Opinions invited re. Vista, OSX & upgrading

[trawler69]

Hi guys, I would welcome your advice / comments on the following:

I currently run XP home on a P4 2.4GHz laptop 512MB ram on a wireless network I set up with 2 computers running win 98, 2 using XP, a PDA and an ethernet webcam. I run a lot of progs at the same time some of which only have windows support. My processor is now maxing out and I am looking to upgrade.

The route I am thinking of is to get a Mac with the Intel duo processor so that I can run OSX and XP in a dual boot configuration. The reasons being that all the Mac users I know swear by them, I still want to use some of the windows progs but not at the same time as OSX.

I don't want Vista for the following reasons: It needs 1GB Ram to work. If I have 1GB ram I want it available to run programs not just an OS many of whose features I am not interested in. I increasingly feel that MS is trying to dictate my computing life and want to get away from that. I can't buy a new PC without having Vista inflicted on me. I want to get away from the bugs, security fixes / patches, viruses, crashes that I have come to associate with MS. (Note. I have been through all versions of windows and started my computing life with a ZX80 or 81 and am not computer illiterate.)

I am drawn to the Mac because those who use it swear by it, not at it. The Intel processor means that I can still run progs written for windows. It would help break the Mac / Windows divide.

What do you think? Are my opinions / reasons valid? What is your experience? I would value your input as I have a high regard for the regular posters on here.

Thank you for taking the time to read this

 

[_AJ_]

Actually these are the system requirements for Vista
* 800 MHz processor and 512 MB of system memory
* 20 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of available space
* Support for Super VGA graphics
* CD-ROM drive

I really dont like apples campaign at the moment they are basically lying saying you have to upgrade all of the computers in my house would run vista and some are about 5 years old

iam not saying dont get an apple just dont believe everything you hear and at the moment Vista is probably a better OS then osx at the moment that could change with the next osx upgrade

 

[trawler69]

Thank you bw92116. Those are the sort of progs I use most. I do them on XP at the moment but they do not integrate well, so many conflicting file types etc. I take what you say on board and thank you for it.

 

[skibby]

At work I use XP, but at home I'm strictly OS X. I like my PC alright (we're friends), but I love my Mac. The creative suites rock.

 

[trawler69]

Ctm5100 I hear what you say but 15 GB for the OS is absurd, my first pc running windows 3.1 had a 500MB hard drive. I want my HD and ram to be available for running programs not just the OS. I have not seen the adverts, I tend to ignore them anyhow, Personal experience is much more valuable which is why I post on here.

 

[trawler69]

Thank you skibby, that says a lot.

 

[3nipples]

Aside from your reluctance towards windows (which I fully understand), I would think it was the better choice for you based on what you told us of your needs.

If you want to get away from windows then you need to get away from the programs that only run on windows.

A dual-boot or emulator system is ok for the odd program but not if that's the bulk of what you're running, but if that's the route you want to go, try it out before you buy.

You appear to be ignoring the Linux option although the same dual-boot/emulator arguments apply as above.

 

[cead-mile_failte]

Hi, my other half has just bought a Macbook Pro. It's a fantastic laptop. He's been using computers both Mac and PC and he much prefers the Mac.

With the Mac being Intel based, you can still use windows, by downloading Apples Bootcamp (which means you can dual boot) or by using a program called Parallels which allows you to have a PC running along side your mac.)

He swears by Macs, as they rarely crash (I mean once or twice a year), dont get viruses, dont have security flaws, and are sooooo easy to use. You spend less time trying to fix them and just get on with using the computer.

As regards Vista, it's just bloatware gone mad, the minimum specs are just a guideline and you would never get the full deal of Vista with them. The MacOS X is due an upgrade in about March to Lepoard which no doubt as many times before simply blow Microsoft Windows outa the water and they will be playing catch up....

 

[trawler69]

3nipples most progs I run have very capable Mac equivalents, I only have a few that require a pc such as MS flight simulator and some music progs, but they are progs I would use "stand alone" i.e. not multi tasking. I am open to Linux, I have Knoppix on a bootable memory stick, but it has not advanced to the point I would be happy to use it as my main OS. Thanks for your comments I take them on board as I do those of cead-mile_failte and I love the reference to "bloatware", never heard that before and so descriptive of how I feel about Vista.

 

[_AJ_]

He swears by Macs, as they rarely crash (I mean once or twice a year), dont get viruses, dont have security flaws, and are sooooo easy to use. You spend less time trying to fix them and just get on with using the computer.

1. i had my pc crash very very few times and those times that it did was because the hardware inside died which is no fault of the OS

2.you do have security flaws to say that there are not any is absurd and stupid

3. i downloaded a corrupt driver the other day i forgot to check all i had to do to fix the problem was use system restore which automatically restored settings to the previous day and worked brilliantly to be honest.

As regards Vista, it's just bloatware gone mad, the minimum specs are just a guideline and you would never get the full deal of Vista with them. The MacOS X is due an upgrade in about March to Lepoard which no doubt as many times before simply blow Microsoft Windows outa the water and they will be playing catch up....

osx requires 4 gb of disk space and 256 mb of ram and is just an update of a 6 year old OS

 

[_AJ_]

also i hate that i have to defend microsoft

but my big problem is the blatant lies that get flung around about windows and osx

 

[rotary]

1. i had my pc crash very very few times and those times that it did was because the hardware inside died which is no fault of the OS

I have a hard time believing the only crashes with XP you've had were due to hardware failures. XP is much better than Win98/ME in terms of stability, but it will still freeze up and require a reboot on occasion.

2.you do have security flaws to say that there are not any is absurd and stupid

The security risks with macs are so low that OSX users don't even have to worry about them. With windows XP, you can have multiple firewalls running at the same time and still discover trojans, spyware and viruses that make it onto the system. It's basically expected that windows systems have malware.

 

[trydegrau]

I've never had XP itself crash my computer. That usually only happens if your computer runs for days and days and you have a program running with a memory leak.

 

[_AJ_]

I have a hard time believing the only crashes with XP you've had were due to hardware failures. XP is much better than Win98/ME in terms of stability, but it will still freeze up and require a reboot on occasion.

we had a blackout the other day does that count

actually i downloaded a corupt .dll file the the other day which did cause it to crash but i just used system restore to the day before and it was all good

so has OSX frozen up on you?

 

[rotary]

so has OSX frozen up on you?

Not yet, but I've only been using it for a few weeks. Very impressed with it so far.

 

[trawler69]

Thanks Guys, you have helped me make a descision. I have ordered an Imac 20 with Intel core 2 duo processor. I will make it dual boot with XP for the progs that don't have a Mac equivalent and will also use parallels emulator for those progs that don't need speed. I looked through the progs I use most and most have an equally capable Mac equivalent, those that don't mostly don't require speed and would run on an emulator and the few that are intensive are ones that I would run stand alone anyway.

ctm5100 I take all you say onboard and for the first couple of years on XP I was a staunch defender of it but I now find I am spending more and more time maintaining it, I am under constant attack from malware and tojans, not hard to find and delete I know but it is a pain. I was looking to upgrade anyway and my options were a pc with Vista from a company whose OS's need an entire quilting dept to make patches and who have used up weeks of my time sorting out my and others problems, Or a Mac where those friends who have converted say they would never go back.

With the new Intel processor I am hoping to get the best of both worlds. I will keep you posted as to how I get on.

Thanks again for all your input.

 

[mike_n_herrin]

Good luck on your new purchase!

And congratulations for taking a leap to a second OS. it's a hard thing to do i know!

 

[trawler69]

^^Thank you Johan. I have been doing a lot of research and my readings seem to indicate that Mac users like their machines so much that they want to help others enjoy theirs to the full. I tend to ask as a last resort, but that is just me, I like to think that I can sort things out with the information already out there, but it is good to know that there is such well meant and enthusiastic support out there. In fact my internet b/f (don't laugh it can work and is not sad) has taken me on video tours round his Imac and pointed me to numerous great sites.

I am not a gamer and about the only one I do use is MS flight simulator but I can run that on a dual boot to XP, as I tend to crash if I try to do video editing whilst flying, It will be no hardship, after I land, to do a 15 second reboot into OSX.

 

[Lucas07]

Once you use Mac OS X you'll eventually realize you're not using windows anymore because you'll do everything (and want to do everything) using the mac

Good Move trawler69