Microsoft vs. Apple

Darkblade

Darkblade

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It's the big question which surprisingly hasn't been discussed until now.

Which company is better in your opinion? Feel free to discuss all aspects and products of the companies i.e Windows/Mac , iPod/Zune and whatever else comes to mind.

And yes, I am aware that other Operating systems/MP3 players exist and you may feel free to make comparisons to them in reference to the topic.

I personally prefer Microsoft. I'm basing my opinion on the Windows vs. Mac argument. I've used Windows all my life and have always found it easy to use and easy to personalize. At school however, we were always taught using Macs. I found these to be very limiting. It's said that they are a much better computer for the people who are unfamiliar with computers. But once you reach a certain point the Mac OS feels very limiting and bland.

What's your thoughts?
 
Mac > Winblows
iTunes/Quicktime > Windows Media Player
Safari > IE

Ergo, Apple > Microsoft.

And I agree with this.

http://xvsxp.com/

I don't think user friendliness is much of a consideration for me. If you're just too lazy to learn how to use a computer, perhaps you shouldn't be using one. Computers are more complicated than people give credit for, and while Winblows may seem easy to use, it's difficult to fix, not only because the typical user has no idea what their computer is doing, but also because Winblows is riddled with problems. Even the experts say that. I don't find Macs difficult to use anyways; their functionality is almost the same as Winblows, except without a few errors, and it crashes less often. I actually find Macs are more simplified in comparison with Winblows, and it's most likely because it's UNIX based and isn't as unecessarily complicated. Take the registry keys for instance. That's a major problem Winblows has because it never manages them properly. The end result is that you have programs using old registry keys, or registry keys that still exist that shouldn't, and uninstall programs that don't completely unistall the program. And then your computer ends up using more RAM than it should.

Another plus for Macs and Linux--fewer viruses. I'm operating my iBook without an antivirus program, and I've been doing it for 4+ years without any virus problems at all.

The only reason you'd want a Winblows system is if you like tinkering with hardware or for games. Although the former could be done on Linux, if not, more easily.

Another thing most people don't know about--getting the base computer without the Winblows OS is MUCH cheaper. Seriously. If you just get the computer without the OS and install Linux for free on it, you'll save yourself much frustration and money.
 
Apple's OS is better than Microsoft's, I can't deny that. But what Apple's OS lacks is software. I just bought a Mac Mini to put in my car and I tried running OS X, but I just couldn't due to software (so I'm running Windows via Bootcamp). No one has any decent software to do OBDII or GPS for OS X, whereas Windows has a dozen or more viable options for either (just one specific case of the lack in software).

That xvsxp thing is pretty interesting, though I don't like how every single thing is equal, like how can you say that developer tools is equivalent to cut & paste? And how did OS X score a 9 in developer tools, it's such a pain to develop software for a Mac, but Windows has tons of free developing languages (*cough* .NET Express *cough*). Anyway... that's a bit off topic.

In other realms away from computers, it's pretty clear that Apple dominates. iPod vs Zune? Come on... iPhone = awesome, and people are going to pay the ridiculous $500 price tag because it's awesome. Apple's stock = soaring, Microsoft's stock = flatlined. (though I believe Microsoft has a much great lifetime growth..)

It's hard to say overall because I think that Microsoft itself doesn't do anything specifically better than Apple, except so many more companies develop software for Windows than OS X, but that's a huge thing. Almost everything is software driven anymore... So for now, I'm gonna say Microsoft > Apple slightly. In another 5 years, who knows?
 
whats everyone talking about...even apple thinks the microsoft programing is better...i work at best buy and now people wont even buy a mac unless it has an intel processor (which most do) and running the mac version of windows OS...personally i believe if you want to shell over 1100 bucks to get a computer with 512 mb worth of memory and 80 GB of harddrive when you could get a sony with 2 GB of memory and 120 Hardrive for the same price...

unless people are video editing, sound editing or graphic editing there is no reason to have to spend 2000+ on a mac
 
Ah, the OS Wars begin ... ^_^

I have used various forms of Windows, various versions of Mac OS X and now I'm a dedicated Linux user (Ubuntu distro).

I won't use Windows anymore. I got fed up of the cost, the viruses, the spyware, the speed, the security and the awful corporate attitude from Microsoft. So I went and got me a Mac. Massive improvement! No spyware, viruses or adware, and even if you did get one on your system it would be rendered practically useless because a default Mac setup requires password authentication and root permission for any new program to be installed and then run. Windows users, by default, have complete access to the system so anything can get on and do what it likes it.

I hope that in Windows Vista, Microsoft corrects this long-existing problem with it's OS's.

Eventually, after lots of persuasion from a true online tekkie, nerdy friend of mine, I decided to try Ubuntu Linux out on my Mac and my flabber was gasted. A truly awesome OS! Totally free, no spyware, no viruses, no adware, very secure, not resource hungry, fast and also very pretty.

Since then I've never looked back. Got myself a new PC, whacked Ubuntu Linux on it and have been contributing Ubuntu Artwork to the community ever since.

For anyone with a fairly good working knowledge of PC's and fancies something different, I seriously recommend giving Ubuntu a go. You can download a Live CD (you can boot the Ubuntu OS entirely from the CD and play around with it, nothing is installed on your HD) or use the Ship!It! service to order a fresh CD totally free. ^_^
 
What are you talking about Josh? We've been discussing it in the "Microsoft: Love it or Hate it?" thread for ages....lol!

Anyways, Apple comes out on tops always, hands down. It is just so much better in every single way. Performance, security, look and feel, etc etc. Anybody that says they prefer Window, at least in my experience, has never really tried the Mac OS for any decent amount of time or given it a fair chance.

I could go on all day about the specifics, but I'll just leave it at that.
 
Generally, however, if software compatibility is an issue, it all comes down to what you use your OS or computers for. If it's word processing, graphics, Internet or e-mail, and other basic operations that most people use on a daily basis, Linux and Mac will have the software available for it because such software is in high demand.

Microsoft succeeded at the beginning because Gates is simply a marketing genius. That's why his company monopolizes the computer industry...for awhile. He now has to compete with Linux, since it's free, and Apple, since its popularity and usage is growing, despite what Microsoft does to eliminate substitutes. I've noticed at least two people in my lectures with Apple laptops. People are starting to become smarter about computers, and learning on their own. I suppose it's only a matter of time before Microsoft no longer dominates the computer industry.
 
If I were to do image manipulation and video editing, I'll go for Macs but anything else is Windows.

But if you talk about design and looks, Macs hands down. The Mac interface has always been ahead of Windows. It's sleek is all I can say.

Though I've always hated the one button Apple mouse as opposed to the two or even three button PC mouse. But I do have to say that Apple's new wheel mouse is absolutely awesome. A tiny little ball that does the scrolling and other things.

But the thing I have against MS is their OS registration. I know it's to keep piracy low but still it's also a nuisance to try to control the whole situation. Another thing is how vulnerable MS is to all sorts of attacks. The OS is nice but with these constant holes, it's having a negative feedback on Windows. Not only that but because of its supposed popularity, MS could charge any dollar amount they want to it making purchasing it hard for those with a small budget to get a full version. Though they could get an upgrade version but what's the point of installing the old OS and upgrading it to the new OS? Absurd!

There are few Linux distros out there that could meet the basic computing needs of just about anyone.

Yea, I'm sure if some one or some organization were to make a better free OS that has a good support staff. Definitely not another Linux distro in some sense. Somehow proprietary yet open-source. Kinda like a proprietary system core with everything else open-source.
 
Juke said:
Yea, I'm sure if some one or some organization were to make a better free OS that has a good support staff. Definitely not another Linux distro in some sense. Somehow proprietary yet open-source. Kinda like a proprietary system core with everything else open-source.
Click to expand...
Have you checked out Freespire? It's a free, Opensource Debian-based Linux OS that includes proprietary support for MP3's, codecs, superior hardware and everything else. I've tried it myself and it's very good indeed, fairly fresh and is gaining support all the time. My only problem with it was a bug in the font installation process which caused me to be locked out of my system. Apart from that, it looks great, feels great, and works "out of box".

Try it out. ^_^
 
Microsoft..is better I think and now there's Windows Vista.
So...Microsoft ROCKS
 
I've been using Windows for all my life, and I don't think I ever laid my hands on a Mac PC before. I've become so accustomed to the Windows controls, that I'll have to go with Windows.
 
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