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Oh Microsoft, how do I love thee ....
let me count the ways.
Well, not really. I admit that, I have been in the
microsoft camp ever since its inception and somehow
missed getting on the Apple express. And yes, I am
sure the Apple dumpling gang would be able to count
the ways they love their Macs. I can easily understand
why Mac users love their Macs. MSDOS was intimidating
to anyone new to computers, although I felt right at
home using command line prompts as I came from
a mainframe background ( IMB360's ) and TSO - ie,
Time Sharing Option to connect to the mainframe.
As a programmer on main frame computers, it made
no real difference as to which version of the operating
system was installed - all we cared about were the
applications we developed. I can barely remember if
I ever had to re-compile a program when a new version
of the operating system was installed. This was for the
most part completely transparent.
That is, with a new OS installed
our applications still ran. My point is, there was a clear
delineation between the OS and the applications. It made
no difference if I had to run an application on an IBM or
Univac mainframe. All one had to do was re-compile the
application - no fuss, no muss. Nobody would argue
whether the IBM or Univac was a "better" computer
the way people argue the merits of a PC vs. Mac.
The way to compare a PC and Mac would be to run the same
application and benchmark the results. Assuming, of course,
that CPU, memory, etc. are approximately the same and both
are running in a graphical environment ( windows and X-window).
In the beginning, a DOS PC vs. a graphical Mac would surely
favor the Mac as "superior" - only from a perspective of ease of
use for new computer users. I have always heard that the Mac was
"better" for graphics programs. By better, I think the critics meant
faster but I was never convinced that this was the case. I never saw
any hard data to support this position.
As I mentioned before, I always looked at computers as having
two separate functionally distinct components - the operating system
and the applications. So I could never get worked up as to whether
a pc was better than a mac or vice versa. Who cares? If you are
a graphic artist and want to use Photoshop it should make no
or very little difference on which platform to use. Photoshop should
perform the same functions under either one. Again, if both
a pc and mac have equivalent hardware - there should be no
difference in performance. As for other applications, like a word
processor or an accounting program then the differences are even
more tenuous.
From what I understand, most people have something like 1.5
commercial applications on their computers, eg, a business application
and a word processor which would exclude an email client and web
browser as these two are generally free.
However , I guess the windows vs. mac debate will continue as both
sides have their loyal following. It kind of reminds me of two dung
beetles tussling over a dung ball - both are determined to claim
the prize - but in the final analysis, they are battling over a piece
of S**T!
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