Kevin Linder

OK, I’ve been looking at getting a Macintosh recently and have been checking out reviews and weighing my options. I was sent a link to a comparsion article.

After reading it and the comments, I started to have my own thoughts and decided to put them on paper…ok the web but you know what I mean.

1) The debate of which is better, PC or Mac, will NEVER be won. Trying to talk people into your view is not what discussion is about. Discussion is about letting people know your thoughts and views and letting THEM decide for themselves. It’s quite funny that Linux (and hackers also) pride themselves about software/information wanting or needing to be free. But when it comes to discussion or ideas, everyone should sit down, shut up or agree with them. I disagree. I WANT someone to prove me wrong. Why? Because that will only harden and strengthen my view point. I may have to modifiy it but that’s evolution. The person that doesn’t evolve, it’s still using a 486.
2) I’m glad #1 is true! If there every comes a time when one computer/os/software is 100% loved and no one complains or hates it, then you’ve just entered into monopoly land and saw goodbye to choices and competition.

3) The fact that these debates are getting more heated and happening more often are GOOD. Good? YES, Good. This means that Apple has made enough improvements to rattle things up or at least stimulate conversation, debate and discussion. This means more choices. Why would you care about this being a PC guy? Because now PC makers now have to worry about Mac catching up and taking them away (or the public being more educated about the Mac not being so inferior) and losing that money, so they start to come up with more research and faster products that they normally may not have funded because why would they, they have nothing to take you away from them. Discussion only creates solutions…not problems.

4) I would have to agree with most if not all the decisions of this article. PC and Mac are different products. Not only physically but also how they are used and bought. Let me share with you some views.

There once was a time that I hated Apple for not releasing OSX for x86 ESPECIALLY when I found out that they can somewhat easily compile the OS for the chip with only minor changes. I argued that I wanted to use a better OS than windows (that being OSX) but I wanted the ability to do to my Mac what I could do with my PC (open it up, add on to it, etc). If they would just release OSX for the PC it would make them buttloads of money. However recently I’ve realized why Apple will NEVER release OSX for x86. Yes it can be debated that it will never because it could cause profit loss for their hardware, software, etc. But that’s not what I believe is the reason. The biggest reason is very simple. Simple experience. Mac takes the experience seriously. They want things to work and work well. period. Take the computer out of the box, press the power button and it works. Even Microsoft couldn’t mess it up if they not only wrote the software but also created the operating system AND the hardware. However, Microsoft didn’t take that approach. So now Microsoft has to write code that does everything and supports everyone because it has 90% of the market and has to work with WAY more hardware and software vendors than Mac has to. Thus I believe Windows (as well as PC software in general - even if not created by Microsoft) will always be buggy, bloated or at the very least somewhat like that wierd cousin you have that you don’t really ever want to get to close to.

I’m not saying this is bad. This is good…remember CHOICES ARE GOOD. I’ve used a PC and thereby windows for over 20 years. I loved the “freedom” I got with tinkering, optimizing and working to get my computer running as fast as it can. Now I find myself getting older and wanting to spend less and less time with my computer. The time I want to spend on my computer is creating something ON IT and not working on the computer itself. I have a life and want to enjoy it and not spend my time making things work, or work faster or better. I want to power it on and have it work the best way possible with the minimal work. After working contract jobs you realize the old saying is so true, “Time is money”. When I was young and in school, my time was fairly cheap. Now that I’m older, I’m finding my time is more expensive.

And this is why everyone has different opinions. Because when my time was cheap and I was willing to tinker with a PC, someone else didn’t think their time was so cheap and bought a mac, not to look cool or sexy but because it took the least amount of effort to operate. This is why choices are good because we are not all alike (thank god!) and we all have different needs. Right now I’m starting to think owning a Mac and using OSX would be a better choice than having a Windows machine at home. If Mac was still using System 9? HELL NO! I’ve always hated the classic mac system. Always pissed me off to no end. I always said if they could merge the Linux/Unix command line properties (daemons, cron jobs, permissions, owners, etc) with a nice GUI, I’d be all over that. Then I realized that OSX is just that.

An interesting idea to think about is not what a PC or Mac computer cost to purchase but also to operate and own. What is the total cost ownership (TCO) of the computer? Isn’t this the entire argument with Microsoft against Linux? They claim yeah it might be free but it has a higher TCO so it may SEEM like your saving money but then down the road your going to have to pay tons of money (for some unknown reason I’m still never clear on). OK, so then where is this comparision against Mac? Does Microsoft not think Apple is a worthy competitor? I think this should and would be a more accurate indicator if a computer is better or not. I believe Mac’s have a TCO. Apple protection plan is at the most $350 (for powerbooks, cheaper for other computers). Not only does this cover the hardware but also extends your support for the software as well. In PC land, how many times have we gotten the eternal tech run around? Talk to Symantec and they say the problem is with Windows and to contact Microsoft. You contact Microsoft and they turn around and say it’s Symantec’s issue. Or worse, they won’t even talk to you because it’s OEM so you have to go talk to Dell/Gateway/Sony, etc. Call them up and they don’t really troubleshoot Windows so they tell you to reformat and reinstall Windows. “That should take care of the issue”. They call that tech support? Destroy it and rebuild it? WTF?!

Yes I know, who actually calls tech support? In the 20+ years of using Windows, I’ve never contact Microsoft for help. I’ve only contacted a few companies for support and usually those were for games. Even then it’s like banging your head against the wall if you happen to have half a brain and even worse if you work in the software/hardware industry. When you realize that you know more than your tech support guy and he’s starting to ask YOU how to fix HIS issues, you know your in trouble.

However, Apple isn’t getting off that easy. They also have their negatives. I’ve been hearing quite a lot from people that it’s nice to be working on a computer (a Mac) and not have to worry about viruses or run an anti-virus program. This is because they claim viruses don’t exist for Macs. This claim scares me. Mainly because it sounds like a very big dose of DENIAL. Yes I understand there aren’t any viruses floating around in the wild or able to infect the Mac. As of now, that is! What man has created, another man can destroy or hack. I think it’s VERY dangerous to take that approach to believe that you are working on a hardened computer that is almost virus proof. Maybe I’m taking it too far but that’s how Mac advocates come off. Personally I’d rather be safe than sorry.

I will admit that Mac products tend to be expensive. However I would also argue that they have also gotten cheaper. No longer are they “special” that have to be bought at a reseller or Apple themselves. I remember that in order to add a hard drive in a Mac you have to buy some expensive SCSI hard drive instead of a regular normal drive. SCSI wasn’t used by many people so it was primarily used on servers or the Mac. PC had IDE, it was cheap, used by everyone and pretty much a standard - so why go to something else? Now that’s no longer the case. Got a new G5 Mac? Want to add memory or a hard drive. Go to most if not any online or retail store and buy whatever you want, go home and put it in. Video? Same thing. CD/DVD Writers? Ditto.

UNLESS you buy Apple “memory”. Holy shit! Has anyone seen if the memory they sell is made of freaking gold or something? It has something like a 200% more markup than anyone else. I know parts are a little more expensive if you buy them from Apple but memory is just so damn high it’s laughable. That makes me wonder how much are they jacking up the prices for other stuff? Then again, maybe Apple has to do that in order to make money. Because where else do they making their money? Software? Please, they give it away in their OS. Maybe Mac’s really are more expensive so Apple can make money.

Shoot, I’ve just successfully fought and maybe won against myself. Oh well, must be the PC part in me that won’t die.