I intend this to be the first of a series of me thinking through a significant buying decision out loud, in the hope that it might be of interest to others also.
I’m aware that for some this is a religious question akin to whether I become a Jew or a Muslim. I am not interested in that level of fanboi devotion from either side.
I approach the question as someone with a limited budget who has almost exclusively used Macs for most of the last five years. Supposedly people like me never think of “going back”, yet here I am doing just that.
I use an aging iMac as my desktop, and until recently I used a MacBook Pro to complement it on the go. I’m further tied into the Apple ecosystem with an iPhone and iPad 2. That makes it hard to think of moving away from Appleland, where the walled garden is a way of life.
However, my iMac is really in need of replacement before too long, and last month my MacBook Pro died – 10 months out of warranty. The Apple store think it may cost as much as £780 to repair. Faced with a need to replace desktop and laptop fairly close together (to say nothing of phone), I also have to contemplate the restraints of a limited budget. Hence I think I have a real question to ponder about the system and direction of my future computing.
I know first hand that Macs crash, and that their expensive hardware dies. I also know that Windows is more likely to crash by virtue of the complexity of manufacturing support and sometimes inadequately developed drivers. On the other hand I know that a well-set up Windows machine (such as the laptop I currently have use of) doesn’t crash significantly more than either of my Macs. I know security is, or at least has been, a bigger issue on PCs than Macs although perhaps no longer. I don’t think I’m starry eyed about either OS.
There is, for me, one consideration that weighs in the Windows side of the scale which may not be relevant for others, which I want to acknowledge upfront. I have regularly been asked to support others and train them in the use of their apps and systems, as well as supporting my own churches. Many, perhaps most, parishes will never run a budget that stretches to Macs, but are lucky to get a hand-me-down PC for their office set up. I have to say that it was much easier to support others when I was running the same software myself. I could (I think)deliver better training for others if I like them were regularly using a Windows platform.
That’s not an over-riding consideration. If it were, I wouldn’t have switched to Macs in the first place. However, it is worth bearing in mind that my situation may differ from yours, and what is a good reason for me may not count for you.
IOS and Windows are just operating systems, the hardware itself is pretty much agnostic these days. Apple pretty theirs up a little bit and (used to) have some nice design touches. However, the core of the machine is all the same.. same mainboards, RAM, GPU, CPU’s etc.
Get some hardware, install Ubuntu on it. Then install virtualbox (www.virtualbox.org) and install IOS and Windows on virtual machines and use them to your hearts content. When you dont need them, shut them off like any other program.
There’s a reason we prefer to use Linux on our servers in the IT industry – I recently moved our webservers the other day, they had been running for over a year without needing a restart. My home multimedia PC runs ubuntu and has not been rebooted for 18months or so – it plugs into my TV and home theatre and plays all my tv/movies/music without the need for anything other than XBMC (http://www.xbmc.org).
I only surf the internet and write papers, so I cannot justify myself spending nearly twice as much for an equivalent machine. That being said, I LOVE the idea of this series. Looking forward to the rest.
GeoffGeoff, I enjoyed your comment. I’ve long wanted to make the jump to Ubuntu, but have always been timid. Like I said, I surf the web and write papers. I question my ability and time to figure out and trouble shoot Ubuntu. Your comment, however, makes me want to reconsider when I purchase a new computer 1.5 – 2 years from now.
@GeoffGeoff I don’t really see the advantage of paying for two operating systems, and using three, when you only need one. My own preference is for Windows, although there is lovely and enviable software that is Mac only. But it tends to be niche, expensive, or both.
Doug the real question is whether you need two computers. A big fixed screen and a good keyboard will turn any laptop into a desktop nowadays. I would get a huge Dell monitor and a business class thinkpad: the thinkpad because it has a really good keyboard, widely available spare parts, and lasts forever. Then, if you want something light and ultraportable pocketable, look at one of the new surface thingummywidgets with a detachable keyboard.
To make my own biases clear – we have macs at work, and I use them, but I hate the keyboards. Corporate macs are probably a bad testing ground. I have carried thinkpads around for nearly fifteen years. Never bought one new, and never been let down. I’m not opposed to open source in principle I use an opensource word processor, and an outliner/mindmapper. But Linux is still just a bit much geeking for geeking’s sake.
Just assume that any computer can be replaced by any other computer, and make your choice on the things you actually use — the keyboard, the screen, and the word processor.
Thanks for the comments. A few responses before thinking of the next post:
@GeoffGeoff – the main problem for me is that virtualisation (even when it works well) always adds a performance overhead and until Adobe and some other software is available for Linux I don;t see it as a viable option for me.
@Joseph – I agree that an honest assessment of the tasks you do and the budget you have are the most important questions.
@Andrew – The two machine question is a good one. I think I’m a little bit paranoid working in a small home office, about what I do if my computer needs repair. If I have a desktop and a laptop I have a fair degree of assurance that I can work (and play) even if one computer isn’t! But perhaps I should give some more thought to that option.
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haha, didnt see that it has double put my name in there.. :s
@Doug, yes it adds a bit over overhead, but since sun bought virtualbox they have improved it. It was always good before, but now its very good. It is good enough for using the few programs you might need windows or IOS for,,
No, linux does not support adobe natively, but it is fairly simple to install WINE and get it working, or buy a license for crossover office and use that (comes with all the stuff to install a whole lot of windows programs, just click and go). In a lot of respects it is actually a lot easier than IOS and definitely easier than windows.
@joseph, the same thing applies, install virtualbox and install ubuntu on it. Have a play, get comfortable, and away you go.
@Andrew, linux is free, so you would only need a license for what ever OS you prefer, and since he is already using say, IOS, then he can just use that license. You will only need it for long enough to realise you dont need it. I ran windows for a while in virtualbox because I _thought_ I needed it. Occasionally there was something I didnt have time to figure out, so I would use it.. now.. I dont have an issue.
Canonical (who provide/develop Ubuntu) have put in a lot of work to make it user friendly. The ethos is that it should be just “plug and go” and it, unlike the other OS’s, _is_ plug and go. The Red Hat group have tried to do the same with Fedora and it is pretty good too (I just dont like the package manager). Honestly, once you have tried it, you wont go back.
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