the Mac Pc debate thread

paulster · Post by **paulster** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 6:05 am

Mark

If cost isn't the issue then I think the real decision comes down to what software you're planning to run on it, what hardware you're looking to plug in to it, and what the strategic direction of the companies behind said software and hardware is (e.g. are DigiDesign focusing on PCs these days, Macs, or both?). If you're looking at using it predominantly for ProTools and they are focusing on PCs, for example, you could be in for a rough ride. The flip side holds true as well.

The hardware is largely similar these days since the switch over to Intel (hence XP being made to run on a MacBook but why not the other way?) but the OS is way better on the Mac as it's based on the reliability and stability of Linux/BSD with Apple's attention to detail and user interface on top. This seems to extend to the drivers as well, and a part of me thinks that's because whereas Unix and its derivatives has always been considered 'hard core' programming, everyone with a copy of Visual Basic can consider themselves a Windows 'programmer'. I'm sure it's a lot of these people writing Windows drivers form my experience.

I'd love a MacBook. I think it's about the best specified laptop out there for what I'd want, but I need to run XP for some of the applications I use. As soon as VMware get a version of their virtual machine host running on MacOS so I can run both I reckon I'll be sold!

gibboau · Post by **gibboau** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 7:38 am

Mark,

i work as network technician in a large government department.. with of 1200 sites... (no i don't work at all of them) i'm Microsoft and Mac Certified...... for the last 3years now ive been trying to remove the white terrors from my networks... a) because i don't believe that some one can take a Unix OS and label it as there own.... b)since macs have been using Intel processors i cannot justify the huge cost associated with the same hardware as the common PC ..... also some of the factors are the limited software that macs can run (insert flames here) why pay twice the price to run half the stuff?? people will bang on about macs and graphics and audio and video applications.. again with in same H/W as PC's now can anyone tell the difference??? People will also say what about spyware and viruses on a PC.... this is a huge issue with PCs but with the correct management this is not a problem... ie: my current windows build (XP) is 3years old ive not had any dramas with it what so ever....... there was also a very interesting atrical a month or two ago from a professor about how MAC now suffer from viruses and spyware

i hail back from the OS8 and 9 days... where the MAC was an arse kicken Motorola power machine..... (i owned 3 of them) but OSX and the subsequent upgrades of that have left a bad taste in my mouth along with other techs i work side by side with

that all said... apple do have there place in this world..... SELLING IPODs

Eargasm · Post by **Eargasm** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 12:43 pm

Edited

Necrovore · Post by **Necrovore** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 1:43 pm

What exactly can a Mac laptop do that a similar pc based one cannot? Which is easier and less expensive to repair?

I think that the whole Mac vs. PC thing is similar to Guys like us and the guys over at Plexi Palace forums. Over here we tinker and try to get the best bang for the buck, or make sure that we have the best components regardless of source in our amplifiers. Over there they pay upwards of $5000+ for an amp just because it has a label on it that has a certain date and is supposed to be valuable because of that. IOW its a snobbery thing. The I paid more for mine so its better elitism.

The G3&4 Legacy machines were badass, yes they smoked a lot of PC processing power. They were on par with Cray machines. Now that they joined the unholy Wintel conglomerate, they are nothing more than overpriced overhyped PC's using a different OS.

Here is how much I love my G3 tower. I cannot get the system to recognize the OS on the hdd. I can take the hdd and put it into my buddies Mac and read the drive, collect data etc.. off it. But in mine it hangs on the bootup screen and wont go further. Trying to load another OS into it wont work either. So it sits collecting dust in the closet, while I run my homemade 8 year old Pc with XP Pro SP2 rocking the amazingly fast Athlon 800Mhz and Gig of SDRAM 133. I have had to reformat the drive twice since I built it. Both times was my error not anything from online.

Maschinenmann · Post by **Maschinenmann** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 3:58 pm

Necrovore wrote:What exactly can a Mac laptop do that a similar pc based one cannot? Which is easier and less expensive to repair?

I think that the whole Mac vs. PC thing is similar to Guys like us and the guys over at Plexi Palace forums. Over here we tinker and try to get the best bang for the buck, or make sure that we have the best components regardless of source in our amplifiers. Over there they pay upwards of $5000+ for an amp just because it has a label on it that has a certain date and is supposed to be valuable because of that. IOW its a snobbery thing. The I paid more for mine so its better elitism.

(forgive the slight hijack) Um, respectfully, 95% of the guys that hang there can't afford the amps you mentioned, myself included. A good percentage of them also do their own mods,biasing and there are quite a few builders and techs there also etc. I think you've made a pretty broad and unfair generalization, I honestly can't think of any "tone snobs"
that post there. Some of the better players there get the nicest tones from the strangest off brands....

I characterise the Mac/PC as kind of a Ford/Chevy thing, you're never going to convince a hardcore type of either ilk to change their brands. Again, plenty of room for both,variety is the spice of life.

As far as Rockstahs 'puter purchase is concerned, I'll bet that he could get usable tones out of a TRS-80.....

NitroLiq · Post by **NitroLiq** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 4:25 pm

Maybe "The Gear Page" would be a better example than PP.