I bought my first Mac shortly after they went Intel (I had never been impressed with the speed of OSX running on PowerPCs) and the thing that finally persuaded me to do so was the announcement that they could run Windows natively. This was because I knew I was tied to Windows with some of the applications I commonly run. I have been a Windows user for years (with a 1.5 year interlude of using BeOS) so understand most of the points you're making.
I have tried where I can to stick with OSX applications where I can and have largely succeeded, so this is where I haven't gone the same route as yourself... so here is my 2 cents worth
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Atomic_Fusion said:
OS X "is actually more stable." -- This is my understanding too, but I have had some system lockups too. XP really hasn't been as bad as previous versions of Windows though.
I would agree pretty much here, I don't see much difference in stability between the two.
Atomic_Fusion said:
OS X "has no registry." -- I haven't had to work in the registry other than follow instructions to get rid of spyware, so this never has been a problem for me. I feel sorry for the guys that need to work in it to get what they need accomplished, though. You're right about that.
Spyware is a big problem so you're actually admitting pain here.. As a Windows Admin I have had to do some serious stuff in the registry on corporate servers and it can be pretty scary sometimes.
Atomic_Fusion said:
OS X "isn't virus prone." -- All I can say to this one is... not yet. And it won't be if OS X doesn't capture more market share, since its not gonna be as exciting for punks to write viruses for OS X. But for me, the threat of obtaining a virus on XP is not much of a concern. I don't use Outlook, nor IE. Never have since 1995 when I bought my first PC. Always used Netscape and it's Mail. Now its Firefox and Thunderbird, since '01 or '02.
But some people have to use those programs. Using those programs on your Mac via Parallels isn't going to eliminate the threat to your data that comes through Outlook of IE. It might not crash your base system, but you'll obviously have to fix your virtual machine. Anti-virus software is such today that the threat is pretty low, if you've got it installed on the system.
So how big of a concern is this point, anyway?
The argument that OSX doesn't have viruses because it isn't targeted sounds valid except it still hasn't had a single serious virus (none I know of anyway, feel free to correct me) since it was released 7-8 years ago. I am more inclined to believe the argument that its security model based on BSD is what has helped it most. Of course it doesn't pay to be lax on these matters.
Most of Windows security weaknesses have been addressed by Vista so I would have liked to have said we are moving to an even field..... but because Vista has pretty high hardware requirements (at least if you want to use its new features) not only because of the eye candy but because of its constant monitoring of DRM (which benefits the customer how?) most customers and corporate offices are going to stick to XP for the foreseeable future.
As for the size of the concern, whilst antivirus software works pretty well mostly, every so often something crops up that causes chaos (again speaking from working in Windows Admin) and I don't think that is going to change soon.
Atomic_Fusion said:
"OS X is a UNIX like system" -- This might be a legitimate point for me, except the what I've seen in the Open Source predominately is not the kind of software I need to use, and/or they have strange UIs. Take gimp -- I've tried and tried to get used to it, but I simply can't get anything done with it. Too many distractions, and I can't get a feel for it's intuition. So it's back to Paintshop Pro and Photoshop in XP.
I agree 100% here, the only applications like this I use are supported better on Windows.
Atomic_Fusion said:
"...is designed for a small set of hardware variations, so unlike Windows..." -- Well that's one thing that sold me on Mac. But I was hoping such hardware optimization would also mean faster GUI experience, and that is not the case. So chalk up another disappointment.
Again inclined to agree. Furthermore while I now only buy hardware that provides support for OSX I have found at least a couple of times that driver support (printers especially) is seriously inferior on the Mac.
Atomic_Fusion said:
Anyway, I figure I'm just a rookie starting out with OS X, so I've always got the hope that somebody else will be able to show me stuff that makes the experience better. That's what it's been like with Windows. But, the Mac user base, I am discovering, seem to be more reluctant (or simply don't have any solutions) to offer REAL TANGIBLE proof that the Mac platform is truly any better, or even as good as Windows, with the things I need.
I am stubborn to some extent in that I have stuck at using OSX where I would have been more comfortable using Windows (but stuck at it because I paid for a Mac!) and really, it has got easier and easier. I have always had Boot Camp and/or Parallels as backup and still use them regularly but only when I have to, though as an application user it is difficult to escape Windows sometimes.
What has happened though is that I have found that I become attached to some of the features of OSX and the preloaded software that came with it and even the little white iPod pretender remote.
Creativity My creativity has definitely taken an up turn with iLife...
Since getting my Mac I have created a Blog using iWeb, created 4-5 holiday DVDs using iDVD (very professional looking) not so impressed with iPhotos (seems restrictive for what I want to do) but anyway you get the idea.
Multimedia The couch potato in me lets me watch videos, listen to music, DVDs and everything works with the little white remote. Nice with my 24" Wide Screen Dell monitor.
Keychain Access Not just useful for your Internet/Application passwords but also online banking etc... really very useful
Dialogue Boxes Windows dialogue boxes are a pet hate of mine and they have become even worse in Vista, I have never understood why you have confirm with your OS numerous times what you have already told it you want to do. In OSX yes, they're there but it is much easier to see why, and for much of what you do in OSX the change is instant.
The OSWhilst I will admit that I didn't at first, I now prefer the whole overall feel of the OS in use.
I know where you are coming from, I still need Windows which why I still use Boot Camp and Parallels. It just seems such a waste of opportunity to me that you use your MBP just as a Windows machine
Take a look at "Mac OS X Panther Timesaving Techniques for Dummies" too. I too had missed some key features of OSX until I read this.
Darn.. what happened to Thursday
