XvsXP.com updated

[Koyder]

  Mav Phoenix said:

Make no mistake I like OSX but I find that this comparison is a waste of time since XP didn't change from it's original form while OSX has changed 3 times.

But it did change! Service Pack 1, Windows Media Player 9, Movie Maker 2, Windows Messenger 4.7/MSN Messenger 6.0, all of which the comparison takes into account.

[electic102]

Well I read this site and I found tons and tons of errors. Here is an example:

XP: Microsoft's free offerings for developers aren't as thorough. Microsoft offers a free compiler and linker and free diff tools (X's free diff tool is FileMerge). Since vbscripts just text files they can be created in NotePad, but there's no syntax coloring, syntax checking or code assistance (Script Editor for X has auto-complete and code samples accessible via right-clicking).

XP users looking for more thorough offerings of free developers tools will have to rely on third parties. For instance, Borland provides free JBuilder, Delphi, C++ and C# Builder personal editions for Windows XP.

First off, both offer free devl tools but who uses them? Probably no one. Most people I know use an IDE such as XCode on mac or VS.NET on Windows. Did this guy forget to mention VS.net? I have about 6 mac fanatics in my office and even they concede that VS.Net is hands down the best IDE available right now and even xcode can only dream of competiting with it. The fact is that there are more developer tools right now for Windows than mac. I can pick Microsoft (someone should inform this guy that Microsoft makes an IDE), Borland, Metrowerks, and tons others.

In any case, the errors are rampant and as it says on the front page, "I am a mac fan". So ignore this site, it is pointless. He brings up some good points but in the end loses any attention I might have given him cause he gets biased at the end.

[Chad]

  electic102 said:

Well I read this site and I found tons and tons of errors.  Here is an example:

XP: Microsoft's free offerings for developers aren't as thorough. Microsoft offers a free compiler and linker and free diff tools (X's free diff tool is FileMerge). Since vbscripts just text files they can be created in NotePad, but there's no syntax coloring, syntax checking or code assistance (Script Editor for X has auto-complete and code samples accessible via right-clicking).

XP users looking for more thorough offerings of free developers tools will have to rely on third parties. For instance, Borland provides free JBuilder, Delphi, C++ and C# Builder personal editions for Windows XP.

First off, both offer free devl tools but who uses them?  Probably no one.  Most people I know use an IDE such as XCode on mac or VS.NET on Windows.  Did this guy forget to mention VS.net?  I have about 6 mac fanatics in my office and even they concede that VS.Net is hands down the best IDE available right now and even xcode can only dream of competiting with it.  The fact is that there are more developer tools right now for Windows than mac.  I can pick Microsoft (someone should inform this guy that Microsoft makes an IDE), Borland, Metrowerks, and tons others.

In any case, the errors are rampant and as it says on the front page, "I am a mac fan".  So ignore this site, it is pointless.  He brings up some good points but in the end loses any attention I might have given him cause he gets biased at the end.

All he mentioned are the free offerings for developers. VS.net is hardly free. No need to get your panties in a bunch.

How do you know vs.net is better than XCode? XCode was only released a couple days ago. Have you spent the past couple days scouring the ins and outs of the app? I doubt anyone really has. As a former pc users, I'd say the site does a pretty good job of staying neutral. There's some points he gives to windows that I disagree with, and some points he gives to OS X that I disagree with. If you haven't used OS X enough, the errors you mentioned are probably yours

[electic102]

Incorrect. I have a G5 sitting right here and I do develop for both. And yes, I have played with XCode since I use it to write OSX APPS. And my company has had XCode for quite sometime because Apple has give us copies of it.

I have had a mac longer than a PC and to be honest, I take no preference to either one. You just cannot compare them. If you stick a user on a mac for most of his life, he/she is not going to take liking to a PC or vice versa.

I found other issues really funny as well, such as the booting from multiple media platforms. I think the point to understand that a PC is a set of standards and booting is done by the BIOS not Microsoft. Unlike the mac, you can buy motherboards from 10 different companies and the rest is true for other hardware.

[Chad]

  electic102 said:

I found other issues really funny as well, such as the booting from multiple media platforms.  I think the point to understand that a PC is a set of standards and booting is done by the BIOS not Microsoft.  Unlike the mac, you can buy motherboards from 10 different companies and the rest is true for other hardware.

I don't think you quite understand what the author of the site is getting at. OS X is much better at handling multiple media boot options. The pc in this case, is hardly standard, as it differs with every motherboard manufacturer and every bios. On every Mac, the standard is C to boot the cd room, etc. It doesn't change. I'm sure M$ has it's hand in the bios to some extent. So we see where having 10 different choices for motherboards is actually a negative thing. How ironic.

And my statements remain true about vs.net vs xcode. And you graciously proved my point. People tend to be more comfortable in environments that they have used longer. It's obvious vs.net has been out quite awhile, so you've had time to use it. Xcode, in it's final state, has only been out for a couple weeks, even to the developers/warezers.

[Koyder]

  electic102 said:

If you stick a user on a mac for most of his life, he/she is not going to take liking to a PC or vice versa.

That's over-generalized. I had a PC for 7 years and I hated it. Switched to Mac this Summer and I love it. I admit, it's all a matter of personal preference and if I ever am to say "Windows sucks" I always follow it with "to me".

80% of PC users don't give a damn about computers and all they want is send email twice a week and write a paper twice a semester, and since PCs are the least expensive solution out there, they go for them. Whereas 80% of Mac users have specified expectations that for some reason the Mac platform suits best. What about the remaining 20 percents? Well, the remaining 20% of PC users have specified expectations that for some reason the PC platform suits best, whereas the remaining 20% of Mac users don't give a damn about computers and all they want is send email twice a week and write a paper twice a semester, and since they're filthily rich and Macs look so cool, they go for them. Period.

[kairon]

  electic102 said:

I have had a mac longer than a PC and to be honest, I take no preference to either one. You just cannot compare them. If you stick a user on a mac for most of his life, he/she is not going to take liking to a PC or vice versa.

Like Koyder I used Windows PC's for 5-6 years, but my very first computers were an Amiga and a Performa 550 mac with System 7. Maybe thats why I always took a liking to macs. :)

[SimplyPotatoes]

all these comparison threads for mac and windows are so pointless and stupid

[macman87]

its really up to what you like... some people love how os x looks and some people don't... thats fine... some people like windows and some people hate windows... thats fine too... but imo i like macs...

[Tim Dorr Veteran]

I dunno, electro, coming from using nothing but VS, I found Project Builder quite a nice change over. In particular, I *love* Interface Builder, I don't think MS can really compete there. I think the whole NIB-based UI format, and the focus on MVC. It just seems to work better for me.

BTW, I got my copy of VS.Net for free, so I can compare the two legitimately :D