Mac vs PC for affiliates

[KevinMcC]

OK so my 3-4 year old PC is shit now and I am thinking of upgrading.

What is better mac or pc?

How long does it take to get used to working with a mac (no prior experience)?

Can you use dreamweaver on a mac?

People say you can download some program that runs windows on a mac.. is that true? Is it actually running windows or a simulation or what?

Can you dual monitor mac desktops? I have two samsung monitors, will they work on a Mac?

Is there anyone who switched to a mac and then switched back because they liked windows better?


I will add more questions if I can think of any more... thanks a lot for your help.

[GregW]

After switching from PC to Mac, I wasn't like "This is so much better, I've been missing out all these years". However, after using a Mac I wouldn't switch back to using Windows. I prefer my Mac.

Using a Mac is easy. Apple is all about being intuitive so it's not tricky to get to grips with at all. Besides, you'll probably just want to play around with your new Mac in the first few days anyway (getting everything set up how you like etc.), and you'll learn everything you need to know then.

Yes, you can use Dreamweaver on Mac. Be prepared to pay for a full license though, as if you're planning to get it for a "discount", I don't think you can.

Yeah you can run Windows on Mac. There are a bunch of different ways to do it. I've been using Parallels and it's pretty seamless. It does take up a bit of resources though compared to your average program. However, I think the only program I need that doesn't have a Mac alternative is PokerStove, so I rarely need to boot up Windows. In all honesty, you'll more than likely stick with Mac programs once you get going.

Dual monitors: 99% sure you can. I've just got the single Mac 27' monitor though, so I wouldn't be the best person to ask.

Overall, I'm very happy that I bought a Mac and I'd recommend them to anyone (if money isn't really an issue).

[jason@bp]

What is better mac or pc?

A lot of it comes down to personal preference. I like Mac because the hardware seems more efficient, OSX kicks Windows' butt, and security isn't a worry unlike w/ PCs. I dabble in all of coding, design, and writing, and I find Mac is way better than PC for me.

That said I still need to use Windows sometimes, like when trying out a Windows-only poker room. While I do have a separate PC for this, it's possible to do it from your mac with some extra work.

How long does it take to get used to working with a mac (no prior experience)?

A day at most. With a Mac you're doing pretty much anything you need from the GUI, which is way way easier to figure out than Windows. Point and click. If you're hardcore, there is the option to use terminal (command-line) and really get into the system. It's the best of both worlds in terms of usability at all levels of expertise.

In my experience most people have the most trouble remembering that on a Mac, the 'close' button for a window is in the left-hand corner, not the right. That's not really a huge difficulty imo and it says something when that's the main complaint.

Can you use dreamweaver on a mac?

Heck yes! Adobe CS software runs very efficiently on Mac. Every designer and most developers I know use Mac, and they're all CS freaks.

People say you can download some program that runs windows on a mac.. is that true? Is it actually running windows or a simulation or what?

There are many options for this.

#1 is BootCamp, which comes pre-installed when you buy your Mac. BootCamp basically allows you to set aside a partition on your hard drive on which you can install Windows. I've reformatted since, but when I first got my MacBook I dedicated about 3/4ths of my disk space to MacOS and 1/4th to WinXP.

You just choose at start-up whether you want the computer to kick into MacOS or Windows. It's really easy, but you do need a copy of Windows to install ($$$), if you want to do this.

#2 is Parallels Desktop, which is a lot like BootCamp. The difference is that with Parallels, your Windows will run within the MacOS environment, as if it were a program of its own. The positive here is that you can do MacOS stuff alongside Windows stuff without having to restart your CPU. The negatives are that you'll use a lot of system resources and thus everything will be slower. But if you're only using windows for minor stuff, like web browsing or poker clients, it won't be an issue.

#3 option is something like WINE, which basically simulates a Windows operating environment within MacOS. Not every program will run on WINE, but a lot do. The main advantage here is that it's free, so no buying Windows. Just install something like WINEbox on your MacOS, and watch it go.

Can you dual monitor mac desktops? I have two samsung monitors, will they work on a Mac?

Yes, absolutely. I have a MacBook (laptop) that's quite old and I dual monitor via the miniDVI-out port. I have a 23" Samsung running in combo w/ the laptop screen.

You won't need to install any hardware or anything either. With Mac almost all drivers are basically plug-n-play.

[jason@bp]

Yes, you can use Dreamweaver on Mac. Be prepared to pay for a full license though, as if you're planning to get it for a "discount", I don't think you can.

Eh, not that I've received a discount myself, of course, but there are some available. You might have to settle with CS3 or CS4 rather than the latest, though.

[Stiankr]

I just switched from pc to mac (imac) about 3-4 months ago and can absolutely recommend it. I also bought windows7 but havent had the need to install it yet. The most important programs i use is availible for mac, like photoshop, dreamweaver, statsremote, open office, firefox, thunderbird, etc. etc.

Moving everything from the pc was supereasy with a ethernet cable, even moving over all the thunderbird emails went pretty smooth.

Think i was pretty much up and running with every important thing the same day and if you understand windows you will for sure have no problem with handling the mac.

Experience so far: everything is waaay faster than any pc i have owned, mac is also much better for video editing, running several heavy programs at the same time with no problems and there is about zero crashes/freezes.

When something freezes (msn mostly.) its easy to quit it and keep working without the need to restart, there is much much less restarting with the mac.

Highly recommend you to take this step Kevin

[KevinMcC]

Thanks for answering the questions guys...

So do the Macs use the same input for monitors? ...not sure what they're called but mine are those bigger blue monitor plugs

I have a "HP SimpleSave" which is like a backup of my computer... would I be able to plug this in (usb) and get files loaded up onto my Mac?

[jason@bp]

So do the Macs use the same input for monitors? ...not sure what they're called but mine are those bigger blue monitor plugs

What you're talking about is a VGA input. My monitor (the Samsung) takes the same input; the Mac has a mini-DV port that serves the same function. What you'll need to do is buy a miniDV --> VGA adapter (apple makes them, about $25--what I use) and you're good to go.

apple store link to what i'm talking about (not an aff link)

I have a "HP SimpleSave" which is like a backup of my computer... would I be able to plug this in (usb) and get files loaded up onto my Mac?

Never heard of this. Is this some sort of external hard drive?

If so you'll generally be able to just plug it into your mac, it will show up as a 'device', and you can transfer files from it to your Mac HD. It's as simple and dragging and dropping files in most cases.

[KevinMcC]

Ok so if the mac desktop comes with one monitor that plugs into mini DV port, is there another port to use that thing and the Samsung?

And yeah the HP simple save is basically an external hard drive that acts as a backup drive too.

[jason@bp]

Ok so if the mac desktop comes with one monitor that plugs into mini DV port, is there another port to use that thing and the Samsung?

The Mac Desktop is just one piece. Monitor + hardware in one solid casing. So when buying an iMac, you don't need to buy a tower + a monitor. It's all one. The miniDVI output is unused to begin with, just for use as an extension. This is the entire thing, there is nothing else:



The miniDVI port is on the back of the iMac:



It's the port labeled #1.

So you just need to feed the DVI adaptor from that to your Samsung's VGA input, using the cables and the adapter piece. Your two monitors will be the iMac's built in monitor and your Sammie external.

And yeah the HP simple save is basically an external hard drive that acts as a backup drive too.

As long as it just functions as a normal backup--i.e. no fancy HP encryption--you shouldn't have a problem.

I use a standard 1TB external hard drive to store videos, music, etc. and can transfer files freely between my Mac and PC. Whenever I need to make a backup I just manually transfer whatever files I know I'll need to the external drive. That way, I'm not relying on a company's pre-made software for my data transfer; frankly I do not trust a piece of software to back up my files so that I can freely use them as I need to. I reformat my Mac's HD every 3-4 months, and this method has always worked for me.

So what I would do is make a folder in Windows called "backup" or something, transfer all my important documents to that folder, and then manually copy that folder onto the external HD without using HP's backup program. Just to be safe. If you do this there shouldn't be a problem reading the files from the HD on a mac; you'd just need to plug 'er in with a USB cable.

edit: what the pre-made backup software programs will do that a manual backup won't is save your windows settings, installed programs, and so on. But since you're transferring everything to a Mac, none of that matters. As long as you have the documents you need and whatever source files for mac-friendly programs you want saved, you're good.

[KevinMcC]

Thanks for the detailed answer Jason, helped a lot.

Anyone else feel free to answer the first question "whats better mac or pc" ... looking for answers from people who have used both enough.. thanks