Consistency, Compatibility, and OS Upgrades
More thoughts on Windows and the Mac OSes
- 2002.07.12
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Last week I pointed out some of the good and bad things that Windows, BeOS, and the Mac OS had to offer. This week I am going to continue that discussion with an emphasis on ease of use and maintenance that each OS has to offer.
I also want to thank everyone who pointed out my mistake last week - I was referring to the forward button, which lets you go to the directory you were in before you clicked the "back" button.
The Mac OS has a very nice way of keeping consistent in various versions of the OS. While there have been significant changes in major revisions, such as from System 7.5.x to 8. t these changes have always been somewhat subtle (until OS X came out, that is) - things are still in the same place, and the computer still acts as it did before, so you can go on and do your work.
But with Windows things are a little bit different. Some upgrades, such as the one from Windows 95 to 98, go very easily with few problems. Other upgrades aren't quite as easy.
For example, upgrading from Windows 98 to Windows 2000 doesn't always go well. Applications don't always work as well, especially old DOS ones. Things are in different places. Want to open the device manager? Well, it looks different and is in a different place, even though it can be accessed from the same place.
And then there are drivers. There are many different types of network cards, modems, sound cards, and display cards - and the Windows CD doesn't include them all. To make things worse, certain devices only work under certain OSes. This means that upgrading Windows might kill your network connection, Internet connection, sound, or video.
The nice thing about the Mac OS is that the hardware that came with the machine is made by Apple, and it will be supported (with the exception of the floppy drives under OS X) in future versions of the Mac OS.
To be fair, most PCs are fine with Windows upgrades. But there are some that can't run certain versions of Windows at all, and home-built PCs don't always play nice with OS upgrades, either.
Also being fair, some Macs don't work well with some OS upgrades. The iMac needed a ROM update to run past OS 8.5 for example. But I do feel that the Mac OS is much smoother to upgrade than Windows.
However, I feel that application compatibility is slightly better in Windows. Windows XP, as much as I hate it, lets older applications integrate better than Mac OS X runs older Mac OS 9 applications in the Classic mode.
What disturbs me about Windows is the additional "features" that are added. Things appear in odd places. For some reason, clicking on "properties" for the user that appears at the top of the Start menu in Windows XP gives you a way to customize the Start menu, while clicking on "properties" for the My Computer icon in the Start menu gives you the System Properties window - like it should.
In Windows, when Microsoft wants to add new features, they add additional tabs or buttons. A good example of this is the System Properties box that you get when you right click "My Computer" and select properties. In Windows 98, things were fairly simple, but Windows XP introduced more buttons and a different way to access the device manager (for a consumer edition of Windows).
But the Mac OS has its share of faults, also. In Windows, you can close a window by right-clicking it while it is minimized in the taskbar and selecting close. But Mac OS X doesn't let you do that, which makes no sense to me. Mac OS X also doesn't let you change the system font and size, which can be a problem for some people who can't read the single text size that OS X gives you, or for someone who just wants a different font.
Hopefully these issues will be fixed in Jaguar.
Recent Apple Archive articles
- iPods, notebooks, and other modern electronics more readily replaced than repaired, 12.07. Whether it's an intermittent failure or a broken display cable, more often than not it's cheaper to replace a broken electronics device than repair it.
- Options for replacing your older iPod, 11.19. Whether you've run out of space on your old iPod or want features it doesn't have, here are your options in new and used iPods.
- Could the $200 'green' PC with gOS Linux become a threat to Apple?, 11.14. The low cost, low power Everex desktop comes with a customized version of Ubuntu Linux, has a Mac-like Dock, and sells for $400 less than the Mac mini.
- Leopard different, a bit buggy, but worth the upgrade, 11.02. Leopard on a Power Mac G4 and a MacBook Pro: It runs well on both computers, but each has some odd bugs, and some of the changes are a step backwards.
- More in the Apple Archive index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: 'Sawtooth' Power Mac G4, Aug. 1999 - Available in speeds from 350-500 MHz, 'Sawtooth' introduced AGP video to the Mac.
- Group of the Day: G4 List is for those using Power Mac G4s or G4 upgrades.
- November 22 in LEM history: 99: Gradebooks - 00: Leveraging Apple design - Quadra 630 to Power Mac 5200 - 02: Laptop or desktop? - 04: SuperDuper: Quick, easy, efficient backup - Cross-platform programming for the rest of us - 05: Mac video surveillance on the cheap - Which OS is best for my vintage Mac? - No 'best browser' for the Mac - Sorry state of browsers for classic Macs - 06: Core 2 means cooler running 'Books - 2.0 GHz G4 upgrade
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- The Long Term Value of a High End Mac, Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job, 11.21. Low-end Macs are more affordable up front, but the flexibility and upgrade options of a top-end Mac can make it the better value in the long run.
- iPhone #1 Worldwide, Google Voice Search for iPhone, iPhone 3G Battery Pack, and More, iNews Review, 11.21. Also British accents throw off Google voice search, lots of new iPhone apps, universal USB car charger, new protective cases, and more.
- 15 Reasons Macs Are Better, Quad-core iMac in January?, USB 3.0 Spec Finalized, and More, Mac News Review, 11.21. Also 25 years of Macs, 'Snow Leopard' in Q1?, SimpleTech's faster and greener hard drive, Hyperspaces, StarOffice for OS X, and more.
- DisplayPort Copy Protection, Trackpad Update, Netbooks Not to Be Taken Lightly, and More, The 'Book Review, 11.21. Also Apple set for record sales, 4-finger gestures on original MacBook Air, MacBook Apple's best consumer notebook to date, Cricket laptop stand, bargain 'Books from $490 to $2,299, and more.
- Virtualization Shootout: VMWare Fusion 2 vs. Parallels Desktop 4, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 11.20. Both programs do the same thing, but one runs Windows XP smoothly alongside Mac apps, while the other bogs down everything but Windows.
- Just Right: Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear MacBooks, Charles W. Moore, 'Book Value, 11.20. Some people like small and light notebooks, others prefer huge desktop replacements, but the best value tends to be in the middle.
- Apple Caves to Hollywood with DRM on iTunes Videos, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 11.20. HDCP on the new MacBooks means that you may never really own those videos you buy from the iTunes Store.
- Leopard Runs Very Nicely on PowerPC Macs, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 11.19. Some claim that Mac OS X 10.5 is so optimized for Intel Macs that it runs poorly on PowerPC hardware. That's simply not the case.
- No High Definition iTunes Video for You, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 11.19. The October 2008 MacBooks are preventing users from viewing some high-def iTunes content from being viewed on their external displays. Poor form!
- Every Working Computer Is Useful to Someone, Allison Payne, The Budget Mac, 11.19. Whether it's a PowerBook 1400, G3 iMac, or Power Mac G4, it could be all the computer someone needs.
- 3 WeatherBug Options for Apple Users, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 11.19. Have instant access to current local weather conditions with a Dashboard widget, iPhone app, or Firefox plugin.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best Power Mac G4 and AGP Video Card Deals, 11.20. Used 400 MHz, $50; 733, $100; 800, $199; 1.25 GHz, $300; 800 MHz dual, $200, 867, $300; 1 GHz, $350; 1.42, $400.
- Best iBook G3 Deals, 11.20. Used 300 MHz clamshell, $150; 366, $199; 800 CD, $180; 600 CD-RW, $240; 700 Combo, $290; 900, $369; 14" 600, $360; 900, $449.
- Best Power Mac G3 and PCI Video Card Deals, 11.20. Used beige 300 MHz, $25; blue & white 350, $80; 400, $90; 450, $105; PCI video cards from $15; shipping additional.
- Best iMac G4 Deals, 11.18. Used 15" 700 MHz Combo, $243; 800 MHz, $280; 1 GHz, $380; 17" 1.25 GHz SuperDrive, $400; 20", $549.
- Best MacBook Air Deals, 11.18. New 1.6 80, $1,150 after rebate; 120, $1,744 a/r; 1.8 80, $1,794 a/r; 1.6 128 SSD, $2,150; used 1.8 64 SSD, $1,500; new, $2,200 a/r; 1.86, $2,398 a/r.
- Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 Deals, 11.18. Mac OS X 10.0.3, $30; 10.1, $20; 10.2, $60; 10.3 CD, DVD, $100; CD, $119; 10.1 Server, unlimited users, $58; 10.3 Server, unlimited, $150.
- Best iPod nano Deals, 11.17. Refurb 3G/4 GB, $79; new, $114; refurb 8 GB, $99; new, $125; 3G/8 GB, from $134; 16 GB, from $189. Prices include ground shipping.
- Best Titanium PowerBook G4 Deals, 11.17. Used 1 GHz with SuperDrive, $478 plus shipping.
- Best Xserve deals, 11.17. Used G4/1 GHz, $999; G5/2 GHz, $1,288; new 2.0 4-core Xeon, $1,900; refurb 3.0 4-core, $2,599; 2.8 GHz, $2,499; 3.0 8-core, $3,499.
- More deals in our archive.
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