To Vista or not to Vista....

[Tone2TheBone]

...that is my question to you.....

I'm tired of seeing the "windows" theme to MS's OS aren't you...

[sunvalleylaw]

Nope, I am already running the latest OSX which Vista tries to copy. (not that Apple never got ideas from elsewhere). I have a copy of Windows that I can run on my newer intel mac, but I never seem to have the need. Since you pretty much have to buy a new box to run Vista, why buy a box that only runs the contender copying the front runner, and trying to catch up? (ok, ducking now). ;-)

[Tone2TheBone]

My next personal computer is wanting to be a Mac...you get no arguments from me there. But as far as Vista goes for PC...I'm just wondering what the noise is all about.

[Myles]

I have a number of friends that go the Mac route based on the hype of its better, fast, more secure, etc

What they don't tell you of course is that no one knows anything about Macs. You have to figure it out by yourself and your software choices are much more limited and god help you if you are a gamer.

There are always trade-offs, if Macs truly were superior they'd be the only computers we used.

[Jimi75]

Why Vista? It is so funny, you install it and within 24h you have to make a load full of updates! Why so, I mean this product is new.

I use and record with my PC and it runs on Windows XP. I never experienced any bigger problems so I am not going "to vista"!

Never change a running system!

[marnold***]

Unless you are planning to sink a bunch of money in hardware, I see no reason to upgrade. I made the executive decision not to upgrade to WinXP and instead moved everything over to Linux. My work computer uses XP. I don't think I'm missing anything.

[SuperSwede]

I have a number of friends that go the Mac route based on the hype of its better, fast, more secure, etc

What they don't tell you of course is that no one knows anything about Macs. You have to figure it out by yourself and your software choices are much more limited and god help you if you are a gamer.

There are always trade-offs, if Macs truly were superior they'd be the only computers we used.

My response is not meant to offend anyone, and not intended to start a platform war here!

Its true that there isnt as many games on the Mac, but we get most of the AAA games. If you are a hardcore gamer you should get a fat PC or a XBox360/PS3 instead. That said, here is some nice links for mac gamers :

www.insidemacgames.com
www.macgamer.com
www.macgamefiles.com

I´d say that there is no real limitation when it comes to software for macs, and many fantastic apps on the mac doesnt have a real equivalent on the PC (iLife among others).

Vital, "nobody knows anything about macs" ? That depends on who you hang out with, and most of my family/friends have "switched" to macs. I usually help out my friends with their computers, and the ones who have Macs now never needs any help, it just works!
I´m not saying that PC´s with Windows are bad, but that MacOS X are better, especially for those with little or no previous computer experience.

[Tone2TheBone]

I was talking with one of my co-workers yesterday about Macs and he did point out that Macs are more expensive than PCs. Like 3x more is that about right?
Do you get 3x more computer? Just something I remembered.

[SuperSwede]

Tone, you got to compare with PC´s with the same components. Expensive? Sure... Worth it? Oh yes.
Check out http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPL...cts/AppleStore

[sunvalleylaw]

That is not really the case when you compare identically outfitted products. There have been a few recent articles in various PC pubs on the subject. Apples do tend to come more fully decked out though. Tone, your original question was whether to jump to Vista. I have worked in both PC and Mac environments. The Mac side has always been easier for me and my small biz scenario, not to mention iLife with managing photos, tunes, movies, and garageband. I have never really had the need for network or computer consultants on my macs. By and large, with some exceptions, (I have had an issue with the sound card portion of my motherboard on the iMac duo which is being fixed under warranty) it has just worked for me, running a network of a couple machines and a HP laser printer from 1995. But that is just what works for me.

Back to the original question. If windows xp works for what you or anyone else is doing on current equipment, then I would think you would just stick with it. If you are upgrading machines, or looking at Vista, I think you should really go look at the Macs. They run Windows too now if you want, and if you are buying a new machine, you might as well look. If you buy one, you may or may not want to run windows on it. I just never find the need to. Vitamyles is right that a lot of people you talk to (Qwest DSL as an example), don't have much of a clue with Macs. But that is getting better, and I don't have to spend a lot of time figuring things out. I don't game much so no opinion there. Last time I gamed much was the old Myst game in the 90s. My computer "goof off" time is mostly spent here with you fine fellows! :-)

EDIT: I have a copy of the latest Windows xp pro to run on my iMac for some legal software (idaho child support calculator) that is not written for Macs. I don't intend on upgrading it to Vista, though I hear the current Macs run it just swell.

[Tone2TheBone]

I work for a government agency (city) and the city uses PCs exclusively. Always have. All my work software is PC based. I couldn't justify the use of a Mac at work....the request for one would get denied big time. As for home....well I'd not only have to shell out more money on a very nice Mac...but I'd also have to buy more software for it (again more money). These considerations would have to be weighed in if I was to think about getting a Mac at home. It would be cool as hell though....but expensive. Think of all the cool guitars and amphs and pedals and modelers I could get instead!



I'm not planning on going over to Vista. XP works fine for me. I think the only way I'd ever get it is if it were installed on a new computer that I'd get in the future.

[sunvalleylaw]

I work for a government agency (city) and the city uses PCs exclusively. Always have. All my work software is PC based. I couldn't justify the use of a Mac at work....the request for one would get denied big time. As for home....well I'd not only have to shell out more money on a very nice Mac...but I'd also have to buy more software for it (again more money). These considerations would have to be weighed in if I was to think about getting a Mac at home. It would be cool as hell though....but expensive. Think of all the cool guitars and amphs and pedals and modelers I could get instead!



I'm not planning on going over to Vista. XP works fine for me. I think the only way I'd ever get it is if it were installed on a new computer that I'd get in the future.

You and I posted at the same time. Make sure you read my post. When you get to a new machine, make sure you look at a Mac. You might be surprised by the comparison. Plus, there are some great amps modeled in the software that comes with the machine!

[Tone2TheBone]

You and I posted at the same time. Make sure you read my post. When you get to a new machine, make sure you look at a Mac. You might be surprised by the comparison. Plus, there are some great amps modeled in the software that comes with the machine!

How does Mac run PC based software? Does it emulate the OS?

[SuperSwede]

How does Mac run PC based software? Does it emulate the OS?

No, the latest macs have Intel Core Duo processors which allows the Mac to boot up windows just as any PC.

[Tone2TheBone]

Reeee heee heee eeeeeeally? *done in his best Ace Ventura imitation* I was unaware that Macs had this capability. That's pretty cool hoss.

[duhvoodooman***]

I have XP running on 4 PC's at home (one Pro, three Home), and have no intentions of upgrading to Vista any time soon. XP is stable and has the features we (me, wife, 2 teenagers) need and use. So an "OS platform change" is nothing our home network Sysop (me!) has any interest in doing! Not to mention the expense!

[sunvalleylaw]

Reeee heee heee eeeeeeally? *done in his best Ace Ventura imitation* I was unaware that Macs had this capability. That's pretty cool hoss.

Not only that, but they can run to OS's at once, switching back and forth between OS's without re-booting, using this:

http://www.parallels.com/landingpage...FSb-YAodxVOOdw

[Justaguyin_nc]

I always tend to wait for the new windows version to settle in.. maybe a year after launch all the updates and bugs will then be gone... it's just normal these days to use the open public as testers.. something is bound to be wrong in Vista...but it will be fixed.. eventually.. products will be made just for Vista and than the sswitch will be made... hopefully at a cheaper price.

[marnold***]

I always tend to wait for the new windows version to settle in.. maybe a year after launch all the updates and bugs will then be gone... it's just normal these days to use the open public as testers.. something is bound to be wrong in Vista...but it will be fixed.. eventually.. products will be made just for Vista and than the sswitch will be made... hopefully at a cheaper price.

Yes, to Justa you listen. A good rule of thumb would be to wait until the first service pack comes out and it doesn't blow anything up.

I moved to Linux because I just finally wanted to get off the Windows treadmill. I got sick of forking over $$ for a new OS and then new utilities, etc. It's not something I jumped into at a moment's notice. I dual-booted for a long time. Then I kept dual-booting but made Linux the primary OS. Then I nuked Windows altogether. That way, I was absolutely sure I knew what I was doing and was ready to roll.

These days with Firefox, Thunderbird, and OpenOffice.org, there's no reason for people to at least consider Linux. If you don't want to take the full plunge, snag a live CD and give it a spin. The only thing I "miss" from Windows is some games. As it is, my box is so long in the tooth that it can't run any new games anyway. I can run the Quake, Doom, and Unreal Tournament games plus Neverwinter Nights natively. I've gotten the Jedi Knight games and Half-Life 2 running under Cedega. I do wish that I could mess with some of the cool recording and guitar effects software. Audacity does the trick for me for now.