Should I get a Mac?

[Ryan Ashbrook]

Boys, there is a little bit of confusion between hardware, software and OS.
HP can be cool, but it's still only a piece of plastic like the last beautiful Mac Book Pro.

Linux can be fun IF you can use it for real, if you are not confident it can be a pain in the A.

And Mac, it's childish (LOL), but it's alway BSD, a rock stable Unix-like operating system Let a childish system administrator tell you this

And last but not least, software, you can found pretty much everything for Mac, I can built sites, run other systems, movies, music, email, surf and everything across my mind

Now choose whatever you like, feel or prefer.

Why did I get quoted? I was merely commenting on what someone else said about HP being a reliable computer nowadays.

I could careless about what other people run, you won't convert me and I probably won't convert you (not like I'd even try anyway).

This is why I can't stand PC vs Mac debates. The fanboys from either side have to come out a try to prove that they are better than the other party when in reality, both are equally stupid for trying to sway personal preference.

[Sergio68]

I'm sorry, I'm italian and I'm not confident with the language, my bad.

On the other hand I'm quite curious now, may I ask what's your job Tom?

[TomJames]

I never used the word childish, so please do not imply that I did. I said it was 'child friendly' which I meant in the sense that it has a very user friendly interface that pretty much anyone can use. I believe it is the most accessible OS in that regard, but equally that doesn't suit every user, every situation or every task. Personally I prefer Windows for day to day tasks and Linux for my servers, but I do enjoy using Mac as well and post-tiger I think it is starting to look much more elegant and professional. It just doesn't work that well for the tasks I do regularly.

Though on the other hand if my main tasks consisted of music, movies, email, web browsing and web design & development I would probably be more tempted to work on my Mac more often. Especially as it has some brilliant software for writing PHP etc in. I think the key point to remember is that all OSs have flaws and killer features, you just have to choose the one that will work best for you. You need to look at your user requirements and the enviroment in which you work and decide which OS best meets your needs and then decide on a machine. Choosing a OS because of the machine looking nice is a flawed way of working and is just setting you up for disapointment. Of course if you do get a MacBook then you can dabble in both.

I hope you find a machine that works well for you

[Temptations]

I don't think it looks childish either - it is the most elegant OS out there.

Amen

[Razasharp]

I don't think it looks childish either - it is the most elegant OS out there.

[dutchbb]

OS X Leopard snow doesn't look 'childish' to me, it's a very professional looking piece of software, easy to use for everyone, what do you want more?

[Sergio68]

OS X is what an operating system should be like - that's why Windows and Linux try to rip it off whenever they can.

There's no way I would go back to windows now.

I don't use anything but HP anymore.

The HP Touchsmart is a very sexy computer, both in looks and specs.

So yeah... in conclusion if you prefer to work in a 'simpler' more 'child friendly' interface then go for a Mac

Boys, there is a little bit of confusion between hardware, software and OS.
HP can be cool, but it's still only a piece of plastic like the last beautiful Mac Book Pro.

Linux can be fun IF you can use it for real, if you are not confident it can be a pain in the A.

And Mac, it's childish (LOL), but it's alway BSD, a rock stable Unix-like operating system Let a childish system administrator tell you this

And last but not least, software, you can found pretty much everything for Mac, I can built sites, run other systems, movies, music, email, surf and everything across my mind

Now choose whatever you like, feel or prefer.

[TomJames]

I switched from PC to an iMac (Intel) for a few years and for the most part I liked the OS X interface, but I found it slower to do many things in. Mainly because it is more usable for the average user but by extension seems to lack support for more advanced users who want to skip all the help and GUI sections. Having said that Windows is getting increasingly bad for that, so really a Linux distro is the only way to go if you prefer operating in a CLI. Either way hopefully you won't be spending that much time changing those sort of settings.

Anyway, I mainly used Windows on my iMac (via Bootcamp) but that's because a lot of the work I do has better software support on Windows than it does on Mac. I also found that Vista (and even moreso Windows 7) had a quicker to use interface than OS X. Once my iMac died I also discovered the rather extortionate cost to repair it (so much so that I bought a brand new, top of the line, computer for a few quid less than the repair bill on my older Mac) and recovering data from a Mac partitioned drive was... fun to say the least.

So yeah... in conclusion if you prefer to work in a 'simpler' more 'child friendly' interface then go for a Mac, you also get some stunning hardware and you can be an idiot on the Internet and be very unlucky to catch something. On the otherhand if you consider yourself a more advanced user, then you might find yourself feeling a bit coddled by OS X in which case, assuming you're smart in how you browse and use the Internet you'll be find with Windows. Of course I would also recommend installing a Linux distro if you want to have some real fun with your computer

[tommyxv]

Saw a nice 13MBP with a 24" ACD combo with lots of extras on ebay. $800 off Retail.

[Ryan Ashbrook]

I had the change to play with one the other day, and was nicely impressed with how HP is still on top of things. Felt like a good machine.

I don't use anything but HP anymore.

The HP Touchsmart is a very sexy computer, both in looks and specs.

[Razasharp]

OS X is what an operating system should be like - that's why Windows and Linux try to rip it off whenever they can.

There's no way I would go back to windows now.

[Temptations]

I got my MacBook just over a year ago. I am now planning to get an iMac with the i5 or i7. This is because I loved my MacBook so much I want a full desktop version to replace my current PC. I've been using Windows since I was 4 (I'm now 16) and ever since I first saw a Mac, I thought wow. It has made some tasks I do much easier and faster and the general interface suits me better.

I also love how there are next to no viruses on OS X and it is a more or less a headache free OS, not had one problem in the past 14 months on my MacBook where on my PC I have had 2 viruses, overheating, sound card playing up after installing new RAM.

[dutchbb]

Grey depressing? Hmm..it's a good background color to make colorful icons and pictures stand out. It's easy on the eyes, professional, modern and cool. It's not like everything is grey (or black) in OSX, just the things that need to be neutral. IMO the blue in Windows 7 doesn't help the GUI, it's still a bit cluttered and rather confusing for most users.

[Floris]

I really love my Hewlett Packards. Sleek black notebooks, stylish black monitors and towers. Great features, lots of storage and memory, and responsive touch screens. Love them.

I had the change to play with one the other day, and was nicely impressed with how HP is still on top of things. Felt like a good machine.

[Wayne Luke]

I personally find OSX very relaxing, basic, but as I said it's personal, on the other hand, I shouldn't say it but I like to work on my Linux server with VNC and command line either, a graphic approach is often more friendly.

I really love my Hewlett Packards. Sleek black notebooks, stylish black monitors and towers. Great features, lots of storage and memory, and responsive touch screens. Love them.