[jlazo]

I am not trying to start a which one is better battle, just curious! Anyone else running X as a main OS?

[Aragorn]

Well since I work on both platforms I'd have to ask one thing:

What criteria would you base them against?

[jlazo]

I just find it interesting to see how others compare the two. The mac has always seemed to have a negative stigma stuck with it, overpriced, slower than 1ghz, etc.

[Aragorn]

Well to make a long story short...PC

[MarkS]

Originally posted by jlazo
I just find it interesting to see how others compare the two. The mac has always seemed to have a negative stigma stuck with it, overpriced, slower than 1ghz, etc.

I have to sort of agree with the negative stigma comment, but in defense of my beloved computer...

The price is high, but for that you get a very stable OS and computer that rarely crashes.

You can run Windows 95/98/2000, etc., by buying either a software emulator (it's faster than you might think), or an actual PC card that adds an Intel processor based computer to your Mac. You can then run Windows just like any other Mac app and from there, run Windows apps.

It's true that the current G4 processors are not at 1 GHz yet, but MHz and GHz are really not much more than marketing ploys. The G4 is a super computer. It can do in excess of 3 - 10 billion floating point operations per second. One billion floating point operations per second is the bare minimum to be considered a super computer. A 1 GHZ P4 processor is slower than a 800 MHz G4 processor. The reason is that the processors architectures are different. While it is true that an app must be written to take advantage of the G4's speed, most of the newer apps have been optimized for this.

Don't get me wrong, MHz and GHz do have a place in determining a computer's speed, but the G4 processor's speed is independant of the clock speed. The reason this is is because processors opperate on cycles. A processor that is rated for 1 GHz can do 1 billion cycles per second. A processor that is rated for 800 MHz can only do 800 million cycles per second. However, this is where it becomes meaningless.

An Intel processor like the P4 can only complete one instruction (math functions on numbers, moving memory from place to place, etc.) per cycle at best, many instructions take several cycles to complete. All of the PowerPC line of processors can do at least 3 - 5 instructions per second, with the G4 being able to do 8 - 10+. This means that at best, a 1 GHz P4 processor can only do 1 billion instructions per second. A 800 MHz PPC G4 processor can do between 6.4 billion to 10+ billion instructions per second.

Of course there is always the software issue... To be quite honest, that problem is something that only comes up from die hard PC users. Most of them have never bothered to check what software titles can be used with both and they have absolutely no idea how many titles can be used for the Mac AND PC. When you read about there being something like a 50000+ difference in the number of software titles available for the PC vs. the Mac, 90+% of them are shareware titles, i.e., software only available for download writen by someone in their spare time. Most commercial titles are written for both the Mac and PC.

Mark

[PerryinCA]

When working for Lawrence Berkeley, I had both a G4 with X, and a Pentium based Windows computer. Honestly, I found myself on the windows box unless I HAD to use the mac. I think that for graphics and rendering, this mac (especially something with duel processors) would beat it out. But i hate how mac is stupifying their computers and trying to sell them based on cosmetic merit.

In my opinion, a PC is still the way to go. Beyond that, go with an AMD chip. AMD is in my experience more stable, and like a Mac, when compared to Pentium is faster in its rate of operations per given frequency rating. They are also more adept to overclocking from what I have read at geek.com. Intel is simply a marketing machine, and the pentium 4s are grossly overhyped.

Combine a good athlon with some 266 DDR, and a decent graphics card and ZOOM!

I just recently in the past few months built my own first computer and found it much more simplistic than I first thought it would be. I fyou can keep a reef tank alive, you can biuld a great computer for a great price, at the same time learning and getting that great sense of accomplishment.

Just my humble opinion.

-Perry

[jlazo]

I have always used my mac, for everyday things. I di however need to run SPSS for some research and was not about to pay the large sum for the mac version, so I used that as a good reason to build a PC. I too used AMD, FIC, PC133, etc, (last year). I really like it, and for many things it is faster. I guess I have reached that happy medium where I can use both for their each individual purposes. Can't beat carrying around a Tipowerbook with airport all around the house!

[Firefish]

PC! It's a no brainer!

[jlazo]

No brainer, huh?

[Firefish]

Yup. much more versatile, upgradable and compatable.

[jlazo]

I agree with you. Good news for mac users is that it is becoming much easier and cheaper to upgrade hardware. You can throw any old PC133 ram, ide hd or optical drive into a mac case along with PCI and AGP cards.

[Firefish]

I think they're finally catching on...I think they're spending too much time on making them not look like a pc. They need to focus more on hardware & software and less on purple, pink or green I'd like to know why in every movie I see every body is using a Mac laptop!

[jlazo]

-They need to focus more on hardware & software and less on purple, pink or green
How are they not focusing on hardware and software? Once again I am not attacking PC users, but the G4 is pretty impressive. Granted Motorola manufactures the chip, but apple incorporated it. Velocity Engine — can process information in huge 128-bit chunks, nvidia, DVD-r, not too shabby.
OSX- not just a pretty face, a very stable revolutionary OS.

If you get a chance play around with a G4 867 or dp.

-I'd like to know why in every movie I see every body is using a Mac laptop!
I think it is because they look very distinctive and revolutionary. You have to admit that though they look odd to some, Apple's notebooks are pretty nice to look at. (as I type on my Ti!)

[Firefish]

I duno, When I was tooling around on a friends mac it just didn't seem friendly to me. For example...she asked me how to install a printer on her mac, now for a pc it's plain and simple, settings> printers> add printer. Even someone with little os experience could figure it out in little time, but I couldn't figure out how to add a printer to the mac, for the life of me! I couldn't find any simple "add" icons or options. But she kept comenting on how kewl she thought her neon red monitor looked Another peeve (sp?) is the one button mouse and tring to figure out shortcuts...forgetaboutit! She also had a disk stuck in her cd-rom, atleast with a pc you can open the case and remove the cd-rom unit all in under 3 minutes, with the mac...well, I wont go there....

[jlazo]

very good points. I guess OS ease just comes with use and practice. THere isn't much that I can not do with too much problem with my mac, ie loading a printer driver, however I do admit that I have some pretty dumb problems when I play around with my PC. Just comes with time with either.

[Firefish]

agreed

[MarkS]

Installing a printer driver is easy.

1.) Insert the CD.

2.) Click on the driver's icon and drag it onto the System Folder.

3.) Release the mouse button.

4.) Restart the computer.

Done.

The stuck CD is also simple, although I have never had that problem. On the panel in the front of the CD tray is a little hole. Stick a straightened paper clip into it. Done.

I agree about the multiple button mouse, or rather the lack of it. However, after 17 years of using one button, I got kinda used to it. In fact, I find it real hard to use a multiple button mouse on either a Mac or PC.

Mark

[Firefish]

Well, I'm aware of the little hole to release the cd tray but the cd was stuck and that method didn't work and because I'm a PC doctor, I wasn't about to open the monitor to fool around with the cd-rom.

As for adding the printer, no icon came up when the disk was installed. even if it did, dragging it to the systems folder would never come to mind. Even when I opened every folder on the desktop I couldn't find any word geared around adding software or hardware to the mac. With the windows platform on a pc, logic would lead to the path of adding software even if you've never done it before. It's hard to mistake settings> printers> add new printer for any thing else.
But like was mentioned above, once you've spent enough time on it, it becomes second nature. JMO, a pc's os is more user friendly to a new computer user then the mac's.

[SPasse]

Hi All,

I have been using Macs and PCs since they became commercially available.

(Actually PCs before they became commercially available) Z-80s anyone?

And I agree, to each it’s purpose.

My home current desktop setup is a Dual 21” monitor setup, with a Antholon PC and a Power Mac. Monitors can be switched independently between the Macs and the PC.

I do schematic capture and printed circuit board design on the Mac and Microsoft Office “stuff” on the PC.

I don’t find either any more difficult to use, just different functions in different places. You go through the same “brain damage if you have support DOS, WIN 3.1x, 95, 98, ME, and 2000.

I have a WIN 2000 Server where I store the data files, so I can move files back and forth between the Mac and the PC.

Regards,

Scott Passe

[Aragorn]

Originally posted by SPASSE


(Actually PCs before they became commercially available) Z-80s anyone?

Ah yes, the venerable Zilog Z80. And don't forget CP/M Scott! Hey for it's day, that combo(CPU and OS) was awesome!