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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

#621

Post by zamalek »

owenwil wrote: post #4
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…

>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…

> Microsoft is really trying with developers and it's readily apparent.

Which has been their approach for a very long time - let's not forget that Ballmer speech. From what I have heard, Apple puts minimal effort into XCode; the iPhone lead dev here was throwing around all forms of cuss words trying to get CI set up.

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

#622

Post by friendzis »

thomastjeffery wrote: post #245
rayiner wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Buy a breakable USB cable? I've had MacBooks for 10 years, and I'm ecstatic to see MagSafe gone. Apple chargers have always been shit, and Apple laptops have never been compatible with off the shelf battery packs. Moving to USB-C and detachable, replaceable cables, is a huge step forward. Also, what PC alternative has a MagSafe equivalent?

Apple owns the patent on magsafe. That was the one feature I actually liked on my MacBook pro. I have seen to many chargers wear out, or wear out their ports. Magsafe also made it easier to connect the charger. Think how nice it would be to have the same functionality with USB ports....

Currently at work we use (mostly T 4xx/5xx series) Lenovo laptops with rectangular power connectors [1]. I have mine for ~2 years, was used ~year prior. I connect/disconnect charger multiple times a day and both ports are sturdy as new. Others state similar feelings.

[1]: http://shop.lenovo.com/ISS_Static/options/US/images/17912239...

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

#623

Post by markatkinson »

(This has nothing to do with the software side of things) I don't have much experience with Apple products outside of owning an iPhone a few years back, but for me owning a computer that I can't customise and tinker with sounds boring and restrictive. I love putting time into pin pointing the performance bottlenecks on my machine, then researching the best hardware solutions and implementing it, as well as building something that wows a few people is also cool.

The incremental process allows one to improve their machine without massive (well, most the time) capital outlays and you end up building something that you love, you created and that can be phenomenally fast and customised to your specific needs (and a pleasure to look at, the more LEDs the better right?).

Anyway, I realise this might be quite specific to me and the other "enthusiasts", and I am sure a lot of people just glance at tempered glass PCs with water cooling and think "I could never do that", or "I couldn't be bothered to put so much effort into that, I need something that just works.". Once you start, it becomes apparent how simple and modular it all is.

I am not sure where I am going with this, but Owen Williams built a awesome computer so thought I would comment.

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

#624

Post by chm »

jmcdiesel wrote: post #17

I used to be hardcore windows guy... Then 10 years ago I got a mac. I never went back.. But what am I saving money for right now? To build a nice PC again. Mostly because of the exact reasons in the article. I have a fondness for apple... but they have definitely lost their way. First, they were a computer company driven by a man who loved computers ("first" here is the Jobs return era) ... then they became a Compute…

My experience with hardware that comes pre-loaded with Windows is that it is utter crap. Or so it seems - it works fine once you remove Windows and install Linux for example. I have kept none of my previous Windows machines. None. They all decay so fast, BSODs after months of use, constant reboots just because things don't act right, general instability, sluggishness, etc. I have only recently built myself a new Linux tower. Much more pleasant.

OTOH, ALL Apple hardware that I have bought (multiple iPads, iPhones, iPods, Macbook Pros, iMacs) still works as advertised and is in good shape (I always buy and use Apple Care). I have just recently begun to use my Linux desktop more because my 2009 MBP is starting to feel a bit sluggish.

People can whine all they want about Apple (I personally will not buy the new MBPs, wait until next year's model). The truth is they've set the bar so high that anything less than perfection (which IMO is mostly what they gave us during the last decade) is seen as unacceptable. The same cannot be said of Windows - at least according to my experience since Windows 95. I recently bought a brand new SSD and a license for Windows 10. One day after installation, Windows crashed and had to "repair" itself. To be fair, it has been running flawlessly since.

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

#625

Post by ido »

yabatopia wrote: post #608
hodder wrote: post #570

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Developers don't develop for iOS first because it is easier. They develop there first because iOS users pay money for things/apps. Android users do not.

I'm an Android user and I pay for things (?) and apps. Are you saying that I'm the only Android user who pays for apps and "things"? Or is your statement just a gratuitous cliche?

Statistically the average revenue per android user is lower than per iOS user. It's not a binary either/or.

Source: have been a mobile developer for 6 years.

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

#626

Post by rado »

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…

Amazing how people forget RAM compression and Metal. The latter prolonged my Air life by 2 years!

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

#627

Post by coldtea »

ynniv wrote: post #249
coldtea wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm a professional developer, I don't want a new toy language. First, there's nothing "toy: about Swift. It's a full featured language on par with Rust, Go, etc. Second, whether some random web dev or embedded C dev or Java dev wants Swift or not is irrelevant to its intended audience and utility. It's not for "professional developers" in general, it's for Mac/iOS application developers, and thus, for Mac/iOS users…

First, there's nothing "toy: about Swift. It's a full featured language on par with Rust, Go, etc. That's some amazing CoolAid you've got there. But I'll grant you that it's on the same level with a bunch of other new languages that also aren't in general use for serious long term products yet. But until Intel delivers boards that accept 32GB low-power RAM of the kind that goes into Apple laptops, we're not gonna get…

>Yeah, wouldn't it be great if Apple made this happen? That's the kind of innovation I want to see.

Adding something with marginal utility for the majority of their users (since even pros can do just fine with 16GB) just because some insignificant minority runs multiple VMs on their Macs?

That's not the kind of innovation Apple was ever, ever, interested in.

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

#628

Post by willtim »

mod wrote: post #136
bobsam wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is arch so popular among switchers? It is not very user friendly and requires manual work to set up unlike, say, ubuntu

As a developer, I find arch slightly more friendly. Trying to get recent versions of development packages like ruby, java, npm, etc--can be a bitch on Ubuntu, where the repositories lag years behind arch.

If you're a developer, make sure you check out NixOS. The ability to install different versions/builds of libraries and packages side-by-side safely and without containers is a huge win. I typically pin my base system at a stable release, using rolling releases for desktop and dev packages (which is possible even if different versions of libc are needed).

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

#629

Post by coldtea »

jodrellblank wrote: post #561
comex wrote: post #390

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I want the possibility to dual boot or share drives with other operating systems, I don't need a new proprietary filesystem. Then you're in luck. APFS isn't proprietary, as Apple's website claims that "Apple plans to document and publish the APFS volume format specification when Apple File System is released for macOS in 2017." So there will be nothing preventing drivers from being written for other operating syste…

APFS isn't proprietary, as Apple's website claims that "Apple plans to document and publish the APFS volume format specification Great. ... anyone else still waiting for the open FaceTime API announced in public on stage by Steve Jobs?

>Great. ... anyone else still waiting for the open FaceTime API announced in public on stage by Steve Jobs?

Only people who missed the part that some other company took them to court over a BS patent on it and won, so they couldn't finally do it.

Meanwhile, they HAVE opensourced other stuff, including Swift, in the meanwhile, so it's not like they have some big history of backtracking on open sourcing promises...

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

#630

Post by rado »

Razengan wrote: post #21

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]…

Yes. Windows 10 is a commendable effort, but nothing more. Seeing multiple styles of typography in different windows is just sad. And ugly. macOS is untouchable, whatever sins Apple has committed.
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