Does anyone on the Escapist use a Mac?
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I'm a multimedia designer so I use a Mac I have used Windows for years like most people. I find Mac is better for anyone working on any sort of media while windows is better for gaming. On the whole while pc's tend to have better hardware the Mac OS is simply superior which helps make up for since it requires less powerful hardware to run as smoothly as a pc with much stronger hardware.
I have noticed a few people mention that many programs are PC only but honestly it has come up maybe twice for me ever in roughly 7 years and I have had the same issue with a PC backwards too so I don't really think it is much of a point.
PC is alot cheaper and better gaming that is it's two strongest suits.
I have noticed a few people mention that many programs are PC only but honestly it has come up maybe twice for me ever in roughly 7 years and I have had the same issue with a PC backwards too so I don't really think it is much of a point.
PC is alot cheaper and better gaming that is it's two strongest suits.
I'm loving it. I'm not great with computers, I had an unfortunate experience in middle school and in the end the smoke from the back of the computer set off the fire alarm. All I did was try to turn it on. So I'm glad my Mac is just like "You don't know how to do things, let me do them for you." I am fine with that, this is often a true statement with me and computers. Also, there are actually a huge number of really great protein modeling and chemical drawing programs for Macs, some of them better than those for PCs (Because f*ck ChemDraw, MarvinSketch can model PROTEINS and has a better interface, and it's FREE). All of the Microsoft Office things work on here, and that's all I really need from those guys, those free games of Solitaire are exactly the opposite of what I need.
I don't use my Mac for gaming, I've never really been a computer gamer, not since I was playing the Magic School Bus games in like, second grade. We only had the one computer, it was in a basement full of tax returns and old silverware, and we had a Super Nintendo so where do you think a 3rd grader is going to play video games?
I don't use my Mac for gaming, I've never really been a computer gamer, not since I was playing the Magic School Bus games in like, second grade. We only had the one computer, it was in a basement full of tax returns and old silverware, and we had a Super Nintendo so where do you think a 3rd grader is going to play video games?
You need to use the VLC media player to get .avi to play. It won't come up with the normal default player.Raven said:
I was willing to learn this much computer information because I would be damned if I would let a file extension keep me from watching my episodes of Doctor Who.
I've been working with a MacBook for about three years now, and it is my most favorite laptop. I call her Stacey. There are far fewer system issues, crashes, etc, than I've had with PCs, and in the event that something does go wrong and I don't know how to fix it, AppleCare is infinitely easier to work with than Microsoft support. A little pretentious, but ultimately more helpful.
I'm not a big Apple fan brand-wise, I don't use an iphone or ipad or any other Apple tech, but Stacy and OSX have been doing me just fine. The major drawbacks most people run into are the price, which is irrelevant since yours was a gift, the gaming capabilities (which doesn't affect me much, I'm definitely a console kind of girl), and the incompatibility with Windows-originated files or programs. And to that I say: In three years of mac usage, I have never encountered something that I couldn't run on my macbook. If the capability doesn't come naturally, there's *always* a free program online that makes it mac-friendly.
I'm not a big Apple fan brand-wise, I don't use an iphone or ipad or any other Apple tech, but Stacy and OSX have been doing me just fine. The major drawbacks most people run into are the price, which is irrelevant since yours was a gift, the gaming capabilities (which doesn't affect me much, I'm definitely a console kind of girl), and the incompatibility with Windows-originated files or programs. And to that I say: In three years of mac usage, I have never encountered something that I couldn't run on my macbook. If the capability doesn't come naturally, there's *always* a free program online that makes it mac-friendly.
I'm really rather tempted to try that now, though I imagine the results will be less than impressive. Since the biggest strength of macs, as I recall, is that they're only built by Apple, with the software very deliberately designed with the specific hardware in mind.Matthew94 said:
Whereas PC is a licenced thing from IBM so there are so many various combinations of various pieces of hardware that it's really difficult to properly optimise things for a PC.
Hence macs run smoother in general. Though as a direct consequence cost a shitload more, so relatively few people use them.
Or at least thats what we learned in Economics.
As a laptop, Macs are a pretty good way to go. Good graphics, decent processing speed and can do just about everything you'd need for day-to-day living.
As a gaming platform, it's terrible. A lot of game developers tend to program for mac users as an afterthought and a lot of people just don't even bother because Microsoft has had a monopoly on the computer gaming market for a long time. One of the biggest drawbacks is (and lets be honest here) the mods. One of the major perks for a computer over a console is the ability to tweak your game however you like but a lot of modders do not program for the Mac OS system and if you're not that good of a programmer yourself, you can pretty much give up on the concept altogether. (Recently hit that problem with DA2 and Minecraft.)
But on the bright side, that also means it's that much harder for malware to get into your system. So hey, silver lining.
As a gaming platform, it's terrible. A lot of game developers tend to program for mac users as an afterthought and a lot of people just don't even bother because Microsoft has had a monopoly on the computer gaming market for a long time. One of the biggest drawbacks is (and lets be honest here) the mods. One of the major perks for a computer over a console is the ability to tweak your game however you like but a lot of modders do not program for the Mac OS system and if you're not that good of a programmer yourself, you can pretty much give up on the concept altogether. (Recently hit that problem with DA2 and Minecraft.)
But on the bright side, that also means it's that much harder for malware to get into your system. So hey, silver lining.
while still technically true, it's quickly become a thing of the past. Computer usage has increased greatly over the past couple years with a large portion of the 'newbies' picking up a mac because of it's ease of use and 'lack of viruses'Akkiko said:
However since macs have become even more popular, viruses have been turning up and some of them can be extremely damaging. The fact that the general population (of generally not very computer savy individuals) still think that Mac's are immune to viruses means that a lot of these people aren't even using anti-virus software. It's the same idea behind wearing a seatbelt while driving, it helps save you if you get into an accident but it doesn't mean you should be driving drunk at top speed.
Plus we've started discovering viruses for phones as well. The idea that any OS is impervious to virus attacks is outdated.
OT: PC guy myself, I don't mind macs but the attitude some fan boys have for them I can't stomach.
I've used macs since I was 5 and I've been somewhat disappointed by my last few computers. One imac quit starting up entirely after about 3 years. Another imac would shut off at random intervals due to a faulty power supply, right out of the box (which they fixed). The hard drive on my current macbook failed, but they did replace it for free out of warranty. I had to buy a new power supply ($80) from Best Buy and didn't try to get a free one from the Apple Store because the nearest one is too far away for this to be economical. After replacing my hard drive, the case began to crack, which is a common problem with this model, so I have ugly scotch tape holding the base of it together. The screen also seems to be developing water spots or something. Also, the App Store is not compatible with my operating system, so if I ever want to use that source for software, I have to pay another $30 to get snow leopard, and I think another $30 on top of that to get Lion. The software package that comes with the computer isn't updated unless you buy the $80 packages with each iteration of the OS. There also isn't really a solid word processor designed by Apple anymore (R.I.P. Appleworks).
This current computer still runs relatively well after 4 years and I should upgrade, but so few models of laptop meet my specifications. All the baseline models have been replaced by the Macbook Air, which has no disc drive and almost no hard disc space (maxes out at 256 gb flash storage, which isn't helpful for the amount of porn and uncompressed music files I have backed up). The Macbook Pros start at $1200 and still don't have as much ram or hard disc space as computers that are $200 cheaper. I used to be able to argue that the system architecture was different enough that lower tech specs didn't apply to macs in the same way, but that argument doesn't hold water since they switched to Intel chips.
It's too bad because I do like the interface.
This current computer still runs relatively well after 4 years and I should upgrade, but so few models of laptop meet my specifications. All the baseline models have been replaced by the Macbook Air, which has no disc drive and almost no hard disc space (maxes out at 256 gb flash storage, which isn't helpful for the amount of porn and uncompressed music files I have backed up). The Macbook Pros start at $1200 and still don't have as much ram or hard disc space as computers that are $200 cheaper. I used to be able to argue that the system architecture was different enough that lower tech specs didn't apply to macs in the same way, but that argument doesn't hold water since they switched to Intel chips.
It's too bad because I do like the interface.
Because i run maintain and build the computers in my house for me and my parents i cant run linux on a custom machine like i want, instead i go with windows and im too lazy to boot a different OS just for me. I like windows in some respects but it doesnt really do it for me on other departments. Its good for gaming and i find the interface ok but its a pretty substandard OS. Mac has a nice OS but no games which is a little sad. Linux has a good OS but needs wine and the like which i imagine will irk me no end but ill probably get down to doing anyway.
Apple as a hardware sales company is overpriced to say the least and the chance of me buying one when i could get my own and buy the well built apple software instead is slim. Its the best of both worlds to do the above.
Apple as a hardware sales company is overpriced to say the least and the chance of me buying one when i could get my own and buy the well built apple software instead is slim. Its the best of both worlds to do the above.
Having to use an alternative kind of throws the "Hi i'm a mac, easy and intuitive" argument away doesn't it?Carbonyl said:
As a hardcore PC gamer who can fix his own computer, does minimal movie/photo editing and has little to no extra income per month... no, no I do not.
If you like it, though, then who am I to say anything.
If you like it, though, then who am I to say anything.
*laughs hysterically* Look, I have no issue with people who use macs. My girlfriend's family have a Mac as their main family computer. I however have many problems with them as machines. The design, the mouse, and the fragility of the keyboard to name just a few small things.
I own a PC, but most of the computers at my university are macs, so I get a decent amount of use out of them. For like web browsing and word processing and stuff they're fine. I have a few problems with the keyboard layout being unfamiliar to me and the actual mac keyboards themselves but they're not bad, just I think a bit overpriced.
Macs are to computers what Batman is to superheroes. Sure you can't play very many games with him, you have to spend a shitload of money to get his stuff and I'm you may at some point look at some guy riding on the back of superman and slightly regret you decision but...I mean, he's the fucking batman.
Btw, yes. Yes I do.
Btw, yes. Yes I do.
I learned fine, my Economics teacher was using an example from 30 years ago clearly.Matthew94 said:
Wouldn't surprise me though his idea of teaching was "read the powerpoint".
I seeeee. My PC is not custom built, it's pretty mediocre tbh, it gets the job it's required to do done and not much else. I only replaced my old one because my old one was clicking when it powered up and I took it as a decidedly bad sign.