9. Since Macs generally don't run PC Software, this means you won't have kids bringing in their PC games and other programs to school.
8. Since Macs don't generally run PC Software, you won't suffer nasty PC Viruses. Y2K, Year 2000, Millennium Bug! (see #9)
7. Macintosh districts are able to maintain complete educational technology programs with only part-time management.
6. PC districts need full time coordinators and technicians to handle the technical problems. Run WindowsNT? Better find yourself a MSCE. (see #10)
5. Computer interfaces and operating environments are always changing, don't be herded into the mentality that you need to have PCs because "that's what the business world uses". Teach your children to use the tools of the computer on the most elegant interface available (the Macintosh), and those skills will translate to any platform.
4. Install an expansion device into a PC and a Mac. The Mac automatically recognizes the new device; you have to "plug and pray" with Windows. (see #10)
3. Windows NT is the most complex operating environment ever developed, with endless lines of code, and it has security holes you can drive a 18 wheel truck through. In fact, Windows is still not completely Y2K compatible, while any Mac ever manufactured is! (see #10, 8, 6)
2. Macintosh Internet servers are virtually bulletproof as evidenced by international hacking contests. MacOS X is based upon a lean, rock-solid Unix kernal.
1. It's about education, stupid. You need an easy to use, elegant system that allows you to concentrate on educational programs, not concerning yourself with technical issues. If you think this is not an issue, look at the industries built around maintaining PC networks and systems. (Read above list over and over, do some investigation regarding the expensive support needed to maintain PC Networks in schools, until the PC brainwash fades;)
(Editor's note: This quick article was written by Dane Barse, Educational Technology Consultant, and was very well put together. Unforutnately, there were no back-up links to articles to back up his assertions, so I backed them up with some research of my own. Unfortunately, some of this stuff is 3 years old, and some Mac Advocacy info is not even on the net anymore (like Apple's much liked and disappeared "Why Mac?" resource area.
If you know of a link to something relevant to this article, please
, and the associates topic above which it corresponds with.
Thanks for the article, Dane.)
--- Dane Barse, MA.Ed.,
.
The following is a list of items that were made using a Mac.
The Win95 logo was created with Freehand on a Mac.
IBM's Aptiva point -of-purchase materials and the boxes they ship in.
IBM office building in Victoria, BC, Canada was designed on a Mac. Intel's Flying Pentium Ads.
The graphics for Sun Microsystems web site.
The graphics for Microsoft Network
IBM's print advertising
Gateway 2000's print advertising Dell computer's print advertising
Midwest Micro's print advertising
Outdoor advertising for Microsoft Magazine
Print advertising and materials for Microsoft
Win95 packaging
Advertising for MS in Sweden
Italian advertising campaign for Win95 PC Magazine
PC World Magazine
Windows Magazine
Windows Sources Magazine
Computer Shopper Magazine
Next Magazine
Visual Basic Magazine The weekly MS internal newsletter Micronews.
The "Intel Inside" stamp is done on a Mac.
Bill Gates home was designed using a Mac. Adobe Magazine
Australian Country Style
Australian Golf Digest
BCME
Bill Gates' house
Boot
Byte
Colonial Homes
Communication Arts
Computer Life
Computer Shopper magazine
Cosmopolitan
Country Living
Country Looks
DBMS
Dell Computer's print advertising
Disney Magazine
Dr. Dobbs
Eddie Bauer catalogs
Entertainment Weekly
ESPN Total Sports
Esquire
Family Fun
Family PC
Fast Fours & Rotaries
Forbes ASAP
Fujitsu PC Corporation's ads, collateral, web site
Gateway 2000's print advertising
Good Housekeeping
Harper's Bazaar
Home Depot catalogs
House Beautiful
IBM office building in Victoria, BC, Canada
IBM's Aptiva point-of-purchase materials and the boxes they ship in
IBM's print advertising
Ingram Micro's Creative Services Dept
Intel's Flying Pentium ads
Inter@ative Week
Interiors
Java Pro
Lan Times
Live To Ride
L.L. Bean catalogs
MacAddict
MacHome
MacTech
MacWeek
MacWorld
Marie Claire
Micron Computing's advertising
Microsoft Magazine
Microsoft Network graphics
Microsoft's packaging
Microsoft's print advertising
Microsoft's weekly internal newsletter MicroNews
Midwest Micro's print advertising
Modern Boating
Modern Fishing
Motor Boating & Sailing
Motorola's commercials, pubs, prepress, collateral, web sites
Newsweek
New York Times
Next Generation
Next Magazine
Nordstrom catalogs
Oracle
Orvis catalogs
Overlander
PC Computing
PC Magazine
PC Week
PC World magazine
Performance Streetcar
Playboy
Popular MechanicsProfit (an Oracle publication)
Publish
Racetrack
Redbook
Rolling Stone
SciTech
Smart Money
Sports Afield
Streetbike
Sun Microsystems web site graphics
The Countryman Press publications
TIME
Town & Country
Truckin Life
Two Wheels
Upside (a technology magazine)
Victoria
Victoria's Secret catalogs
VisualBasic Magazine
Williams-Sonoma catalogs
Windows 95 for Dummies Handbook
Windows 95 logo
Windows 95 packaging
Windows Magazine
Windows Sources magazine
Wired
X-Ray
Yahoo! Internet Life
Metromaps
More here.
Here's some facts they might find surprising:
When it comes to the Mac
Most PC users don't know jack!
Strong sales of Apple's hot G3 line in January pushed Apple to the #3 spot among personal computer retailers. That's according to a recent survey conducted by market research company PC Data, Inc. The report showed that in January, Apple's retail sales were 12% of the PC retail market, putting them third in terms of revenue behind #1 ranked Compaq and #2 Packard Bell/NEC. (Gee, where's IBM and Gateway? Let me give you a hint–behind Apple in sales, that's where! HP, who used to be ranked second, has now dropped below Apple too!) When it comes to total units shipped, Apple was ranked fifth, with Compaq again occupying the top spot. Computer Intelligence reports that when it comes to customer loyalty, Apple ranks as "far and away the favorite." The recently released report put Apple at the top of the heap when it comes to repurchase rates for companies that buy computers at 51%. Compaq had 32% and Gateway 2000 was lagging far behind with only 3% repurchase rate. Ouch! Of the products review in the previous year by Publish, 84% are Mac (with 35% available Mac Only). For Mac-Windows, 42% are available on both platforms. And Windows only reviews were just 19%. Again, that's 84% for Mac and just 42% for Windows. Macintosh rules in Desktop video and animation production. That's according to the results of Post Magazine, a magazine for video production, who recently released the results of their 12th annual survey of video production facilities. Their survey showed Macintosh as the overwhelming choice, with Macintosh capturing 58% of survey respondents, vs. only 27% for Windows NT. Also, in the area of Desktop animation, Macintosh lead there as well with 36% using Mac, vs. only 23% for Windows. These figures once again reinforce the fact that Macintosh is the clear choice fore creative professionals everywhere. According to USA Today's "USA Snapshots" section, Mac OS third-quarter sales jumped significantly, rising from 5% of all sales in 1996 to 33% in 1997. This is due, no doubt, to the record-breaking demand for Mac OS 8. USA Today's statistics also showed that according to NPD SofTrends, Windows 95 sales dropped from 77% in 1996 down to 63% in '97. Sales of DOS (DOS!?) fell from 10% in 1996 to only 2% in 97%. Windows NT sales were not disclosed, but really, who cares? Apple released their FY1997 Macintosh Installed Base and User Statistics, and according to Apple, "27.6 million Apple Macintosh computers have been shipped worldwide since 1984, and 79% of all Macintosh computers shipped are still active in the installed base. And with an average of 3.2 users per Macintosh computer that computes to approximately 69.3 million Mac users worldwide. Not bad, eh? Apple's Jan '98 sales third among all PC retailers. That's according to PC Data, Inc. who released the results of their survey in early March '98. Their survey showed that Apple had the third highest revenue in the entire PC retail market. Only Compaq and Packard Bell/NEC sold more units. (which shows that Apple even outsold IBM. Again.) The survey showed that in total units shipped during that period, Apple ranked fifth. More web pages are created on a Macintosh than any other platform. According to WebWEEK, the weekly trade journal for Internet Professionals, Macintosh is again the #1 platform for professional World Wide Web authoring. In their second annual survey, Macs had a 47.9% market share among U.S.-based professional web-site design firms where as Windows 95 scored only with 24.2% and Windows NT only 16.5%. (Source: WebWeek Magazine, 1997 www.webweek.com) The fastest personal computer in the world is, again, a Macintosh! But just how fast is it? According to tests conducted using BYTE magazine's BYTEmark benchmark program, the industry-accepted measure of computer processor speed, the chip in the Apple's new Macintosh G3 models is twice as fast as Intel's top-of-the-line Pentium II/300. (vs. Compaq 5100/PII 300) and test also revealed that Apple' G3 PowerBook is approximately 80% faster than any PC laptop you can buy today. This helps to explain why the Mac G3s are the fasting selling computer in Apple history. Half of the families in FamilyPC magazine's "95 days with Windows 95" gave up because they were "upset over its hardware requirements, frustrated by its slow operations on their machines, or just plain fed up with compatibility problems. One of the testers, who dropped out of the test after two months said, "It has been a time-consuming disaster." Read the facts at http://www.zdnet.com/familypc/content/960318/win95/win95.html New report shows schools choosing Macintosh over Windows! The Technology Purchasing Forecast report, released June 30th, 1997 by Denver Based Quality Education Data (QED) shows that 59% of the planned computer purchases by school districts are intended to be Macintosh, a 3 percent increase over last year. And according to Field Research Corporation's 1996 K-12 School/District Office Survey and 1997 K-12 Teacher Survey, Apple is the leading brand of computer used by teachers in schools and homes A PC magazine admits--200 MHz Power Mac trounces 200 MHz Pentium Pro in their own real world tests! Byte, the popular PC magazine, compared a 200MHz Pentium Pro with a 200MHz Power Mac (PowerPC) 604e processor in a series of benchmark tests for performance and the Mac blew the Pentium out of the water! In Byte's benchmark test the PowerPC processors outperformed the Intel Pentium in integer calculations by as much as 81% (Pentium vs. 603e) and in floating point calculations by as much as 26% (Pentium Pro vs. 604e). Nobody can beat Apple's brand loyalty! The latest study conducted by Computer Intelligence shows Apple as #1 in brand loyalty with 87% repurchasing Macintosh computers for the FOURTH straight year! I wonder how many Packard-Bell owners buy another Packard Bell? Mac OS third-quarter sales make major jump! According to USA Today's "USA Snapshots" section, Mac OS third-quarter sales jumped significantly, rising from 5% of all sales in 1996 to 33% in 1997. USA Today's statistics also showed that according to NPD SofTrends, Windows 95 sales dropped from 77% in 1996 down to 63% in '97. Sales of DOS (DOS!?) fell from 10% in 1996 to only 2% in 97%. Windows NT sales were not disclosed, but really, who cares? Apple still has huge cash reserves! Through all the doom and gloom of the national media and their coverage of Apple's restructuring, it's rarely mentioned that Apple still has a healthy cash position of over $1.35 billion in reserves (that's billion with a "B"). And that cash reserve figure is reportedly larger than the cash reserves of roughly 95% of the corporations in America. For 12 straight years, Apple continues to prove the analysts wrong! C|Net picks Windows 95 as "One of the biggest disappointments of 1996!" In fact, in nominating it for one of the biggest disappointments of the year, they said, "Though it was hyped as a 32-bit powerhouse, many companies simply ignored it and stayed with Windows 3.1. And who could blame them? Plug and Play is often plug and pray and to make matters worse, Windows 95 often runs slower than a comparable Windows 3.1 system. And 32 bit or not, it still crashes. A lot." Read it at: http://www.cnet.com/Content/Reviews/Special/Best96/ball5.html Apple holds the #1 market share position in K-12 education. According to Quality Education Data, 1996-1997 Technology Purchasing Forecast, Apple holds the #1 market share in K-12, and according to Field Research, 64% of K-12 teachers use Apple-brand computers. Macintosh rules in desktop video and animation production. That's according to the results of Post Magazine, a magazine for video production, who recently (Feb '98) released the results of their 12th annual survey of video production facilities. Their survey showed Macintosh as the overwhelming choice, with more than twice as many professionals using Macintosh as Windows. Macintosh captured 58% of survey respondents, vs. only 27% for Windows NT. Also, in the area of Desktop animation, Macintosh clearly has the lead their as well with 36% using Mac, vs. only 23% for Windows. There are approximately 69.3 million Macintosh users worldwide. Apple released their FY1997 Macintosh Installed Base and User Statistics and according to Apple, "27.6 million Apple Macintosh computers have been shipped worldwide since 1984, and 79% of all Macintosh computers shipped are still active in the installed base (21.8 million Macintosh computers in use today).There are an average of 3.2 users per Macintosh computer in use today, which computes to approximately 69.3 million Macintosh users worldwide." Not bad, eh? Professional Designers use Macintosh! Publish, the cross platform "Magazine for electronic publishing professionals," announced the winners of their 9th Annual Design Awards in their May 1997 issue. And it's no big surprise that all of the winning entries were designed on a Macintosh except for one which was designed on a 486 PC by a designer in Brazil.
For even more proof, look to Print magazine (an industry trade journal for graphics professionals) whose "Digital Art and Design Annual" features winning entries from around the world. Of the 189 design winners, 185 were produced on Macs, and only 2 were produced on a PC. That's puts award-winning PC designers at about 1%. Gee, with all those millions and millions of PCs out there, you'd think more than 2 designers could come up with something worth merit. Perhaps not. Mac sales soar at CompUSA thanks to their new "Apple Store Within a Store" concept. CompUSA reported that sales of Macintosh computers in stores that added Apple's Store within a store section jumped from 3% of overall store sales to a whopping 14%. Study shows Macintosh Web servers have lower cost of ownership. An independent study released by the Newton, Mass-based Business Research Group reveals that Macintosh Web servers have the lowest cost of ownership, lowest maintenance, and are the easiest to use for small to medium-sized businesses. The study cited lower initial costs, lower installation costs, lower content creation costs per page, lower total outside services costs, lower server management costs, and lower peer training and online help costs Publish shows professional designers are staying with Macintosh. Publish magazine's 1998 issue released the findings from their recent study that shows that the majority of design professionals are not considering switching platforms to Windows. Other details from their survey indicated that when it comes to page layout, 67% use Macintosh, for image editing 67% use macintosh, and for illustration 61% also use Macintosh.
Macintosh is still significantly ahead of Windows 95 on features. Just ask Byte magazine which wrote, "To see tomorrow's PC, look at today's Macintosh." Or Computer Reseller news who wrote, "Market acceptance non withstanding, Windows is far, far behind the Macintosh." Or perhaps consider what PC Computing said: "Macintosh System 7.5.2 is by far the easiest, smoothest, most usable operating system out there."
You can't get that program on Windows 95. There are currently over 1,889 "Mac only" Applications that are not available for PC users. Visit Apple's Web Site for the entire list. Users who use both Mac and Windows 95 on a PC, like the Mac better! An independent study by Evans Research shows that people who use both system rated the Macintosh higher in every category including overall satisfaction, productivity, and ease of use. Read the findings of the report at http://www2.apple.com/whymac/satisfaction/default.html In a head-to-head public battle staged by the Software Publishers Association, the Macintosh beat Windows hands-down. The "Ultimate Mac vs. Windows Challenge." pitted a senior technical editor from Windows Sources magazine, and his assistant, against a 10-year-old Mac user. In a series of real world tests (which included assembling the computer, connecting a printer and a Zip drive, connecting to the Internet, etc.) the youngster finished in *half* the time taken by his opponents. Apple is worldwide market leader in digital camera sales. According to BIS, the Apple QuickTake camera's share is greater than the sales of all other digital camera manufacturers combined. Software developers make higher profits with Mac software than Windows software. Macintosh continues to offer developers and retailers greater profitability than the competition. Average revenues per unit remain higher overall for Macintosh software than for Windows applications, according to reports from PCData and SPA. Using Macintosh computers to develop software saves money! On average, the cost to develop and support Wintel (Windows/Intel- based PCs) applications is 50% higher per dollar of revenue than the cost to develop for Macintosh. Also, the Software Publishers Association (SPA) reports that although the Macintosh hardware market may be less than 10%, Macintosh software makes up over 18% of all software sold. The report went on to point out that Macintosh users actually use more applications than Windows users and cited ease of installation of Mac applications as one of the reasons. Macintosh rules the CD-ROM market. 72 percent of all multimedia CD-ROM titles are developed on a Macintosh; Regardless of the platform they run on, 42 of the 50 top-selling CD-ROM titles worldwide were developed on Macintosh; and Apple is the Number 1 multimedia vendor in the world...for the second year in a row. Apple Wins J.D. Power and Associates Desktop Personal Computer Satisfaction Study. Apple Computer, Inc. leads the computer industry in overall customer satisfaction for desktop personal computers, according to the J.D. Power and Assoc. Desktop Personal Computer End-User Satisfaction Study.
Forward Migration: More PC users like iMac 2/10 -
Here are a set of short stories of why people are choosing iMac over PC...
Should one buy and iMac?
Should one buy an iMac or a PC? As has been said by many, the iMac is a great computer. However, if you want your iMac to be a PC clone then buy a PC. As Apple proclaims, one must think differently with an iMac. Different is good!
I converted to an iMac from a series of PC's since the early 80's with my last one being a 10 month old Compaq. The PC is fine, but the iMac is better. What really drove me to move to the iMac is the endless problems of compatability with a PC. With so many companies producing computers, it is very hard for a software developer to make everything 100% compatable. When I installed Windows 98 on my Compaq in July 98, the first thing I noticed was that the floppy drive would lock the system up HARD. Then the sleep function did not work. I went into the various inner workings of Windows set-up files and turned things on and set this and that, still no joy. Finally I found that if I disabled Norton Utilities, I could use the floppy drive. Not much good for the intended use of Norton, but it seemed to do the trick. I called Compaq about this problem, they said it was a Windows problem. Microsoft said it was a Norton problem and Norton would not respond to my request for tech support.
One Sunday afternoon in December in which the Bronco's were not playing, my wife and I went to CompUSA and saw the iMac. I must say that I was interested, but my wife was a die-hard PCer. After a few minutes with the Mac rep, she was hooked. She is now a 100% iMac loyalist, having used both the iMac and the PC. I still have to use a PC at work, but that makes me enjoy my time with an iMac even more! What is a real joy is that when installing updates from apple.com, they work flawlessly, and I don't have to tinker with settings and hope that it works correctly!
Sincerely,
Douglas Cawthra
Total Mac Convert!
Having used an ordinary P.C. and just purchased an imac I am delighted at its performance. I still use a p.c for games but I am sure it is only a matter of time before my Pentium 300 is replaced by a G3 or even by then G4. Congratulations to Steve Jobs for making me see the light!
--- Martin Farmer
I've always been impressed by the number of PC users that have seen the light. If you have a story of why you chose iMac after being a PC user for many years,
.
Get the full article here
Overall, people who use both systems rate the Macintosh higher in overall satisfaction, user productivity, ease of use, creativity, and other categories. Here are details:
Macintosh is more satisfying than Windows 95 PCs. Users rated Macintosh significantly higher than Windows 95 PCs in overall satisfaction.
Macintosh lets users be more creative.When asked which system lets them be more creative, dual users chose the Macintosh by almost two to one.
Macintosh is more enjoyable. When asked which system is more enjoyable to use, 52% said Macintosh, compared to 39% for Windows 95 PCs.
Macintosh rates much higher in a wide variety of attributes.
Dual users were asked to rate both of their systems on several attributes using a 1-10 scale, where 10 was excellent. Macintosh received high marks (8-10) on these attributes from significantly more people than Windows 95. For example, when asked about "overall satisfaction," 60% gave Macintosh a score of 8-10 compared with 41% who gave that rating to Windows 95 PCs. These are the percentage of dual users rating the respective systems 8-10:
Macintosh w/ System 7.5 vs Windows 95 PC
Overall satisfaction 60% 41%
Overall productivity 59% 42%
Overall ease of use 78% 37%
Graphics and publishing 85% 27%
Multimedia 71% 36%
Ease of learning 78% 29%
Ease of connecting peripherals 74% 39%
Ease of setup and installation 69% 33%
Ease of connecting to a LAN 62% 42%
Running educational software 46% 32%
Ease of troubleshooting 41% 21%
The Mac Manager: "Why Buy a Mac?"
by Don Crabb,
Contributing Editor and Columnist - February 16, 1999, 6:00 am ET
The recovery of Apple Computer, Inc. over the past year has brought a lot of the "what's the point of the Mac" crowd out of their foxholes and into the field of battle again. After all, it's not nearly as much fun dancing on the grave of a dead company as it is trying to kill that company when its alive and vibrant.
Like today's Apple.
Enter my latest correspondent, a student at SUNY-Albany, who also sells computers part-time at a CompUSA and his anti-Mac rave:
"First off, if you are a new computer user, why do you want a Mac? The Mac OS user interface is smoother than Windows 98, but what does that mean to a new computer user when he runs into a problem? Nothing. I have encountered people who will pay CompUSA $40 to install software, rather than do it themselves."
I have encountered people who will pay a car dealer $100 to install $5 wiper blades. So what? The fact that the Mac OS is easier to use and to understand, even when problems occur, means that the Mac user typically spends less time paying someone $100 to install new wiper blades compared to the Windows user, because they can install them themselves, or at least fix the old ones so they don't streak the screen.
"Second, Mac prices are too high! Mac G3's range from $1,799 to $2,999, without monitor; add necessities like a modem, monitor, printer, etc...and your total cost skyrockets to $2,500 and up. That may have been acceptable three years ago, but the day of the $500 computer has arrived!"
Actually, the list price on Blue G3s runs from $1,599 to $2,999, and some dealers discount below those levels. But the Blue G3s are NOT entry level PCs. Apple has a value-priced computer line; it's called iMac. Considering that some stores are selling Rev A iMacs for under $600 and Rev B iMacs for under $900, entry level pricing for a good computer is obviously something Apple has figured out. And even at the list price of $1,199 for a new fruit-flavored iMac, that pricing is very competitive with Wintel brands. The day of the $500 computer may have arrived, but no one in their right mind wants one, especially if it's a generic hunk of Wintel junk.
"What about iMac? If you're already a Mac owner, you must throw away most of your current equipment (printers, 17" monitors, etc.) and put $1,200 down to buy a non-upgradeable machine. Or take out a five-year Apple loan."
Not true. There are adapters that let you use your SCSI peripherals (that convert USB to SCSI) and your existing monitors. They are also USB to serial converters if you want to use an old serial printer; plus the iMac provides a 10/100 Ethernet port that networked printers and peripherals can be attached to. As for upgradeability, the iMac comes with upgradeable RAM and USB ports that let you add peripherals. How many users of $1,000 computers will REALLY want to add a bunch of PCI boards or replace the CPU? Apple believes the answer is "not many." I think they are right. About 1,000,000 iMac buyers tend to agree. As for Apple's low-cost loan program, exactly how is that a bad thing? Would it be better to tie-up a credit card, at a higher interest rate, with the purchase?
"How about buying a competing Macintosh product? Oh, yeah, Apple got rid of them... (I thought Apple hated monopolies?)."
Excellent cheap shot! I was against Apple killing the clones. I still think there was a way to have their clone cake and eat it too. But the bottom line is that by killing clones Apple returned to profitability faster than expected. It's hard to argue with the results. I still believe that licensed Mac OS hardware products (aka computers) will become a reality again with Mac OS X.
"Compare this to a NEC or Compaq Pentium 2/350 with a good monitor and printer for about $1,800 that has oodles of software available and a much larger user base to garner support from?"
What's your point? The Wintel box you specified runs software at about the same speed at a fruit-flavored iMac, which is 600 bucks cheaper. And there are oodles of software available for the iMac, too, including SoftWindows 98 and Virtual PC, which allow that iMac to run Windows software directly, should you want or need to. As for the size of the user base and its effect on service and support, let me ask you this: Do you think owners of Chevys get better support than owners of BMWs?
"Finally, why should retailers carry them? The CompUSA I work at had at least 14-15 discontinued G3's and old iMacs that must be liquidated at or below cost, since Apple will not take them back. The same thing will happen again when the scratch and sniff iMac comes out...."
Gee, I bet that CompUSA has never had to undersell old Wintel PCs before, have they?!!! Gimme a break here, buddy. Name my any major PC manufacturers who will take back their merchandise just because new models make it "obsolete." The answer to that, by the way, is "none."
As for scratch and sniff iMacs, what are you LEARNING in college, anyway?
What the Press Won't tell You.
80% of all computers used in publishing are Macs. (Griffin Dix Research Associates)
64% of all Web pages are created on a Mac. (Apple Computer)
Support costs are 25% lower than support costs for PCs. (Gartner Group)
There are 60 million Mac users world-wide. (Apple Computer)
McDonnell Douglas found that PC support costs were 8 times as high as Mac support.
Mac users are 44% more productive and 50% more accurate. (A.D. Little)
There are 14,000 Mac-OS compatible products. (Apple Computer)
There are 1,889 Mac-only software titles. (Apple Computer)
81% of people who buy a Mac, buy another. (CTI '97)
54% of all multimedia applications development is done on a Mac. (GISTICS '96)
PC World Magazine rated the Mac OS as the best 32-bit OS. (Feb. 1996)
In the US, Apple was rated #1 in reliability among home computer users
for the second year in a row. (1996 HomePC)
Apple is the number 1 computer vendor in Japan. (Dataquest, Mar '96)
The higher percentage of Macintosh computers,
the lower the technical support costs. (Gartner Group)
Apple's G3 computers are up to twice as fast as the fastest Pentium II. (BYTE Magazine)
63% of computers found in US schools K-12 are Macs. (QED)
C/NET picked Windows 95 as "One of the biggest disappointments of 1996".
Apple's market share is larger than Cadillac, Lincoln, Acura, BMW, Volvo, Lexus,
Mercedes, Eagle, Infiniti, Saab, Land Rover, Jaguar, Audi, and Porsche (Automotive News).
People who use both systems rated the Mac higher in overall satisfaction,
productivity and ease of use. (Evans Research)
After Unix, Mac OS is the most popular platform for World Wide Web servers.
More Professional web pages are created on a Mac than any other platform. (Web Week)
Apple is the #1 multimedia vendor in the world. (Dataquest)
50% of the families in Family PC magazines "95 days with windows 95" gave up. (Zdnet)
Apple is the #1 computer company in Canada. (A.C. Nielsen)
The Mac OS is available in over 35 different languages. (Apple Computer)
As the number of Macs increase, the cost of support decreases. (Gartner Group)
Apple is the number 1 computer company in Australia business,
education and consumer markets. (IDC)
The sources for these facts can be found at http://members.macconnect.com/~aharris/ammunitionhq.spml
Why buy iMac and not PC? 2/5 -
A reader wrote us...
I currently in the market for a computer in the $1000 - $1500 price range. I have done some initial research but can find no one to answer this question:
Why buy an iMac and not a PC?
I will be using the machine largely for internet access, for basic houshold accounts and never for games. Please could you help?
Sure. This is a pretty common question around here, and one easily answered.
The iMac was built for the internet. It has all of your internet software already installed including both Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer. It also has Outlook Express as the e-mail program.
In addition, hardware wise, it has a 56K v.90 modem built in. This is the fastest analog modem available to use on a normal phone line. The next fastest modem (internet access) technologies are cable modems and ADSL modems. Both of these are very fast including up to 40 times faster than a standard 56K modem. Cable modems are making their way through the country slowly, and are available through some local cable companies, of course. ADSL is available through the various telephone companies. Both of these types of modems connect to the computer through the ethernet port. An ethernet port is also built in to the iMac. Apple wanted you to have the ability to use the next great internet technology. :-)
For Basic Household accounts, financials etc, you can't go wrong with Quicken 98 Deluxe which is also pre-installed on every iMac. Quicken is the industry standard for keeping your checkbooks, and home and small business finances. I've used Quicken in a previous version, and it's really a great
program with a really easy to use and learn interface.
In addition it has Appleworks included pre-installed. Appleworks is a standard works-type application that includes basic word processing, spread sheet, and paint and draw applications. I believe Appleworks also includes a database function allowing you to keep your addressbook, recipes, etc.
Why buy iMac and not PC?
It's easier to use. That's really the best reason. It works the way you work more than having to learn how it works. With PCs (and Windows), you have to learn how it works, and it takes more time to do so.
iMac also crashes less often than PC, and when it does, 9 times out of 10 it fixes itself. It doesn't lose files that it needs to run like Windows sometimes does. At one time, Windows had 8000 bugs found in it's software at realease, where Mac had somewhere around 10 that you rarely ran into.
Finally, it's faster than a similar Mhz Speed PC. An iMac 266 (the fruity colored ones) which runs at 266Mhz compares to a PC with an Intel Pentium II 333. It's that fast at lower Mhz. This is not based solely on throretical tests on the hardware, but on real world performance seen in person with a Mac beating a PC by many seconds on highly processor intensive tasks. The Mac was litterally done before the PC.
I want to leave you in this message with the words of one of our other readers who chose iMac of PC... he just e-mailed me, actually.
Should one buy an iMac or a PC? As has been said by many, the iMac is a great computer. However, if you want your iMac to be a PC clone then buy a PC. As Apple proclaims, one must think differently with an iMac. Different is good!
I converted to an iMac from a series of PC's since the early 80's with my last one being a 10 month old Compaq. The PC is fine, but the iMac is better. What really drove me to move to the iMac is the endless problems of compatability with a PC. With so many companies producing computers, it is very hard for a software developer to make everything 100% compatable. When I installed Windows 98 on my Compaq in July 98, the first thing I noticed was that the floppy drive would lock the system up HARD. Then the sleep function did not work. I went into the various inner workings of Windows set-up files and turned things on and set this and that, still no joy. Finally I found that if I disabled Norton Utilities, I could use the floppy drive. Not much good for the intended use of Norton, but it seemed to do the trick. I called Compaq about this problem, they said it was a Windows problem. Microsoft said it was a Norton problem and Norton would not respond to my request for tech support.
One Sunday afternoon in December in which the Bronco's were not playing, my wife and I went to CompUSA and saw the iMac. I must say that I was interested, but my wife was a die-hard PCer. After a few minutes with the Mac rep, she was hooked. She is now a 100% iMac loyalist, having used both the iMac and the PC. I still have to use a PC at work, but that makes me enjoy my time with an iMac even more! What is a real joy is that when installing updates from apple.com, they work flawlessly, and I don't have to tinker with settings and hope that it works correctly!
Sincerely,
Douglas Cawthra
Thank you for the letter Douglas. I couldn't have said it better myself. For other stories of why other people chose iMac over PC, check out our Forward Migration Page.
If you have any further questions about Why you should choose an iMac, please post them in our new Forums area, or
.
--- Robert Aldridge,
.
iMac Forward Migration - PC users are converting to iMac in droves
Since Launching TheiMac.com, we have been getting stories left and right of people migrating from PCs to Mac BECAUSE of the iMac. These are people that have been heavily PC driven for a LONG time.
Well, we wanted to share some of these inspiring stories with you.
Before we begin, if you are planning to buy an iMac, and you've always been PC based, or your company or school is planning to my Macs because of the iMac, and it's always been PC, please
. We'll add your story to this page.
On with the stories....
Thinking Better...
I'd like to share why I'm switching whole-heartedly to the Macintosh Platform. First of all, yes, I'm a PC user (for the moment). I'll list the reasons and then go a little further in depth.
1. Ease of use
2. Windows 95 a.k.a. Sir Crash-a-lot
3. The iMac
Ease of use: I've been using PCs since I was 6 years old. I know the ins and outs of PCs. I grew up typing C://yougetthepoint at the good ole' DOS prompt. Of course it's now Much easier, but it took Microsoft lots of years (and Apple's ingenuity) to realize what people want is a Graphical User Interface, and yes Ease Of Use.
El Crash-a-lot: Windows 95, 98 crashes a Whole Lot more than it should. The reason it's so unstable is that Microsoft still uses the old DOS subsystem underneath the pretty Windows Interface. They've solved this problem in NT but they're is still the Ease of Use thing...
The iMac: When all is said and done, the big reason I'm switching to Macintosh is iMac. I'm sick of everyone thinking the same way about how to build a computer.
Beige, anyone?
I feel truly confident that Steve Jobs (Apple God) has the company on a complete turnaround. Profits are up, software is pouring out, and Mac users have more spirit than ever. They now can tell their PC-using friends that they truly Think Better (not just Different)
And now, finally, I DO TO.
Thinking Clearly, Andrew ^^^ To the Top Yes, I too am converting from the PC world
I have grown up on PC's, used them in software development, and in my current job (let's see that's about 12 years altogether). I have poked fun at my brother who has always been in love with the Macintosh, as well as any other Mac lovers.
Well, I recently saw Steve Jobs keynote speech and became an instant convert. The next day, I bought some stock and started reading every bit of info I could about the new iMac. To top it off, I just saw a demo of the iMac @ the Aerospace Corporation today. This thing is a screamer. The Apple guy was simultaneously running the keynote speech Quicktime movie and an AutoCad file in Windows95 using the Virtual PC emulator with no loss of frames -- very impressive. In addition, he was able to run the Quake in DOS version and run UNIX. He also said that the iMac runs faster than the 266Mhz desktop model because it runs the ROM in RAM. I guess this is a new feature that will be in the next edition of the ProMacs.
Anyway, I have been talking up the iMac and two other PC people at work will also be buying one. The iMac is a piece of art AND it blows away anything Intel can throw at it. Long live Apple and Steve Jobs!
Jonathan J. Sumida ^^^ To the Top An "alternative" PC user chooses the true alternative...
I WANT AN IMAC!!! Well you and Apple have got another convert on your hands. I've been using a PC since the dark days of DOS, but I've always considered myself somewhat of an "alternative" PC user. I have never owned an Intel processor through five machines. I ran PC-DOS, DR-DOS, Novell DOS and Caldera's OpenDOS over MS-DOS. I ran OS/2 for four years before IBM just about gave up on it. I ran BSD and Linux while all of my friends were dealing with the Microsoft's blue screen of death. Only for the past year have I made Windows 95 my main OS, simply because they've got every application imaginable for it, even if 85% of it isn't worth the media it is distributed on.
I've always liked Apple and the Macintosh, but it was always just too far out of my monetary confines to make it an option for me. When Apple began licensing the OS out to third party manufacturer's I thought Apple finally got their head together, but before I knew it Apple pulled the plug on that option.
Now with the iMac I find the perfect balance of most of the things I've been looking for in a computer.
Simple to use, but incredibly robust OS. Linux and OS/2 are still (or atleast were for many of Apple's darker days) technically superior to Windowsand MacOS, but talk about difficult to use. As far as I can see, MacOS isfar more robust and stable than Windows 9x will ever be, and on a big'nbeefy G3, MacOS is just as good as the difficult-to-use, strict-hardware-requiring (not to mention pricey) Windows NT.
Affordable. $1299 for a complete system, sans floppy (hopefully under $1800 Canadian for my fellow Canucks...). None of this "Monitor sold seperately" garbage in the fine print. No more daily crashes (hopefully...). How many PC's will you find configured similarly with a 10/100Base-T adapter, and 15" monitor included for under US$1300?
Applications support (current, and more impressively, forthcoming). Everything I need is out for the Mac, or will be very soon. Mac Office 98 looks better than Win Office 97. All the important Internet technologies are readily available for the Mac. My favorite games are Mac-friendly (Myth, Diablo, Quake, Starcraft is coming). And even if they aren't there yet, there is always Virtual PC and I'll still have a true PC around as well.
It isn't Microsoft, or Intel. :) C'mon, you've got to love the underdog...
Pretty much the only thing I'm disappointed with the lack of expandability. I'm sure the processor, RAM, VRAM, and hard drive will all upgrade easily, but I wish there was just one PCI slot for something fun, like a Voodoo board or true SCSI. When USB peripherals start to surface in abundance, I'll be happy. When Palm Computing releases their all new MacPac I'll be really happy. If all three happened I'd be ecstatic. But regardless, you've got another convert waiting in the wings for the iMac to arrive.
--- Patrick J. Cuyegkeng
<editor's note: Patrick, you'll have at least 2 of your three wishes soon, and I think Apple is working on that first wish. Time will tell. Welcome aboard!> ^^^ To the Top Leaving the Upredictable World of Windows
I guess this is a kind of Computers Anonymous, a cathartic release for us A-types who feel we have corrected a major mistake in our lives. My trusty old 610 finally died one day. So after all those years I decided to follow the thronging crowds. After all, how bad could Windows 95 be?
I was to find out. I had a state of the art computer for about 5 seconds. My 200 mhz MMX computer is now just an also also ran. M$ coined the expression "Plug and Pray". Actually there are several variations: Point and Pray, Click and Pray, Start and Pray, and many days it's just Pray that the darn thing will work without major surprises.
Over the next two years I became less and less enamoured with the computer system for the masses. Then I began seeing these ads on the WWW for something called iMac. At first I ignored it and then I began to examine the details. I stopped by CompUSA with my son, the Computer Science major (he's also a Mac fan). We marveled at the G3s' speed, including running something called Virtual PC (that caught my eye).
Back online I began seeing early reports of the iMac's speed and features. I guess I also have to confess to being a technophile. Anyway, I decided I had to have an iMac. My CompUSA got in 10 (one was mine) and sold 15 the first day. Two weeks later I am very pleased with my purchase. I added an extra 64 megs of RAM, an Epson 600 printer and cable. I was also able to hook my JBL Media 3 speakers and woofers with one plug (Now my iMac comes on with a large "whoom"--I love it).
And, yes, I did get Virtual PC so now I have Windows on my iMac to run those few apps I had left over from my PC. Of course I find myself needing it less each day. Imagine that!
That's my story. I'm glad it only took one step. Just classify me a happy iMac owner.
--- Phililp Bennett ^^^ To the Top After a week I was hardly even touching my Win98 machine
I am a web/graphic designer that has been pro-wIntel for a long time. Although I had occasionally used macs, and knew a fair amount about them, I hadn't ever REALLY used one. Then I became hooked on the iMac. I thought hard, and initially ordered one as a toy, and to check out what my web pages would look like on a Mac. However, after a couple of days, and a 32 MB memory upgrade (free with purchase of course), it became apparent that the Mac was over-powering my PentiumII 350MHz in speed, and for general ease of use, interface customization, and personality that the iMac exhudes like a rotten bowl of potato salad on a hot day (that's a good thing), I ended up spending more and more time on it. By the end of the first week, I was hardly touching my Win98 machine.
The biggest shock to me was that applications such as Internet Explorer actually run faster and are FAR more stable and customizable than on the PC side. Office 98 is another one...such Irony from Captain MS!
In short, the iMac wins. I love it.
--- Clayton Fixsen ^^^ To the Top Best of All worlds
I thought I would take a stab at this. I am first an formost an AMIGA user (diehard), and with the death of the Amiga I switched to a PC. I have been extremly happy with my PC, but I find myself needing a second machine while my PC renders 3D projects. So after looking around I decided on the iMac just because, well, it's a cool little machine!! 8-) So I will be networking it with my PC and Amiga. So I have the best of all the worlds. 8-)
--- Mark Streed ^^^ To the Top PC to iMac Migration
For several years I had an old Classic... you know, the last of the triple-zeros... Anyway, when it finally died four years ago, I also had a 386 that became my mainstay. I have stayed with PCs since. I tell myself that I prefer the customizability, but have become disgruntled of late, seeing it more as something I must do for this overrated wintel doorstop to do more than load windows for 3 hours at a time... When I heard the iMac was out, I checked it out, and I was hooked. I am hoping that I just might get a graduation present come next May, if ya know what I mean. iMac here I come!
--- Jason Short ^^^ To the Top Changing Teams
I went to CompUSA last night (Pittsburgh, 1 and 1/2 hours away) to see the iMac and then try to talk myself out of buying one. After all, I'm a Windows user and have been all my life. With the exception of typing a paper one time, I've never used Mac OS! So my plan was to go see the Imac and then go over to the windows section and pick out a new laptop.
I got to CompUSA and rushed back to all the balloons to see this little gem. It was so damn cute (I don't think I've ever said that about anything dealing with computers). I sat there and tried to play with it but I didn't want to take up too much time because the Imac was attracting such a crowd. So then I went to look at software (my dad thinks I'm crazy for switching to Mac, oh well it won't be the first time he's questioned my sanity). Pretty goood selection but consider I use my computer for internet and typing papers I think I won't really have to worry about software....
My only complaint was that the CompUSA people were such (derogatory term meaning not very nice.) They treated me like I didn't have enough money to buy a computer or something (I'm only 21..); so when I pulled out the money to pay in full for the imac and preorder an imation drive and bought $600 worth of software I felt a little bit redeemed...<g>
The only person that was really helpful was the Imac volunteer, I wish I could have gave him the comission. BTW, the salesmens eyes bugged out when I told them that I was a windows user and I saw smiles from the die hard mac fans....I guess I'm the upper eschelon of Apple's target market...Looks like they are going to do well with this product...: )
Later,
Chris -- A Brand New Mac User ^^^ To the Top The iMac is a Good Deal
I'm a PC user, and am in the market for a new computer. I have decided that a new iMac is the perfect choice for home/small business use. While I have been able to find inexpensive PC's, the iMac represents a good deal in comparison with these systems. One of the cheapest PC systems that I have been able to find that offers respectable performance is the Tiger K-Series 300, which is nicely equipped with a K6-300, 4.3 GB hard disk, 32 MB SDRAM, 1MB secondary cache, 56K modem, 2 USB ports, and Windows 98, all for $800. That sounds bad. With similar features, the iMac costs $1299. A $500 difference. But if you really look at it, the deal isn't as great as it might seem. The Tiger PC does not include a monitor, and the company offers an optional 15" monitor for $159.
That knocks the price up to $959. And I don't even think that shows the real cost, since a 15" monitor that costs only $159 must be pretty bad. Also, the iMac includes built-in 10/100 Ethernet, which is lacking in the Tiger PC and, indeed, in most PCs. From what I can figure, that's at least $100 value there. And the iMac includes an infra-red data port, which I have yet to see on a PC, but may be useful in the future. That's worth something too.
Taken together, they are very price competitive. Then there are the performance issues to consider. The iMac only has 512K of cache, but that runs at half processor speed, 117 MHz, as opposed to the 66 MHz that the Tiger runs at through the system bus. That's a major speed improvement and an iMac advantage. The processor is also a K6, which, in general, is significantly slower than the Pentium II at the same clock speeds. Given that the G3 is already faster than the Pentium II, it's clear that the G3 more than toasts the K6, even though it runs at 300 MHz. The PC does offer greater expandibilty than the iMac, but I have owned PCs, and I know, that almost all of the time it is just easier and cheaper to buy a whole new system than to even bother trying to upgrade an existing system. Given that the iMac is very cost competitive, includes many useful networking features built-in, and that the PC that I use to type this on now crashes nearly every day, sometimes more often, doing even the simplest of operations, I find myself being drawn more and more to the "light."
---
^^^ To the Top Converting to Mac...
I have always been an avid PC user since the mid-80's (was a little kid back then). I sure knew all those DOS-commands. While the Macintosh existed then, I barely knew of it. It would've cost a fortune as well. I wasn't too productive on that PC, though but just did simple graphics. I lost my interest in computing from late 80s to mid90's, since console games (Nintendo, Sega, etc.) were appealing and popular.
Then sometime in around '94 I regained interest in computers once again, since I was hearing lots about "multi-media" and awesome games. I ended up buying a PC in late '95. It was a Pentium75MHz, 8mb of RAM, 1GB disk, 4x CD...not the best system back then, but not the worst...Anyways, during the first year or so, it sufficed for me...Then got into the internet "craze" started downloading like crazy, becoming more aware of games, etc...
Eventually, once in a while, I've had my problems with PC's and Win95...but I convinced myself, "Nah it happens to everyone"... Of what I heard of Macs, has been nearly all negative. Slow, incompetitive, nearly dead, crappy OS, lack of software, few games, expensive, incompatible, and just everything else...I have realized that if Windows/Intel is just more popular, it must be better.
Over a year later, I owned many apps and games, printer, scanner, more RAM, removeable drive, and already grown tired of PC problems in general. I also thought of an alternative PC OS, such as Linux, BSD, or BeOS...they have their advantages, but my main interest is graphics, and some gaming.
I then just checked out www.apple.com (early this year), and see WHY Macs suck so much. Not in a biased way, just wanted the REAL facts.
I saw this well constructed page www.apple.com/whymac (dont know if it still exists), but it had many reasons why Macs are much better than PC's...I was VERY convinced and agreed. Apple being the long-time "underdog", has always been truthful of what they sell, and seem to care of quality. I know this is a business world and companies just care about $$$, but even though, Apple sure cares about being the best. Macs seemed to pull me in more, each day.
Because I knew the FACTS. I wasn't too worried about compatibility, because I have heard of VirtualPC. Talking about emulators, I've seen a range of Mac emu's for PC's. They're all crappy, although the best i've seen is Fusion (www.microcode-solutions.com) It emulates a 68k Mac Performa or Quadra,depending on the ROM which you extracted. It has support for almost all hardware. Its still NOT an excuse to not buy a REAL Mac. This emulator did give me a better idea how MacOS is like (7.5.5)
I tried Kaleidoscope, a cool scheme thing, it RULES! Being the GUI freak that I am, I thought MS-Plus was the limit of GUI changing. K-scope REALLY changes the looks of a Mac. I felt rather jealous Windoze didn't have a version, but then again, the GUI is far inferior from Mac. I know there's more technical stuff to it, that would take forever to explain. I also appreciated MacOS's *cleanness*, NO .dll's or a billion other unnecessary files. I understand Win95 needs most of those files, to function, but I also see Mac is more tight-coded and you can *actually* tell each file apart and know what they are for. That also explains I am a neat-freak.
Then I sit down and wonder why don't Macs become more popular or gain more marketshare. But its like one of those wisdom challenges in life, in which I have to support what I believe is BETTER, and defect from the mass of IGNORANT people which have no ambition in life to make the world better and NOT afraid to accept minorities which are SUPERIOR. Go ahead, think different...
-Ralph R. ^^^ To the Top
Why The iMac Sucks
By Sir Frag and his owner, rajnchaos - Version 1.1 - February 9, 1999
PLEASE NOTE that this is not an anti-Macintosh page. I have been a fan of the Mac since 1988, when I first used a Macintosh computer. Being a fan however, of the Macintosh platform, does not obligate anyone blindly applaud every action which Apple takes, or every product which Apple releases. I believe that Apple, primarily due to the presense of Steve Jobs, is becoming just another computer company - better financially, yet with a lower quality product. Send comments to
or
. They will be posted here unedited followed by feedback from one or both of us. If you do not want your comments posted on the Comments Page, please say so in the body of the message.
(rajnchaos)
In August 1998, Apple computer released the iMac, an impressive looking computer designed solely for delivery of access the internet to the general population. As of this writing (September 6, 1998) the first generation iMacs ship with 32 megabytes of RAM, a 233MHz or 266MHz PowerPC g3 (750) microprocessor, and a 4GB or 6GB EIDE hard drive. The iMac has an extremely impressive monitor, although only 15î in size, it is capable of refresh rates equal to or in excess of 115Hz. Although not resulting in a crystal clear image, the iMac's monitor provides image clarity more than sufficient for the elderly - one of the target groups of customers.
The iMac adopts a new connectivity standard known as USB, or universal serial bus. This standard allows for communication at up to 12 megabits per second (1.5 megabytes per second), roughly 8 times the speed of a full T1 internet connection. The keyboard and mouse that ship with the iMac are USB devices.
The iMac comes with an impressive array of devices which can be used for internet access, including a 56K v.90 capable modem which allows for the highest analog modem speeds available today over a single analog telephone line, and 100 base T ethernet, allowing for connectivity to most local and wide area networks (note that the iMacÃs 100 base T ethernet is also compatible with the more common 10 base T ethernet standard. The iMac also ships with full stereo sound in/out capabilities.
The iMac however does not ship with any of the necessary hardware to use many of the devices which were fully compatible with older Macintosh models. For example, the iMac does not have any SCSI capabilities. Until recently Apple used SCSI exclusively in all it’s Macintosh models, adding IDE to the product line for the low-end/consumer models (including many Performas, Powerbooks, and the current g3 machines). This prevents use of hundreds of SCSI devices such as scanners, hard drives (removable as well as static), and digital audio editing systems.
As mentioned earlier, the keyboard and mouse that ship with the iMac are both USB devices, and the keyboard can act as a partial USB hub. Although finding necessary bandwidth to accommodate these devices will never be an issue, the devices themselves leave a lot to be desired. The iMac’s mouse is a 3" diameter circle, perhaps sufficient for the educational market in which this machine will be used primarily by those without fully developed hands, however most adults will find this difficult or impossible to work with as will gamers, who commonly use the mouse as an input device.
The iMac does not have any expansion slots - period. There are rumors of a PCI bus on the iMac, however no slots are to be found. Adding PCI to the iMac requires adding a passthrough cable in between the motherboard and the CPU daughtercard. This cable would lead to an external box with a relatively large number of PCI slots - perhaps 7 of them; these devices, which are currently available for almost all other PCI based Power Macintosh systems cost approximately $1,000 dollars. This of course is assuming that the rumors of a PCI bus being on the iMac are accurate.
The iMac was intended to be a consumer machine. This means that it has to be able to play games. Although the introduction of the iMac has caused many game developers to return to the Macintosh platform, the first iMacs are far from an adequate gaming machines. This is primarily due to the video processor that Apple first chose to include in the iMac - the ATI Rage 2. This outdated chip is far slower than the ATI Rage Pro included in the other Power Macintosh g3 machines (and now the current iMacs) and, although quite capable of running many games, will not run games that require a 3D accelerator at speeds that will satisfy many gamers (glQuake was benched at 12 FPS). In a silent upgrade this summer, Apple replaced the iMac's Rage II chip with a Rage Pro chip, in addition to increasing the video RAM to 6 megabytes and replacing the OS with MacOS 8.5. This not only greatly increases speed (ATI Rage Pro can run glQuake at 45-50 FPS), but it provides the possibility of openGL support in the future. I personally applaud this move to a respectable video processor, however as this was a silent upgrade it has created fragmentation in the iMac hardwarebase. Essentially, one iMac may run popular 3D games four times as fast as another, and if openGL support is implemented in MacOS some 3D games wil run well on some iMacs, while on other iMacs it may not run at all.
One technology that Apple computer has almost always had the lead in (at least in the consumer market) is speech synthesis and speech recognition. The iMac has more than sufficient power for speech synthesis, however the speech recognition software that ships with the Macintosh operating system requires a sound input rate of 22.05KHz, the iMac is capable of inputting audio at no less (and no more) than 44.1KHz, rendering the speech recognition software, which is installed by default, taking up valuable disk space and, possibly (depending on whether it is active at the time of initial installation) RAM, useless.
The iMac’s modem was intended to be capable of 33.6KbPS initially. After extreme consumer outrage it was moved to a v.90 capable 56K modem. Some claim that this change rendered the iMac’s modem unstable, others say it was like this from the start. Either way, they are both correct. The iMac’s modem is extremely sensitive to the slightest deviations from optimal line quality. Most v.90 modems would renegotiate to a v.34 speed and continue the connection. The iMac does this reliably at times, however at many times it will simply drop the connection. Apple’s fix to this involves a new modem initialization script that limits speed to 33.6KbPS. The extra money that was spent on the addition of a 56K modem is thus wasted and the potential for early (pre holiday season) price reduction is obliterated.
The iMac is a generally stable machine, however, do crash at times. The Macintosh has had a reputation not of being the most stable machine, but of being the easiest to deal with when not all is functioning perfectly. On a typical macintosh comptuer, when the machine freezes, one can trigger a reboot by holding down the control and command keys, and tapping the power key (the key at the top of the keyboard, marked with a triangle); on some less typical Macintosh computers (and some older ones) a reset switch is located on the back of the computer. On the iMac however, the only way to recover from a freeze is to either turn off the machine from the power switch, or to insert a paperclip into one of the underdocumented small holes next to the USB ports. One of these will reboot the machine, the other will invoke a miniature debugger and will sometimes present the user with an intimidating screen filled with hexadecimal code. I believe that this deviation from the standards that most Macintosh computers have adhered to not only cusfuses those already familiar with the Macintosh platform, yet also reduces usability, and potentially reduces the life of iMacs owned by those not familiar with the Macintosh platform.
The iMac was officially designed solely for delivery of access the internet to the general population. It was of course obvious that many owners of older Macintosh computers (IICI, early Performas, etc.) would purchase this machine as the 233MHz or 266MHz g3 processor is a huge step up from the early Motorola 68000 series of microprocessors, and $1299 is a very small price for an upgrade of such percieved enormity. However those who choose to obtain this machine tend to have great difficulty if transferring their data to their new computer. One option is to network the two machines.
A networking standard popular among owners of these older models was Localtalk. It uses ordinary phone wires along with inexpensive transceivers to transfer data at a reasonable speed of 230,400 bps, over four times as fast as the fastest single-line analog modems available to the public as of this writing. One would assume that integration of the iMac into a Localtalk network would require nothing more than the purchase of an additional transceiver and a phone wire. This is not the case; the iMac does not have the standard Macintosh serial port that the Localtalk transceiver plugs in to.
The only networking standard that the iMac supports natively is ethernet. This modern high-speed standard provides communication nearly 440 times the speed of Localtalk. However most of these older Macintosh computers do not support this standard natively. An ethernet card can be added to most of these machines, giving it ethernet capability (while in some systems, occupying it’s only expansion slot). If an ethernet network already exists on site a cable can be run from the iMac to the ethernet hub, if not a crossover cable can be used instead of a more costly hub to connect the two machines together. The user must then configure their network drivers (hardly something that the average iMac customer will be proficient in), mount one of the drives on the other computer, and begin copying files.
Another option would be to simply swap hard drives. This would require opening both computers (and probably voiding the iMac’s warranty) and physically swapping the drives. This however only works when the older machine uses an IDE drive - not a rare scenario, but not prevalent either. The user would then have to reinstall the system software by starting up from the system CD-ROM that is included with the iMac. This is due to the fact that the iMac does not use a standard copy of MacOS, it instead uses a specialized one that is exclusive to the iMac, and most likely does not function on other Macintosh computers. The iMac also requires a ROM image file to boot, more on this later.
One other option for transferring data from an older machine to an iMac would be the purchase of two external removable media drives such as the 120 megabyte Imation Superdisk or the 100 megabyte Iomega Zip drive or a USB 1.44 meg floppy drive which might be good for getting a couple small files from computer to computer but it would be next to impossible to get megs even gigs of data from today’s more modern computers to the iMac. There is of course no reason for a USB version of the 2 gigabyte Iomega Jaz drive as the 1.5 megabyte per second transfer rate of USB is not sufficient, and is extremely slow compared to the 40 megabyte per second burst transfer rates of the standard Jaz’s SCSI-2 interface.
One recently discovered problem with the Imation Superdisk is that it prevents use of installers that use multiple floppies. This might not be a problem for new computer users, but it will prevent installation of much software that existing Macintosh owners use. MS Word 5.1 for example, comes on something like 7 floppies, and not every Macintosh owner wants to spend >$300 on Office 98.
(frag)
Speaking of a floppy drive I always thought they came with your computer well not the iMac. You will have to do without your floppy based software or find some other way of getting that data to some other storage device (Zip drives, CDR/RW, 120MB Superdisk drives etc). I hear that someone is planing on making a USB floppy drive, but that’s more bux you should have to shell out on a small storage device when most people want to shell out there hard earned (or not so hard earned) cash on bigger removable storage devices. If you want a easy way to install floppy software or use floppy disks you will need to buy a USB floppy but there might be another option: the 120 meg Superdisks are also backwards compatible with regular floppies but I havent heard of a USB version in the works so dont hold your breath.
Every Mac as ROMs until now, however, the iMac has no hardware ROMs - the ROMs are in the OS and they way they load is by loading into RAM (taking as much as 3 megs of it) but it does not load all at once it just loads parts of it and when it needs more it then goes to the HD and loads it on to RAM and this is not good if you run lots of programs at once because they need RAM and if the ROM's are taking up RAM then you might not have enough and your program will go to the disk to load information often slowing down the performance of your computer or it just wont run at all because of the lack of RAM.
Memory the iMac ships with 32 megs of ram but what happens when you need to go from 64 to 96 or 128? well what will happen is you will be flushing money down the toilet because the iMac only has 1 free ram slot so instead of buying another 64 meg DIMM and doubling your ram you are going to have to shell out extra cash for a 128 meg DIMM. Don’t even think about going to 96 megs of ram because its impossible with the iMac as it has only 1 DIMM slot.
Another waste of money is the extra hardware that is not needed. The iMac uses a USB keyboard but the motherboard still has both ADB and floppy hardware on it. Why would apple do this if they are trying to make a fast computer with a low price it just adds to the price and wastes your money.
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Stand By Your Mac: 25 Reasons Why the Mac is Better
B Y N I K K I E C H L E R
Lurking in the Mac advocacy newsgroup or browsing in alt.destroy.microsoft might leave you feeling like you've wandered into a bloody game of third-grade dodgeball. Battles rage out of control over which operating system is the most bug-ridden, waste of RAM ever to corrupt a computer. And the arguments, although frequently based on the "You shut up", "No YOU shut up" principle, are always passionate.
The thing is, everyone knows that the Mac OS could kick some serious Wintel butt if Apple would only find a strategy and stick with it. After all, Gates thought the Mac platform was so good he stole it and revived it as the Frankenstein's Monster of operating systems - Windows 95. While Win 95 may make the PC seem a little friendlier in comparison to the DOS regime or Windows 3.1, it still doesn't greet you at the door and lick your face like the Mac OS. In fact, it doesn't do a lot of things that the Mac does, or at any rate, it doesn't do them as well.
So, while Microsoft kicks itself for stealing the plastic spoons instead of the good silver, Mac loyalists should take inventory of what was left behind and celebrate. To get the party started we have compiled a list of 25 reasons why the Mac is still superior to Windows 95. Read it and weep, Microsoft. Reason 1. Pop in a floppy and the Mac responds with an icon on the desktop that lets you know exactly where it is. Windows 95 plays hide-and-seek by sticking the floppy disk's icon on any one of your hard drives somewhere under the "My Computer" icon. Where's the floppy, where's the floppy... good boy! Reason 2. The Mac is easy enough for a kid to use. Sixty-three percent of the computers in U.S. public schools are Macs, so many kids form strong, early attachments to the world's most lovable OS. Why hold back your children by making them use Windows? Reason 3. The Mac OS always launches a document with the application from which it sprung. Windows users, however, can't be sure the document and the application that created it will stay hitched. If Windows users move a document or a program to a different drive, the connection between the document and its creator application vanishes. Also, a Win 95 document can only be associated with one application, no matter which app created the file. A newly installed program can sometimes take over these ties so that documents no longer open automatically with the apps that made them. Reason 4. All Macs ever made come LocalTalk-ready, making it easy to connect even a Mac Plus with the newest, top-of-the-line Power Mac using AppleTalk. With PCs, it's virtually impossible to connect older 80286 systems with newer Pentium systems. Also, connecting a Mac to an Ethernet network generally takes half the steps it takes to hook up a Wintel. Reason 5. The Mac is not only hip, but also well-connected. You can daisy-chain up to seven SCSI devices, internally or externally, to a single port on the Mac. The typical Wintel machine does not include a port for connecting external storage devices. Instead, PCs have an IDE interface that only allows you to connect two internal hard drives. Worse, some low-profile PCs can only hold one internal hard drive: to upgrade your hard drive, you must completely replace the original one. About the only way around this dilemma is to buy a SCSI card to hook up external devices or buy a drive that can hook up to the PC's external - but slow - parallel port. PCs do support an EIDE interface that lets you connect up to four devices, but other than hard drives you can only hook up CD-ROM drives and a few tape drives. Reason 6. DOS is a pain in the butt to use, and whether Windows users admit it or not, it's still there in Win 95, lurking and waiting. For example, when saving a file on a Mac, you can name it whatever you want. On a PC, if you don't follow the DOS rules and regulations - try including a question mark, back slash or various other non-letters in your filename - you could wind up with mysterious error messages that even Nancy Drew would find puzzling.
And woe be unto you if you run into a problem during startup. Say, for example, your PC Card isn't present and your system expects it to be there - you'll unexpectedly drop into good ol' DOS as the eerie sounds of the last laugh ring out from the Mac user at the other end of the office. Reason 7. Although Windows 95 finally eliminated the eight-character limit for filenames, Windows 3.1 will translate long filenames back into it's own cryptic code, making filesharing between the two systems a task for the FBI. All versions of the Mac OS, on the other hand, understand 32-character filenames. Reason 8. Games look and sound better on the Mac. "Every developer that I've worked with that has created the Mac version of a hit PC title, prefers the resulting Mac version over any other platform and it has to do with graphic fidelity, the quality of the sound and the overall look of the game," says Craig Fryar, MacPlay Talent Scout, former Apple Games Evangelist and co-author of the hit game Spectre. Reason 9. The Mac is easier to set up than a Windows machine. A 10-year-old Mac user was pitted against the Editor-in-Chief of a major PC magazine in a contest at a recent Software Publishers Association meeting to see which platform was easiest to set up. The 10-year-old took 16 minutes, 15 seconds to get his Mac system up and running, while the Wintel expert clocked in at 26 minutes, 15 seconds. Reason 10. AppleScript lets users, with even slight programming instincts, bend applications to their will with very little time or effort. With AppleScript, you can make applications work together in new ways, achieving the same effect as if you had created a custom program from scratch. To date, there is no PC equivalent. Reason 11. QuickTime, an Apple innovation, was the first file format that allowed people to easily create videos, and cut, paste and otherwise edit them just like they could with any file format. To date, QuickTime still provides the easiest, best way for users to create videos that can run on Windows or Mac OS machines. Reason 12. Macs are faster. Between their RISC-based processors and 32 bit applications (many Windows apps are still dawdling under 16-bit apps), the Mac leaves Wintel machines choking on its dust. Reason 13. The Mac is still the first choice for creative types. Adobe's PageMill and SiteMill, tools that make creating and updating Web pages easier than watching an episode of "The Single Guy", were first created for the Mac. The initial code for PageMill was written for Windows, but market research showed that "the creative people were all using Macs," says Robert Seidl, who co-founded Ceneca Communications (the creators of PageMill). "It was a business decision for us, not a religious decision - our initial customers were on the Mac," says Seidl. Reason 14. Mac designers wanting more pizzazz for their pages can easily make images pop off the screen thanks to Apple's QuickDraw 3D. While Windows users do have a 3D alternative, Direct 3D, it lacks a standard interface, so you can't copy and paste 3D objects into 2D applications. And, because the Windows 3D alternative doesn't support a standard file format, there's no guarantee that the 3D graphic you create in one program will open in another 3D application. Fortunately for Windows users, Apple plans to create a Windows version of QuickDraw 3D. Reason 15. In 1995, Apple was granted 53 technology patents - more than any other computer company, according to Information Week. Reason 16. "The Mac is largely responsible for the multimedia revolution. Apple's early adoption of CD-ROM drives and the creation of programs like Director, Photoshop and CodeWarrior have made the Macintosh the multimedia platform of choice. Also, delivering product to the Macintosh audience is a joy because they don't have the system compatibility problems common to other platforms." - Bill Appleton, president of CyberFlix, creator of DreamFactory and SuperCard. Reason 17. You may need Word for Windows if you're creating stodgy reports for the boss, but if you plan on doing anything even remotely creative you'll want a Macintosh. The Mac became an industry standard for graphics early on thanks to the grand slam combination of PageMaker, PostScript and the LaserWriter. Now the Mac is such an integral part of the creative process that even the art departments of many PC-based organizations, such as PC Computing, PC Magazine and PC World use Macs exclusively. Reason 18. A true friend, the Mac can talk to you and recognize your voice through built-in PlainTalk and speech analysis. Wintel machines, however, remain speechless. Reason 19. Macs speak a variety of foreign languages - you can format a floppy as a PC disk from your Mac, read foreign files, write to foreign disks, etc. PCs are like arrogant Americans who assume that everyone else should learn their language. Reason 20. Wintel machines are easy prey to infection. More than 8,000 viruses exist for the PC, with 100 to 200 new bugs introduced each month, according to a spokesperson from McAffee, creators of anti-virus software - the Mac has succumbed to only 40 or 50 such deadly diseases in its history. Reason 21. Windows 95 supposedly supports Plug and Play - a user adds in a Plug-and-Play compatible board and Windows will automatically configure it. But, for a variety of reasons, this does not always work, meaning that the user then needs to reconfigure the board's drivers - the very task Plug-and-Play was supposed to prevent. Mac users, on the other hand, simply need to click on the Installer application that comes with a piece of hardware and they are up-and-running. Reason 22. Thanks to the overdesigned Windows 95 interface, it's hard to tell what's clickable and what's not. The interface elements that should be grabbing your attention, such as informative text and clickable buttons, fade into a swamp of flashy bevels and gratuitous grayscale decoration. Apple's restrained interface makes it much easier for Mac users to tell which parts of the screen they should be paying the most attention to. Reason 23. Many Windows applications require uninstall programs to remove an application and all of its associated (and frequently invisible) files completely and safely from your hard drive. On the Mac, just about the only programs that force you to use an uninstall utility are those from Microsoft. Reason 24. Type 11 errors are nothing compared to the bugs, incompatibilities and overall instability of Windows 95. While Mac upgrades are usually refinements based on old, reliable code, the Windows revamps result in a totally new product. Although Windows 95 runs better than Windows 3.1 overall, users are still suffering growing pains. Reason 25. Troubleshooting on a Mac often means popping in Casady & Greene's Conflict Catcher or Norton Disk Doctor and following doctor's orders. Troubleshooting on a Windows machine means you need to know your IRQ from your DMA and your CONFIG.SYS from your AUTOEXEC.BAT.
Nikki Echler is ashamed to admit that her first computer was a Leading Edge PC.
It was never used.
Why the Mac is better than a PC.
Reason 32 : installing System software is easier. I When you install Mac OS 8, it recognizes old preferences, even Finder preferences from System 7.6. Every time you reinstall Windows 95 - which some people do three to five times per week - you have to reinstall all your drivers and update all your system profiles. Reason 31 : The Mac has a real desktop. On a Mac, if you have multiple partitions or other mounted volumes, you can simply drag a file or folder from any of them and place it on the desktop. Under Windows 95, if you drag a file from a partition or other drive onto the desktop, Windows 95 actually copies the file to a folder on the boot drive. Thus, you can end up with multiple copies of an item - a potential version-tracking problem. Worse, if your boot volume is full, you can't drag anything to the desktop. Reason 30 : When you copy a folder in Windows 95, you get a progress bar, but it's for individual files, not the folder. In other words, you have no idea whether you're copying a total of 10K or 100MB, nor do you know how long the whole copy operation will take. Reason 29 : Software is easier to install. On a Mac, when you install software, you choose where it goes. Windows has no standard for installing software, however. Sometimes you can choose where to install software, but sometimes you can't. Try installing Netscape Communicator on a Windows 95 machine. The installer gives you no placement options and then makes the application harder to find than Waldo. Give up? It's in
C:/Program Files/Netscape/Communicator/Program/Netscape. Reason 28 : The Trash is easier to use. With a Mac, you can drag files and folders into the trash and they'll remain in their origional condition. With Windows 95's Recycle Bin, folders vanish (leaving only files), and items dragged in from floppy disks are erased, not just put into the bin. Reason 27 : AppleScript is a part of the System that really makes the Mac OS stand out when compared with other operating systems. Beacuse of the way other platforms are designed, companies are forced to make suites of programs in order to share data. Beacuse the Mac OS imposed a common design, Mac applications don't have this limitation. Just about any program can talk to other programs, if the programmer allows it to do so. Reason 26 : Although you can change batteries on a PC notebook computer while it's running, you can't swap out floppy drives, CD-ROM drives, or anything else in an expansion bay without turning off the whole dang thing first. With a PowerBook, you simply choose Sleep from the Special menu, and switch devices to yours heart's delight.
Sigh Mac, Why Mac, iMac, Try Mac
By
After a few hours of testing the iMac, Apple's new retro-looking, all-in-one Macintosh, you just might want to take another look at Apple. It's new machine's positioned for consumers, but ready for business.
Let's start with the negatives. Remember those school-lunch hamburgers? We used to call them hockey-puck burgers. The iMac mouse looks like a small version of those burgers. It's perfect for six-year-olds, but not for anyone else. At least it looks cool, but that won't stop the pain.
Like the original, the iMac is radical. No floppy drive, and no removable-writable storage at all. This will make it hard to upgrade from an older computer to the Imac, and it drives a stake right through the heart of the "sneaker Net."
Great connectivity counterbalances no floppy. Apple thoughtfully provided both a 56K modem and a 10/100 Ethernet port on the back. Apple expects the iMac to primarily run in a connected environment.
The Apple Desktop Bus is gone too, replaced by USB. Even the keyboard and mouse connect via USB too. That means all-new printers and other peripherals, but in a mixed Windows/Apple shop, that's one less area of incompatibility. Apple's written a number of generic USB drivers, so you can replace that hockey-puck mouse with other USB mice. You'll need special Macintosh drivers to use the right mouse button, though. And many USB devices will require Mac drivers to work.
Apple designed a beautiful and functional machine. It doesn't glow, but the translucent case looks great. The 15-inch monitor is crisp and clear, but tough to upgrade. The G3 processor seemed peppy in our tests, but we didn't benchmark the pre-release configuration, because it wasn't final.
The iMac is easy to set up and connect to the Internet. Like the original Macintosh, it's a mostly non-upgradable, all-in-one unit. It even has a handle.
At $1,300, the iMac should sell well. It makes a great first machine. Windows machines are available for less, but the Mac mystique, combined with a well-priced bundle of usability makes it ideal for kids, students, and other well-connected consumers.
Mac is MUCH better than PCs, Here is some proof:
Those ICKY Intel Inside(or whatever, Pentum, etc), commercials WERE MADE ON MACS!!
Also, 100% of Star Wars` Computer created/edited images(or film clips), WERE MADE ON MACS!!!
Not to mention Toy Story WAS MADE ON MAC!
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If you look closely at the computers running Juassic Park (in the first movie) you will see that they are Apples!!!! The keyboards and the towers both have apple emblems on them!
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Oh Yah, Did I Tell You That Microsoft software distribution (all apps & OSs) into worldwide multiple language markets on CD-ROMs is all created on Macs with Worldscript?
I could go On And on and on and on, but I won`t, because I don`t want to waste BANDWIDTH!
Got any Mac Success/Why Mac is better stories? E-Mail Them to me at:
, and I`ll probably post them here!
My E-Mail Address is
, Please alert me IMMEDIATELY if you find a Typo or other Error!!
Why Mac Is Better Than a PC?
For Macintosh, "ease of use" refers to more than a graphical user interface. It embodies the entire user experience: setting up the computer, expanding its capabilities, connecting to a network, even accessing the Internet, And since Apple makes both the Macintosh hardware and system software, all aspects of computing are as easy as possible.
Macintosh provides easy access to the Internet, through built-in TCP/IP protocols and a variety or software solutions.
Macintosh computers provide true plug-and-play capability, through tight integration of Macintosh hardware and software.
For over ten years, the Mac OS has provided transparent access to the most powerful desktop computing available - it has no file paths, short/long filename incompatibilities, or WIN.INI lurking under its surface.
On-line help is available through Apple Guide software (included with every Macintosh computer), which leads you through tasks step by step.
No other personal computer has such a complete range of built-in multimedia technologies and capabilities as Macintosh.
QuickTime software makes digital time based data a standard part of computing.
QuickTime VR brings virtual reality to your computer.
AV- capable Macintosh computers make analog video input and output easy.
QuickTime Conferencing software brings videoconferencing to your AV-capable Macintosh.
The GeoPort connector makes telephone, fax, and data communication from your Macintosh a snap.
QuickDraw 3D lets you bring 3D graphics capability into your work.
High-quality sound has been standard in the Macintosh since 1984.
MIDI support has made the Mac OS a creativity standard for the music industry.
Many Macintosh computers support the MPEG video standard for displaying full-screen video from CD-ROMs.
PlainTalk speech technology lets you speak commands to your Macintosh, and even have it read text files back to you.
QuickDraw GX software provides sophisticated type and graphics.
ColorSync software ensures that the color you see on your display is the same as the color of your final printed document.
Macintosh computers are compatible with computers running MS-DOS, Windows, UNIX, and other operating systems. And they easily fit into multiplatform networks.
PC Compatibility Cards let you run thousands of MS-DOS and Windows applications on your Power Macintosh - without sacrificing speed.
Emulation software such as SoftWindows from Insignia Solutions lets you run applications for MS-DOS and Windows.
Many applications are available for both the Mac OS and Windows.
Macintosh computers can easily read from and write to MS-DOS and Windows disks.
The Mac OS has built-in TCP/IP protocols so you can easily connect to the Internet.
Macintosh computers connect easily to almost any computer network, through built-in LocalTalk or Ethernet ports.
Many Macintosh computers have industry-standard PCI expansion slots.
The PowerPC processor used in Macintosh computers is built on RISC technology, the same leading technology used in high-end workstations, This puts your Macintosh a step ahead of other personal computers in terms of performance and capabilities:
Developed by Apple, IBM, and Motorola, the PowerPC chip delivers exceptional performance to Macintosh computers in businesses, homes, and education particularly when running demanding graphics-intensive applications in publishing and multimedia.
Powerful hardware features are standard in Macintosh computers - a SCSI port, networking ports, sound input/output capabilities, an ADB port for connecting external input devices, and GeoPort connectors and AV capabilities on some Macintosh computers.
Thousands of powerful 32-bit applications are available for Macintosh - most of which have been optimized for the PowerPC processor.
AppleScript software extends the power of Macintosh as the first truly integrated language for a personal computer.
WorldScript software, standard with the Mac OS, lets you work with multiple languages and character sets.
Copyright® 1997
Why Macintosh?
At this point in time, Accordance is a Mac-only product. This is not because we want to deprive all the Windows users out there of the most powerful Bible software on the market. On the contrary, we want Accordance to have the widest possible circulation.
Unfortunately, in today's computer industry, wide circulation comes at a high price. That price is the price of quality. OakTree Software Specialists is committed to producing software of the highest quality, software which offers unparalleled power and ease of use. At this time, we believe that software of this caliber is only possible on the Macintosh platform. Consequently, rather than limiting the features of our software so that it will run under Windows, we are looking for other ways to bring the benefits of Accordance to PC users.
Naturally, the best way for PC users to get access to Accordance is (dare we say it?) to switch to the Mac. With Macintosh and Macintosh clone prices at an all time low, there has never been a better time to switch. Furthermore, PC users can now have their cake and eat it too with a wide variety of Windows compatibility options, from software emulation to DOS-on-Mac expansion cards. If you're currently in the market to purchase a new computer, you should seriously consider the Macintosh advantage. You can get more information on the Mac at these sites:
Even if making the switch is not feasible for you right now, there may soon be other options for running Accordance on Intel-standard PCs. The first is Executor, a Macintosh emulator for the PC which is scheduled for release for Windows this summer. For more details check out the ARDI website.
The second option is Rhapsody, Apple's next-generation operating system which promises to run on Intel-standard PCs. This would require porting Accordance to Rhapsody which will have to wait until the release of Rhapsody.
Macintosh vs. IBM-PC
The battle between Macintosh computer and an IBM-PC is an old one. What is surprising to us is the hesitation expressed by the physicians in using the Macintosh. We work with both platforms, and we like both platforms. Each has its strong points and weak points.
What the consumer often does not understand is that the Macintosh's strong points are all in the consumer's favor, whereas the IBM-PC's strong points are in favor of the computer consultants, the software developers, and the dealers. Obviously, this statement needs further elaboration.
Stated in simple terms, the Macintosh platform is so hassle-free to setup and to network, that most consumers take care of it all by themselves. This shortchanges the consultants in a big way - if you don't need our help, we don't make any money. To connect two Macintosh computers, you buy a length of telephone wire (that's right - telephone wire), and two little thingies. Plug a thingy in the back of each computer, and connect the two with the telephone wire. You are done. Turn on the Macs, and you have networking.
If you want networking with the PC, you will need an NIC in each computer (that's right - inside the computer) Buy an NIC for each computer (You have a choice there, do you know which one you want?) Open the computer case, you don't need to wash your hands but you sure need to be static-free or zap goes the mother-board. Find a PCI slot, plug in the NIC card, close the case, but keep the screwdriver handy (you are going to need it again - promise). Connect the cables to the card connectors, the other end goes into the hub (what's the hub!!). Turn on the computers. You are not done yet - you have to install the drivers. Well, you get the picture. Unless you are a computer type person, you will call one of us, I assure you. If you are working with Windows NT, it will be cheaper to put one of us on your payroll. Did you know that getting certification in Windows NT is as difficult now as getting certified as an oncologist. (We heard this from an oncologist)
Physicians often think that because insurance companies use PCs (really! do they?), therefore they will pay more if the doctor uses a PC. No they won't.
If you want to have a computer system that takes care of your billing, insurance, accounts receivable control, reports, appointments, in other word, the bread and butter issues, you should look at our Macintosh products. They have been around for 12 years, and have served our customers well. If you would like to have a PC, we will soon have something to service your needs on that platform also.
My Anti-Windows Page
Just say NO to Windows 98. You can do it, Macintosh can help.
All Copyrights below.
Sounds that are must haves. Download these today! They are in Stuffit (.sit) format and are more MacUsers only. Bill Gates Song(1.2MB) Windows 95 Movie(286K)
These are located along with many others at Link 7 below.
Welcome fellow Mac users and opposers of Windows. We all Think Different don't we? Poor little Billy boy should be forced into either taking IE off Win98 or adding Netscape to it. It's fair the public should be allowed to choose. Apple put both in MacOS 8. Why is Microsoft so--stubborn? GOD! But as any good person would, Windows does have its advantages. So i'll list the reasons why I like Windows before you read the bad. Take a moment though to visit some of these link sites of other Microsoft haters.
Links As far as I know these sites still exist. Link 1-David's anti-Microsoft page Link 2-The National Society of Microsoft Haters. Link 3-A bunch of jokes made by a Anti-Windows person. Some are funny. Link 4-another Geocities person from Denmark who loves Macs, but hates Windows. With many other links of Microsoft opposers. Link 5-A clever page of a person who titles it "Microsuck®". Clever. Link 6-MicroTrash. I'm to advise the language content on this page, but it's a really funny anyway. With all sorts of great links. Link 7- A very good page on the subject. With downloads and everything.
If you would like to see even more pages of many, many others who oppose Windows®, Microsoft®, etc. Go to Infoseek and search under the keyword Microsoft Hate. Why I like Windows® first of all
Windows has that easy pop menu you get by clicking the second mouse button to do whatever. Like moving files to the recycling bin easier, but even that feature has been added into MacOS 8.
As we all know Windows has it all. More games, programs, shareware software that you get mailed from places like AOL, more demos of stuff you can download off the Internet. I at times wish I had Windows for those reasons.
More of the Windows stuff that comes with Windows 95 has bunches of things that I surely could use in making this site better. Instead I have to buy it, download it, or wait for it to be compatible with Macintosh. Mac's don't come with all those neat little things, but it's the little things that makes all computers great and/or stupid.
Those are my reasons for liking Windows now coming up is everything else...
Top 12 Reasons Why I Hate Windows® 3.1, 95, NT, 98, etc.
12.Windows 98 is nothing. I've seen it. Nothing's changed, eveything looks the exact same. Microsoft just wants you to buy a very, very "slightly" altered version of 95 for $90.(also includes that stupid annoyance of the Internet Explorer 4.0.1, and minor bug fixes) It should have been labeled free under the name Windows 95.1. Read the articles from MSNBC. Did you know that...MacOS 8 costed only $60-70 on arrival. The only major difference in 98 is that the stupid START menu bar can now appear at all sides of your computer screen by moving the mouse there. How much closer will Microsoft try to get to Macintosh omnipitence. So I ask "How do you want to get ripped off today?" 98 is not worth it.
11. Dave Barry, a famous news columnist like Ann Landers, says that he too is a Windows user who recently upgraded to Windows 98. His major annoyance is that on the 98 desktop there's this little world shaped icon to connect you to the Internet or MSN. Each time he clicks on this icon to connect he gets this message to try the MSN. He can't get rid of it, he can't trash it, or alter it so that it doesn't appear. I could probably think that some hacker could dig his way into the mainframe of 98 and make it so. But hey, the point is Microsoft wants to get richer by puting these stupid things on its OS. Take a moment to visit opinions of Win98 users who work as columnists for MSNBC, which is apart of Microsoft. Win98: End of the line. What I hate most about Win98-This article recommended.
10. Windows.... just sucks, because I use a Mac. There I said it, was that so bad?
9. Windows is an almost exact duplicate of MacOS except the minor details. I say Microsoft copied off Apple's innovation of having a GUI (graphic user interface). With having things like a moving mouse arrow, windows that spring forth from icons, etc.
I liked this picture below to the right. If you're wondering what Next is..it's program created by Apple Chairman/CEO Steve Jobs. Click here to visit this creator's site.
8. As I said before above. Microsoft is too damn greedy and selfish, (yes, for those of you Windows users say that Billy bought about $150 million in stock of Apple, but that's not the issue). MacOS thought that it's fair for people to choose their web browser. That's the only reason Microsoft's IE is so popular. Because they force it onto their OS. Why can't Billy agree to just put a copy of Netscape on it, to save his company, but no, and I must say nobody beats the gov't.
7. Oh sure, you Windows users who have had expierence w/ using MacOS always complain about how you think the major problem is "error type 11". You people make it sound like it's the end of the world or something. Over the years, throughout the upgrade in Mac operating systems, error type 11 is rarely being seen. It's merely a memory, but yes it still exists, though MacOS 8 has had those major improvements in the process of elimating it's error type 11 problems.
6. Just because Windows is the most popular OS is why most like it. It's a popularity contest. Think... if MAC's sold more and had bunches of stuff on the market, i think that most of you would have a mac in your home right now. Think about it. And you think i'm prejudice. At least Mac's are PC compatible. I have some friends who wish they're PC's were Mac compatible for some things they get that really seem great and cool. Windows doesn't accept Mac formatted 3.5" disks at all, but Mac's willingly accept PC disks, only exception is that you might have to have the same stuff on your Mac to open PC saved files, but still...PC stuff is accepted willingly. Win98 should be made Mac compatible. Who agrees?
5. What's with the "Recycling Bin" and "My Computer" huh? God that is so gay...(ha, ha). Just because Windows thinks its better doesn't mean it has to civilize itself. Windows had to think of something stupid enough to venture very far from the "Trash" and "HD" of Mac systems. It's the same with numerous other icons, like "My Briefcase" is the same as "Documents" on a Mac.
4. Those buttons at the bottom on Windows. When you open an application down by the START menu you have these buttons to let you click in and out of apps. But let's say just for instance I want to open more then 10 apps. those buttons begin to get smaller and smaller. Don't get me wrong, you're probably saying..."Well, who'd want to open more than 10 apps at a time?" You'd be surprised. In comparision, MacOS has a nice convinent menu bar at the top right corner that could probably hold 50+ (if you ever needed it) just by clicking and scrolling down.
3. Microsoft is a Monopoly.(not the game) It takes over everything and many small businesses that work within the computer field helplessly crushing its competition. Many think its wrong to do that, and no business should have the power of that control. It's a man-eating industry. But as alot of us say, in reference to a Biblical story of David & Goliath..."The bigger they are the harder they shall fall." Give it some time and they will fall.
2. Mac is making a comeback. There was an article in Macworld (I wish i remembered the link), telling us that more games developers and programmers of major companies are turning back to Macintosh becuase of its easy-to-use operation, superior "graphics" capabilities, and its faster intoductions of newer and better technologies that will improve performance. And the fact that most of these companies think that in the long run Macintosh will come out ahead. ("yeah, right" most of you are saying) Well, its more likely. The people who thought Apple failed and turned to Windows are coming back faster than ever. I'm really going to put emphasis on Graphics. They just look better and more resolution. Most of those games you play were probably designed on Macs, but transfered to Windows in order to market. Ex. Adobe Pagemaker, Illustrator, Photoshop; Freehand, QuarkXPRESS, etc. all those major programs are better on Mac, even Microsoft Office 98 came out on Macintosh first, before on Windows. Which is the reason why on TV you see more Mac GUI's then Windows simply because companies think they look more better and graphic in their advertising. My thoughts exactly.
Macintoshes come fully equipped whereas PC need extra cards to perform operations as simple as sound and display
If a Macintosh has any problem a certified Macintosh repair man will come out and fix it or Apple will have it shipped to them free of charge and fix the problem
Children's software has been designed specifically for the Macintosh system and still remains the choice operating system in schools. Looks like the next generation will be using Macintosh
Macintosh's simple and esthetically pleasing e_exterior hides processing power that is a mainstay both in front of and behind the Hollywood camera. Read an article on a PC and chances are the companion pictures will be of a Macintosh. Go figure?
The cost of a Macintosh is equivalent to or lower than that of an equivalent PC when all the hidden PC add-on equipment costs are added up
Macintosh has superior graphics and visual output which make it the choice platform graphic artists
The Macintosh has a strong immune system and is only susceptible to about 250 viruses while the PC world has thousands
A child can sit down and use a Mac for the first time while a PC owner is slave to a "computer nerd" to get things running. Just look at the instructions for inserting a CD sometime
Since Apple has a smaller market share it is forced to come out with innovations to stay competitive including the Macintosh Newton and its new NeXT operating system
The earliest generation of Macintoshes including the Mac Classic are still compatible with the most powerful Macintoshes....what happened to those things they called 286s,386s, and 486s. Where'd they all go and hide?
Setting up a network is literally as simple as plugging in the back of one Macintosh to another....try that with a PC
PCs have more software, now....when Macintosh introduces its' operating system nick-named Rhapsody the table will be turned.k... Not only will Macintoshes be able to run Mac software, they'll be able to run PCs!
Macintosh is a leader...does windows 95 seem a little familiar to you? Who do you think Bill Gates copied?....and its a bad copy at that. -Win 95
Need some help.....Call 1-800-SOS-APPL. And they say its "too easy" ha!
Don't talk to me about speed. The fastest computer on the market is a Macintosh with its blazing 535mhz innovative stacked processors... I'll see ya later PC man!
PC spies trying to trick you into thinking Apple is going belly up? Well Apple just licensed its operating system and is on track to a successful future.
Enjoy those "stunning" PC game graphics. They were made on a Macintosh
Connecting the necessary peripherals (ie. scanner, printer, CD ROM) to your Macintosh. Just Hook'em up to the SCSI chain or port and restart your computer. On a PC you'll have to add to your card collection and I'm not talking greeting cards. Looks like your becoming quite the card collector.
Enjoy the web? 65% of the pages were made by the 7% market share Macintosh. Now that's proportional!
Remember that Intel Pentium Processor error that came up a while back. Once again a PC problem. Macintosh tests all their products before shipping them to the public.
Macintoshes come shipped with a set of standard applications like Claris works....to get you up and running right away while you'll be lucky to get your copy of Minesweeper up running on DOS - "disk operated system"
And if your still not convinced, there's gonna be a big New Years party when the year 2000 comes around....but PC users aren't going to be able to make it...they'll be to busy crying over their computer when its internal clock stops. Every Macintosh will still be pumping for 40 years into the future....and they'll still be compatible!
Why I prefer Macintosh Computer?
The answer is really simple, because it is a superior computer with a superior operation system.
Hardware: Rotation Per Minute is not equals to Horse Power
The heart of every Macintosh, PPC cpu outperforms the Pentium Processor family as much as twice faster. The recent benchmark test, a Generation 3 PPC running at 266 Mhz is twice faster than Pentium II cpu running at 333 Mhz. Many people mistaken that Mhz equals speed of a computer system. It is absolutely wrong. Mhz is a measurement of cpu's clock cycle, in terms of car terminology, it is like rpm. The speed of a computer is measured by an utility called benchmark. It is like car engine's horse power. A Honda Civic Engine can run at 3333 rpm but it is still going to be less powerful than a Dodger Viper Engine only run at 2666 rpm. PPC cpu has more horse power than Pentium cpu, thanks to its RISC (Reduced Instruction Computing) design. Since the parents of the the PPC architecture design IBM and Motorola has discovered how to use copper process making cpu, 1 GHZ PPC cpu is in the horizon of year 1999. Operation System: True Plug and Play, User Friendly Interface
MacOS is fully 32 bit operation system. It is one and the only OS has true plug and play feature. The idea that Microsoft trademarked a technology called "Plug-and-Play" is utterly laughable. Microsoft doesn't control the hardware manufacturers that create the plug-and-play problems. Microsoft's idea of plug-and-play is to limit your options from the start. Microsoft determines which plugs can be used for which software. The main problem that arises, is that many software companies don't agree with Microsoft's "impression" of the best port. Macintosh computers conquer this problem by including a SCSI ports in all their models. Adding and removing devices is a split-second task for a Macintosh user. If you're a Windows user, this means no installing drivers just to access devices.
MacOS' interface is graceful and elegant. The way Apple arrange Desktop icons shows their understanding of human minds. MacOS' My Computer icon is placed at the right hand side of the desktop, on the other hand, Microsoft Window system's My Computer icon is placed at the left hand side. If mouse cursor symbolize our hand and finger in the computer, the most natural position would be and the right hand side because majority of the population is right-handed. So if you are a window user, you have stretched your arm many times a day in your mind in order to reach the My Computer icon. In addition, Microsoft Start menu just don't make any sense. When you click Start menu, the word you see above start menu icon is.... shutdown. The graphical interface of Microsoft system shows their poor understanding of human minds. Computer is a tool, it is ridiculous for a man have to adjust his mind frame just for a "tool".
MacOS' file system and name makes more sense and uninstall is never a problem for MacOS. In every window system, *.DLL spread all over in every parts of your computer and their file name is impossible for an advance user to figure out what is the function of that file. DLL stand for Dynamic Library Link, it is an essential component of an OS, it is a library stores all the necessary commands and function of for your application to perform a certain task. Since it is so essential, the smart MS window system should put them in a secure place and an understandable name for the user, however, MS didn't. Instead, they let all the DLL scatter every where. So if one of critical/shared DLL was accidentally deleted during the uninstall process, your applications becomes unstable to run, and your window 95/NT start to give you alert message of the famous "illegal operation". What is the best way of avoid the above scenario from happening? Well, one of my friend says, "Well duh~! This is very easy, just don't uninstall any application." Oh Come on, this is YOUR computer, you should have the right to uninstall ANYTHING and it is impossible not to uninstall any application. Apple's brilliant engineers foresee this problem when they wrote MacOS, they called all the DLLs to be extension and place all the extension in a folder called extension folder. Sounds logic isn't it. They names those extensions with a name understandable by normal human beings not some mos code. and most of Mac User have an idea of the function of each extension in their computer, thanks to the colorful and descriptive icon. Software: Quantity is not equals to Quality
Many PC users also critize that Mac has no softwares, obviously it is a lie. According MicroSoft's website, there are only about 1,800 true 32 bit application for Window 95, 16-bit applications are execluded as they are much inferior softwares and all the 16-bit application cannot take the advantage of Window 95 like Protected Memory etc. Moreover, in those 1,800 applications, very few of them can take the advantage of MMX or AGP. On the other hand, according to Apple's website, there are 2,400 ppc native applications, 080 code applications are excluded because they are slow running on Mac with PPC. This is very interesting, actually Mac has more softwares than Window 95! People's stereo type that Mac has no softwares is based on false believes and biase. Mac can do everything Window 95 can do, and Mac can even do it better, that why majority of Graphic Artist favor Mac over PC. Remember, how many word processors do you need? Quantity is not equals to Quality Some of the main differences between Mac OS and Windows OS users
It has been our experience that Mac OS users are people who are more interested in using computers to better their lives. They don't want to be bothered with printing problems, or backing up their hard drives. They want to be able to add and subtract things from their computer without encountering difficulties. Another common trait, is that Mac OS users like for their computers to pay for themselves. They might play a game from time to time, but Mac Users are more into creating solutions than using it as a pure source of entertainment. This is why you'll find that more artists and writers use Mac OS computers than any other computer in the world.
PC users on the other hand are typically wonderful gadget people. They like the complexity of installing software and getting under the hood. They like grease and challenges. They're not so concerned with creating solutions, but solving computer problems. This is a very rewarding lifestyle for some, but as computers are starting to become an interwoven concept in the world, it is probably healthier to demand that the computer fade into the woodwork instead of being a challenge itself. How many times have you had to listen to your PC friend talk about repairing their PC?
Currently I own a Dell Dimension XPS D300 and a Macintosh Performa 6320. I have a painful experience experience with my pc and window 95. I don't remember how many times I reinstalled my Window95, and I know I am not alone who have this kind of problem.
The Question.... Why Macintosh?
The Answers.... True Top Ten 10. Macs are easier to use. The iMac for example 9. Macs have true "Plug n' Play", PCs don't 8. Macs are more reliable 7. Macs are not plagued by DOS suffixes 6. The Mac OS isn't a copy of a better OS 5. Macs use RISC processors, while PCs use CISC processors. RISC processors are inherently faster because they use a reduced instruction set 4. Macs are faster, G3, need I say more 3. Macs have better graphics. The new ATI Rage 128-bit 2D/3D card comes standand in every new PowerMac 2. Networking Macs is a cinch, just plug in and turn on sharing 1. One word "OS8.5"
Links will be added to prove points
Joke Top Ten
10. Macs don't need TURBO buttons to be fast 9. c prompt....need I say more? 8. Windows95: Bugs included 7. Introducing the Pentium II, its big, it's hot...literally! 6. Real engineers don't play funky music 5. Pentium: 1+4=4 4. One mouse button isn't confusing enough 3. TURBO button turns on Pentium II cooling fan 2. PCs have activity lights so you know when the system crashes 1. PCs just don't know how to smile
Have any good top ten lists? E-mail them to me and I will post them
Why Macintosh? by
In orderr to do my part to combat the reality that vastly inferior technology dominates the market place I created this page as a place for information as to why Macintosh is still the best personal computer platform.
Apple Leads the Way
Indeed, it would not be an exaggeration to describe the history of the computer industry for the past decade as a massive effort to keep up with Apple. Byte - December 1994
1984 - graphical user interface; undo, cut, copy and paste; bit mapped graphics; 3.5 inch floppy disk; long file names; mouse; auto-eject floppy disk; pull down menus; trash can
1985 - Postscript based laser printing; built in plug and play networking
1986 - plug and play SCSI, KanjiTalk
1987 - plug and play bus expansion; plug and play Ethernet; multitasking; HyperCard visual programming
1988 - plug and play CD-ROM; SuperDrive; EtherTalk
1989 - photorealistic images with 32 bit imaging model
1990 - sound input, built in Ethernet.
1991 - System 7; TrueType; built in file sharing; aliases; QuickTime; remote network access
1992 - Global text support; color matching; built-in CD-ROMs; QuickTime for Windows; AppleSript
1993 - speech recognition; speech synthesis; integrated telephony; 1st PC with built in TV; Newton
1994 - RISC (PowerMacintosh); MacOS on Unix; System 7.5; AppleGuide; Macintosh PC Exchange; Macintosh Easy Open; DOS and Windows compatibility cards; DOS and Windows emulation; Thread Manager; Quickdraw GX; QuickTime 2.0; integrated 32 bit TCP/IP support; PowerBook control strip
1995 - QuickTime VR; QuickTime conferencing; OpenDoc; QuickDraw 3D
1997 - MacOS 8, PowerMac G3
1998 - Rhapsody
Things Created With Macintosh
The Windows95 logo.
Windows95 packaging.
Intel's "flying Pentium" ad.
The design of Bill Gate's new high tech home.
PC Magazine.
PC Word Magazine.
Windows Magazine.
Windows Sources Magazine.
The weekly Microsoft internal newsletter MicroNews.
Competitive Advantage
The 1996 World Champion Chicago Bulls use Macintosh computers to gain a competitive edge.
Myth vs Reality
Myth: There isn't a lot of software for the Macintosh.
Reality #1: There are thousands of software titles for the Macintosh. 82% of all Macintosh software is purchased via mail order. Call MacWarehouse (800/255-6227), MacMall (800/222-2802), or MacZone (800/248-0800) and ask for a catalog. Overnight shipping is typically $3/order and the prices are significantly lower than retail.
Reality #2: There are over 2 gigabytes of freeware and shareware available on the Info-Mac archives on the internet.
Books for Windows
These are actual titles of books I have seen for Windows. I've never seen any thing like these books for Macintosh. I think this is a good indication that Windows's 95 still has a long way to go to catch up to the Macintosh.
Surviving Day 1 with Windows 95 by Rebecca Bridges Altman; Publisher: QUE; ISBN: 0-7897-0581-8; 91 pages.
Windows 95 is Driving Me Crazy
Windows 95 Simplified
More Windows 95 SimplifiedApparently 1 book was not enough.
More to be added (such as whole books just on how to uninstall software) when I can confirm the actual title and associated information.
EvangeList
Do you believe in Macintosh? Learn how to help the cause by subscribing to the EvangeList listserver! Send email to:
or go to: www.solutions.apple.com/ListAdmin/.
Why Macintosh?
Overview
The College of Wooster has selected Macintosh as its primary academic computing environment. In a world where IBM compatible computers running DOS and Windows dominate, and during a time when Apple has been in financial trouble, this is a position that is easy to attack. We don't intend to be closed-minded: we recognize market realities, and in response to this ACS is beginning to offer minimal support for IBM compatibles for students and faculty. However, we believe that the College is well served by its preference for Macintosh for academic computing, for several reasons:
Computing in the background
Macintosh has long been recognized as the easiest to use computer system. While Windows 95 makes PCs "more Mac-like," the Mac still has the edge. This means that our students can quickly learn the computer skills they need to write papers, exchange email, search the library catalog-to use the computer as a tool, much like a pen and a notebook. Just as we don't teach our students how to use a pen, we need to do very little to teach students how to use a Mac. In this way, the computer fades into the background, becoming just another tool (albeit a very powerful one) that our students use to study what they came here for, rather than becoming a subject for study in-and-of itself.
Ease of networking
The Mac's ease of use compared to IBM compatibles may be open to debate; the Mac's comparative ease of networking is not. According to surveys of the Consortium of Liberal Arts Colleges, a group of 50 national liberal arts colleges, the average time to connect a student Macintosh to a campus network is 10 minutes; the average time to connect a student's IBM compatible is 45 minutes, with some installations taking more than 10 hours. In an academic environment, networking is crucial: printing, email, library catalog access, Internet access all assume a connection to the campus network. Preferring Macs makes campus networking easier.
Apple's support for education
Apple has long been recognized as a leader in supporting education. The College benefits from this through our resale program, which allows us to sell computers to students, faculty, and staff (and to the College itself) at discounted prices. No vendor of IBM compatibles has a resale program that comes close to Apple's.
Single versus dual platforms
Regardless of which platform is chosen, there is also a significant issue regarding whether the College supports a single platform or multiple platforms. ACS is trying to offer a full range of computing and network services to college faculty and students with a very lean staff. One of the reasons we can do so much with so few is that we can focus all of our support-training, documentation, consulting, network services, software, etc.-on one platform. To begin to offer full support for a second platform would require that we add staff or reduce services.
Having dual platforms would also hinder collaborative work among students and between students and faculty, as file translation and incompatibility problems would increase.
The future
The computer world changes at an incredible pace, and it is anyone's guess as to what the future will bring. Some trends are emerging, however.
It is getting easier to work across the dual platforms of Macintosh and Windows: hybrid systems exist which allow you to run software for either system, and most major applications have virtually identical versions for both platforms which have identical file formats. Some predict that in the future the operating system will cease to matter, although I don't see that coming for several years.
Apple also appears to be on the rebound: They have had two profitable quarters after a year of losses; their new G3 based systems are selling well; and interim CEO Steve Jobs has announced a bold operating system strategy and an exciting new home and education oriented computer, the iMac. Wall Street seems to have regained confidence, as Apple's stock has more doubled in value.
We will continue to re-visit this position and adjust to changes in the market and to needs on campus. However, for the near future, I believe that Macintosh is still the best choice as the preferred platform at The College of Wooster.
Philip Harriman
Director of Academic Computing
June 15, 1998
Why Macintosh?
It's a valid question. Many people who use macs to create web pages would never think of using a mac as a web server. UNIX and NT are often the only platforms considered. There seems to be some prevailing sentiment in the computer industry that macs are too slow or not powerful enough to serve content on the web. Not only is this wrong, but there are several advantages to using an all mac environment to create and serve web content. Here are just a few examples:
Ease of Administration Setting up a mac web server can often be as easy as double clicking an icon. Not only are macs easy to set up, but they are also easy to administer.
Reliability Contrary to popular belief, a mac web server can run for months or years without crashing. All it takes is some forthought when building and configuring the server... just like any platform.
Cost of Ownership In genereal, macs cost less to puarchase and maintian over the long haul than NT or UNIX systems.'
Third Party Support This is one area where the mac really shines. Third party support for the mac as a server is just plain fantastic. A wide variety of developers continually create best of class web solutions for the mac platform. You will find many of these companies listed on this site.
Security The mac's reputatation as a secure serving platform is well documented. While no system is foolproof, a properly configured mac web server is very secure.'
Community Support The mac webmaster community is one of the most supportive anywhere on the net. Several newsgroups and mailing lists offer friendly support for new and experienced webmasters alike.
'
Why Mac???
As we all know, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. This goes for computers as well as the fruit that America's favorite pies are based upon. Macintosh computers are faster, easier to use, cheaper, more intuitive, and recognized by the computer world at large to be better computers. Let's go down this list quickly.
1) Faster- The fastest Pentium that you can buy now is a 200 Mhz Pentium Pro. If you go Mac however, you can buy a screaming SHIPPING 240 MHz machine (soon to be 300MHz), at close to the same price as the above Pentium. Independent studies have shown that a 66 MHz Power Mac is as fast as a 100 MHz Pentium. What does that say about the Power Macs -that have a LARGER Mhz rating??? The reason for this is... If you compare a 60 MHz 486 to a 60 Mhz Pentium, the Pentium will be a lot faster, due to raw processing power. The same comparison can be made with Macs and PCs. In fact, the November BYTE (A PC Mag) the following scores were given to the various processors below (Note the higher scores for the PowerPC's, regardless of the same MHz).
2) Easier to use/ More intuitive- Do I really need to make an argument here? Us Mac users have had TRUE plug and play from the beginning, while even Windows '95 users STILL struggle with "Plug and Pray", and problems like Windows not recognizing 3 quarters of a brand new Gig hard drive etc., among a myriad of other problems.
3) Cheaper- If you think that the slightly higher price, much better quality strategy of Apple won't work for you, go ahead and buy from an Apple Clone maker, like (my personal favorite) Power Computing. You can order, by mail, systems that are completely customizable, extremely inexpensive, and extremely fast. Not only are they cheaper in their base configuration, but you don't have to buy Sound Blasters ($200-300) and many other extras to bring them up to Multimedia par, as Macintoshes come standard with CD-quality sound boards and other such quality components, and have since 1984. Something to put Apple's recent losses in consideration- Apple has over One Billion dollars in the bank, so the loss was hardly felt. Secondly, Mercedez-Benz took a FOUR BILLION DOLLAR loss this quarter. Perhaps you don't want to own a Mercedes because they are going out of business? As well, just a few years ago, IBM took the largest loss any company has ever taken in one quarter. EVER. Do you see IBMs around anymore?
4) Do real people/companies use Macs? Yes. Fed Ex uses Macs virtually exclusively to track the millions of packages that it ships every day. CNN uses Macs for it's news gathering. Rush Limbaugh uses a Mac. Wesley Snipes uses Macs. Jerry Garcia used Macs. Smithsonian uses Macs. Seymour Cray, founder of the Cray super computer, uses a Mac. The National Geographic Society uses Macs to publish all four of its magazines, jobs that need really powerful computers (ie. Scientists, Musicians editing 16 simultaneous channels of music, Graphics (Jurassic Park and Myst were done on Macs) etc.) all use Macs.
Are Macs on the cutting edge? Yes. Power Macs use RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing) processors, while Pentiums are still relying on the outdated CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computing) chips. The Pentium Pro (P6) is about as fast as Intel will be able to make chips with the CISC technology which is nearing its end, while desktop Macs will be running at 500 MHz by the second quarter of '97, thanks to a company called Exponential Technologies.
But what about that famous lack of applications? Well, try naming a good word processor. Or spreadsheet. Or database. Or utility. Or drawing program. Yep, Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, Excel, Filemaker Pro, Norton Utilities, and Corel Draw are all on the Macintosh. How many word processors do you need? Well, there is one area of software where the IBM beats Macs in quantity. Games. You can blow up more buildings, shoot more bad guys, and be Michael Jordan more on the IBM than you can on the Mac. In other words, you can do more of what you bought that $100 Nintendo for on your $2000 IBM than you can on the Mac. Quality is a different story though. Many of the leading games for IBM have their graphics redrawn to be larger, faster, and of higher quality for the Mac. Hence the small delay in release times between Mac and PC versions. Basically, you PC users are the beta testers for us Mac users, sifting off the chaff so that we get only the good stuff. Also, we don't have our hard-earned money on programs that un-install programs that spread their components all over the machine. :-)
At Comdex (the worlds largest computer fair, held in Nevada last year- mostly a PC fair), guess which operating system won BEST NEW OPERATING SYSTEM OF 1995. Windows 95? Nope. It was the Newton OS 2.0 for Apple's Message Pad 120 (a handheld Personal Digital Assistant). What does that say for windoze, which came out three years later than promised, and still wasn't good enough to beat a sidebar of Apple? One of the few GOOD features of Windoze 95 was that it finally took care of the 640 k DOS barrier that you all DOS users have had to live with since day one. Even the first Macs haven't had this problem. Something that Macs HAVE had is true Plug and Play. A new hard drive, scanner, or printer can be set up by a 10 year old in literally 5 minutes. Windows' Plug and Pray often still involves the config.sys and autoexec.bat files, as it doesn't recognize that the computer has something attached, even with the right drivers etc.
While Windows '95 was building up massive inventories in the stores, due to selling 11 million copies less than expected, Apple (and Mac clone makers) are having trouble making machines fast enough to sell them. When was the last time Dell had this problem?
With a Mac, you can buy a card or emulation software that allows you to run all flavors of Windows, PC programs, as well as Unix. Can you do the converse on your PC? By the way, what was Windows '95s big selling point? "More like a Mac." When was the last time you heard something described as "More like Windows" in a good sense, unless it is being compared with DOS? Win '95s other big selling point was it's ability to Multi-task. Well, on my current Mac, I a RIGHT NOW using my modem, printing, scanning for viruses, writing to you, running Norton Utilities, and duplicating a large number of files. All at the same time. Can you do that on your 3.1 machine?
Oh yeah.
Macintosh Going down the drain? Plot these sales records:
1984 - 300k Units
1985 - 200k Units
1986 - 300k Units
1987 - 560k Units
1988 - 890k Units
1989 - 1.12 Million Units
1990 - 1.28 Million Units
1991 - 2.09 Million Units
1992 - 2.50 Million Units
1993 - 3.31 Million Units
1994 - 3.85 Million Units
1995 - 4.50 Million Units
On a different note, PC magazine recently had an article comparing the different 32 bit OS's. Even though PC Magazine is an exclusively IBM mag, Apple got first place in EVERY SINGLE CATEGORY. In a different article, there was a list of what percentage of computers were DOA (Dead On Arrival) as in did they work right out of the box. According to the article, 26.8% of Packard Bells were DOA, while only .4% of Macs were. Which would you rather buy? I think that I will finish up here with a quote from BYTE magazine, another PC mag.
"Indeed, it would not be an exaggeration to describe the history of the computer industry for the past decade as a massive effort to keep up with Apple."
-BYTE, December 1994
Why Macintosh?
Hey You! Corporate Information Decision Maker! How would you like to be a hero in your company? How would you like to be responsible for making your company more profitable and your computer users (read: customers) more productive? How would you like to cut your staff while at the same time improve service? All of this can be measured so you will get the credit. I promise. Just read this article, and you will learn a simple proven method for achieving all of the above.
You say that it can't be done? You've tried everything, right? You increased the number of people answering your Help Desk phones. You hired more techs. You already subscribe to TechNet. You even went out and bought that expensive dispatch tracking system and knowledgebase that all your techs complained about. Then you bought the other one when the first one didn't work. Of course, you only hire MCSEs and CNAs, but for some darn reason, they never seem to be able to solve your end user's problems on the first visit.
But there is one last thing that you still haven't tried. You probably even know what it is. You've heard all about this miracle cure already. You've read the studies and your kid even tried to show you on her computer at school. But something has held you back. Something just won't let you do what you know is right: Fear. The fear of appearing uninformed pervades our industry, but is seldom talked about.
Most MIS professionals seem to believe that omnipotence is a job requirement for working with computers. From techs to CIOs, everyone runs around constantly pretending that they know things that they don't. This means that decisions--decisions that can involve millions of dollars--are often based on the small amount of information people have already acquired through direct experience--or worse, on what everyone else seems to be doing.
Let me give you a real world example: An un-named consulting practice supplies both Mac and PC Support Technicians to an un-named Fortune 500 client that currently has about 1000 Macs and 3500 PCs. The 1000 Macs are cared for by four Support Technicians. That's 250 computers per Tech. Those four techs are like Maytag repairmen. They often find themselves bored stiff. Their internal customers? Happy as clams.
In fact, they are the only people in the whole company who are happy with their computers and the support that they receive. The average PC tech at this company services about 80 end users. The PC users hate the MIS department and think the support they get is substandard. They complain constantly.
So, you wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that this company, upon careful self-examination, had decided to standardize on Macs. At least you wouldn't have been surprised if that's what they had chosen.
Instead, in defiance of their own direct experience, they have recently chosen to remove all the Macs in the company and replace them with PCs. You probably think there is some application that only exists on PCs that is forcing them to make the switch. Nope. In fact, some of their mission critical applications only exist for the Macintosh. Perhaps they are having trouble with document portability across the two platforms? Nope. Macs have been able to handle this for years. Could it be that they have figured out that they will have a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) by switching to PCs? Nope. Independent study after independent study has shown that Macs have a lower TCO than PCs.
Let's do some quick math that it appears they never did. To keep 1000 Mac users happy, they need four techs. Let's assume they pay these techs $50,000 US a year. That's $200,000 US a year to service 1000 Macs. What does it cost them to service 1000 PCs? If each PC tech can only take care of 80 computer users (and let's forget for the moment that they aren't even able to keep the users happy), this company needs to hire 12.5 techs. If we assume the same salaries, this company will spend $625,000 US in salaries alone. What could you spend $425,000 US on?
By now, you have probably figured out that my magic bullet for curing your Corporate IS woes is to switch to the Macintosh platform. And your mind is, no doubt, racing with reasons why you can't. The hardest hurdle to overcome is that everyone else will make fun of you. And, in truth, there is no way around this one. Remember, they are just as afraid of their lack of knowledge as you are of yours.
The way they make themselves feel better about their head-in-the-sand stance is to make fun of those who dare to use reason. But trust me: They'll stop laughing a year or two down the line when you get promoted for bringing costs down and satisfaction and productivity up.
I could give you a hundred more examples like the one I listed above: examples of companies that throw away money because IS managers just like you would rather make safe, bad choices then do their homework. I could tell you about my years of experience with a business that does both Mac and PC consulting, and about how much more our PC clients would pay us each year versus our Mac clients. There are just too many of these types of stories to list.
Lastly, let's get one thing straight: This isn't about zealotry. This is about tools that people use to get jobs done. The best tool for the job is the one that you or your company should use. In some situations, Macs make no sense. But if you have summarily rejected Macs because of fear or misinformation, you are making a mistake.
Will this mistake hurt your career? Probably not. Bill Gates has built an empire on fear and misinformation, and few in corporate America seem willing to stand up and say that the emperor has no clothes. Don't take my word for it: The empirical evidence is out there.
Check out Apple's Web site at: <www.apple.com/whymac/web/articles.html> for links to articles that compare the MacOS and Macintosh computers to Windows 95 and Intel based machines. And last but not least, if you email me at <
> , I will personally see to it that you get information from Apple that will help you better evaluate how Macs might benefit your organization.
Why Macintosh
Here are some reasons why you should consider buying a Mac as your next personal computer. This information is taken from several studies conducted by independent research firms and Computer Magazines.
PowerPC Outperforms Pentium and Pentium Pro in Recent Benchmark:
In a recent benchmark, BYTE compared Intel's 200 MHz Pentium® and Pentium Pro processors against Motorola's 200 MHz 603e and 604e PowerPC processors, respectively. The PowerPC processors outperformed their Intel counterparts in integer calculations by as much as 81% (Pentium vs. 603e) and in floating point calculations by as much as 26% (Pentium Pro
vs. 604e).
The study was conducted using BYTE's 32-bit multiplatform CPU/FPU BYTEmark tests. The test suite includes 10 basic tests: numeric sort, string sort, bitfield, emulated floating-point, fourier coefficients, assignment algorithm, Huffman compression, IDEA encryption, neural net and LU decomposition. Detailed information regarding this suite can be found on the BYTEmark Home Page.
The PowerPC processor utilizes RISC technology and is now used in virtually all Macintosh models and Mac OS compatibles.
You can un the Mac OS, MS-DOS, and Windows on a Power Macintosh.
Customers who have a Power Macintosh® with PCI slots can add an Apple PC Compatibility Card to run MS-DOS and Windows applications. Apple offers a choice of two PC Compatibility Cards: one with a Pentium 100-MHz processor and one with a 586 100-MHz processor. The Pentium processor delivers faster performance, while the 586 processor offers a more affordable option.
For customers who don't already own a Power Macintosh with PCI slots and are considering both a Macintosh® and Windows-based PC, the choice is now simple: the Apple® Power Macintosh 7200/120 PC Compatible, which includes dual processors. Featuring both a 120-MHz PowerPCTM 601 RISC processor and a Pentium 100-MHz processor (with 8MB of RAM on board), it gives customers the flexibility to work with the PC computing platform of their choice.
These PC compatibility solutions from Apple let customers run MS-DOS and Windows programs while enjoying all the advantages of Macintosh technology: true plug-and-play capabilities, advanced multimedia, built-in networking, video and sound support, and more.
Run all the PC software you want: Now customers can run thousands of MacTM OS, MS-DOS, and Windows applications on
one easy- to-use computer. And they can achieve maximum productivity by running applications directly on high-performance processors - not through software emulation.
Use your existing peripherals and networks: Designed to fit into virtually any environment, the Power Macintosh 7200/120 PC Compatible supports the peripherals and networks customers may already have. And they can connect to mainstream networks from the Mac OS, MS-DOS, or Windows.
In addition to Apple's PC Compatibility Cards, add-on compatibility cards are available from third-party vendors for most other Macintosh models. Like Apple's PC Compatibility Cards, solutions from Reply Corporation and Orange Micro, Inc. allow users to run MS-DOS or Windows applications simultaneously with the thousands of applications available for the Mac OS.
Application Compatibility: Third-party software solution: For users who prefer a software solution, Insignia Solutions' SoftWindows TM program lets Macintosh computers run MS-DOS and Windows applications. SoftWindows installs easily, with a single click of a mouse-and another click is all it takes to open an MS-DOS- or Windows-based application right on the Macintosh desktop. SoftWindows lets user run multiple programs simultaneously. And all applications can share such resources as hard disks and CD-ROM drives.
File Compatibility: Many Macintosh user have little or no need to actually run MS-DOS and Windows software - they just need to be able to access the information contained in files created on these systems. Apple Macintosh computers include hardware and software designed to make this easy and intuitive.
Hardware: every new Macintosh computer includes an Apple SuperDrive® floppy disk drive, which can read MS-DOS and Windows files, as well as Mac OS files. Users simply insert their MS-DOS- or Windows-formatted disk into the Apple SuperDrive, and an icon representing that disk is automatically displayed on the Macintosh desktop. The user can then open that icon and access the files on the disk.
Software: every new Macintosh includes two programs that enable file sharing -- Macintosh Easy Open and Macintosh PC ExchangeTM. These programs combine to let users simply double-click on an MS-DOS or Windows file and open that file in a compatible Macintosh application. For example, your Lotus 1-2-3 file would be viewed in Microsoft Excel or if you have the same application on both platforms (such as Microsoft Word, Excel, or FoxPro, WordPerfect from Novell, or PageMaker), the same application would be launched. And with third-party software, such as MacLinkPlus from Dataviz, you can even translate a file and save it in a new format without opening the application in which it was created.
Network Compatibility: In the world of networking, compatibility can mean several things, from simple hardware connection to existing networks to the ability to exchange electronic mail. The Macintosh is equipped to handle a vast range of these needs.
Hardware connection. Most Macintosh models include built-in industry-standard Ethernet ports, and all models include two serial ports. For more specialized needs, a wide variety of additional networking hardware cards are available from third-party vendors. (Reference the Redgate Buyers Guide at 1-800-333-8760 for a list of third-party solutions.)
Multi-protocol support: The Macintosh has often been called "The Universal Client" because of its ability to integrate easily into a variety of computing environments. Macintosh computers can connect to systems using different networking protocols at the same time--for example, running TCP/IP, DECnetTM, and AppleTalk® simultaneously. And Apple's Open Transport networking architecture is designed to make multi-protocol networking transparent to the user. Open Transport is built in to the operating system in high-end Macintosh computers.
File and print service: One of the benefits of connecting computers to form a network is the ability to use a server to share files and printers. Software which allows the Macintosh to do this is available for most major network systems such as Novell NetWare and Windows NT. And, for mostly Macintosh environments, AppleShare® file and print service software from Apple includes a Windows client application, so Macintosh and PC users can share a common AppleShare file and print server.
Electronic mail: Most organizations take advantage of networking to exchange messages efficiently with electronic mail software. Many of the most popular electronic-mail packages, such as Microsoft Mail and QuickMail, have Macintosh client and server software available, so Macintosh and PC users can transparently exchange mail across networks.
Internet: Apple makes it easy to connect to the Internet and surf the World Wide Web. Most Macs include everything that is needed to connect to the Internet (TCP/IP, Ethernet, high-speed modems,
etc.). That's one reason why more people use Macintosh to access the Internet than any other brand of personal computer. And since the Internet levels the playing field, the Macintosh is more
compatible with PCs than ever. For example, the most popular browsers are available for the Macintosh (Netscape Navigator and Microsoft's Internet Explorer), and Macintosh supports key Internet standards such as Java, Real Audio, Shockwave, and QuickTime.
Personal Computer Satisfaction:
This report summarizes the key findings of a personal computer satisfaction study conducted in March - April 1996 by Evans Research Associates, an independent market research company.
The study was conducted with 150 people who regularly use both Macintosh computers running System 7.5 and Windows 95-based PCs in business, home, and education. Since these "dual users" are experienced with both systems, they can provide an informed and unbiased comparison.
Overall, people who use both systems rate the Macintosh higher in overall satisfaction, user productivity, ease of use, creativity, and other categories. Here are details:
Macintosh is more satisfying than Windows 95 PCs. Users rated Macintosh significantly higher than Windows 95 PCs in overall satisfaction.
Macintosh lets users be more creative. When asked which system lets them be more creative, dual users chose the Macintosh by almost two to one.
Macintosh is more enjoyable. When asked which system is more enjoyable to use, 52% said Macintosh, compared to 39% for Windows 95 PCs.
Macintosh rates much higher in a wide variety of attributes. Dual users were asked to rate both of their systems on several attributes using a 1-10 scale, where 10 was excellent. Macintosh received high marks (8-10) on these attributes from significantly more people than Windows 95. For example, when asked about "overall satisfaction," 60% gave Macintosh a score of 8-10 compared with 41% who gave that rating to Windows 95 PCs. These are the percentage of dual users rating the respective systems 8-10:
Macintosh w/ System 7.5Windows 95 PC
Overall satisfaction 60% 41%
Overall productivity 59% 42%
Overall ease of use 78% 37%
Graphics and publishing 85% 27%
Multimedia 71% 36%
Ease of learning 78% 29%
Ease of connecting peripherals 74% 39%
Ease of setup and installation 69% 33%
Ease of connecting to a LAN 62% 42%
Running educational software 46% 32%
Ease of troubleshooting 41% 21%
ATTRIBUTE RATINGS (on a 1-10 scale)
These questions asked dual users to rate both systems on a series of specific attributes, using a 1-10 scale in which 1=poor and 10=excellent. The charts show the percentage of users giving a rating in the very good to excellent range (from 8 to 10).
Macintosh rates higher in overall satisfaction.
Sixty percent of the dual users rated their Macintosh highly in overall satisfaction (8-10 on a 10-point scale). 42% gave their Windows 95 PCs the same rating.
Macintosh rates higher in overall productivity.
In overall productivity, the percent of dual users rating the Mac highly was 59%. 42% gave that same rating to their Windows 95 PC.
Macintosh is ahead for graphics and publishing
In graphics and publishing, the number of dual users rating the Macintosh highly was more than three times the number giving a high score to Windows 95.
Macintosh multimedia capabilities rate higher In multimedia, almost twice as many people gave an 8-10 score to the Mac as compared to a PC with Windows 95.
Macintosh is preferred for running learning and educational software When asked to rate the systems on how well they run learning and educational software, 46% gave the Macintosh an 8-10 rating. 32% gave the same score to their Windows 95 PCs.
One of the most common claims made about Windows 95 is that it matches the ease of use of an Apple Macintosh computer. The study explored that question in depth by asking a series of ease of use questions.
Macintosh is easier to use, overall
Macintosh was a major winner in overall ease of use, rated highly by more than three quarters of the dual users. Windows 95 received the same rating from fewer than four in ten dual users.
Macintosh is easier to learn 78% of dual users rated the Macintosh highly for ease of learning; 29% gave the same score to a PC with Windows 95.
It's easier to connect peripherals to a Macintosh 39% of dual users gave Windows 95 a high rating in connecting peripherals, compared to 74% for Macintosh.
It's easier to set up and install a Macintosh
In ease of installation, Macintosh received top marks from almost 70% of the dual users. Windows 95 PCs received high marks from 33%.
It's easier to connect a Macintosh to a local area network
Macintosh rated ahead in ease of connecting to a LAN. More than 60% of dual users gave a high rating to the Macintosh; fewer than half gave the same rating to Windows 95 PCs.
It's easier to troubleshoot a Macintosh
Macintosh was rated as substantially less difficult to troubleshoot than a PC with Windows 95. The percent of dual users giving the Macintosh a high score was almost double the percent rating Windows PCs highly.
These questions asked dual users to pick which system is best for various uses. Users had to choose one system, as opposed to the 1-10 attribute ratings in which they ranked both systems.
"Which system is more enjoyable to use?"
The Macintosh was selected to be more enjoyable to use than Windows 95 PCs by 52% of users.
"Which system allows you to be more creative?"
Macintosh was chosen for creativity by 53% of users, with Windows 95 getting 27%.
"Which system is more stable
For stability, Macintosh was preferred two to one
Respondents were also asked for comments. Here are some samples expanding on the findings of the study:
"Anytime I want to do graphics, I do them on the System 7.5--I just find it more appealing. I like the feel of it, how easy it is to move around in it, from application to application, from task to task, from window to window."
"I find that the interface is always consistent no matter what application I install. On the Mac, I don't have to worry about where I put applications--on Windows, if you try to move an application from one place to another, it will peak."
"I do networking hardware. If I have to install an Ethernet card, it's easier to install on a Macintosh, because the configuration process of the operating system is much simpler on the Mac. Windows 95 is not yet Plug and Play."
"The (Macintosh) interface doesn't change when you upgrade, to confuse users. Windows 95 upgrades to a totally different interface, very confusing for users--since I do training on both systems, I know."
"Windows 95 is a cheap clone of the Macintosh operating environment. I specifically use Macintosh System 7.5 for multimedia work. It has a built-in plug and play that allows me to do sound manipulations, sound editing, video in and out, and other stuff."
"I prefer 7.5 for Internet connection because although there are some limitations, it stays up longer than with Windows 95."
"I can't get Windows 95 to work on my machine properly, it keeps crashing, it has taken a while to figure out and get it running right. 7.5 is more hardware compatible."
"Windows 95 doesn't smile back at me when I turn it on."
"Involving the PPP Internet account for the Macintosh, all I had to do was input data for usage in two places while the Windows 95 was much more complicated an complex. I had to go four to five places to input the data and tune and tweak it trying to get it to work with the Internet and it kept telling me how it needed to access the modem and I couldn't get it to work."
"What you see on the 7.5 screen is pretty much what you'll get, whereas you have to do a lot of bouncing with Windows 95, and it's very clumsy."
"Macintosh technologies are first and better."
"I have three computers I have access to. For power I use my Sun, for fun I'll use Mac, and the Windows is more like a paper weight. I'll use the Mac to cruise the Internet and send e-mail. It doesn't crash and the applications are easy to load. With Windows 95, you need all these drivers ....Chances are if I slap my system into your Mac, it'll work. With Windows, there's a million things that can go wrong."
"The Mac System 7.5 has been developed and refined over the past ten years into a very intuitive product, whereas Windows 95 is too new a product, hasn't progressed as far, too clumsy and awkward at present. The drag and drop features between applications are something Windows 95 doesn't have - also the desktop interface is easier on 7.5, Windows is still running on top of DOS."
If these reasons are not enough for you, see the difference for yourself. Experience the MacOS and you'll see why Mac is the only way to go if you want the true personal computer power.
Mac is Better, Give it a try. (by Macintosh Advocacy )
The press says Apple's dead? Two can play that game. Why Windows Is Doomed...
By David Pogue
If they weren't so unfair, the exaggerated headlines tolling Apple's troubles would be downright hilarious. Computer stores have a slow Christmas? "Apple Battered; Fans Lose
Faith." Some VP departs over an ego tussle? "Apple Brain Drain Escalates." Apple creates an absolutely amazing laptop/ desktop/ palmtop computer? "New Apple Machine Is Too Little, Too Late."
Meanwhile, Windows 95 is a technological mess. Plug-and-play doesn't work right, multimedia requires hours of fiddling, maintenance is a horror. And no wonder--no single operating system could possibly work flawlessly on machines from dozens of unsupervised clone makers. "Windows must work with a plethora of hardware, each device made by a company fighting to differentiate itself," says Fortune columnist Stewart Alsop. "[That's] a less than artful way to make an operating system that works smoothly and intuitively ."
Yet where are the Windows doomsayers?
Right here. In this purely intellectual exercise, I'll use exactly the same reporting standards we've seen applied to Apple. The statistics you're about to read are real. Only the conclusions are twisted.
Or are they?
---Windows Market Splintered; Trouble Seen Ahead
Market share is everything. Big market share attracts software companies, and the platform prospers. The Software Publishers Association (SPA) puts Windows' share at 67 percent.
Ah, but "Windows" is several different products running different software on different computers. Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows NT, Windows CE--individually, each holds a market share not nearly as dazzling as the total.
According to research firm International Data Corporation (IDC), the fastest-growing operating system of all is the corporate-oriented, headline-grabbing success story known as Windows NT. This superstar's 1996 market share? Try 3 percent. "NT's shiny image is beginning to tarnish," says Information Week, "through problems with underlying technology, licensing squabbles, and mixed messages from Microsoft on which operating system to implement where."
Windows 3.1, on the other hand, has an enormous market share. But according to PC Week, Microsoft plans to discontinue Win 3.1 this summer. Which leaves Windows 95--whose installed market share, according to the SPA, is a mere 18 percent.
Suddenly Apple's 16 percent installed base doesn't look so bad.
---Windows Upgrade Strategy Fails
Microsoft's business plan is simple: sell Windows installed on each PC, then sell an upgrade every other year.
Microsoft has sold only 46 million copies of Windows 95, a stunning 27 percent fewer than forecast. Meanwhile, according to IDC, 13 million people--despite $200 million worth of ads-- ignored Windows 95 last year, deliberately buying Windows 3.1 instead.
"Microsoft is always saying, 'You've got to upgrade,' " says IDC's OS analyst Dan Kusnetzky. "But today's businesses want a platform that runs reliably and isn't going to change." Microsoft's upgrades-forever strategy, in other words, "won't fly for a long period of time."
"Microsoft keeps making new operating systems to fix its old mistakes," agrees Alsop. "Few of the programs designed to work on previous versions of the operating system really work on the current version, forcing [upgrading] customers to replace their old software"--and hardware.
If Windows users don't buy into the upgrade-treadmill concept, Windows can't keep flying high. And with each new version of Windows, Microsoft splinters the PC market further. Suppose that, five years from now, there are six incompatible versions of Windows, each with a fraction of the market; software companies' decisions about which platform to write for won't be quite so automatic.
---PC Boom Over; Windows Crashes
Microsoft got rich by selling Windows on each new PC. This strategy worked great during the PC boom of the early nineties.
But the ride is over. "The industry as a whole is headed for a second straight year of declining growth," says IDC; PC sales growth in 1996 was down a frightening 35 percent from 1995. PC manufacturers, the primary source of Windows sales, are dropping like flies: Acer, Blackship, Canon, DEC, Packard Bell, Tandy, Zenith, and others have either closed their PC divisions or are hemorrhaging money in the millions. And it's only going to get worse. IDC predicts that "the 1997 growth rate will be less than half that of both 1994 and 1995," and BusinessWeek says sales growth could stall completely as early as 1998. Fewer people are buying Windows software, too; the SPA's 1996 data shows an 18 percent drop in sales of Windows programs.
Without the steadily increasing torrent of cash, there can be no steadily increasing torrent of Windows.
---Internet to Quash Windows Sales
What really keeps Bill Gates up nights, though, is the Internet. The bigger it gets, the more irrelevant Windows becomes.
NCs (network computers) are cheap machines whose software and data sit in a central location (the Internet or a com-pany server), eliminating the hassles of upgrades, conflicts, and backups. IDC expects NCs to multiply at a rate of 86 percent per year through 2001.
And not one NC will ever need a copy of Windows.
The real ugliness will begin, though, when Intel itself turns its back on Microsoft. Because PC sales are dropping off, Intel will eventually be forced to support NC computing. "If Intel does not aggressively participate in the Internet appliance business," says IDC, "it will miss the greatest growth opportunities in the decade ahead. The leading PC suppliers will not wait for Intel for very long."
Trust me on this: you don't want to be in the same room with Bill Gates when Intel stops doing Windows.
---Windows Too Expensive, Say Users
IDC predicts that in the coming years, "users will increase their focus on total cost of ownership [TCO]." In English: Money counts. Unfortunately, when you include the costs of
training, upgrading, and troubleshooting, Windows 95 PCs are among the most expensive on earth. As Intel's own Web site puts it, "Gartner Group has estimated an annual TCO of $13,187 per year [per Windows PC]."
As this horrific truth spreads, more companies will question why they're throwing away such outrageous sums. Especially when they're buying less and less productivity: tests by
Byte Byte, February 1997 and InfoWorld show that the aging Pentium chip's speed and capabilities are falling further behind those of rival chips. It's only a matter of time before PC buyers replace their Wintel boxes with machines the Gartner Group says have far lower TCOs, such as NCs--or Macs.
---Can Microsoft Be Saved?
The cold, hard numbers tell the story. Plummeting sales, flawed and expensive technology, a splintered and resentful customer base--the Windows ship is steaming toward an iceberg. Without Windows, Microsoft loses the inside advantage it has writing Windows applications. And when that happens, Microsoft's hyperinflated stock price will crash; the Wall Street Journal will begin running "Customers Dump Windows" articles; and the great tide of public opinion will turn to any company that's got superior technology to fill the void.
Aren't statistics great?
One more reason why the Mac is not only a better platform, but it's more holy
The real name of "the" Bill Gates is William Henry Gates III.
Nowadays he is known as Bill Gates (III), where "III" means the order of third (3rd.)
By converting the letters of his current name to the ASCII-values and adding his (III), you get the following:
B 66
I 73
L 76
L 76
G 71
A 65
T 84
E 69
S 83
+ 3
--------------
666 !!
Some might ask, "How did Bill Gates get so powerful?" Coincidence? Or just the beginning of mankind's ultimate and total enslavement???
YOU decide!
Before you decide, consider the following:
M S - D O S 6 . 2 1
77+83+45+68+79+83+32+54+46+50+49 = 666
W I N D O W S 9 5
87+73+78+68+79+87+83+57+53+1 = 666
Coincidence? I think not
(Side note: Where did the one come from at the end of Windows95 ???? If it was Windows96 as many of us believe it would have been, then it works!!!!!!!)
Intel VS Mac
Subject: story of the MAC & the PC
One fine summers day a man was walking along a highway. It was a super highway and along the way he saw a most intriguing visual display. They started communicating and seemed to be interfacing well.
"Hi there, My name is Intel, Intel Pentium.. What's yours", the shy young man asked.
"Oh I'm Blossom, Blossom Machintosh but my friends just call me Apple", she replied with a smile.
"Oh? You are Scottish?", he asked.
"Well my mother is but my father was from the isle of Motorolla"
"What does your father do?"
"He is a weight lifter, you might have heard of him? Power Machintosh?"
"Mmmm... cannot say that I have... but then again my family doesn't usually pay much attention to anyone that isn't a Pentium. Though I do thing we have some french relatives. The Feurate Seux family."
Well Intel found himself scanning the nice software that Apple was hiding behind a sleak casing. His screen started to go red as he found that his floppy disk was starting to turn into a hard drive. She noticed that his hard drive light was flashing and felt a quiver of pleasure shoot through her motherboard.
"I have to be honest Apple... I do find you incredibly attractive. Your buttons are so smooth and your operating system is so user-friendly that I am finding it hard to keep my hands off your peripherals".
"That's ok Intel. Though I think you are a little bit dated, everyone seems to have heard of you and for some reason they all want to keep using you so I think I will give you a try".
"Really? Do you think we will be compatible?"
"Of course silly... I have extensions that allow me to format that
floppy disk of yours."
"Well then... should we go back to my mouse pad and see if we can plug'n play?"
"Mmmm.. I would like that Intel, but you have to promise to use virus protection. The last thing I need right now is a system error in my motherboard and have to have a chip removed by the repairman in 9 months".
"Don't worry Apple, I am very careful... all of the software that I use has been tested for safety". And with that the two of them made their way back to his mouse pad and made their way into the bedroom. They started to get comfortable and slipped out of their disk cases. Intel admired Apple's nice graphics card, especially as it was covered in all that interlace and found her very desirable. Her power light started to wink at casing getting warm (something that always happens with the Pentium family when they are turned on for too long). She knew that he was feeling horny as she could hear his fan working overtime. They started to interface again and he tried to slide his hands into her parallel port. "Intel??? Don't be in such a rush, I know you are a 166MHz kinda guy but I like to take my time. I may only be 33MHz but I think with more than just my CPU. I like to use all my chips"
"I'm sorry Apple. For years I have wanted to be with someone like you, and now that I am close to you my CPU is starting to use the floating-point unit and I am feeling giddy". Seeing that his system was starting to become busy (something else the Pentium's always suffer from) she decided that it was time to let him mount his device in her drive bay.
Gently she removed the bay covering and watched as his disk lengthened from a 3.5" into a nice, firm 5.25". He wasn't really big, not like the arousing 8" Zip drive that she had been with the week before but at least she knew how to interface with him easily. "Oh Apple, you are so desirable I just want to take a byte out of you!!!!"
"Now, now Intel, you know how much I want to have 'An Intel Inside' of me"
"Mmmm... I would love for you to be Pentium Powered"
Gently Intel loaded his disk into Apple's waiting MS-O(ro)ffice and began to convert his files into her format. He could hear her adjusting the volume of her speakers as her wave files started to play. Feeling her moving beneath him he couldn't help but switch on his disk caching and found that he could get more throughput that way.
Unable to control his passions any longer, Intel suddenly froze (Guess what? Yep, another Pentium trait) and found himself releasing a new version of his product into her com port. "Oh My God Intel!!!! What have you done????"
Intel had been so hot that he had crashed and there had been a General Protection Violation. He withdrew his Operating System as fast as he could and tried desperately to recover from his crash but as usual his family had never been good at recovering from those sort of things. Apple quickly made an appointment to see Dr Norton and before long he was running diagnostics on her to see if her anything new had been installed in her system. "Well doctor? Is there going to be a little Pentium Mac?"
"No... fortunately the product that Mr Pentium released was only the beta version... and as you know... no beta versions EVER work. You are very lucky."
Apple sighed in relief and turned to face Intel. She gave him a stern look and put her hands on her hips. "You are cheap you know that? I bet everyone has had their hands on you. I bet you go around with all of your fancy graphics cards and video cards and brag to everyone about what you can do. I just want you to know that you may be in everyone's house and everyone uses you but you will never be appreciated like I am" And with that she punched him in the monitor and walked out.
THE END now the joke!
At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving twenty-five dollar cars that got 1000 mi/gal." Recently General Motors addressed this comment by releasing the statement "Yes, but would you want your car to crash twice a day?"
1. Every time they repainted the lines on the road you would have to buy a new car.
2. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason, and you would just accept this, restart and drive on.
3. Occasionally, executing a maneuver would cause your car to stop and fail and you would have to re-install the engine. For some strange reason, you would accept this too.
4. You could only have one person in the car at a time, unless you bought "Car95" or "CarNT". But, then you would have to buy more seats.
5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast, twice as easy to drive, but would only run on five percent of the roads.
6. The Macintosh car owners would get expensive Microsoft upgrades to their cars, which would make their cars run much slower.
7. The oil, gas and alternator warning lights would be replaced by a single "general car default" warning light.
8. New seats would force everyone to have the same size butt.
9. The airbag system would say "are you sure?" before going off.
10. If you were involved in a crash, you would have no idea what happened
The 10 Commandments of DOS
1. I am thy DOS, thou shall have no OS before me, unless Bill Gates gets a cut of the profits therefrom.
2. Thy DOS is a character based, single user, single tasking, standalone operating system. Thou shall not attempt to make DOS network, multitask, or display a graphical user interface, for that would be a gross hack.
3. Thy hard disk shall never have more than 1024 sectors. You don't need that much space anyway.
4. Thy application program and data shall all fit in 640K of RAM. After all, it's ten times what you had on a CP/M machine. Keep holy this 640K of RAM, and clutter it not with device drivers, memory managers, or other things that might make thy computer useful.
5. Thou shall use the one true slash character to separate thy directory path. Thou shall learn and love this character, even though it appears on no typewriter keyboard, and is unfamiliar. Standardization on where that character is located on a computer
keyboard is right out.
6. Thou shall edit and shuffle the sacred lines of CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT until DOS functions adequately for the likes of you. Giving up in disgust is not allowed. [ Oops, I have sinned. Kim ]
7. Know in thy heart that DOS shall always maintain backward compatibility to the holy 2.0 version, blindly ignoring opportunities to become compatible with things created in the latter half of this century. But you can still run WordStar 1.0.
8. Improve thy memory, for thou shall be required to remember that JD031792.LTR is the letter that you wrote to Jane Doe four years ago regarding the tax deductible contribution that you made to her organization. The IRS Auditor shall be impressed by thy memory as he stands over you demanding proof.
9. Pick carefully the names of thy directories, for renaming them shall be mighty difficult. While you're at it, don't try to relocate branches of the directory tree, either.
10. Learn well the Vulcan Nerve Pinch (ctrl-alt-del) for it shall be thy saviour on many an occasion. Believe in thy heart that everyone reboots their OS to solve problems that shouldn't occur in the first place.
Why do you prefer a Mac ?
We've now received more than 1000 responses to our "Why do you prefer Macintosh instead of a PC with Windows 95?" contest. Here are some of the best that we've received recently.
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On the day before Bill Gates released Windows 95 to the world, FED EX delivered a Mac Performa 631CD and Stylewriter printer to my 82 year old mother, who lives alone in Florida (a gift from me). When I called her the next day to ask about needing help, she had already hooked it up and printed the Read Me files without help. I later read that on that same day the Microsoft help lines were clogged with calls from Windows 95 users requesting assistance. That's what I like about a Mac!
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In the last six months, I have been using a nicely loaded 486 PC with Windows 95 along with a Mac Quadra 950. I began to keep track of the time I spent on the PC doing things I would *never* need to do on a Mac. Installing a software program with the appropiate drivers: 2.5 hours. Installing an Ethernet card and getting it to work: 2.5 work days (20 hours). And the list goes on and on. When I calculated what my time was worth in terms of my hourly pay, I figured my company had spent $2340 in the last six months by "requiring" the use of a Windows 95 PC when I could have done the same on the Mac.
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I have been working with Macintosh computers and PCs for over 8 years. I own both a Mac and a PC with Windows 95, and if I wasn't a computer network engineer, supporting both Macs and PCs, I'd sell my PC in a heartbeat. Let me give you a few reasons why I use my Mac over 75% of the time: Smart hardware. Connections are all standard and consistent (25 pin DIN SCSI, RS-422 serial, etc.). I replaced my 1989 Mac IIx with a 1995 Performa 6220CD, and plugged in all my devices, with no converters, adapters or new cables. By contrast, PCs cannot even decide on a standard serial port (9 pin or 25 pin?). Apple even designed their Macs with all female ports, so if you make a mistake and break a pin on a connector, it's on the $30 cable, not the $300 motherboard! Even SCSI is simpler on the Mac. Ever change SCSI configurations on a PC? Make sure you have tools and plenty of time! Clearly-labeled interface ports, electronic-ejecting floppies, "soft" power on and off, and ADB daisy- chaining, even though seemingly minor advantages, all add up to making the Mac truly user-friendly. Mature multimedia. Without even taking the manuals out of the shrinkwrap, I plugged in my new Performa 6220CD, connected my standard 75-Ohm cable-TV line, and began watching TV in a window while I checked out other software. With three clicks I captured a video clip into a QuickTime movie. I did all of this without ever seeing this type of multimedia stuff before, or ever reading a manual! The Macintosh has been doing multimedia for years, and it clearly proves that practice makes perfect. I have now connected my video camera and VCR to my Mac, and have been pumping video (and audio) in and out of my Mac. One of these days I'm going to open those manuals and really learn how to do this stuff! This ease of use simply does not happen in the PC world.
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It's simple...Time & Money... Time - While my competitors are batch'n, config'n, figur'n what to do... ...Money - We are sell'n, close'n, & DEPOSIT'N !!! In my business we are high-paced, and the easier tasks can be performed, the more profitable we have become. Since going the Macintosh in 1992, our sales have gone up eight-fold. Real estate is data management, marketing (desktop publishing), & communications all wrapped-up in one. The systems, peripherals & applications we have integrated have grown seamlessly. Frankly, we had to have what came with Macintosh - a proven track record: hardware reliability, quick staff training, easiest network known to man, excellent service, and most of all, light-year ahead system! Proud owner of 8 Mac's!
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I purchased a Quadra 800 shortly after they were introduced. I've had the case open once...I felt obligated to at least look inside. Friends who own PCs don't even bother to put the screws that hold the case together back in, because they open the case so frequently the screws become a nuisance. - A fundamental concept on the Macintosh that is virtually invisibe is the notion of file type and creator. The Macintosh is aware that a text file and a JPEG image file are not the same kind of file. The Macintosh is also aware of which application created each file. For example, if I name an Excel spreadsheet "TEXT", the next time I double- click on it the file comes up in Excel not SimpleText or some other text editor. This happens without me giving it a thought or configuring a translation table. - It really annoys me when I have two Word or Excel or whatever documents open and I can't put their windows where I want. Windows 95 promotes Microsoft's Multiple Document Interface (MDI) which wants all the open documents for one application to be contained in that application's parent window. - When installing software from floppies, my Macintosh knows when I insert the next disk. The Macintosh is aware of removable media, allowing the OS or applications to eject media and/or take action when media is inserted. The bottom line is a computer system is only as good as its hardware and OS together. Truth is the PC hardware has serious deficiencies that no OS can correct, let alone Windows 95, which has its own set of deficiencies. In contrast the Macintosh is truly an example of a product who's sum is greater than its parts.
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Compare how you change startup disks: A PC does not let you change startup disks very easily; the startup hard disk has to be "named" the "C:\" drive. If you want to boot from a different hard drive, you have to take apart the computer and change connections. Not only that, but even if you did, many of the programs would not run because the application files are linked to other files with pathnames such as "C:\PROGRAM\UTILITIES\EXTRAS", and once you change startup disks that disk would no longer be the "C:\" drive and the program wouldn't run. On my PowerMac 7100, I can switch startup drives on the fly with a simple little shareware extension called SwitchBoot; I can boot from either of two internal hard drives, from my SyQuest drive, or from the CD-ROM drive. All the programs on all the disks run just fine, and I could add a couple more bootable drives to the SCSI chain if I wanted to.
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1. Plug and PAY? That's what I call Windows 95's "plug and play". New hardware must be purchased that COMPLIES with the Windows 95 plug and play standard. Once you buy the new hardware, have fun getting it to work. The Mac has TRUE plug and play. It has worked great for years. The hardest thing about installing something on a Mac is clicking the "Install Button". Plug something in, it works. This is NEVER the case on my Windows 95 PC.
2. Windows 95's mouse control is pathetic. The cursor jumps around like a hyperactive flea. The Mac handles the mouse elegantly, no jumpiness here.
3. Microsoft charges for technical support. The following is taken from their web page: "90-day, no-charge support. In the United States and Canada, count on 90-day, no-charge support (toll charges apply) for all issues other than networking. Outside the United States and Canada, contact Product Support Services at the Microsoft subsidiary office that serves your area." This is NOT a toll-free call, and extra charges are added after 90 days. When I need technical support, (1 call in the 8 years I have owned Macs) I call 1-800-SOS-APPL, and I am not charged for as long as I own the hardware. My nephew works at a computer store near Washington, D.C., and he has had more tech support calls from Windows 95 users in one week than he's had from Mac users in the store's 10 year history. Go figure.
4. The more devices you have, the more problems Windows 95 has. My PC at work with Windows 95 does not recognize my sound card or my CD-ROM drive, and my monitor does not display colors. After $45 worth of technical support, the problem remains unsolved. The Mac can handle multiple monitors, hard disks, keyboards, mice, graphics tablets, joysticks, and anything else flawlessly. My system has all of the above and I have not encountered a problem yet.
5. The Internet. Not only do my clients have problems with Windows 95, my MODEM does. My PC has a Sportster external modem, and I constantly get unstable connections, error filled uploads, and error filled downloads. Whenever I try to read Usenet news and surf the web at the same time, it crashes. All of this worked fine with Windows 3.1 and DOS. The Mac is THE platform for surfing the Internet. I regularly have 5 or 6 clients running together in perfect harmony on an 8 megabyte Mac. These clients being newsreaders, e-mail, WWW, IRC, and FTP. In short, the Mac is better than Windows 95 because it lets you get work done instead of wasting time configuring all your hardware. In Windows 95, form definitely does not follow function. Cosmetic improvements aren't going to make it better than a Mac. Nice try, Microsoft, but not good enough.
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I work in a mixed platform environment...Macintosh systems, PCs running Windows95, and DEC Alphas. There are so many different systems used at work that typically there is an office devoted to either the PCs, the DEC terminals, or the Macintosh systems. My day is spent playing musical chairs with my co-workers, as we switch between platforms. Thanks to Macintosh, this will soon change. I will be able to work in my own office using my Macintosh, equipped with Apple's DOS Compatibility card, running MacX, to do all my work. With only 1 additional card, and some software, Macintosh can do the work of 3 systems. Saving not only thousands of dollars, but also the space and equipment of 2 additional offices. The best thing is, it is all Apple, so it has the compatability, ease of use, and quality of a Macintosh, no matter what I choose to do with it. Windows 95: "Where do you want to go today?" Answer: I don't know. Maybe I'll go to the Alpha, maybe the Macintosh, maybe the PC, and maybe the Internet. All I know is, I can't get there with Windows 95. Macintosh recognizes the need for compatability with the rest of the world, and only Macintosh can bring the rest of the world to the desktop.
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I own a Macintosh IIx that was made in 1989. 1) It is full 32 bit (via MODE 32 7.5) 2) It has a RAM capacity of 32MB 3) It runs any type of multimedia application 4) It runs the current operating system (7.5.1)--in addition to UNIX In 1989, the 386SX at 33Mhz was top of the line PC. Such machines cannot effectively run Windows 95. They cannot effectively run very many multimedia applications. Almost none of those machines had a 32MB RAM capacity. And, of course, Windows 95 still isn't full 32 bit. In short, 1989 PCs are obsolete in the current market. My Mac IIx has remained fully functional for 6 years now. This is an eternity in the world of computers. I use it to host WWW sights, and it will probably be fully functional for 2 more years. When I invest several thousand dollars in my next computer, I will ask the following question: Which type of computer will provide more functionality for a longer period of time? I'll buy a Macintosh, and I'll get real computer that will outlast generations of those Microsoft-based machines.
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Hmmm, I'm sitting here looking at my stack of hardware: Trusty 'ol Centris 650CD sittin' under a pile of other stuff with lights flashing. Oh, it started out a little more humble than it is now, although it was (in its time) fairly well-equipped (8 Mb RAM/250 Mb HD/Ethernet). But I guess I've got more than a little Tim Allen in me...a need...yes, a NEED for MORE POWER!! First, a bigger window (ack, another perfectly good word ruined forever!) was in order. I can afford 16"...that'll have to do for now. So I plugged it in and used it. What? GIF's have more than 256 colors? "Send me a board that shows ALL of the colors!", I said on the phone. They did. So I popped the hood, plugged it in...and used it. What? Not enough memory available to open this image? "Send me enough memory so I can open MANY images!" I said on the phone. They did. So I popped the hood, plugged it in, and used it. What? Not enough space to install the program? "Send me a big-enough hard drive to load MANY programs onto! Better yet, send me one for the inside and the outside as well!" I said on the phone. They did. So I popped the hood, plugged-in one inside and one outside, and used 'em. What? A faster CD-ROM drive? "Well, I have one, but what-the-heck, two'll be more convenient", I said. So I plugged-it-in, and used it. What? I can use my computer with my MIDI keyboard? "Send me a board that I can make music with!" I said on the phone. They did. So I popped the hood...well you know! What? The Internet is slow at 14.4? If I want to "surf" like a pro, I'll have to go faster? "Send me the fastest modem I can use on my phone line!" I said. They did. So I plugged it in... What? I can send text messages via my ham radio? "Send me a packet box to hook my radio to my 'Mac!" I said. They did. So I... Yup, it looks pretty much the same on the outside, but the 'ol Centris is a little different underneath. 24 Mb RAM, 730 Mb internal, 730Mb and 360 Mb external hard drives, internal and external CD-ROM drives, 24-bit video board, 16-bit MIDI/mixer sound board, 28.8 Kb faxmodem, packet-radio modem, and an array of CHOOSERable printers from color inkjet to wide-carriage dot/matrix to laser. My PC-using friends nearly croak when they see it...all working perfectly. And no horror stories. I just plugged everything in. On startup it displays and plays the THX motion picture intro. And I smile. That's the Macintosh Advantage!
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I've been working with computers either as a hobby, or to earn a living since I was a teenager. While I don't currently own a Mac, it is now time for me to upgrade, and the next machine will be a Mac despite the fact (or maybe because) I have been using Windows since 1990. Maintenance and upgrades in the PC world can be a nightmare. On the hardware side you have IRQs, DMA channels, I/O addresses, and more. On the software side there are .INI files, device drivers, and DLL files that *all* have to work together. Windows apps are notoriously ill behaved when they install themselves as well. A typical installation dumps more mysterious DLLs into your WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory (possibly overwriting newer versions that other apps need in the process). It probably also makes changes to your WIN.INI and/or SYSTEM.INI files as well. Some also make changes to the little known REGISTER.DAT file as well. That's why uninstalling applications, even with helper utilities, is not a task for the inexperienced or faint of heart. Due to the size of Win95 and Win95 apps the problem is only going to get worse, especially since Win95 hides some directories and file information unless you go through steps to change that. With a Mac I can use the find command to locate all files associated with an app and then delete them. What about expandability? Well on the Mac side if I need more hard drive space I simply buy an external hard disk and plug it into the SCSI port, turn it and the Mac on, and viola, instant storage. I've done this on Macs; total elapsed time: 5 minutes. Here is what I have to worry about on the PC side. Is the drive compatible with my disk controller. If not, can I add one? What are the technical specs I *must* type into the CMOS? For that matter how do I get to the CMOS on the particular machine I'm working on? If the drive is bigger than 540MB, do I have the right drivers? Will the drive fight with the other drive already there? Something similar goes on if I need to add a sound card, CD-ROM, a SCSI controller for a scanner, or even a modem. Plug and Play under Windows 95 does *not* solve this due to the large amount of non Plug and Play compatible hardware. Microsoft touts long filenames as a productivity enhancer. Well that is partly true...if you're working in a native Win95 app that can handle long file names. To maintain backward compatibility, long file names are truncated internally to the old format. This can lead to confusion if you are exchanging files across a network (Microsoft recommends that the long name begin with the 8 character short name you want) or placing the files on floppy to exchange with someone else. Older Windows and DOS apps don't handle long filenames at all. There are other 'gotchas' in the new file system as well. Your older undelete and disk repair utilities won't work. Neither will any disk compression program you're now using. In fact if you're using anything but Microsoft's Double Space, or Drive Space, you can't even install Win95 until either you uncompress the drive or the company comes out with a Win95 compatible version. On a Mac, all apps handle filenames the same way and OS upgrades do not render drive compression useless. Networking? With Macs you can set up simple peer to peer networks right out of the box. With PCs you have to add network cards and device drivers. Yet again opening Pandora's Box of potential conflicts. Even with the advent of Windows 95 there are still holes in the interface because of its DOS roots. Take for example starting an application by double clicking on a document icon; in Windows and Win95 you can do this * if* the application is 'registered' with the OS (meaning the OS knows a certain file extension goes with that program). If the app isn't registered you must do it manually. That's why many people on PCs open up files from inside applications, adding extra steps. On a Mac, just double click the file and start working. What happens if somebody gives you a document from a program you don't have? Well on a PC you must open up a program you have that reads the format and manually tell the program to import the file. Macs have Easy Open. With Easy O pen you can skip steps; just double click and the Mac will open up the correct app for reading the file and then import it for you. I want my next system to be powerful, easy to upgrade and maintain, and have a consistent and easy to use interface. In short, I want a Mac.
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One morning around 5 am, I heard the Mac boot up. Not unusual in this household, since my five and three year old usually play games before school. However, on this day, I rolled over and the house was still dark and there was no chatter about...my wife just beginning to awaken. We looked at each other and simultaneously got up to look and to our amazement, our 20 month old, Wyatt, was on top of the desk, mouse in hand! She was playing inside one of the interactive books! We knew she had been watching her sisters, not getting half a chance to play, but today, she woke up before they could bully her out of the way and put her curiosity to the test. I could not believe my eyes, so later that day, with video in hand I asked Wyatt to "show me how to play on the computer." With a casual, "okay", off she went to the computer. She hopped on the chair, climbed on top of the desk and pushed the upper right hand button without hesitation. Once in the Finder, she located the cd and "double clicked" her story! She then proceed to click "let me play" and off she went! Now, she is becoming as adept as the other two, except for her obvious disadvantage with language, and has earned equal time on the computer. She has her own At Ease folder and can navigate through it, locate the Finder to play her cd books. Its a wonderful thing to see, really. Macintosh has achieved the ultimate goal in computer friendliness by making the operation of personal computers, "childsplay". Windows 95 could only hope to be as faciliting as the Macs were even years ago. As an aside, I tried to call Apple's corporate offices later that week, but I could not get through. I am grateful, however, to be able to relay my story now and say "thank you" for creating this avenue of learning for my children. It has been worth every penny of our investment.
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A Macintosh is better than Windows 95 because it connects to a Microsoft network easier! I recently had the joy of attaching a Win95 machine to a Windows NT server. First I had to install a network card. This involved "Adding New Hardware" in the Control Panel. After letting it crank away for 10 to 15 minutes while it tried to auto-detect, I finally had to do a manual install. Luckily Win95 had the drivers for the card I was installing listed (why couldn't it auto-detect it?), so I chose them and told it to install. This involved 30 files on 4 of the Win95 install disks. Then followed the half-day of troubleshooting various components (such as login scripts) to get it working properly. During this entire procedure Windows 95 locked up 3 times requiring a hard reset each time. Prior to this, I attached a PowerMac 7200 to our Windows NT server where I work. This involved taking the new machine out of the box, plugging a network cable into the built in Ethernet port, starting it up, and 6 mouse clicks. This required all of about 10 minutes. One final note: I have noticed that Windows 95 frequently brings up a dialog box during many installations saying (approximately) "Windows 95 is now installing __________. If during this install there does not appear to be any activity for a long period of time you may need to restart your computer and try again." I have NEVER seen a dialog box of this nature on a Mac, ONLY in Windows 95, where it turned out to be prophetic.
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My Mac is better than a PC running Windows 95 because when I installed System 7.5, I was still able to use my CD-ROM drive, my hard drive wasn't trashed, I didn't have to reformat my hard drive, my Mac still smiled at start up, I still could print, I still had sound, my existing software still worked, I didn't have to call Apple for help in the installation, I didn't have to have Apple tell me how to take it back off, all my games still worked (if not faster), my built-in Ethernet still functioned, I had no IRQ conflicts, finding files became easier (as if it wasn't before), I didn't have to buy something like "Apple Plus" for an extra $70 to get better performance and custom sounds and backgrounds, and finally... I didn't have to have someone show me how to use my computer. I sat down and admired the enhancements and then, less then 30 minutes later I was back to writing papers, letters, producing Web pages, and just plain surfing the Internet. The complete realization came when a co-worker asked me to come and help fix a PC which Windows 95 had completely reeked havoc on....ME a Mac user!
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Want to see something downright hilarious, just change the color depth on Win95. Laugh as you see the little message pop up that you must *RESTART WINDOWS* to change the colors! I've never needed tech support on my Mac, but it gives me some confidence that I do have toll free support to back up on anytime I need it. Windows95 users have to call long distance for charge-free support. What about after your 90 days of tech support? I guess you'll just have to pay for it. Windows 95 will automatically recognize your CD-ROMs! Isn't that amazing? Just imagine if it could recognize floppies! You know, I wonder if the automatic recognition was an option for them, since most PCs are simply constructed to be inexpensive for the initial investment. Just got the latest game huh? What's that? You're running Windows 95? Uh oh, I hope that you still like config.sys and autoexec.bat files. DOS is everyone's friend, right? I mean, I love to have to reboot my computer just to go into an operating system that is compatible with my games, especially an archaic one like DOS. It lets me get in touch with the past. I mean, they did away with DOS for Windows 95. Well, except for the file system. But it's so much simpler now to name files since you don't have to put it in 8.3 file names... unless you are taking it to someone else's computer not running Windows 95. Funny, but I've been able to do that for ten years.... But we were told that Windows95 was a revolution...SORRY WRONG GUESS! If Windows95 is really cutting edge technology, then they are using the *wrong* side of the knife... I know where I want to go today. I want to go into the future. The future is not that of limitless complexities and growing demand for resources. The future is not in Windows 95. The future is here. The future is Macintosh. The number one reason I love my Macintosh is a piece of wisdom we could all live by: Don't follow the standards...set them.
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It's hard to say what is most important, but reliability has got to be first for me. There are a zillion IBM clones out there and frequently it's a crap shoot as to their true compatibility. When I buy ANY Apple product I know I am getting the very best, the most consistent product. With my first 128K Mac (still going by the way) ease of operation was very important. The darn things are pretty nearly idiot proof. I have owned conservatively speaking at least ten Apples, six of them Macs. The 800 support line? I've never NEVER had to use it, and I almost never read the documentation.
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I use a PC clone at the office. My wife also uses a PC at her office. We decided that it was time to purchase a computer for home. Our requirements are as follows: - Compatibility with the Windows environment (since we will want to use the machine for work at times); - Great ease of maintenance and operation (at the office, we both have access to technical help, but at home we don't and, frankly, arcane troubleshooting is not our idea of a good time); - Expandability (we want to add capabilities as our needs grow and our budget allows); - Upgradability (we do not want to throw a whole machine away every two years); - Performance (we do not want to have to upgrade in six months) - Good choice of professional applications, educational software and games (that work without reconfiguring the system every time). - Price. With that list of requirements in mind, I started to gather information. At first glance, the answer appeared simple: get a Pentium-based computer, and Windows 95. After all, Windows 95 promised compatibility, ease of use and plug and play capabilities, along with great performance when used on a Pentium-based computer. Moreover, there is plenty of hardware and software to choose from. It could have stopped there. However, by reading reviews in magazines, asking questions to friends, collegues and vendors, I started to get a picture that was not so nice. First, RISC technology seems more promising than CISC technology, and the Intel processors are based on the latter. Even ignoring future trends and looking at today's performance, everybody agrees that existing RISC processors (like the 601 or the 604) outperform Pentiums. IBM itself is supposed to moving to PowerPCs. What does that say about the eventual upgradability of a machine using a CISC processor? I am not sure, but it does not look too promising. Second, backward compatibility with older DOS and Windows software is not as perfect as it first appeared, and it comes at a price (in terms of performance). Moreover, compatibility in the DOS and Windows world was never that great to start with (how many times did I hear people swear when trying to make a new software run properly on their machine). That reduces the supposedly tremendous choice of software to more moderate proportions. Moreover, it raises serious questions about real ease of use and maintenance. Third, plug and play capabilities are still a promise. We will have to wait and see what hardware and software developers are doing. So, easy expandability is uncertain. Fourth, there is the price issue. As a lot of people pointed out, you could get very low prices on 486 machines or Pentium machines, and that counts. That counts all right, but when I started to add up what it would cost to get a machine with all the memory and peripherals I wanted, I realized that it was not that cheap after all. My enthusiasm for a platform running Windows 95 was getting much lower. Then, I got information on Power Macintosh. Those machines are using RISC technology. The Mac OS has been used and improved for ten years, and every user I talked to said that it is really easy to use and maintain. Plug and play capabilities are, according to users, a "fait accompli", not a promise. I also learned about SoftWindows 2.0, a software that emulates 486's hardware and thus offers as much compatibility with DOS and Windows as you would find on any platform. That meant that I could choose among all that software and also have access to all the Macintosh software. Moreover, the new Power Macintosh accept PCI cards. Some have the processor on a daughterboard, which is great for upgrading at a reasonable cost. So far, I reasoned, a Power Macintosh seems to be the right choice. But what about price? An argument that I heard a lot was that, although a lot of people would agree that Macintosh computers are better, they are so overpriced that their quality-price ratio falls well under that of a PC. I started to shop around. I discovered that the PC price advantage is disappearing fast. A Power Macintosh equipped as I wanted would not be significantly more expensive than a comparable PC. When I factored in the other considerations, the PC was left in the dust. The computer we are going to buy will be a Power Macintosh.
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