Journal PurdueGraphicsMan's Journal: Apple vs. Compatible PC's
However, withing the last 2 to 3 years I've been working in the website development field and I've pretty much completely converted to be an Apple lover. BUT there are still a few things that I'd rather do on a compatible PC. I'm going to use this article to try and explain some of the cases when a PC might be a good alternative to a Mac.
When a PC is better than a Mac
Online Java-based games
I'm a big fan of the Yahoo! online games (especially pool and chess). I've noticed when I try to play pool on my mac that it's very sluggish and it's as if my video card can't take the real-time rendering of the 3D balls. I have a new PowerMac G4 @ 1Ghz and you would think that it wouldn't have any problems with the somewhat simplistic graphics. I haven't played many other games on the mac (CD-ROM or online) so I'm not sure how they do with other games.
Cases where extreme productivity and software assortment is needed
There are many times when I get into a mood on Friday afternoon and I decide I'm going to spend the weekend learning how to create a movie in Adobe Premiere or maybe learn a new programming language. In those times I often download demos of software and then spend the weekend playing with them and learning how to use them. I know that most good PC applications have Mac equivelents, but there are sometimes when I just can't find a Mac version of a Windows application that I want to use.
Smooth, non-buggy web browsing
Eventhought I've read the argument many times that Mac's are great if you're just using the internet and reading email and doing word processing, I'd have to question the web-browsing abilities of the Mac when it comes to smooth navigation. Let me explain...
I use Safari mostly because it's one of the fastest web browsers for the Mac. However, in the past I've used Mozilla, Netscape and IE for the Mac as well. I've noticed on all of the browsers that sometimes scrolling can be somewhat unresponsive at times. Typically the effect is as if the page is huge (in terms of file size) and it can't scroll quickly because the computer can't render it fast enough. This isn't a big deal, but worth mentioning.
When a Mac is better than a PC
Despite my list of problems with Macs above, I still prefer Macs to PCs generally. Below are some instances where I really prefer a Mac.
Web design and programming work
I'm not sure if it's the smooth font rendering or the nice use of color in the GUI, but I really love using a Mac when I'm doing page layout, design or programming. I use BBEdit a lot when I'm programming and it's default font is wonderful at smal sizes which keeps me from getting lost in the code.
Listening to music
This one is kinda weird, but it's true. I LOVE iTunes for the Mac. It's much better than the Windows version and much faster too. There isn't a better music management program out there.
Computer Administration
I LOVE OSX. I like the way that it behaves intuitively and looks good while doing it. I love the finder menus and I like the icons and the Aqua theme. It's all beautiful.
Well, that about raps it up. If I think of anything else I'll add it.
