<p>I'm not that knowledgeable when it comes to the intricacies of computers, so if anyone is willing to take the time to explain some things to me, I'd really appreciate it...</p>
<p>My main question is whether or not to get a Mac... I've been using Windows my whole life and have never really had problems, but Mac's have a lot of amazing features, and everyone i know seems to love them. </p>
<p>I just need some background on the pros/cons of macs and am curious as to whether or not a mac would make a good college computer...</p>
<p>if you do anything remotely related to gaming, then don't get a MAC, other wise it's similar to a PC, personally i would buy a MAC if u get good discount, if not stick with a PC, it's more convient.</p>
<p>If you'v been using a PC your whole life get yourself a PC. No reason to re-invent the wheel. They arn't any better...just do things a little differently to be honest.</p>
<p>I'd been using PCs alone, too before coming to college and getting my first mac <a href="last%20year's%20deal">+ free ipod nano</a>. </p>
<p>The really cool thing I think has been most useful for me is the alt+[any letter] function that offers a whole range of accents, which is great for German and French.</p>
<p>Macs are more expensive and can't play games. They also don't have as many free programs and tweaks. On the other hand, they have a nice interface, fewer viruses, and do the things you listed.</p>
<p>If you don't play games, and you can afford it, I would say try out a Mac.</p>
<p>I got my Mac a few months before I started college (Fall 06) and I'm very glad that I did. I'm not a gamer so the lack of games didn't really bother me (and if you're into gaming, you could always put Windows on your Mac).</p>
<p>The major advantage to me is, outside of the fact that I simply like it better and everything just works together, is the fact that at my school, it's MUCH easier to connect to the school's network. With Windows, you've got to install a certain piece of software that makes sure your anti-virus/firewall/anti-spam things are all up-to-date and in working order. Not to mention that this software goes down a few times a month. For me and the rest of the Mac owners on campus, there are no problems. It's nice to tell the PC owners that make up a majority of my dorm that, "No, the internet isn't down, I'm on Facebook right now."</p>
<p>To me, it's worth it to have a Mac, and in-case anyone is wondering, I'm a Political Science major, not photo/film/graphics/etc. Also, this is just something that I've witnessed, the people who seem to hate and/or bash Macs are people that have never really used one (with the exception of the really old ones that they had at their High School.) So it's best to actually go to an Apple store or talk to a friend who has one and try playing around on for and see if you like it.</p>
<p>Pros:
* Fewer viruses. That isn't to say that OS X is more secure, let alone totally safe, as compared to XP or Vista, but that there are far fewer known viruses and security holes. This is most likely a consequence of market share. Macs are growing, but still have a relatively small percent of the market, and therefore aren't worth hacking.
* Out of box software. Personally, I never understood the appeal of the freeware that comes built into the Mac that people seem to love. Programs like iChat and iMovie are inferior to downloadable freeware for PCs. But they aren't bad, they come pre-installed, and they work well.
* Stylish. This is really a matter of personal taste. Many people are quite fond of the look of a Macbook. There are several other PC makers that have laptops which look as good or better, but those tend to cost quite a bit more. So excluding a handful of very high end makers, Apple stands out as the most stylish for most people.
* Boot Camp. The issue most people find in Macs is the software and hardware limitations. There are a huge number of excellent programs that only work with Windows. And some pieces of hardware don't have Mac drivers. Boot Camp lets you dual boot between then two, though you will have to install Vista yourself, which might be a little hard if you have no clue what you're doing.</p>
<p>Cons:
* Price. Yes, there are some more expensive makers. But relative to what you get, Apple is among the most highly priced computer makers. You could get much better specs for the same price if you ordered from a company like HP.
* Software/Hardware. Simply put, most of it is PC only. You can run it on a Mac, but only if you install a second OS and run Bootcamp. And if you're doing that, what was the point in buying a Mac to start with?
* Quality. A computer is more than its hard drive, RAM, and processor. The other components, those which we cannot customize and pay little mind to, have steadily degraded in Macs. In other words, they've been using cheaper parts.
* Gaming. If you game, and you may or may not, Macs are as bad as can be. The difference in title library is mind numbing.</p>
<p>Another one? Geez. There's like two on the front page now. Can't we just keep all the discussion in one thread?</p>
<p>Anyway, if you want a Mac, get it. There is certainly nothing wrong with them, and you'll enjoy it very much. Same goes for Windows, Linux, or whatever you choose.</p>
<p>It should be noted that, contrary to what gprime said, there are NO viruses for Mac OS X. And the theory that it's do to market share is highly inaccurate. I've always been fond of the theory that the people who write viruses are often times Mac users which is why there aren't any viruses for Macs (I doubt this is true though). What is more likely the reason for lack of security problems is because OS X is based on Unix.</p>
<p>In the end though, it comes down to personal preference, but people should know the truth about both systems (I have nothing major against Windows except the problems that I've witnessed people having getting on our school network). I just prefer Macs, they just generally work better in my experience without all the maintenance required of a Windows PC.</p>
<p>I'm sorry, but it IS a market share issue. If MacOS and Linux were as prevalent as Windows, they would have just as many security issues. Why waste time writing code for a platform that no one uses? Really, it's the epidemiology that makes people write malicious code--they like to see it spread. Still, there was a link in another thread to a known virus for MacOS X in Symantec's virus database.</p>
<p>Finally, Safari 3 Beta for Windows had four critical security flaws discovered in the first 24 hours that it was available. Apple writes perfect code, eh?</p>
<p>Security flaws are a fact of life. Writing computer code is by no means an easy task, and the law of averages tells you that, sooner or later, you'll screw up and leave something open. It's simply the scale of the implementation that determines what kind of scrutiny you'll see.</p>
<p>afruff23, don't attack me when you're wrong.</p>
<p>I said "What is more likely the reason for lack of security problems is because OS X is based on Unix."</p>
<p>You see, UNIX, not linux. And now I'm going to quote from Apple's website. "Beneath the surface of Mac OS X lies an industrial-strength UNIX foundation hard at work to ensure that your computing experience remains free of system crashes and compromised performance."</p>
<p>Would you like to withdraw you're previous statement now?</p>
<p>And now I'm going to respond to what ace586 had to say.</p>
<p>I never once said that OS X was perfect, yes there are always going to be security issues in all operating systems.</p>
<p>The "virus" that you're referring to is actually a trojan horse, which is not the same as a virus. The only way that you could get it on your Mac is if you knowingly downloaded it and opened it. A virus self-propagates the trojan horse you're referring to does not, so I'll continue saying that there are NO viruses for Macs.</p>
<p>And that's not because of market share. The fact that OS/2 and Solaris have more viruses than OS X despite their tiny market share should demonstrate the fallacy of that argument. People write viruses for ego, don't you think it would be highly publicized if someone had created the first actual Mac virus out in the wild.</p>
<p>And Safari 3 is a Beta, which means that it's not the final release of the product, it's meant to test for and correct problems.</p>
<p>And before this continues and gets even more heated, maybe everyone should calm down. I don't know why I get attacked so viciously when I was just stating facts from the standpoint of someone who uses Macs and knows quite a bit about them.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Saluki Alex is 100% correct. OS X is based off Unix. I believe (don't quote me on this) Linux is also based off of Unix.
[/quote]
Yes.
In the 80s, the GNU project was created in order to create a free and open source OS that was similar to UNIX.
Linux is an open source kernel that the GNU project used in the OS.</p>
<p>OSX is based on a Micro kernel of FreeBSD called Darwin. FreeBSD is based on UNIX. Though BSD is vastly superior opt OSX. Its my OS.</p>
<p>Linux is Based on GNU which means "Gnu''s not UNIX". Linux is just a kernal, made to look like unix for ease of use, but is in no way based on unix.</p>
<p>While the lack of mal code on Linux and OSX, can be attributed to the lack of user base, it can also be attributed that the code of these OS's is much more solid. I am on the Development team for FreeBSD, so I actually write operating systems specifically networks stacks. If you want security you want freeBSD, due to OSX being based on Darwin, OSX is darn secure.</p>
<p>Though Id still choose windows over osx, Because I can and have made windows just as safe for my own needs.</p>