MAC vs. PC

Why are laptops getting BIGGER AND BIGGER? They should be getting smaller! Not all of us need or want to lug a movie theater-sized screen! 

LOL! You're right. But my laptop is big and heavy and I love it! I don't travel for work, though, so I never have to lug it around. I use it to play movies, etc. (I don't have a TV in the bedroom and don't own a DVD player), so for me a bigger screen was worth it.

This is very true, Dennis.  I really didn't mean to sound like one of those "nothing can kill my Mac but kryptonite" people.  My bad.

I use both (an imac G5 - a powerpc version, not the new intel one) and several Windows based laptops and desktops.

My advice is that if you don't play games, and you're not a hardware junkie who likes to build computers, then get a mac.  They are in my view, simpler and more intuitive.  They are also, less prone to obscure and unpredictable little niggles.

However, macs DO crash and hang.  A lot.  IMHO about the same as Windows PCs.

My experience is that mac software also works better pc software.  I like to stream video from my camcorder, edit it and put on DVDs for friends & family.  Having used both macs and PCs for this purpose, all I can say is that I will NEVER, use a PC again.  Having paid about £60 for Movie editing and DVD burning software, it was simply unbelievable how difficult it was to get the damn thing to work without some obscure error messages, reading unhelpful manuals and eventually finding from some online forum that the error is caused by a hardware conflict (for which you need to download the latest drivers), a Windows Registry setting or some problem with Norton Firewall (don't get me started on Norton products), or whatever.

However, after trying it on the mac, it's simply just a case of plugging in the Firewire port, using the (built in) iMovie to download the video, arrange the clips, snip them, add a few snazzy titles and effects.   Open up iDVD and burn it.  For a simple arrangement the whole process can take 20 minutes.

So my experience is that Macs are just generally more productive because you end up worrying less about the technology and just focus on the task.

Having said that, there remain two major gripes: first, the most catastrophic system error I have ever had was on a mac, in which I ended up losing data.  When my PCs play up I can always fix them myself but in this case, the mac ended up having to go back for repair and I ended up losing all my data.  I've never lost more than the odd bit of data on a PC.  There's no knowing whether this is a systemic problem with the mac but my confidence in the entire platform was shaken by that experience.  Of course, whatever you use, you should always back data up.

The second gripe is the lack of a right mouse button.  I really can't understand how mac users can do without it.

Having said that, there remain two major gripes: first, the most catastrophic system error I have ever had was on a mac, in which I ended up losing data.  When my PCs play up I can always fix them myself but in this case, the mac ended up having to go back for repair and I ended up losing all my data.  I've never lost more than the odd bit of data on a PC.  There's no knowing whether this is a systemic problem with the mac but my confidence in the entire platform was shaken by that experience.  Of course, whatever you use, you should always back data up.

The second gripe is the lack of a right mouse button.  I really can't understand how mac users can do without it.

Yeah I agree - I had the same issue with the iPod - you have this unobtainable system that you cannot get into and they are very protective of all of it.  On a practical level I don't mind as I am not savvy enough to do anything anyway, but my friends who are have been able to help me loads with my Dell and not with the Powerbook.  It's almost TOO user friendly!  And yes I really miss the right hand mouse button too but as it's a laptop and we don't have a mouse, I don't mind most of the time.

One important thing is not to fall into the trap of automatically associating a particular hardware design with a particular operating system and software.    A PC running any version of "Win-Doze" is very different from a PC running DOS or Unix.

The second gripe is the lack of a right mouse button.  I really can't understand how mac users can do without it.

You don't have to: http://www.apple.com/mightymouse/

My husband bought a Mighty Mouse a few weeks ago.  It's super cool, although a bit touchy like most optical mice (?).  Or you can buy a non-Apple-made mouse.  I use a Logitech trackball and right click to my heart's content.

You don't have to: http://www.apple.com/mightymouse/

My husband bought a Mighty Mouse a few weeks ago.  It's super cool, although a bit touchy like most optical mice (?).  Or you can buy a non-Apple-made mouse.  I use a Logitech trackball and right click to my heart's content.

I like the Mighty Mouse (especially the scroll button) but it still doesn't have a proper right click.  Squeezing doesn't quite cut it for me.  I've thought about using a non apple mouse but I guess it just doesn't quite look as good...

I've got a Mac laptop and couldn't bother faffing about with that track pad and no right click, so I bought a little optical Logitech laptop mouse (USB) that works on Windows and Mac.  I love it!  So much so that I bought one for my Windows and Linux boxes.

I'll never go back to desktop-sized mice again!

I like the Mighty Mouse (especially the scroll button) but it still doesn't have a proper right click.  Squeezing doesn't quite cut it for me.  I've thought about using a non apple mouse but I guess it just doesn't quite look as good...

But you can properly right click.  It's designed so that if you click on the right side of the button, it acts like a right click.  Perhaps the one you used wasn't set up that way?  You can tweak it so that each button, squeezy bit, etc can do whatever you like.

That being said, I'm not an optical mouse fan.  I get tired of the darn cursor disappearing if I move it a millimeter too far.

I bought a little optical Logitech laptop mouse (USB) that works on Windows and Mac.  I love it! 

I think we have the same mouse! I am a righty though so it is a little too short to put the cord behind the laptop instead of in front... that's annoying. 

Mine's cordless!

Mine's cordless!

aw, that's what I wanted to work with my bluetooth but my brother talked me out of it... sucked batteries he said. What do you think?

Nope, I get over a month -- close to two -- out of two AA's.  I should, however, get some rechargeables.  I don't have the normal size mouse.  It's called a laptop mouse and is smaller than a normal mouse; I guess to make it more portable.

well that's not bad at all then! I HATE this cord with passion! It does however wrap nicely around the mouse for portablity, so that's good. 

But you can properly right click.

Cool - I didn't know that - I'll give it another try

Cool - I didn't know that - I'll give it another try