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What OS do you use?

MrSlezak

New member
I was curious why Jack switched away from Windows to the Mac, and we were conversing via private message, and we thought this was a good topic to bring forward.

Admittedly, I haven’t used a Mac since OS X.1 came out for anything other than a passing glance and I have used I think all the different versions of Windows since Windows for Workgroups. Long ago I made the choice to stick with Windows – but it was before the Intel Macs (although I did hang in with both the Mac & Windows until OS X.1).

So, what am I missing out on?
 

Maggie O

Active member
Unix that actually works for everybody. Seamless hardware integration. Actual security.

I hated Macs until OS X, specifically 10.2. Now I see no reason to use Windows.
 

mwalker

Subscriber Member
I upgraded to Leopard but found out Canon does not have supported drivers for the ipf5000 until 1st quarter 08. So I still process in LR then print from my work Dell, kind of a pain in the arse. In my opinion and I use both, the MAC is easier to use and I like the build quality of my Macbook Pro.
 

TRSmith

Subscriber Member
I've used MACs since the late 80s. Initially it was because of the page layout programs like Pagemaker and Quark, and then it just became habit. I currently use Tiger. I have a copy of Leopard on a separate boot drive just to play around with, but since I make my living with the Adobe Creative Suite plus Quark and other programs, I don't have the confidence in Leopard quite yet.

I have a Windows box that my wife uses and she seems to get along fine with it. But since I am by default the IT guy in our little business, I dread it every time the thing needs maintenance.

So I think I might not be a fair and objective voice in your study. I know the MAC really well and love it. To me it seems elegant, stable, and safe. And it has historically supported all the apps essential for my livelihood. Someone with a similar history on Windows might easily say the same.

In the end it's about getting the job done. Which computing tool you prefer to facilitate that is largely a matter of taste and to some degree, experience. I will say though that for the first time in many years, if someone new to computers asks my opinion, I have absolutely no problem suggesting the MAC platform for their first computer.
 

Steen

Senior Subscriber Member
I don't really care as long as it works, I simply hate compatibility problems. So right now I stick to Windows only because it is the largest market standard.
 
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MrSlezak

New member
So far I'm in the same boat the TRSmith & bondo, I don't really care which OS people us as long as it is productive for them, but I just haven't found any one that works better or worse than any other.

I don't type quicker on any given OS
Sure, I know keyboard short cuts that speed things up, but that's just like saying it take more time to change lenses on one camera vs. another.​

Application speeds
When I launch an app all the OS' - say a word processor - they all seem to come up in about the same. (e.g. Photoshop boots slow reguardless of the system)​

Browsing the internet
Give the selection of browsers, these seems to be more about the connection speed than the OS. IE on the Mac is gone, Safari on the PC is a dud thus far, Firefox/Opera seem fine reguardless of the plateform...​

Application selection
For my use, seems to be equal all the various OS with the noteable expection of games. Apple seems focused on bringing gaming to the platform so that might end up moot too.​

Updates/patching
Seems to happens everywhere be it in apps or OS' and frequence is a function of penitration application/OS.​

Last year's hardware with next year's OS
Perhiperal makes all seem to find keeping up-to-date with driver support for new OS' a chore and put it off.​

Enterprise deployment
I don't know an OS that is easy to do large scale deployments, but granted i haven't done deployments since NeXTStep was the new up and commer and the Mac SE 30 was getting a little long in the tooth.​

Is it all really more about personal preference, or are there really differences?
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
I am using Leopard right now successfully with CS3,Quark, C1,LR,Adobe Acrobat 7 Pro, Microsoft Office, Toast and some other programs and all seems okay. The only thing i really Lost was leica capture software for the M8 but that sucked anyway on any OS. But i am very stable now but did have a hard time getting it loaded on the desktop but the laptop was a breeze. Some RIP software is the only issue I here about.
 

Terry

New member
I switched to mac the week before the first iPod came out and spent that week feeding it CD's and filled that 5gb iPod right away. I was traveling a ton and the iPod was awesome.

I've never looked back. Right about that time iPhoto was new and made digital photography so simple and that is when I really started taking pictures again. I am partially on Tiger and one laptop is on Leopard....will make the switch on the desktop soon. My older laptops don't have the clock speed or memory to upgrade so it looks like I will be living with Tiger until those machines die.
 

etrigan63

Active member
Use Vista currently (64-bit) but plan on jumping ship to Leopard in a week and a half when they announce the new Mac Pros. I need a computer I won't mess with. I review PC hardware/software on my websites.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Yep, I'm with you --- 10 days to the new Mac Pro and I'm all over it. My only concern is the cost of the new faster-bus RAM...

Now that I've got three weeks behind me with the Macbook Pro, I have to admit there is an awful lot to like about Mac ;)
 

stephengilbert

Active member
I switched to a Mac about 15 months ago, and the only thing that's gone wrong is an occasional failure in my word processing program: Microsoft Word.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
I switched to a Mac about 15 months ago, and the only thing that's gone wrong is an occasional failure in my word processing program: Microsoft Word.
You might want to try Neo-Office on the mac. It's shareware and pretty stable. A bit quirky compared to MS OFFICE, but has all of the same tools.
 

etrigan63

Active member
Hopefully, this won't hurt too much. I would not be looking at a top-of-the-line system. An 8-core 2.33GHz system would be just fine for me. That processor has a FSB of 1333 and I have 4GB of FB-DIMM 667 sitting in a box, plus a 500GB SATA HD in a box for Time Machine duty. May bump up the video card and the base RAM to 4GB. I already own a Dell 30" display, Huey Pro, and other Mac compatible goodies. Plus I have an MSDN subscription which gives me access to a license of Office: Mac 2008.
 
D

DougDolde

Guest
I went from a PC to a Macbook Pro Santa Rosa 2.2 w/ 4 gb ram last June. I would NEVER go back to Windows.

FYI this would be a very poor time to buy a Mac Pro. They are WAY overdue for a major upgrade.
 

TRSmith

Subscriber Member
This year I apparently achieved some sort of milestone with Apple and they have assigned a "Business Agent" to me. I've questioned him about upcoming Mac Pros since I wanted to buy one this fiscal year and he has been very secretive about the release of the new Penryn models. He put me on a waiting list.

When I asked him about the possible announcement of a new Mac Pro at MacWorld, he couldn't say but promised to call me from the show with an update. I'm excited, but I am also aware of how much work is involved setting up a new work station and making the transfer of all those apps and files, then getting all the kinks worked out. Still, the speed boost from my G5 dualie should be very nice.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
FWIW, the business agent will have one of his gurus make the migration from your G5 to the new MacPro --- they even offered to move everything on my PC to Mac for me for free...

Cheers,
 

fotografz

Well-known member
I couldn't wait for the new upgrades on the Mac Pro ... or I'd lose the tax deduction I badly needed this year. But it seems like this Quad Core machine is a screamer as is, and more than I actually need for the work I do.
 
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