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M0KUJ1N said:
Most definitely. It's a wonder the Mac has made it to OS X when you see the piles of crap that were the previous OSes. Give me Windows NT any day!
101 reasons why OS X is better than Windows
- Thread starter Hamish
- Start date
Most definitely. It's a wonder the Mac has made it to OS X when you see the piles of crap that were the previous OSes. Give me Windows NT any day!
FirebarUK said:
I was referring more to the UNIX tools provided by Apple out the box (such as Samba, Apache, SSH, and Kerberos), rather than the OS itself. In some cases the versions are so far behind as to cause real interoperability and/or security issues.
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I love the limited account that you can create for other users of your computer. For instance, if I just want my sister to access Safari for a short while, she can log in as a limited user. All she sees is an empty desktop, a dock with three folders in, one of which is Applications. When she clicks on the Apps folder all she can see is a shortcut to Safari.
Truly fantastic. She can't access Spotlight, Preferences, Computer, anything. So all my data and programs are kept hidden from her whilst she tinkers on the Internet.
This is all out of the box and achieved with a few mouse clicks. No tinkering about in complicated group policy or security editors.
Truly fantastic. She can't access Spotlight, Preferences, Computer, anything. So all my data and programs are kept hidden from her whilst she tinkers on the Internet.
This is all out of the box and achieved with a few mouse clicks. No tinkering about in complicated group policy or security editors.
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Yea! Go OS X!!
As a switcher, things I love to bits:
+ The Trash Can: I can drag anything into it and be sure it's gone, even applications which is super nice.
+ Airport: None of this Wireless Setup Wizard crap. I select the network, type the password. Done.
+ iSync: I can synchronise my contacts and calendar seamlessly with my phone over bluetooth in a few clicks, all built in.
+ Expose: What more can I say, it's beautiful!
+ All my applications I used with Windows I can get for the Mac (except Visio
) and look 10x better
+ Spotlight is genius.
That is all.
As a switcher, things I love to bits:
+ The Trash Can: I can drag anything into it and be sure it's gone, even applications which is super nice.
+ Airport: None of this Wireless Setup Wizard crap. I select the network, type the password. Done.
+ iSync: I can synchronise my contacts and calendar seamlessly with my phone over bluetooth in a few clicks, all built in.
+ Expose: What more can I say, it's beautiful!
+ All my applications I used with Windows I can get for the Mac (except Visio
) and look 10x better+ Spotlight is genius.
That is all.
AJUK said:
I recently had to re-install OSX on a friend's MacPro because the entire system had started to become very unstable. I can assure you it took far more than 10 minutes for the actual installation process to complete - disk checking takes a good 5 minutes on its own. Stupidly, it doesn't check the second disc, which is what was causing all our problems in the first place.
AJUK said:
I had always wondered how and why OSX had such "excellent" hardware support. It was only during the aforementioned re-install on the MacPro that I found out why; OSX, by default, installs gigs and gigs worth of printer drivers and other misc. stuff. Forgive me for being cynical, but something tells me that people wouldn't stop complaining if MS did that. Besides, do I really want to be using generic, old drivers for hardware I'm connecting? It's certainly convenient, but even then it doesn't always work. An Epson all-in-one that a housemate tried to connect to his Mac wouldn't work until we got the proper drivers.
AJUK said:
Not true - look at iTunes, for example, and it uses different scrollbars and elements to the other areas of OSX. Perfectly understandable if it were a third-party app, but it's made by Apple.
Two of my housemates use Macs, and while I do like certain aspects of them and am gaining a lot of experience with them, I can quite happily say I'd never switch (although did consider getting an iBook earlier this year; the cost put me off). Even silly small things like not being able to use the arrow keys to navigate buttons in a dialogue box just seem odd in an OS that seemingly promotes itself as being far more usable and intuitive than Windows.
There is skip disk check button, press it next time.TheVoice said:
Why can't Windows install a lot of proprietry drivers, on today's hard drives and since the invention of DVD disks, it is hardly a big issue to have a gig or 2 of drivers floating around although, again, it is a choice if you want them installed. So next time, just after clicking on skip the disk verify, uncheck the printers drivers as well.
There are sonly about three current interface options for Mac OS X application development and all programs will comply with one of them, iTunes is what all of Leopard will look like. Compare that to the literally hundreds, if not thousands of WIndows programs interfaces. It's all very messy.
Last edited:
Regarding "all hardware you plug in works" and "so many applications out of the box":
The reason why providing gigabytes of drivers with Windows never worked was because there is hundred of hundred fold more devices for Windows then there is for Mac. As popularity of Mac rise they will have to consider, at some point, doing exactly the same thing as MS did - allowing distributors to produce their own drivers, no matter how bad, or be swamped forever by every hut in China and Indonesia sending in thousands and thousands of products every year for testing. In terms of compatibility it's not any different than SGI and devices under Irix etc - everything that was designed for SGI was working out of the box on SGI. Wait one or two years and you'll see the problem.
As for applications - isn't that what gets MS in trouble all the time? The fact they bundle so much stuff with Windows, they were almost eaten alive for shipping free DVD compatible Media Player with XP, it's just a question of time before courts start dragging Apple around courts for exactly the same "sins" and undercutting competition with software shipped with their own OS.
That aside I'm happy Mac is back big time, not only because both hardware and software is absolutely brilliant this time around, but because it creates healthy pressure on MS to stop screwing around and move ahead.
The reason why providing gigabytes of drivers with Windows never worked was because there is hundred of hundred fold more devices for Windows then there is for Mac. As popularity of Mac rise they will have to consider, at some point, doing exactly the same thing as MS did - allowing distributors to produce their own drivers, no matter how bad, or be swamped forever by every hut in China and Indonesia sending in thousands and thousands of products every year for testing. In terms of compatibility it's not any different than SGI and devices under Irix etc - everything that was designed for SGI was working out of the box on SGI. Wait one or two years and you'll see the problem.
As for applications - isn't that what gets MS in trouble all the time? The fact they bundle so much stuff with Windows, they were almost eaten alive for shipping free DVD compatible Media Player with XP, it's just a question of time before courts start dragging Apple around courts for exactly the same "sins" and undercutting competition with software shipped with their own OS.
That aside I'm happy Mac is back big time, not only because both hardware and software is absolutely brilliant this time around, but because it creates healthy pressure on MS to stop screwing around and move ahead.
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AJUK said:
But the applications are not. The fact that Apple ship a lots of apps with every Mac should be getting them into the same bother MS have got into over WMP. So far they have been overlooked but I suspect that the time will come when Macs become popular enough for the courts to have a serious look at apples practices.
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JimmyEatWorms said:
it's a bit different, microsoft got into trouble because they pressured OEMs to ship media player as the default and tried to stop OEMs shipping competitors software at the same time. Apple make the hardware and the software in house and sell it as a 'sealed box' so there isn't really any case. shipping iLife free is slightly more dubious but i still doubt theres any wrongdoing
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It depends if there is anyone vociferous enough to moan. For example, with things like iPhoto, iDVD, Final Cut there really is only Adobe that could compete and they are not really bothered it seems. They no longer make Premiere or Premiere Elements for the Mac and right now Photoshop Elements is one version behind Windows.
There is no company that produces anything to rival Apple's DVD Player like WinDVD or PowerDVD.
Will be interesting to see if Apple continues with it's semi-office-like suite of Pages and Keynote with its spreadsheet to chip a bit off Microsoft's Office.
There is no company that produces anything to rival Apple's DVD Player like WinDVD or PowerDVD.
Will be interesting to see if Apple continues with it's semi-office-like suite of Pages and Keynote with its spreadsheet to chip a bit off Microsoft's Office.
OSX is nice, yes, i'll admit to that - but all the points raised are not OSX specific and can be countered.
Lets see I fancy playing some counter strike... oh wait I have to reboot into windows...
What puts me off a mac is the cost and the shoddy build quality of some stuff, we have about 3 apple users in the office and let me list the problems..
User 1 has a PowerBook G4, with broken sound, bluetooth, wireless networking, constant crashes, broken DVD drive, Melted PSU. I have a 3 year old samsung notebook - all the above work fine.
User 2 has a MacBook Pro, is on his 3rd battery and 2nd power lead in as many months.
User 3 spent over 2 grand on a top spec Mac Pro - it took him 2 weeks on the phone with apple as the thing crashed on boot, wiped random files and kept shutting down. not what you'd expect for a 2 grand machine?
And the 8 PC users... have had no problems whatsoever.
If you could get OSX legitimately on a regular PC, then great - I would do that, but as is stands im not willing to pay the premium to get apple hardware.
Lets see I fancy playing some counter strike... oh wait I have to reboot into windows...
What puts me off a mac is the cost and the shoddy build quality of some stuff, we have about 3 apple users in the office and let me list the problems..
User 1 has a PowerBook G4, with broken sound, bluetooth, wireless networking, constant crashes, broken DVD drive, Melted PSU. I have a 3 year old samsung notebook - all the above work fine.
User 2 has a MacBook Pro, is on his 3rd battery and 2nd power lead in as many months.
User 3 spent over 2 grand on a top spec Mac Pro - it took him 2 weeks on the phone with apple as the thing crashed on boot, wiped random files and kept shutting down. not what you'd expect for a 2 grand machine?
And the 8 PC users... have had no problems whatsoever.
If you could get OSX legitimately on a regular PC, then great - I would do that, but as is stands im not willing to pay the premium to get apple hardware.
Interesting reads. If you have any help with my Mac issues let me know.
I've now been using a minimac (1.5GHz/1Gb) at work for exactly a year and have made the following observations. A lot are minor niggles, but when choosing an OS that you have to live with rather than tout to friends they become quite significant. I'm a graphic designer and at the peak of my creativity
I have Mail, Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Firefox and iTunes running. I should really have 2Gb at times as I get tedious delays in Photoshop now and again for very little reason. Used with a 20" Cinema screen.
*Things I like*
I suppose I do kind of like the smoothness of the interface
Small form factor of base unit, is tidy
Scaling and tricks of the desktop GUI are cool and useful
I'm sure there's a couple more I take for granted.
Just discovered Itunes/Airport playing - cool!
*Things that I don't like*
Hit boxes on buttons/icons!
I don't want to have to click right in the graphic area of the icon, I want a friendly square for the footprint of the whole thing.
The way the finder works
Can't press "del" to delete a file, have to use the trashcan.
Prefer Windows tree-explorer navigation. Apple's left to right nav is interesting, but after a while gets counter productive- Open request boxes often conceal right edge of file lists.
Identical filetypes sometimes have different icons and associations. Someone know a fix for this?
Having to go to my applications folder to run a program I don't use everyday.
Why can't I cut and paste a file!!?
The OSX environment
Personally I do find it laggy, not much, but just a bit. Buttons performing an action even though they haven't reacted to the mouse etc. When I'm -in the zone- on XP and clicking all over the shop, dragging here, dragging there, I don't feel held back by the interface, OSX seems to just cruise along, looking suave while not actually keeping up. Expose is quick for what it does, no problem with that, but generally not as responsive as wXP to me. Not helped by the fact that I hate the mighty mouse.
I don't like having programs as just large windows/floating palettes. I prefer using a task bar + fullscreen app, I don't like having a program hide at the end of the dock when I closed its window. I feel I only use Expose because of the shortcomings of this way of working, or I just feel like bashing the F9 key.
Spotlight (search tool) is only good because it's fast and well presented. Windows can search inside files too, and doesn't reset your filters when you start a new search.
Applications: just because most programs can run from it's own folder doesn't mean they all do. Adobe software puts things all over the place and even has it's own fonts folder (or at least has two places for those things) causing occasional frustrations. It's 50/50 with the programs that I've installed wether they've had installers (and blue progress bars) or just drag and drop.
Why can't I unarchive a file to a destination of my choice just by clicking/dragging?
The hardware
Quiet little unit is the Mini most of the time, fan gets loud now and again for seemingly no reason in Photoshop. The G5 tower we have here also has a jet turbine inside that turns over now and again. Mistook it for the air conditioning for the first two months.
Have I mentioned I don't like the Mighty Mouse? How could they have that as the leading Apple mouse? Large contact patch = noise + picks up all dirt. Sensor worse at tracking than cheapo mice on sub-perfect surfaces. Thought I'd get used to the "right mouse button" after a few months, I have but it's a hideous way to work.
Plug in play? Mostly maybe, but we needed to install software/ drivers for our printer and our scanner to even appear connected. At least Windows tells you it can see something and has a shot at getting it to work.
But as said before, Garp says it right, each to their own. Well done Hamish (not sarcastic, sincerely) and others, you've found an OS that suits you better that XP. Enjoy it! It sounds like you are
There are always 1001 reasons for and against each platform, most of them are subject to personal preference. Sometimes the OSX environment seems like a better deal with its togetherness and swishy stuff and easy stuff, but to me it fails after a year of use because of niggles that I can't fix myself. Plus it made me lose half an hour work time typing this.
I've now been using a minimac (1.5GHz/1Gb) at work for exactly a year and have made the following observations. A lot are minor niggles, but when choosing an OS that you have to live with rather than tout to friends they become quite significant. I'm a graphic designer and at the peak of my creativity
I have Mail, Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Firefox and iTunes running. I should really have 2Gb at times as I get tedious delays in Photoshop now and again for very little reason. Used with a 20" Cinema screen.*Things I like*
I suppose I do kind of like the smoothness of the interface
Small form factor of base unit, is tidy
Scaling and tricks of the desktop GUI are cool and useful
I'm sure there's a couple more I take for granted.
Just discovered Itunes/Airport playing - cool!
*Things that I don't like*
Hit boxes on buttons/icons!
I don't want to have to click right in the graphic area of the icon, I want a friendly square for the footprint of the whole thing.
The way the finder works
Can't press "del" to delete a file, have to use the trashcan.
Prefer Windows tree-explorer navigation. Apple's left to right nav is interesting, but after a while gets counter productive- Open request boxes often conceal right edge of file lists.
Identical filetypes sometimes have different icons and associations. Someone know a fix for this?
Having to go to my applications folder to run a program I don't use everyday.
Why can't I cut and paste a file!!?
The OSX environment
Personally I do find it laggy, not much, but just a bit. Buttons performing an action even though they haven't reacted to the mouse etc. When I'm -in the zone- on XP and clicking all over the shop, dragging here, dragging there, I don't feel held back by the interface, OSX seems to just cruise along, looking suave while not actually keeping up. Expose is quick for what it does, no problem with that, but generally not as responsive as wXP to me. Not helped by the fact that I hate the mighty mouse.
I don't like having programs as just large windows/floating palettes. I prefer using a task bar + fullscreen app, I don't like having a program hide at the end of the dock when I closed its window. I feel I only use Expose because of the shortcomings of this way of working, or I just feel like bashing the F9 key.
Spotlight (search tool) is only good because it's fast and well presented. Windows can search inside files too, and doesn't reset your filters when you start a new search.
Applications: just because most programs can run from it's own folder doesn't mean they all do. Adobe software puts things all over the place and even has it's own fonts folder (or at least has two places for those things) causing occasional frustrations. It's 50/50 with the programs that I've installed wether they've had installers (and blue progress bars) or just drag and drop.
Why can't I unarchive a file to a destination of my choice just by clicking/dragging?
The hardware
Quiet little unit is the Mini most of the time, fan gets loud now and again for seemingly no reason in Photoshop. The G5 tower we have here also has a jet turbine inside that turns over now and again. Mistook it for the air conditioning for the first two months.
Have I mentioned I don't like the Mighty Mouse? How could they have that as the leading Apple mouse? Large contact patch = noise + picks up all dirt. Sensor worse at tracking than cheapo mice on sub-perfect surfaces. Thought I'd get used to the "right mouse button" after a few months, I have but it's a hideous way to work.
Plug in play? Mostly maybe, but we needed to install software/ drivers for our printer and our scanner to even appear connected. At least Windows tells you it can see something and has a shot at getting it to work.
But as said before, Garp says it right, each to their own. Well done Hamish (not sarcastic, sincerely) and others, you've found an OS that suits you better that XP. Enjoy it! It sounds like you are
There are always 1001 reasons for and against each platform, most of them are subject to personal preference. Sometimes the OSX environment seems like a better deal with its togetherness and swishy stuff and easy stuff, but to me it fails after a year of use because of niggles that I can't fix myself. Plus it made me lose half an hour work time typing this.
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I have read this thread mainly with amusement. I am a windows user and have been tempted over to buying a Mac but at the same time i am realistic.
I read near the start Apple is leader of technology, that is a OTT. Things like spotlight are just Apples take on apps like Coppernic Desktop Search(Which is awesome). I am sure if MS bundled it with Windows people would look at spotlight very differently.
It is,also, clear some people have not used Windows in quite while because i can't remember the last time i needed to install drivers when i plugged in an external hd, usb stick, DVDRW or anything like that. That leads neatly to another point. A few have mentioned how they have plugged in many USB drives, external HD, Digicams etc in and they have all worked, i think these people do not realise all these items use exactly the same massive storage driver, so of course they work.
Windows biggest problem is it's success. MacOS is no where near as secure as people like to think it's just not popular enough yet to make it target of major virus writers and script kiddies. Windows on the other hand is massively popular and is used by million on n00b users who dont understand internet secruity etc so it is a bigger more lucrative target for malicous people. It's the firefox effect all over again.
It is clear to me there is far to many Fanboy mentallites going on here just the name of the thread gives that away. Come on mac users be opened minded not 'we are superior and enlighted' minded.
I read near the start Apple is leader of technology, that is a OTT. Things like spotlight are just Apples take on apps like Coppernic Desktop Search(Which is awesome). I am sure if MS bundled it with Windows people would look at spotlight very differently.
It is,also, clear some people have not used Windows in quite while because i can't remember the last time i needed to install drivers when i plugged in an external hd, usb stick, DVDRW or anything like that. That leads neatly to another point. A few have mentioned how they have plugged in many USB drives, external HD, Digicams etc in and they have all worked, i think these people do not realise all these items use exactly the same massive storage driver, so of course they work.
Windows biggest problem is it's success. MacOS is no where near as secure as people like to think it's just not popular enough yet to make it target of major virus writers and script kiddies. Windows on the other hand is massively popular and is used by million on n00b users who dont understand internet secruity etc so it is a bigger more lucrative target for malicous people. It's the firefox effect all over again.
It is clear to me there is far to many Fanboy mentallites going on here just the name of the thread gives that away. Come on mac users be opened minded not 'we are superior and enlighted' minded.
chesterstu said:
Don't you have to pay on top of that to Window's already highly priced OS (I'm talking retail). Spotlight is build in with the OS and it is surprisingly fast - I always found search function in Windows to be rather poor in terms of what it find and how long it took, but that's just me.
I've only recently switched over after over 7 years of Windows "loyalty" because I always thought Apple to be "overpriced" and "too exclusive". I decided to change nonetheless, saw value in the MB with HE discount.
You are right, more and more item these days don't need to install devices "from a CD" because they've already got it inside the storage system the device have - my WD Pro external HDD on XP requires drivers from CD if I use Firewire 400 ot 800 on the PC. I just plugged it in on my MB and I'm good to go right from the start. - I think this is where most people are coming from.
I'm still using XP but I favour daily usage of OSX to Windows. That's not Fanboy-ism is it?
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You do have to pay for Coppernic but that's because it is produced by a 3rd party. I am sure if spot light was made by a small developer you would have to pay for that aswell. But that is missing the point. I meant things like spotlight and timewarp are hardly new ideas
chesterstu said:
But it is bundled together with the OS, making it valued for money, which is already cheaper. Sure, it's might not be exactly original in idea but what makes me feel they're better than Windows is how user friendly they've made it.
Right now, I feel they're playing the cards right by making it more valued for money in terms of hardware and software bundle.
The ideas they've got set for Leopard http://www.apple.com/uk/macosx/leopard/
is brilliant! Be it original or not, they're not in Windows.
I'm pretty sure that's why people moved over to Firefox, because it's got functions that IE don't come with it even though IE have like 90% hold of net users. Same idea applies to OSX, because Windows don't come with it.
Now that Vista is trying to be like OSX, it's a good thing, don't care if they've copied like for like with OSX but the price tag is a killer. That's the downfall for Windows IMO.