OT: PC or Mac?
I recently bought an Apple Macbook two months ago and I happen to love it. Way simpler than a regular old PC with windows and I have had no issues so far. After you figure out some of the different buttons and gadgets, it works perfectly. I also have Microsoft Word, Power Point, and Excel on it. I was wondering what other MGoBlog users were using. So what is it? PC or Mac?
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:26 PM ^
mac is where its at
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:27 PM ^
Mac if I could afford it. I used redhat when on campus. PC is the monetary choice right now.
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:28 PM ^
and dying a bit inside each day because of it.
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:29 PM ^
I just bought a MacBook Pro a few weeks ago and love it. Was a PC guy up until now. Definitely worth it if you're willing to shell out the dough, which in the long run you'll probably be better off if all the rumors of improved performance and durability are true.
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:30 PM ^
-I need Autocad, 3ds, and Revit.
-I don't care to run Boot Camp.
-I can't afford paying more for comparable hardware.
I guess that makes me a PC person?
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:35 PM ^
converted in 2005 and haven't looked back. Best change i have made.
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:36 PM ^
Why not both? Use Boot Camp and throw Windows 7 on the Macbook and enjoy the best of both worlds.
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:38 PM ^
PC with Linux. Windows is terrible, absolutely terrible compared to Linux. Linux is even superior to OSX IME due to it's scalability. Made the switch a few months ago, use Virtual Box to run apps that only run on Windows, and will never ever go back to Windows.
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:39 PM ^
Negging Luddite alert!!!!
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:46 PM ^
MacBook Pro for most uses, and a white box dual booting Windows and Ubuntu for my gaming/VMware lab. I may turn the white box into a Hackintosh, too.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:02 PM ^
Both are made from the same hardware. You can install Windows or OS X on either one. Apple make nice cases I guess. MGoVideo runs on FreeBSD. My other computers run pirated W7 because I'm a lot more productive when I'm working instead of googling "How to make X work on a Mac".
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:01 PM ^
PC. Apple products annoy me. I have an iPod, fine, but the thing that irritates me about Apple things is that every time I use one, I have to be shown how to do something. They have very easy, user friendly features that aren't even remotely close to self-intuitive. Bugs the hell outta me.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:15 PM ^
Damn user friendly features!! ;-)
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:01 PM ^
I've had my dell laptop for 5 years now and its still running like a champ. I've got XP running with Ubuntu on the dual boot. I've always found it funny when I'd get home from work and see that my computer had restarted into linux. Stupid Microsoft updates.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:17 PM ^
Get startupmanager for Ubuntu, and you can easily change the default OS (without having to worry about screwing something up by manually editing /boot/grub/menu.lst).
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:03 PM ^
I've actually gone back and forth with XP and Ubuntu as the default OS a couple of times and have never had any trouble manually editing the grub. (But start up manager would be a good suggestion for those who aren't quite so brave.)
I've got it setup now to a point where it doesn't make much of a difference if I'm in Linux or Windows. I'm a command line guy so I usually stick to linux though.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:02 PM ^
Mac, got a macbook for my time here at Michigan and love it
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:04 PM ^
I'm a PC. I've used both, but I haven't used OSX extensively outside of my elementary/middle school years when that was all we had at school. I actually like Windows, especially 7, and haven't had any problems that aren't related to the fact that I bought the cheapest laptop I could three years ago and am stuck with it until I graduate/get a job.
I'd like to pick up a used Mac Mini though, just to play around.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:06 PM ^
I prefer Windows to Mac. I have nothing against Macs (well, nothing against the OS, but I do hate the company.)
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:32 PM ^
You're saying that you like windows because of the company and not the product? Great consumer?
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:25 PM ^
Hmm, that came out poorly. I have no great love for Microsoft as a company, but I don't have any great hate towards them. Apple, on the other hand, I genuinely dislike.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:46 PM ^
Care to share any reasons why you genuinely dislike Apple?
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:50 PM ^
Just busting your balls. Didn't mean to be a dick, though. All about the sarcasm.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:31 PM ^
Your logic is flawed.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:07 PM ^
PC. Even if Apple did not overprice their products, they have horrible business practices that I do not support.
November 4th, 2009 at 2:49 AM ^
Do you care to elaborate on this topic?
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:07 PM ^
Mac$\subset$ PC. It's pretty sad how effective Mac's advertising campaign has been at getting people to think otherwise.
Presuming you meant to ask "which operating system do you use", primary desktop is Ubuntu, secondary desktop is Vista, laptop dual-boots XP and Ubuntu, and my department uses Fedora.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:35 PM ^
How do you like Fedora? I use Linux Mint Gnome (essentially a tweaked version of Ubuntu from my understanding) and it's awesome. I wanted to try some other distros though just for the heck of it.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:22 PM ^
I really haven't noticed any difference between Fedora and Ubuntu, but I mainly just use the department computers for e-mail/IM/surfing the web.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:38 PM ^
mainly what brand you bought, but I assumed most people don't switch up operating systems like you have, which is probably true. I just can't handle Vista because I don't know enough on how to fix what always went wrong with my PC on all of the windows products I have had (Vista, XP) like freezing or just deciding not to work with things. Mac seems to work with anything I hook up to it and is much better for the average consumer, IME.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:44 PM ^
I thought that too, until I had to use Macs for our Point of Sale program at work... G*d forbid you try to print a gift receipt, the whole thing freaks out, luckily we can open the registers with keys just in case.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:07 PM ^
and I want to beat this piece of shit with a hammer.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:15 PM ^
I bought a PC last year. Both were capable of doing everything I need for my job, but the PC was several hundred dollars cheaper. No regrets.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:18 PM ^
Mac all the way. Currently using my new Mac mini. But at work and home have gone through almost all their models. Only the old little white workbooks ever gave me any problem.
And I do most of my MGoBlog reading on my IPod Touch. :-D
Edit: Though I am a little surprised at how many Mac users are here. I though all of Brian's engineering type folk would be laughing me out of the boards.
For the computer. They already do that for other things.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:18 PM ^
Grandpa worked for IBM in the glory days, mom was a software programmer in the 90s, I'm poor and know how to keep a laptop functional, so PC. More specifically, this laptop:
Spent a whole summer working in a deli to afford it, took off all HP's bloatware and love it.
Spent a whole summer working in a deli to afford it, took off all HP's bloatware and love it.November 3rd, 2009 at 8:19 PM ^
Pc bitches. I don't pay more than double for aluminumn casing and colorful ads.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:38 PM ^
But the one ad has the guy from Seinfeld who played the Tick in it! lol
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:30 PM ^
I'm a PC and more happy is coming. I hate this argument but oh well.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:37 PM ^
I spend more time playing with hardware and trying to make different computers to do different things. IME Mac simply doesn't have the flexibility that Windows has. I'm not interested in significantly limiting my hardware options to go with a computer that costs twice as much so the manufacturer can tell me how great they are.
Have an HTPC, thinking about making a personal server, have my desktop, my wife's, my laptop. Don't have to worry about whether or not Apple supports whatever I want to buy.
My take is if you are interested in basic productivity/office stuff/(some) media stuff, you're fine with a Mac. If you want to do serious hardware tinkering, you don't really have a choice. And I LIKE XP. It's stable and safe if you're not a complete maroon. Same for Vista. I have W7, just need to graduate and get a job so I can get the money to build a new computer to put it on.
I like the more open platform of Windows vs the closed platform of Apple.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:40 PM ^
More smart guys who are building the next generation of Terminators (who naturally should like a PC more).
For the rest of us, Macs have all the pretty colors....ooohhh shiny...
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:46 PM ^
I am researcher in biophysics who performs 3d modeling for protein crystallography. I am very knowledgeable about C++ programming, script languages, matlab, and hardware interfacing. The whole mac users are ignorant line is completely bunk and of the same amount of credibility as the rantings of limbaugh. My entire research lab is mac and linux based. Unix based languages are more efficient than the MS-DOS based OS's.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:47 PM ^
But are you building Terminators in your basement? I thought not...
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:57 PM ^
No, but I am saving lives by solving the active site structure and chemical pathways of proteins that confer antibiotic resistance to bacteria.
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:07 PM ^
Who are you arguing with?
I'm not saying they are weak.
Or that the hardware is bad.
Or that the software is bad.
As you say, it's a unix based OS. It's going to be good.
The hardware is the same (extremely limited in comparison to what you can throw into your home computer though) as what you get in any PC.
The interface is easy. In the past, viruses and malware were more limited.
I'm saying they are a closed system and not everyone makes drivers for every piece of hardware for Apple.
That's it.
They aren't as flexible for the home user on a budget.
Saying that, if I didn't have limited budget, would I buy Apple?
No. I think their arrogance is overwhelming. I don't like the "I'm better because I'm Apple. I don't get malware (false), viruses (false)" Their browser was fairly recently considered THE least secure software available. Because they REFUSE to acknowledge that their OS is susceptible to attacks. Because they're Apple.
November 4th, 2009 at 12:22 AM ^
Hey dude, way to make up things I never said in my initial post. All I stated was that the whole meme of arrogant but ignorant mac users is completely bunk. Hell the majority of personal laptops owned by CS and Physics doctoral students at the University are either mac or the users prefered linux kernel. Secondly, I have been building systems since I was in middle school. I stated with pc then went exclusive linux. My research lab runs mac for interfacing (using matlab and LabView) with experimental hardware (PMT's, CCD's, spectrometers, micrometer motors) and data analysis. We have two linux systems for submission of TD-DFT and MD/umbrella sampling calculations to the university data servers. The hardware on a mac is not limited if you have a basic undergraduate knowledge of scripting languages. Applescript is basically java, which every CS major learns their freshman year.
I love how pc users get threatened when the come across one of mac users who may actually have a greater knowledge of CS and programming theory. In many ways those dumb apple commercials are actually true. Just the behavior of the PC (Jon Hodgeman) when he gets threatened matches up perfectly with many pc fanbois.
I am no way an apple fanbois. I cannot stand the iphone and its lack of support for multitasking. I am glad RIM and Google are starting to push apple on the mobile market with BB OS 5.0 and Android 2.0 respectively (i don't consider the palm pre to even be a competitor).
November 5th, 2009 at 2:20 PM ^
Oh? You want credit for saving lives and helping humanity, rather than creating the technology that will destroy all mankind unless humanity can travel back in time to protect it's savior? Ok. Point for you, sir! :)
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:43 PM ^
I have found that to be true, although I'm sure you know a TON more than I do about any of that. If you do what you do, then you have no choice. Mac is made to be simple and streamlined but is limited. Sometimes it is hard to figure out how to download some stuff, but I use mine for basic school work and surfing the world wide web.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:52 PM ^
I made the switch at the beginning of this quarter.