Re: Computer geeks - simmer down sheesh!
jeepsrock said:
I personally think PCs are much better for everyday use. THe software market for PCs is so much greater, while macs lack software and hardware variation. I really think the only area where macs shine is multimedia and graphic design.
I also recently heard that newer macs are gonna use intel CPUs, i really think that stinks. I personally hate intel and this just makes it one step harder for me to like em. AMD rules..
So what software is missing on the Mac that normal people would need? If you are not familiar with what is available on a platform that doesn't mean the tools don't exist.
You have a choice of the two current, practical office suites (Microsoft and OpenOffice); all the creative tools from Adobe start on Mac first; system level stuff is completely handled by all UNIX'ey OSS and FSF type software. You can't get AutoCAD I suppose. But then there are alternatives (Vellum). Also, OSX comes bundled with many excellent multimedia authoring tools as well.
What software is it that Windows has that Macs don't? Games? All those cheesy shareware apps you download from downloads.com and the like? You be surprised with what comes with an OS like OSX. Having a choice of 10,000 crappy apps does not really make a platform superior.
AMD, Intel, PPC, who gives a rat's ass? You buy a computer based upon the tools you want to use (i.e. software). The OS abstracts the hardware, at least in OSX's case anyway.

It is irrelevant what the underlying CPU is as long as it works and is fast enough to do the processing you need to do.
Have you ever looked at a Windows screen and a Mac screen side by side and at the same resolution? Windows is uber fugly. Hell, they are still using 15 year old font/rasterization technology for example. Minor point, but it goes to show the level of detail through the systems IMO. Sure, Aqua is looking dated these days but at least it is consistent and makes sense.
I guess I sound like a zealot. I don't mean to; just providing counterbalance. Kinda like a reformed smoker I suppose. Been doing the computer thing for several decades now. Macs are the direction personal computing should have been going a long time ago. NeXT was close, now we have mainstream.