Mac or PC?

[link2edition]

Ok, this has been bugging be for awhile now so i reckon i'll ask it here...

i hear alot of people talking about Macs vs PC's, but one thing keeps confusing me... aren't macs technically personal computers? and if not why dont they fall under that classification?

even though macs cant play games most computers can why does that make them not-personal computers? isnt that liek saying a dell vs a pc?

sorry, i'm not very computer savy i guess... use it alot, but dont know how it works... i know there entirely different but still i think there technically PC's... just strange ones...

(thx for ansering my idiotic question)
- link2edition, a self-assembled computer user

[UnDeaD77]

Well, I think its because MAC is just MAC, Apple makes everything just for them. Nothing else is really compatible, unlike PC every PC is just a IBM clone. Sure they are still personal computers, just not called that. PC is any brand, while apple/mac is still apple/mac. Its like you got Apple/mac, then there is everything else. Maybe someone could explain better, but I know what your asking.

[Ferris Bueller]

Seeing as this is a gaming community, look at it this way: there are far fewer mac gamers than pc gamers. Too many compatibility and hardware issues for most people to sort through. Actually, a lot of the people I know that use macs have a mac laptop and a PC desktop (which is almost always primarily used for gaming/instant messaging as AIM doesnt work well on mac either).

[UnDeaD77]

Here ya go, this helps explain alot about gaming on a mac.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...ac+gamer&hl=en

DrunkenGamers did this, the Red Vs Blue guys.


Edit* and this, http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...94&q=mac&hl=en

[link2edition]

so basically even though a mac is techinially a PC, it cant be called that cause PC implys compatability

hiliarious vids btw, and from what i've heard (i have a freind who only has macs and atually installed windows on it so he could play games) true as well.

[SmokingTarpan]

A while ago the higher ups in our university tech department mandated that we shall not refer to Windows platforms with the generic term of PC, because all computers that aren't servers are technically PC's. They determined that, to make the world a better place, we were henceforth to refer to machines as either Apple or Windows when we talked to clients.

That lasted about a week. Another great rule set down by the people who are clueless, yet somehow managed to get into a position of power.

But basically, that is it. All computers are PC's, but it's become the generally accepted thing to label only Windows machines as a PC. It's just how society has shaped the language, nothing more special than that.

[link2edition]

hmm...
i see, thus making the mac vs pc commercials completely redundant...

ok, well thanks guys that all i needed to know

see you on the battlefeild

[sc1ence]

The term "PC" was used as a nickname for "IBM compatible PC"' for so long that the label stuck. windows works on ibm compatable machines. apple os does not.

both are technically personal computers.
I love both the mac and the pc. my family has several of each.

[UnDeaD77]

Originally Posted by link2edition

so basically even though a mac is techinially a PC, it cant be called that cause PC implys compatability

hiliarious vids btw, and from what i've heard (i have a freind who only has macs and atually installed windows on it so he could play games) true as well.

Your right, but this is still actually new, couple years now? Its because after all these years Intel signed up to put cpu's in Apples. So I guess a intel cpu makes windows compatible with a mac, odd but I guess I'm not informed on that part.

[Ferris Bueller]

Originally Posted by UnDeaD77

Here ya go, this helps explain alot about gaming on a mac.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...ac+gamer&hl=en

DrunkenGamers did this, the Red Vs Blue guys.


Edit* and this, http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...94&q=mac&hl=en

You mean RoosterTeeth?

Just giving you a hard time undead. you sniped me too many times tonight

[UnDeaD77]

Originally Posted by Ferris Bueller

You mean RoosterTeeth?

Just giving you a hard time undead. you sniped me too many times tonight

Ya, they use to be Drunkengamers, then it died, and they started Roosterteeth.

[TheFeniX]

Originally Posted by SmokingTarpan

But basically, that is it. All computers are PC's, but it's become the generally accepted thing to label only Windows machines as a PC. It's just how society has shaped the language, nothing more special than that.

So, what about Linux, Novell, Unix, and MS-DOS?

When your average person says "Mac vs PC." They mean "Mac vs Windows."

As has been said: A PC literally means: "Personal Computer." So, in effect a Mac is just a brand of PC. The problem with using this terminology around Mac users is that you risk having them turn into frothing-at-the-mouth psychos.

It's really all just hold-overs from "back in the day." You really had three main classifications of Computers:

PC: low-powered basic computers for home use
Workstations: more expensive and better equipped computers for use in a work environment. Most NT 4.0 machines were labeled workstations.
Servers: those big things that hold files and do other neat things.

Since the cost of hardware has dropped considerably, you tend to have PCs with either the same or better hardware than workstations. So the term is only used loosely now.

The Mac fits into the "It's pretty and does cool stuff that's not really useful classification."

Where does all this lead to? Mac is "Mac." It's made by Apple. So if it's got an Apple logo on it: it's usually referred to as a Mac. Anything else PC related (Linux, Windows, whatever) is referred to as PC.

[El_Gringo_Grande]

Actually, if I remember right, PC was a brand name of IBM. IBM also had "XT" and "AT" computers. They had a computer called "IBM PC" and it was the shadizal. And it was pretty expensive. Around $5,000 expensive.

I believe it was Compaq that came out with one of the first "IBM PC compatibles". (Though I don't know if it was actually the first.) But soon after thousands of company's (remember the monthly phone book sized "Computer Shopper"?) made these PC Compatibles. It got shortened to PC somewhere in there.

Now Apple always avoided the term PC. Apple never made PC's (though they did make personal computers) they made II, IIe, III, Lisa and Mac computers.

*Edit. I was pretty close. Memory aint so bad.

[sc1ence]

Originally Posted by El_Gringo_Grande

remember the monthly phone book sized "Computer Shopper"?

geek pr0n! I would read every damn page of that thing, like 5 times... the first 10 machines i built were from parts ordered from those pages. my favorate spread in it was from treasurechest computers (tccomputers). sadly tccomputers is now defunct. TCcomputers add in that was like the centerfold for me. it would have like 30 motherboards, with all the specs and cpus etc. of course back then, vid cards did not really get much advertising space. memory, cpus and mobos were where it was it.

[Prophaniti]

There are three factions in the computing world:

1. Mac fans. A very zealous group. They're like the NAACP or GreenPeace of the computing industry. If you say something negative about their chosen operating system, they go berzerk and defend it to the death...even if the negative comment was completely true. They make a distinction between the average PC and their Macs. To them, the taint of the word PC is like acid...they won't let the label touch their precious silver boxes.

2. Windows users (note I didn't say FAN). By far the largest group, these users are tolerating the OS for a specific reason. One reason is that they're gamers and only use Windows because that's what the game titles are released for. They can also be working users...it ain't their computer...they just type on it while at work. Or they can be part of the very small portion that actually thinks Windows is the best OS (very small and misguided group).
The term PC is generally synonymous with anything that has a Windows OS on it. If you take your computer in to a shop and say "My PC is acting up" they'll assume Windows is installed. If it were a Linux OS, you wouldn't be there (more on Linux below). If it were a Mac, you'd have to go to a specialty shop because nobody else knows much about 'em.

3. Linux junkies (again, note the identifier). They look down their noses at the other two groups with an equal air of disdain and pity. They know their OS is superior, but assume that the others just don't know any better. They are more tolerant of the Mac users because Linux is a more "evolved" version of the UNIX system that runs behind the scenes in Mac OSX. Linux junkies surround themselves with penguins and other monikers. I actually met a guy in college who always wore a fedora hat (black, not red). Ironically, his name was Jeremy Apple.
If a Linux machine ever gets quirky, the junkie will fix it themselves. They HAVE to...there's no such thing as a "standard" Linux setup, so they have to troubleshoot their own machines because chances are they themselves caused the problem. Troubleshooting is usually accompanied by hours spent online trolling for driver packages, RPMs, Tarballs, and other Linux-specific file formats.

There is also one more group...the atheists, agnostics, and deists of the computing world. They don't believe there is one true god of OSes. They may hate them all equally, or just take advantage of whichever "god" can suit their immediate needs.
I fall into this fourth category. I use all three OSes. My gaming machine and laptop are both Windows. My work computer is a Mac. My chosen server platform is Linux. I'm equally proficient in using Macs and Linux, and a bit more knowledgeable about Windows only because the damn things glitch more often...troubleshooting will always make you learn more than you ever wanted to.