Things That Don't Suck About A Macbook

RetroRomper · Post by **RetroRomper** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 1:38 pm

You implied that your favorite feature (and why you continue to stick with OS X and pay Apple's hardware premium) is a generic OS component that has been available in every OS that isn't Windows, since 2000 (even Haiku OS has a virtual workspace manager).

And no, it isn't present in Windows 7 - I still mock Microsoft occasionally for touting cascading windows as a "feature." It also doesn't appear that Windows 8 will have it (at least not in the preview I'm running), though I'd appreciate being shown otherwise.

Ben's cyborg lazer eyes · Sat Mar 10, 2012 2:24 pm

RetroRomper wrote:You implied that your favorite feature (and why you continue to stick with OS X and pay Apple's hardware premium) is a generic OS component that has been available in every OS that isn't Windows, since 2000 (even Haiku OS has a virtual workspace manager).

It's my favorite feature of OS X, but why I continue to pay Apple's hardware premium is, as mentioned before, the lack of software/hardware configuration & conflict hassles that plagued my Win-only days, and which were even a greater nightmare the few times I tried Linux (though those issues have been fewer with Vista and 7, and I understand they're less an issue with recent Linux flavors as well).

This thread started off with Ben talking about his unhappiness with having to use a Mac/OS X at work, and that he prefers to just toggle back to Windows, so that's the context I was speaking of - OS X in comparison with Windows. In that context, it's worth noting how OS X Spaces are useful, and how after using them, their lack is felt in Windows.

Flack · Post by **Flack** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 2:47 pm

I haven't used a Mac since they had black and white displays so I have nothing to add there. However, I do know that there are lots and lots of free "virtual workspace" apps for Windows (VirtuaWin is one). If you're a Linux guy who likes that feature, there are plenty of free solutions available.

bruce · Post by **bruce** » Sun Mar 11, 2012 1:37 pm

Oh, fuck it. Here's the ONLY REASON YOU EVER NEED that OS X is much, much better than Windows:

The userland is fucking BSD Unix.

There, that's it. That's all. You open up Terminal and, look, it's an actual shell. And you can do all the actual shell things in it. And you have Perl and Python right there, and all the regular Unix textutils.

Of course, if you're a mouth-breathing idiot who is afraid of command lines and man pages, then fuck you.

Bruce

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Sun Mar 11, 2012 5:38 pm

bruce wrote:Oh, fuck it. Here's the ONLY REASON YOU EVER NEED that OS X is much, much better than Windows:

The userland is fucking BSD Unix.

There, that's it. That's all. You open up Terminal and, look, it's an actual shell. And you can do all the actual shell things in it. And you have Perl and Python right there, and all the regular Unix textutils.

Of course, if you're a mouth-breathing idiot who is afraid of command lines and man pages, then fuck you.

Bruce

That part is much much better than Windows, sure. But install Cygwin, and then the "much, much" part gets ripped out instantly, and in some cases, so does the "better" part.

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Sun Mar 11, 2012 10:02 pm

It took a long time to realize this. Keep in mind that when I say this, I am criticizing myself. MYSELF. But not knowing basic Unix for the longest time made me an idiot. I am now less so.

I wish I could memorize more.

Flack · Post by **Flack** » Mon Mar 12, 2012 10:29 pm

I spent all day working with a guy from Microsoft who is running Windows 8 and I was surprised to see how similar it's taskbar/dock is to the OSX screen shot you posted.

Given the same hardware, apparently Windows 8 runs faster than Windows 7. Also, that goofy "big blocks view" that every Windows 8 screen shot seems to reference ... I only saw that once on the guy's desktop I was working with today, and that was when he said, "hey, look at this stupid thing," and showed it to me. Other than the fact that they're removed the "start" button, it's surprisingly similar to Windows 7.

Also got to play with "core server" today, which is just a Windows server with the GUI removed. So it's kind of like Linux, except less free.