Apple Matters: Vista isn't so bad after all?

I am, at heart, a UNIX geek, even if years of windows has dulled by command line senses. But being able to ssh into my mac and type ls -al | grep file makes it all so wonderful. Vista does not have that, its still windows.

#18 - thomas_h,

Try using an updated version of Windows. You would think a computer user is stupid for using 10.3 and trying to compare it to today's OS, correct?

Too many people get way too emotional over the Mac vs Windows arguments. These are tools people.

Also everyone has their own perspectives. People need to remember that. Just because you want all of your apps to have the same interface doesn't mean everyone else wants that. Some software works better with a different interface. Look at screwdrivers. Just because you like standard heads doesn't mean the others are all wrong.

Should I give a little bit of my perspective though I'll start with my background where I've been a Mac owner since '95...used them before then and been a Windows owner and user since '97. In the professional realm I admin'd 100 Macs from 97-2000 and have admin'd 300 Windows systems from 99-present. It's pretty simple to say I've got a pretty good handle on much of the good and bad of both platforms.

Since the topic is interfaces I'll point out that as for the OS interface alone OSX needs work. The dock was one of the dumbest things to ever come out of Apple. More people struggle with that thing because it tries to do too much. I like docks and there is a place for it but it's overused. Windows got it right with the StartMenu and Taskbar. In a few years this might change but for current needs Windows wins out.

As for interfaces for different apps...don't kid yourselves. Apple has broke their own rules more times than most can count. They just don't have as many apps as MS does. At least most of the time they do enough to make them look the same which MS doesn't(strike against MS).

What I like coming from Apple is that they focus more on integration with the OS and software regarding features working together seamlessly in many cases(iLife is a major example of this). MS focuses on integration to sell other products. Apple is heading this direction as well(thanks to their itunes/ipod market) but I don't care as long as they still make it all work together seamlessly.

All in all neither OS is truly wrong in what they do. Now it used to be that Windows was a bit flawed but once Win2k and especially XP came around, the rules changed. Vista now has the one thing going against it that MS is trying to make a major feature and that is security. It cannot be considered more secure until it's been tested and that means used. This also includes how many people can stand using it in that mode and doesn't disable some of the new security features to make it useable and compatible with software.

All in all life will go on. Apple is still making money so they're doing something right. People can thank the ipod for making Mac sales go up just as people could thank Office for Windows sales back in the 90's.

I think Microsoft is paying for all these "you know Vista/Zune isn't half bad...it's got a couple issues I don't like but in general, I like it!" articles that are appearing in Mac news sites. There are too many of them and they all have similar tones.
Let's just skip all the articles about things that don't have anything to do with Apple. If I want to find out about Vista or Zune, I'm not going to read a mac site.

To reply to this guy:

But 1) it still won't be stable by Mac user standards

with windows it's the hardware YOU CHOOSE, if you have a good intel motherbord & chipset. nice power supply, etc. everything works fine.

2) It won't be notably more secure than XP

As long as it has 98% market, it will still have 98% hackers trying to mess with it.


3) It still won't offer robust multitasking, like UNIX-based systems do. It still isn't UNIX.

...and hopefully never will


4) it will have nasty DRM.

mmm, like your mac does too?

5) It will still have infuriating user-inconsistancies that will drive you nuts.

Even worst than the finder? that would be sad.


6) it will still lack credible development tools, like Apple's X-code.

Not even a good joke, have you heard about that thing called Visual Studio?

7) It will still be slow and bloated. MORE slow and bloated than XP, by all accounts.

So, your G5 were so much faster that our intels right?, now your intels are so much faster than ...the same intels? uhhh?

8) It will still be "plug and pray".

better that having nothing to plug. I'll take the zillions of hardware choices (and prices!) any day.

9) It will still network poorly.

another very bad joke, I won't even comment on this ....well, just ....as the other guy said ...FTFF

rdas7: You must have never heard the term FTFF (Fix the Fucking Finder)

Can we just send Hadley to his desert island and stop worring about which damn computer he takes..? How quick the transition from 'Apple Matters' through 'No OS Matters' to 'Vista is all that matters'.
Let's stop boosting his ad revenue and stop clicking through to his pointless articles...

I have to agree with the author here. I have been using Vista on my Core Duo iMac for some time, and it just seems to me like Vista's interface doesn't seem to know what to be for any given application. And it also seems to diverge from more standard interfaces (ie. interfaces in Linux and Mac OS X), by taking things out like the menubar.
Of course, there have been many complaints with Apple not following their own GUI standards, but they have been far smaller changes, like changing the colour of the scrollbars.

Posted at 3:38PM on Oct 5th 2006 by mat:
"10. Until OS X gets rid of the POS that is called finder, and its hellish file management, I will never use my MBP as my main machine.

I could care less for Vista, but Microsoft did a great job with it file explorer."

I assume you're joking.

Lipstick on a pig. I don't doubt (based on comments from beta testers) that Vista will be prettier than XP. That' s easy enough to achieve since XP is arguably a lot uglier than Win2000. I don't doubt Vista will be more stable. Going from 2000 to XP at work, I was able to go from hourly re-boots to daily re-boots. But 1) it still won't be stable by Mac user standards 2) It won't be notably more secure than XP 3) It still won't offer robust multitasking, like UNIX-based systems do. It still isn't UNIX. 4) it will have nasty DRM. 5) It will still have infuriating user-inconsistancies that will drive you nuts.6) it will still lack credible development tools, like Apple's X-code. 7) It will still be slow and bloated. MORE slow and bloated than XP, by all accounts.8) It will still be "plug and pray". 9) It will still network poorly.