macOS vs. Windows vs. Linux

[GeorgeBynum]

After all, a paid for Windows app that runs on Win 7 will (mostly) run on Win 11 - no further purchase required.

AutoCAD is one that reliably quit working on new Window versions. Since they quit selling it, license only, I don't know.
Several Adobe products were guilty too; I had Photoshop Elements for 2 months when it quit working with my updated Windows and had to buy a new version ... or switch to GIMP which is slightly more difficult to use but still works.

 

[GeorgeBynum]

For those who use a Mac, what mouse do you use?

A Logitech M585 BT connection which can switch between my Windows laptop and my MacBook Air; no dongle needed.

 

[droid2000]

So what are you doing about the current MacOS not being supported on your old Mac Mini? I know there are solutions to this, I use one on my old 2014 MacBook Pro, but heck it periodically is far more trouble than Linux or Windows. You appear to be two versions behind. Just going to stick with it for say 5 more years?

I don't really have a plan. I'll probably just keep running it until it doesn't work anymore. At some point I was gonna try upgrading to active speakers. But I don't know yet how they would work with DLBC. I'll probably have to make some changes at that point.

 

[Axo1989]

For those who use a Mac, what mouse do you use?

I use macOS generally, and run Windows (10 currently, haven't one to 11 yet) in a VM (via Parallels on Mac).

When using my desktop Mac, there's the three Magics: trackpad on the right, compact keyboard in the centre, mouse on the left. Trackpad for full macOS gesture control, the mouse to spread the load over both hands/wrists/arms. And some gestures work while mousing. Using a Mac without a trackpad makes no sense.

I also have an ergonomic mouse (ambidextrous, tilting) but it hasn't been necessary lately (the two-handed strategy is working). A mouse is almost redundant on macOS, but some old-school/cross-platform softwares (and web-app UIs) are designed around them and don't map to multi-finger gestures correctly, so it's good to keep one handy for that too.

Edit: I had to check, Ergoption Oyster Mouse Wireless if anyone is interested (the scroll wheel gives me major government office PTSD, but said mouse otherwise does what it should).

 

[DonR]

Interesting that Apple is using "Unix 03" as a brand name considering macOS is based on XNU (X is Not UNIX). I have seen it stated that macOS is certified to be UNIX compatible, so perhaps that is the reason for the branding.

EDIT: I just found a link that states macOS v. 14.0 (Sonoma) conforms to the UNIX 03 standard, along with various other operating systems. https://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/register/. I don't think it matters what code based is used, but rather just that it meets the standard. It is funny, though, that macOS uses XNU (X is Not UNIX), but is UNIX 03 certified.

XNU ... X is Now UNIX.

 

[Old Listener]

You are literally defending Apple for preventing you from upgrading, as if Tim Cook gives you shares or benefits or lollipops for defending Apple. As long as people like you exist, Apple will continue to rip off its customers and the entire Apple community is the one that loses. You would be better off protesting to Apple that you do not want to pay extortionate prices for RAM and storage, and that these should be upgradeable. If their users spoke up and it affected their bottom line, they would change. But no, every iteration of Mac gets less upgradeable and costs more, and it is people like you who are the reason why.

People like me also use Macs. I used Windows on PCs from ~1990 until a couple of years ago. Then I had enough of the W10 updates by force and the problems they caused. My 6th gen. NUCs (tiny desktop PCs) were getting flaky.

Life with the M1 Mini has been blissful. I never hear the fan and the Mini is never slow. It handles LAN networking far better than Windows ever did. Stuff that should work effortlessly just does. Problems have been infrequent and minor.

I consider 5-7 years to be the useful life I expect from a computer. It will be expensive in CPU, GPU, Ram and SSD fail in my M1 Mini before then. We'll see.

I gave up on building tower PCs from components (CPU chips, Ram, HDs and SSDs, power supply, cases and cables) in 2016. 6th gen. Intel NUCs were my next step then. M1 Macs running MacOS were the next step in 2021.

 

[Berwhale]

OS usage varies considerably by geography. Globally, Windows is in decline, OS X is growing, but Windows is still massively dominant...

Desktop Operating System Market Share Worldwide | Statcounter Global Stats

This graph shows the market share of desktop operating systems worldwide based on over 3 billion monthly page views.

gs.statcounter.com

However, much of this change is attributable to North America...

In Europe, the split between Windows and OS X has remained relatively static for the last 5 years...

In Asia, it looks like 'unkown OS' (maybe Chinese OSes like Kylin) seem to be robbing Windows share, rather than OS X...

In South America, Windows is king, everything else is fighting over the scraps...

That's enough graphs, you can check out other regions using the link above.

 

[Old Listener]

Macworld wrote an article about Apple's overpriced RAM. Quote from that article:

"Are the new M3 Macs great computers? Sure. Are they expensive? You betcha. Does any excuse for Apple’s stingy 8GB RAM configurations or highway-robbery RAM upgrade prices? Absolutely not. This is pure corporate greed from the world’s biggest and richest technology company, and as Apple customers, we shouldn’t stand for it."

Now, Apple prices don't affect me as a Windows PC user. It affects YOU. This is the same ASR that thinks that a $1000 DAC is overpriced, yet some here are happy to pay $200 for 8GB of RAM. That's snake oil prices. Do you have an explanation for the double standard, or are you in the market for some overpriced cable?

You seem very worked up about this. While I'd rather spend less to get an adequate amount of Ram and SSD space, I view Apple's pricing in a different way.

The entry level M1 Mac Mini has been priced low to attract consumer's attention. The one I wanted requires a $ 200 Ram upgrade and a $ 400 SSD upgrade. The resulting price was not very different from that for a Lenovo tiny desktop PC with comparable specs.

I bought an M1Pro MacBook laptop this year. It's entry level configuration with 16 GB Ram and a 512GB SSD was fine for my uses. Apple was slow in bringing out a M2 based MacBook Pro, so they filled the gap by cutting the price by $ 400 on the M1 MacBook Pro. Felt pretty good to get the MacBook Pro.

 

[nugget]

Apple doesn't charge for the OS like Microsoft does so they have to recoup their development costs in other ways. They push hard on services revenue and price their hardware in a way that allows them to fund their software development costs. It's a different business model and some consumers are going to be more or less impacted by that depending on their needs and desires.

 

[terryforsythe]

Everybody's use case is different. For some people Mac best fits their use case, for some Windows is the best fit, for some it is Linux, etc.

Merely comparing prices between Macs and PCs does not provide the complete picture.

Heck, if price is everything, then a lot more people would be running Linux, but Linux is not for everyone (at least not yet).

 

[theREALdotnet]

I am surprised that "freedom loving Americans" would lock themselves in with Apple, which is the very antithesis of freedom! I can use any hardware I want, repair my computer myself, and I can even upgrade my RAM and SSD.

A lot of people would like to free themselves from having to do this or worry about it. That’s Apple’s target market. Geeks tend to forget that most people are not computer mechanics, nor do they want to be.

 

[theREALdotnet]

Which OS do you prefer?

I’m an old Unix hand, so that means Linux on servers and macOS on desktops. The most of my interactive* time, however, is spent on iPadOS these days. I usually drive my Linux boxes and Macs from the iPad.

* Outside of work hours. For work I have to use some Windows laptop they gave me.

 

[bluefuzz]

but Macs are supported for shorter periods of time than Windows

While my 2015 MBP won't run Ventura (without jumping through hoops) Monterey still receives security updates from Apple and in that sense is still 'supported' after 8+ years. There's nothing in the later OS versions I can't live without. I have an Apple Silicon MacMini with exactly the same software installed and I can barely tell the difference ...

 

[TonyJZX]

i've been on windows since the win3.1 days but its increasingly harder and harder to stay on the Microsoft bandwagon... it came to a head when one of my laptops "automagically" upgraded to WIn11...

I cant do this. Win10 is probably going to be the end of the road for me. Maybe I might skip 11 and see how 12 turns out.

BUt I'm still on mixed win7 and 10 - i can do linux, I used to for work but I cant seem to get comfortable in a desktop environment.

I'm glad I'm out of the IT world... I wouldnt like to work with Win11 in a corporate environment.

 

[Blumlein 88]

While my 2015 MBP won't run Ventura (without jumping through hoops) Monterey still receives security updates from Apple and in that sense is still 'supported' after 8+ years. There's nothing in the later OS versions I can't live without. I have an Apple Silicon MacMini with exactly the same software installed and I can barely tell the difference ...

That still is not a plus. Oh, and are you aware Apple doesn't supply all security updates that extra 2 years, only those it deems of a more serious nature? My 13 year old Windows machine will receive security updates until 2025. It hangs on as a Plex server since I have a newer Win11 machine for other purposes. Apple is less than MS on this matter. I have and use all three systems.

 

[OldTimer]

Mac Mini 2018 (Intel) still get update to Sonoma. That's the cheapest device.

 

[celt]

I’m an old Unix hand, so that means Linux on servers and macOS on desktops. The most of my interactive* time, however, is spent on iPadOS these days. I usually drive my Linux boxes and Macs from the iPad.

* Outside of work hours. For work I have to use some Windows laptop they gave me.

If you're an "old Unix hand" you would know not to confuse UNIX and Linux, or, imply them as being equal and one of the same...they are not.

Isn't this a scientific forum?

Sheesh...

History of Unix - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[celt]

For those with broken Windows browsers...

See any code relationship between UNIX and LInux?

 

[JayGilb]

>MacOS is okay for people who don't want to think and don't need to do anything fancy. It just works mostly.

Seeing so much of this^^^

Software is the most advanced tool humanity has ever created and it's usually built on macOS. The most advanced tools are built on/for macOS. There is no second best. There is no comparison. There are incredibly narrow specialties like aerospace built on raw iron, and gaming built on windows, but outside that it's macOS. The entire world including most websites are built using macOS. I understand you're not in the industry so you don't know.

Thanks for the laugh.

 

[OldTimer]

In the beginning, there are only 2 computer operating systems which are IBM PC DOS (now become Windows) and UNIX (now become LINUX and Mac). Is this right?