[Milkman]

And no, I'm not looking to start a new one, I just want opinions from you guys on how I handled this in another forum I have started to frequent.

The post that started it all

Okay, I'm really sorry if this question has already done the rounds, I thought it probably would have, but couldn't turn it up with a search. Alot of artists and designers use macintosh computers. My question is, why? I'm currently building a pc from scratch, something you can't do with macs. Once it's done, i'll be able to upgrade and tinker to my heart's content, which i couldn't really do with a mac (or so i think...sorry if there are those that have...prove me wrong) For me, being able to upgrade and customise my computer is really a major requirement, but putting this aside, what characteristics are they that draw artists to macintosh computers? Anyone who's read penny arcade (i recommend it....www.penny-arcade.com....is it still site pluggin if its not my site?) knows the common view of pc users on why others use macs, but i'm hoping you can dispel the myth. There has to be a better reason then just the image! (ps. please don't hurt me, mac users....this is a legitimate question, not an insult. i promise!)

My response was this:

I'm one of those strange fellows that uses both (I even have a Red Hat server). I think both have their pros and cons. As for not being able to upgrade a Mac, that is a myth. This month I upgraded my G4 450 single to dual 1.4Ghz processors, added a new video card, and another hard drive. And yes, Windows boxes are more prone to get viruses/trojans, but I have never been infected as I always keep my anti virus software up to date. Try to find me 10 known viruses for any Mac OS, I bet you can't. Does that mean a Mac is better? For me the whole "PC's crash more" argument makes me cringe as well. I have had both my Mac and my Windows computer crash. Computers crash. But for people who say their PC crashes "all of the time" I say "what have you done to your poor computer?" I have built my own PC's for the past 10 years and I have owned some sort of Apple computer all of that time. As for the gaming argument, that is slowly going away as more and more games are starting to be simultaneously released for OS X and Windows (World of Warcraft is a prime example). But I'm not really a hardcore gamer on computers, consoles on the other hand.... Really you should just go with what you prefer. I prefer to do design and video work on my Mac and coding on my Windows box. Why? To be honest, I can't really explain it except to say that I like it that way. Although Final Cut Pro HD is by far the best video editing program I have ever used and I've used a ton (anyone here ever use an Amiga video toaster?) Find someone you know who has G4/G5 (or just go to an Apple store, but they will be biased ) and just try it out. If you are dead set on a Windows box, no biggie, it is your choice. Make sure you like your computers especially if you are on them a lot.

So, how did I do. I normally just ignore these types of post as people just usually end up feeding a troll but he did say it was not meant as an insult. And as of yet, it has not turned into a flame war......yet