Should I Get a Mac?

[cat]

Yes/no/why?

I'm not thinking now, I'm thinking in about 10-12 months time.

I've long considered it, but never really had the er... courage (?!) to make the move, having lived with Windows for so long. We used to have a Mac, but many moons ago, and I can't say I was particularly au fait with computers then... can't say I am now, but either way.

Anyway, I used one the other day and found it to be such a nicer, more pleasant experience that using Windows. Not sure whether that was just the novelty, or the look and feel of it, or just the fact that I haven't used one for so long.

But, realistically, what would be the advantages and disadvantages of it? And is it worth the effort to make the switch?

[Cheese Head]

Well. one thing is that you get no viruses.

Well, youd get viruses, but your chances are slim of getting one which is a huge plus.

[Pete]

If you use enough common sense you don't get viruses on Windows either. I've never had a virus in the 5 and half years I've had computers.

[cat]

Well. one thing is that you get no viruses.

Well, youd get viruses, but your chances are slim of getting one which is a huge plus.

Thank you for explaining that with such clarity.

And as Hyma said, if you have a reasonable enough IQ, you shouldn't get a virus on Windows either. I never have.

[Cheese Head]

I haven't either. But you see all these "Love bug" style viruses that dont effect Macs.

[MarkN]

Yes/no/why?

...

But, realistically, what would be the advantages and disadvantages of it? And is it worth the effort to make the switch?

The first main question is: what do you want to do using a computer? Since you are currently using a PC running MS Windows, check to see if there are any software packages you use that have no equivalent on the Apple Macintosh (or even a computer using "Linux", if you are willing to consider that option).

However, if you find that you only use your computer to do fairly common tasks (word processing, using the Internet for WWW and e-mail, etc.), then any of the three platforms could be used - it's just a matter of personal preference (and other limitations such as cost etc.).

A good idea would be to try each operating system for a while and see which one you prefer, if at all possible. If you know someone who owns a Macintosh computer, ask if you can try it out. If not, go to your local computer shop (if they sell Apple computers, of course), and mess around with the models on display; but remember to watch out for the over-zealous salespeople! If you are willing to try out the "Linux" operating system, major distributors of the OS, such as SuSE, produce CD-ROMs (you can even download a CD image from the Internet for free) that allow you to try it out without installing it to your hard drive - just remove the CD, reboot and you're back into Windows. Running an OS off of CD can be slow, but it will allow you to try Linux with no commitment.

I hope that you receive enough information to make the decision that is right for you.

[James Hatts]

Not true at all - the Mac OS has excellent file compatibility with the Windows world.

Ah right. Things have changed for the better then.

Not at all ... compatibility and ease of file exchange has always been a strong point.

Right from the early days Macs were able to read and format MS-DOS floppy disks

[nwtv2003]

I have used both Windows and Mac, though Mac's look nicer and take up less space, I frankly don't see what the difference is, we used a Mac to edit our Media Studies project on, it is difficult to use at first if you've been using Windows forever, but I have to say it was quite fast and iMovie was very easy to use once you got the hang of it. Though I was annoyed as no-one told me where the bloody CD Drive was, but I eventually found it, it was the thing that was holding the Apple logo under the monitor.

[DJGM]

I've finally got Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) installed, here's a couple of screengrabs . . .


Standard desktop with Dock at bottom of screen and no open windows . . .




Running KDE3.1.4 on X11 with Dock at the side and one Finder window . . .




Seriously, this latest version of Mac OS X kicks ass, and really put Windows XP to shame!

If you're only running Microsoft Windows . . . you don't know what you're missing . . . !

[Chris]

Could you upload a copy of that wallpaper? It looks fab!

[DJGM]

That's the default "Aqua Blue" wallpaper that comes with this version of Mac OS X.

I'll have some of the MAC OS X "Aqua" wallpapers online later . . . I'm off t' pub!