Mac or PC - N or S

[Abstract Thinker]

It's funny how much opinions can vary, because the huge number of configurations are exactly why I love Windows and Linux configurations, yet never even consider Mac an option for personal use.

Different strokes I guess.

Exactly. Well-said.

Don't get me wrong... I definitely see the appeal of trying out different configs and getting in there and playing around to build a machine for different purposes. And if I was into that, I would obviously get a PC or a Linux box.

But the point I was trying to make is that since the software guys know exactly what hardware it will run on, and they have it there in the building with them, it obviously makes it easier to for them to make a stable OS and programs. And OS X/Final Cut Pro is definitely stable. Honestly, I beat it to death every day, and I can't remember the last time it crashed. I really can't. Apple's closed system works to my benefit in this case. Some people see that as a problem. I don't. I like it that way.

In fact, now that I think about it... I've had this MacBook Pro for 8 months now, and it has yet to crash. NOT ONE TIME. No data lost, no weirdness whatsoever. It just works. Now maybe there are some PC folks out there with the same experience, but I've never had that on a PC.

In fact... here's a true story, from today:

I woke up my ThinkPad and launched Firefox to make sure some code I was writing looked okay on the dark side (just kidding -- sheesh), and of course Adobe Flash came up and yelled at me to update it yet again (another security hole), so I did.

And not only did the installer say "update failed, critical error" or some crap like that, it actually crashed Firefox. I swear, not two minutes into the PC experience and it went down.

And yeah, it could be that I don't know enough to keep the thing running right, but we have an IT department for that. Not my job. Shouldn't be an issue. Not an issue on the Mac.

 

[raz]

Way to use isolated situations as an argument.

 

[Abstract Thinker]

Way to use isolated situations as an argument.

Way to assume that it was "isolated."

Far from it, and that's one of the many reasons why I use a Mac, even when I'm given the choice of any system I want.

And it's not even an argument. An argument would imply that one of us has a chance of "winning."

We don't. You use yours, I'll use mine.

 

[sui generis]

In fact, now that I think about it... I've had this MacBook Pro for 8 months now, and it has yet to crash. NOT ONE TIME. No data lost, no weirdness whatsoever. It just works. Now maybe there are some PC folks out there with
the same experience, but I've never had that on a PC.

Who are these PC users who have constant crashes? I hear about them all the time from Mac enthusiasts, but this has not been my experience. I go months without a crash, largely because I don't have tons of bloatware and extraneous crap on my computer. There comes a time to blame the user instead of the system.

 

[Abstract Thinker]

Who are these PC users who have constant crashes? I hear about them all the time from Mac enthusiasts, but this has not been my experience. I go months without a crash, largely because I don't have tons of bloatware and extraneous crap on my computer. There comes a time to blame the user instead of the system.

Okay, one last post and then I'll try to stop. It's unwinnable anyway, and hence, a waste of my time.

Are you suggesting that it's my fault?

That the moment I opened my professionally maintained (by a fully-staffed IT department), corporate-networked-behind-a-firewall, no "bloatware," virus-scanned PC... that it immediately failed to do a basic upgrade?

Come on, give it up. You use yours, I'll use mine. I'm done until there's another intelligent response like the one from Pixelholic. :hi:

 

[raz]

Okay, one last post and then I'll try to stop. It's unwinnable anyway, and hence, a waste of my time.

Are you suggesting that it's my fault?

That the moment I opened my professionally maintained (by a fully-staffed IT department), corporate-networked-behind-a-firewall, no "bloatware," virus-scanned PC... that it immediately failed to do a basic upgrade?

Come on, give it up. You use yours, I'll use mine. I'm done until there's another intelligent response like the one from Pixelholic. :hi:

You are right. It's unwinnable. What's the point in convincing someone of their failed logic? There's nothing to gain. Why shouldn't we ignore the experiences of the entire industry? Why should we look at all the contributing factors of the situation that led to the end result? I mean, it's so pointless.

 

[Pixelholic]

Yeah... that's always the trade off isn't it? Fast codecs make big files, and codecs that make small files need crazy horsepower. Ever tried editing H.264 directly on the timeline? Yikes. (Although that's an intra-frame thing too, but I digress.)

And the FCP 6.01 update does edit AVCHD, albeit slowly. The great thing about FCP is all the real-time multi-stream smoothness, even with filters applied, but you have to use 422, 4444, DV, or HDV. The cool thing is though that the conversion to 422 is very fast in Apple Compressor, so it's not that big a deal if you have the drive space. And wow, once you're in 422-land, it's a joy!

Don't have a lot of experience with AVCHD though... I'm using a Canon XH-A1, so I'm still in the HDV world. Plus I've always been pretty old school about wanting to have tapes around as backup.

Changing that tune though... Looking forward to Canon's new full HD MPEG-2 tapeless camera. Gonna get that one -- love that Canon glass, although they seem to lag behind in other areas! Anyway, that new camera seems like the best of both worlds, and they are (finally) getting MPEG-2 to like like it's capable of looking. It can look GREAT, just not on DVDs.

Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of HDV or Canon. I'm a Panasonic user (DVX to HVX to HMC 150 because I can't afford P2 workflow.) Premiere simply handles it better than FCP in my experience

In fact... here's a true story, from today:

I woke up my ThinkPad and launched Firefox to make sure some code I was writing looked okay on the dark side (just kidding -- sheesh), and of course Adobe Flash came up and yelled at me to update it yet again (another security hole), so I did.

And not only did the installer say "update failed, critical error" or some crap like that, it actually crashed Firefox. I swear, not two minutes into the PC experience and it went down.

And yeah, it could be that I don't know enough to keep the thing running right, but we have an IT department for that. Not my job. Shouldn't be an issue. Not an issue on the Mac.

Safari crashes on me constantly. Quicktime's codec handling is terrible compared to other video players. The lack of real flash support has left me stranded when I'm trying to troubleshoot something, etc. Anecdotal stories are just anecdotes.

Who are these PC users who have constant crashes? I hear about them all the time from Mac enthusiasts, but this has not been my experience. I go months without a crash, largely because I don't have tons of bloatware and extraneous crap on my computer. There comes a time to blame the user instead of the system.

These are probably the same people who would have constant crashes or slowdowns on a Mac. I had a student who formatted her external drive into a Time Machine drive (since it prompts whenever you plug any drive in) and lost all of her video files because of it. I had another student who was wondering why his mac was slow. His hard drive had something like 8mb of space left on it. No amount of idiot-proofing is going to help some poeple.

 

[LucrativeSid]

I'm 25 and I've never even used a Mac. They're probably awesome. I just haven't needed one bad enough to find out yet.

 

[Abstract Thinker]

Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of HDV or Canon. I'm a Panasonic user (DVX to HVX to HMC 150 because I can't afford P2 workflow.) Premiere simply handles it better than FCP in my experience

I had a freelancer come in with an HMC 150 and I was very impressed with the footage, and even moreso when he pulled that SD card out and I put it in my Mac. No real-time transfer. That was nice. Although typically I shoot indoors and capture in real-time, using the tape as a backup.

Like I said though... looking forward to tapeless with that new Canon. It will be nice to work in true 1080p and finally let go of HDV.

To be honest though, almost all of my work is for web delivery, so I typically shoot DV anyway. Our internal government sites are set up for a 4:3 aspect ratio, typically 320x240 or 640x480, so I enjoy the small footprint of the DV files.

Just got a hosting account with Sorenson 360 though, so I'll be using HD a lot more by next year.

 

[Blossom500]

I'd wager that the people who are active on this forum are smarter and more tech-savvy than the general population.

Agreed

Exactly. (Probably also nerdier. )

Speak for yourself (lol) :steam:

:steam: Way to assume that everyone shares your priorities (and your aesthetic sensibilities!).

Northing wrong with aesthetic sensibilities!

 

[sui generis]

Speak for yourself (lol) :steam:

I will. I will own my nerdiness.

Okay, one last post and then I'll try to stop. It's unwinnable anyway, and hence, a waste of my time.

Are you suggesting that it's my fault?

I can't speak to a specific situation being "your fault", because I wasn't there, and obviously didn't see what happened. I'm speaking to my experience of having a PC that doesn't crash. You said you'd never seen anyone have a PC that hasn't crashed in 8 months, and you seemed to doubt this was possible. I'm sharing my experience, as you've shared yours, and I'm telling you that it's possible. That's all.

Why do you say that this is "unwinnable" as well as saying it's not an argument? You can't win or lose a discussion.

 

[Pixelholic]

You can't win or lose a discussion.

Actually mac owners go down after about three hits from a unibody mac across the head.

 

[Sunny Ghost]

I'm an S and I'm a PC.

 

[coconut]

Who are these PC users who have constant crashes?

I can think of four people right now who are dealing with random sut-downs on Windows PC's (well, one isn't anymore because she just went out and bought a new Windows computer).

I work with a group of people who all have Mac's and every one of them says they'd never go back to Windows. I've never known of a person who had a Mac who went back to Windows. Maybe that's anecdotal, but it's pretty convincing anecdotal evidence for me. If I could afford a Mac, I'd get one. Since I can't, I have Linux. I'm happy with it except for the few things it can't do because they require software that only runs on Windows or Mac.

 

[Pixelholic]

If Adobe ever releases a version of its software that runs natively on Linux I'd switch over permanently.

 

[Abstract Thinker]

I'm sharing my experience, as you've shared yours, and I'm telling you that it's possible. That's all.

Why do you say that this is "unwinnable" as well as saying it's not an argument? You can't win or lose a discussion.

Hmm... well said. You got me thinking. And good for you for pointing out the contradiction in my post.

I guess what I meant was that it had gotten to a point of subjective preference and bickering, and at that point nobody can be "right" or "wrong." We like what we like, and that's how it should be.

Frankly, I'm feeling a little embarrassed about the whole thing... I followed the thread for a while, trying to resist the temptation to get involved, until I felt there were too many false (in my opinion) statements about Macs, and more importantly, Mac users, for me to sit on the sidelines any more. I choose my battles carefully, but I do commit to them when the choice is made. :workout:

I wrote my original post with the intention of describing why I like the Mac better, but I ended up doing the very thing that caused me to get involved... making sweeping generalizations about "the other side" that invariably can be argued. I started off extolling the Mac's virtues, and ended up insulting the PC, and although unintentionally, PC users. I fell into the trap.

Over the years, I've gotten involved in a handful of platform wars in online discussions, and ended up feeling the same every time... silly.

Now if this had happened IRL, I would use my considerable charm and quick wit to end the thing amicably and go have a drink or two with all of you, but that's a little tough to do online.

And interestingly, since this is an MBTI-based forum, I displayed what the type descriptions say about INFPs -- that when stressed, we get emotional and sort of lose it. And I'm the poster child for INFP, I guess.

To me, the Mac just fits... top to bottom. I guess that's why there are two very different platforms, and two very different approaches to computing. So everybody can make a choice based on what feels right to them.

Don't get me wrong... I'm convinced after many years of using both that the Mac is far superior, but that certainly doesn't mean that everyone will agree with me, or even that I'm right. The simple fact is that I am emotionally invested in this platform, no matter how much I would like to think that I'm not.

The thing is (and for whatever reason), every time I use a PC, I feel instantly frustrated. It just seems like work to get the thing to work, rather than it allowing me to do my work. Make sense?

Being the idealist, I think how it "should be," and to me, that means Macintosh. I heard my boss actually kick his PC tower today cuz he got so frustrated with it, and I offered to give him my ThinkPad, just so I would NEVER have to use it again. My preference is that strong. He said he was getting a new one, and that I would have to "live with it sitting there holding my coffee cup." I figure it's wasting a square foot of my (real life) desktop, so it might as well be put to good use.

So, I became what offended me, and that seems to be a pattern for me. That's why I tried to get out the whole discussion, and that's what I meant by "unwinnable."

Anyway... it's all good. I'm happy with my choice, as are you, so how can that be bad?

Meanwhile, all the Sensors out there are like and , and all the NFP Mac users are out there either like... or :rolli: and here I am in the middle again.

(Well, at least that's how the whole thing is playing out in my half-drunk head. Loving this tasty little IPA from Charlottesville.)

And now I'm gonna either go back to making my short, warm, mushy (but sincere!) posts... or I'm gonna figure out how I can use even more emoticons in one sitting.

 

[Abstract Thinker]

Actually mac owners go down after about three hits from a unibody mac across the head.

Literally laughing out loud.

Well-played, Pixel! :hi:

 

[sui generis]

I wrote my original post with the intention of describing why I like the Mac better, but I ended up doing the very thing that caused me to get involved... making sweeping generalizations about "the other side" that invariably can be argued. I started off extolling the Mac's virtues, and ended up insulting the PC, and although unintentionally, PC users. I fell into the trap.

Over the years, I've gotten involved in a handful of platform wars in online discussions, and ended up feeling the same every time... silly.

Now if this had happened IRL, I would use my considerable charm and quick wit to end the thing amicably and go have a drink or two with all of you, but that's a little tough to do online.

You know, I could tell that your.... tack had changed during the discussion. It seemed like at first you were speaking from personal experience, then became more sweeping.

Anyway, is all good. I was also going to suggest "let's go have a drink".

Meanwhile, all the Sensors out there are like and , and all the NFP Mac users are out there either like... or :rolli: and here I am in the middle again.

Naw, I hadn't busted out the popcorn yet, I was too busy getting into ESTJ mode. :workout:

 

[Abstract Thinker]

Right on, mnestic.

Love that avatar, btw. The "Big Ass Chain" cracks me up every time I see it.

 

[sui generis]

Right on, mnestic.

Love that avatar, btw. The "Big Ass Chain" cracks me up every time I see it.

Thanks! I was thinking about changing it, but it IS fun.