Let's forget about the device specific things (eg battery life or price) and just focus on the features/characteristics of each OS - what's your preference and why?
I'll go first, I use a Mac for work but I can't get over the fact that on Windows I can easily snap windows onto the sides/corners! So good for productivity sometimes…
And does anyone know of a good notepad++ alternative on the Mac that is not heavy/clunky?
And BetterTouchTool is even more useful and well worth the price. It lets you save screen configurations that can be recalled with keyboard shortcuts. The developer keeps adding things regularly. He's currently working on StreamDeck integration.
+1 on Rectangle.
I have an old MacBook so I used ShiftIt but it's not being maintained anymore. So I have been using Hammperspoon
+1 for BTT. I have Magnet too and it’s great. Works as advertised. But BTT is a whole lot more than snapping windows.
Apple has a Clean up your windows feature page showing off 4 apps:
Used the top 3, they're all great, but my favourite is Moom.
Sounds like XP to me. I haven't had any issues like this since Windows 7 (but then again, I just change update settings if they annoy me so maybe I just did that and forgot).
I have a mix of Win 10/11 devices 9 between work and family not had this issue with Windows update you mentioned.
Everything works and nothing is broken.
I have had plenty of updates on my Macbooks give me grief. Everything from completely destroying apps, performance issues, etc. Monterey in particular has been a complete pain in the arse with updates completely wiping data and destroying the local profile on the machine. Apple said just create new profile and restore data from backup….cool…but beyond that its just…that's OK it happens sometimes. So to say that the Apple update experience never goes wrong, that might be your experience, but they're far from perfect.
LMFAO had to come back to this comment since my PC just decided to do an update :(
Now, whenever I open Netflix (potentially any video streaming site?) in Edge my PC crashes (black screen) but sometimes (50/50) audio keeps playing. These are the ridiculous instability bugs that are always plaguing windows. Frankly, it's unacceptable when updates introduce major issues for your first-party apps… Guessing it's an issue with drivers/hardware acceleration but insanely frustrating as muscle memory for streaming is to open up edge instead of chrome and have crashed my PC half a dozen times already today due to this >=[. Like how tf do they not even manage to have their first-party apps stable in these updates? Honestly, issues like this are why I'd be happy to spend 6-9k on a MacOS system with the same performance as a 3k Windows PC.
Mac for sure. When I used to play PC games I would go for windows but I dont play any more.
My macbook air has been working great for nearly 7 years now with no issues and smooth AF. I always just close the lid and put the laptop to sleep, rarely ever restart (maybe once in 2 months) and just continue from where I left off quickly by just opening up the lid. I still get more than 2 hours of battery life with moderate use (a media player, chrome with 20ish tabs open, few light app like notepad etc). And its nice to not have to pay for OS updates ever. I don't even feel the need to upgrade hardware cuz it works great. Heck, if I ever feel like I need to upgrade, I'll just sell my current laptop (which will still have some decent resale value) and get a new one that will most likely last me another 6-7 years easy.
My windows laptops would b***h and groan if I put it to sleep/hibernate more than 3 days in a row. The battery on almost every windows laptop I have ever used was either dead or close to it in less than 3 years. I dont think they make any maintenance free windows laptops that will last 5 years easy.
Yes, own MacPac and Windows.
Windows, games.
first time I have used MacOS was early last year when I got an used 2011 Macbook pro for $150 to learn about MacOS lol
QNX is the way to go for a small and fast OS.
I wish bb continued to develop it. It was by far my favourite phone os, it had the best of ios and android in 1. It wouldve been only a matter of time until they developed laptop variants.
Both.
My time is spent about 50/50 between my M1 MacBook Air & Windows 11 desktop.
MacOS for Xcode, and app 1Password to print the vault. Windows, the daily workhorse, and run Vmware, various instances of Windows, MacOS, Linux, etc.
print the vault
Purpose of doing this?
If I need to move to another platform such as Android, or if the unexpected happens - gifting access to my video collection, router, finances, etc.
Sync with Dropbox, use 1Pw for Android
Please add FreeBSD option. Everyone ignores us :-(
Your OS cousin is OSX, so related to Apple.
I think Darwin (MacOS kernal) has some parts from FreeBSD. I haven't used FreeBSD itself but have used FreeNAS. Are you using FreeBSD as your daily ?
Not really, Linux mostly. But I thought they deserved a mention. :)
So does iOS and Android, which is the main os for many people now.
Android
Yep, specially Samsung DeX is almost a full desktop environment when connected to a monitor + kb/mouse
I definitely prefer Windows, but for everyday use, i gave up my lenovo for a macbook air. When i was travelling overseas and had to camp somewhere for wifi, my lenovo would barely last an hour whereas my sisters MBA would last forever. Also found that performance slowly degraded over time (got slower etc). Still reminisce about my L4D2 and Diablo days sometimes haha
My MBA has lasted 7 years and is still going great but I sold it as i barely used it since having kids. Battery life was still amazing and didnt suffer much lag. Replaced it with a Chromebook Duet 5 instead and also loving it, i can watch my shows while doing dishes lol, and then connect the keyboard if i need to write emails/ozbargain comments.
Both are good in different ways.
Windows for main PC and gaming, IOS / Mac for any portable device / laptop.
Windows for gaming, self explanatory. But Macbooks slap any windows laptop across the room and back, whether its battery life, trackpad, keyboard, screen quality, build quality, it does it so much better and its worth the prince in my opinion.
Windows will get my vote though as I've used it for much longer and my main desktop is a Windows device.
Never used Mac. Wouldn't know where to start. Stick with what you know.
Step 1: Purchase Mac from apple.com.au
Step 2: Don't expect it to be/act like Windows.
Step 3: Enjoy learning something new, but stick with what you know when it comes to your wife. https://youtu.be/BWrJpC8aBCI
Step 4: If you don't like it, send it back to Apple within two weeks for a full refund. Even better, do it around November 1 (check the date as it may change) and they have an extended return period to the first week of January. Two whole months to learn something new.
Step 5: ????
Step 6: PROFIT!!!
Step 6 profit… lol
I gotta learn to use one eventually. Probably mid to late next year, but November is an interesting idea.
I was a pure Windows user it was all I knew, then about 5 years ago I just had to test out Mac pro. Used Mac for 4 years. What I learned was Mac updates are absolutely wonderful minimal issues, my battery in the 1st year exploded and had to be replaced, then the card reader at some early point became corroded and realized after warranty so left it unusable but it was great how my apple phone integrated so well with my Mac. Mac is not set up for easy efficient file management but easy to use if you’re not technically trained using windows. I manipulate files a lot and decided based on my MACs problems and difficulties with file management I had to go back to Windows. Using 11 and minimal issues; a few times it has failed to boot scaring me but patience and persistence payed off as it eventually loaded. Think issue related to updates being glitchy and or slow.
What issues with file management did you have?
I find Windows Explorer much more convoluted and clunky compared to Finder. With tabs and proper configuration Finder is a much better way to manage files in my opinion.
I organise files easily with windows, never could find an easy way to do it with mac. I transfer files around and again not easy with mac. Also Mac does not support dos formatting so had to find a work around when moving USBs from windows to my Mac machine.
That’s just because you are used to the way things work in Windows and you never bothered to learn how to do them on a Mac. It’s similar but not the same.
As far as usb storage goes Mac reads and writes both Fat32 and ExFat and that’s what you need to use. NTFS is locked down proprietary windows format. I doubt you meant MS Dos.
Neither. I have used Linux for the last >20 years.
What are the advantages of Linux?
Cheap, secure and easy on resources.
What are the advantages of Linux?
cost, security, ALL them flavors that can be personalized to your exact liking and the unobtrusive uninterrupted updates when YOU want to install at your leisure, live CD's, tiny operating systems
The biggest advantage of Linux is the filesystem is more robust and almost all of them have some level of error-checking and/or journalling. Windows NTFS is absolutely terrible and anyone who have used windows for long would have likely encountered folders/files that became corrupted. Just for this reason alone, MacOS and Linux is objectively superior. There's too much legacy bloat on windows.
From an user experience side. Linux is almost better at running windows than itself (not literally); i find it ironic that it's faster to spin up a windows VM through KVM than booting up into windows (ie. Please wait while we're installing your updates). Though with that said, nothing beats running bare-metal Windows OS if you need to do something resource intensive.
Advantage of Linux?
No licensing or registration required (other than commercial distributions or commercial software). If you want to install open source software, you can use the package manager and install it right away.
Heaps of open source software available.
Runs any media format without issues (and without prompting you to buy a license for a codec).
Software readily available to read just about any file format.
Has a range of different interfaces which can suit people that really love to customise their interface (though this can be a disadvantage as well).
If you want to move your drive to a different hardware system, it just works.
OS upgrades are pretty hassle free.
Disadvantages.
A lot of windows software doesn't work. A lot does work though, via the WINE compatibility layer.
Very different experience to Windows and MacOS. Although you can install interfaces that make it relatively similar.
Generally not as well integrated as Windows and MacOS, so you'll need to deal with a few inconveniences. If you're a techie, you can basically script almost anything you want to do, though.
I'll go first, I use a Mac for work but I can't get over the fact that on Windows I can easily snap windows onto the sides/corners! So good for productivity sometimes…
Rectangle. It’s free.
And does anyone know of a good notepad++ alternative on the Mac that is not heavy/clunky?
BBEdit (from Mac App Store). Free version is fine.
Rectangle is essential!! Also another good one if you use an external monitor is https://monitorcontrol.app to adjust screen brightness
Wait, is this possible for all monitors? Like even non-apple displays you can adjust the brightness just by connecting them to MacOS? Or is this possible with all monitors in Windows too?
Have I been living a life of struggle pressing the little buttons on my monitor several times every day to adjust the brightness, when I could have just been doing it with a 3rd party app?
Yes!! Few won't work but most do support DDC and will work as native. On Windows you can try https://twinkletray.com/ – I found this to be quite good.
Mac. The track pad is my productivity improver with its swipe gestures. And I don't get gradual slowdowns, shut-downs or random blue screens of death (well, the mac equivalent) like I always did with Windows machines.
Tbh I love Mac for the reason most people love iPhone - it's easy to use and as the cliche goes, 'it just works'. Ironically, I prefer Android phones…
There’s a $7 app that makes snapping on Mac easier
It’s called Swish.
Some will say “why do I have to pay”
I respond “imagine if the price of your Mac was $7 more expensive. Would you still buy it?”
Mac all day for both work and personal use, the latter being 16 years ago, when they introduced Intel into their MacBooks (so I could bootcamp, I love the irony). Haven't gone back, and that was from being a hardcore PC builder/overclocker. Something just flipped in me.
I have a Windows PC which gets fired up for games, only.
Windows 11 has come a long way, and I don't mind it, but I couldn't see myself readopting Windows.
needs a third option for “i use both and have no real preference of one over the other. They both have their pros and cons”
Server side= Linux.
Client side=whatever.
Mac is a better os built on Unix. Microsoft gets old and tired unless maintained/refreshed often.
I love using windows, I can get a better performance for a cheaper price than a Mac
In a laptop? Macbook Air M1 is pretty great
I don't like getting ripped off and Apple charge way too much for their products, which you can see by any financial profit margin stat. Yes, they are a "prestige" brand so you can expect to get ripped off yahda yahda - not interested.
My working home use desktop is a Mac Mini 2012 running on 4K. Smooth as. Not latest macOS as EOL so I am missing just Xcode but can do that elsewhere. None of my Windows machines ever lasted as long.
TempleOS or nothing
real programmers only code with HolyC
ring-0 or bust.
Can we add an option to this poll for TempleOS?
JIT source and HolyC from the terminal are game changers.
Nobody needs more than 640x480 resolution either
or 640Mb ram lol
I use Windows instead of MacOS because the hardware it runs on is more varied and affordable.
I use Windows for work, because the environment is the same as most other users.
I use Windows because it is best for games.
I used Linux on my desktop in the past until Windows came out with multiple desktops.
I use linux for servers, because it is best in every way for that.
Sublime Text and Visual Studio Code are available for Mac.
I'm a Windows person, however I use an M1 Macbook most of the time (Music).
I find Windows is easier (despite what the Mac fans say), and more logical.
Need a voting option for mixed. I primarily use Windows and Linux.
After decades of being a Windows die-hard, I'm considering switching to Mac as I dislike the inconsistent UI of Windows - too much a mix of UI patterns from previous versions. If they applied effort to updating all screens, not just 75% of them, I'd be back to die-hard but it's getting worse and more jarring.
I use Microsoft services for e-mail, OneDrive, OneNote. If these were available for Linux, I'd increase my usage there.
Windows will still feature in my future given it's best for gaming.
Both.
Mac for personal use because of its seamless integration if you’re already in Apple ecosystem and an iphone user.
Windows for professional use for work because we are a Windows environment.
Parallels gives me the best of both worlds.
And does anyone know of a good notepad++ alternative on the Mac that is not heavy/clunky?
that's too expensive.
A personal license is USD$99 …
I've been using Sublime text for years, downloaded legally from their site, not pirated. Every now and then I get a pop up asking if I want to buy, I decline and that's it.
You don't need a license to use it, just click ok on a popup every now and again.
Visual Studio Code
Before Windows 10- MacOs.
Now Windows, especially with Powertoys
The return of PowerToys is great. Can’t give up Launchy for me though.
Both for me.
Windows PC for games and some c# dev work. Apple laptop for everything else.
I try to keep all my personal stuff on the laptop so the PC is bascially disposable, if it gets a virus or whatever I can just reinstall.
Mac; for seamless integration with other apple devices.
I use "spectacle" for screen management. Its free and good.
FYI, rectangle (as recommended by others here) is a drop-in replacement as spectacle is no longer being maintained. IIRC you can choose the spectacle key bindings so you don’t need to learn something new.
I use MacOS almost exclusively now, yes the cost to purchase is high but I don’t go out and buy a new Mac every year, I upgrade sometimes to new and sometimes to second hand so long as the upgrade is worthwhile.
Windows laptops are not cheaper either, cheap laptops are cheaper but go and purchase an elite book or any ‘business’ laptop and you are paying close to Apple Laptop prices for a piece of junk ….. yes I have one, keyboard and screen are trash as is the trackpad and an M1 MacBook Pro would have cost less than 10% more. With windows you do it always get what you pay for, with Apple you pay a premium but you get a good product too.
The resale value is like a Toyota, above anything else and makes the switching affordable. What I love is the continuity features, headphones switch between devices easily, copy and paste between devices as well as extending display to my ipad when I am travelling, even my Apple TV works with paired headphones as soon as they are detected.
App wise, I do NOT like Outlook for Mac it is a PITA (I have to use it for business) but most apps are well thought out and just work.
Battery life is also something that is outstanding, as is the ability to almost never shut the thing down and it still works properly for months.
My gaming choices are more limited but luckily I like D:OS2 and BG3 which are both on MacOS and work with the M1 Pro.
MacOS is not perfect, but it works like an appliance which is what I want, when I put my bread in the toaster I want it to come out toasted …. Apple do this approach much better than Microsoft does :) an OS should not get in the way of the objective of using it.
mac for all work and personal matters. windows and consoles for games.
I use both PCs and Macs every day. I switch between them without even really thinking about it too much. I do prefer MacOS slightly but I'm pretty far from being a Windows hater (although, Windows 11 with no vertical taskbar, and taking away task manager from the right click menu on the taskbar is…. just… ugh…).
The tribal arguments over which is better happens with gaming consoles, cars, political parties, iOS/Android. I remember there was once "that guy" in the room that said that next year was the year for Linux.
I'm probably too old and grumpy to really care what anyone thinks anymore.
Use windows for work when I have to (As I work in IT), but if it weren't for games at home I'd be full time MAC.
Microsoft have lost the plot with their UX and general design decisions. They can't complete a project to save their lives.
They had a chance with the surface pro X with their own silicon and own OS to really make things right. Yet it barely runs the office suite.
Meanwhile M1 and Rosetta has been an amazing experience, haven't even noticed I've been on ARM.
Yes with microsoft you can always be sure they will hafl-arse whatever they do. Windows 11 epitomises that philosophy
In the Apple space, we have a 27" Retina iMac and a MacMini, 3 Laptops running Ubuntu, Fedora and IxIe respectively and 3 other laptops: 2 running Windows 10 and one on Windows 11. We don't have an issue with OSs. It's just an OS. We don't bother figuring out what works best.
An observation though, as machines get older we move them on to run a flavour of Linux, no choice as the hardware restrictions mean we can no longer upgrade Windows.
The quad core i7 MacMini is now capped to 10.15.7 Catalina and the iMac is on Monterey.
Who cares what the OS is. Ensure that you have RAM maxed out on the hardware you have and put in the "best" OS that allows you to run.
If you don't ride or die with Gates OS you will eventually be brainwashed by 5G. He protects all his disciples.
Interesting. I heard Windows PCs act as full nodes for a Gates-backed cryptocurrency and telemetry data directly transfers data over 5G to be encoded directly into COVID's RNA as an immutable record of user activity.
Mac user, but.I use Windows with the work laptop.
Around 15 years ago I bought a windows laptop for personal use and it broke down 5 times during the year. Each time I had send it away for repairs and had to be without a computer for 3 weeks. Considering that I was a college student, it made for a very painful year. They ended up sending me a new laptop, but by then I was over it and had bought myself a Mac. I had no issues with it for 7 years and I gave it away to a relative once I upgraded.
I use windows for work, so I know windows computers can be reliable and that was just a shitty experience. But ever since then, I'm a mac user. I've had nothing but great experiences with them. My laptop is aesthetically pleasing, it's light, it never freezes or has annoying bugs that means I have to do a restart, it's fast and does everything I need it to do (I'm not a gamer) easily. It has a good resell value and it just works.
I've found that the older I get the more annoyed I get by the little things so I pay a bit extra for the convenience. Given how long the laptops last me ($1400 purchase over 6y = $233/year), the extra $100/year or whatever is worth it to save me the frustration I get at work on a weekly basis.
"Around 15 years ago I bought a windows laptop for personal use and it broke down 5 times during the year."
Windows OS made your laptop break down? Tragic.
Obviously, I know it wasn’t the Windows OS that made the laptop break down. I didn’t move because of the OS, I moved because I had a shit experience with HP and I heard Apple built solid laptops that didn’t easily break down. The reason I use it now was described later on my post, but thanks for the nitpick 🙄
Sorry about that. I couldn't help myself.
OP, I used TextWrangler in the past, which has now become BBEdit.
The standard features are free to use and has some advanced features that requires payment but I've lived with the free version for years now :)
Windows for my gaming needs and Lunix for any sort of technical troubleshooting. Never really got into Mac as I don't have anything related to the Apple ecosystem.
Windows. Mostly comes down to what you're used to, especially what annoyances you're happy to deal with. I enjoy the freedom of being able to change PC parts whenever I want to upgrade, and know enough about Windows that I can find workarounds for anything that annoys me.
I always wanted a Mac around the XP era, mostly for video editing. Now Windows can usually outperform Mac at the same price point.
Lately I just hate Apple's business tactics especially when it comes to repairs in terms of consumer friendliness/cost. They're well known to refuse replacing components when an upgrade is available, building their devices in a way that makes it easier to break if you take it apart, and refusing to release documentation. The prices for what they offer are pretty average, you're definitely paying for the brand more than the product.
Currently on Windows 10, and frankly if I didn't need windows for certain programs, I'd rather use mac. I absolutely loathe what Microsoft and Samsung do with their devices putting adds all over a $1k+ device you bought. it's ridiculous. At least apples advertisements are just for their own services etc and don't feel like total bloat.
Ads all over the windows device? sounds more like an OEM problem. Windows isn't plastered with ads, though most of the OEM's put so much shit on them to the point they are almost useless and much of that shit comes with ads.
Recommended section in the start menu shows 'suggestions' aka ads, from the screenshots I've seen. Even in Windows 10 I'm shown stupid Bing and MSN stuff when I search from start menu. I'd classify these as ads, they're intrusive and look bad.
They aren't really ads, they are just search and are completely configurable, you can turn off the web content search, it is just an option.
At Uni i had a MAC but now im 100% Windows mostly for gaming
Linux FTW
EndeavourOS with KDE Plasma is chef's kiss
Have a Win10 install solely for online FPS. 99% of everything else works a treat on Linux due to Proton
Same here. (profanity) anti-cheat doesn't work in proton sometimes so have to keep a windows install.
I'm a Mac person, but to each of their own…
Name checks out 😂
I use a linux-based operating system on my work PC and on my home PC (including for gaming). Mostly because I prefer the KDE Plasma5 desktop environment over Windows and MacOS desktops, its very fast, usable, and customisable.
+1 for Rectangle.