I want a Macintosh...

[Mamoscott]

Yeah, true. Two bad Samsung CD drives later and multiple system tweaks and everything is looking much much much better. You're still full of shit.

Oh, so you're saying it was a hardware problem and not XP's superfluous programs causing problems? I'm glad you finally admitted that.

Yeah, dude, just try to disable "autoplay" on all of your shit and come back and talk to me some more. You work in Redmond or something? You're taking this WAY to seriously.

Hold the shift key? Is that more complicated than holding the "eject key" to open your disc tray on a Mac?

That's the most shallow and narrow minded argument that I've seen yet. Congratulations. Maybe people prefer the OS? The quality and design? Oh, your "idiot" argument doesn't quite address those, now does it? Let me spell this out for you, Apple isn't just another PC to the users that support it.

If prefer the OS, that's fine, but you sound like just another Mac zealot that can't separate his ego from his computer. It's a friggin computer, not a lifestyle. Get over it.

Yeah, like you've never heard that or the nightmare experiences that people have had with Windows and installing new hardware. Are you that blind or that stupid?

You need to get out of 1995 dude. Plug and play works fine in Windows XP. It worked fine in Windows 2000.

Who recommended it, chief? I said it's an alternative and a counter argument to the typical "Macs are so expensive" whining that always ends up in arguments like this.

It's not a counterargument to anything, since it is a completely irrelevant point. Face it. Macs are expensive.

Also, diffusionx's entire "lol everyone only buys the same brands anyway" post is so supremely retarded that I don't even want to quote it and provide a more lengthy response. Apple machines hold their value, because the advance of their utilized technology, specifically processor power, has been marginal at best for so many years. Apple systems have only recently broken the 1 ghz barrier, so when 500-900 mhz systems are still near the top of Apple's product line, of course they'll have a higher value in the reseller market.

EDIT: IBM Thinkpads are the best laptops on the planet. They are also insanely expensive.

[Grave]

IBM Thinkpads are the best laptops on the planet. They are also insanely expensive.

Odd... I don't remember them being, but again, I haven't been in the market for a PC laptop in a long time.

However, I beg to differ. 15" PowerBook is the best laptop on the planet. I prefer the TiBook, but the new aluminum one is pretty rockin', too.

Anyway, to defend haoh's statement, I beg to differ that your personal computer is "just a computer." Sure, I develop no attachment to office machines and computer lab systems, but when I have my own computer, I customize it, I set things up the way I want them and I make it my own, I run the OS I want, and I tweak it accordingly, I grow attached to it. Mac or PC, I think it happens. Mac users tend to be more appreciative of their computers and have more brand loyalty than PC users, but I think it goes either way. I was as proud as hell of my WindowMaker setup in Linux, it was gorgeous and perfectly functional for me.

For some people, it IS a lifestyle. If they like that, that's cool.

And yeah, WinXP's plug and play is good, but it still does screw up now and then. And you know else? So does OS X. But I've had more trouble with XP in that regard. Namely with Creative Labs products, but when I'm King of Hell, I have a special section reserved for Creative Labs. With lots of scorpions. Lots and lots of scorpions.

But I don't think this debate is going to go much further than this, because everyone eventually gets stuck in "I-am-right-and-this-is-why" mode and nobody's going to be changing anyone's opinions so LDSHGFHGAFASwHG!!!!111111 yes.

[JMET]

Creative labs sucks more dick then attractive hookers on bruce b. downs in Tampa...

[Diff-chan]

Yea Mamoscott... the computer is "just a computer"... and the Ford Tempo I drove until it broke down was "just a car"... etc.

But to some, to many, the cars they drive are more than just a car. The guitar they play is more than "just a musical instrument". The home theater setup is more than just a bunch of crap for playing DVDs.

And for some, the computer isn't just a generic grey box that sits there and beeps at you when you ask it to and crashes every so often. For a lot of people, the computer lets them record and edit music. It lets them make home movies of their families and archive their pictures. It lets them make works of art. Etc., etc. And for those people... well it looks to me like the Mac is a great choice.

It's just like for me, driving a car is getting from A to B. But for some, driving is something to savor. Likewise, some people just like to jam on their music instruments when their stoned, and thats cool. But some see it as a damn near religious experience.

See, some things mean more to some people than others.

For some, using a computer is blah, fuck it. But for some, using that computer allows them to do great things.

If you're too narrow-minded to understand why people would place value on their computing experience above and beyond how much money they spent (or saved), then of course you will not be interested in a Mac.

[haohmaru]

Oh, so you're saying it was a hardware problem and not XP's superfluous programs causing problems? I'm glad you finally admitted that.

No, notice in the sentence it says "tweaks" and I said it was "much... better", not solved, and certainly still not OS X. Read much?

Hold the shift key? Is that more complicated than holding the "eject key" to open your disc tray on a Mac?

Er, yeah, but that doesn't address what I said. We're talking about disabling it in Windows without requiring an appendage. You seem to have reading comprehension issues.

If prefer the OS, that's fine, but you sound like just another Mac zealot that can't separate his ego from his computer. It's a friggin computer, not a lifestyle. Get over it.

That's just the example that I illustrated "It's just a friggin car". No, it's not. Given the amount of daily use it gets it is much more than a computer and given that I run both (XP and OS X) it's not MY ego that's at issue here. Find a mirror. Because I drive everyday doesn't mean I want to drive a fucking Yugo.

You need to get out of 1995 dude. Plug and play works fine in Windows XP. It worked fine in Windows 2000.

Yeah, I'd like to get of 1995 and get into that fantasy world that you're living in, because the rest of us surely aren't in that place yet either. *Get a clue*.

It's not a counterargument to anything, since it is a completely irrelevant point. Face it. Macs are expensive.

Yawn. Here's that same ol' argument again. You point to building your own PC cheaper, I point to a way to build a competitive Mac cheaper, and you say it's irrelevant. It IS relevant because it addresses the issue and presents a solution to the problem that you posed. Do you know what "relevant" even means?

Also, diffusionx's entire "lol everyone only buys the same brands anyway" post is so supremely retarded that I don't even want to quote it and provide a more lengthy response. Apple machines hold their value, because the advance of their utilized technology, specifically processor power, has been marginal at best for so many years. Apple systems have only recently broken the 1 ghz barrier, so when 500-900 mhz systems are still near the top of Apple's product line, of course they'll have a higher value in the reseller market.
EDIT: IBM Thinkpads are the best laptops on the planet. They are also insanely expensive.

Apple's powerbooks are just as good, if not better, than anything that IBM makes and you can use either how they are received critically by the media and general users or resale value as your "best laptop" yardstick-O-meter to prove it.

And, are you seriously going there? I mean the MHz/GHz argument? I thought you were smarter than that. Comparing G4's and G5's to P4's is asinine, especially if you consider there are few viable benchmarks from which to judge them comparitively.

[Grave]

Yea Mamoscott... the computer is "just a computer"... and the Ford Tempo I drove until it broke down was "just a car"... etc.

Exactly! This is the point I was trying to make, but diffusionx did it a lot better than I did. And for the record, my Contour Sport is not just a car.

Of course, my guitar is a POS. That's about it.

[Mamoscott]

And for some, the computer isn't just a generic grey box that sits there and beeps at you when you ask it to and crashes every so often. For a lot of people, the computer lets them record and edit music. It lets them make home movies of their families and archive their pictures. It lets them make works of art. Etc., etc. And for those people... well it looks to me like the Mac is a great choice.

Last I checked, you can do all those things in Windows. So why does it make Macs a better choice?

The problem is that people like you and haohmaru, with your relentless zealotry, get people to believe that if they switch, their computing experience will be nothing short of heavenly. OSX and its programs never crash...there are never hardware problems...everything just works...sure it costs more, but it's not that expensive...blah blah blah...

Anyone who has experience with both platforms knows that's complete bullshit. After all if everything was as great as you guys make it out to be, there would be no need for the outrageously expensive AppleCare extended warranty right?

If you prefer to use Macs and OSX, that's fine. But if all you can do is spout "plug and pray" and "Windows always crashes" bullshit, then you're just ignorant and stupid.

P.S. I installed iTunes for Windows, and I like how it superfluously installed Quicktime (even though I already have it installed) and began to run THREE unnecessary background services at Windows startup without asking me. Oh yeah, it also stole my audio file associations despite the fact that I explicitly told it not to when I started the install. What a wonderful program from Apple. No wonder I didn't "see the light" when I had my iBook...

[Lobo]

The amount of crashes you experience on your PC is directly related to the amount of porn you watch on it. Mine usually dies after I have about 4 video windows open at the same time for 30 mins.

[Adrian]

If you prefer to use Macs and OSX, that's fine. But if all you can do is spout "plug and pray" and "Windows always crashes" bullshit, then you're just ignorant and stupid.

Exactly, Mac zealots are so out of touch (like they think things haven't changed since Win95) or simply have no idea how to use XP (which is pretty damn easy). XP and OSX are damn good OSs, that's all there is to it.

No offence diff, but you admit yourself that you can't be bothered to build a PC so your statement that there's only a few decent PC parts manufacturers (and therefore only a few choices for each component) is really ignorant. You really do have a far larger choice when it comes to building a PC, I geared my box towards quietness (case with sound proofing, rubber bearings, silent PSU etc) whilst others might want speed.

I really think you're getting the 'grass is greener' syndrome here. I sometimes get it (OSX is great and apple aesthetics are class) but then I remember just how crap iTunes and Quiktime are compared to Winamp and Media Player Classic ;p

[haohmaru]

Last I checked, you can do all those things in Windows. So why does it make Macs a better choice?

The problem is that people like you and haohmaru, with your relentless zealotry, get people to believe that if they switch, their computing experience will be nothing short of heavenly. OSX and its programs never crash...there are never hardware problems...everything just works...sure it costs more, but it's not that expensive...blah blah blah...

Anyone who has experience with both platforms knows that's complete bullshit. After all if everything was as great as you guys make it out to be, there would be no need for the outrageously expensive AppleCare extended warranty right?

If you prefer to use Macs and OSX, that's fine. But if all you can do is spout "plug and pray" and "Windows always crashes" bullshit, then you're just ignorant and stupid.

P.S. I installed iTunes for Windows, and I like how it superfluously installed Quicktime (even though I already have it installed) and began to run THREE unnecessary background services at Windows startup without asking me. Oh yeah, it also stole my audio file associations despite the fact that I explicitly told it not to when I started the install. What a wonderful program from Apple. No wonder I didn't "see the light" when I had my iBook...

Dude, the only Zealot in here is YOU. I'm not saying not to use Windows or to only buy a Macintosh or anything of the sort. I reported my user experience with both OS's and it's THE TRUTH. It's not some ideologically based quest on my part to boast about the superiority of my computers versus yours. I have both OS's and XP is decent, but it is NOT as stable as OS X. Period. The only bullshit being spread here is coming from your keyboard. How much experience do YOU have with OS X? A passing glance at an Apple store or what? Please. If an application crashes in OS X, you're back to finder. I have never had a complete system meltdown, for any reason whatsover, with OS X on four separate machines. I have had that on multiple occasions is XP from a variety of different issues, some hardware releated and some software related and some XP related. It's that simple. Should I lie about my user experience to make your sorry ass feel better? I don't think so. I also never said that Windows "always crashes", it doesn't. Hasn't crashed on me in a week now of everyday use (I'm on XP typing this, as a matter of fact) but that doesn't mean that it's equal to or better than OS X.

And, if we're being realistic here and you're as experienced as you say you are, you KNOW there are hardware issues with windows all over the place. Anything else would be dishonest.

AppleCare? You don't think Dell, Gateway and HP offer similar bullshit that no one will ever use?

Just to give you an example, I bought a 4550N HP Color LaserJet for $1068 (for use with a Mac, I might add) a week ago. I had a 4500 and it pumped out 100,000+ color pages over its lifecycle and I was happy with it. Had a problem with the rollers on the new printer, called HP tech support and after over an hour on the phone they agreed to replace the defective rollers at no charge. Then they pitched their "applecare" spiel and offered me a four year warranty...

The price?

$1600+

Now, THAT is really a scam.

To suggest that Apple products are flawless is complete bullshit and I'd never present them that way. But, I do think OS X has it all over XP and the distance is widening. That's my opinion. Don't like it? Fine. Don't label me a "zealot" when you should be smelling what you're shovelling.