Re: PC or Mac?

[pausch@saaf.se (Paul Schlyter)]

"Leo Dekeo" <leodekeo@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:a21gmd$lr9$1@naxos.belnet.be...
> Hello,
>
> I'm planning to buy a new computer in the near future. My present computer
> is a Pentium with Windows95 running on it, but I was thinking of switching
> to the MacOS.
>
> Is this a good idea? What are the pros and the cons? Is it easier to work
> with? Is it more stable? Can you do more with it? How about the new OS X?
> What kind of Mac should I buy? Is it worth the price?
 
I guess it all boils down to what you want to do with the computer.
 
Are you going to interact with other computer users?  If so, what are
they mostly using?  Your interaction with them will be easier if you
choose the same system as most of them use.
 
Or are you going to mostly use your computer in isolation?  Only then
will it be sensible to determine just for yourself what you should
choose - and then again your choice will depend on what you want to
do.  Do you want the latest games as quickly as possible?  Choose a
PC!  Do you do a lot of graphics and DTP stuff?  Choose a Mac!  Do
you want the widest possible selection of software and/or hardware?
Choose a PC!  Do you prefer to get everything from one single brand?
Choose a Mac!  Do you design your own hardware or do cross
compilation and stuff like that?  Choose a PC!  Do you think the
external design of the computer matters a lot?  Choose a Mac! (unless
you dislike Apple's design choices)  Do you want to get as much
hardware performance as possible from your bucks!  Choose a PC! (and
be careful about which PC you choose!)  Do you want a computer which
isn't just a computer but also a religion?  Choose a Mac!
 
> Is it easy to find software for the Mac?
 
No idea.... :-)
 
> Is there a good compatibility between Windows and Mac?
 
No - the compatibility is only fair: you can exchange data between
the two, but you must be prepared for some extra work in many situations.
 
> Can you put a Mac and PC together in a network?
 
Yes
 
> How come a Mac user loves his computer and a Windows user does not?
 
Probably due to the same reason why another Windows user loves his
computer while another Mac user does not:  it's a matter about choosing
the right computer for the right person.
 
Also: note that a PC needn't necessarily be a "Windows computer":
you can choose to run Linux on the PC instead.  You can even have
both: one partition of your HD can have WIndows while another can
have Linux.
 
Finally, whatever you choose, your choice need not be final, since
there are emulators for "the other" computer on both: there are Mac
emulators for Windows as well as PC emulators for both the Mac
and Linux!
 
-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------
Paul Schlyter,  Swedish Amateur Astronomer's Society (SAAF)
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