The laptop in question belongs to my wife (a teacher). It was brand new when we had it - as part of the free laptops for teachers initiative - an unused model and she was the first user. It had/has never been connected to anyone else’s network either. It runs Windows XP Pro, with Office Pro 2003, with a full-suite of Norton tools. I never have and never will run games on any computer that I own.

The windows laptop still requires a daily system check just to make sure it doesn’t screw anything up - something I rarely have to do, if at all, with any Macintosh that I’ve owned - and just to make sure everything stays that way on my Mac, it has a full-suite of Intego software on-board.

You know what they say about making erroneous assumptions about other people’s computer usage…

asiafish - 04 September 2007 02:31 PM

While Windows is more maintenance-intensive than Mac, a borrowed PC is hardly a fair comparison.  My PCs are fast, stable and generally draw no attention to themselves, while your borrowed machine may have been infected with a virus, may be an upgrade installation, or any of a wide range of other problems attributable to poor choices made by its owner.

This is my reason for owning a Mac! It’s the blame-the-user for problems attitude that comes with every copy of Windows. The fact is that a computer is a tool, and any tool that needs excessive maintenance is not worth owning.

My 76 year old father has owned PCs and Macs. He has never set up a computer properly in his life. He puts things where they don’t belong, installs all kinds of software just to see what it does, and generally makes a mess of things. Does he call me for help with either of his Macs? No, they just work, no matter what he does to them. Did he try to get me to help him when he had a PC? Constantly. Even when he didn’t install new software he would still have trouble with his PC. Same user, two different systems, two completely different results. It can’t be the user, only the OS.

spinaltap - 05 September 2007 03:24 AM

with a full-suite of Norton tools....

That’s your problem and why the computer is always doing silly things.  Norton is perhaps the worst malware out there.

Wow I agree with all of you.  I have had so many security problems with Windows-based PCs that i just gave up and switched over to a Mac.  It helps that Mac designs are so aesthetically pleasing.  I don’t buy it when people say that Macs are out of their budget.  There are so many great sites that sell refurbished macs at unreal prices.  Try http://www.lowendmac.com to find your best deals.  Or you can visit the company I work for at http://www.macinthebox.com

A couple hundred bucks and you are well on your way into the world of Macs.

email me and I will find you a great deal on anything Mac -------

People also seem to forget the great software that comes with a mac.  It all works great, and I happen to like the integration.  Fact is I don’t want a computer that I have to constantly do stuff to jsut to keep it working well.  My mac works the same as it did the day a bought it and I don’t have to be constantly tinkering to keep it that way.  I turn it on and get to work.  sure PC’s can be stable and such, my most stable PC is the one I run on my MacPro, but it does take tinkering.  I for one would rather just work.

asiafish - 02 September 2007 10:38 PM

I’ve been using PCs since 1988 (1980 if you count a proprietary HP) and Macs since 1993.  I still use both, own three Macs and five PCs shared amongst my family and my business.  Generally I prefer working on a Mac, but am no more efficient, no faster and no more productive on any machine, Mac or Windows.

I’ve found that an OS only gets in the way when it is unfamiliar or when your installation is unstable.  I’ve had Macs that were unstable and PCs, and usually this was hardware related, such as a faulty RAM module or something misbehaving on the logic board, not a function of specification or installation.  I’ve had software related instability on both platforms as well, from doing an “Upgrade” rather than a clean install, something I will never do again and haven’t done since the 90s (8.6 to 9 on a Mac, NT to Win2K on PC).

I like Macs better just because they are more elegant and classy.  In the end, however, I will choose either the one that happens to be where I am, or in a few cases, the one that has better application support for a given task.  Working with photos and video is better on the Mac, but shared calendaring and email is better for me on the PC as I have an Exchange server at the office and VPN to it.

There is also the matter of hardware that makes it hard to choose.  Back in the day I used a PowerBook Duo and found that to be the best setup I’ve ever used in the context of its day.  Today my primary machine is an IBM (Lenovo) ThinkPad used just like the Duo, with docks at each of my offices and at my home.  I wish I could have this setup in a Mac, but Apple doesn’t make any dockable laptops anymore.

Here here!

I’m exactly the same way. I like both. They both do things differently, but they both work. Yes, even Windows “Just works”. It’s all how stable the hardware and drivers are.

P.S. I want Leopard, now!

EDIT: Also, about “Having to maintain Windows more than OSX”. You don’t need to “maintain Windows”. Just put a router between your Windows PC and modem, install an anti-virus app that isn’t Nortons (Seriously, don’t install Nortons, DON’T), and don’t install random and unknown apps or attachments. It’s simple really. After that, your Windows install will be fine. Trust me, this is coming from someone who hasn’t gotten any viruses or malware since 2002.