PC or Mac?

[Spriggan]

Apple is worse the Microsoft when it comes to this, you can't even get a full install disk from Apple that the equivalent to what you get with a full install for Windows.  Heck you can't even virtualize OSX.  But the people who complain the loudest about Window's copy protection (again, different then DRM in concept) are those that pirate and don't want to pay for anything.

And if we're bringing up hardware mind if I rant about those stupid iMac keyboards?  In fact I hate all of apple's desktop keyboards, the keys are small, the arch is weird and it feels fragile.  When I type on those things as fast as I do with a PC keyboard they vibrate and feel like I'm about to break them just from the shear speed.  Not as bad as those stupid hockey puck mouses from a few years ago but almost as bad in my book.

[Faster Master St. Pastor]

I remember those things. I hated them! To tell the truth one of the reasons I went the way of  Windows instead of Macs was because of those things. This was before I could tell any difference between technologies, when I was like eight or so. They used to make me so freaking mad though. The ones they have now are a little better, but sometimes I have to wonder who the heck came up with the idea to make them click when you bang the mouse against the desk. It has accident waiting to happen written all over it.

[Sinder]

what are you going to use it for?
do you have files that you need to transfer?
do you use it to communicate with family & friends?
do you like your mac laptop?

I am biased towards PCs, but it's still your decision. If your just using it for personal use, there is not going to be much difference between the two. If you do have files you need to transfer it will be much easier and convenient on a mac. What kind of computers do your family and friends have? PCs communicate better with other PCs, and Macs do better with other Macs. If you are happy with what you have and know it fairly well, there will not be much of a learning curve on using your new machine.

I would say these are the main faults;
PCs - Stability...it can give you problems, but at least you can use it
Mac - Compatibility...usually no stability problems, but can be a pain to get software running on it
People make software for the general public in the windows format, tax programs, email programs, etc..
Mac software is not nearly as extensive or available, though you can emulate windows and run regular software, this will cut down performance and give you the same stability issues as a normal PC has.
So more or less, unless you need or want a Mac, I would recommend you get a PC.

Also if you decide to get a PC look seriously into building your own, there isn't anything "mystical" about computers...they are about as easy as a snap-together model, follow the instructions and don't "force" anything to fit somewhere. If you have questions I'm sure there are a ton of people (myself included) that would be more than happy to answer them.

Good Luck!!

[Phy]

I'm a writer.  I write technical and Help documentation by day on Windows machines, and write creative fiction and edit a space opera e-zine online at night on a Mac PowerBook running OS X Tiger.  I was a Windows zealot until I bought the Mac laptop last summer to give OS X a shot.

One can make a compelling argument for either a Windows or a Mac device, therefore, one must go to other considerations to make a decision.

Ask yourself what you'd use the device for.  If you're a hardcore gamer, you /have/ to go PC.  If you're into graphic art design, Mac has the edge (although Adobe CS2 and CS3 are available for both platforms).

I wanted a laptop and an operating system that was cool, easy to use, and fun.  For me, it's Mac and OS X all the way.  With the switch to Intel-based processors, one can now run Windows XP and OS X on Mac hardware, and that's too cool.

I've been a Windows user since Windows 3.1.1.  With that said, I've tried Vista, and it doesn't thrill me.  My current laptop is a Mac, and my next full desktop upgrade will be to Mac as well.

Best wishes with your search.

[Merlin]

For one, I'm a desktop PC user and probably I'd get used to Mac If I have to, but still, the transition period from any OS to another is rather troublesome. I'm not against news, but it depends whether do you need to adapt quickly or not, drastic changes always get in the way when you need to be in a hurry.
 
If you are a good user and you use all antiviruses and firewalls the safety is not an issue for you and the positive edge of all Win-based systems is that there's plenty of assistance thorough the net and most things are done so automatically you don't have to be a specialist to reinstall the system if it fails.

And Sinder is right, you have to adapt to your environment (I mean friends, colleagues and so on) if you want to communicate with them more freely. What I'm against, though, is Vista - I think is better to wait until at least one service pack is ready. 

[Phy]

For one, I'm a desktop PC user and probably I'd get used to Mac If I have to, but still, the transition period from any OS to another is rather troublesome.

You'd think so, but I was up and running on OS X almost immediately, and found all the basic things I needed to keep in touch and be productive.  I use my Windows boxen at work and at home for publishing our space opera e-zine, but I use OS X for everything else.  I'm soaking in it right now!

[Spriggan]

I've been using apple off and on since gradeschool and I still can't find where things are on them.

And it's not the big things that take transition time it's the little things like open apple click  = right click (I actually have to carry my own mouse to UVU so I don't have to deal with that), how to find programs you want (why isn't there a freaking start menu?  Oh you're supposed to search for all your applications) that kind of stuff.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

my most recent frustration with finding stuff with OSX was the requirement to mount an FTP directory on a remote server. I don't want to freaking use it as another hard drive, I just want to send my files over there. There are things that to me, don't make sense on a Mac.

[Spriggan]

I acutally like the FTP mounting, if you use it often enough that's a nice feature (if you have full read/write access).  You can do the same with Windows if you know how using junction points.

[Peter Ahlstrom]

SE, there are various ftp programs available for mac just as there are for windows, that don't mount the server as a drive. Or there's the built-in command line version...

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

I don't mind it being an option, I hate *having* to do it for a one shot access.

Ookla, ah, command line. the easiest of utilities. Windows has (forever) had built in GUI ftp. You just type in the ftp address, and you're good to go. I thought macs would have it to. It was endlessly frustrating not to have that available.

[Phy]

I've been using apple off and on since gradeschool and I still can't find where things are on them.

And it's not the big things that take transition time it's the little things like open apple click  = right click (I actually have to carry my own mouse to UVU so I don't have to deal with that), how to find programs you want (why isn't there a freaking start menu?  Oh you're supposed to search for all your applications) that kind of stuff.

When I was a brand-new user last year, I did a little looking around and stumbled across a free program called Quicksilver.

It is the coolest program I've ever used on any platform, and the most intuitive:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quicksilver_(software)

Using it is simple; mastering it is beyond me, so I just let it do what I need it to do.

When I open up my PowerBook lid, all I do is press Ctrl+Spacebar, and start typing the name of whatever-it-is I'm looking for.  I don't use the vaunted OS X Dock.  If I want Firefox, I type FI and Quicksilver notes that I've used a number of apps that start with FI, but use Firefox by far the most, so it gives me that as a suggested option.  I press Return and viola!, my app is up and running.

I'd rather start apps with the keyboard than having to find and click them anyway (and especially on a laptop) so Quicksilver not only has served to change the way I do things, it has made my life so much easier that I've never learned any other way on OS X.

There are scads of HOWTO docs on how to get the most out of Quicksilver, but for my purposes, the main functionality is, itself, more than worth it.

[Peter Ahlstrom]

Windows has (forever) had built in GUI ftp. You just type in the ftp address, and you're good to go. I thought macs would have it to. It was endlessly frustrating not to have that available.

I don't see the difference between typing the ftp address in the address bar of Windows Explorer and using the mac's "Connect to Server" menu item and typing it in there. Both of them allow you to browse the FTP drive like it's part of your normal filesystem, in the same interface as the rest of your filesystem.

However, the Finder's ftp mounting is definitely messed up since it's either impossible or extremely difficult to enable write access. It's been that way for several major revisions of Mac OS X, and it's a huge annoyance. I don't understand it. Apple hasn't shown any reluctance in the past to stomp on the toes of third-party developers, so it can't be because they don't want to take away the user base of the most popular mac FTP programs.

(IIRC, ftp access through Firefox works exactly the same (and differently from how it works in Explorer or the Finder) whether you're using Windows or Mac.)

[Daen]

I'm a PC guy, myself, but I think the major issue comes back to what's already been said: what are you comfortable with?  It sounds like you've been using a Mac for a while now, and are probably pretty used to it.  So, there are probably some things you need to ask yourself about it, maybe like: can I find things easily and quickly with the current set up?  Do I find it satisfactory (does it do everything I want it to, or are there features that I would like that are lacking)?  Does it run the programs/games I want it to?  Have I had any major problems with it?  Would I mind trying something new or different?  How much would it bother me having to spend a little bit of time learning the differences?

Anyway, those are just suggestions.  You might change some of the questions, get rid of some, or add others.  I think after asking some of them, you might have a better idea of what it is you want.  As has already been said: they both have advantages and disadvantages-- Macs seem to lean more toward being good at art and graphics type things, and PCs more toward games and other widespread programs.  (I would say something more specific, but I can't think of any at the moment...)

I've been using Vista for about a month now and not had any stability problems with it or anything, but I don't want to resurrect that issue-- it seems to have been fairly well settled. 

I don't like the one mouse button on the Mac.  That's my biggest issue with it.  Other than that, I think I would have some difficulty finding things for a little while, but you get over that fairly quickly if you use it almost every day.

Anyway, remember that the biggest questions are what you're going to use it for and what you want/feel comfortable with.

[Phy]

You can plug any USB mouse into a Mac desktop or laptop. 

I recently bought a high-end Razer five-button gaming mouse for my Windows rig and plugged it into my PowerBook to see what would happen.

It just worked; no muss, no loading drivers, no fuss.