Mac vs PC

[zana]

Hi

I'm very new to Graphic design although I work in an office where I see Photoshop used all the time.

I would like to get started and get a laptop/notebook too so I can take my work around with me as I learn Photoshop...since I haev two jobs and commute back and forth a lot....

I have heard now, designers, artists, etc..debate about this big question for years....but I'm asking those serious designers out there what Operating System do they use/prefer w/ Photoshop...Macintosh or Windows?

Any advice would help at this point...

ZANA L

[blastradius]

I should start off saying that I am a PC user and have very limited experience with MAC.

I would say it comes down to what you are going to be using the computer for. If all you are doing is low resolution web graphics, simple design then a PC would work. The more complicated the designs and the high resolutions images the more layers you begin to deal with, then the more you begin to move into the MAC realm of things. This is not to say that a PC couldn't do it.

Here is what I know to be the differnce between the two. PC/windows is designed to incorporate any number on configurations, add ons etc. which lends to a level of instabilty. MAC OS on the otherhand is design specifically for that machine which tends to make it more stable. MAC's in general from what I have seen are capable to adding more memory and seem to have faster front side buses. Translation is they and process your graphic faster.

The other question you need to ask is who else is going to need to open up your work? and systems are they using. If all your printers and co-workers are using PC and you have a MAC you may spend a lot of time trying make your files compatible.

So although I am a PC user and think everything you can do on a MAC I can also do on a PC, my suggestion would be to go with the MAC unless it conflict with those who you need to share your files with.

[zana]

So although I am a PC user and think everything you can do on a MAC I can also do on a PC, my suggestion would be to go with the MAC unless it conflict with those who you need to share your files with.

My boss (he is a member of your Webb Pro World site too) has all Macintosh Powermacs g-4's in the office & LaCie Monitors.....you know the one's with the dark hoods for designing. He swears by Macintosh but then again I hear him complain all the time that clients get documents they cant open on their Windows computers.

We use virtual pc sometimes to open Access files to I think....

SInce we have Macintoshs in the office then I will think about getting a PC notebook so we have both OS systems in office (we're a "small" company....Daren does all the design...I handle all the books & type Emails..and we have three Java developerers that are friends of Daren who live in India)

We used to have a Dell Windows 98 computer but we had to make room for this huge scanner and an aquarium as Daren likes to look at his fish all day in betweening designing).....I liked it when I could look at both a Macintosh screen and Windows screen too...if you know what I mean.....

Now that I think of it too....I think I like the Macintosh graphics (the tools and property box things) better in photoshop than the Windows photoshop screen.

Thank You again for your advice.

ZANA

Zana L
Ad. Assisnt.
www.webpageturner.com

[redcircle]

What your desktop or windows looks like should have no bearing on what operating system you choose. My Windows XP looks exactly the same as Mac OSX. What it sounds like is that you are used to the MAC platform so I would stick with that. There is no reason you should learn something new. If compatibility with windows is the issue and you want a machine that can do the conversions for your clients then I would get an old PC, Not your main workhorse.

Graphics better on a MAC, Maybe 15 years ago. It's not the case now. Most graphics cards that you find on a MAC you can normally get on the PC also. I actually believe the market for graphics on the PC is much larger due to all the video game junkies looking for the fastest redering card.

So. MAC vs PC. Both great platforms. Use what you are used to and what gets the job done. neither is really better than the other.

Personally if I had the money I would get a mac but until because I want to learn something different. I done about all I can on a PC and need a new adventure.

[zana]

So. MAC vs PC. Both great platforms. Use what you are used to and what gets the job done. neither is really better than the other.

Personally if I had the money I would get a mac but until because I want to learn something different. I done about all I can on a PC and need a new adventure.

ha ha ha thank you!!
Now I'm back to square one!

You make very valid points thanks to ya'll

Zana L

Zana if you get a PC you're fired!

(just kiddin' lol........well....I mean...you just wont be allowed to bring it into the office! lol)


DAREN :-)


"Operating systems are like the lyrics to that song by Grahm Nash?[Steven Stills?].......'If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with'" lol

[joepower]

If you're doing work for the Web, you have to consider who your audience will be, and what system they will be using. Chances are, the answer is that 97% of them will be using PCs.

I work in a shop where we have both platforms and it causes a lot of problems.

[ronniethedodger]

"Operating systems are like the lyrics to that song by Grahm Nash?[Steven Stills?].......'If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with'" lol

Stephen Stills is the answer!

But I would liken the song's first line to the Mac vs. PC issue. If you choose the wrong one it would be like "There's a Rose, in a fisted Glove".

I would stick with the system that you are more comfortable with. As a couple of people have pointed out, there is beginning to be not much difference in the case of one being any better than the other.

My preference though is a PC with a two-button scroll-wheel mouse. It is comfortable for me and moving over to the Mac with a one-button mouse is too difficult and in my opinion too cumbersome also.

I do believe that the Mac does offer support for wheel mice, but even then it would probably not have the "right-click" sensitive menus options....but I may be wrong about that.

Other options may also affect your decision too. Such as possibly using Graphics Tablets and Pens to create artwork with. In that case, I would think the PC would have more variety and hardware support over the Mac.

Just some of my thoughts about loving the one your are with!

[alienzhavelanded]

Let's not forget that MACs display colors and screen res differently than Windows as well. This is the defining difference between the two visually.

The Martian

[mattnel]

File exchange is your biggest concern. If you are mostly communicating with Mac users then Mac should be your first choice, but if on the other hand you need to be able to exchange files mainly with PC users (about 90% of the market) and occasionally with Mac users, go with a PC. I have had no end of troubles converting various Mac file formats for use with PC and vice versa, even with supposedly compatible file formats.

The operating system on a PC is important though, as is a good graphics card and plenty of RAM. I honestly wouldn't recommend doing high end graphics on windows XP. I've been using Windows Advanced Server 2000 for 2 years and never had a crash, which is more than I can say for my experience of Mac.

Also you will find that high quality components are much more readily available for PC and they will always be much cheaper than their Mac counterparts.

Ultimately there is nothing that you can’t do in PC PhotoShop, Illustrator, Freehand etc. that you can on a Mac and both are capable of the same high quality results.

[alienzhavelanded]

mattnel said:
I honestly wouldn't recommend doing high end graphics on windows XP.

I have no problems doing any graphics work with XP.

The Martian

[mattnel]

I was referring to the somewhat shaky XP OS, not it’s ability to run graphics applications – sorry for the confusion.

[zana]

We also get tons of spam Email for Macintosh Panther what exactly is Panther? Well..I mean...I know that it one step up from the Jaguar?

It seems every time we buy more hardware we get millions of spam mails to buy more, how do ya'll ever know which direction to turn in terms of new hardware/new computers?

Zana L
www.webpageturner.com

[chadhaajay]

Zana Wrote:

I have heard now, designers, artists, etc..debate about this big question for years....but I'm asking those serious designers out there what Operating System do they use/prefer w/ Photoshop...Macintosh or Windows?

My Personal Opinion:

I've been into Graphics Designing as well as Applicaitons Programming from over 4 years now and I've always used a windows OS for my work enviroment. No harsh feelings for MAC OS but I personally feel at home with a Windows OS. May be I've worked on it all the times. I've used Ulead Photoimpact mostly and only sometimes Photoshop for all the graphics designs on windows OS and compeletely satisfied with the results PC environment. I've had the chance to work on iMAC few times and its UI and graphics are no doubt very attractive and eye-catching but my present Windows XP OS is still far better. Again, this is a very personal opinion. You won't get versions of all the software flavours for MAC. With windows XP, you have eye-catching, attractive enviroment to work on plus global work culture. I'm in India and you won't be able to find MAC machines commonly here. I have seen that only video effects & animation people use them but not so commonly. If a machine is sold in india or asembled, most probable chances are that its a windows OS or linux, no MAC.

But again, these are my personal feelings and market knowledge. No hard facts. Choice is still yours because ball is in your hands :)

[latourfl.com]

Panther http://www.apple.com/macosx/ is the name of Mac OS X's latest update (10.3). It brings really interesting features for people who need integration on a Windows network (file sharing, printer sharing, Exchange support and so on.) Almost every file you can edit on a PC can be edited on a Mac with no problem as well : Photoshop, Word, Excel, PDF, and so on. Mac OS X being based on UNIX http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/unix/, you'll enjoy it stability as well as the power of open sources tools, that can be really useful in web design. ADC (Apple Developer connection) http://developer.apple.com/ site also offers some great article about web technologies (with a free registration).

The Mac OS also offers AppleScript http://www.apple.com/applescript/ to automate repetitive tasks in web design, and you can use UNIX tools for this as well. We also need not to forget that a Mac computer is far more secure than a PC computer. No virus can infect Mac OS X, and the day PCs at your office will all work bad because of a virus, your Mac will work with no complaint.

Apple portables are simply wonderful as well. The new iBook recently had a major upgrade (it's now a G4) and the PowerBooks http://www.apple.com/powerbook/ are wonderful machines, really competitive with PC notebooks. They offer large, clear screen, and you can also have a SuperDrive (CD/DVD writer/reader) on high end models, ideal for archiving large Photoshop projects.

But above all the technical details, working on a Mac is what is most pleasing. It is known that the Mac OS was designed with the customer in mind, so when you need to be creative and not to worry about your computer, it gets out of your way but still provide you with the tools you need. Look at the new Exposé feature to get an idea of what I mean : when tons of windows are on your screen, you can find the one you need with one key stroke. The user interface is also designed more intuitively : you pile windows on screen as you'd do with paper on your desk, and get everything where you want it to be.

The Mac is also designed to offer a consistent work environnement, so what you learn at one place can be used at other places as well. You can then learn fater. Macs just works at their best once they are out of the box, and will run as long as you need them. Mac OS updates (like the recent Panther) will make you Mac speedier and more reliable, and offer new useful features as well. So you can expect from Apple to make your Mac even better ! Having a Mac is like having a computer that can grow with you ! It sure helps being more creative !

Feel free to visit my site about Panther http://latourfl.com/blog/panther.php and ask me some question about Mac OS if you need !

Fred

[redcircle]

We also need not to forget that a Mac computer is far more secure than a PC computer. No virus can infect Mac OS X, and the day PCs at your office will all work bad because of a virus, your Mac will work with no complaint.


There are viruses for all platforms. It's a matter of how rare the viruses are. You can get a virus on your cell phone, PDA etc. You don't see a lot of viruses written for the MAC because the transport method is so limited. MAC's are a minority on the internet and if someone wanted to write a virus that would do the most damage the quickest using the MAC would be a dumb decision.


But above all the technical details, working on a Mac is what is most pleasing. It is known that the Mac OS was designed with the customer in mind, so when you need to be creative and not to worry about your computer, it gets out of your way but still provide you with the tools you need. Look at the new Exposé feature to get an idea of what I mean : when tons of windows are on your screen, you can find the one you need with one key stroke. The user interface is also designed more intuitively : you pile windows on screen as you'd do with paper on your desk, and get everything where you want it to be.

The Mac is also designed to offer a consistent work environnement, so what you learn at one place can be used at other places as well. You can then learn fater. Macs just works at their best once they are out of the box, and will run as long as you need them. Mac OS updates (like the recent Panther) will make you Mac speedier and more reliable, and offer new useful features as well. So you can expect from Apple to make your Mac even better ! Having a Mac is like having a computer that can grow with you ! It sure helps being more creative !

That is purely opinionated. Someone else can say the exact same about Windows. I don't think it's helping her in her decision. It seems you don't have much experience on the PC.

[latourfl.com]

There are viruses for all platforms. It's a matter of how rare the viruses are. You can get a virus on your cell phone, PDA etc. You don't see a lot of viruses written for the MAC because the transport method is so limited. MAC's are a minority on the internet and if someone wanted to write a virus that would do the most damage the quickest using the MAC would be a dumb decision.


If you look to what makers of Antivirus software claim on the Web, you'll see that there are about 40 virus for the Mac OS, but none for Mac OS X, Apple's two year old operating system, while there is about 70,000 virus for Windows (all flavors mixed). That doesn't mean that no virus can be written for the Mac or be received by e-mails, it only means that Macs are immune to problems every virus out there causes. And as a larger proportion of Macs computers are connected to the internet compared to Windows computer, and those Macs are communicating with Windows computers as well, an hypothetical virus made for Mac would spread as easily as a Window virus, so transport isn't limited. But by design, Mac OS is more secure, and writing such virus is harder. Window easily let any program do dommage to your computer, while Mac OS X makes it harder.

Read those pages if you want to learn more :

http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,7457276%5E15388%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html
http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/ptech-20031023.html
http://aroundcny.com/technofile/texts/mac032603.html





But above all the technical details, working on a Mac is what is most pleasing. It is known that the Mac OS was designed with the customer in mind, so when you need to be creative and not to worry about your computer, it gets out of your way but still provide you with the tools you need. Look at the new Exposé feature to get an idea of what I mean : when tons of windows are on your screen, you can find the one you need with one key stroke. The user interface is also designed more intuitively : you pile windows on screen as you'd do with paper on your desk, and get everything where you want it to be.

The Mac is also designed to offer a consistent work environnement, so what you learn at one place can be used at other places as well. You can then learn fater. Macs just works at their best once they are out of the box, and will run as long as you need them. Mac OS updates (like the recent Panther) will make you Mac speedier and more reliable, and offer new useful features as well. So you can expect from Apple to make your Mac even better ! Having a Mac is like having a computer that can grow with you ! It sure helps being more creative !

That is purely opinionated. Someone else can say the exact same about Windows. I don't think it's helping her in her decision. It seems you don't have much experience on the PC.

It wasn't a general comment as I gave examples to why the Mac OS is easier to understand, more consistent and more pleasing to use. I is true that I haven't used Window enough to have personal complaint to make about updating it, but you can also read plenty of reports on the web where Mac OS X updates are well criticized, while the same doesn't apply to windows patches (you might quote some if I missed them). Plus Apple updates the Mac OS every year or so with new features, while you'll have to wait until 2006 to get the same on Windows (I hope it'll be more secure at that time).

And I didn't gave much details about what makes Mac OS more consistent, but this isn't purely opinionated. Apple has build rules for application developers to help them make more consistent programs, with a clean layout design, clear messages in dialogs and an user interface based on documents rather than applications (MDI). You can read more here (targeted to developers, but still easy to understand) http://developer.apple.com/ue/switch/windows.html.

I tried to give precise example why the Mac is a better choice, and you can help zana by doing the same with Windows if you feel like doing it. Those surely are details, but the Mac OS experience is exactly about details, and little things that make your computer usage better, without you even notice why.

If you use a Mac and then feel this tool works great for you, than you should choose a Mac !

redcircle, I'm sure you would even enjoy using a Mac, and with its UNIX structure, there is ton of things to learn and play with as well !

[CLBridges]

I tried to give precise example why the Mac is a better choice, and you can help zana by doing the same with Windows if you feel like doing it.

We can all help Zana by sticking to her particular question... which was basically "When using PhotoShop, which OS do you like better?" Keyword here being Photoshop.

(Personally latourfl.com, I think you're getting perks from Apple.. JUST KIDDING! GEEZE!)

Photoshop fascinates me too Zana, and I prefer a PC.. why? You know all those COOL plug-ins? Most of them are 3rd party. And although Adobe is cross compatible, alot of the 3rd party developers aren't. And there are lots and lots of tips and trick sites and forums with few of them offering tips and tricks for Macs.

I've always heard that if you're completely into Graphic Design, then a Mac is the only way to go. All of the TOP design companies use Macs and ONLY Macs (they laugh at us PC users behind our backs) saying "Once you've gone Mac, you'll never go back" (or something even stupider than that). Mac users are very, VERY loyal.. sometimes hysterically so. All of the serious graphic designers I know use a Mac.. snubbing their noses at 3rd party plug-ins with the excuse that "real designers don't use cheats," er, I mean plug-ins (unless (of course) it's got a Mac version!)

On the other hand, there's alot to be said for familiarity. (did I spell that right?) If using Photoshop on a PC means a whole new learning experience, (new, meaning: NEW OS) then you might want to stick with the Mac while you learn Windows.

Your idea of having both PC and Mac in the office is ideal.. but trust me, the Mac users WILL NOT stand for it (will they Daren? hehe) If they tell you it's in the shop for an upgrade (or service) make sure to check the dumpster out back immediately!

Carrie**

[keyboard]

I am presently doing a CD Adobe Training Session with Deke on Photoshop. I am on a PC. I have noticed, during this training that the PC commands are always straightforward and many of the Mac ones require extra, "if you are on a Mac you have to do this" and "if you are on OS X you have to do this" and it just seems there are more variations to the actual function of the application when you are on a Mac. Mac users tend to use keyboard commands more and PC users tend to get their commands from the mouse more. I agree, the plugins for Photoshop accommodate the PC user more than the Mac user. Hey Macs are great but over the years I have seen PCs surpass them in many ways. Now with XP being so stable it is a pleasure to work with Windows. I think a PC handles Adobe applications better in a PC regarding the handling of RAM--my opinion. I can have 3 or 4 major Adobe aps open and operating all day without any trouble at all. With all the Adobe stuff being cross-platform now I can't see a problem with just going with whatever you prefer. One comment--I think I would find it hard to do graphic design (PHotoshop stuff) on a laptop! I want a smokin' big monitor (I prefer the PC monitors. The specs apparently disagree with me but I find the resolution on PC monitors clearer and sharper than the Mac ones. Although I do prefer a Mac mouse and keyboard but that is a small concession.) Re PC viruses, if you use email and browsers that are NOT Outlook, Outlook Express and Internet Explorer you have lowered your virus risk by 90%. Use a nice open source ap like Mozilla.

Re troubleshooting a Mac vs a PC I have seen on the chat lines just as much troubleshooting on either platform. I find it very easy to troubleshoot my PC, especially with XP as the o/s. It's a matter of familiarity I think.

Macs were *it* but PCs have caught up totally and in some ways have surprassed. Someone who advocates a Mac is doing so out of habit, loyalty and personal preference--all valid and legitimate. Same with PC users. No less so!!

But I think what I have seen about running Photoshop on a Mac--via this CD training course I am doing, wow, it seems way easier to do stuff on a PC.

[swheller]

I'm a Graphic Designer and I've been using PC's for over 15 years now and have used most of the software available in the marketplace for designing graphics- Corel Draw, Photopaint, Photoshop, Illustrator, Quark, Dreamweaver etc. The list is endless. Whatever software I've needed I've found works on pcs and is cross compatible with most companies.

I've also worked on Mac's for 2 years and I didn't find them any different except for learning new key shortcuts, sure they look prettier but what are we talking about here, the software to use on which platform or how it looks on your desk.

As someone said earlier if most of your clients use Pc's and that's what your used to, go with a pc and if you need to send artwork to a mac convert it to an eps, then there are no issues with compatability.

I guess everything depends on cost! How much is your budget? Laptops and PC's are much cheaper and readily available and there is much more service support out there, plus if you want a general all round machine, go with a PC.

If you've got the cash, you want to try something different and you want a powerful machine that's going to handle large graphic files and look nice on a desk go with a Mac.

The decision is yours!

[outletseason]

Hi,

I am a computer engineer and I have also being into graphics design for over 12 years, 2D, 3D Animation and
graphics pre-press, in my personal opinion the biggest problem with Windows OS is their configuration and their registry problem, I tend to push my systems to the Max, and in a P4 2.66 Gz with 1 Gb RAM and 160 Gb Hd win XP Pro, I had so many troubles with windows 'freezing' and work lost because I have to end a session. For the non-IT pro's PC's are cheaper, and Windows is widely spread, but for the graphics professional with tight deadlines and serious graphics work, Mac OS X wins hands down, it's painful to see how XP's eats your memory and crowds your registry with garbage, that slows down your processor and makes your computer unusable.

I have never had such problems with Mac OS (any), I think multitaskting and multithreading is better handled, and you can open as many apps as your memory permits.

Another thing is MacIntosh graphics are clearer and with a higher spec than PC's with the same card, why this happens ?
It' a very technical answer it's the way the processor and the memory, buffers internal algorithms and buses handle the graphics, I tried the SAME card (because the difference is the drivers) on high spec both Mac and PCs and the response in MAcs is much better, the only drawback I see is sometimes they don't upgrade their drivers as often as they do with their Windows counter parts, and Macs have a higher price, but I really love their beautiful design and the smoothness of their operating system.

And as someone stated earlier, the way they handle graphics is completely different.

I own both Macs and PCs, but I think the PC is more utilitarian, and the Mac is more artistic, far more easier to use, Win XP looks good, but that is only as far as it gets, it has OS holes, and incredible bugs, that can slow your working time, so when someone says yes you can use a theme to emulate the look and behavior of a Mac OS, but it's NOT the same.

In my personal opinion the only thing that may affect your decision is if you are on a limited budget and don't want or don't need the state of the art.

[zbatia]

Zana, I'd recommend the following:
1. If you are working only in graphic art industry, get the MAC
2. If you are in web desing (including graphics) industry, then get PC.

[joepower]

And as a larger proportion of Macs computers are connected to the internet compared to Windows computer, and those Macs are communicating with Windows computers as well, an hypothetical virus made for Mac would spread as easily as a Window virus, so transport isn't limited.

Two questions. How does a hypothetical virus written for a Mac infect a Windows box so that it can be transferred? Also, when will Mac be making this quantum jump from 3% of the market to challenge the evil 97% share that PCs currently hold?

To address the topic at hand, zana, you need to look at how your computer will be used, who else will need to work with your output, who may have to edit it somewhere down the line, cost, and your level of comfort with the platform.

[jandel1313]

This is an interesting question at this time OS/x for Mac has disabled many of the capture functions. So, if you need to grab images from film that is no longer possible, unless something has change in the past 5 months. I considered buying a Mac just for my graphics server. A lot of my work includes video editing. I capture still images from video as well. Considering this I built a Win XP pc. I built it to have the more than I should need. 3.0 Ghz processor, 800 front side bus, 2 gigs pc 3200 ram, g4 4800 ti video card, msi capture card (to import video on analog film or camera), and 420 Gb of hard drives. Now some people who are new to design and computers that is a bunch of gibberish, but consider it overkill by at least two times. I was able to build this system for 2/3 the cost of a Mac for the equivalent. As for file sharing, you can export images in any format you want to either o/s. you just have to remember if you export for an o/s other than you are using, you will not be able to view the file on that system. Ftp, email, or network it to a system with that O/S BEFORE sending it to a client. I have a friend who also does graphic design on a Mac. This is how we swap files between our systems.

[ronniethedodger]

This is an interesting question at this time OS/x for Mac has disabled many of the capture functions. So, if you need to grab images from film that is no longer possible, unless something has change in the past 5 months.

That is odd. Maybe it had something to do with copyright or patent issues. Similar thing happened to the Windows Media Player involving the drivers for playing DVD's...they are no longer available with WMP releases now.

[touristips]

GO with MAC less cogested & superior!
Less patches needed......Primo


Go for it!!

[redcircle]

GO with MAC less cogested & superior!
Less patches needed......Primo


Go for it!!

correction .. less patches made because less exploits found because less of the market