“You’ve really done it this time,” Brett writes in an open letter to Microsoft Corp. posted to the Pseudomarkting blog.
“And I am leaving and never speaking to you again,” Brett writes. “It’s not that I want to dislike you. I was loyal to you for so long. I stuck with you through thick and thin. From DOS 5.0 through XP.”
MacDailyNews Take: Poor bastage. We tried Windows once… ONCE!
Brett continues, “But this new operating system is the last straw… You’d think at least someone (other than your PR people) would find something to like about a piece of software that took an industry leader five years and a gazillion dollars to develop. But I’ve yet to hear anyone say ‘Wow!’ about it.”
MacDailyNews Take: Oh, come on, we’ve heard plenty of “Wows” — all of them preceding “this sucks.”
Brett continues, “Most people say it’s a just a naggy, inferior imitation of Mac OS X… I had this epiphany when I tried out my friend’s Macintosh with OS X. I realized how much grief you’d put me through: the constant crashes whenever I tried to run more than three applications, the endless required reboots, and the vicious malware attacks that I wasted many precious hours wrangling with. And then having to pay extra for third party security and virus programs – because you couldn’t keep a handle on things…”
“The secret is out, Microsoft. The reputation that you can’t be trusted to deliver reliable software is getting around fast,” Brett writes. “Hasta la Vista!”
Full letter here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers too numerous to mention for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: For Windows-only users via Google News or elsewhere: Cut your losses. Get a Mac.
I love MDN Takes with Johnny Dangerously quotes!
Oh, come on, we’ve heard plenty of “Wows” — all of them preceding “this sucks.”
ROTFLMFAO!
I tried soo hard to stop my friend from buying a new Vista laptop… She just wouldn’t hear it. She saved about $300 by buying an Acer with comparable specs (built in webcam and all) to a middle of the line MacBook that I recommended.
I just talked to her yesterday and she couldn’t express how much she regrets that purchase. She had uninstalled Vista after about a month with it, replaced it with XP. All the money she spent buying programs to put on that Vista craptop cost her about $250, and of course they won’t work in XP.
Maybe next time…
I upgraded from xp to vista 3 months ago.
Love it.
Works like a charm.
Pc Guy: We’re happy for you. Really.
I especially enjoyed your intelligent, concise and detailed explanation. Quite inspiring. There you have it folks. Someone likes Vista.
Sleeping Beauty awakes……after a kiss from Prince Mac!
The spell has been broken & slowly up & down the land, colour returns to the once black & white M$ winter wonderland of the Snow Queen.
Soon the plants will spring to life, Roses will bloom, trees will blossom & the World will harvest a bumper crop of Apples!:-)
@Pc Guy: Works what like a charm?
re Pc Guy:
How many more posts before you get your spiff from MS?
Is a hex a charm?
To R:
Re: “Is a hex a charm?”
That’s a puzzler. However, I do know a charm is a hex but only if it’s spelled o636861726D00.
Oops. I meant 636861726D00. Typos in hex are rough.
Running windows for my real estate business has been the biggest nightmare ever. Having not used windows since 486’s, now having to rely on XP, which should stand for Xtra Piece of crap…I mean it is so obvious, Linux is wonderful in comparison, and it’s free. But nothing compares to the mac experience…unfortunately, for real estate I’ve had to use XP and it has been a nightmare. Crashes, both on my computer and the networks, constant upgrades. When I thought I could just shut of my windows it doesn’t shut it off but is downloading another update instead. I mean, I really have no choice in the matter as some real estate programs do not run on mac yet. There have been days where I have lost clients because of it….Business deserves better, it deserves a computer system that works, Mac OSX.
My Vista nightmare… (reposted here) I purchased a Sony Vaio with Vista thinking I was getting a fast computer. Vista was not compatible with the non-microsoft SW I was using, and worse yet, it caused Excel and Outlook to lock up. As the days progressed and about a hundred hard restarts, I decided to return the computer but my tech guy didn’t do it in the 3o-day window. Instead, we wiped out Vista and installed XP. The problem is the components in my computer aren’t compatible with XP. Not I have an expensive laptop that still locks up. To make matters worse, Vista architecture is different than XP and my tech guy wiped out all of my pictures and video. Most are unrecoverable so I’ve lost almost everything and still have a pice of crap computer that Sony will not support becasue it has XP. Class action anyone? I’m in. This has cost me HOURS of lost productivty and multiple all-nighters.
He stuck with them through thick and thin, from DOS 5.0 through Windows XP. Anyone know which of those is supposed to be the thick and which is the thin?…
I’d like to take the time to address each of his points directly from my own experience (I started beta testing last March and have been using Vista Ultimate RTM since November):
“A Windows worshipping gamer acquaintance told me it took literally seven or eight hours of churning to install his Vista Home Premium (sic) upgrade. After staying up all night, he found none of his device drivers worked.”
My clean installation took less than 40 minutes from DVD boot to using Windows. This included going through the brief installation start and the Windows intitial setup after installation. The quickest Windows installation ever!
As far as devices are concerned, the only problem I had was with my Logitech webcam back in the beginning, but that was corrected with a new driver by the consumer launch in January. There are VERY few devices that do not run natively with Vista.
“With the tales of the new DRM lockdown, the User Account Control nagging, the virtualization restrictions, and the priced-to-upsell $400 product – your credibility is about as good as OJ Simpson’s.”
DRM lockdown is not anything that any user will notice. UAC can be a bit of a nag, yes. But it does prevent software from installing itself on my computer. Virtualization restrctions are not a problem for me (I have Ultimate), and won’t be for most consumers who don’t even know what virtualization is. The price, is high; but it’s a much better deal that the Service Packs (each version of OS X) that Apple charges $120 for.
“I had this epiphany when I tried out my friend’s Macintosh with OS X. I realized how much grief you’d put me through: the constant crashes whenever I tried to run more than three applications, the endless required reboots, and the vicious malware attacks that I wasted many precious hours wrangling with. And then having to pay extra for third party security and virus programs – because you couldn’t keep a handle on things.”
Constant crashes? I’ve got about 7 applications running right now. No problem. Malware? Never encounter it. I use Windows Live OneCare ($20 with rebates) and my computer has been malware free since the day I got it.
“You’ve terrified folks like my poor dad. He is afraid to install new software for any reason. He mumbles things like “Computers – you just can’t trust them.” He’s been conditioned that if he tries to install a new program or download an update – even if he does it correctly – something is likely to go awry for no explicable reason. That’s why he sticks with IE 5 and Office 97, cause he sees upgrading as too risky to gamble with.”
Sounds like paranoia to me. Does your father still live in a bomb shelter that even Brendan Fraser has managed to leave?
In the end, this whole article is a load of Mac Fanboy spewing bull.
Michelle:
Can have your “piece of crap, not working” Sony? I could quickly restore it to it’s original state and use it very well as a second computer.
Jordan aka Microsoft Astroturfer,
Go fsck yourself. If you don’t understand that, you are a typical moron Windows sufferer.
Read the Vista reviews, you idiot.
No amount of B.S. emanating from your cheap piece of shit Dell keyboard can change them.
We Mac users pity you as you wallow in shit pretending that you love it.
Now, strap on your helmet and get back on the short bus where you belong, you retard.
Tired of Retards:
No need to get into an argument here, but I don’t need to read any reviews; I can write my own. While not perfect, it’s the best version of Windows ever! I’ve used OS X and really enjoy it as well, but I still prefer Windows, if for no other reason than its far-superior native software and hardware support.
As always, though, I appreciate the insults.
Yeah, I almost bought a PC…
I had one all picked out. But, the salesman asked if I’d seen a Mac?
I looked.
I fell in love.
I bought!
Yeah, I saw the light and got a Mac. And I NEVER looked back!
Oh Yeah, that was back in 1984!
Hi Zune Tang! Are you out there?
Hi Zune Tang! Are you out there?
Hi Zune Tang! Are you out there?
Hi Zune Tang! Are you out there?
But given the chance, even PC Guy didn’t say Wow!
Hi Jordan! What are you doing right now?
Hi Jordan! What are you doing right now?
Hi Jordan! What are you doing right now?
Hi Jordan! What are you doing right now?
And Jordan didn’t say Wow either.
Guess even MS spiff can’t make people say it…
Brett is like a lot of people that get fed up with Windows with one exception—he has the opportunity to try the Mac.
The majority of Windows users that try the Mac really like it.
Sadly, there are people that think that Windows is the be all and end all, many of them IT and corporate types. They love to gush about Vista one minute, then bitch about for ten.
I think it’s so funny to see all these types come into the store with their iPod problems looking over our Macs in awe of OS X.
Wait until they see Leopard!
Hey “Tired of Retards”. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Doesn’t matter to me whether someone has had a good or terrible experience with Vista or XP. Name calling/belittling someone is grade-school stuff whether your a Mac or Windows user. Pretty childish. Sheesh. Grow up!
All that matters to me is my computer works. Apple doesn’t disappoint. Innovative, functional and stylish products have become their trademark.
Looking forward to Leopard in October. The recently released Leopard images are the type of “Wow” I expect to see in a computer’s GUI.
@Jordan
Typical MS fanboy trying to justify their dull, pathetic existence.
Maybe you should try Macs first and really compare the computing experience with your second-rate copy cat, uninnovative, buggy, overpriced, unstable OS (a carry-over technology from the 90s,really) before you start commenting. It really makes you look stupid and out of touch.
A lot of your previous co-fanboys have tried the Mac experience and I’m sure they’re laughing at you now.
What a loser. Everybody says ‘Wow’ after they install Vista. All the Mac to PC switchers I know think it’s light years ahead of whatever toy OS is on a MAC. The problems with the MAC OS are well known and documented. The IT guys I work with cite the numerous issues with proprietary MACs all the time. It’s all I need to know.
Besides, I don’t know anyone who can’t get Vista up and running the first time. It just works. You Apple lemmings have no idea. Aren’t you tired of the SCSI conflicts? How do you get anything done when are always zapping the PRAM and rebuilding the desktop? And the malware for MACs. Thank goodness I never got a MAC. I just don’t have time for all the hassle.
Your potential. Our passion.™
“I upgraded from xp to vista 3 months ago… Love it… Works like a charm.” —PC Guy
Let’s hear it for a happy Microsoft customer! One out of ten million is better than nothing!
A pc friend of mine had a nightmare …he looked down to see he was just a torso and a head …he was being eaten by a monstor called Vista ..an abomination ..an offspring of beast and man. In his terror he noticed a distant light. It came closer. It was a man ..a being of light …a Mac user. The being of light Mac user pulled open the lapels of his coat ..there OSX was modelling the scientific and socio-economic aspects of anthropogenic changes to the atmosphere while in the background iTunes was burning a cd and some Japanese acupuncturist in an iChat window was telling the pc guy he was going to be alright. Vista was awed ..he was so awed that he froze up and turned blue. The being of light Mac user smiled and helped the pc guy find peace on earth.
@ Kevin,
Too bad for your friend who bought the pc instead of a Mac…I have used Linux, Windows, and OS X. As a computer scientist…I believe the OS X offers the most value and is the most fun OS to work on.
For everyone who thinks that PCs are less expensive than Macs…have them see this link.
http://www.systemshootouts.org/
Hasta la Vista!
I like that, I think I’ll get a couple of posters made saying that and string them alongside my big SUV and tour Redmond.
Then on the back I’ll have another with a big Apple logo and below it saying “I love this company!”
Then I’ll have some bumberstickers that say “No Monkeyboys”
The M$ owned cops of Redmond will probablly find some obscure law that forbids it, but if I get national news….
Hahahahahaha!!! Mualllalallalla!!!
The amazing thing is, if you read these articles, MS is probably selling more Macs than Apple’s marketing department, given people’s horrible experiences with Vista.
@Jordan:
I appreciate the attempt at Vista marketing, but too many people know the truth. Unfortunately for M$, there is no amount of fake personal stories that can overcome the avalanche of reality. Vista sucks and the best thing that can be said about it is that it tries to mimic OS X (even if it does it poorly). Although Mac OSs have always been ahead of the curve, X is now pulling away at an embarrassing rate.
@Tired of Retards
You know, I read these kind of comments here on MDN, and I am convinced that they are usually written by Windows sufferers to make Mac users look bad. This is one such example.
It seems the true points of disappointment with Vista are that it took so long to release, was still a bit buggy and is soon to be severely overshadowed (again) by an Apple OS (10.5). Perhaps the Microsoft zenith has passed but the zombie just won’t die, propped up by millions of users trapped by rote and an investment in hardware.
>Ashami wrote: You know, I read these kind of comments here on MDN, and I am convinced that they are usually written by Windows sufferers to make Mac users look bad.
Hardly. Most are written by Mac users who are just plain obnoxious! Mac users! But then again, if a person defines himself by the gadgets he uses that person is probably shallow anyway, regardless of platform.
From DOS 5 to XP…
So many perverts out there… scary!
MPC Guy,
Its not that. Its just that Mac users can’t grasp the amount of stupidity that people have to come up with to want to use Windblows.
Windows users don’t “want” to use it, they just don’t know any better
I am so sick and tired of Microsoft and their junkies telling the world that it took 5 years to develop VISTA. That pure BS, as VISTA is what WAS known as LONGHORN and has been in development MUCH LONGER than 5 years. Microsoft has succeeded in convincing people that VISTA is VISTA and LONGHORN is a different product altogether….. NOT TRUE! LONGHORN has been re-cycled to represent a different software product….. Someone needs to call Microsoft on their dishonest representation of the facts!
The article was good but many of the user comments after the end of this report are the killer.
Great letter!!!
The sad part is that SOOOOOO many others will continue to slug through their computing lives using Windows (and all the crap that comes along with it) because they think the Mac is just a toy, or that they “need Windows PCs for their work apps”, that’s the REAL shame. So to all those switchers out there, spread the word to your felllow Windows sufferers & help relieve them from their pain & frustration!!!!
@MPC Guy
>>Ashami wrote: You know, I read these kind of comments here on MDN, and I am convinced that they are usually written by Windows sufferers to make Mac users look bad.
>Hardly. Most are written by Mac users who are just plain obnoxious! Mac users! But then again, if a person defines himself by the gadgets he uses that person is probably shallow anyway, regardless of platform.
You are proving my point. Mac users don’t need to be obnoxious or shallow because there is no downside to being a Mac user. Many Windows users know that they are using an inferior product, and a common defense for this is obnoxiousness. This is why the “obnoxious Mac poster” is far more likely to be a Windows sufferer trying to compensate for their crappy machine. After all, if they knowingly bought an inferior product, that can play havoc on the ego. Instead of doing the mature, healthy thing by turning in that PC for a Mac, they come on to Mac forums and waste everyone’s time (just like Windows) by pretending to be something they’re not (also something that Windows does).
As an example, if Mac users are so obnoxious, why are you wasting your time on a Mac forum on a Saturday night? It can only be due to a deep-seated, frustrated desire to BE a Mac user, but the unhealthy identification with Windows creates cognitive dissonance resulting in both a denial of reality and the strange act of pretending to be someone else in order to assuage a painful sense of inferiority. Sad, really.
Do yourself a favor. Get a Mac.
I have to say. I hate microsoft. That said, I do have vista on my MBP for games (only vista because I didn’t have XP) and it hasn’t caused me any issues. I Dont “like it” or anything but it has run fine.
@Kevin, bless you, I tried the same and they regret it to and are not cheaper out as well …
The issue is as not opinion-based as so much of these posts suggest. Vista is a nice change for some and it’s the best version of Windows out there by a number of measures. That, however, does not take away the fact that for many, many, many individuals who are not computer savvy, Vista is a nightmare. Incompatibility issues with hardware and drivers is beyond what many average folk can handle. Techno geeks will tout Vista as a great version of Windows and conveniently ignore that the majority of the soon-to-be billion Windows users suffer due to its failings. For most, “workarounds” equal giving up.
That Vista can be argued to be so “wonderful” by the technically literate and so technically incapacitating by so many average joes is the real reflection of the product. It’s disjointed. Geeks will MacGyver their way through whatever comes their way– that is the nature of geekdom. For the rest, though, what should be the most promising technology in the world to provide a means for creative, professional, and educational output becomes a hindrance that ultimately gets in the way of such endeavors reaching their fullest potential– again, for the non-technorati. Progress happens, sure. Just after I configure this. And re-install that. And update that antivir…. oh, wait… there’s another automatic update. Hold on a second… where did that pop up come from? WTF?
Jordan, great. Go configure whatever you can. Maybe you don’t recognize your privilege, maybe you do. I hope that at the very least you can recognize how ridiculous your Vista apologies are when you consider the bigger picture. Windows has 95% of the market, yet it has to defend itself constantly because people (read: non-technorati) can’t stand it. It’s not Vista per se, it’s M$. They don’t mind “good enough.” What a resounding endorsement of humanity.
We should send a copy of Vista on the next Voyager mission and proclaim to the heavens as a beacon of humanity: “It’ll do!!!!” Gee, ET, you should vacation somewhere else. Jim bob’s got configurin’ ta’ do.
M$’s Vista is an example of the nouveau-riche not knowing what to do with their cash. They have all the money, all the stuff… the glitz, all teh Shiny®. But it doesn’t matter, because there’s no there there. It’s hollow. They think that “features” are the answer to not knowing exactly what to do, so they tape it all together and call it a day.
Whatever. This post is already too long. Go enjoy your crap. In another five years, you can spend another $400 on “It’ll do.”
One of the biggest differences I see with Windows users is that most of them are [mentally] incapable of running more than one program at a time. As a support technician, I’m constantly walking people through troubleshooting steps, they always ask “should I close this window now”? I think there’s a in-grown reaction to avoid having too many windows open at once in fear of problems cropping up. On my Mac, I always have 12 to 15 applications running at once. Imagine that on Windows — very rare if it ever would happen.
Hey Tang, why didn’t you get back with me? Something wrong?
Hey Tang, why didn’t you get back with me? Something wrong?
Hey Tang, why didn’t you get back with me? Something wrong?
Hey Tang, why didn’t you get back with me? Something wrong?
I turned on my old PC today for the first time in 6 weeks ( I switched to Mac 6 months ago). I tried to shut it down and it wouldn’t. Reason: It was doing 76(!) updates and would not let me shut it down until I said I could. LOL. Talk about hijacking the user experience. Hasta la Vista, indeed Microsnot. Take your software and cram it up your collective asses.
I saw Vista for the first time last week, when I was helping my sister port over her website and email accounts from an old PC to her new – shock horror – Dell. To be perfectly frank, Vista *is* a huge improvement on any previous version of Windows and in terms of the user experience, not so very different from Mac OS. Yes, Vista was released prematurely – in terms of poor initial driver support – but these problems seem to be largely receding into history. Yes, I still much prefer Mac OS, but for most computer users it is hard to provide a significant reason for why Mac OS X is better than Windows Vista. (Viruses and malware is not the big issue for most users that Mac users like to pretend – most PC users install a security suite and move on). Whether Microsoft copied Apple or not is almost irrelevant – the end effect is an OS that provides a very similar user experience. And before screaming and shouting at this post, I do suggest you spend a few hours with Vista so that you can actually respond with a first-hand comparison.
Ultimate Vista version is good enough, kinda XP SP4 that needs another patch to fix what it broke in SP3. But Power Users will make through somehow, someway and claim “it works”.
Problem for M$ is that Ultimate version is not what people is buying. Below “Ultimate” it really is crapola. Add to this that people in the vast majority are NOT buying a new PC but upgrading their XP. And there is where the shit hits the fan.
for most computer users it is hard to provide a significant reason for why Mac OS X is better than Windows Vista
Even Dvorak in his latest eruption said OS X feels better than Windows.
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It is difficult for PC users to provide *a* significant reason in that everywhere the feeling is that OS X is better. So where do you start pinpointing to *a* significant reason
@Zune Tang: SCSI? Nice one! Of course, there are youngsters on here who won’t know what you’re talking about.
its not that bad….
it’s worse xD
re: I saw Vista for the first time last week, when I was helping my sister port over her website and email accounts from an old PC to her new – shock horror – Dell. To be perfectly frank, Vista *is* a huge improvement on any previous version of Windows and in terms of the user experience, not so very different from Mac OS. Yes, Vista was released prematurely – in terms of poor initial driver support – but these problems seem to be largely receding into history. Yes, I still much prefer Mac OS, but for most computer users it is hard to provide a significant reason for why Mac OS X is better than Windows Vista. (Viruses and malware is not the big issue for most users that Mac users like to pretend – most PC users install a security suite and move on). Whether Microsoft copied Apple or not is almost irrelevant – the end effect is an OS that provides a very similar user experience. And before screaming and shouting at this post, I do suggest you spend a few hours with Vista so that you can actually respond with a first-hand comparison.
—
BUT the main difference is that Vista is not based on the unix kernal.
Which means, whichever way you look at it NO windows OS will EVER be as secure as any Mac OS.
I gave up on windows systems many many years ago and there hasnt been not one day that I said to myself “I wish I had a windows pc so I could use this piece of software”.
I have run my businesses on only macs for the last 16 years and not once have I had any problems what-so-ever integratings or conecting to the sheep that is windows based environments.
The mac has it all: security, stability, reliability, easy-to-use and a sexy gui – all cased in an internationally awarded innovative hardware design.
Who are Microsoft by the way??… ive never even heard of em.
Who are Microsoft by the way?
Ahh, c’mon Petey. You must have heard of us. We are the McDonald’s of the IT industry, the Dress4Less of software developers, the Taco Bells of computing.
Sure, if you go to 4stars and up restaurant, dress at best tailor and fashion stores, or when you think Mexican food you think Cancun and gourmet Mexican chefs you must have never got close to, say, Dress4Less but we are there, believe me, for those who suffer daily on their computer we are there.
HUHHAHHHAHHAHAHHA, Absofuckinglutely we are there for those sufferers
HUHAHHAHHAHHA
“BUT the main difference is that Vista is not based on the unix kernal.”
It’s actually spelt kernel, but that aside, this is not a reason to convert the masses. So what, most will say. And, rightly so, providing they use an up-to-date security suite and basic common sense. If they don’t, then they’re even less likely to be computer-savvy enough to understand the potential benefits of a UNIX kernel.
I do not own nor have any desire to touch a pc running Vista, but could an experienced Vista operator tell me if there is a help option in the OS that will actually provide me with real answers to use the OS? This is what sold me on Mac OS many years ago, a real help box for the confused user, not a direction to page so and so of the instruction manual! Mac OS are “user friendly” versus “user abusers”.
re: It’s actually spelt kernel, but that aside, this is not a reason to convert the masses. So what, most will say. And, rightly so, providing they use an up-to-date security suite and basic common sense. If they don’t, then they’re even less likely to be computer-savvy enough to understand the potential benefits of a UNIX kernel.
—
DONT BE FLIPPANT ASSHOLE.
Fact remains UNLESS MICROSOFT BASIS ITS OS ON UNIX THERE IS NO CHANCE IN HELL A WINDOWS OS CAN EVER BE AS SECURE AS MAC OS X.
@Zune Tang
SCSI? Haven’t needed SCSI for 10 years.
Zap the PRAM? Haven’t needed to do that for a couple of years.
Rebuild the desktop? This one demonstrates that you know NOTHING about OS X. The function doesn’t exist nor is it required.
Malware? What malware? Please cite any example of malware for OS X – oh, you can’t since there isn’t any!
Your stupidity is obvious and your ignorance breathtaking.
Your cluelessness. Our entertainment. ™
MW: expected – as in, just what I expected from our resident troll.
=:~)
RE: Yes, I still much prefer Mac OS, but for most computer users it is hard to provide a significant reason for why Mac OS X is better than Windows Vista. (Viruses and malware is not the big issue for most users that Mac users like to pretend – most PC users install a security suite and move on).
Sadly, this is not always true. My own experiences as a repair tech and internet support technician with ‘security suite’s show that it’s not always as simple as installing one and ‘moving on’. Norton’s and Mcafee are so bloated nowadays, that they cause more issues than they solve. We’ve actually been recommending people away from those two products, and away from ‘all-in-one’ security suites in general. We recommend a strong anti-virus program, a good firewall program, and 2 free anti-spyware programs as separate means to defend their windows machines. The look of shock or disappointment as we tell them just how much work they’ll have to put in to defend their computers is really sad. But it’s a reality everyone has to face with Windows. For the moment, Mac users don’t have to worry about such things.
Vista has been a nightmare not only for many of our customers, but for us to support as well. For those who are more adept at Windows, Vista may be very easy to use, and it works nicely for them. However, not everyone out there who uses computers knows the inner workings so intimately, or cares to know. They just want to do what they do, and get on with their lives. If something goes wrong, they have no clue why, or how to fix it. Why should they have to? The computer should be a tool to get things done – whether for email, photography, art, video, music or whatever – and then put away until you need it again. You shouldn’t have to worry about it all the time. That’s where the user experience differs from Windows to Mac. Windows=constant worry and maintenence. Mac=much less/no worries.
When someone asks what we recommend, we tell them to get a Mac. The ISP I work for has just about converted every emplyee over to Mac. I wasn’t the first, a former co-worker got me into Mac. After he left, I was the only one. Then one by one, each of my co-workers showed up with Macs. The latest to get one is my Boss, who bought a MacBook Pro recently to replace a stolen Dell laptop. He runs Parallels Desktop to run our Windows software, and has had only one Kernel Panic to date (his first…you always remember your first.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />) but over all, he loves his Mac. Especially since he’s a Unix Geek. heh. Only our financial guy is left without a Mac.
We’re an ISP, we repair and build Windows machines, but for our personal computers, we have all chosen Mac.
PC experts, the ones who build their own systems and can probably program in assembler, love Vista, because they love tinkering and getting all the problems fixed. A sense of pride comes over them. It’s a Mt. Everest to climb and conquer. The rest of us, well, who wants to be the computer man. We just want to do our work, play with our videos, and get stuff done. Real stuff, not IT stuff. Mac OS X – keeps delivering.
What’s bastage?
Oh dear Reality Check, you just don’t get it at all.
What REALLY MATTERS is that the influencers are moving en masse to Mac.
Which will leave Vista for the masses that know no better.
You stick with your messy unstable insecure OS. why don’t you. Especially as it isn’t ever going to be improved while MS goes in search of fixes for Zune and Xbox, oh and advertising and…
E. inquired, “What’s bastage?”
bastage
Bastard. Originally used in the 1984 movie Johnny Dangerously. This PG flick introduced bastage, fargin’, and icehole as PG terms for similar sounding words.
“You fargin’ bastages!”
(http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bastage)
I think Microsoft’s DRM-related partnership with the porn industry is admirable. Way to go Microsoft! You have not stooped to the bottom of the food chain. Right.
Wow!
@ the troll “Reality Check”
“Viruses and malware is not the big issue for most users that Mac users like to pretend – most PC users install a security suite and move on”
I don’t know whether, as is rumored, you’re Paul Thurrott or not, but whoever you are that’s the biggest lie I’ve yet to see from you.
Most PC users do not install one. They get one pre-installed when they buy – a bloated and not very effective one on a limited trial offer.
If by “moving on” you had meant that after paying the ransom to Symantec or MacAfee, they they forget about their AV and likely don’t even bother to get the updates you’d probably have been right.
If by “moving on” you had meant they rely on AV software to protect them when it really can’t, you’d probably have been right.
The fact is, you didn’t mean these things, and you were lying as usual.
As for Windows malware *not* being an issue — are you living under a rock or something?
FBI Operation BotRoast IDs More Than One Million Infected PCs (June 14, 2007):
“An FBI crackdown on botnets and those who control them has identified more than one million PCs infected with malware that allow them to be hijacked and used as part of an army of bots to attack other computers, spread malware, or send spam.”
http://www.sans.org/newsletters/newsbites/newsbites.php?vol=9&issue=47#sID200
I suppose you think the FBI can be dismissed as “Mac users” since they’ve tackled a real, huge, and — for your masters in Redmond – embarassing problem.
Of course, the total number of infected Windows machines is far higher. Vint Cerf, the “father of the internet” has estimated the total figure at ***150 million***
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070125-8707.html
I suppose you think the Vint Cerf can be dismissed as a “Mac user” since he’s highlighted a real, huge, and — for your masters in Redmond – embarassing problem.
You bloody twerp. You revolting little liar. You mouth for hire.
“Viruses and malware is not the big issue for most users that Mac users like to pretend – most PC users install a security suite and move on”
A straight lie.
“Cerf told his listeners that approximately 600 million computers are connected to the Internet, and that 150 million of them might be participants in a botnet—nearly all of them unwilling victims.”
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070125-8707.html
Back in th eOS 9 days, I would tell my freinds, associates and almost anyone who would listen about Macs. They would ask me to describe what the difference between Apple and M$ is in non-computer terms.
So I would tell this story:
When you are cold in the winter and need to cut firewood for your fireplace, which would you rahter do while you are out in the freezing cold forest – sit down and assemble your chaisaw each time you needed ot cut a piee of wood – disassemble it and then reassemble it to cut the next piiece of wood OR would you rathre just pull the cord cut your wood and go home and be warm in your nice cozy cabin?
Obviously, they would choose the later. Doh!
How does that relate? Consider that all I have to do the use an appilcation in the Apple world (for he most part) is start the computer and open the applicaiton and since I learned know the conventions for one application (let’s say MS Word), I will know where most of the rest of the menu pull downs, etc. are in tany other application. Most of the learnig is over. It becomes intuitive from then on.
Fast forward to, oh say, now… pre 10.5 and let’s see – true plug and play, app conventions are incrediblly the same system wide (not counting GUI decoration bits from app to app, when I install most applications I do not need to restart my computer to go to work, no fouled plugs (Viruses Infections Spyware Trojan horses Adware) to worry about,
“It just works”
Funny Microsoft – even after all of the copying can’t say that.
Now you can either throw another log on the fire or a shrimp on the barbie (actually we eat prawns but you Northern Yanks wouldn’t get that one).
I have a MS DELL in my lab – I wanted to use a web cam to communicate with colleagues on SKYPE. So I bought a webcam – pluged it in and went through all of the iterations that I need to do to get it to be seen by the confuser and low and behold SKYPE sees it but won’t use it. Says some other application is using it. Even when I don ot ave anything else running!
So I have brought my 17 Powerbook (the relic,
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” /> ) and it is my dedicated iChat, SKYPE, YM, etc tool in the lab. I realy can’t wait to see some of my CNC applications become availabel on the Mac. Would be lovely to not have any M$ crap in my offices or lab. (We are all Mac except for the two DELL POSs in the lab.
Microshaft – What Else Were You Planning To Do Today?
Sorry for all of the typos – I hate Dyslexia. It is no fun to see the mistakes AFTER I press the submit button…
I hope you got the line of thinking there. Thanks.
Cheers!
Really!
@R and @Twisted Mac Freak
Among the Pennsylvania Dutch folk a hex or hexe is a spell placed on someone to cause them bad luck or to make their plans go awry. I place one on Microsoft daily.
Abe Stolzfus, Wizard, B.W., M.A.W., D.A.W.; Hogwarts, 1970
I used Windows Vista for less than 5 minutes at my work (testing a web app) and the save dialog for IE 7 wouldn’t do its thing. You’d try to save a file from a site and the first dialog would appear asking what you’d like to do (okay, cool), then you’d opt to save and nothing else would happen. After a reboot, the problem went away… but only having a 5 minute experience with Vista and the luck of finding a bug like that tells me that Vista was a rushed product and tells me that Microsoft has a ways to go before they’ll actually deliver a real finished product. I have noticed one thing that hasn’t disappeared, the screen redraws are still the same as they were in Windows 95, come on, if you’re going to copy Apple, at least pay attention to what Apple does in this department!
“And before screaming and shouting at this post, I do suggest you spend a few hours with Vista so that you can actually respond with a first-hand comparison.”
I support software on Vista, XP, and OSX all day long. Am I qualified? Can I tell you how much I love teaching people how to hack the registry?
“That Vista can be argued to be so “wonderful” by the technically literate and so technically incapacitating by so many average joes is the real reflection of the product.”
my brother is technically literate. he is a fully certified network engineer, and has certs for linux, php, MS, novell…… he makes his living being a geek. big time. he does NOT see vista as wonderful.
in his house are 2 linux servers, 2 XP desktops, an iMac, and a MacBook Pro. he has a little bit of experience to spread around here is what i am saying….
he says that his company installed Vista on 2, only 2, machines, and they are now beyond his help short of zeroing the drives and starting over. he also tells me that vista is the single biggest POS he has ever dealt with in his life, and then points out that he installed windows ME.
i agree with you that the average Joe thinks Vista sucks. but the geeks who aren’t blinded by all things MS have the same opinion.
the world just has to face the fact that Vista is a dog. even by microsoft standards…..
hack the registry
That is rich! I have not had to do that since I stopped working with ms stuff eight years ago! Before that were config.sys and setup.ini games I used to play.
I had a Comaq laptop, bought in 2002, an XP capable laptop. I tried Vista from the late beta program days to it’s release. While I did get it to install just fine, it did not have drivers for any of the following:
1) NIC interface
2) Soundcard
3) Modem
The dispaly, keyboard and trackpad had drivers (whew), but the display was a generic 800×600, not the full 1024×768 the screen could display. Basically it is a brick to Vista, about 5 years after purchasing it.
Now I relegate that laptop to Linux only, and am moving exclusively to Apple hardware, as my 1999 purchase is still fully functional and runs the latest OS no problem. You can’t beat that kind of value, folks.
Booting From Diskette Then Installing From CD
This method of distribution has the advantage that the hard disk does not have to be pre-configured in any way. The INSTALL program will detect the absence of partitions and run FDISK if necessary. This is a good solution because you spend little effort pre-configuring the hardware prior to shipping.
The following example describes how you create the distribution for this solution:
1. Format a floppy diskette using the FORMAT program supplied in the \DRDOS\INSTALL directory on the CD. Use the /S switch to transfer system files.
2. Use the CONFIG.SYS file in the \OEM\SDKS\RDK\FLOPPY directory on the CD as a template for the CONFIG.SYS file which you must now create on the boot diskette.
The sample CONFIG.SYS has comments indicating where you would insert a CD-ROM driver for example.
3. Edit the country and keyboard settings in the CONFIG.SYS file to suit your target customers and copy CONFIG.SYS to the root of the diskette.
4. Copy the sample AUTOEXEC.BAT file from the \OEM\SDKS\RDK\FLOPPY directory on the CD to the root of the diskette.
5. Copy the following files from the \DRDOS\INSTALL directory on the CD to the root of the diskette.
HIMEM.SYS
SETVER.EXE
KEYB.COM
COUNTRY.SYS
DPMS.EXE
NWCDEX.EXE
SETUP.INI
6. Edit the SETUP.INI file on the diskette to make the following changes:
7. Add a line to the [OEM] section to facilitate installation of the CD-ROM driver, for example:
CONFIG=CD-ROM driver, 2555, A:\CDROM.SYS, DEVICE=%1%s\%0%s /D:MSCD0000
8. Replace CDROM.SYS with the name and location of your CD-ROM driver.
9. Add a line to the [AUTOEXEC.BAT] section to facilitate loading of the CD-ROM redirector, for example:
NWCDEX /D:MSCD0000
10. Edit the dos:d:SETUP.INI line in the [Disk1] section to read dos:d:A:\SETUP.INI. This forces install to use the SETUP.INI on the diskette and to ignore the one on the CD.
11. Copy your CD-ROM driver to the boot diskette.
Duh, what third grader didn’t already know that, doc?
Sheesh.
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“And I am leaving and never speaking to you again,” Brett writes. “It’s not that I want to dislike you. I was loyal to you for so long. I stuck with you through thick and thin.”
Is this referring to bad software or a bad marriage?
MS is like an abusive spouse. They’re forever promising to finally straighten themselves out, but behind each new face festers the same ugly core.
There comes a time to realize the hoped-for changes will never come, and that it’s time to move on.
@doc
Or on a Mac:
Insert DVD – double-click Install Mac OS X – follow the simple prompts – done!
Diskette? How quaint!
Thank Gods and Little Fishes that we’ve never had to put up with this shite on the Mac.
=:~)
hehe, I remember my first Mac in my first job as a designer for Newsquest had a HUGE Umax scanner attached via SCSI interface. I killed my motherboard because I accidentally pulled the SCSI cable out of the back of my BEIGE G3 desktop. That was 1997, 10 years ago…
…today, I’ve got a tiny Canon USB scanner that’s plugged into my screenless G4 Tower (accessed by using Image Capture the scanner shows up on my network), and the G4 Tower is also my Mail Server for my family. Connected to that is my AirPort Extreme n Base Station, with 2 printers and 4 hard drives attached to it’s USB port via a hub. OS X kicks ass, it lets you do all these amazing things and THEY WORK AND KEEP WORKING.
I use my MacBook to control the Mac Pro via VNC, and my wife and children all use Macs, the wife has an iMac (G5) and the kids have an iBook (G4) and a Graphite iMac CRT (G3). All these Macs work exactly the same as each other, and I can interact with them exactly how I need to (iPhoto sharing, iTunes music sharing etc etc). We plan on getting an TV for Christmas as a present for all of us.
I think the point I’m trying to make is I have Macs of all ages, all working seamlessly together and stable. Reliable. Efficient. Quiet. Smooth.
You just can’t say something like that about a Windoze setup.
“I use my MacBook to control the Mac Pro”
obviously wishful thinking on my behalf. I meant G4 Tower.
MW: figure, as in go figure.
Vista would be awesome for the iPhone like device no doubt headed our way from MS in the next year. The innovation continues in Redmond while Apple sucks gas.
The whole pricing mess with these seven ridiculous versions of Windows Vista is really all the info you need to see how out of touch and plainly stupid the market robots at Micrsoft really are. They had a chance to consolidate the line and sell the OS as the thing to have, but what do they do? Create an OS so bloated and overwrought that it automatically ghettoizes anyone without the very latest hardware. They then presents this mess as “choice”.
Pathetic.
That guy from Tech TV, Leo ???
I heard one of his Mac Break Weekly Podcasts where he’ was saying good things about Vista. Not that I care now but it was surprising to hear him say such. I think he was talking about the security being ‘just as good’.
iPhone like device
Zune rhymes with tune
Lone rhymes with phone
MS Lone, will work when ever you come within range with any other Lone Owner, but only when within range of another Lone Owner. You can call and talk to each other! WOW! I had one of those when I was a kid. Used little paper cups and a string!
What’s a diskettte?
Oh..and What is a bastage? Its a cork soaker born out of wedlock.
“Wow! This sucks!!!” is exactly what I said a week after upgrading to Vista. It made my year-old PC feel like an old 486. Then there’s the drivers that don’t work, programs that don’t run, and the bad joke known as UAC. I have never been so disappointed in an OS upgrade in my life.
And by the way, Aero is downright ugly and distracting once you get over the “shiny object” factor. Not that I ever really liked the childish look of XP, but I had really hoped MS would get it right this time. They didn’t. I constantly felt like my eyes were out of focus with the odd mix of blur, transparency, and gloss. And just because you have 16,777,215 colors to play with doesn’t mean you have to use them all at the same time!
Anyway, I’ve switched back to XP for the time being. What a nightmare that was! I guess if you buy the Vista upgrade they deactivate your old XP product key. I had to call and convince some guy who barely speaks English that I’m not a criminal trying to rip-off the oh-so-poor Microsoft. He finally read me this huge number that I had to type into XP to get it activated again.
The bottom line is FU Microsoft! I’m going to be in the vicinity of an Apple store on Tuesday and will very likely pick up a new MacBook Pro. I’ve had a friend who’s been trying to get me to switch for a couple of years and I’ve blown him off in hopes that Vista would be great. All I can say now is, “Wow! I should’ve bought a Mac.”
Jordan & etc.:
Glad to hear that Vista’s working out for you. Really. I hope you’re liking it, and that it works for you. I especially hope that MS gets its security, malware and drivers issues solved, because its a PITA to do tech support for windows using friends and relatives.
I used Windows myself for years, and it has some things going for it. The biggest one is software compatibility; everything is written for the OS. Possibly an even bigger reason is that I had used Windows since Windows 95, and was used to how it worked.
But I got sick and tired of all the malware issues in XP. It seemed that even casual surfing got my systems infected with adware and spyware, bogging it down to the point that it barely worked at all. After having this happen a few times, I got po’ed enough to switch to Mac. Haven’t had a problem with stability or malware since.
Literally every person I know with XP has been infested with malware, period. My parents, co-workers, friends, colleagues; all of them. My fiancee has to update and run adaware and spybot two or three times a week because they start affecting the performance of her machine, even though she now uses current versions of opera and firefox as her browsers! (God knows how many times she’d have to run it a day if she still used IE.)
You may be saying that we all should quit bitching and buy security software to protect ourselves. My question to you would be why we should be forced to do this. Good windows security software, in my experience, don’t work half the time, and hog CPU cycles to the point where it effects a computer as much as the malware itself. Why should computer users at the consumer level be forced to endure this? I don’t think there is a valid reason why except that Microsoft didn’t have the stones to switch to a more secure OS foundation like unix or linux for fear of losing customers. I don’t want to spend a significant amount of time on my computer having to do maintenance or malware repair; my computer should be working for me instead of me having to work for my computer. It should be simple (hopefully, elegant) and just work. You shouldn’t have to be a security expert or computer nerd to keep your computer running smoothly.
Again, hope Vista’s working out for you. Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to post messages on a Mac message board. Please give us your email addresses so that we may direct all those who suffer from malware to you, so that you may use your abundant free time to help them.
“And by the way, Aero is downright ugly and distracting once you get over the “shiny object” factor. Not that I ever really liked the childish look of XP”
am i the only one who thought XP looked like it was designed by the lego team?
….not that i am knocking legos, at least you can make something out of them that won’t crash.
“Besides, I don’t know anyone who can’t get Vista up and running the first time. It just works. You Apple lemmings have no idea. Aren’t you tired of the SCSI conflicts? How do you get anything done when are always zapping the PRAM and rebuilding the desktop? And the malware for MACs. Thank goodness I never got a MAC. I just don’t have time for all the hassle.”
Your so funny! I never met someone who actually still lives in 1989! Get a real life, next thing your going to say is that Pong is the best game ever!
My vista is working like a charm (the PC is kinda old: P4 2.8GHz, 1GB, GF6600, but it works flawlessly) but I simply prefer MacOSX.
By the way, I do work with XP and Tiger. We tried upgrading to Vista a few months back, but ended up taking it back off as it was too unstable. Now, we have some great new 24″ iMacs that we also run XP on (have to use windows due to UPS and one other program that doesn’t come on Mac), but the good news is that the company is planning on getting rid of the PCs and getting more Macs – due to the fact they haven’t crashed and are running longer than the PC’s do. Down side is the IT department is going to shrink by 3 people as they are not needed for keeping the PC’s up and running.
Smarty Pants – Then I’ll have some bumberstickers that say “No Monkeyboys”
Do you stick them on your bumbers? I’ll have to get a car with bumbers.
To all vista fans,
This is a mac forum after all.
You can’t go to a mosque on friday prayer and start preaching Jesus Christ without getting a lot of bashing. Trying to convinve them that Christianity is just as good as their religion (and convince them to stop ridiculing it) will be a futile attempt.
@ clyde:
Very well put!
In the 3 years since I switched I could be holding down a second job with the amount of time OS X has saved me from disinfecting my slow PC.
Best decision I ever made. Ever. And as you said I no longer work for my computer, it works for me.
Brilliant!
Left my copy of Vista on the shelf in the shop. No problems here, OSX 10.4 seriously rocks. God news is, its gonna rock even more when 10.5 comes out.
>Ashami wrote: As an example, if Mac users are so obnoxious, why are you wasting your time on a Mac forum on a Saturday night?
My household has been an extremely busy one the past month. I’ve taken a vacation and then had family visiting for about 2 weeks. To top that off, a very close relative of mine passed away a couple of days ago.
So… I thought I could use a little down time and read up a little on the MDN boards as a break. You say reading the MDN boards is a waste of time. I don’t agree. There are some great discussions that take place here when you filter out the noise and pettiness.
> Do yourself a favor. Get a Mac.
Not that it should make a difference, but I am an avid Mac user and have been a user, and more importantly, a buyer of Apple products since the days of the ][e.
I’m posting from a 17″ MBP. Prior to this one, I’ve had a 15″MBP, iMac G5, PM G5/G4/G3, etc… I’ve managed a video production company that I stocked with various Intel Macs, PM G5s & G4s, iMacs, etc.
—–
Anyway… thanks for the posts. Take care and G’day.
Nice post!
Computechzi
I use Mac OSX and Vista Ultimate on a daily basis and actually enjoy both. Without getting into which is better or which I prefer there is I think one huge difference. To run Vista happily I have a new Core 2 Duo running at 3GHz with 4GB Ram and a 8800GTX video card, I installed ‘Tiger’ on an old 500MHz glass iMac (G3)with 512MB RAM the other day and it ran really well. Each version of OSX seems to run better than the last even on old machines! (Try installing Vista on a 5 year old basic PC)
re: I use Mac OSX and Vista Ultimate on a daily basis and actually enjoy both. Without getting into which is better or which I prefer there is I think one huge difference. To run Vista happily I have a new Core 2 Duo running at 3GHz with 4GB Ram and a 8800GTX video card, I installed ‘Tiger’ on an old 500MHz glass iMac (G3)with 512MB RAM the other day and it ran really well. Each version of OSX seems to run better than the last even on old machines! (Try installing Vista on a 5 year old basic PC)
—-
Makes you realise how bloated Microsoft’s OS code is. LOL.
“By the way, I do work with XP and Tiger. We tried upgrading to Vista a few months back, but ended up taking it back off as it was too unstable.”
friend of mine works the uni bookstore computer dept. says they have to reboot the vista machines more than once a day. in fact there is only one machine running vista they don’t have trouble with. a 20″ iMac with bootcamp.
he claims that untill last month when they patched vista with something MS released they could reliably get a vista reboot just by moving the mouse real fast for 15-20 seconds. now tha is what i call rock solid computing!
Vista is the best thing to happen to Apple since the return of Steve Jobs.
BS. Vista runs great. Infact, the GUI blows away Tiger and Leopard.
I think the fact that Apple shipped a record number of Macs in the just completed June quarter, despite the delay in Leopard, says it all. Windows switchers accounted a majority of those sales, and they didn’t care if it was Tiger or Leopard, as long as it wasn’t Vista. It doesn’t matter if Vista sucks or not, it already has a bad rep, and it will be hard to recover from that, especially if SP1 is not coming until 2008 or later.
Vista has done more to spur Macs sales than any marketing could have done.
I just can’t believe Jordan has no spyware on his PC yet. Have you tried using AdAware? One Care may not pick up everything, actually it has a very poor record at finding spyware.
Having experience with PCs I just don’t believe you can’t have any yet. Maybe if you’ve just bought it and haven’t connected to the net yet.
Conservatives = Mac OS X and Liberals = Windows Vista. Yeah……check it out libs– you just got SERVED!!!!
@Rush Hour:
How exactly did you come up with these equations?
Just curious
>”And by the way, Aero is downright ugly and distracting once you get over the >”shiny object” factor. Not that I ever really liked the childish look of XP”
As a result of being forced to work and teach on PCs, I am convinced that M$ has the soul and aesthetic sensibilities of the old Soviet Bloc.
They may try to emulate the look of a Mac, but it screams “I will bury the west” ala Kruschev.