Comparison of Mac OS and Windows

For those who are thinking about buying a new computer or laptop, the question sometimes comes to mind: isn’t it better to buy a Mac? What are the pros and cons of Mac OS compared to Windows? Which operating system is better? In this article I will compare these two operating systems. I will not delve into the technical jungle, but will analyze everything from the point of view of a simple user. Thanks kmspico for that article.

Let me start, perhaps, with the advantages of Mac OS over Windows.

Reliability and stability of operation. These are not empty words. Mac OS X is indeed noticeably more stable than Windows. In the two and a half years I've owned my MacBook, I've only had to reboot it once! Windows laptops freeze much more often. Applications also freeze much less often. Safari behaves much more decently than Internet Explorer, although, in my opinion, Firefox is still even better.

Speed. Mac OS runs faster than Windows on computers with the same specifications. The thing is that Mac OS is tailored for a specific board, processor, and memory. Everything is really extremely compatible with each other. Windows, on the other hand, is designed for installation on computers with a wide variety of motherboards and processors, and such expanded compatibility negatively affects the overall speed of operation (and stability, by the way, too).

What’s especially nice is that the speed does not drop even after prolonged use of the computer. Windows, after a couple of years without reinstallation, usually starts to slow down and glitch. In addition, Macs turn on very quickly and turn off almost instantly. The almost instant wake-up from sleep mode is also very pleasant.

No viruses. Viruses are practically never written under Mac OS X, thanks to the low prevalence of this system, as well as its better protection and better security mechanisms. There are fewer “holes” in Mac OS than in Windows. In general, antivirus is not required, which is very nice. Firstly, you are not worried about viruses and thoughts about them; secondly, the antivirus does not consume valuable resources and memory, and does not go to the Internet for updates.

Cleanliness. Mac OS does not have the habit of fragmenting files, leaving behind a bunch of garbage and temporary files, and so on. You don't need to defragment the disk or clean up the disk (although you should clean the disk occasionally - but not every week, like in Windows). Disk scanning is usually much faster than on Windows; you can work on your computer during the scan.

Interface: beauty and conciseness. The interface of Mac OS is really sleek and beautiful. It is not overloaded, and at the same time it has everything the average user needs. On the other hand, there are also disadvantages, we will talk about them in the next section.

A very convenient search is Spotlight. This is truly an instant search, searching through everything - documents, media files, programs, messages, recordings and so on. Finding a file takes me a few seconds. On Windows - noticeably more.

Preview (quick) preview. An invaluable thing, one of the most important advantages of Mac OS. You can view any file (document, photo, video, song, etc.) without opening it, simply by highlighting it and pressing the spacebar. It will open in a pop-up window almost instantly. It is very convenient when selecting a document to open from programs (Word, for example), when inserting a document into an email message, sending it via ICQ, and so on.

A large number of useful programs. For Mac, you don't need to look for programs: most of what you need is already installed. This is a simple text editor - TextEdit (something between Word and WordPad), a DVD burning program, a photo editor, a video editor, a convenient PDF viewer, a music editor, a music player, a media library, a web editor, an organizer, an email client, a dictionary and much more. All these programs, moreover, interact perfectly with each other, forming a very convenient single complex.

Excellent interaction with iPhone and iPad. Synchronization of everything possible is fast and convenient: mail, notes, calendar entries, photos, videos, music and programs.

Additional office programs: Keynote. This program is really much better for creating presentations than PowerPoint. It is both more convenient and functional - in my humble opinion, of course. True, you have to pay for it, but it’s a small amount and you really don’t mind it.

TimeMachine. Version history of your documents. Sometimes it comes in handy.

Well, now it’s time to add a fly in the ointment. But for some, perhaps this spoon will seem like a giant saucepan. So - let's talk about the disadvantages of Mac OS X compared to Windows.

A small number of additional programs compared to Windows. Yes, Macs already have a lot of useful software installed, but there aren’t many additional programs. Some simply don’t exist; versions of others can be installed on Mac, but they are cut down. It is especially bad for those who work with specialized programs - engineering, mathematics, statistics, and so on. It may very well be that your professional tool has not yet been ported to Mac.

A small number of games for Macs. For me this is completely insignificant, but for some it can be a significant minus.

There may be compatibility issues with Windows. The programs, of course, are completely incompatible. But even in the case of documents - texts, tables, presentations - unpleasant surprises are possible. Such surprises especially like to appear when processing documents with a complex structure and complex formatting. And even installing MS Office for Mac is not a panacea - this office is not fully compatible with its brother designed for Windows. As a rule, this can be survived. In any case, when buying a Mac, be prepared for these kinds of surprises.

Various little things. It would seem like nothing, but they are annoying. For example, sometimes a window does not open to full screen and you have to stretch it manually. Hidden files are not displayed in Finder (this is Explorer). When creating archives, Mac OS shoves its service files into them. They are not visible on Macs, but on Windows they are. Spotlight (search) creates a hidden file with information (.filename) for each file. These files are not visible on Macs, but, again, they are visible on Windows and cause some confusion.

There are also some little things related to the removal of programs: a serious program must be removed using an additional program - an uninstaller. Maybe, of course, this is not necessary, and its remains will not interfere with the system, but Windows taught me to delete all garbage immediately and forever.

The difficulty of the transition is small, but significant. Mac OS X has many differences from Windows - the interface, the control panel, some keyboard shortcuts. You get used to everything quite quickly, but it’s still uncomfortable at first. And then, when you get used to it, it becomes uncomfortable to work with Windows.

I did not find any problems with device incompatibility. Mac OS already contains a whole sea of ​​drivers, and everything I connected connected fine. Although yes, sometimes there are devices that are incompatible with Mac OS. Check to see if your favorite video camera and old but familiar player are among them.

Finally, let's look at how you can deal with the shortcomings of Mac OS.

The best way out is to install the Windows operating system on your Mac using a very useful thing called Parallels, which allows you to switch between operating systems in real time. This way, most of the shortcomings will be eliminated. But buying Parallels means a few extra thousand rubles to the cost of already expensive Apple computers...

Another solution is to install a Windows virtual machine (VirtualBox, for example). But this is a less elegant and less reliable solution - according to many users.

What's the end result?

I leave it to you to draw your own conclusions. Personally, I think Mac OS is the best system. But I respect the opinion of those who think differently. Indeed, not all programs are available for Macs. Indeed, computers with this system are downright expensive.