Comments on: Allchin’s Rant About PCs vs. Macs

By: Gray Lensman

Gray Lensman — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 16:05:00 +0000

Vista is going to require a more powerful PC in terms of RAM, processor speed, etc. The best way to run Vista may be to buy a new machine with it already installed. I wonder if that is the whole idea….?

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 20:53:00 +0000

Xbox 360 might “just work” but when you combine it with a Media Center machine it gets flakey, when you have 2 x Xbox 360 it gets worse!

Vista might “just work” if it can be installed, but I have tried and it fails to install badly – read my post here http://jonathan.faces.com/Blog/Posts/16279/

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 20:45:00 +0000

AutoCAD not working on a Mac isn’t Apple’s fault and its not indicative of a problem with OS X. Its a business decision made by AutoDesk. Mac’s are tools and aren’t right for all jobs. I wouldn’t call a hammer “fundamentally broken” if it couldn’t turn a screw but I might say that if the claws pointed up instead of down.

By: RichardQuerin

RichardQuerin — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 11:19:00 +0000

Hi Thomas,

“But despite these problems, overall, in general, they just work”.

I’m not sure the “they just work” phrase is quite that adaptable or pliable

Macs have their strengths for certain things and Windows PC’s have their strengths for others. I know of lots of people who run Windows PC’s and are perfectly happy.

Now of course Windows is far from perfect (I run Linux at home), but you could very easily say that OS-X is absolutely broken when it comes to *my* place of work. It doesn’t run AutoCAD so it’s completely useless to me.

Generalizing is not a safe bet. MS has 95% of the market. It can’t be all that bad and fundamentally broken (and that comes from somebody who runs Linux!).

By: Bender

Bender — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 11:15:00 +0000

I agree to some degree that "PCs running Windows don't work. They are broken in very fundamental ways", but then again a PC is just the sum of many parts won't you say?

You can't fault the PC industry for giving you the liberty/option to choose whatever hardware/software you want. It's bittersweet I know but it's what it is. If you don't like it just go get a Mac and move on.

Outside the US (for those that think everybody is rich outside their county or city) having that "choice" it what give us the "privilege" of having a computer most of the time.

I realize most Apple users find the word "choice" a bit confusing but it means you don't have to settle for what someone else decides you'll like best.

By: alexandru savu

alexandru savu — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 10:42:00 +0000

I think you're making an overstatement when you say "PCs running Windows don't work. They are broken in very fundamental ways".
That's not true. Sure they have lots of problems but that's because they're the number one used thing in this digital era. You're not beeing objective here I believe.

I have a thing for laptops so my dream combination is going to be a macbook + Windows Vista, probably next year I'll buy one.

Cheers.

By: Thomas Hawk

Thomas Hawk — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 09:55:00 +0000

Anonymous, you are right about the XBox 360, that too just works. Of course mine is back at Microsoft being repaired right now because it stopped working in less than a year, but I’m sure that’s the exception rather than the rule. I’ve been very happy with my XBox 360. The support on the telephone in getting it sent back in for repair was really good as well.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 09:33:00 +0000

The nice thing about Windows is that it works with almost everything.

The bad thing about Windows is that no one but Microsoft has an incentive to make a Windows machine run well--and almost everything Windows works with is made by another company.

One solution, such as it is, is to impose stringent quality-control requirements on OEMs, etc. Since the Microsoft lawsuits have killed this solution, you'll notice that Microsoft has been increasingly looking toward vertical integration (e.g., Xbox 360, Zune).

The Xbox 360 just works.

By: Angel Marquez

Angel Marquez — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 09:03:00 +0000

I ran the Vista Beta and have tried the RTM version (legally, via MSDN) and can tell you that it definitely does a better job of getting to the “just works” goal than any previous windows version.
But all of these posts have gotten me wanting to try a mac now. I’m especially interested in trying out Aperture for my photo management.