Getting Off of Windows...

As my home-built Windows PC begins to teeter on the brink of failure (the USB bus has been unstable for a couple years now), I've finally made the decision to essentially ditch Windows once and for all (mostly). I say "mostly" because I plan to install Parallels in case I have need for Windows at some point. Anyway, that being said, I've evaluated my needs and opted to get a new Mac Mini with the following kit from Apple:
   * Processor 065-7427 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
   * Memory 065-7429 2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB
   * Hard Drive 065-7432 160GB Serial ATA drive
   * Optical Drive 065-7434 SuperDrive 8x(DVD±R/DL/DVD±RW)
   * Apple Software Solutions 065-6200 None
   * MAC OS LANGUAGE 065-7436 Mac OS X
   * Country Kit 065-7437 Country Kit
It's worth noting that the new 2.0 version of the Mini comes with the Core 2 Due chip set. I had hesitated to purchase before vacation because it was still on the older, slower Core Duo processors, and was instead agonizing over shelling out US$3k to buy either a high-end Macbook Pro laptop or, more outlandish, an actual full-sized Mac Pro. What wonderful timing, then, that the Mini has just now been upgraded to the Core 2 Duo chips.

So, you might be wondering, "Why switch to Mac?" Well, the fact of the matter is that I'm sick and tired of Windows locking up. The OS simply does not multi-task very well, which in this day and age is essential. This is not to say that OS X is perfect, by any means, but it does seem to handle load much better on average.

There are other reasons, however. I very much prefer working from a UNIX/Linux based system, which OS X is. I like that OS X has most of the tools built-in that Windows requires as add-ons, such as for multimedia. More importantly than anything else, though, I like that OS X just works, whereas Windows you have to work at it to get it working and keep it working.

Some might trying to go down the "OS X" is more secure route, but I'm not going to give that as a reason. The fact of the matter is that in more than 10 years of running Windows, I've never had a virus infection. Magic? A testament to my security acumen? Maybe. Probably not, though. I simply have been careful, have run good AV, and I've not done stupid things. Now, this is not to say that I haven't had problems with adware/spyware in the past. Thankfully, switching to Firefox a few years ago resolved all those issues.

In the end, I think I'll be much happier running OS X on my new Mini. Sure, it's nothing cutting-edge, but really, I don't need cutting-edge. I need good graphics software for managing my photo library, I need a reliable platform for all of that, and I need to have some publication tools like Word and Powerpoint handy, for which the Mac is actually a bit nicer if you consider the native capability to export directly to PDF.




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This page contains a single entry by Ben Tomhave published on August 12, 2007 6:25 PM.

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