Mac OS 10.5 screenshot from Apple

In the last installment I talked about a few of the Macs available from Apple and why the PC appears to be a better value on the surface, but when you compare comparable Macs and PCs the price difference is not that great. In this installment I would like to discuss what really makes the Mac standout when compared to the PC, Mac OS X.

When purchasing a new computer, most people who previously owned a PC choose PC again because they already know how to use Microsoft Windows, and Mac users choose Mac because they know how to use Mac OS. While knowing how to use an operating system already can be a major factor in your decision, looking at other options never hurts. So what benefits does Mac OS X have, what problems could I face if I change from one OS to another, and will I be happy with my decision?

The first thing you should know is that there is a difference between Mac OS X and Windows. If you switch from Windows to OS X you will find that nothing is the same on the surface. Don't expect to switch to Mac and instantly know how to use it just because you have been using a computer since Windows 95. There will be a slight learning curve, but a good book will help you get over the hump making your transition enjoyable instead of frustrating.

When you boot your Mac for the first time you are going to immediately notice that OS X is a beautifully designed operating system that is very pleasing to the eye. You may have also noticed that the startup time was much faster than your old PC, which is a very good thing. At this point you may be lost. No longer do you have the little "e" icon to click on that used to take you to the Internet. This is where a good book comes in. Mac OS X comes installed with Safari, which is Apple's answer to Internet Explorer. Personally, I only use Safari to download Mozilla Firefox. Safari is ok, I just prefer Firefox. Next you might want to check your e-mail. If you are looking for Outlook Express, don't bother. That is another program like Internet Explorer that is designed for Windows by Microsoft. Apple gives you Mail. Not much difference between Mail and Outlook Express, so once you get Mail configured you will not have much trouble using it.

A major difference that you are going to notice is that OS X does not offer a list of installed programs on your desktop like Windows has with its "Start" Menu. In order to start programs like the calculator or text editor you have to go to the applications folder. If you use an application often and need faster access to it all you have to do is drag the program to the dock. The dock is very handy and can be resized, hidden, and loaded full of shortcuts to suit your needs. If you are a power user you are going to find that Mac is loaded full of powerful programs out of the box. Tasks like burning an ISO image, connecting to a secure shell server, or connecting to your Mac remotely are moderately easy and unlike Windows require no additional software to be installed.

The largest factor that makes OS X more attractive than Windows is security. Most people know that you need a virus scanner if you are going connect a PC to the Internet. Not doing so will expose your PC to any one of the thousands upon thousands of hackers and thieves that mean you harm. A PC infected with a virus can annoy you to no end with pop-ups, slow-downs, and reboots. You can do everything that you know how to do to keep viruses off of your PC, but eventually everyone is infected at some point. This is not the case with Macs. The best protection that you can have on your Mac is a strong password. No virus scanner or spyware scanner needed. There are some viruses that exist for Macs, but those are rare and rely on weak passwords to work. There are also virus scanners that exist for Macs, but those are primarily designed to keep you from spreading viruses to PC users. Go figure?

Another benefit to using a Mac is that Macs can run Windows and Linux. How cool would it be to have a boot menu that offers you the option of booting Windows Vista, Windows XP, Mac OS X, and Linux (Gentoo is the best)? Better yet, why not just buy Parallels and run different operating systems from your Mac OS X desktop without even having to restart your computer? All of this is possible now that Apple has dumped the PowerPC platform and instead opted for the Intel Core 2 Duos.

Now lets talk about some of the problems you may face if you switch to Mac. The biggest problem is going to be that software you bought for Windows is not going to run on your Mac. Some software packages come with installers for both Windows and Mac, but that typically is not the case. Many of the more common applications available for Windows are also available for Mac (Microsoft Word, Excel, Quickbooks). Many games that are available today run on DirectX, which is a Microsoft technology and will not run on Mac. Generally speaking Macs do not enjoy the same sizable software library that PC enjoys. If you are going to use your computer for a specific purpose, please ensure that the software you need is available for your Mac. If all else fails you can always just dual boot into Windows.

One of the things that I absolutely hate about OS X is that eventually you are going to have to upgrade to the next major release of OS X in order to run a program that you need. You are going to find that when you download programs to run on your Mac they may not install because you don't meet the minimum software requirement. My Mac is running 10.3 and I am constantly confronted with programs that require 10.4 or better. It is annoying and I refuse to spend $100+ dollars to go to OS 10.4 or 10.5. Windows is better in this regard because when a service pack is released it is free.

Another thing that I find annoying about Mac is the way that files are sorted in folders. When sorting files that use a number as the file name sometimes they are not in the order that I would expect. I prefer how Windows sorts files, because they tend to be easier to find. This problem may have been fixed in 10.4 or 10.5.

The final thing that is annoying about OS X is the Adobe Flash Player. This one is not Apple's fault, but something has to be done and soon. The flash player on Mac is slow… very slow. It takes much longer for flash animation to render on Macs compared to Windows, making websites like YouTube a real pain to use. The flash player is an integral part of the Internet experience now, especially since virtually all web videos now use the flash player. Get it fixed Adobe, and soon.

Basically you will be able to do everything on a Mac that you can do on a PC if you are basic user. If you have a specific purpose in mind then your choice should be based on the requirements of the hardware or software vendor that you choose to accomplish your task, and serious 3D gamers may be better off altogether buying a PC. Not having to worry about viruses and spyware makes Mac an obvious choice for households with children or for people that just want to browse the Internet, check e-mail, pay bills, and print letters and spreadsheets. If you are a power user, you probably already know that the Mac is a very flexible platform for automating your life.