Can someone please tell me the difference between Windows and Mac operating systems?

Question

I'm really literate with Windows, but a course of study I am signing up for provides a Mac Laptop, and I know absolutely nothing about Mac. I just want to know the major differences. And the pros and cons of mac vs windows.

Answer 1

Macintosh are VERY User Friendly.. which i mean by User Friendly.. is that they are very hard to mess up, and are VERY easy to use..
For instants the Macintosh configures all of its components by itself, allows the user to not have to configure anything, such as any sort of device manually, it does it all automatically..

There is no need to download drivers, and other patches for hardware.. because the Macintosh OSX is made so that it is self repairing/self configured..

Only real downside is that you can not Upgrade the hardware to it... which you might be able to add RAM for a laptop.. but THAT IS NOT for sure.. I have never used one myself..

Another bad thing is that you can NOT configure it manually the Macintosh OSX does it all for you preset and automatically, you can not turn of funtions on a Macintosh.. which is good.. but then it is bad for other means, such as being server capable


But they are the most EASIEST computer to use(really hard for the first-time User to mess up).. very simple.. very well organized for the first Computer user.. it is why you would see many schools using Macintosh, because they are very easy to handle

Answer 2

There are millions of differences between Windows and Mac OS. Windows is based on Microsoft OS and Mac is based on Apple converted Unix(very popular on Servers with different flavors). Both are decent OS but again it is the perspective from individuals. In my experience working on computers from desktops to servers, I love the Unix flavors because they are easy to maintain and upgrade and more importantly solve issues. Hardware wise - they are almost identical even though some slight differences can be found or restrictive. Software - I can find as good a software for Mac that is comparable or better than the one found on for Windows. Speed - it is all relative and depends on the system you buy Costs - of course Macs are expensive and typically has better quality than most windows PCs Reliability - Macs are known to be more reliable, maintainable, easy to use, versatile and much more. On top of all of these - if you have a Mac and want to have Windows as well, one can do that - either as a VM (using Parallels or Fusion) or boot camp. So on a Mac, one get can best of both worlds. Contrary, yes one can install a VM version of Mac OS by hacking or install hackintosh on PC machines. Even though there is a lot that needs to be done to run hackintosh. So my personal preference is always Mac because it is more reliable, stable and versatile. If the costs are a factor, one can always buy a used Mac on eBay or craigslist. I have 2 such Macs for less than $850 and both are still under warranty. They work flawlessly.

Answer 3

Operating Systems provide the glue to make the hardware go .. like spin the disk drive .. and they present the user interface .. the windowing schemes etc.

The major con against Mac is it is NOT windows. and it is not Linux. And that Mac's are about 20% more expensive for the same hardware as "pc's" are.

So your PC software will not run, unless you have a copy of Windows and an emulator like Parallels or Virtual PC which costs time and money to set up. And doesn't always 100% work.

And the User interface will be a bit different.

But it is very Linux/Unix like. For popular Software titles, there are MAC versions. The interface provides much the same function.

Apples to this day tend to do graphical things better. So Web Designers often like to use them to work up web pages.

Many like it .. Apple is still selling Macs.

Answer 4

All reasonable operating systems (MAC or Windows or Linux or anything else) always do the same things.

They provide control of system memory on behalf of the tasks running inside. They play traffic cop for systems that share resources among multiple users. They provide device control software (usually called a "driver") to allow you to use a device without knowing the details of its control cdes. They provide a framework inside of which your programs can run in some safetuy.

The differences between Windows and MAC stems from their origins, but the truth is that unless you were planning to do some serious device-driver work or some really advanced system code, the innards of the operating systems would be of limited value to know.

Windows has a layered architecture. At the bottom, they have something called a hardware abstraction layer (HAL) that allows Win code to run on any of several machines. If a given CPU model doesn't run a particular instruction, the HAL traps the error when that instruction doesn't work and simulates the instruction. Device drivers and the HAL work together to make it LOOK like no matter what machine you are on, it is a PC.

Above the driver/HAL there is a second layer that is the kernel of the scheduler, the memory manager, the task manager, the security reference monitor, and a pile of other functions including services. A "service" is a highly specialized piece of code that provides.... wait for it ..... a service to the machine's users. Services can include network socket management, file system management, etc. WAIT, you say... aren't those last two items device driver issues? No, services impose a structure on something that isn't really there when considered from a lower layer. Example: The network card is managed by the network card driver, but te network logical connections are managed by the network connection service that CALLS the network card drivers. See? Layers. (Windows is like an onion.... It's got layers. {but I like parfait...})

Above the services and kernel layer are the applet layers. Things like the SVCHOST program and several other items that provide frameworks for multiple programs to run at once. These frameworks each get allocated memory as needed.

Now, hows about the MAC OS? Well, I'll let someone else tackle that one. I don't use a MAC because despite recent advances, you still have more software available for the PC than you do for the MAC. And when push comes to shove, you don't run Windows OR a MAC. You run some useful or fun applications software or game software. The variety of things written for the PC is where it still shines. Though dimly.

Answer 5

Switch 101: Windows vs. Mac Navigation
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304723

Switch 101: On Windows, I used to...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304720

Answer 6

well, since you're lterate with windows, little explaining is needed. of course, its the operating system created by microsoft corporation. mac osx on the other hand is made by apple co. mac osx is based on the linux kernel so it means no virus can damage your system. no security worries. mac is easier to use & very versatile it has a desktop dock that displays most of its programs so its basically a point & click system. windows on the other hand has more software on the market since most software are designed for windows. you do not need to install anti virus on mac as you would in a windows since there is no need for that. even though most programs are designed for windows, you can run them on a mac via macs own bootcamp program that allows you to run windows OS within a Mac. then you can install the programs you need that are only windows based.

Answer 7

Its a operating system;
1. Windows Vista
2. Windowa XP
3. Windows MAC

Answer 8

ok for one mac does not suck it is much easyer to use then windows its just your so used to using windows you try to use a mac the same and it seems harder i like mac better and the best part about it is there are 0 viruses knowen for mac so you dont have to worry about geting one

Answer 9

go to you tube and type mac vs pc and watch all the commercials. they tell you everything you need to know.

Answer 10

Basically, Mac sucks.
If you really hate Microsoft, install Ubuntu. I use both.