Looking at What Vista Lacks Compared to Leopard
Looking at What Vista Lacks Compared to Leopard
by , 2:15 PM EDT, April 30th, 2008
Microsoft is often accused of copying other OSes, but there is a healthy list of eighteen features that Windows should have, but doesn't, according to PCWorld. The list is a eye-opening catalog of what Vista users are missing.
In fact, Robert Strohmeyer wrote, while Windows is the world's dominant OS, when comparing it to Mac OS X and Linux, Vista can seem very incomplete.
Here's the list sans the author's extensive discussion:
- Expose
- Virtual Workspaces
- Back to My Mac
- Screen Sharing
- Time Machine
- ISO Burning of CDs
- Stickies
- Podcast Capture
- Software Repositories (Linux, BSD)
- Desktop Cube (Linux, BSD)
- Application Dock
- Automated Screen Shots
- Multitouch Gestures
- Cover Flow
- Preinstalled Apache Web Server
- POSIX compliance
- Standardized Menu Bar
- Applications as single directory
While the list is heavily Mac-centric and could be interpreted as a Mac OS X promotion in disguise, it also serves as a healthy reminder of what Microsoft has either been unable to copy or has been prevented from copying via Apple patents. In either case, the article is an eye-opener for anyone who may be considering moving from a Mac to Windows and what life would be like.
Observer Comments
Wed Apr 30, 2008 3:21 pm Subject: One more feature Vista lacks
Wed Apr 30, 2008 4:12 pm Subject: Back to My Mac
Wed Apr 30, 2008 4:48 pm Subject: What does it have?
Here's a few more features:
Quick Look
Dictionary on the hard drive (and usable through the dictionary application, dashboard, spotlight, or in-context popup dictionary).
PDF creation (without buying Acrobat)
Encrypted disk images
and one more: easy entering of foreign characters. Notice in the article that the Macs have a feature called "Expose". If you're using a Mac, it's easy to write it correctly: Exposй.
Very weak pro-OS X stuff. What part of the list is essential???
And, there are equivalent things on Vista that Leopard doesn't have - 'they' had Time Machine before Apple - they just don't call it Time Machine.
Mac doesn't have animated or video desktops... I could go on.
Point is the Mac kicks Windows ass but we don't need these dumb "lists" as nothing in the list is essential. Both OS's can run the important Apps, (and there are thousands of more Apps and games for Windows - put that on the Windows has it, but not the Mac list.
Dumb lists like this make Apple fans look desperate for approval.
Installing Leopard on my iBook crashed the thing - I lost Airport, I couldn't boot up; Permissions couldn't be repaired which was the 'fix' for Airport. Very frustrating and un-Apple like. I wonder if Vista has those features!?
Your first question is right on. What is essential is up to the user.
QuoteGuest wrote:
Very weak pro-OS X stuff. What part of the list is essential???
And, there are equivalent things on Vista that Leopard doesn't have - 'they' had Time Machine before Apple - they just don't call it Time Machine.
Mac doesn't have animated or video desktops... I could go on.
Point is the Mac kicks Windows ass but we don't need these dumb "lists" as nothing in the list is essential. Both OS's can run the important Apps, (and there are thousands of more Apps and games for Windows - put that on the Windows has it, but not the Mac list.
Dumb lists like this make Apple fans look desperate for approval.
Installing Leopard on my iBook crashed the thing - I lost Airport, I couldn't boot up; Permissions couldn't be repaired which was the 'fix' for Airport. Very frustrating and un-Apple like. I wonder if Vista has those features!?
Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:30 pm Subject: I don't see these soo much as strenghts as just
Eye candy for macs.
Podcast capture requires OS Server, btw, so useless without.
Dude, Windows RDC and Mac screen sharing are NOT the same thing - mac screen sharing blows RDC out of the water. Similar in scope, yes, but completely different in implementation and function.
iChat vid conference blows MSN away on the windows side.
I love my mac, (and have had several over the years) but there are things what windows does that I wish mac's did. My macs home/end keys don't work for sentences. In windows, the home/end keys move the cursor to the start (left) of a sentence while the end key moves the cursor to the end (right) of a sentence.
I would love to rename a file in the open/save dialog box, which you can do in windows. Keyboard short cuts for open/save dialog box always work in windows. Not always for a Mac. Also, in windows, you can tab between buttons in a dialog box and the buttons are highlighted - not so on a mac.
On the mac side, multi-tasking ROCKS. In windows, - try to unzip a large file(say like SP3 for xp), have iTunes playing a song, and run a quicktime movie. Good luck. Just for kicks, while all of that is going on with my Mac, I can still BURN A DVD without loss of data to the DVD.
Installing apps is a breeze on a mac. Uninstalling is a bit of a trick.
My mac never complains about unused icons on my desktop. My mac Never pouts about the network not being connected. Wait, it is, no wait it isn't. I like that I get notified, but please don't kill me with the messages. One of my long time windows buddies just picked up a macbook - he is troubled that he doesn't tinker with it like he does with his windows laptop. He was worried about registry bloat -not so on a mac. He may never have to blow away and reinstall Mac OS to get his performance back. He will do so soon with his PC laptop.
He installed a newer larger HD in his macbook. He used superduper(free for this feature) to make a bootable image of his current HD onto the new HD via a USB to HD connector. Removed the old and plugged in the new HD and was off. Didn't need any more reboots than just a power on.
I like that my Mac has a built in FTP server
Has Apache
Has ruby on rails
has Perl
has X11. I use all of those.
I like that Parallels ROCKS. I have tried Fusion and like it, but prefer Parallels. Cool to have choices.
My two cents..
Thu May 01, 2008 12:17 am Subject:
QuoteIntruder wrote:
Video desktops are available for the Mac through shareware (if you really want to waste processor cycles that way). Have been for years.
And, you know, I've never understood the appeal. I tried one and the flickering of small parts of my desktop that sat around the periphery of active windows was intolerably annoying. Am I missing something?
I use PCs at work and find that the Help system on the PCs works far better than in Mac. Maybe that's because PC users have needed to use Help more often than when running on Mac. I find Apple's Help system to be somehting that I don't look forward to opening for two reasons: 1) it takes way to long to launch the application and 2) it rarely provides me relevant answers to the questions that I am asking. Windows seems to have its Help system more integrated to the application whereas OS X has it more integrated to the entire operating system. This results in answers that are quite irrelevant when querying OS X Help.
Thu May 01, 2008 9:32 am Subject: I guess it depends on the use
Quotecoaten wrote:QuoteIntruder wrote:
Video desktops are available for the Mac through shareware (if you really want to waste processor cycles that way). Have been for years.
And, you know, I've never understood the appeal. I tried one and the flickering of small parts of my desktop that sat around the periphery of active windows was intolerably annoying. Am I missing something?
Some people like that kind of stuff, I guess a lot depends how the person uses, or "views", their computer. I use mine mostly for work so I want a clean desktop that is a solid color that doesn't distract. Gamers and others who use the computer for things other than mostly work seem to like the eye candy.
QuoteSir Harry Flashman wrote:QuoteGuest wrote:
I'm die hard Mac, however without a list illustrating features Vista has that Mac OS X doesn't this post cannot be conducive to a healthy evaluation.
Can you give us at least a short list?
There is no list for Vista that Mac doesn't have. Oh wait, there is one thing,
TOTALLY ANNOYING!!!!
I have to disagree with you on this. While in 10.0-10.3 the OS X help was way too slow, this has been fixed in 10.4+.
And Windows Help has never helped me... for example, I recently installed a wireless card on a PC, and it told me I needed to start the wireless zero conf service... help doesn't return anything on this. (Apparently once a wireless card is installed, it start automatically next time you restart.)
Or you could do what it told you to do and start the wireless zero configuration service.
Maybe I'm just used to doing the obvious.
QuoteGuest wrote:
I have to disagree with you on this. While in 10.0-10.3 the OS X help was way too slow, this has been fixed in 10.4+.
And Windows Help has never helped me... for example, I recently installed a wireless card on a PC, and it told me I needed to start the wireless zero conf service... help doesn't return anything on this. (Apparently once a wireless card is installed, it start automatically next time you restart.)
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