Mac or PC?

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>I've been trying to read up about whether to get a Mac or PC, but I'm still not sure which to get, so I'm looking for some help. I'm thinking about going into engineering and I've read that Mac's aren't good for engineers. But I'm not sure about engineering (I'm leaning a little more towards a business major at the moment). I don't play computer games. I think I'd like to occasionally make a movie on my computer, but generally I'm not a hugely artistic person. Price isn't too much of an issue.</p>

<p>If you were me, what computer would you get? Thanks for the help!</p>

2

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=338647%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=338647&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>PS: I prefer Windows. If you know how to use a computer, a PC is a better option. If you are computer-illiterate, then a Mac is better.</p>

<p>Just be prepared--if you are used to a PC, not being able to use the right-click is very annoying. Yes, you can ctrl-click, but it's a pain.</p>

3

<p>With a Mac laptop, all you have to do to right click is hold two fingers on the trackpad and click, or tap with two fingers. After I got used to it, this seems even easier than having a second button to right-click. And the two-finger scrolling option is simply amazing (drag two fingers along the trackpad to scroll).</p>

4

<p>If you are interested in engineering you mght consider Toshiba's tablet--you can write the formulas/notes.</p>

5

<p>
[quote]
And the two-finger scrolling option is simply amazing (drag two fingers along the trackpad to scroll).

[/quote]

you obviously haven't seen those many windows laptop that you can scroll with only one finger.</p>

6

<p>go and try a friend's Mac, see how you like it. if you don't like it, get a PC. simple as that, no sense dealing with people's bias towards one OS or another.</p>

<p>and using right-click on a Mac is as simple as buying a two-button mouse.</p>

7

<p>Pc!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>

8

<p>
[quote]
you obviously haven't seen those many windows laptop that you can scroll with only one finger.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Oh I've seen them. But IMO, this design just works better.</p>

9

<p>you must be joking golddustwoman....mac's are the only thing i would do serious work on, take a look at X Windows and all the code, it might as well be unix, mac's are very serious workhorses, my dad has been an engineer for 26 years and been programming for just as long and he has said time and time again that he would take a mac over pc any day, in fact he used to be an apple developer, lol, but in all seriousness, dont look at a mac as just a pretty face, macs are some extraordinary machines, and if you dont like the clicking use your current mouse or buy a new one for 10 bucks</p>

10

<p>IMO if you are asking this question (Mac or PC) in the first place you belong on a PC. If you are not WOWed by a Mac and feel that you must have one then a PC is a much better bet. It is more versatile and generally cheaper.</p>

11

<p>barfdog17: there is virtually no difference between Mac and PC computers, now that Mac has switched to the x86 architecture. The OS's are different, but now you can dual-boot on either machine. And what do you mean, Windows "might as well be unix"? OSX is Unix-based (no longer considered "Unix-like," but a full-fledged Unix OS).</p>

<p><a href="http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/unix/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/unix/&lt;/a>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

12

<p>windows is probably the best choice, unless you know the programs you will be using are mac compatible. otherwise you might end up with a useless machine.</p>

13

<p>
[quote]
take a look at X Windows and all the code, it might as well be unix, mac's are very serious workhorses

[/quote]
</p>

<p>What?</p>

<p>Windows has nothing to do with Unix. Mac OS X actually is a version of Unix. What exactly are you talking about?</p>

<p>And since when are Macs industry standards for software development?</p>

14

<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Window_System%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Window_System&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

15

<p>I doubt the poster is actually refering to X. The line "might as well be the same as UNIX" doesn't make sense either way.</p>

16

<p>He/she makes it sound as though it's bad that it "might as well be Unix," when that specific system is considered "Unix-like," whereas Mac OSX is a Unix system.</p>

17

<p>I think it was in reference to the fact that, using X11 on the Mac, you can run a variety of generally UNIX(or Linux)-only programs. Take, for instance, the GIMP (<a href="http://www.gimp.org)%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.gimp.org)&lt;/a>, an open-source Photoshop alternative originally developed for Linux. Using X11, you can make any application developed for a *nix system run on the Mac, even if it wasn't designed for use with Aqua/Cocoa. So, since it can run X Windows apps, it "might as well be Unix."</p>

<p>Of course, Mac OS X is actually UNIX. More technically, it's the direct successor to NextSTEP on the Mach microkernel... but who's counting?</p>

18

<p>Mac.</p>

<p>Get your student discount and free Nano.
Now.</p>

19

<p>PC, because you wanna be a cool kid</p>

20

<p>boooo </p>

<p>windows</p>

<p>boooooo</p>