On Nov 2, 2004, at 11:27 AM, Ian Monroe wrote:
quoted 3 lines The fact of the matter is that Nicholas pointed out valid problems with> The fact of the matter is that Nicholas pointed out valid problems with
> the Mac platform, and immediately the evangleical mac users rush to
> argue.
I didn't bring it up, I just don't like FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and
Doubt) being spread about something (in this case, Apple) I use and
actually enjoy.
quoted 6 lines I know, from personal experience, that there are large> I know, from personal experience, that there are large
> incompatabilities, particularly with pre-OSX macs, and other computers.
> There were huge network problems. The Appletalk protocol is one of the
> ugliest, least effiecient protocols around. There's even
> incompatabilites with file systems - Try using a PC to burn a CD of
> files that are stored on an HFS partition. Can't be done.
You don't have to use Appletalk. Apple, as far as I can remember, was
the first computer company to implement TCP/IP in mainstream computers.
They use almost every networking protocol, so Appletalk is a mute
point.
Secondly, it sounds like the problem you mentioned is with PCs, not
Macs. I can burn (and read/open/modify) files from the PC. Why can't
the PC do the same? I can connect to a Samba/SMB share without any
third-party apps, as well.
quoted 8 lines There IS a premium for apple hardware - you're essentially paying for> There IS a premium for apple hardware - you're essentially paying for
> design. And while that may be fine for some people, I find it grossly
> inefficent. The "affordable" eMacs and entry level powerbooks you
> mention are so far back on the hardware curve as to be ridiculous.
> Your
> $999 powerbook is going to need to be replaced in 2 years, if you hope
> to use anything more computationally advanced that word processing and
> interweb. Your $999 commodity PC laptop has twice that life.
I mentioned iBooks, not Powerbooks. I think you're smoking crack
though because I'm using a G3 PowerMac that is over five years old and
it still does everything I need it to do (including doing audio). My
Cube is also several years old and runs very nicely.
Obsolescence is a thing that all computers are affected by, not just
Apple. But I categorically deny that these Macs are going to be
"useless" in a few years time.
An argument can also be made that Apple computers simply last longer.
If my personal experience is any indication then this is very true. I
know people who are using Apple IIs and the original Macs STILL (sad,
but true... they're older folks at a Macintosh User Group I visit).
Tell me how many 286s or 386s you see still being used every day. I
haven't seen one or even heard of one in years.
quoted 2 lines But here's the thing that gets me the most. 20% of the machines that I> But here's the thing that gets me the most. 20% of the machines that I
> support are Macs, and they demand well over half of the support time.
This is your personal experience, and I won't tell you that you're a
liar. However, one reason this could be is because Apple caters as
being an "easy to use" computer (they're more easy to use, imo, than
Windows, by far) and as such, a lot of Apple users are not
technically-inclined. Therefore they just expect the computer "to
work". The Macintosh works remarkably well, but every system has
problems occasionally (far less in my experience than with Windows),
and these users need their hands held.
quoted 5 lines But every mac user I talk to tries to tell me Macs don't crash. Well,> But every mac user I talk to tries to tell me Macs don't crash. Well,
> they do. All the time. Not as much with OSX, but as far as I'm
> concerned, it's too little too late. I've wasted too much of my life
> troubleshooting arcane Mac problems to be fooled by the rhetoric. And
> what rhetoric!
I've personally gone upwards of six months without a crash. OS X is
built on *BSD Unix and I've found it's remarkably stable. Contrast
that to the billions (okay, not billions but easily thousands) of blue
screens I've seen over my decade+ Windows-using experience.
quoted 4 lines I know a half a dozen people with Apple logos TATOOED on> I know a half a dozen people with Apple logos TATOOED on
> their bodies! I don't know any pc users dumb enough to have
> Microsoft's
> logo indelibly etched into their flesh, do you?
How is it any different to have a tattoo of an Apple logo than having a
Harley-Davidson logo tattooed? Or a silly cartoon character? Or
anything else for that matter? Obviously those people LOVE their
computers and wanted to express that love/connection. You can't
denigrate someone else's experience simply because you don't either
understand or agree with it. It *means* something to them and they get
enjoyment out of both using the Mac and identifying with the culture.
What you fail to understand is that it *is* culture.
quoted 5 lines So yeah, I don't like macs. I've got a computer science degree, I use> So yeah, I don't like macs. I've got a computer science degree, I use
> and support macs every single day, I know how they work, I understand
> why people like them, but it's all smoke and mirrors as far as I'm
> concerned. I'll be happy to support them, for a premium. But I will
> never, ever buy Apple products for my own use.
So tell me... what is your thoughts on the multitudes of security flaws
that are found in Windows on a nearly daily basis? How about the over
70,000 viruses that affect Windows (there are *zero* viruses thus far
for OS X, btw)? How about getting a virus, worm or spyware simply by
going to a website if you're using Windows? How about all the spyware
and adware (there is no adware/spyware for Mac OS X to my knowledge)?
One of the reasons I don't use my Windows PC as much anymore is because
of the enormity and severity of the virus/spyware/adware problem. I'm
actually scared to use it on the internet. They say the average
Windows PC is infected with a virus within 45 seconds of it being
connected to the internet! And this is without user intervention...
simply going to a rogue website can infect your machine.
I'm very technically adept, having used computers now for over twenty
years... but using Windows on a (inter)networked connection without a
LOT of precautions and extra (expensive)
software/firewalls/virus-checkers/ad-aware/etc., is truly asking for
trouble.
--
Mr. Tangent [the binary police]
www.mrtangent.com
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