G'day, thinking of getting a new computer, have win95 at the moment Haven't used a mac since they was all black and white, are these new IMAC things any good? Or am i best to just stay with windows? I only need the internet and word preocessing.

Here are 27 reasons why the Mac is a better choice.

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.
Reason 26.
The Macintosh operating system is a true GUI. Unlike Windows, when you place icons in specific positions in folder windows, they actually stay there. In Windows, the icons get rearranged by the sytem without the user’s consent.
Reason 27.
Documents and folders can be assigned a different colour.

You've got to be kidding. Reason #1 why MACS SUCK!~

1. YOU DO WHAT STEVE JOBS WANTS YOU TO DO!

Also: Where do these Mac people get off saying that APPLE is the choice for Microsoft's opponents ? Microsoft owns 15% of Apple's shares, you YOU PAY MICROSOFT MORE WHEN YOU BUY A MAC THEN ANYTHING ELSE!

Buy IBM. You can get twice as much for $353 with IBM than for $4,000 with a Mac.

Well the first response confused the hell out of me, and I didn't ask about microsoft shares. I like MS and am happy enough to stay with that, I was wondering if theses IMACS i see on TV are good/better though, but it seems that apple users are just like linux users, they have sum grudge against a company being succesfull, and are in denial, that maybe, just maybe windows is actually fairly good.

If anyone still wants to give me a normal answer, am i better off with a new AMDk6-2 with win98, or one of those Imac's, there both closely priced, i want to get on the net with either, and occasionaly write a letter, and a few iother things, nothing like making videos, or playing Quake3.

I won't bog you down with the craziness
that was in the two posts in response to
your query so don't worry.

I strongly suggest going with an iMac. I
believe that overall 90% of people who
want a computer for basic home use.
(what you described) are much happier
w/ an Apple computer due to their ease of
use and reliability.
And my ear is close to the ground here
since I've been selling both Mac's and
PC's for about 2 years. My customers like
the looks (u must admit they are stylish),
and they love the simplicity. You have only
3 connections to get the machine running
(power, keyboard, mouse) and 1 more if
you go online (phone cord). Also, I left
sales about two months ago and am now
the Apple technician for my store. Sheesh
I feel like the Maytag repair man. It seems
like I'm sitting around all day w/ nothing to
do because Apple really builds a reliable
product and a Macintosh tends to last
twice as long as a comparable PC
hardware wise.

Apple computers use very efficiant
processors which can give you almost
twice the processing power for half the
MHz. (megahertz). Meaning my G3 (the
processor in the iMac) running at
400MHz. is just as fast as a 700-800MHz.
Pentium III. Almost all well educated PC
users will agree that the RISC processor
(what Apple uses) is MUCH more efficiant
than the CISC processor (what is used in
any PC)

Also there is my personal experience, I
have had 4 iMacs, I love the machines
and have bought 4 so I can always have
the latest. I dispurse the used ones
throughout the family and have made
some loyal Apple heads outta them too.
: )

Yes PC's do have an advantage or two,
they are more main stream and therefore
easier to find others who own them and
can relate, and untill the next revision of
Apple's linup you can't get a CD-RW drive
in any of their systems out of the box. But
you can add the CD-RW if you want, and
there is a work-around for any
compatability issue you have w/ a Mac
and PC.

Hope that helps you out. And I hope you
have a good CompUSA around in your
area. Microcenter is a good store too.

ROBBO: I HATE MICROSOFT WITH A PASSION, BUT MACINTOSH IS MUCH WORSE !!!

Sorry, Rob, I didn't recognize you. Anyway, I HATE MICROSOFT WITH A PASSION, BUT MACINTOSH IS MUCH WORSE !!! I say, go bury yourself in ALL of Microsoft's paraphernalia before you spend one dollar on a shiny, slimy Apple.

Ummmmm ok fair enough then, this coming from someone who like linux though so i dunno if i can trust you calaspell.

You are obviously trying to fan the flames
here - who would write to a Mac Forum
with such a question? Buy whatever you
are comfortable buying - if you don't want
to be capable of doing anything
exceptional with your computer, then just
stick with what you know. Get WebTV or
something - and post your questions to
some WebTV Forum somewhere (else).
(I gotta admit, though, you've gotten more
responses than any other posting - been
pretty entertaining - thanks!)

Frank, sorry for stuffing up your forum, I was simply asking if those colourfull Imacs from TV are worth getting? Where would i ask this other than a mac area? I had an old B&W mac that was good ten years ago, was wondering if the new imacc ones are good, or are having problems for watever reason.
Sorry
Robbo.

Rob, I think we just have really different tastes in computer operating systems. However, Apple makes not only the operating system, but the hardware as well. And I'd have to say that whereas OS's are largely a matter of taste and purpose, hardware is a matter of practical utility. I hope you Macintosh fans will excuse me for repeatedly coming back here, but it is only fair that I defend my point of view.

I believe that Apple simply makes a very bad product. With IBM you can choose from over 250,000 different configurations; the iMac gives you four. The lowest priced Power Mac costs $1599; the equivalent IBM NetVista goes for $489. IBM's processors run as fast as 1500 MHz; Apple's go no higher than 500 MHz. Apple's shiny, slimy cases cost $200 apiece (for the PowerMac); IBM's cost about $20. Apple's mouse has one button; PC's come with up to five. Their keyboards don't have a delete key and the hardware does not support "hotkeys" like PC's do. Their stubborn decision to make USB the only means of connecting devices has shut out thousands of previously loyal Mac users as they found their old accessories worthless, and this is also responsible for the notorious problems the MacOS has with freezing. The computer's ROM loads the MacOS GUI even if you are not booting into MacOS, and if you try to boot another OS it has to first load up MacOS, then kill the kernel and warm-reboot under the other OS, meaning each boot takes up to 2 minutes longer than normal. You can't have two CD-ROM devices on a Mac. You don't get a floppy drive with a Mac; you have to use $25 zip disks. You can't get a monitor capable of more than 1280x1024 (although their $500 specimen will do a very flickery 1600x1200 if you REALLY push it); yet I'm on 1920x1440 with no flickering on a monitor I got new from IBM for $300. (Apple's pride and joy is the $4,000 "monitor" they call the Cinema Display, which is 22" diagonally and yet capable of only 1600x1024, a very lopsided resolution at that). Apple doesn't have a PC upgrade plan similar to those of Gateway, Dell and IBM; you throw your Mac in the trash after two years because you know it won't be supported (Apple no longer offers free tech support on pre-G3 Macs, even those still under warranty). Apple's iMacs don't come with a manual, meaning the supposedly user-friendly computer is really one of the most troublesome to set up (manuals cost money, and that means less profits for Apple). The maximum resolution on an iMac is 1024x768; that's less than one-third of what I can get.


Anyway, I hope this list of "features" cancels out what Yvon posted at the top of the page. If not, just remember that Apple is the only computer company EVER to cancel more than 2,000 special "Christmas" orders of G4's because they couldn't meet the deadline, and then send letters to all the "customers" saying they could reorder their Macs, but due to the scarcity of units available they were going to charge them at higher prices! Half the customers simply discarded their plans to buy a Mac, and went to the store to buy a PC. The rest sent angry emails to Apple's Contact staff, enough so that even today there is NO "Contact" link anywhere on Apple's site. This, apparently, is Apple's idea of "user friendly".

--- Diana Rurro,
--- Business PC & Mac Tech Support Staff

...well, I love my Macs (5 of 'em) - don't
own an iMac, but the G4 I have kicks butt -
but then again, I use it for digital
photography & website development -
getting ready to venture into video - it is
the preferred platform for much of the
graphic arts industry - this person who
keeps writing in and bashing Apple
should definitely not buy an Apple product
- it doesn't matter to me - her opinion is
obviously just completely biased - I would
disregard it - again, if you are happy with
what you are used to - just stick with it - in
answer to your question, yes, the iMacs
are a great little machine - just like any
appliance, they just do exactly what they're
made to do - very little hassle and a lot of
fun - they are not a powerhouse computer
- not very upgradable, for that you need to
step up to the desktop models - but for
what you need, it sounds perfect - you'll
love the simplicity of design and you'll
probably be inspired to do more just
because Mac OS is so much fun to
explore - you almost have to be trying to
screw it up - yes, Macs crash - all
computers do - most people say that
Macs crash more often - so what - its not
the "blue screen of death" and recovering
from crashes is usually a lot less of a
headache than with a Windows machine
- set up is a lot harder with a Windows
machine, too - go to a retail outlet and
check out the iMacs - they're functional
and fun - or, you could buy some cheap
PC - knock yourself out - and while you're
at it, knock out whatshername, too -
sounds like iMac Envy to me - why is she
so bent on trying to convince people to
hate a company? What's in it for her?
They only way to make an informed
decision is to check it out for yourself -
you sound like a reasonable person, I'm
sure you can make an intelligent decision
based on your needs and your budget -
not on the rantings of someone who has
an axe to grind. Good luck.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?fi
le=/technology/archive/2000/12/19/applep
c.dtl

Ok tnx, sounds like i'm better staying with what i know.

Fair Dinkum i cant get over that bloody Yvons response.

...what does
"B Y N I K K I E C H L E R"
mean, anyway?

http://www.members.tripod.com/GM8687/network/

Go there and get some info

Frank, I live in sydney mate, no such thing as WebTV down ere, we are just starting to have cable TV introduced.(though not in most areas yet).

Windows crash hard to recover from?
You trun the power off, turn it back on.
Geez i know a mate told me mac users are simple people but fair dinkum.

It was sooo hard to connect my old 486 to the network, as I was installing windows it found the ISA non plug and play card set it up and it was good to go, it can also run most of the applications in the world and steve jobs stole the GUI from Xerox. the 486 hasn't locked up in over 3 weeks. Then there is when you run Linux on either hardware choise, that's the way to go.

And there is a MS network client for dos /win 3.x