Should i upgrade from windows to a mac ?

Hell no….don’t even think about it
Thats more of a downgrade.

Nothing “out of your windows pc” will work on the mac. You can transfer data files (text, images, movies, spreadsheets, etc), but not the programs. Office, Adobe, Firefox, etc. Those you’ll have to purchase and/or download all again.

YES SWITCH, heres 50 reasons….from like a year ago: http://chris.pirillo.com/50-reasons-to-switch-from-microsoft-windows-to-apples-mac-os-x/

What apps do you have on windows that you want on mac? I can get something for ya :)

Some guides here:

http://www.macforbeginners.com/

http://www.switchtoamac.com/

Yes, get a Mac – you will never remember a PC afterwards

“Upgrade” is the wrong word. Upgrade implies that you are moving up. Both OSes have their Positives and Negatives, but it is not an upgrade.

I use both Windows (Vista and XP) and Mac OSX Leopard daily, and I much prefer the Windows machines. For my purposes (word processing, slideshows, spreadsheets, (a lot of) gaming and a tiny bit of PS) Windows is much better suited. I also prefer to build my own PC’s, rather than buy them from a company. Also, you will either have to find alternatives to any Windows programs you have, or if there is a Mac version, you’ll need to buy a new copy.

On the otherhand, If you work with music or video, Macs have better software than Windows for these purposes. Final Cut Pro and Logic Studio are amazing programs, without too much competition from the Windows side.

That said, I hate Apple, Macs, and everything else they make.

VVV to person below me VVV woah woah woah, hold up. Macs are not inherently faster. If you buy one with a better CPU and GPU than, of course it will be faster. if you compare $$$s to $$$s, you can build a much faster Windows machine for the same price.

Definitely go for it—the machines are much faster, user interface is better… My family started with a Mac, but have had several PCs as well—all very disappointing machines. College time came, and I got a Mac (which can also dual-boot to Windows, so if you’re feeling indecisive), and it’s amazing! Much better computers and OS, in my opinion.

I have a MacBook and I love it. That said I want and am going to be building a PC to handle my editing work load and to play games. I can get a much better desktop if I build it for the price.

this video sums it up very well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg7Xh0m_Oco

@eambos

I’m surprised you’re so biased E. Fact, Macs run Windows these days, and MacBook Pros used as a Windows machine constantly beat the competition in all benchmarks.

Anyways, for the original question, YES YES YES. I was a “Windows Nerd”, the guy who’d tell you your DSL is slow because your MaxMTU is too high, or would use WindowBlinds to create my own GUI skins. Under my desk, you’d find wondrous machines with bubbling watercoolers emanating strange luminescence looking like Cerenkov radiation :)

Until I bought my first Mac 1.5 years ago. I never looked back (voluntarily).

You have everything to gain, and nothing to lose. Again Macs run Windows, and they’re damn fast too when they do it.

I have noticed, that the most avid Mac haters are those people that have an affinity to “pimping out” their PCs. And no wonder, buy any given PC and the first thing you do is getting rid of all the bloathware, and fixing all that it has done to your machine lol. Then you go about tweaking and defragging and cooling yadiyadiyadi.

That is no doubt an occupation with the potential of many many little success feelings. Those you won’t have with a Mac, because it comes out of the box ready to roll. You’re going battlefield to zen, basically. Some may find that experience “empty”.

I have a cute analogy for this effect. Think stereo equipment. Some people go for the sleek, elegant and powerful Bang & Olufsen because it’s beautiful and gives you one of the best sounds possible, others want huge amps with many many blinking lights and meters and a plethora of buttons and sliders to play around with. That would be PC.

By any rationale, the Mac is the logical choice if you don’t mind the somewhat higher price tag. I can tell you from experience, that this beautiful elegant efficient OS is an epiphany if you go at it with an open mind. And if you don’t like it, you still have one of the most stylish and powerful high-quality made in USA PCs around.

Mac is not an upgrade over Windows despite what some Mac owners will tell you. It’s merely a different operating system and hardware.

The immediate thing you will discover is that the software selection is far less with Macs. In addition, the hardware is much more expensive.

Here’s my advice:
If you want a desktop, stick with a PC.
If you want a notebook get a Macbook.

@ragingloli

Considering the RETARDED errors this guy makes and describes I’d assume he has another one of these little films for his PC and another one for his Ubuntu machine….pfffff…..

I’m actually thinking of getting a Mac. I know I designed my perfect $2800 PC but for the same price I can get a MacBook Pro. I’m seriously considering it. My dad’s not ordering anything until this summer.

People who know me soon learn that I am the world’s biggest fucking flip-flopper. It’s all I do…I don’t make decisions until the last last minute… :(

(What made me want to get a Mac is that Firefox just crashed yesterday for no reason and it’s been doing that a lot lately…I need a laptop that will last for a while; if that’s going to happen, I don’t know if I can put up with that…Mac always seemed so much more stable to me).

I transfer files back and forth from my PC at work to my Mac laptop without any problems. I have Mac Office on my notebook, and it’s great. I love my MacBook; it’s only slightly bigger than a netbook.

The biggest problem I have with my Mac is remembering not to overthink with it. Doing things is so easy and straightforward. Go to apple.com and look at how their help is structured, and then look and Microsoft directions for the same thing.

It really depends on what your work is about. What do you want to do with your computer?

Well it was certainly an upgrade for me! I’ve have never really had any compatibility problems because nowadays lots of the popular programs have a Mac version or if there’s something I really need I can boot up Windows on it. Lots of things are much more simple (that doesnt mean less capable) than Windows. Windows always made everything unnecessarily complicated. On the Mac you are able to get things done faster and the OS is much much better.

Moving to a Mac from a PC felt like being able to breathe after using an inhaler. But it is a subjective thing, so I would suggest going to an apple store and taking a few hours to do all the stuff you do on your PC on one of their Macs.

Mac. No viruses or spyware in the wild to worry about. Much more intuitive interface. Video/audio/photo editing right out of the box. Integration of data across apps. High quality hardware. Highest rating in customer support. Deceptively simple, but powerful tools when you look for them. Can easily run Windows and Linux if needed. Open source BSD underpinnings. Apple understands how humans connect with their data—Look at the iPod. Nothing stands between you and how you want to interact with your stuff. You might pay a few dollars more, but is your time and sanity worth anything? Look at the long term. You’ll enjoy much more trouble free time, having fun, being productive, on a Mac.

I’ve used Windows. I’ve worked in design shops that were half Windows. There is no doubt in my mind that Macs are an upgrade worth making.

@simpleD The idea that macs cant get viruses or malware is a common misconception.

Mac absolutely can get viruses.

I know someone who wrote a “Virus” for macs. It says “Updating Quicktime” then the user enters their root password and it deletes their home folder. It was just a test, so he deleted it, so that it never gets out into the world.

@eambos—i did that for my own joy once, except it wasnt a home folder, just an empty test folder

@The_Compassionate_Heretic: I didn’t say that Macs can’t get viruses. I said there are no known Mac viruses in the wild. Mac users still need to be cautious – don’t open any mail attachments that you were not expecting; beware of phishing schemes; and don’t install software from dubious sources.

I’m saying there are because there are.
People write viruses specifically for Macs.

@The_Compassionate_Heretic: Citation, please? In particular, a citation of a virus spreading in the wild on the Mac?

I’m sick and tired of people yammering on and on and spreading FUD about the Mac. If you can’t back it up, you shouldn’t post it. Time to put up or shut up.

@cwilbur he did not say that there were viruses running rampant, but that they are out there.

I remember reading an article on gizmodo about people who downloaded illegal copies of iLife ‘09 and ending up with a trojan.

It takes stupidity to get viruses, but they are out there. If you really want, I’ll fond the exact article for you.

Is that enough backup?

No, because a Trojan horse is not a virus.

@The_Compassionate_Heretic said: “Mac absolutely can get viruses.” (here) and “People write viruses specifically for Macs.” (here)

So I want a citation of a Mac virus (not a Trojan horse) spreading in the wild (not a proof-of-concept written by some antivirus software company to spread FUD).

And “I saw an article somewhere that said….” is not a citation.

Until I see a citation of an article from a reputable source, I’m going to keep on calling FUD on this bullshit whenever I see it.

even if it would matter, want to see the most unobtrusive, resource-saving efficient antivirus/firewall proggy around?

Intego Virus Barrier for Mac.

Do you need it? Not really, Unix is very unsusceptible to viruses. Unlike the M$oft breeder OS, where even the most simple of programs comes with a plethora of support libraries to hide stuff in.

The iLife trojan mentioned above was propagated through pirated iLife copies on the bit torrent network. Any halfwitted Mac user stupid enough to pirate software like that could have identified the trojan immediately, as the archive contained several executables plus a routine starting them. Oh well.

I have a question for the Mac users here:

Can I get a mouse for a Mac that has some sort of scroll-wheel on it? Does Apple make one or will I have to get one from a different brand?

@TaoSan I am a halfwitted Mac user (though I have never torrented iLife). Could you elaborate on how to immediately identify trojans and etc. in archives (and is an archive just a name for the folder that holds the files)?

@Dansedescygnes: Yes. Apple makes the Mighty Mouse, whose scroll wheel has a tendency to die every once and a while, but there are tons of third party mouses that are supported by OSX. Just make sure the packaging says it’s compatible.

And I would recommend a bluetooth mouse, to save your usb ports.

Here is an example.

Yeah, I was planning on a Bluetooth mouse because that’s what I have for my current Windows computer. I like it because it has a scroll-wheel and buttons on the sides that function as “back” and “forward” buttons in an internet browser and I find myself using them all the time.

Question #2

One thing I was really looking forward to on my new Windows computer was an integrated TV tuner. Now, Mac has no integrated TV tuners. But as for an external one, does Apple make one? Is there a brand that you would recommend for one?

Elgato makes that type of product. That’s what I would recommend, after using one for a few minutes.

@wildpotato

If you’re not torrenting you’re good to go anyways ;) Archive is just another word for the *dmg or *.zip.

The problem with iLife could be spotted rather easily. iLife installation files come in one *dmg file. The “infected” version that was passed around came as *.dmg that contained another *.dmg plus one executable. That is so unlike Apple software distribution that most folks immediately spotted it.

LAtest is after Christmas we are getting rid of the M$ ( well its going into the kids room ) , we are both buying Macs :)