Who here uses a Mac?

[Pete]

Seriously, anyone here use a mac? I've had to start to use one for work(using one right now as I write this, just updating it and setting up the software) and I think it's gay.

If you use a mac, why is a mac suppose to be so much better than windows? I just don't see it.

[Avoch]

It's better for image, music and video editing as well as web design.

That's it really.

[pixel]

simply down to the way they're designed...

windows - designed to run on a seemingly infinite number of configurations with limited testing and manufactorer based testing for specific hardware components running within a specific enviroment

mac - designed specifically to run on a very specific set of hardware (until recently) with the limited number of hardware configurations heavily tested

this is one of the reasons why *nix based operating systems are more stable, mac osx is based on free bsd (another variety of unix). Unix based operating systems are modular by design, so you're only running specific drivers for the hardware inside the machine rather than generic drivers that are compatible with a wide variety of hardware. Specific drivers are obviously designed with all of the capabilities of the hardware in mind and thus more stable.

the same goes with applications written for mac - they are designed to gain the maximum performance available from a limited set of hardware, while windows applications are designed to run as stable as possible on a wide variety of hardware. *nix operating systems get around this by 'compiling' software packages on your own machine, and thus within your own operating enviroment, rather than using precompiled binaries (like windows) designed for all enviroments

[Pete]

I know macs are good for image/video editing. I just don't see why it would be a better experience for people who are used to using windows.

[pixel]

personal preference...

you grow up using one os all others seem weird to you...

[Pete]

True, but with all the marketing apple has done, to try and convince people it's better, I'm just not seeing it.

All I see with the mac is an os that is pushing what it does good on you and hoping you don't care about the rest, since you can't really do the rest.

But as you say, it really depends on what you grew up on. I'm not using the mac to have it become my primarily os, just using it to develop software, so I don't care what it has to offer. I just thought it would be better than it is with all the advertisements they have put out about it being better than windows, and all the supposed people switching to mac.

[Avoch]

I've used all three brands of OS, and I see the strong points in each, I just don't see any functional value in switching away from Windows especially as I use it for gaming. From a development side of things I just use VMWare to get Linux running for whatever, although I'd be tempted to have it on a second PC because I'd like a more custom box to do stuff on.

[Pete]

I can see the strong points in the mac with graphic design, that's all.

I'm just using a mac to develop for the iphone. If the sdk worked on windows I'd use it, but no!!! So I had a friend who does website design on macs, he had a 2 year old g4 mini mac(the thing is fucking small though, a little bigger than my cable modem), so I'm using that. I guess it's because I'm used to windows, but I just don't see this thing being much useful other than developing games for the iphone.

[Ghost]

Mac is really only better for Graphic Design, which is what I do for school and work. I'm also an Advertising major, and macs are used almost exclusively for design there as well. I also like that everything is built into mac osx, it is better than vista, imo. With that said, I have a PC for all of my gaming and entertainment purposes, but I never do work on it.