PC? Mac? Linux? Who knows?
By: Lisa Christensen
Issue date: 3/26/08 Section: Features
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The Mac vs. PC debate can cause some serious arguments, said Holly Andersen, junior in elementary education.
"There is a massive rift in our apartment because people care too much about a stupid computer," she said, noting one roommate strongly prefers Mac and another PC.
Despite this, one isn't necessarily better than another, said Joe Phippen, junior in speech communication who works for Computer Solutions in the USU Bookstore.
"All together, it's 6's one way and a half dozen the other," he said.
Macs retain their value better, but PCs are used more, he said.
He recommends the two computers based on what type of programs someone wants to run on them. For more technical things, such as drafting or musical notation, he said he suggests using a PC, while a Mac is typically better for media projects and the creative arts.
"Anything in the middle doesn't matter," he said, such as for typical student or business use.
There are also differences between the computers when it comes to viruses, he said, with more viruses found on PCs than on Macs. The reason for this is because the creators of viruses go for impact, he said.
"You have a fat, Dorito-eating nerd in the basement, and he'll write for PC," he said. "More people use a PC."
Rob Davis, a former graduate student in physics, agreed and said he's never found a virus on a Mac.
"People who want to make a virus want to be as mischievous as possible," he said.
However, Phippen said he expects to see more viruses for Mac as its popularity increases.
He said he personally uses a Mac.
"It's more stylin', and they don't make cheap, bargain-bin stuff," he said. "It's also an elitist thing - not everyone uses it."
Michelle Zundel, junior in graphic design, also uses a Mac.
"I use a Mac because it's the industry standard in my profession," she said. "You can program on a Mac, but, granted, some things are easier on a PC."
The debate between Mac and PC isn't necessarily about the computer, she said, but about the system on which they run. Macs come running standard on Mac OS X while PCs run standard on Windows, she said.
Whatever the differences between the Mac and PC, Linux can be used on either, Phippen said.
Viewing Comments 1 - 7 of 8
Mark
posted 3/26/08 @ 3:56 PM MST
It all depends on what you want to do, and your budget. Hardware is relatively independent, since you could run any OS on practically any hardware, except if you're talking about Vista. (Continued…)
Greg
posted 3/26/08 @ 5:13 PM MST
Nice article very well written. I feel I should correct one thing though, you said "Linux (pronounced LIH-nucks)" is actually pronounced (Ly-nuks). Not really important just want to be accurate. (Continued…)
JonnySlick
posted 3/27/08 @ 10:53 AM MST
Microsoft is commiting suicide.
There is still no software that uses 64bit. I have xp64, and i dont know why I bought it. Most of the software I wanna use wont install. (Continued…)
Richard Okelberry
posted 3/28/08 @ 5:55 AM MST
As someone that owns both a MAC and PC, I can say that I personally prefer the P.C. Apple claims to produce a more stabile platform, but my dual processor MAC, which cost almost 3 times as much as a P. (Continued…)
Taye
posted 3/28/08 @ 10:27 AM MST
I was raised on a mac, an LCII in fact. I spent most of my formative years eating s*** from PC users who took perverse joy in the lousy state of Apple computers. (Continued…)
Jonathan
posted 3/29/08 @ 12:01 AM MST
Richard, I worry you might have a dud Mac! It almost sounds like bad RAM or a flaky motherboard -- something hardware related.
On average, I get maybe one bad crash on my Mac laptops every 6 months, and maybe one per year on my desktops (I've had a dual G4, a dual G5, and now an octocore MacPro). (Continued…)
RandomPerson
posted 4/01/08 @ 6:18 PM MST
I have three complaints with this article:
1.Other than Chad Mano, the sources cited are about as far from authoritative as it gets. Someone who sells computers is not a computer expert. (Continued…)
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