Mac Vs. PC

[macjones]

I am a designer and I work with this kid strait out of college who wont shut up about how much better PC's are than Macs despite the fact that he too is a designer. I know that Mac's are better and why, I just need some quick reasons to list as to why Mac's are the designers choice. Any help?

[nixgeek]

I would just ignore him like you would ignore a little dog that yaps a lot. No need to fuel the fire. If you know it works better for you than Windows, than that's all that matters. So long as you get the job done. Apple, Macs, and Mac OS X will speak for themselves.

[MosGuy]

As a PC tech for 17 years vs only 3 years with OS X. Personally I don't get wrapped up in the whole Mac vs PC debate. Both are good systems and in most areas are on par with each other such as Photoshop work etc. In some areas Macs excel in others Windows is better. If you each feel your OS is better then the other one well that's fine. As long as you can do your job well it doesn't matter which OS it is.

[nixgeek]

Originally Posted by MosGuy

As a PC tech for 17 years vs only 3 years with OS X. Personally I don't get wrapped up in the whole Mac vs PC debate. Both are good systems and in most areas are on par with each other such as Photoshop work etc. In some areas Macs excel in others Windows is better. If you each feel your OS is better then the other one well that's fine. As long as you can do your job well it doesn't matter which OS it is.

Well said. Sadly, this kid probably won't care. I've seen this too often myself when some people get so overly fanatic about a platform, especially young guns that think they know everything about computers when in reality it's only within the Windows realm. Use what works for you and that's it. For me, it's Linux and Mac OS X. I try not to do Windows as much, but only because I have to for work.

[Qion]

Just tell him that he's not God and should get over his complex.

Other than that, the only real way to "show" him is to actually show him. Put out some phenomenal work or show him your workflow.

(You could also mention the fact that nearly every graphic artist -that at least I can think of in my experience- uses a Mac. I wonder why that is...? )

[MosGuy]

Originally Posted by nixgeek

Well said. Sadly, this kid probably won't care. I've seen this too often myself when some people get so overly fanatic about a platform, especially young guns that think they know everything about computers when in reality it's only within the Windows realm. Use what works for you and that's it. For me, it's Linux and Mac OS X. I try not to do Windows as much, but only because I have to for work.

Well I agree, I've shifted into the Linux and OS X fields as much as I can as the PC field is over crowded. I only use my PC for gaming these days. Your right the kid won't care and I've seen the debates get out of control. I wouldn't say it's only in the Windows world. I've seen Mac and Unix people be just as fanatic and get down right nasty to anyone running the 'other' operating systems.. Personally I think they're all full of it and living in a dream world. If they have nothing better to do with their time then bad mouth other operating systems. As they all have their pro and cons, but it's not worth trying to get through to people so I just sit there and have a good laugh. Then get back using the best of all three OSes . I've seen some amazing design work produced on a Mac and also on the PC, so it's just a matter of personal perference really.

[Mikuro]

Depends on what you do. I find Macs to be much better for graphics work primarily because of the global menu bar, which makes application windows more free. Working with three or four images in Photoshop is a pain in the butt on Windows. Working with multiple apps at once is also a hassle. (Granted, I'm sure this is something I would get used to if I had to use Windows daily for an extended period of time.)

For video work...well, I've never done any on Windows, so it's hard to say, but I imagine it wouldn't be much worse than on the Mac, since Mac video programs aren't very Mac-like to begin with. Depends on the quality of Windows software more than the OS itself.

You might see Windows' vast software library as an advantage, but it can also be a liability, because the signal-to-noise ratio when searching for software is awful. 90% of Windows software is crap; and worse yet, it seems that most people don't even know it, or don't even care. This is expecially true of video encoders. I see so many corrupt/non-compliant video files made with Windows programs. Nobody seems to notice, because it plays in WMP (with whatever codec packs they have installed). But it won't play in any compliant players. Ugh. The same thing has happened with web design; many sites are designed to rely on bugs in Internet Explorer. (This isn't as much of an issue today as it was 5 years ago, though.)

On the Mac side, we have all the tools we need, and they're actually good. Thank god OS X is Unix-based, because we get a ton of well-written software made by programmers who really know what they're doing.



But ultimately, when it comes to creative work, the better platform is the one you like. The truth is, I chose the Mac OS over Windows back in the mid-90s. And the mid-90s (and earlier) is when the Mac gained its popularity among designers. When you look back at that time frame, it's no wonder. Windows was garbage, System 7 worked. The Mac was unquestionably more friendly towards "non-techy" people, so of course it appealed more to people who were used to "old-fashioned" creative mathods

But none of the reasons I had back then really still apply. The only constant is the global menu bar — which is no small thing, from an interface designer's perspective. And many creative people today grew up using computers. They were computer geeks before they were art geeks, unlike the people from 10 years ago. To them, things like intuitive interfaces simply don't matter, because they already know everything about computers.



I don't think creative types are drawn to Macs so much because Macs are good for creative tasks (even though I think Macs are). I think they're drawn to Macs because they just like Macs. There's something about the Mac OS that appeals to creative types — probably because it was made by creative types. Back in the 90s, Windows was so ugly it was just depressing (and I wouldn't argue with anyone who said it still is); what creative person would want to submit themselves to that every day? The philosophy that shows through the design of the Mac OS is friendly and conducive to creativity (for me, anyway). Windows has an entirely different philosophy.

I know, the second I say "philosophy", 99% of the world stops taking me seriously, but to me, that's what it's all about. Software is an art. Interface design is an art. The philosophy and emotions of an artist will always come through in their work. Call it a "vibe" if you want (for lack of a better word, I will, too). The vibe I get from Windows makes me angry on a very basic level, and I'm not it top creative form when I'm angry.

Both platforms are capable, so again, it comes down to which one you like, for whatever subjective, hazy reasons you have.

</rambling>

Edit: Hey, I just noticed you're from NYC. Me too.

[fryke]

What's the aim of the discussion? I.e.: What does he want to reach? Does he want to "convert" you to his opinion or is this about what PCs/Macs to use at work? Depending on what's this kid's goal, your answer should be different. If all he wants to do is a private little flamewar, then just tell him _your_ opinion and end the discussion with a "We'll have to agree to disagree here." - discussion done. If this is about buying new hardware for the office and it's your call (dunno...), then let _him_ make a case. I think it's easier to defend here than to attack.