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Should I switch to a MAC? 1

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mjstanton

Technical User
Aug 28, 2001
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Hello - I've become very frustrated with my Windows PC and am thinking of getting a MAC. I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons - someone told me that on the "pro" side, MACs don't ever get viruses. Is this true?????

Thanks in advance!
mj
 
Macs look better. In a lot of significant operations – eg Photoshop actions – they're faster (the MHz clock speed is often misleading in favour of PCs). They're more intuitive. The 'windows' environment is integral to the Mac architecture (if that means anything) ie it's not an add-on programme like Windows. Macs are very easy to set up and have a supremely excellent help menu. They don't become obsolete as fast as PCs (some of the contributors to this forum are operating ancient Macs like Quadras and Performas, without even being able to spell it!). And the prices are now similar to equivalent-power PCs. They hardly ever suffer from viruses. And the new OS X operating system is very stable. No, I don't work for Apple....
 
I know the Classic Mac better than OSX, but in 15 years there were only 57 Mac viruses that were not Microsoft macros, so if you use a mac without Microsoft applications, it is almost immpossile to get a virus.

Apple altered the MacOS in response to the viruses, so no one Mac OS can even get all 57, most are blocked in later releases

this compares well to the about 64,000 PC viruses I tried to remain child-like, all I acheived was childish.
 
Mac's aren't any more stable than PCs. Extensions are a headache. They cost more than a PC and there aren't as many apps for a Mac.

Decide what you want to do with the computer then see if a Mac will cover it.

A Mac on the Net is more difficult to hack into as most hackers are geared towards PCs. Similarly with viruses, Macs are a lot safer.

If you want to play games, a Mac is not as much fun. If you want peace of mind and ease of use, a Mac is a lot better. Residual values are better on a Mac.
 
Mac's got more useful free programs, like CorelWord Perfect, CorelDraw 8, Nisus Writer, 2D/3D animation, etc....
If you subscribe to Macformat(UK based) they supply 2 CD's with atleast 1 Free Full version program every month.
If you don't want to spend for a new Mac, get used G3 or G4 for around $500 with plenty of Ram. If you don't want to upgrade your Mac (only use it for internet, e-mail, wordprocessing, spreadsheet, etc..) buy a new iMac or eMac for around $800 with DVD/CD-RW. no floppy.
More games are coming for Mac, but you'll only find good quality games for mac.
 
I have worked and used both PC and MACS for the past ten years (Means I most be getting old).

Both are as good as each other when the money is spent on them, however you don't really get a choice with a mac you have to spend, spend to get what you need.

Macs are easier to work with, however PCs cost less to buy and run. If you can't fix it in 20 minutes call someone who can.
 
Thanks everyone, for your info and opinions!

MJ
 
MJ,

I'm a bone fide Mac guy...though unlike most platform advocates I've worked with both platforms.

I do tech support, web design, and network admin with a macintosh Local Area network (LAN) in a k12 environment (education). We're running about 180 Mac including four servers, hosting two web sites. There IS one PC in the building - the accounting office. They've just bought a new one despite my assurance they'll be left out in the cold if they have trouble. Took about an hour for trouble to rear it's head. Networking issues and of course the company of sale, we'll call them SMELL, claimed they did NOT support networking, period. Good luck.

Cost differences are negligable. Photoshop is Photoshop. Certainly WHAT you are doing is of issue. The propaganda that applications aren't available for the MAC is simply false. I have yet to be frustrated that I can't run a particular program on my MAC other than free internet services like JUNO, which I can run in Virtual PC by emulating the PC environment on my MAC. Can you emulate the Mac on a PC? No. Have they yet made it possible to open MAC files on a PC? Not as of Windows 2000. Of course we pull PPC files open on the MAC every day.

I find the platform more well rounded and much more user friendly if you are thinking about doing ANY of your own support.

MacGeneral
 
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