What is Digg?150 Comments
- d2nd, on 10/12/2007, -10/+50weak article, author is a moron (coke-pepsi analogy is weak)
- Cannon13, on 10/12/2007, -7/+35@opusagogo
You say you've been using computers for 13 years. If you can't figure out how to enable right-clicking on a mac, then I have to ask, what have you been using them for, a footrest? - Rummy, on 10/12/2007, -6/+31I kinda have to agree. The author seemed to be building up to a set of detailed tips for those new to macs but instead just glossed over some recent issues that have been in the news. I really couldn't find much of a tip in there.
- RegisteredUser, on 10/12/2007, -8/+31@Harboggles
Individual results may very. All of my Windows machines are:
* Stable
* Easy to use
* Inexpensive.. for the price of one Mac, I built two Windows machines
* Low maintanence - Windows Update and Norton Live Update once a month
* Runs thousands of commercial, shareware and freeware software titles available
* Runs fast
But who really cares. It's not about which platform is the best. It's all about which platform is best for the user. If you feel comfortable using a Mac, cool. If you feel comfortable use Windows, cool. If you feel comfortable using Linux, cool. To each his own. There really is no need for a Mac versus Windows rivalry. - d2nd, on 10/12/2007, -3/+15Harboggles:
So you think this is a useful article? or are you just defending your Mac? I understand if you love Apple, but there is no way you can think this is a quality article. - alantocheri, on 10/12/2007, -3/+15@bluephoenix: The Iomega click-of-death wasn't "just" on macs. The external zip drives were plagued with it.
And I would agree with you on some viruses being your own fault, but when you can surf to a site.. or have ads in a site that infect your machine without you even doing anything? Yeah that's not the user's fault. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+15I agree that the article is weak. I'm a switcher. I've used PCs for over 20 years. Why did I switch and now do most of my work on the Mac? Not because it is a better machine. It's because I like it more. Pure and simple. Since it now does everything I want it to, I prefer its design, speed of operation and user interface. I still run Windows and Linux machines as well, but for development work, the Mac interface is fast and easy. Of couse, I don't do Windows development or it would be a different story.
- tbmcmullen, on 10/12/2007, -6/+17@opusagogo
The fact that the "Mac users" on Digg are egotistical pricks doesn't stem from their use of Macs. It stems from their use of Digg. I can honestly say that most people who use Macs on a daily basis for reasons other than "to be cool" aren't like that. - donatj, on 10/12/2007, -8/+18I own macs and pc's and honestly, I disagree with a large amount of what he's saying. I've run XP on a number of machines and never had a crash. Fighting viruses isn't an every day thing, after the messenger service got patched its not a problem unless you download things from KaZaa or something, or use internet explorer which is just bad to do in general. The majority of the time that I do use my mac is for Adium, which is simply the best IM client in existance.
- tbmcmullen, on 10/12/2007, -11/+21"Some windows users are dumb. Some are ignorant. But I am going to say there are more ignorant people using a Mac than Windows (per capita)."
Show your proof... no proof. Show your research... no research. Show your contrived pretentious empirical example... didn't even do that.
"I am a geek, therefore; I enjoy gaming, I built my own PC, I like to customize (Not just windows, but my PC case) and I don't get stupid virus' or spyware."
I'm a geek... therefore I enjoy programming. When I want to game I play my 360.
"A person that switches to a Mac because they don't want (or are sick of getting) spyware/viruses are ignorant for getting spyware in the first place (or dumb)."
Fair enough.
"Easier to use? Right click please. Ohh and dumbing down every aspect of a UI doesn't make it easier to use.. It just makes it easier to learn. There is a difference."
Hrm... I'm using a Mac and don't have the slightest bit of problem right-clicking. Also, this fable about Macs being dumbed down really needs to end. Macs simply appear to be dumbed down when you gloss over the surface of it. When you dig deeper into OS X you'll realize that in fact, OS X is geared just as heavily toward advanced users.
"The run faster? What benchmark where you running? PCMark 05? Ohh wait.. You still can't game so theres no point in benchmarking. I could build a PC for the price of your Mac, get a pirated copy of windows, and beat down you in any benchmark you want."
The real world doesn't revolve around gaming. Sometimes when adults say that a computer runs faster, they mean for applications that matter...
"I did not pay for Windows. I would if it wasn't so easy to crack."
You didn't crack Windows. You downloaded a pirated version.
"Mac fanboys shouldn't ever pirate anything, or digg anything opensource, because you are using such a closed and proprietory system (the hardware + software)."
Large portions of OS X are open source. Can you say that about Windows? Open source development has been taking place on Macs since the dawn of "open source". Not that it hasn't been on Windows, but my point is... Your point makes no sense. - windowsrookie, on 10/12/2007, -7/+17OK, Everybody that thinks Apple computers are more expensive, you are WRONG. The Mac Pro is $1,000 cheaper than Dells equivalent XPS system. Go compare the features of Apple computers with windows based computers. You will see they are priced the same.
Plus when you factor in what you guys spend on Anti-Virus, Spyware, and repairs.... - thedazellama, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11This one paragraph REALLY bothered me:
"Also, keep the "conversion costs" in mind: You'll probably have to buy Microsoft Office for the Mac, in addition to any other software you might need (think QuickBooks for accounting, Photoshop for graphics, etc.). It's always better to use a Mac version of the software rather than keep using your Windows version on the Mac. Things work better this way."
First, unless you're pirating software, you're probably buying new software each time you either get a new computer or a new version of the software comes out. MS Office costs the same on a Mac as it does on a PC. It doesn't come free for either. Second, things work better this way, when you don't try to use your Windows programs on your Mac??? No *****; they won't even install. You say you've been using a Mac for 13 years? Get a friggin life! - djhifisi, on 10/12/2007, -4/+12uh no - people beat on bush because he's an idiot and he makes the world a less safe place.
- TheReport, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8"You can always spot a Mac user on Windows, because they double-click the program icon to close the application, rather than using the X button. It's what feels natural."
Ummm...what? - pmantis205, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10I guess these type of articles never get old. Do they?
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -9/+16According to CNET and a thousand other articles, Mac users are much smarter than Windows users.
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-943519.html - Cannon13, on 10/12/2007, -5/+12Yeah, that damn microsoft. They only have an entire team dedicated to making Office for Mac, which is now working its ass off making a universal binary version. Greedy greedy...
And dude, you're an idiot if you can't figure out how to turn off the Mac section in your digg preferences. - kbarrett, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6This is weak. How did this get promoted? I thought it was going to have some *actual* tips.
- nofxjunkee, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8I'm a keyboard junkie and Mac OS has the best default keyboard shortcuts out-of-the-box, without question.
Close a window:
Windows - Alt-F4
Mac OS - Cmd-W
Quit an app (Windows doesn't differ windows and apps):
Windows - Alt-F4
Mac OS - Cmd-Q
WTF is Alt-F4? seriously.
Minimize a window:
Windows - Alt-space n
Mac OS - Cmd-M
I could go on...
Mac OS uses the Command key instead of control, which is where Alt is and it's MUCH easier to hit with your thumb than the default location of control (I change Caps Lock to control, so that's a non-issue for me).
There are shortcuts to focus the Menu Bar, the Dock, the stuff in the top right (wtf is that place called?) to minimize all windows in an app, bring up dashboard, the various expose functions, pretty much anything you want. - vprice509, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9Yeah, author, though self-proclaimed Mac lover, is nonetheless a dim bulb. To wit:
"Back to cost. In the Windows computing world, countless companies manufacture PCs and accessories. In the Mac world, a single company makes the computers and many of the accessories. This means a single company tightly controls pricing. Apple's new mouse, for example, costs $50 U.S. Want a wireless version? It goes for $70 U.S. Both numbers far exceed the cost of other mice."
Ever heard of USB, *****? Any old USB mouse will work with a Mac. Same goes for keyboards. My girlfriend uses her old Microsoft ergonomic KB; we just put a couple lil' Apple stickers on the appropriate keys. So thanks for scaring old ladies with tales of Expensive Accessories, assclown. - poesybeater, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Why do people always complain about the expensive Apple mouse? Can't you just use any old cheapo Win mouse? Yes.
- Cannon13, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9You're missing the point. You don't see viruses for macs because of the way the Unix OS is built, not because hackers are dumb. Executable code can't screw up system files without permission on OS X.
- zetsurin, on 10/12/2007, -9/+15Here's another tip: use your ***** mac to click the ***** block button next to this ***** guys name.
- nofxjunkee, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Also, Apple tries to make it so that you can use the mouse with your right hand and the keyboard with your left. You'll find that most shortcuts can be done with the left hand alone, and that's on purpose to minimize how much you change from the mouse to keyboard.
Making things usable isn't just to make things easy for new users, it helps advanced users even more IMO. - windowsrookie, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8They can try, but Unix is much more secure than Windows. And we a registry. Yay!
- nofxjunkee, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Uh, I use my Mac for programming. I can run a native GCC on my Mac. I can run nmap, ethereal, a REAL shell, and more.
Macs aren't perfect, but by saying they're only good for IM and gfx apps is false and shows that you know nothing about *nix, which powers Mac OS X. If you think that *nix apps are all IM and gfx you're a complete moron and should not be reading digg.
Here's a hint: There's basically only Windows and *nix left out there... there's a wealth of *nix apps at your disposal. - adfsj, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7GCC is an OSS compiler, so is nmap, ethereal, and probably any shell you are using. This is free software designed for *nix, not an apple invention, nor designed directly for apple. Free ports that run natively on windows are also available. This isn't an attack on apple, but this just has nothing to do with mac os.
- Kyderdog, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Sad Part is that election time is coming so we are going to get clobbered with terrorist threats..or Almost terrorist acts... like the on in the UK.
The good thing is gas prices should be lower till after the election.. - JayClark, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Lack of command line apps? It's based on Unix. It still might not meet your needs, but claiming there are no command line apps on a Unix system is flat out wrong.
Next time you're in front of an OS X machine, check out the Terminal app. - tizz66, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8You get a year warranty with every Apple (90 days phone support), so I'm not sure why you would have been 'boned' because it broke in the first 3 months.
- Splutterbug, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6So buying the mac software costs lots of money? Buying software for anything is going to cost money!
- dasil003, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@adfsj Let me know where you're getting "mid-stream PCs" for $200.
- wastern, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I'm sure no one was targeting the mac when the $25,000 reward was put up for a virus in the wild.....or when the hacker challenge with the mac mini was posted both here and on slashdot after the false claim of the 10 minute OS X "hack". neither contest yielded anything..there were millions of people that hit that mini alone
there was another contest for $50,000 to make a virus for freeBSD, which much of the OS X was based on....again...nothing
people try, people fail, people make up stories about it to get in the news - wastern, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5There was an article posted a few days ago comparing sales people at Best Buy and Apple. He said he got two of the guys at the apple store to battle.....no touching the mouse. They were going for 10+ minutes jumping all over the place. Apple makes it a point to have a keyboard short cut for just about every function on the system
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7when moving to a college that uses mostly macs in its labs, my BIGGEST hurdle was the X to close being on the top left instead of right
- pu-z, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7Yes, you can. Aside from marking text and Photoshop, I usually just navigate with the keyboard.
- NonPC, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5"Worse then the BSOD is the "click of death" that used to decimate ZIP disks in the old G3 machines."
Thanks for info about Macs that are at least 7 years old and most likely not running OS X. And for your review of Iomega's "click of death" Zip drives. A technology that was abandoned by most 5 years ago as CD burners became cheap and accessible. You do realize this 2006? - Wooism, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Fully agreed. He is a complete idiot, article inaccurate. Doing a run of the mill system update does not give you "a taste of what windows users get". The Coke-Pepsi thing was stupid. And his talk about cost is dreadfully inaccurate. He makes no head to head comparisons, just runs his mouth. How this guy got to be a journalist, we may never know.
- Greyarea, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4"note, they weren't called MACs back then."
Note, they're not called MACs today either. - TheReport, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5"This anti-virus stuff is garbage. Once hackers see that Mac has a growing userbase, they're going to create malicious code for it too."
Mac OSX has been out for about half a decade now and According to most PC users Mac users are arrogant peices of ***** and people claim the person who writes the first virus for the mac will be s superstar....Yet there hasnt been a virus yet. With pletnty of sites offering generous rewards in the past to do so and just the claim to fame of managing to bring down "that iPod Company" and even this years Def Con grouping together some clever hackers to try to exploit some flaw in the OSX architecutre, you'd think OSX would be a disaster by now, yet there hasnt been one single self propogating virus that has brought down OSX. hmmmmmmm so your telling me fame + money + peer encouragment + 5 years not to mention decades of learning the basic archetetcure of OSX which is built around Free BSD and still no virus? intresting... - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4this article pretty much sucked.. makes canadians look bad.
since when is 70 bucks 'far more expensive' than other mice? My mx1000 was over $100!
also, i dont know about his spiel about 'messy network settings'... whenever i've bought a windows computer (in my darker days) i've never had an issue hooking them up to the network...
@liyag: after reading your comment i have to ask... who's the idiot? he's not talking about YOU getting spyware or ME getting spyware, he's talking about regular users. for regular users spyware and viruses ARE a major problem (I work at a local pc shop and we fix upwards of 50 pc's a week totally mangled with junk) and it DOES cost money to fix if you dont have a techy friend/know what you're doing (we charge a flat no-hourly-fee of $60 which is around average for my area, take a look in your classifieds and you'll see computer stores advertising virus clean up... you think its' likely they'd do that if no one needed it? if it was free? if it was easy? if there were no problems with windows in that regard? no of course not).
and it can be difficult to remove if the person goes on and on for months with a massive infection thinking norton is taking care of things (which it never is) and so on. just because mac users say it doesn't make it totally false. you're what mac people call a windows fanboy, YOU don't have any problems therefore there are no problems and you wont listen to any evidence to the contrary, great idea.
in short, whenever you read about malware issues with windows being rampant they aren't talking about the 10% of computer users who are techies (that'd be you and me, the people who DONT pay for the service), they're talking about the regular person who has a job and kids and *****, so give it a rest. - judsond, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"Mac users got a taste of what the overwhelming majority of computer users go through on a regular basis."
Does he think this is the first security update on a mac? Maybe the first one he's ever done, but that's really not the same thing. blah. - TheReport, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5"GCC is an OSS compiler, so is nmap, ethereal, and probably any shell you are using. This is free software designed for *nix, not an apple invention, nor designed directly for apple. Free ports that run natively on windows are also available. This isn't an attack on apple, but this just has nothing to do with mac os"
He wasn't saying Apple invented anything he was simply defending the one dimensional arugument that macs are only good for IMs and Graphics. Unlike that hard to dismiss stereotype that has plagued mac computers for years now Macs are just as versitale as any other Operating System in circulation espcially with the recent release of OSX, Built on top of the Mach Kernal and a being a variant of Free BSD of course it going to have access to alot of Linux/Unix applicaitons and to say that The ONLY reason macs are becomming so popular is because of this stupid ipod craze is just crazy last time i checked alot of the Mac haters made it a point to clearly state Apples Market share as far as Personal Computers were concerned yet their music players dominated the market.
You want a real Mac Tip, heres my little word of advice for anyone trying out a Mac for the first time. If it has the necisiary tools to get the Job done then rejoice and welcome to the Mac world, if not then Move on until you find an Operating System that suits your needs, simple as that. Sadly Pride/Jealousy/Bitterness and just a general game of 'whos dick is bigger' will never end this retarded fued between Mac and Windows users. - vprice509, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3For your reading pleasure- a copy of my letter to the editor of the Ottawa Citizen:
"Dear Sirs,
The author of the article "Tips for new Mac converts, from a veteran devotee" (Published: Thursday, August 24, 2006) may, indeed, be a veteran of something, but not the Mac platform. Either that, or he likes to scare old ladies with misinformation. To wit:
"Back to cost. In the Windows computing world, countless companies manufacture PCs and accessories. In the Mac world, a single company makes the computers and many of the accessories. This means a single company tightly controls pricing. Apple's new mouse, for example, costs $50 U.S. Want a wireless version? It goes for $70 U.S. Both numbers far exceed the cost of other mice."
One wonders whether the author has heard of USB? Just about any USB mouse will work, typically without need to install a driver, as OS X has basic drivers for just about anything a person would care to connect to a Mac. It is no more necessary to use an Apple-brand mouse than it is to use a Microsoft mouse with Windows. Come on now- please give us all a break."
Eveybody pat me on the head and digg me up now- me so witty! - comradechimp, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5Holy *****, how many articles like this do we need on digg? I'm an XP (and occasional Linux) user who would seriously consider buying a Mac Book if I could afford one, so I'm far from an Apple anti-fanboy, but really.
- srg13, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4"It's now possible to run the Windows operating system on a Mac. This is something like Pepsi selling 12-packs half-filled with Coke,"
More like Pepsi selling bottles that you can put coke in... A bad analogy, as Pepsi bottles use the same architecture and chipset as Coke ;). - danielwsmithee, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6I love OS X and hate Windows, but this is the worst article I have read in a long time. He is not accurate about either platform. How did this get diggs? Were people just digging it because it said "Mac"? More people would switch if so many Mac users weren't so weird. It is impressive that Mac owners love their machines so much, but it also goes to show how intelligent people are when they love something.
- AiNoMuchi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Does great job of glossing over old issues with the Mac for oblivious Windoze users. But, it's pretty weak and reads more of a "Damn, gotta write this before my deadline in 10 minutes!!" article than a well-thoughtout one.
1 star out 5. - d2nd, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3@rickcarson
Who do you think you are writing such a long and useless comment?
start a blog dude, digg isnt meant for this - nofxjunkee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2adamsucks: If you say something stupid and get called out on it, deal with it. I'm not going to sugar coat it for you, if I think you're a moron I'll tell you.
slantyyz: I used Windows since 3.1 through XP exclusively for about 10 years. Since then I used Linux (xfce, fluxbox, gnome) and have had my first Mac for just under a year now. I know about alt for using the menus, and I have the same thing on my Mac with Ctrl-2 (default is Ctrl-F2), the difference is there are no underlines on the Mac, it just uses the first letter like the All Programs menu on Windows.
Yes they have the same shortcuts for print, save, open, cut, copy, paste, and some others. That's good because they make sense and we'd go nuts if they were different on each OS. I think that Gnome is retarded for choosing to follow Windows keyboard shortcuts like Alt-F4, though I understand they want switchers to feel comfortable, and at least I can change them on Linux.
Windows loses in my book because they're fixed and somewhat stupid at times. Mac OS wins because most can be changed, and the ones that can't make sense, such as Cmd-Q. Linux is in between because the defaults are so-so, but everything can be customized as much as you like.
If you can't use the keyboard on your Mac as much I think you're not trying hard enough. ;-) Enable full keyboard access (Ctrl-F1 to toggle), I change the shortcuts to:
Menu bar: Ctrl-2
Dock: Ctrl-3
Status menu in the menu bar: Ctrl-8
And like I mentioned I have Caps as control, so these are a cinch to hit. Install LaunchBar or Quicksilver, SizzlingKeys for iTunes, and read all the shortcuts in the Keyboard Shortcuts preference pane and you should be well on your way to leaving the mouse behind even more. -
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