PCs and iTunes

[Paul R]

I actually meant that I prefer using the Windows machines, not that they require more time for maintenance or anything like that.

 

I don't find Macs to be very useful for media playback at all (limited codec support, only H.264 is hardware accelerated, the only "decent" video player is VLC) and so many things just feel sluggish on OSX compared to Windows running on the same hardware.

 

I do prefer to use Apple's notebooks over any others, and run OSX on them, but that's about it.

Most of the things that bother me about Apple on the desktop (slower performance, lacking media support, poor 3D performance) aren't things I expect a notebook to be good at anyway.

 

 

Microsoft never seems to have been able to get trackpads to work right, and Apple doesn't do a very good job with mice, so I guess it's a tie?

Both seem to be software issues, as trackpad performance is still horrible in Windows if you use Boot Camp on a Mac, and the same goes for using mice on OSX.

 

Well despite what the title of that page says, I don't think that is a virus - just a piece of malware that hijacks your browser search. (and not something I have encountered)

Obviously that is a bad thing, but a virus is usually far more destructive.

 

I'd suggest running an adblocker on the system, as you might find that someone who is not very computer literate will actually click and install those "Your computer is running slow..." ads that you might see on the web, mistaking them for a system dialog.

 

(grin) Windows machines are often slower, but appear faster because Microsoft will throw up a screen really fast, even if you can't do anything with the screen for another 15 or 20 seconds, until the computer finishes loading and initializing the program. Mac programs rarely do that, as once you see the screen in two or three seconds, it is usually ready to operate.

 

MacOS is powered by UNIX, one of the superior OS's in the world. The GUI on MacOS is considered superior by many people, over the GUI on Window and Linux. Up until Windows 7, I tended to agree with that. Win 7 and Win 8 are doing good things, if Microsoft can just get a clear and unified vision of what it wants the OS to do.

 

To be fair, Apple is suffering a bit from that now too, since Steve Jobs is gone. It just is not a normal corporate thing to have a strong unifying vision and guidance at the top. Most top level execs are the best compromisers and deal makers you will ever meet, but they are not visionaries.

 

-Paul

[James1776]

The real reason is because iTunes is a piece of crap.

 

Amen! It went from cutting edge to relic in a decade....

[wgscott]

I actually meant that I prefer using the Windows machines, not that they require more time for maintenance or anything like that.

 

Humo(u)r attempt. Mostly.

 

 

Well despite what the title of that page says, I don't think that is a virus - just a piece of malware that hijacks your browser search. (and not something I have encountered)

Obviously that is a bad thing, but a virus is usually far more destructive.

 

Mice, etc

 

The internal drivers typically work fine. I have used BetterTouchTool to program in a button #3 (middle button, aka click the scroll wheel button). That is the only shortcoming I have come across since 10.0. I'd humbly submit it doesn't work in ways you would expect from Windows. (It works the unix/linux way).

 

 

I'd suggest running an adblocker on the system, as you might find that someone who is not very computer literate will actually click and install those "Your computer is running slow..." ads that you might see on the web, mistaking them for a system dialog.

 

He was downloading 3-rd party minecraft add-ons. Now he cannot download anything without my admin password.

 

Just to show you I am not a simple fanboi: I think Windows 8.1 (once you customize the tile interface thing or turn it off as the default screen) works perfectly fine.

 

I find the non-unix command line environment to be the real challenge. I find more of a barrier to playing around and customizing, but I assume it is primarily my unfamiliarity with the OS (and expecting unix behavior.)

[new_media]

I find the non-unix command line environment to be the real challenge. I find more of a barrier to playing around and customizing, but I assume it is primarily my unfamiliarity with the OS (and expecting unix behavior.)

 

Certainly a lot of it is familiarity. I started off using MS-DOS, so I'm much more comfortable on the Windows command line than using the terminal on a Mac.

 

Still prefer the OS X GUI to Windows 8. I have a Windows work laptop and I had to install a third party "start menu" because that tile screen is just not intuitive to me at all.