Off Topic: Anyone ever switched back to a PC?

Started by drrosenrosen
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drrosenrosen

drrosenrosen

Pain Sturgeon
Verified Member
20+ Year Member
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I know this has nothing to do with anesthesia, but only slightly less so than "I love scotch"😍
So I'm looking for a new computer, and contemplating switching to Windows from Mac. The money is really the thing here. I know that all the "you can get the exact same computer for $400 instead of $2000" is bs. I know that to some extent you get what you pay for. But I'm really not in a position to pay $1200 for a computer and I can find what I need for about $600.
So, has anyone ever switched from Mac to PC? I haven't used Windows as my everyday computer since 2004, and I've never used anything but XP. If anyone's done this, what have your experiences been? how hard is the transition?
Another option I'm considering is a used Mac off ebay. Anyone ever done that? Thanks for opinions and ideas
 
Hey bro

I switched to a MAC about 3 years ago and honestly have not looked back. Prior to that I had PCs all my life. While there are a couple of programs you might like on a PC its not a problem. Within time you will find there are similar oens for mac that are better (and often cheaper). However, until then you can buy vmware fusion or parallels (both easy to install) and then install your windows on them. This way, you can actually run windows in a MAC window 🙂 I use the 4 desktop option on my mac and one of them is windows XP which i switch to as needed.

Now the macbooks are like 1000. totally worth it to me..
 
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If you're thinking of getting a Mac off ebay... I have an iBook G4 that I bought 5 years ago and have had no issues. I have about 4500 pictures and lots of music and have never had a problem with speed, etc. I bet you'd be fine with a Mac this age or newer!
 
Windows is pure garbage. There, I said it. It simply doesn't work. Always crashes, is slow, and is a breeding ground for viruses. Macs are more, but it will be worth it in the amount of time you save actually using it, instead of time wasted on the phone talking to customer service. Seriously, do you want to waste your day on the phone, talking to a recording for 45 minutes.
 
Thanks for replies. Soorg, this is my main concern - windows-related downtime. It's not that I use my computer for crazy important things. This is just my home computer for internet and media and very rare office docs. But I hate dealing with customer service more than almost anything.
The windows machine sure does have more memory, bigger screen, bigger HD, etc, for less. But if the OS is garbage, I'm really not sure I can deal with it. I was interested in Win7, but I don't know if I'd regret not staying with Macs. I can find a used Macbook on ebay for around $800, which to me is still affordable and worth the $200 tradeup to stick with Apple. I'm still waffling - any other opinions?
 
I run all 3 major OS's (Windows laptop, Mac desktop, Linux netbook). I love my netbook, but it's just a web surf/email machine. I love the apple store refurbished products. My mac and my iPod are both refurbs and work fine. You can get a 13 in Core duo 2 2.1 Ghz white Macbook for $849 right now. Not a bad deal, but you're right, you pay for the apple design and Mac OS.

If you're not looking for a desktop replacement laptop, give a serious thought to the 10 inch netbooks. Windows XP runs very well on them and you can get them for around $400 brand new. I have a 9 inch and it's just a little small. 10 gets a more comfortable screen and it still is very easy to travel with.
 
soorg said:
Windows is pure garbage. There, I said it. It simply doesn't work. Always crashes, is slow, and is a breeding ground for viruses. Macs are more, but it will be worth it in the amount of time you save actually using it, instead of time wasted on the phone talking to customer service. Seriously, do you want to waste your day on the phone, talking to a recording for 45 minutes.
Click to expand...

My 6 yr old pc ( XP, Pent 4, 1GB ram, 80 GB hd) has never crashed. It has been "on" 24/7 all of those 6 yrs. You must be doing something wrong.
 
I used to use both, then switched to PC (in the pre-OS X days). I can honestly say that I have never used customer service for any of my PCs. Seriously, you don't have to be very computer literate to fix most issues, unless you really screwed something up.
 
Yah, using it.

PCs are known for these issues its no secret. 😛

urge said:
My 6 yr old pc ( XP, Pent 4, 1GB ram, 80 GB hd) has never crashed. It has been "on" 24/7 all of those 6 yrs. You must be doing something wrong.
Click to expand...
 
PCs are known for having problems, but if your machine is always slow, constantly crashing, and you have to repeatedly call tech support, then you as the user have done something very wrong to your machine (or whoever built your machine was incompetent). They are not THAT unstable on their own.
 
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I like my PC. Why pay twice to three times as much for almost the same thing?

My new PC laptop is much lighter than my first machine.

osborne1-side.jpg



osborne1.jpg
 
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mcgreen said:
We may all have to switch back to PC when Obama Care gets approved before the end of the year. I prefer to be a specialist not a PC doc, but when Obama Care is the law we will need fewer specialists and more PC docs. I just hope we get to chose if we want to be a PC or not.

And does anybody believe Obama’s new “public” health-insurance plan isn’t really a bridge to single-payer government-run health care? And does anyone think this plan won’t produce a government gatekeeper that will allocate health services and control prices and therefore crowd-out the private-insurance doctor/hospital system?
Click to expand...



Congratulations!

You have taken a "PC vs. Mac" thread on an "Anesthesiology" forum, and answered with a "Obama will destroy us" reply.

Good job, sir!
 
By nature a PC is just a collection of hardware running whatever software one wants to run. I have built around 8-10 PCs from scratch (how many is difficult to say as I reuse a case and other parts multiple times) Since there are multiple providers of all the hardware combinations possible then two facts are necessarily true about the difference between an apple and a PC.

1). Because of competition PCS will provide more hardware per dollar than a MAC that is just a monopoly product.
2). Because Macs use a very limited hardware list, and can restrict hardware to whatever they choose, they have astronomically fewer hardware combinations and avoiding conflicts is far easier.

Thus PCs tend to be faster per dollar and Macs tend to be more stable via far less hardware confliicts. Additionally, my opinion is that Mac because they can no compete by definition of their business model on hardware speed/size/dollar, they rightly concentrate on "softer" concepts IE software operating systems and "design."
 
I'm a PC guy, I bought a Mac, Don't like it, but I play PC games a TON, and I assembled my own rig, so PC is better for me.

True, the PC has Viruses, and the Mac Doesn't but there's a reason for it, and its NOT because the Mac OS is just so super awesome that its virus proof, its because in the global market people don't code for mac viruses because PC's are just so much more common. When Macs get more of a market share = virus city, and it'll be just as buggy as PCs will be when spyware/viruses start getting the MacOS code.

I like the ability to customize my computer and overclock it as well. Corsair Dominator DDR3 Ram just isn't an option to pick up easily with a Mac.

So to answer your question, it depends. Do you use your computer for surfing the net, word processing/etc, and email(mac is better), or do you play games/use your computer as a multimedia center etc (PC is better)
 
god I wish I had that printed on my windshield.

Get a PC. I've had my current one x 6 years and haven't spent a single moment on the phone with customer service. New PC laptop x 3 years, and no problem either.
 
ozzie20 said:
I'm a PC guy, I bought a Mac, Don't like it, but I play PC games a TON, and I assembled my own rig, so PC is better for me.

True, the PC has Viruses, and the Mac Doesn't but there's a reason for it, and its NOT because the Mac OS is just so super awesome that its virus proof, its because in the global market people don't code for mac viruses because PC's are just so much more common. When Macs get more of a market share = virus city, and it'll be just as buggy as PCs will be when spyware/viruses start getting the MacOS code.

I like the ability to customize my computer and overclock it as well. Corsair Dominator DDR3 Ram just isn't an option to pick up easily with a Mac.

So to answer your question, it depends. Do you use your computer for surfing the net, word processing/etc, and email(mac is better), or do you play games/use your computer as a multimedia center etc (PC is better)
Click to expand...

Joe Peschi like, in LETHAL WEAPON, Jet says

"OKAY, OKAY, OKAY, OKAY...":laugh:

OZZIE and RABB are obviously NOT the norm...

TWO DUDES building their own computers, writing software, fixing software glitches with the ease that most people pick their nose,

OKAY. OKAY. OKAY, OZZIE AND RABB.

COMPUTER GURUS can deal with the INADEQUACIES of Windows/XP/Vista, since you MO FOs can...UHHHHH....fix the problems YOURSELF.

MOST OF US CAN'T DO THAT.

SO FOR....UHHHH....US.....

either COMMIT to:

1) problems requiring you to dial 1-800-please-fix-my-PC

2) slower and slower load times

3) software failure

4) VIRUSES, TROJAN HORSES


OR...........

wait for it.....wait for it....

BUY A MAC.

I'm not a computer savvy dude.

With my Mac I can do things I never couldve done with my PC because of it's SIMPLICITY

for simple minded dudes like me.
 
i'm far from a computer-geek or computer builder. my preferred method of fixing things is to hit them first, then trouble shoot with common sense, then read the manual. i am NOT a computer guru. maybe a Team Fortress 2 superninja, but that's the extent of it 😉

i've never had a problem in 15+ years of using a PC that has required me to call customer service. i had one PC laptop eventually die because the hard drive failed after years of use and abuse (throw the laptop on your backseat enough, something is bound to jostle loose). even that i fixed myself. ebay for a hard drive, screw driver for the swap, OS discs to reinstall. it isn't brain surgery. no phone calls to India (and no trips to the Apple store for that matter).

i've never had a virus that wasn't either: my fault (thanks limewire! 🙄), or easily removable with a virus scan (thanks AVG!). A couple of free programs to scan and remove viruses is all i have ever needed. that and some common sense about what i download and where i download from.

honestly, Vista has not caused me any problems. i don't have slow load times. no trojan horses.

i've used a friend's Mac and it seems like a slick machine, but no obvious reasons other than aesthetics that would give me cause to switch.

if i had a Mac, i'd probably feel the same way about not switching to a PC after i became comfortable with the nuances involved with a Mac.

i think the whole debate is blown out of proportion.
 
Macs rock. I bought a new macbook a few months ago, which was the first mac I've ever owned, and I love it. PCs are a headache. That's probably why computer guru technophiles like them; PCs keep them busy. Always sheitt to going wrong with them: crashing, errors, viruses, freezing, sloooowwwwwness, etc... I'd stick with a mac (get a used one) if I were you. I've come across several white macbooks for pretty cheap.
 
I switched back in '96, bought a bunch of AAPL stock shortly thereafter. I have never been sorry about either decision. Last year I received a pretty nice Sony machine with Vista as a gift. I used it for a while and was not impressed.

I now have OSX installed on it...

Much better.

- pod
 
jetproppilot said:
Joe Peschi like, in LETHAL WEAPON, Jet says

"OKAY, OKAY, OKAY, OKAY...":laugh:

OZZIE and RABB are obviously NOT the norm...

TWO DUDES building their own computers, writing software, fixing software glitches with the ease that most people pick their nose,

OKAY. OKAY. OKAY, OZZIE AND RABB.

COMPUTER GURUS can deal with the INADEQUACIES of Windows/XP/Vista, since you MO FOs can...UHHHHH....fix the problems YOURSELF.

MOST OF US CAN'T DO THAT.

SO FOR....UHHHH....US.....

either COMMIT to:

1) problems requiring you to dial 1-800-please-fix-my-PC

2) slower and slower load times

3) software failure

4) VIRUSES, TROJAN HORSES


OR...........

wait for it.....wait for it....

BUY A MAC.

I'm not a computer savvy dude.

With my Mac I can do things I never couldve done with my PC because of it's SIMPLICITY

for simple minded dudes like me.
Click to expand...



I don't think that's the case at all..you don't need to be a computer engineer to be able to have a pc that's running without problems. I have never had my pc crash or freeze up or anything for the last 6 years. I have desktop PC from 1997 that's still running perfectly fine and is on most of the week, sure i don't do intensive online gaming on it or photo/video editing. And after windows xp i have never had to restart my computer because it started running slow or cause of a blue screen of death. If all you're doing is surfing the web and doing some other minor things like word processing or playing music or whatever you shouldn't have any problems.

Maybe you guys just need good anti-virus software, and anti-spyware software and run scans more often than once a year. Also stop installing and uninstalling random software all the time that clogs up your registry key and makes your computer run slower, and don't download stuff from sketchy website. Also using firefox i never get pop-ups or even see any ads on websites at all.

I am not saying PC's are the best, but they're not the problem machines that you guys are describing. And when you compare the price of a PC to a Mac the mac's are easily double if not triple. The Macs are beautiful machines and might be awesome but I have seen my friends' macs fail all the time too.

If you take care of your pc it will last and be problem free.
 
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Trisomy13 said:
i'm far from a computer-geek or computer builder. my preferred method of fixing things is to hit them first, then trouble shoot with common sense, then read the manual. i am NOT a computer guru. maybe a Team Fortress 2 superninja, but that's the extent of it 😉

i've never had a problem in 15+ years of using a PC that has required me to call customer service. i had one PC laptop eventually die because the hard drive failed after years of use and abuse (throw the laptop on your backseat enough, something is bound to jostle loose). even that i fixed myself. ebay for a hard drive, screw driver for the swap, OS discs to reinstall. it isn't brain surgery. no phone calls to India (and no trips to the Apple store for that matter).

i've never had a virus that wasn't either: my fault (thanks limewire! 🙄), or easily removable with a virus scan (thanks AVG!). A couple of free programs to scan and remove viruses is all i have ever needed. that and some common sense about what i download and where i download from.

honestly, Vista has not caused me any problems. i don't have slow load times. no trojan horses.

i've used a friend's Mac and it seems like a slick machine, but no obvious reasons other than aesthetics that would give me cause to switch.

if i had a Mac, i'd probably feel the same way about not switching to a PC after i became comfortable with the nuances involved with a Mac.

i think the whole debate is blown out of proportion.
Click to expand...

👍👍👍
 
RussianJoo said:
Also stop installing and uninstalling random software all the time that clogs up your registry key and makes your computer run slower, and don't download stuff from sketchy website.

And when you compare the price of a PC to a Mac the mac's are easily double if not triple.

If you take care of your pc it will last and be problem free.
Click to expand...


But I love to install and uninstall random software all the time. Are you saying I have to sacrifice using a computer for what I want to use it for so that it can continue to run stably and quickly?

The price of a Mac is NOT even close to double. If you compare similarly configured models within a few months of a Mac refresh, the premium is more like 10-15%. Since the life cycle of refreshes on the Windows side is much shorter, the price premium may go up as the Mac nears the end of its cycle.

If you are shopping for the cheapest possible computer, you will always find a cheaper windows machine. If you want the best value, that is much harder to quantify and the value of any one machine will be very different for different people.

I use the Macbook Air because despite the cost it is more valuable to me than any other Mac machine or Windows machine that was available on the date I purchased it. This thing goes everywhere with me and it does everything I need it to do (web, email, photoshop, minor video editing, music editing). A cheaper, smaller, or more powerful computer would have been less valuable to me because I would have either given up functionality or portability. I have more powerful mac and windows machines at home, but I never need to use them. If you are a gamer or full time video editor, my machine would be lousy for you.

Ultimately, the "best answer" is different for everyone.


- pod
 
periopdoc said:
But I love to install and uninstall random software all the time. Are you saying I have to sacrifice using a computer for what I want to use it for so that it can continue to run stably and quickly?

The price of a Mac is NOT even close to double. If you compare similarly configured models within a few months of a Mac refresh, the premium is more like 10-15%. Since the life cycle of refreshes on the Windows side is much shorter, the price premium may go up as the Mac nears the end of its cycle.

If you are shopping for the cheapest possible computer, you will always find a cheaper windows machine. If you want the best value, that is much harder to quantify and the value of any one machine will be very different for different people.

I use the Macbook Air because despite the cost it is more valuable to me than any other Mac machine or Windows machine that was available on the date I purchased it. This thing goes everywhere with me and it does everything I need it to do (web, email, photoshop, minor video editing, music editing). A cheaper, smaller, or more powerful computer would have been less valuable to me because I would have either given up functionality or portability. I have more powerful mac and windows machines at home, but I never need to use them. If you are a gamer or full time video editor, my machine would be lousy for you.

Ultimately, the "best answer" is different for everyone.


- pod
Click to expand...

no you can still use the pc to install and uninstall programs you'll just need to clean the registry out with a registry cleaner program or might have to reformat every couple of years. however most people probably don't just randomly install and uninstall programs on a daily basis. and i bet the key registry of a mac gets clogged up the same way it does on a PC.

when you say Mac refresh do you mean a refurbished or a used computer? so you're comparing the price of a used mac to a brand new pc and saying that the used mac is only 15% more expensive than a brand new pc? sorry I don't like to purchase used things, especially when they cost more than a new item with similar configurations.

isn't a cheaper, smaller, more powerful computer by definition of those terms more portable and more functional? so i don't understand how you would give up any of those by buying a smaller more powerful pc?

i am not trying to start an argument i could care less what computer people use, but some mac users (not you in particular)think their macs are the next coming of jesus christ, and to be honest for your an average user it really doesn't matter if you use a mac or a pc. I think macs are very pretty but i don't want to go through the hassle or waste my time to learning how to use one of them, when a pc does everything i need it to do and causes zero problems for me. now if i was one of those people that kept getting viruses or constantly had his pc crash on me or run slow, then i'd probably switch to a mac after a few different pc's. or if i didn't know how to use anti-virus software or how to reformat my computer i would probably use a mac too. but luckily i do and thus i have no need for a mac.

here's a nice little pc that i am going to get once i need a laptop upgrade..

http://www.acer.com/aspireone/aspireone_8_9/
 
RussianJoo said:
i am not trying to start an argument i could care less what computer people use, but some mac users (not you in particular)think their macs are the next coming of jesus christ, and to be honest for your an average user it really doesn't matter if you use a mac or a pc. I think macs are very pretty but i don't want to go through the hassle or waste my time to learning how to use one of them, when a pc does everything i need it to do and causes zero problems for me. now if i was one of those people that kept getting viruses or constantly had his pc crash on me or run slow, then i'd probably switch to a mac after a few different pc's. or if i didn't know how to use anti-virus software or how to reformat my computer i would probably use a mac too. but luckily i do and thus i have no need for a mac.

here's a nice little pc that i am going to get once i need a laptop upgrade..

http://www.acer.com/aspireone/aspireone_8_9/
Click to expand...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Thats frikkin hilarious!!!
 
I have both Macbook Pro(Core2Duo 2.4/4Gb ram) and Vista PC laptop(AMD X2 2.0/4Gb ram). The Mac looks nicer and loads faster. Really easy to use. But, it was also 4 times as expensive($3200 vs $800). All in all it is not $2400 nicer. For what I spent in the Mac I could have had several nice laptops for the next 12 yrs. If I were in the market today I would get a PC.

I got Linux(Ubuntu) too. Works great. That thing is as fast, or faster, as Leopard.

Cool Linux ad:
[YOUTUBE]EwL0G9wK8j4[/YOUTUBE]

Cool Mac/PC upgrading ad
[YOUTUBE]zmbfWayfikY[/YOUTUBE]
 
RussianJoo said:
when you say Mac refresh do you mean a refurbished or a used computer? so you're comparing the price of a used mac to a brand new pc and saying that the used mac is only 15% more expensive than a brand new pc? sorry I don't like to purchase used things, especially when they cost more than a new item with similar configurations.
Click to expand...

No I mean when they refresh the lineup (as in introduce new models). If you compare the price of a newly introduced mac model to a similarly configured Wintel model, the prices will be very close. In the few months leading up to a new model introduction, the mac will be relatively more overpriced because Apple doesn't refresh their lineup (introduce new models) as frequently as all of the PC manufacturers and they don't discount models until after the new models are introduced. This gives the PC manufacturers the opportunity to more rapidly drop pricing to reflect rapidly dropping component costs.


RussianJoo said:
isn't a cheaper, smaller, more powerful computer by definition of those terms more portable and more functional? so i don't understand how you would give up any of those by buying a smaller more powerful pc?
Click to expand...

Absolutely, if a cheaper, smaller, more powerful PC existed I would consider it. When I bought my computer I could have had a smaller and cheaper windows machine, but it would not have had the power of my computer. I haven't looked recently, but when I bought this, there wasn't really a good competitor for the air. There were the smaller, cheaper ultraportable machines that are good for email, web, word processing but have too small a screen and too little power for what I do (they have gotten more horsepower in the interim), or there were heavier, more powerful, cheaper machines that would be left at home constantly. So the air hit the sweet spot for me at the time I was looking. I didn't get the most power for the bucks, but I did get exactly what I wanted/ needed, and that made me happy.


- pod
 
My dad and I have used PC desktops for probably the last 10 years or so and we've had very little trouble. Never had to call customer support or anything.

I ran a 633 mhz P3 crap machine until just 2 years ago and I didn't have much trouble; hell, WoW would run on it when I was pretty far below minimum reqs.

Neither of us are super computer whizzes or anything. It's just a bit of common sense. Neither of us have any anti-virus software and never have, and we've never had any problems with viruses. I haven't done a spyware check in a long time (could probably use one though), and it still runs fine.

If you use some common sense in what websites you go to and what you download it's not that bad.

I'm not a big fan of the Windows OS either (although I haven't used Mac's OS so I can't say I know if its much better..), but it works.

I'm not sure about notebooks, but I'm sure they're at least functionally similar to desktops. And when you're going to use a computer for word processing and simple stuff that doesn't require a super computer, I don't really see the need to go balls to the wall for a 2000 dollar mac book. Typing up text documents and surfing the internet is not that memory/hardware intensive; people were doing it on computers 6-10 years ago just fine.

When I go out and buy a laptop for undergrad I'd like to give a mac a shot, but I'm not going to spend three times as much for essentially the same thing ($1800+ compared to $600) or even worse hardware wise.

Granted, I haven't bought a new PC in a long time and I haven't moved up to Vista yet either. I don't know how much junkware and **** they pack into the new models with Vista, so maybe buying a fresh model is that bad these days.
 
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Additionally, when talking about laptops, the difference between PCs and Macs in performance to price ratio starts to shrink. That is because it is not cost effective to build your own laptop for PCs. Thus less competition in the laptop market. You can still get very good laptops if you search the sales (got my wife a high end speced model labor day 2008) and upgrade the RAM and hard drive if necessary (although I just set up network drives over wifi in our home to store bulk video and music for her so hard drive size is fairly unimportant).

The other important thing to do is if your PC computer used to be fast but is getting "slower" generally one or both of two things is occuring. Either the registry is getting loaded with garbage and the solution is just to reinstall windows (and all your programs), and/or your hard drive is filling up and there is less virtual memory available. The solution to that is getting rid of junk and frequently defragging your hard drive (reinstalling windows does that too). I used to have to reinstall windows 95 every 6 months or so, since windows 2000 that has gotten a lot better. However, the hardware doesn't really "slow down" it is just the software bloats everything to a stop.

Macs are fine for most people. If you want to buy one computer every 3-5 years and not mess with it they are probably the best choice. Just understand you are sacrificing performance (or paying a high cost premium) for stability. There is nothing wrong with that.
 
Crazyday said:
When I go out and buy a laptop for undergrad I'd like to give a mac a shot, but I'm not going to spend three times as much for essentially the same thing ($1800+ compared to $600) or even worse hardware wise.
Click to expand...

RabbMD said:
Macs are fine for most people. If you want to buy one computer every 3-5 years and not mess with it they are probably the best choice. Just understand you are sacrificing performance (or paying a high cost premium) for stability. There is nothing wrong with that.
Click to expand...

All I am going to say is do your research. I don't care what kind of computer you buy, but don't buy into the Macs are more expensive BS. A long time ago that was the case. As I discussed in my previous post there is little to no price premium for purchasing a mac compared to purchasing a similarly configured windows machine. Just be sure that when you are looking at cost you are doing an apples to apples comparison as it were (exactly what the latest windows ads are NOT doing). Sure you can buy a $600 windows machine but not a $600 mac (unless you go used/ refurbed). Apple doesn't play in this market. At other price points, they are competitive for the same hardware specs.

A great Article on the Mac vs PC price/ value issue from Computerworld.

The prelude to the previous article looking strictly at cost comparison

A Businessweek article on the issue.


- pod
 
2ndyear said:
I run all 3 major OS's (Windows laptop, Mac desktop, Linux netbook). I love my netbook, but it's just a web surf/email machine. I love the apple store refurbished products. My mac and my iPod are both refurbs and work fine. You can get a 13 in Core duo 2 2.1 Ghz white Macbook for $849 right now. Not a bad deal, but you're right, you pay for the apple design and Mac OS.

If you're not looking for a desktop replacement laptop, give a serious thought to the 10 inch netbooks. Windows XP runs very well on them and you can get them for around $400 brand new. I have a 9 inch and it's just a little small. 10 gets a more comfortable screen and it still is very easy to travel with.
Click to expand...

Agree with every letter of that.
 
Trisomy13 said:
i'm far from a computer-geek or computer builder. my preferred method of fixing things is to hit them first, then trouble shoot with common sense, then read the manual. i am NOT a computer guru. maybe a Team Fortress 2 superninja, but that's the extent of it 😉

i've never had a problem in 15+ years of using a PC that has required me to call customer service. i had one PC laptop eventually die because the hard drive failed after years of use and abuse (throw the laptop on your backseat enough, something is bound to jostle loose). even that i fixed myself. ebay for a hard drive, screw driver for the swap, OS discs to reinstall. it isn't brain surgery. no phone calls to India (and no trips to the Apple store for that matter).

i've never had a virus that wasn't either: my fault (thanks limewire! 🙄), or easily removable with a virus scan (thanks AVG!). A couple of free programs to scan and remove viruses is all i have ever needed. that and some common sense about what i download and where i download from.

honestly, Vista has not caused me any problems. i don't have slow load times. no trojan horses.

i've used a friend's Mac and it seems like a slick machine, but no obvious reasons other than aesthetics that would give me cause to switch.

if i had a Mac, i'd probably feel the same way about not switching to a PC after i became comfortable with the nuances involved with a Mac.

i think the whole debate is blown out of proportion.
Click to expand...

if you add just a bit of people's need to feel exceptional - you'll have it all 😉
 
2ndyear said:
If you're not looking for a desktop replacement laptop, give a serious thought to the 10 inch netbooks. Windows XP runs very well on them and you can get them for around $400 brand new. I have a 9 inch and it's just a little small. 10 gets a more comfortable screen and it still is very easy to travel with.
Click to expand...

Incidently 👍 👍 👍

-pod
 
if youre computer savvy then a PC is fine. I've been PC since 1994, and have no problems.

I don't enjoy using Macs.

If you get a PC, wait til Windows 7 comes out. Its awesome. 👍

Crashes, slow computers, "tech service", are problems of people who don't understand the interworkings of a PC. They install a bunch of junk (both hardware and software), and open up spam and jump to suspicious sites. Not saying all are done, but I guarantee the first two. More programs installed running in the background = more RAM used. Vista hogs resources, so windows 7 is a nice cleaned up version.

If you really hate windows, you can always get linux. :laugh:
 
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Get the right version of Linux that fits you...and you'll be just fine

http://distrowatch.com/

Over 200 versions to choose from......alll free

Been using Linux since 98

Mepis is probably the best for you,

At home I'm using a Mepis hardcore version called , " Antix"

At work: We never went beyond XP Pro.



Foil
 
periopdoc said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2ndyear
If you're not looking for a desktop replacement laptop, give a serious thought to the 10 inch netbooks. Windows XP runs very well on them and you can get them for around $400 brand new. I have a 9 inch and it's just a little small. 10 gets a more comfortable screen and it still is very easy to travel with.

Incidently 👍 👍 👍

-pod
Click to expand...

You can also load OSX on netbooks, with functionality depending on the model:

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2008/12/mac-os-x-on-net/
 
So I finally pulled the trigger. I bought a great Lenovo Y550 for $650 shipped. Good size, great design, more than adequate hardware for my needs. So far I've found Vista to be both aesthetically pleasing and totally functional/easy to use. A few learning curves, but there's nothing about it that I'd call inherently more difficult to use than my iBook from years ago. I'm happy with my decision. I'm planning to upgrade to the Windows 7 release candidate and try that out for a while - looks cool. Anyway, count me as one of the few level-headed, even-tempered, passionless non-combatants in the Mac vs PC wars. They're both fine. I loved my Mac, and so far I'm loving my PC. Thanks for all the advice - glad I spurred some spirited discussion not about Obama or CRNAs!:meanie:
 
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