I dont want to start a flame fest on this forum, so please posts in an intelligent manner. I have been a PC user since the age of 12 (26 now) and I now work on Mac’s for a living. So far I can do anything a Mac can do on my PC.

On the Mac side I know they are built for graphics and there for can excell where programs like Photoshop and Quark are concerned. But I watch the sales guys at where I work give demos all day about what a Mac can do over the PC and I keep thinking as I watch “My PC can do that also…and easier than your doing it”.

I am starting this to get an idea of what a Mac can do that a PC cant so that for
1) I can increase my knowledge on Macs vs. PC’s
2) Maybe become a bit more of a Mac person (since its kinda my job)
3) Be able to help my customers converting to the Mac platform (I must admit…after a year of Mac work, I’m still adjusting)

Again, do not start a flame fest on this forum please.

Thats easy!  Run Mac OS!

Cute. True there but becides the OS itself is what I’m looking for.

I can offer only very little.

When I start my iMac up, it takes 42 seconds.

When my buddy starts up his PC, I swear I could grill burgers, go to the store to get the pickles I forgot, eat, take a nap, and then a swim ... and then come back in time to catch it finally launching.

Ok, I’m exaggerating. I would never have time to take a swim.

_________________
Scott
Pittsburgh, PA

That’s my .02. You can keep the change.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: scottk on 2001-07-06 16:52 ]</font>

According to MS documentation if it takes longer than 2 Minutes to boot any OS that MS makes then there is a problem with the software. On average it takes my PC with Windows 2000 about 30 seconds. When I had Windows 98SE it took about 45.

Its not really a question of what it can do or what it can’t.  I think that most people agree that applications written in Macs follow a consistent set of user interface guidelines, even across applications.  There is no such guideline for Windows apps.  This makes any Windows app much less intuitive to use than any Mac app.  This is also a big reason why Mac users feel that they are more productive on a Mac.

One thing I’ve always hated about PCs is the context sensitive menu array.
In some applications, the menus at the top of a Window change depending on what you have selected in that window.  I HATE that.

So to sum it up, run the Mac OS is the single most significant thing that a Mac can do that your PC can’t because of the kind of consistent UI that entails.

Ooohhh!  Ooohhhh!  I can run Photoshop filters up to twice as fast as a Pentium III with a Power Mac G4!  Steve told me so!!!!!!!!! 

Oh yeah, and now Macs can do UNIX.

Brad

_________________
Brad Smith
iQT - Interactive QuickTime
“More than just streaming…”
The Mac Observer (http://www.macobserver.com)
E-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: bpsmith on 2001-07-06 17:09 ]</font>

First to Retro: actually I find less regularity on the Mac over the PC. Yes the Mac has the bar at the top of the screen that changes with each App. But, as far as features I have found that Macs and PCs both have the same problem, the program depends on the developer writing in the same style. If the programmer writes his/her program like eveyone else then there are regularities. But just like the PC….there are those that like to make up the rules as they go.

bpsmith: MS is working on an OS that is based on UNIX…and there is always Linux which has a huge following on the PC side (more so than on the Mac side).

PCs can do Unix, and have been able to do so for a long while.  In addition, Windows machines often start up faster than Macs (depending on the machine and the OS of course), but Macs shut down in a tiny fraction of the time it takes a Windows box to do so.

Another thing I can do on my Macthat I can’t do on a Windows machine is change my monitor resolution without having to confirm TWICE that I *really, really, really* want to do it (the first is “apply/OK” and the second is “did you really want to do it?”).  That is one of my biggest frustrations with Windows.  The Mac assumes I actually want to do what I say.

BTW…I mentioned Photoshop on my initial post. I know that it runs faster on the Mac….I can still do the same stuff on the PC in Photoshop…just not as fast.

Extell, I think you are very wrong about the consistency thing.  Quitting, edit options, preferences, open/save, and all of those other user interface issues are WAY more consistent on Macs.  You are actually the first I have have talked to who suggests otherwise.

I would like to hear why you think otherwise, however.  Always interested in a new perspective!

Bryan: lets look at this realistically….there are hundreds of deveopers of equiptment on the PC side….not only lots of monitors but lots of video cards to choose from. The real reason it asks this is if the resolution goes beyond what the monitor can handle you get a screen that you cannot read and cannot see where to click…its a failsafe option that allows the system to return to its old setting should something go wrong.

In Classic, I can windowshade my windows (I hope this gets added to X!).  This is a feature that is VERY important, especially for those who use apps with palette windows.  I have found many Windows users don’t appreciate this, however.  Perhaps it is because they have never used it (speculation).

In addition, in the Mac, with either GoMac or the Dock, my open windows don’t clutter up my task bar.

I don’t mind being asked if I really wanted to do it, I mind being asked FIRST if I want to do it, and then if I want to keep it!  The Mac also asks you to confirm the change afterwards, but it assumes I knew what I was doing when I changed it in the first place.

I like keyboard commands….I can use <ALT> <F4> to quit any app (like the <Apple> <Q>). But on the Mac side I have found some software (like scanner apps) that will not allow you to quit in this manner. Also, every program I have seen on the PC you can goto ‘File’ and ‘Exit’ to get out of it. You can also click on the “X” in the top right hand corner of a program to quit it. The cut / copy / paste work the same on all programs. But like I said before….it all depends on who is writing the software. If the writer does not code like the rest then the program does not run like the rest.

Bryan….ever click something by accident then say something you dont want kids to hear as the app or program launches?

I happen to like the fact that it asks if I’m sure I want to do something. If I changed something by accident and hit ‘ok’ just to quit out of it and a window pops up asking if I’m sure I want to change I can go back and see what I did to cause change. Becides you can disable alot of those questions. I hate when the recycle bin asks if I’m sure I want to throw something away, so I disable it. I still get asked if I’m sure when I hit empty trash just like the Mac.