Mac or PC?

[peterlocke123]

I'm curious...what's your preference? Mac or PC?

[Dr. Mobius]

*waits for the Linux guys to complain about getting left out*

[anonshadow]

Macs. PCs are confusing and ugly.

[Rei]

Last year I was transcribing essays for a professor that he had received from contributors to a journal he is making and several of them were most certainly written on a typewriter. It made me happy.

[zeroguy]

*waits for the Linux guys to complain about getting left out*

Actually, it depends on what he's asking. He could be asking preference of hardware architecture (in which case I am x86, or "PC", over the older Mac architecture of PowerPC), or operating system. In either case, more options that most ever thought existed are being left out.

Oh, and actually I'd sooner complain that you think that there are only three choices of OSes: Win, Mac, and Linux. You're still leaving out quite a bit there, even ones that I've used.

And anyway, he asked a preference between two things, and gave adequate options for those that prefer neither. I think I will vote for Mac, though, since OS X has a nice command line interface and shell, so using that, it's much more familiar to me (for some things), since I have used Linux and various BSDs. It's also better from a software development point of view, since Windows is different from pretty much every other system in almost every way, and is a pain in the ass to port software to.

Edit: Scratch all that. Clearly, Linux/Unix/etc is the typewriter.

[shadow-petra]

I like PC's, but i'm starting to like Macs. Photoshop works better on a Mac and my school uses Macs, so i've gotten used to them. The only thing that's stopping me from getting one is i'm broke, and i hate the one button mouse

[peterlocke123]

I like PC's, but i'm starting to like Macs. Photoshop works better on a Mac and my school uses Macs, so i've gotten used to them. The only thing that's stopping me from getting one is i'm broke, and i hate the one button mouse

You can get a mighty mouse!!! it's a 2 button, scroll wheel and squeeze-click mouse from apple! or you can get any other mouse you like. I'm currently using a Logitech Mx 700 Optical. 7 buttons and scroll wheel. It work's quite nice. Wireless too! Don't fall to the dark side!

[Noodle]

Technically speaking Macs are PCs. Since the term PC means personal computer, and a Mac is nothing more than a personal computer, but I digress, because popular culture has taken the term PC and applied it to Windows based computers.

Personally I think the question isn't really a good one, since it depends on what you are doing. I have both Macintosh and Windows machines in my house, and I work on Windows PCs and Linux. For simple computing tasks I think that a mac is fine. They are heavy on the eye candy, but Microsoft is moving in that direction as well. For gaming, or general work related tasks, I would probably reach for a windows machine. Sure you can game on Macintosh, and Linux, but it's not really a comparison. Just walk into any electronics store and try to find a single aisle devoted to macintosh games. When you fail with that task, I dare you to find a single Linux game. For other tasks, Linux is just as good of a choice.

So, as far as I'm concerned the question is moot. Yet I voted PC, since they are all PCs in the long run.

[zeroguy]

Technically speaking Macs are PCs. Since the term PC means personal computer, and a Mac is nothing more than a personal computer,

Except that the term PC almost always refers to "IBM PC Compatible" (or at least has since that computer was made), which runs on an x86 architecture, and almost all Macs run on non-x86 archs, except for the new powerbooks.

[peterlocke123]

Actually, all new Macs run on x86 processors, but the fundemental difference is in the operating system and hardware manufacturers.

Apple is committed to design unification that brings the design of the hardware and software together. Hence, Macs are characterized by uniform design created by Apple. On the other hand, PCs have no uniform hardware but are instead characterized by the operating system.

Yes, all Macs are techincally PCs, but in this case, the term PC refers to computers running a non-Apple operating system (Windows or Linux).

Linux however, is much more like a Mac than any Microsoft operating system, because both OS X and Linux are based on Unix whereas Microsoft operating systems are based on DOS.

[powerfulcheese04]

A computer's a computer, dude. Just make sure it's capable of doing what you need it to.

I want mine to have word processing (preferably in a program I am familiar with), excel, a good wireless card, and MATLAB. I really don't need anything more than that.

Macs don't really do MATLAB very well, so Windows machines for me.

And, honestly, I think my new Windows machine is just as pretty as my roommate's new Mac. (And prettier than the all black macbooks.)

[zeroguy]

Actually, all new Macs run on x86 processors

Isn't that what I said? Oh, pardon me, new powerbooks and mac minis, and whatever other shiny new toy they're marketing these days.

Yes, all Macs are techincally PCs, but in this case, the term PC refers to computers running a non-Apple operating system (Windows or Linux).

Linux however, is much more like a Mac than any Microsoft operating system, because both OS X and Linux are based on Unix whereas Microsoft operating systems are based on DOS.

Sorry, I cannot continue to talk with someone spouting garbage such as this. Good day.

[mr_thebrain]

no need to get snarky zero

[peterlocke123]

Actually, all new Macs run on x86 processors

Isn't that what I said? Oh, pardon me, new powerbooks and mac minis, and whatever other shiny new toy they're marketing these days.

Yes, all Macs are techincally PCs, but in this case, the term PC refers to computers running a non-Apple operating system (Windows or Linux).

Linux however, is much more like a Mac than any Microsoft operating system, because both OS X and Linux are based on Unix whereas Microsoft operating systems are based on DOS.

Sorry, I cannot continue to talk with someone spouting garbage such as this. Good day.

There's no need to get all grumpy when somebody tells you the truth...