Mac users! Show off OS X
 

Ok, I'm looking for screenshots of the Mac OX. If you Mac users would kindly gather up some screenshots of various features of the operating system. Show off how cool it is. You can post them here or even email them: halarkin@sbcglobal.net -- I would appreciate it.

So to compliment this assignment, I am interested in hearing what you like best about the Mac OS. What about it draws you? Why don't you use a PC? If you have a basis of comparison, what are the differences that you like? There are tons of sites out there that do Mac vs PC comparisons, but I am looking for real user needs vs OS capabilities.

It's been a while since I used a Mac. I can't say I like them much. I started out on Macs, but my computing tendencies draw me toward PCs. I've always been lead to believe that Macs are better with graphics, but with all of the graphics cards coming out, I'd say it doesn't matter anymore. From personal experience, the PC keyboard layout and mouse interface makes word processing MUCH easier. I'm really searching for something Macs do better than PCs.

Stability is probably the main strength of Apple hardware and software. Mac is also in a class of it's own in innovation. Windows has always been between 3-10 years behind Mac OS in every way (let's not forget that Windows 95 was basically a renamed Mac OS 86). The downside to Mac is two fold: 1) these things are expensive, and 2) Macs have limited software. I know that Mac is in dealings with several game developers right now (either to create a console or to develope and expand the Mac game community). Also, the Mac Mini is fairly competitively priced. I'll try to send over some stuff when I get home to my Mac.

It all comes down to the user experience. It's a "lifestyle" difference, both functional and cosmetic. Honda vs. Hyundai, Lexus vs. Cadillac, Ferrari vs. Corvette. Macs are predominant in the creative industries: print media, tv, advertising, education, graphic design, web design, architecture, photography, etc. I believe this is because of the style and elegance of both the hardware and software. They look cool as well as work cool.

The Safari web browser is brilliant and stable. The DAs (formerly Desk Accesories) are now in a completely separate environment called Dashboard, which you can access via hot corners or a keystroke. Simple, elegant, efficient. There are hundreds of widgets that you can plug in and access in Dashboard, from sports scores to current weather to public radio and podcasts, all available instantly, without opening a browser or other app. The Spotlight search feature is powerful and simple to use. Expose is another cool feature. With the touch of a button, or a hot corner, you can do 3 different things: make all open windows and apps slide off the screen so you have instant access to the desktop. Hit the button again, and the windows re-appear. Or you can tile every open window and see whats in each simultaneously. The third opens all application-specific windows only. In practice, it's works nicely. If you're looking for something in another window, it only takes a second to tile all your open windows, find the window you want, and bring it to the front. Making all the windows disappear is great for managing files on your desktop, such as when you download things to it, save files to desktop, access a file/folder on the desktop, etc.

Both systems do everday legwork about equally, until you get to the extreme high-end, where the Macs do better (quicker) at things like image manipulation, digital photo file processing, and video/audio production. Icons and on-screen elements are clearer, smoother and more colorful on Macs, with less jaggies. Networking is very simple. If you know Unix, you can access the command line and go from there. It is extremely easy to uninstall stuff, whereas with Windows its a fucking nightmare.

You need head over to an Apple store or CompUSA and play around on one for a little while. Make a list of the things you want to play around with before you go. As far as gaming, I wouldn't go near a Mac for gaming. Games (and hardware) are DEVELOPED and OPTIMIZED for PCs, they are PORTED over to Macs. You probably know all this. Overall, Macs are cooler and funner to use than PCs.

Some busy Mac forums:
SpyMac Forums
MacNN Forums
Mac OSX Forums
iLounge (Music, podcasts, ipods)
MacOSX Hints

I wouldn't generalize about Windows being technologically behind MacOS. I remember seeing WindowsNT around 1994, which was leaps and bounds beyond MacOS until version 10 premiered sometime around 2001. Even then, it was not usable until it matured a little. My company dropped Mac support for my product, so I never saw this "maturation" but I would guess this to be around 2002 or so...

powerclown, could you hook me up with screenshots of that dashboard thing?

What you described after the dashboard isn't exactly mac-exclusive. You see, Windows XP has this thing called a task bar that does exactly that. :p

Are there any benchmarks that you can show me that prove your performance claims?

Dashboard is very similar to Google Gadgets / Yahoo Widgets. It is just integrated a little bit better. Official description, screenshots, and animations at Apple - Mac OS X - Dashboard.

I use a Mac at home and a PC at work. I've used Apple products since the Apple ][+, and run the PC network (but, amateur level) at work.

I like that Macs "just work", as long as you agree with the One True Way that Apple engineers have decided that the applications should work. A prime example is iTunes. It will reorganize how the files are stored on your hard drive, and you have to have the ID3 tags correct in order to do most things. Then, you can take advantage of the nifty browsing features and smart playlists, and there's a lot of power there.

If you prefer to get down and dirty with configurations and such to tweak things to exactly match your perception of the One True Way, you will be better served by a PC.

Looks like Redlemon found a great animation of Dashboard. Funny, my system doesn't make that watery animation when dragging in new widgets. But my system is 3,000 years old, so it most likely needs a video upgrade to access all the special effects.

Some benchmarks:
Fastest G5 Power Macs versus Fast Windows PCs - CPU Crunching)
Intel Mac Benchmark Smorgasbord
Various Charts
Apple's G5 versus x86, Mac OS X versus Linux
XvsXP (General comparison)

I like the XP taskbar in general, but once it starts filling up with open windows, the window labels become unreadable, until you end up with a row of 30 little unmarked cubes. Filling up each tab with similar windows isn't a great solution either. Apple solves all these issues much more creatively than does Windows, imo. You should really go to a store and play around with one...you can't "explain" why Macs (w/ OSX) are so nifty to use.

Go to 5th avenue and 57th street- the glass apple store just opened last month-- all their equipment in the store is playable.. it's worth putting your handson it to see how you like it...

I'm of the "from my cold dead hand you will take my PC" but i've had a G5 on my desk at work in addition to my PCs - andi'm coming around... The graphics/publishing software are far superior on the mac than they are on the pc... I wouldn't say faster -- just the quality is better...

Go to the mac store and play... :)

How is the quality better? A pixel is a pixel is a pixel. I need a little better explanation of that.

the quality of the applications - not what it looks like on the screen- or rather the ease of use of the application... as well as the stability of the applications.

I've been using Quark since the beginning of time, and InDesign and Incopy for as long as the applications have been out... they are infinitely more stable on the mac platform.. and they work as expected... on the PC platform - they work - but just not quite as good as on the mac...

It seems that the applications were developed for the mac - and then were done for the PC because there was money to be had - but Quark really has never had the committment to their product on the PC platform and it's just buggier on the pc than it is on the mac...

I'm having a problem articulating today...

No you're not...

Halx, head to an Apple store and see for yourself. Macs aren't about technical features (though they're solid), they're about the user experience. They're about flow, esthetics, ergonomics, zen, love, harmony, feng shoes, accord, etc. :suave:

In saying this, decide what applications are most important to you on a daily basis before spending the money. After all is said and done, they both do the same thing.

the last mac i used as a user was an IIe:D

http://www.carringtonvanston.net/roa..._apple_iie.jpg





i actually tried offering support to someone with OSX on a lapshade mac, the person had little know how of computers, then i was trying to troubleshoot it... i couldn't even figure out how to open the cd tray on my own :lol: right clicks really confused me at first was the no right button on the mouse!



i would reccommend listing the stuff you would like to do on a computer... video editing, publishing, surfing, daily tasks.. then see what programs are there for each side... because be aware, theres alot of programs that only work on one or another... narrow it down to "do i want to use premiere pro or ivideo? can i live without this windows only app?" also if you use other computers at other locations, besure everything can transfer, like files your working on



and i'm just going to go alongwith what everyone else is saying... you MUST use one to see for yourself before buying... find someone who owns one and see if you can sit down on it for afew hours

With regards to getting a mac- it really does come down to what applications do you want to run on it... because both PC and Mac platforms get the job done- it's all depending on what the job is

None of this is really relevant if you build your own pcs. People saying macs can do this or that better are comparing them to store-bought pcs. I can build a pc to do whatever I want it to do, however I want it to do it, and have total control over the entire process. This is my preference. Your hardware is what you make it.

Software is software. It does what it does. There are apps on both macs and pcs to do whatever you want them to do. Mac software is not better than pc software, nor visa-versa. It is, as someone stated above, a "lifestyle" thingy. It's like the ipod; I can't stand the things, because I like pcs. The ipod doesn't work at all for me. I find it rather UN-intuitive. But if you like the way macs work, and especially the way they look, then the ipod is probably your Jesus.

Macs are very pretty. They are streamlined and nice to look at. They are powerfull machines. They have their own unique style. But so does my pc. I think that comparing macs to pcs is just meaningless. They do the same things in different ways for different types of people. There is no meaningfull difference between the two other than that.

A lot of it does end up coming down to two things: brand prefrence or loyalty and a popularity contest. Macs are both pretty and trendy. When you watch TV, and the cool teenager (who is played by a twenty-something) sits down at his or her desk, he or she sits down to type on a Mac. Even on shoes that can't get permission to use Mac, you see a Mac laptop with tape over the Apple insignia. Does that make them any more functional? Not really. Why do I wear a Hugo Boss suit instead of sowing my own clothes?

Well said.
I wouldn't say Macs are better than PCs, just different. Different styles of doing basically the same thing. Nevertheless, there is something to be said about the subjective experience of operating a computer.

Choosing your own components and building a PC from scratch is one of the most enjoyable aspects of computing hands down I agree. Researching and upgrading a soundcard to me is enjoyable.

Well, lets not overstate things. It really doesn't matter what car you use to get from A to B. However, it's perfectly reasonable for people to fuss over which car they'd prefer to take them from A to B...

The most important thing is whether you can find software to do what you need done. If you can do that, and most people can, then you need to examine which of these applications you'd prefer to use because the only purpose of your OS is to run software. If you have no particular opinion over the software you need for your purposes, then I suppose you can then question which OS' look and paradigms you prefer but, if you had no opinion over the available software packages for your platform, it's unlikely you'll have an opinion on how the OS works...

Screenshots as requested! Just hooked myself up a MacBook Pro. I've currently got it plugged into my 20"

Here's the first one. When using a mac the first thing you learn to do is not run anything full-screen. It's kind of counter-intuitive to the mac interface, though I'm still new as well, so I can't really give more detail than that.

http://www.pwned.com/desktop1.jpg

You'll notice that I am running Windows in a virtual machine! Wide screen! =)

There's this great product called Parallels that allows me to do this. I bought the Parallels when it was in Beta so I only paid $40 for it, I think now that it's released it goes for $80! =(

You'll also notice I've got world of warcraft running in the background there too.

Expose is a really fun utility. With the hit of 1 key I can shrink all my windows down to size to fit on my screen. Notice I'm watching Prison Break as well:

http://www.pwned.com/desktop2.jpg

Sorry for the huge images... got a huge screen. =P

Paul Stamatiou on "Why I'm more productive on a Mac."


Here's another vote for expose. I've got hot corners and mouse buttons for all-windows, desktop, and dashboard. I can have 35 windows open at once at find any particular item on the fly.

The ability to run windows virtually like splooge or directly through bootcamp merely seals the deal for me. It allows me unfettered access to my office's exchange server and the few programs that are windows only (like MS Access).

I also like the productivity cult that is growing around the Mac. Websites like www.43folders.com and the myriad little utilities (www.typeit4me.com, Quicksilver, etc) are making my life easier all the time. Spotlight's functional indexing and lightning fast searches change the way that I organize my hard drive - and within seconds I can put my eyes on any file or document that I need no matter how old it is or what I named it.

Now some of these things are probably availabe now for windows (or utilities like them), but I've found them and made them usable on my Mac, which is something I can't say for my various windows machines. I understand something like spotlight is coming to Vista, but by the time Vista ships I'll have been living in a world of easy retrieval for 18 months.

Lastly, and I recognize this is a matter of personal taste, I find my Mac to be much more intuitive to use. When I don't know how to do something, it is almost always done the way that I guess to try first. From simply plugging equipment in to changing settings to automating tasks, I have an easy time finding and doing what I want. Using my work computer feels like driving a car by manipulating the hydraulics and wires manually. Everybody's different, but I have felt that OSX exhibits much more care placed on the user's point of view and the user's experience than windows. Sometimes I feel that windows machines are designed around a developer or IT tech's experience rather than the average user.

I know I sound a bit like a zealot, but I do recognize that not everyone feels the way I do. Since much of my feelings center around the way that OSX lets me interact with my machine, it makes sense that others would find that windows or linux offers a better interface. If that's you, more power to ya.

http://paulstamatiou.com/2006/06/01/...tive-on-a-mac/

Good example of expose and dashboard!

I agree, that's why I bought a MacBook Pro. It's my first Mac and I am still gettting used to it, but the thing that sold me was BootCamp. I have both OS X and XP installed on it. Not the same way that splooge does where Windows is emulated, but two seperate partitions to run each OS natively. I love it I get the best of both worlds. If I like something better on a windows machine, then I just reboot and have XP right there. I can play games better on this thing in XP than I can on my desktop computer. The only thing is that x1600 video card is underclocked so I am thinking of clocking it up to normal speeds. The duo core processorss are sweet. I would recommend a MacBook Pro (or any of the Intel based computers) to anyone who is looking for a great fast machine even if they steered away from Macs like I used to.

Also I love Expose and the Dashboard and FrontRow with the cool remote they gave me. I am still getting used to OS X but so far I like it a lot.

Why would it be intuitive to play World of Warcraft NOT full screen to get the whole immersive world view expecially on one of the large cinema displays?