Mac vs PC's - Not a poll

Recommended Videos

Thaius

New member
Mar 5, 2008
3,862
0
0
You're pretty much right, though I would like to point out that the only reason Windows 7 is so good is because it started using original concepts Mac put in their operating system almost a decade ago. Windows 7 was not their idea, it was the combined ideas of Steve Jobs and everything Microsoft was told to fix in Vista (read: dang near everything).
 

TheSentinel

New member
May 10, 2008
1,803
0
0
Seeing as this thread is just about beyond repair, I'll just throw my two cents in.

My family owns a Mac. It was bought several years ago, to replace our ageing Win98 system. It hasn't really been "upgraded" in any way since. My brother built his own PC. A lot of the components are top-of-the-line, and it is one of the finest PCs I have ever seen. It runs StarCraft 2 like a dream.

That said, I still use the Mac more often. For one, each member of my family has a separate profile. In a family of five, this is pretty damn nice, because it keeps all of our private information separate. Also, it runs most programs I regularly use quite nicely, though that is mostly Firefox and iTunes (and occasionally Fallout 2), so take that with a grain of salt.

Still, I use my brothers PC as much as I can for games, so I have to say I like both systems quite well. When I get a PC of my own, it will most likely run Windows, though mostly because I will be the only one using it.

I still don't get why everyone suddenly develops advanced mental retardation when this topic is brought up, though.
 

SageRuffin

M-f-ing Jedi Master
Dec 19, 2009
2,005
0
0
I use a PC simply because I can upgrade it myself and i don't know a goddamn thing about Macs.

I hear they're fantastic for digital art and the sort, but my laptop and PC can handle all that just fine.

I'm one of the few not knocking Macs at all, just saying that I'm a lot more comfortable with PCs since I've dealt with them longer. Ya feel me?
 

Jaded Scribe

New member
Mar 29, 2010
711
0
0
oktalist said:
Jaded Scribe said:
Palettes: Windows and Mac both use 256 colors as the basis of all colors that they can display. 216 of these are standards (also known as "safe" because they are compatible with browsers and cross-platforms). Mac and Windows do not use the same colors for the last 40 colors. The Mac palette is usually preferred by artists. Mac also allows for the remapping of the color palette, which makes changes to how colors interact. Windows does not allow this functionality.
If you're still using 8-bit colour, then you have more problems than just a Mac vs. PC debate.
8-bit color still provides the baseline for 24 and 32 bit color.
 

Phoenixmgs_v1legacy

Muse of Fate
Sep 1, 2010
4,691
0
0
First off, THEY ARE BOTH PCs!!! Have people forgot what "PC" stands for?

I prefer Windows because of program support. For example, I use these programs called AVIAddXSubs and Sub2Divx to make .divx files that add subtitles to avi files. And, those .divx files play on the PS3 so I can watch subbed stuff on my PS3 that don't have hardcoded subs. There isn't a program on MACs to do this.
 

oktalist

New member
Feb 16, 2009
1,603
0
0
Jaded Scribe said:
oktalist said:
Jaded Scribe said:
Palettes: Windows and Mac both use 256 colors as the basis of all colors that they can display. 216 of these are standards (also known as "safe" because they are compatible with browsers and cross-platforms). Mac and Windows do not use the same colors for the last 40 colors. The Mac palette is usually preferred by artists. Mac also allows for the remapping of the color palette, which makes changes to how colors interact. Windows does not allow this functionality.
If you're still using 8-bit colour, then you have more problems than just a Mac vs. PC debate.
8-bit color still provides the baseline for 24 and 32 bit color.
What do you mean by that? Of course 24 bits = 3 × 8 bits, but 24 bit colour ("Truecolor") is not paletted like most 8-bit colour systems. The octets in a 24-bit colour directly represent the brightnesses of the red, green and blue channels; they are not indexes into a palette.

And alpha is not a colour so 32-bit doesn't count.
 

Sebenko

New member
Dec 23, 2008
2,531
0
0
Jaded Scribe said:
Palettes: Windows and Mac both use 256 colors as the basis of all colors that they can display. 216 of these are standards (also known as "safe" because they are compatible with browsers and cross-platforms). Mac and Windows do not use the same colors for the last 40 colors. The Mac palette is usually preferred by artists. Mac also allows for the remapping of the color palette, which makes changes to how colors interact. Windows does not allow this functionality.

...

Yes, Windows 7 is bitchin. But Windows is only just now making headway in these areas, when Mac has been doing it all along.
Glad we agree.

That's very nice, but a lot of stuff is online anyway, so people will be viewing it on a Windows PC.

Of course, this is all for naught, as it doesn't change the fact that my dad bought a Mac (Because they were "fashionable"), and, dear god, is it annoying. Every time he has a problem, I have to fix it. And in case you hadn't guessed, I'm a Windows user. I can do stuff with Windows. My Windows PC is a glorious throbbing monolith. But his Mac... Ugh. He manage to break it so much that he had to do a full system wipe. Twice. How do you do that? How? (I mean manage to need a system wipe, now "how do you do that on a Mac?")

He even refuses to work out e-mail, or how to type, or how to install software, or explain what he wants doing when he knows and is just being obtuse (You know, in the sort of way people who know nothing about computers do, that apparently We're all psychic and just use mind control to make the computer work properly)

So yeah, I dislike Macs because a single one has made my life as "family tech support" incredibly frustrating.
 

Jaded Scribe

New member
Mar 29, 2010
711
0
0
oktalist said:
Jaded Scribe said:
oktalist said:
Jaded Scribe said:
Palettes: Windows and Mac both use 256 colors as the basis of all colors that they can display. 216 of these are standards (also known as "safe" because they are compatible with browsers and cross-platforms). Mac and Windows do not use the same colors for the last 40 colors. The Mac palette is usually preferred by artists. Mac also allows for the remapping of the color palette, which makes changes to how colors interact. Windows does not allow this functionality.
If you're still using 8-bit colour, then you have more problems than just a Mac vs. PC debate.
8-bit color still provides the baseline for 24 and 32 bit color.
What do you mean by that? Of course 24 bits = 3 × 8 bits, but 24 bit colour ("Truecolor") is not paletted like most 8-bit colour systems. The octets in a 24-bit colour directly represent the brightnesses of the red, green and blue channels; they are not indexes into a palette.

And alpha is not a colour so 32-bit doesn't count.
Truecolor between Macs and Windows still holds some variations. While it isn't on a palette, the brightness of the channels still has a basis on the original 8-bit color scheme.

It's less apparent now because with millions of colors, and the few hundred or thousand colors that hold a variation aren't going to be seen as clearly with the variety of colors in a single image. But when you're working at the pixel level (which is not uncommon for print artists) it can make a difference.

And Macs do a better job converting from RGB for display and CMYK for print. It's much easier to see how your image is really going to look.
 

oktalist

New member
Feb 16, 2009
1,603
0
0
Phoenixmgs said:
First off, THEY ARE BOTH PCs!!! Have people forgot what "PC" stands for?
And PS stands for PlayStation, but that doesn't mean that an XBox is a kind of PS just because it's a station that you can play games on.

PC refers to "IBM PC compatible", a standard defined originally by IBM, and now by industry group consensus, which defines things like motherboard form factor, BIOS and data buses. AFAIK Macs do not conform to this standard.
 

Jaded Scribe

New member
Mar 29, 2010
711
0
0
Sebenko said:
Jaded Scribe said:
Palettes: Windows and Mac both use 256 colors as the basis of all colors that they can display. 216 of these are standards (also known as "safe" because they are compatible with browsers and cross-platforms). Mac and Windows do not use the same colors for the last 40 colors. The Mac palette is usually preferred by artists. Mac also allows for the remapping of the color palette, which makes changes to how colors interact. Windows does not allow this functionality.

...

Yes, Windows 7 is bitchin. But Windows is only just now making headway in these areas, when Mac has been doing it all along.
Glad we agree.

That's very nice, but a lot of stuff is online anyway, so people will be viewing it on a Windows PC.

Of course, this is all for naught, as it doesn't change the fact that my dad bought a Mac (Because they were "fashionable"), and, dear god, is it annoying. Every time he has a problem, I have to fix it. And in case you hadn't guessed, I'm a Windows user. I can do stuff with Windows. My Windows PC is a glorious throbbing monolith. But his Mac... Ugh. He manage to break it so much that he had to do a full system wipe. Twice. How do you do that? How?

He even refuses to work out e-mail, or how to type, or how to install software, or explain what he wants doing when he knows and is just being obtuse (You know, in the sort of way people who know nothing about computers do, that apparently We're all psychic and just use mind control to make the computer work properly)

So yeah, I dislike Macs because a single one has made my life as "family tech support" incredibly frustrating.
Ungh. At that point, I'd hate Macs too. I know my husband LOVES his and says he'll never buy a PC again. The only thing he has a problem with is the wireless, and that's because he dropped it.

And yes, the amount of work done/shown online means that most people will be using the more standardized schemes than PC or Mac specific schemes.
 

johnzaku

New member
Jun 16, 2009
527
0
0
I use both. I gotta say, while I used to be adverse to macs, I love my new macbook, while at home I use my somewhat older PC but I enjoy both.

They both have goods and bads

My 2 cents
 

Phoenixmgs_v1legacy

Muse of Fate
Sep 1, 2010
4,691
0
0
oktalist said:
And PS stands for PlayStation, but that doesn't mean that an XBox is a kind of PS just because it's a station that you can play games on.

PC refers to "IBM PC compatible", a standard defined originally by IBM, and now by industry group consensus, which defines things like motherboard form factor, BIOS and data buses. AFAIK Macs do not conform to this standard.
The PlayStation thing is totally different. Before the PlayStation came out, nobody ever asked someone if the had a play station, they would ask if they had a video game system or console. And, nobody currently asks someone else if they have a play station unless they are referring to a Sony PlayStation.

A personal computer (PC) is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user with no intervening computer operator.
 

RobCoxxy

New member
Feb 22, 2009
2,036
0
0
I'm a windows man all the way, but I will be running OSX seperately for certain parts of my degree, some parts of my course require using Final Cut Pro.
 

Orry

New member
Nov 21, 2009
33
0
0
I use a Windows PC (currently running Vista, will be upgrading to 7 when I feel like it), primarily because I know how to actually use it. First computer I used was running MS DOS with Windows 3.1 that my father taught me to use.

I mean I can use Mac OS X for simple tasks, but if anything were to go wrong I wouldn't have a clue what to do. (and yes, something would go wrong)

So, yeah, I guess I'm just more familiar with Windows than Mac OS X.
 

Ken Sapp

Cat Herder
Apr 1, 2010
510
0
0
Fanta Grape said:
Are there any myths that you would like to explain that aren't true?
Myth: Macs don't crash/are more stable.
Fact: Macs do crash. Ever hear of the pinwheel/beachball of doom?

Myth: Macs can't get viruses.
Fact: Every OS is susceptible to Virii. Are there viruses out there for Mac? Yes there are but they are few in number compared to Windows.

Point to contemplate: Apple gets away with behavior that Microsoft has been brought up on antitrust charges for.
 

zehydra

New member
Oct 25, 2009
5,033
0
0
RhombusHatesYou said:
zehydra said:
1) How can you make a statement that Macs have superior printing quality over PCs? There is a GREAT diversity amongst printers for non-mac computers, unless the mac printer has been tested against ALL of them and been shown to have better than ALL of them, you can't make a statement like that.
I believe Jaded Scribe it talking about Print as in the Print Industry not a bog-standard office printer... and Macs are way easier to colour calibrate to actual printing inks... which is why they're still industry standard in the printing industry... which is also why most people designing for print use macs... which is why Macs have a massive share of the graphic designing market... which is why most graphic design degrees will teach you on Macs (or at least if you major in designing for print).
ah, thanks.
 

oktalist

New member
Feb 16, 2009
1,603
0
0
Phoenixmgs said:
oktalist said:
And PS stands for PlayStation, but that doesn't mean that an XBox is a kind of PS just because it's a station that you can play games on.

PC refers to "IBM PC compatible", a standard defined originally by IBM, and now by industry group consensus, which defines things like motherboard form factor, BIOS and data buses. AFAIK Macs do not conform to this standard.
The PlayStation thing is totally different. Before the PlayStation came out, nobody ever asked someone if the had a play station, they would ask if they had a video game system or console.
And before the IBM PC came out, nobody ever asked someone if they had a PC. They might have asked if they had a personal computer; that's not in contention.

And, nobody currently asks someone else if they have a play station unless they are referring to a Sony PlayStation.
I know people who refer to all consoles in general as playstations. It's similar to how vacuum cleaners get called Hoovers even if they're not manufactured by Hoover.

A personal computer (PC) is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user with no intervening computer operator.
I contend that the acronym PC has come to mean something more specific that just the words that it stands for. I agree with your defition of personal computer, but I disagree that it is also the definition of PC.
 

floobie

New member
Sep 10, 2010
188
0
0
I can't resist these threads for some reason.

Background: For most of my life, I've been a PC user. I had to use old OS9 iMacs at school and hated them. They were unstable and slow. Except for the first, every PC I've personally owned, I've built myself. I've built PCs for friends and family. I know what I'm doing. A few years ago, I decided I wanted a laptop. My friend had just gotten a Macbook Pro for school, and I fiddled with it a bit. And, dammit it was good. REALLY good. Stable, light, well built, awesome battery life, and OSX was extremely easy to figure out. So, I bought a Macbook for myself. Since then, my self-built desktop PC has been used for one thing, and one thing only: gaming.

Macs can't touch PCs for gaming. We all know it. So, if you're into PC gaming, I'd say that building a Windows desktop is your best bet. But, for literally everything else I do with a computer, I find OSX much more intuitive, efficient, and reliable.

I won't pretend my preferences are universal. Get what you like, and what works better for you.

But, there's a more specific point I'd like to address. And that's build quality. The only laptop that I've personally used that can touch my aluminum Macbook as far as build quality is concerned, is a Thinkpad. As far as laptop build quality goes, the unibody Macbooks and the Thinkpads are in a class of their own, with literally everything else limping behind, off in the distance somewhere. My Macbook is going on three years old now, and the battery still lasts 5 hours, the chassis still looks new... the entire computer hasn't aged at all. I've seen HP laptops basically disintegrate in half that time Based on the Thinkpads I've had the joy of using, I could say exactly the same things about them that I say about my Macbook. Anyone who says a Macbook Pro is a waste of money must also conclude that a Thinkpad is a waste of money. The prices with comparable hardware are very similar.
 

Phoenixmgs_v1legacy

Muse of Fate
Sep 1, 2010
4,691
0
0
oktalist said:
I've met people who refer to all consoles in general as playstations. It's similar to how vacuum cleaners get called Hoovers even if they're not manufactured by Hoover.
That just seems really weird to me. I have never heard anyone refer to video game consoles as PlayStations. There are only a very few things I can think of that are like that; Kleenex, Thermos, Xerox (which is dying off or has died off).
 

Booze Zombie

New member
Dec 8, 2007
7,416
0
0
I choose PCs, but it doesn't make me some sort of metal-bending wizard who can summon silica from the ether and bend ones and zeroes to his will... sadly.
I just think that Macs aren't what I'm looking for, which is a customisable experience.

Macs are locked in so there's less problems (though still problems) and that's fine for some, but not myself.