Any former Mac users here?

[Dari]

The first computer I bought was a tangerine Imac (back in 1998). I was always told Mac was better than windows. Then I remember going into the PC section of the CompUSA on Fifth Avenue and 38th Street. As I was playing with the computers I saw that you could actually multitask. Videos would play as you moved the window across the screen. The computer also wouldn't stop everything else as you did one task. They were cheaper too. Anyways, the iMac was my first and last Macintosh.

Of course, that was MacOS 8.6 then vs. Windows 98. The Mac operating system has gotten much better and stable but I still prefer the plethora of options in Windows.

 

[Codewiz]

I have done just the opposite. Got my first PC in '92. Stuck with Windows and *nix until 2006. Moved to OS X and I haven't looked back. Java development is just wonderful on the mac.

 

[Rufus12]

OS X user here, although I still use XP quite a bit for gaming and other things.

 

[mshan]

I am slowly transitioning almost exclusively to Mac.

Even now, when I use a Micrsoft program (e.g. I tested trial version of recent Microsoft Money), nothing is intuitive. You have to stop, look around, and figure out where the button you want to hit is.

Seems like corporate mediocrity at it's best.

 

[Kadarin]

I use both XP and OSX for various things, and for plain old home use I prefer OSX. Everything just tends to work, with minimal thought on my part, and I like that.

 

[ViRGE]

Uhh, is there a point to this thread? You're 10 years late in bitching about MacOS 8.6.

 

[mpitts]

I prefer OS X but support more Windows machines.

Both have their place. Both are good.

 

[dirtboy]

Recently switched to Mac at the office... someday will replace home computer as well.

 

[Dari]

Originally posted by: ViRGE
Uhh, is there a point to this thread? You're 10 years late in bitching about MacOS 8.6.

Some things stay with you forever. This was one of them.

 

[hiromizu]

Mac OS is just amazing. I can do anything I want with ease. It's so intuitive compared to Windows. When I wanted my Blackberry to work with my email on Windows, I had to get a static IP, register a domain, set up an Active Directory server, set up an internal domain with an external namespace, build an Exchange server, create Exchange accounts and finally build a Blackberry Enterprise server which required me to build an SQL server for it to all work properly. With Mac OS, I just had to plug it in and it worked!

 

[Terzo]

I have an irrational (I'll admit it) hatred for the Apple company; however, I have used Tiger a few times and it seemed decent enough. Personally, I'm a fan of linux, although I don't understand as much of (rather, any) the nitty gritty as I'd like. I only reboot into windows for games, although that's been a rarity recently.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I switched from OS X to Windows once in 2004, for only about six months before going back to Mac. This January, though, I switched again, and this time I have no plans to go back to Mac.

I prefer Windows not because I love the OS but because using it allows me to build my own computer (huge cost savings) and play games. I no longer care about how intuitive the OS is... I know computers well enough that it doesn't make any difference to me. I still recommend Macs to computer newbies who wouldn't be able to build their own computer anyway and who don't care about freedom of hardware choices.

 

[Psynaut]

This thread is interesting. Since I started Film School, I have been thinking about making an OS partition on my PC. I haven't done it cause it seems like a lot of work to figure out, though I have seen many guides saying it is totally possible. I have managed to get my PC to do everything I want it to for my classes, except run Garage Band for making soundtracks, but it is a bit of a hassle going back and forth between a PC and the schools Macs. After reading this thread, I feel more motivated to try to get an OSX partition up and running.

 

[Mikey]

My first computer was an Apple, but I've used Windows, Mac OS's, and Linux over the course of my life time. Suffice to say, they ALL do everything I want them to. If I had to pick one, it would probably be Mac OS X as my favorite, but anything works well and fine for me.

 

[dennilfloss]

First personal computers I used were the Mac, Mac Plus, Mac SE30, Mac II, and Mac IIc, all paid by research grants. Then went computer-free from 1989 to 1999 when I bought a Wintel PC. I had said I would make the switch once Windows became user-friendly enough as Macs were too expensive once I had to spend my own money.

 

[EGGO]

Seeing that Macs are the ones who are the powerhouses video editors use now and almost every major artist I know uses one, and as a Windows XP/OSX user, I'd say it's because your computer is a decade old, not because of the company. Windows Vista takes forever on my laptop to do almost anything, and I defragment that thing about every week after cleaning the hard drive of unnecessary stuff.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

If I bought a Mac I could do anything I can do with my PC except play games. With my PC I can do anything a Mac can do plus play games. I see no reason to switch. Macs are more expensive, less customizable and Mac fans tend to be smug fuckwits in general (see Digg or the smug Mac adds that Mac fans like to jack off over).

 

[onlyCOpunk]

I used to have a Powerbook a couple years ago, then switched back to PC with my next laptop. Couldn't tell you why, probably because I was the only person who had one at the time and it was frustrating at Uni always having to use Virtual PC. I understand running Windows on mac is easier now, but I just thought I would save myself an extra $1000 with the Windows.

 

[Bryf50]

The one thing I would miss about Windows is typing into google the description of a program I would want and finding 20 different ones that would work.

 

[KeypoX]

recently moved from mac, it just lacked the features i needs (dual monitor 'advanced support', sucked at HD playback, no games, no altbinz prob, not enough file views in finder, hate office 2008 compared to 2007 (which also had problems with Italian to english) ) i basically found myself having to always use windows or the VM. I figured since windows does everything i need to do including expose, i might as well use that.

I honestly constantly came across problems mostly related with a lack of software support. IE try to find adobe reader 8.0 for mac i couldnt, then try for windows. Needed older version for a reason. I do plan to play with it some more and do still have it on my laptop. Just need to get some drivers for 4850, hopefully the next patch will have support for it 10.5.5. But still the main reason i dont want on desktop is the crappy dual monitor support, IE you cannot disable one monitor at a time...

 

[secretanchitman]

both...windows is for overclocking/gaming/htpc/multimedia, while osx is for everything else.

 

[Shlong]

I have a hackintosh rig (dual boot) since both have it's uses. I use OS X Leopard for video editing (imovie and final cut pro) and general usage (aim / word processing / web browsing / etc). I use Windows Vista (Media Center or Media Player Classic) for HTPC and Gaming. I would use OS X and Front Row for HTPC but I can't find a FFDShow equivalent and a lot of codecs just dont work. I also can't use Avisynth scripts and other filters to improve the image quality. I prefer the OS X interface but you can do more things with Windows, so the best solution for me is to have both.

 

[BriGy86]

I think apple has done a great job of being more compatible. I would probably buy one of their laptops if they weren't so expensive. with Virtual box (free), and vmware fusion ($$), and parallels ($$) you can install virtual machines of both windows and Linux on your mac now.

I think Macs are more simplistic which can be nice but windows still holds the niche for games and just generally being compatible with things. I think if games and netflix streaming ran on a Mac they would have a lot more buyers.

 

[misle]

I used to support a Macintosh dominate office. So, I've used everything from MacOS 8.1 to 10.3.x. I can switch between XP/Vista and MacOS without any problems. To me, they're basically the same. I use Vista now because I like to play games and I don't want to pay a premium for Mac hardware.

 

[Fenixgoon]

i used macs from OS 8 to OSX (dad's comp). then i got a windows machine, and it's been that way since.