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Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

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Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#21

Post by Razengan »

Oh please. Not this again.

I recently had the pleasure of checking in on Windows for the second time in 7 years. I had been a PC user since the DOS days, starting on a 286, and going all the way to Windows 8 when I switched to Macs around 2010. I've only ever needed Windows for games since then, and decided to install Boot Camp on the 15" 2016 MacBook Pro that I just got (which happens to be a pretty good machine [1], all in all, and runs Paragon [2] in high detail at 1920x1080 60 FPS; enough for me.)

There is still so much wrong with Windows I honestly don't know where to begin. The UI remains a convoluted Escher'esque nightmare. Apple and macOS are still FAR from fucking up badly enough to make me want to willingly head back to Microsoft.

I am running both Sierra and the latest version of Windows 10 side-by-side (with Parallels Desktop) so the differences are very glaring and obvious. Maybe I'll write up an in-depth comparison later.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13790106

[2] https://www.epicgames.com/paragon/en-US/home

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#23

Post by jmcdiesel »

coldtea wrote: post #7
owenwil wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>So, like creating a full blown new programming language (Swift)? Byproduct of Apple's work on mobile. > Or a full new filesystem (AFS)? Byproduct of Apple's work on mobile. > Siri on the desktop? Byproduct of mobile again! (By the way, ask Siri on Mac to set an alarm or interact with homekit!) But, I take your point. I tried to mostly detail Apple's lack of attention for developers, but perhaps missed the emphasis o…

"Byproduct of mobile" doesn't really say much -- if anything. They support all three on Desktop systems, and they have features and APIs for both that only make sense on desktop systems too.

It says a lot.

The desktop isnt a phone. Forcing phone features into a desktop and slowly turning the desktop into iOS is not a good thing.

We were just fine without an app store. Just fine. I cant think of any of the "use this mobile feature on your desktop" that provides any real value...

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#25

Post by Jdam »

owenwil wrote: post #15
otterley wrote: post #13

The question I'm left asking from posts like these is: As a non-game developer, what practical advantages does Windows hardware and software provide over Mac? The writing doesn't make it clear to me. Sure, there are some interesting facts noted, but there's no connection drawn or relationship established between the facts and the impact on the author's ability to work, or the work product itself.

Why not spin it around the other way? What advantages does Mac now have over Windows, in a world where Microsoft is catering to developers from both sides?

It doesn't constantly give me "Windows Explorer has stopped working"

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#26

Post by ivraatiems »

addicted wrote: post #10
ivraatiems wrote: post #6

Agreed on Apple dropping the ball. But Windows 10, while certainly better than modern OS X or Windows 8 does not have the stability or adherence to well-tested design that Windows 7 had. W10 has seen serious quality assurance issues[1], partly as a result of Microsoft cutting large amounts of QA testers as it switched development methodologies. This has lead to an immense number of mistakes, bugs, and unhandled cases…

That's from 2014. Have things changed since then?

I don't have hard evidence either way, but I'd argue no. Ars' recent article on the bizarreness of the upcoming Creators' Update is one example.[1]

[1] https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/02/forth...

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#27

Post by owenwil »

Jdam wrote: post #25
owenwil wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not spin it around the other way? What advantages does Mac now have over Windows, in a world where Microsoft is catering to developers from both sides?

It doesn't constantly give me "Windows Explorer has stopped working"

I don't think that's been a thing since 2006.

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#28

Post by addicted »

coldtea wrote: post #14
DannyBee wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Byproduct of mobile." If you need evidence: Swift appeared in IOS first and still is not great on the desktop at all. APFS (not AFS) is the default in IOS, and still in feature preview and pretty unusable in 10.12. It's "expected" it will be released for desktop in 2017 Siri on the desktop is mostly useless, as said here.

> Swift appeared in IOS first Which makes perfect sense. We talk to our phones all the time anyway, and hands-free is crucial. For desktop, not so much. > APFS (not AFS) is the default in IOS, and still in feature preview and pretty unusable in 10.12. It's "expected" it will be released for desktop in 2017 Which makes perfect sense. A constrained environment without an exposed filesystem like iOS is easier to convert…

I agree it makes sense.

But it also indicates that Apple isn't really designing for the Mac as the author points out.

I mean, Siri is the biggest feature Apple is touting for Sierra (http://www.apple.com/macos/sierra/). And as you point out, it's something that doesn't even make all that much sense on the Mac.

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#29

Post by 1_2__3 »

coldtea wrote: post #3

> But recently, I realized I’d gotten tired of Apple’s attitude toward the desktop. The progress in macOS land has basically been dead since Yosemite, two years ago, and Apple’s updates to the platform have been incredibly small. So, like creating a full blown new programming language (Swift)? Or a full new filesystem (AFS)? Integration of Cloud storage directly to the desktop? Siri on the desktop? Saving RAM through…

Er isn't AFS still essentially vapor ware at this point?

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#30

Post by coldtea »

jmcdiesel wrote: post #23
coldtea wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Byproduct of mobile" doesn't really say much -- if anything. They support all three on Desktop systems, and they have features and APIs for both that only make sense on desktop systems too.

It says a lot. The desktop isnt a phone. Forcing phone features into a desktop and slowly turning the desktop into iOS is not a good thing. We were just fine without an app store. Just fine. I cant think of any of the "use this mobile feature on your desktop" that provides any real value...

>Forcing phone features into a desktop and slowly turning the desktop into iOS is not a good thing.

Siri, maybe, but there's nothing about an FS or a programming language like Swift that makes them a "phone feature". Same for memory compression (which only exists on the Mac IIRC) and continuity (which would be useful even if it only worked from Mac to Mac).

If anything Apple has adamantly refused to "force phone features into a desktop", and only ports stuff that makes sense -- that's sort of what Microsoft did, trying to merge e.g. tablet and desktop platforms in the same UI.

>We were just fine without an app store. Just fine.

Well, I'm much much better WITH an app store. Why wouldn't I want one? I might want some more features out of the Mac App Store (like the ability to demo an app) but I very much want to have it.

And in no way is an app store a "mobile feature". App stores, (and app repos) existed way before they appeared on mobile phones, for one.

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