Jeff, the PC vs Mac link to Ed’s site is dead. Blah !
I’m a programmer. I use XP at the office. I used to use a PC at home, but got tired of having to fix things all the time. At least I have an IT department at work.
I’ll probably use Macs exclusively at home from now on.
It’s not about how the machine looks. Its about how the machine’s appearance reflects everything else about it.
I feel like a huge burden has been lifted from my shoulders. I can just enjoy using the machine, and not worry about what will fail next.
Just try it for a while. You’ll see.
Though this is an old post, it still looks somewhat alive (in the comment section), so I’ll add my two cents.
I’ve used Macs for all my life, though I’ve also built and used PCs for a significant period of time. It was a blast putting together a PC, and the serious power I squeezed out of it to play nifty games was exciting to behold, but the experience of using/fighting with the computer and its OS (not just XP, but the bios of the motherboard, the compatibility issues with drivers, etc) started to wear on me.
With my Mac, I can concentrate on doing what I want to. I don’t really have a need for games anymore, and every other piece of software I might need exists on a Mac. So that isn’t an issue.
I work on a laptop (Macbook Pro, 2.6GHz c2d, 4g RAM, 7200RPM HD), and though I payed a not inconsequential price for the machine, I’ve had it (though it was replaced once, for free, a year ago today) 3 years and I am extremely pleased it it. I added 2 gigs of RAm recently for under 100 bucks (third party vendor, for sure! Newegg is the best) and I think I can keep this machine for another 2 or even three years at least.
Though we (Mac users) pay a premium for the machines, there are little things added into the machine that ameliorate the sting of the 20% or more price jump from buying the equivalent ‘core’ parts (CPU, RAM, mobo, HD, gfx card) and constructing a PC. There is, of course, the beautiful design. There’s the backlit keyboard, the nice touchpad, the satisfactory speakers, the nice HD monitor, microphone and video camera built-in etc. All of this could be added to a PC, certainly, but it would be a pain.
I can develop software on my Mac easily, and I can crunch Mathematica equations through it. I can communicate with everyone I need to (Tweetie, iChat, X-Chat Aqua, Mail) and I can view the web using either Safari or Firefox (depending on which one starts up the fastest) just fine.
So can a PC user, the difference here being that my time and peace of mind is worth a one-time 20% premium.
You can configure and reboot and rebuild and repair your screwdriver. I’ve done that. My screwdriver works without a hitch.
Plus, I’ve got *nix.