A write-up on hating the Macs

[Sylph]

My text editor can't list itself as the "open with" menu.   My symbolic math program can't write files under Windows 7, they substituted an incompatible version of Java with no backwards compatibility with the old version.  Do Mac people have these problems?

1. Click on Browse.

2. What maths program?

[Scarpia]

1. Click on Browse.
2. What maths program?

1.  Yes, there are workarounds.  But on XP I can right-click on any appropriate file and my text editor is one of the options.  On Windows 7 the program fails to register itself for that and the option is buried.

2.  Maple.  I would have to buy a new version to run it on Windows 7.  I know, you can blame Maple for not providing an update, but why did Windows change their interface in such a way that a working procedure for opening a file doesn't work anymore?  Rather than buy a new Maple, I simply wipe away any Windows Vista or Windows 7 on systems where I need to run Maple and install from an old XP media.  I have not found anything that Windows 7 does better than XP, so this is the most convenient option.

[Coopmv]

I have never owned any Apple products and that will not likely change anytime in the future.

[DavidW]

While the posts on either side have been interesting, the original article link was NOT!  The author spent too much time complaining about itunes when autosyncing can be disabled by manually managing your ipod/iphone/ipad yourself.

But the point is that if you don't like IE you can junk it and use Firefox or Chrome. If you don't like Office, you can use any other suite you want. If you don't like Photoshop, you can use CorelDraw/CorelPaint. AFAIK, you can't just pick any software that suits your fancy and put it on your Mac. Especially: if you don't like iTunes, then that's too freakin' bad. I have/use a half dozen little digital music apps, and if I don't like one all I have to do is delete it and get another one. If you delete iTunes, correct me if I'm overstating, but I believe you are screwed!

You can do that on a Mac.  I know people with Macs that use chrome as their browser, vlc for media, and MS office for the office suite.

Now this is what I don't like about Apple:

1.They are changing the ebook market, it is Jobs insistence on an agency model if publishers want their books sold by Apple that brought this fiasco with overpriced ebooks that seems against the spirit of a free marketplace.  As a kindle user this issue has been important and frustrating to me.

2. Apple's product is overpriced (especially their notebooks) compared to the competition.  And in this day and age Windows and Linux are user friendly yet powerful enough that you can't justify paying more for the hardware just for the software.

[drogulus]

He may have a bit of an attitude, but the content is pretty much true. Just today, I was trying to get itunes to show me the path for all my files. It simply isn;t a choice. Windows Media, Media Monkey, etc. all show it or have it as an easy option to add. But not itunes. I guess I am not supposed to look under the hood...

     iTunes on Windows tells you what you want to know. If you choose to have iTunes organize your music the files are where you specify under Edit>Preferences>Advanced>iTunes media folder location, which you can change to any place you like. If you don't want iTunes to move your files they are where you put them originally. Either way you choose where the files are. If you just don't know where you put a file right-click it in iTunes and choose 'Show in Windows Explorer'.

     If Macs don't allow a similar procedure you have to use the Advanced Option: Smash Mac with a hammer>go to Best Buy and get a real computer (warning: it won't be stylish)>enjoy life.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I dunno...after seeing the guy sitting next to me in class nearly toss his brand new HP laptop across the room due to chronic battery depletion - a charge lasts maybe two hours, tops - I can only rejoice that my MacBook's battery has yet to die on me after oogles of hours "unplugged".....

Another nifty feature of my MacBook (don't know if other laptops have this) is the magnetic AC port. With power cords seemingly sprawling everywhere nowadays (for this gadget or that) it's good to know if someone gets themselves tripped up on my cord I won't have a flying laptop on my hands (so to speak....).

[drogulus]

I dunno...after seeing the guy sitting next to me in class nearly toss his brand new HP laptop across the room due to chronic battery depletion - a charge lasts maybe two hours, tops - I can only rejoice that my MacBook's battery has yet to die on me after oogles of hours "unplugged".....

Another nifty feature of my MacBook (don't know if other laptops have this) is the magnetic AC port. With power cords seemingly sprawling everywhere nowadays (for this gadget or that) it's good to know if someone gets themselves tripped up on my cord I won't have a flying laptop on my hands (so to speak....).

     Laptops are another country. I don't know much about them, other than if they work you're lucky. I bought my GF an Acer laptop 2 Christmases ago. She loves it. She sits on the couch with the laptop and headphones singing along to Dionne Warwick on YouTube. Best damn thing I ever got her.

[DavidW]

I dunno...after seeing the guy sitting next to me in class nearly toss his brand new HP laptop across the room due to chronic battery depletion - a charge lasts maybe two hours, tops - I can only rejoice that my MacBook's battery has yet to die on me after oogles of hours "unplugged".....

I left my power chord at home by accident, and went through an entire work day on my laptop and my battery didn't die.  Your claims are exaggerated.  Modern laptops have 5-8 hours of battery life.  If someone was sporting a laptop with 2 hours of battery life it was most likely an older model.  That would person would benefit from shelling out $50 for a new battery.  Macs have no inherent advantage over pcs on this issue.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I left my power chord at home by accident, and went through an entire work day on my laptop and my battery didn't die.  Your claims are exaggerated.

Good for you, Dave. But there's nothing at all exaggerated about that dude's problems with his new HP laptop.

Modern laptops have 5-8 hours of battery life.  If someone was sporting a laptop with 2 hours of battery life it was most likely an older model.

Did you perhaps miss where I said his laptop was new? He sits right next to me in class so either:

A) I need glasses as I can't tell a new laptop from an "older model", or
B) He's a liar, since that's what he TOLD ME. As in, he verbally communicated to me his laptop was BRAND NEW!

Macs have no inherent advantage over pcs on this issue.

I didn't say they did but peace of mind goes a long way towards increasing the inherent value of anything for me. If not for you, so be it.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

     Laptops are another country. I don't know much about them, other than if they work you're lucky.

This is my first experience with a laptop so we'll see. What I've heard is laptops are now outselling desktops these days. Whether that means the playing field is leveling out in terms of quality I couldn't say. But in the popularity contest laptops do seem to be edging ahead.

[DavidW]

Good for you, Dave. But there's nothing at all exaggerated about that dude's problems with his new HP laptop.

Except I have an hp laptop, and when I was shopping for it last fall, I saw that every hp laptop out now has a battery life of 5-8 hours, and not just mine.  So yeah he is lieing to you.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

So yeah he is lieing to you.

Yet your word is solid gold despite being FAR removed from either my classroom or my classmate?

How ridiculous. Utterly lame.

[Scarpia]

Yet your word is solid gold despite being FAR removed from either my classroom or my classmate?

How ridiculous. Utterly lame.

The claim seems bizarre to me, I'm using a T-series Lenovo laptop which is about 1 year old and I'm lucky to get 2 and a half hours on a charge, although I see claims of 5-8 hours on different web sites.  I assume that long a battery life requires the outboard battery and assumes the machine is entirely idle.  Just booting the thing takes up about 3% of the battery charge. 

[DavidW]

The claim seems bizarre to me, I'm using a T-series Lenovo laptop which is about 1 year old and I'm lucky to get 2 and a half hours on a charge, although I see claims of 5-8 hours on different web sites.  I assume that long a battery life requires the outboard battery and assumes the machine is entirely idle.  Just booting the thing takes up about 3% of the battery charge.

Well lenovas aren't what they used to be, overpriced, overrated pretty much crap.  I looked at it, didn't get enough good reviews and scored poorly on real world performance.

[Scarpia]

Well lenovas aren't what they used to be, overpriced, overrated pretty much crap.  I looked at it, didn't get enough good reviews and scored poorly on real world performance.

Except I have an hp laptop, and when I was shopping for it last fall, I saw that every hp laptop out now has a battery life of 5-8 hours, and not just mine.  So yeah he is lieing to you.

I see you resort to insults or crude language when your word is not taken as gospel truth.  Lenovo, HP, Toshiba, and all of the other laptop companies have a variety of configurations with varying battery life.  Spending a minute of two on HP's web site I did notice some machines claiming 9 hour battery life, and others claiming only 5, 4, or even 2.5 hours for high performance configurations.  It is a matter of how big the battery and how power-hungry the processor and display.  Long battery life is not typically found on configurations capable of heavy computation.

[Holden]

My first computing experiences were with Apple - the IIG and then the first of the Macs. I learned to use them and having the first GUI was really great. I'm in education and have to use whatever my school uses so when I became the DP of another school I was forced to switch to PCs. The experience wasn't a good one (anyone remember Win 3.1?). However , since then I have been a PC user and having used some Macs over the years I am happy to stick with PCs and here is why:

1. My i7 Quad PC Core with 8 Gbs of RAM is faster than any Mac on the market
2. A number of programs I use regularly aren't available for Mac
3. In time (sooner rather than later) the hackers out there are going to start targeting their nasties in the direction of the Mac and Macs are woefully under-prepared for this eventuality.
4. I have a wider choice of software with my PC
5. My school does not support Mac and as I do a lot of work from home, if I do need tech support I need to know it's there. Yes, I can use a Mac on our network.
6. I now find the Mac interface rather strange (clunky?) and don't really want to relearn.

These are personal opinions. I'm not a Mac hater, I just prefer my PC.

[DavidW]

I apologize for my post, I have a headache was in a bad mood and went a trolling.

[Scarpia]

I apologize for my post, I have a headache was in a bad mood and went a trolling.

No problem.

My first computing experiences were with Apple - the IIG and then the first of the Macs. I learned to use them and having the first GUI was really great. I'm in education and have to use whatever my school uses so when I became the DP of another school I was forced to switch to PCs. The experience wasn't a good one (anyone remember Win 3.1?). However , since then I have been a PC user and having used some Macs over the years I am happy to stick with PCs and here is why:

1. My i7 Quad PC Core with 8 Gbs of RAM is faster than any Mac on the market
Can't see how that is true, you can buy a Mac with Xeon processors (a step up from i7) up to 12 core.  Many people I know who do hard-core numerical simulations won't get anything but a Mac.  To do serious numerics on a PC you more or less have to use Linux, but on a Mac you can us MacOS.
2. A number of programs I use regularly aren't available for Mac
That is certainly true, and the reason I have to use a PC
3. In time (sooner rather than later) the hackers out there are going to start targeting their nasties in the direction of the Mac and Macs are woefully under-prepared for this eventuality.
I don't think that is true.  Windows decided to base a lot of their technology on the idea of loading native code from outside and executing it.  MacOS is based on Unix, which is has an inherently more secure underlying architecture.
4. I have a wider choice of software with my PC
Certainly true, but how much software to you really use?  I find 99% of the time I am using the same 5 applications, and I am sure there are Mac compatible versions or alternatives.
5. My school does not support Mac and as I do a lot of work from home, if I do need tech support I need to know it's there. Yes, I can use a Mac on our network.
I don't recall ever getting useful tech support for my windows system.
6. I now find the Mac interface rather strange (clunky?) and don't really want to relearn.
Well, I find ksh easy to use.   
These are personal opinions. I'm not a Mac hater, I just prefer my PC.

[drogulus]

1. My i7 Quad PC Core with 8 Gbs of RAM is faster than any Mac on the market
Can't see how that is true, you can buy a Mac with Xeon processors (a step up from i7) up to 12 core.  Many people I know who do hard-core numerical simulations won't get anything but a Mac.  To do serious numerics on a PC you more or less have to use Linux, but on a Mac you can us MacOS.
2. A number of programs I use regularly aren't available for Mac
That is certainly true, and the reason I have to use a PC
3. In time (sooner rather than later) the hackers out there are going to start targeting their nasties in the direction of the Mac and Macs are woefully under-prepared for this eventuality.
I don't think that is true.  Windows decided to base a lot of their technology on the idea of loading native code from outside and executing it.  MacOS is based on Unix, which is has an inherently more secure underlying architecture.
4. I have a wider choice of software with my PC
Certainly true, but how much software to you really use?  I find 99% of the time I am using the same 5 applications, and I am sure there are Mac compatible versions or alternatives.
5. My school does not support Mac and as I do a lot of work from home, if I do need tech support I need to know it's there. Yes, I can use a Mac on our network.
I don't recall ever getting useful tech support for my windows system.
6. I now find the Mac interface rather strange (clunky?) and don't really want to relearn.
Well, I find ksh easy to use.   
These are personal opinions. I'm not a Mac hater, I just prefer my PC.

     Good points for the most part, though the upgrade from i7 to Xeon is a big step pricewise. If what you want/need is plenty of cpu power for your money it's not a good idea to buy a Mac because the premium is stratospheric. Get a homebrew from one of the custom shops loaded to your specifications for ~$1,500. A new Sandy Bridge i7 will match or exceed all but the most expensive Xeons.

[Scarpia]

     Good points for the most part, though the upgrade from i7 to Xeon is a big step pricewise. If what you want/need is plenty of cpu power for your money it's not a good idea to buy a Mac because the premium is stratospheric. Get a homebrew from one of the custom shops loaded to your specifications for ~$1,500. A new Sandy Bridge i7 will match or exceed all but the most expensive Xeons.

Performance and performance/dollar are two completely different things.  No one will argue that a Mac isn't cheaper for hardware of the same configuration.  The question is whether it is worth it. 

There are also two ways to do the comparison.  You can say, "to get this same hardware on a MAC I'd have to pay $2000 rather than $1000.  Do I really want to plunk down another $1000?"  Or you could say, "for the same $1000 I'd get a MAC with a smaller display and slower processor."   But maybe that $1000 MAC with less impressive hardware configuration would still give more pleasure than the $1000 PC."