock, that world alone is meant for window, granted i love my macbook pro and imac, but you're not gonna get a very fair argument for OSX.
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post #10 of 22
I mostly agree with everything in you post.

the BEST operating system is, by far, one that fits YOUR specific usage needs and can't be defined for all users.

With regards to Windows, I've been a user since Windows 3.1 and am happy to see how it evolved to Windows 7 (I was also happy with 2000, XP and Vista, BTW).

IMO, Windows strength is that it can run on almost any hardware with different stability based on quality of hardware and drivers (made by HW manufacturer's and not by MSFT). It is true that it's weakness is also related to this (MSFT has little control over HW and drivers quality). As a power user, I have no major complaints with regards to usability & stability.

OSX, on the other hand, looks very nice and is quite stable, ONLY if you run it on Apple's hardware. Again, this is it's major strength but also it's weakness. I can't see OSX become mainstream while locking the hardware in which it can run.
I am not a person who likes being told what and how I should do things and I personnally find Apple very prone to give me no choice over which HW and SW I can use.

With iPhone and iPad, I even get the impression Apple wants to censor which content I can access and which I can't. This is, in fact, unacceptable for me.

Finally, te list does not end with Windows and OSX. I am personnally following Linux evolution and, may start using it as my OS of choice for my business needs (many PCs running an Office suite for short periods of time, which make paying the MSFT Office license fees unpayable)
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