Mac Vs. Windows Vs. Linux

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Because Mac still ships desktop computers with single-button mice.

it can also be enabled in preferences, odd that it's off by default...

I do remember DOS (and stilll use it on my craptop). I could only use it well when I used a replacement shell. FreeDOS fortunately allows easier editing than the original DOS.

I love my Mac as if it were my child.

If your age setting is correct and you are 18, you wouldn't know much about it now. I was using MS-DOS up to version 8.0 (aka Windows Millenium Edition) If there's something I can't do in the GUI, I always go to a virtual machine or 'DOS Box' cos it is easier compared to using mouse buttons to accomplish the same task.

It's a pity Windows x64 Edition (5.2) can't play old DOS games properly. I really must get FreeDOS configured

you still WHAT?! !


thanks a lot Tim , for reminding my that my iMac hasn't arrived

I still dual-boot my craptop with FreeDOS and damn small linux:
[overlarge img link broken by lau]http://666kb.com/i/b2911kykb9lasqmwe.jpg[/img]

a geek girl, that's hot!

=)

I don't totally favor any of them to be honest. I have a fantasy OS in my imagination that combines Windows/Linux/Macs into one, but I don't have much programming gifts to create it.

Ok, lets start with the most evil of all three:

Linux: The Linux fanboys are often so anti-Microsoft, that they develop applications without being objective. Case in point with OpenOffice.org, they are a bunch of anti-Microsoft people and they develop a product without keying critical components, like grammar. They also refer to the .DOC file format in save-as files as [Office]:97/2000/XP, when it's officially referred as 2002. Okay, maybe the latter argument might be a little lame.

Linux fanboys are often so high-headed about how great their system is. To be fair, its a good server product, but never will be a desktop solution. One, there are not many games out there, there aren't many business apps for the platform (even when many are transitioning to Web based solutions). Second, it's bunch of gobblygook. This is for geeks, and geeks might be taking over only one-eighth, not owning the world as some might claim. Linux geeks typically have a computer science major for a college level. People whom don't have a college level education for these kinds of things aren't going to understand it because many of these things pertaining to Linux requires knowing an entire cloud of computing knowledge.

Macs: Let me start with the positives. There are some advantages with a Mac. They still kept with the "clippings" that dates from System 7, which is cool. Screengrabs are easier and with the built in Picture Viewer can crop those screengrabs. iTunes is great, etc.

But here's where I get into problems with the Mac, mostly UI issues.

The Apple team is also Anti-Microsoft, and they too aren't objective. And they don't want to. They were slow to use the right-clicking method (though it was Control-Click for a while). The UI is very cheap, and there's a reason why the Mac OS sells for retail of $130 USD. I can't right drag. I can't have a tree view so I can move files easier. The one thats on the Mac now is not a real tree view, and trying to properly click and drag without selecting an entire row of icons in List view gets troublesome.

The Cooca Toolbar (the NS Toolbar, for you NeXT junkies), really makes things very simplistic, and its getting me worried about the future of computing. I hate how I can't have much variety of buttons to choose from. Simplicity I think is dumbing down America, and that's something we don't need. Also with the Cocca, is that parts of the window, the far bottom, and the button and title bar also is sensitive, in which if you click on it, you might accidentally move it. I also don't care with all those little apps, called Services do with the general integration with the apps. I don't use them, so whatever. And why is there a systemwide dictionary in which is integrated with my Skype? If i right click on something, it should be application centric, not OS centric.

Also double-sided printing is not supported on the Mac, even if the printer driver comes with it. The ones with the printer drivers have a walk through that saves time instead of doing the odds-to-evens-and-make-sure-you-are-putting-it-in-the-right side-without-screwing-the-whole-damn-100-page-document-up! (That was a mouthful

The Mac OS, can't support cutting files and pasting them into another folder in it's shell. You can copy, but you have to remember to delete them so your hard drive doesn't get filled up. You also can't immediately delete files by bypassing the trash and you can't delete an item in the Trash unless you empty the entire thing. Window does those mentioned things oppositely.

Hardware wise, it's another problem. I bought my MacBook in March of '07, and within a year later, it started to have problems. I bought an overpriced AppleCare plan, in which it sorta paid off. I got spoiled with the Genius Bar over the year and if I had a PC, I would had paid over a $1,000 over that same time for them to look at it, when I got it at the Apple Store for free.

I had updated my Mac OS system software back this spring, and it deleted my access to my wifi router. And it was specific to my router, and I was P.O.'ed about that. Now my WiFi is acting up at times. Never mind, my system crashes often, applications crash, my system freezes up totally, the MacBook shuts off totally at only 20% battery life, etc, etc. No wonder why Apple keeps selling two million Macs every quarter because these machines will become lemons (no pun) after a year. I want an HP Compaq notebook as soon as I can!! !

The hardware/software with the Mac, causes tremendous issues. The system updates are bloated, typically 200MB on average, the OS is bloated by nearly 10GB counting the latest update. After my wifi issue, I couldn't delete a specific update, unless I had to reinstall my OS X. I have had nothing but problems with updates, and if you have problems with your mac, to not update.

I know that was an overkill, now let me get to Windows:

Well lets not talk about Vista. I think its an blatant rip off Mac OS X, in which didn't need to be stolen. I don't like how I have to get sexually excited when a window minimizes or how swap to different windows with a prettiness effect. We don't need this BS, and I blame Steve for that.

So XP and below: Windows is a lot better because its open. With the Mac, it whores with hardware/software crap, that shouldn't be needed. Everything now can run on software, why do we need hardware reliance to operate an OS? Windows in terms of UI is a lot better, when it comes to cutting and pasting, right dragging, multiple undos/redos, tree view, enhanced right clicking, and NO PERMANENT MENU BAR, like Apple's, etc. Also I have an autistic obsession of the Interactive Logon, which is "Press Control-Alt-Delete to log on". The secure log in feature even when your aren't tied to a domain! I was so fascinated by that when my school deployed NT 4 back many years ago. Try doing that on OS X or Linux for that matter!

Windows is for real people, to be honest. You don't need a PhD. in computer science to know how to operate it. For IT admins, its easier because they can get certified in a trade school to know it in less than a year rather than six to eight years for Linux. Windows has Outlook, where lots of people like the interface and abilities. Entourage on the Mac, is like an ugly adopted child where it will never get accepted. No one really likes Entourage because it's not like Outlook. If it can't walk, talk, or act like it, then it isn't Outlook. Evolution for other machines, is a de-evolution because it can't walk, talk or act like Outlook. And the Lotus Notes on Windows has more features compared to other versions for other platforms.

Updates are minimal size, not to hog bandwidth, and not to hog your hard drive ether (again referring to XP and under), and if there's problems with the OS after an update, you can delete a specific one. The UI when it comes to changing settings is good too because nothing will be changed unless you click on Apply or OK. The Mac and others will automatically change it.

There are some quirks too. The Windows Genuine Advantage, I think was a mistake. I don't like how they are controlling what copyrighted items you are putting into your music playlist. Servers are quirky too because those systems are hard to understand, and some of it is obscure. They want the OEM manufactuers to make more money for docking abilities by selling docks for notebooks for them to act like desktops, where the Macs can do it right out of the box.

If I had to choose between Macs/Linux/Windows. I'd rather choose Windows. They can give me more options than the other two. But that's me doing a lot of office work on that platform that really makes me productive in lots of ways.

Anyways, long post over, and I am open to any responses on this post.

That's one problem that I can't stand Mac fanboys. They treat them like children. How pathetic is that???

steve that was an outstanding post. For instance, I had no idea about the cut/paste wastebin problems with OSX. That is just evil.

I think the term you are looking for in is collating, as regards to the printing.

You dont need a college degree for linux anymore. Its all graphical now. My brother, a real redneck truck driver uses it too, and has never asked "how do I.." or "why wont this...". He apparently has no troubles with his wireless internet connection when he is in hotels and work camps.

He doesnt need to use the CLI, and if I wasnt a bit of a sadist, I wouldnt either, but I live to mess with things.

Around here we have Orwell. While hes certainly a college student, I dont think hes a computer major, and he picked it up rather easily. If it were not for some recalcitrant hardware(broadcom wireless), I dont think he would have asked for help at all.

I've read an account of a guy who set up ubuntu for his grandparents. He arranged it so they would never see the technical side. That is, he made it more simple in interface than windows xp, which they had previously used. Here it is.

http://tombuntu.com/index.php/2007/08/1 ... rs-part-1/

Ubuntu will be shipping on several million computers this year. Mostly eeePCs I suppose.

As Fuzzy said, I managed to get Linux running despite knowing essentially nothing about computers. I'm not a computer science major, and I have absolutely no programming background whatsoever. I mean, half the time I could barely work with the MacOSX GUI, hardly what you would call a computer genius. If you get an easy distro like Ubuntu it is in many ways easier to deal with than Windows.

It works great on the desktop, I have yet to hear of any software that I would have a use for that I can't get for Linux, and the software that I use is a hell of a lot cheaper than the stuff I would get if I were on Windows (hint: it's all free, as in beer). OpenOffice is a good product, and btw it was not produced by Linux but by Sun MicroSystems, makers of the Solaris OS. If Linux users weren't objective, Ubuntu would come pre-packaged with GNOME Office by default instead of OpenOffice. Heck, I even know a few Windows users who prefer OpenOffice over MS Office. It's not like Linux users deliberately choose to use crap software just out of spite.

I always forget that. Gnome (and KDE) has native applications, such as web browsers but since firefox is better/much preferred, that is what is packaged with them. for example, Gnumeric is the native spreadsheet.

Nah, only out of severely skewed preferences. (that's why I used to use KOffice instead of the Java-slowness that is OOo*)

*which, btw, was not created by Sun but by the German company Star Division and only later bought by Sun\end{patriotism}.

Nah, there are fanboys of this type for all OS's... Ever meet a FreeBSD fanboy?

My issue with Mac fanboys is that they parrot the lines of the Mac ads... for the last bloody time, THE MAC IS A PC!!!1

Thanks. it's a problem especially when you come from Windows. My mother had printed some PDFs one day on my account, and I found out about my birthday present because she couldn't immediately delete those PDFs and you have to throw them in the trash and empty there. Also she didn't want to empty the trash because there were files already in there.



Just to clarify, Windows based machines with modern printers with native print drivers, can "duplex" (read: double sided) to be in place of an expensive duplexing device. When you click on Print, and go to Print Options for your printer, and go to the duplex area, and click on the options.

Then, the important part is a dialog box will guide you through turning the pages so it can print properly for the other side.

The Mac doesn't support this at all. My Samsung laser printer shows this double sided printing menu, but its dimmed. I don't get it it at all. Also my HP printer too has this problem. The awful work around is to print odds to evens with the collating, as you mentioned, but its a PITA to do, and I don't have time to mess around with to get it to work right. It supported on the driver, but Apple doesn't want me to use it. Never mind the print menu is so confusing with all the hyograhics.



Well I tried several distros (Knoppix, College Linux and CentOS), and I just couldn't get around them. Yes, they were GUI based ones, but its really hard to do things especially OLE, which something comes standard with Macs and Windows. Also its pretty far out when it comes to the look, where it looks boring and never mind doesn't come with good fonts. (Where's my BankGothic, Verdana or Comic Sans when I need it?)



I guess this is a very popular Distro because everyone here is talking about it. It appears to be a notebook OS, because I don't hear much as a desktop OS, but what do I know!

Orwell:

Again, OpenOffice has improved a lot, but many of the open source office suites just can't meet the high level of function ability like MS Office. I am not totally defending MS Office, but OpenOffice.org has a lackluster UI - it looks sloppy. The icons doesn't totally stand out. When it comes to their word processor, the colors for the page view is confusing, and their ruler looks too bulky for the margins and such. Never mind it lacks grammar (where Microsoft had since the dawn of time), and I also noticed they also spell check dirty words, which isn't so friendly if you work in an office, or school for that matter. And yes, I know that OOo was made by the development team from Sun and not Linux.