I really do feel that each OS, Linux, Windows or OSX has it’s place. Each of them have their own good points, yet each of them also have their own bad points.

The thing which excites me most though is how Linux (I’m playing with Ubuntu’s latest RC at the mo) is so good for so little beer money –
I also use OSX on my laptop and Windows 7 Pro on my Desktop, and like them all and have great fun when the irc crowd go off on OS bashing.

Since the beta I’ve been praising Windows 7 boot and shutdown times. However there will always be a “but, what about this?” attitude from the hardcore Mac users. Windows 7 really is a great product.

@Hawkeye – The trouble is (as is often the case when saying one OS is better than the other) some of the features you are comparing are subjective and some make no difference.

So you say the aesthetics and UI are better on the Mac, whereas I personally think it’s the opposite. For example, the OSX dock in my opinion is horrible and the animations in the OS are just naff, but that doesn’t mean I can claim Win7 is better.

Similarly, you could argue about technologies used etc… but for the end user, what does it matter? As long as the OS (which ever one you choose) performs well and does the job you want then that’s fine.

And both OSes have copied heavily from each other over the years so the ‘me-2′ claim is not valid.

Personally I use Windows because it is the only OS that can do all the things I need and want from a computer.

But as I’ve said before, an OS is just a tool, pick the one you want and use it, but don’t claim it’s the saviour of the computer world.

@David – 20 seconds to sleep on your quad core? My laptop, a dual core cpu, takes 4 to 6 seconds to sleep. I have Windows 7 64bit OS. My Vista laptop (also a dual core) takes around 1-2 seconds more. Both have 4GB RAM. Not sure about those 20 seconds. And both of my laptops are heavily loaded with all kinds of software.
I would love to have a Mac, I admit. But why don’t I have one? Because most applications I use are for Microsoft OS.
Also, the comparison between the two are a bit more complicated than all that. Do not forget the amount of people and the amount of different hardware that Windows OS has to support. Compare the numbers between Microsoft OSes and Mac. Like Ben said, their two different products, you just need to pick the one that suits you.

It could be something to do with the ACPI settings or BIOS on it, as it is a desktop, not a laptop, so sleeping wouldn’t be a high priority.

I think it’s fair to point out that the change to Intel had a lot more to do with Intel having a great portfolio of power management technology. Not that they made a faster processor than better CPU. If Apple had maintained the PPC on the desktop lineup then people would have the option of a Quad-Core 5Ghz CPU. (That’s the current PPC that ships). The Apple XServe would also be an entirely difference kind of beast.

well said MacTripper!

Boot and shutdown speeds are only an issue on laptops / netbooks, desktops are just left ON all day.

Likewise laptops and netbooks are mostly less powerfull, so slower than desktops.

If top speeds are realy importaint, then you would have a powerfull desktop when boot up times are of no importance.

How fast do you need? 8 Core processors/ 16GB DDR3 Ram/ Fastest Solid State Hard Drive on the market.
This spec Boot-up times with Vista would be less than 12 second.

My Vaio laptop vintage 2006 is tri boot. XP, 7 (RC7100) and Ubuntu. 7 is the sexiest, XP is the most utilitarian and Ubuntu the fastest. Now if I can just get this damn Kalyway thing to work I’ll be able to add OSX to the boot options.

The difference is that in three months my Snow Leopard install will still be flying along, whereas your Windows 7 install will have almost ground to a halt.

My Mac slowed in under 3 months. Don’t believe the crap, OS X is nothing special. I have had more kernel panic’s in the last year than BSOD’s on my PC. Each to their own but I get more frustrated with my Mac.

Went from Apple ][ to DOS3.2, went back to Apple for my domestic computer when Vista appeared. My iMac runs as fast now as it did when I bought it two and a half years ago.

The lack of concern about keeping this, that or the other piece of anti-vermin-ware updated is a bonus, as is the lack of necessity to spend however many hours a week running registry cleaners, defragging, etc.

Of course, if I want to get my hands dirty, I’ve got my XP taskbar up the left hand side, too.

In the mean time, I still make a good living out of M$ users, if everybody had Apples, I’d have to get a proper job!

Catweazle and Hawkeye in particular: you guys need to step away from your 10 year old – like behaviours. Use what you like and I will use what I like. I have never once run into a situation where I could not perform a task in Windows that I needed to perform. In other words – there is a not a single application I need to use which is not available for Windows. I wouldn’t have a clue what is or isn’t available for the Macs as I have no interest in Macs and have never researched them.

Just look at the ratio of PC Vs Mac users and you do the sums. The “world” knows what is best to use and uses it. Guys so obsessed with a “computer” are hilarious. You get so serious and so determined to prove what you use is better than what everyone else uses, but you just don’t get it: people use whatever they choose and have zero interest in your opinion of what they choose. Go and play with your Mac and stop tarting around crying about Windows. Also, you rightly pointed out with your little version comparisons that Macs have been around for a long time; they haven’t overtaken the computer world though, have they? Funny that.

Just for the record, I have used W7 since the beta versions and it actually gets faster over time, not slower. Also, defragmenting takes about 5-10 mins if performed once a week and running a registry cleaner takes less than 2 mins. Therefore, get your facts right before making pathetic comments like “…hours a week….”. Do some research before making fools of yourselves.

The point of my last post was really this: We each have a choice of what we buy in life and we buy whatever we like. Every time a new OS comes out from Microsoft I read a lot of bs from Mac users giving their nonsense “opinions” about it; generally biased opinion lacking any foundation. If a Mac is so great then buy one and use it and stop giving bs opinions to those who choose otherwise.
If Mac brings out a new OS I don’t even look at it as I don’t use a Mac and have no interest. Why can’t Mac users be the same with Windows? You don’t want to use it – then don’t use it. Why all the bs? You guys are almost like a cult and are obsessed with trying to convert others to your “religion”. To understand why this is all so annoying to me, look at it from my point of view: I have used Windows for a long time and Windows 98 and earlier were utter crap. Totally unreliable, locking up all the time, etc. Then came along XP. Totally reliable, very stable and rarely ever having issues. I have never had a virus and Windows has never locked up on me since using XP. Applications will occasionally freeze (hardly ever though) and it is a simple matter of ending the task and reopening it. With MS Office products this is a very rare occurrence from my own personal experience (has happened about 3 times EVER) and when the programme reopens it recovers the file I was working on anyway. I believe applications also have occasional problems on a Mac too (from what friends of mine who use Macs have told me). Windows 7 has been ever better for me in that it so far shows the same reliability as XP, but it looks a lot nicer and is far better to navigate around. I can get to any main directory on my computer in 2 clicks.
The bottom line is that I have had a totally reliable, highly usable operating system for many years now, so how do you think it looks to me when some Mac users come along trying to sell me on a system I know nothing about and have no interest in? Especially when they talk utter nonsense, such as crapping on about viruses when I have never had one, talk about reliability when I am using a superbly reliable system! I am not about to “take a chance” on a system that may or may not be better than what I have when I know what I do have does all I need it to and much much more, and reliably day in and day out.
Just get on with your life and enjoy your Mac and let others do as they choose. I don’t tell you what car to drive, don’t tell me what OS to use.

I just have to start by saying that I am mostly a mac user. I definitely love apple to death.

With that said, I would also like to say that Windows 7 is a great OS. I installed it recently, and was really blown away at how responsive it was. I’m not saying Win 7 is faster then 10.6, or that 10.6 is faster then Win 7, but I should note that this article is terrible. It just says how “snappy” Windows 7 is. It doesn’t talk specifics. If you want to argue that it is faster, then give us some benchmark results! It probably is faster for a lot of things!

Include some evidence in your arguments. This article helped me in no way at all, and I feel that it was a waste of my time. I’m going to estimate that I spent 3-5 minutes reading your junk, and I want my minutes back!