This program is not pleasant to me absolutely.

My PC would be a custom machine, build by our tech at work. Yes I have seen PC computers running Apple OS, but I think it would make more sense for me to run it as a PC, and I think it is great that MS has finally made their OS better. It is not perfect, neither is my D300 but it is better and I think MS will slowly loose their "I had Vista feeling"

I am going to try it my laptop first and start working on what I could get build for around $2000.00

Pete

On the fence on the original question.

I have a Mac laptop from work, and a desktop with Windows XP Media Center at home.

I've been working like that for years ... some kind of Mac (or mostly Mac mixed with some Windows via a network) at work, and a PC running DOS or Windows at home ... for a long time.

Before OSX, I never saw any huge advantages to a Mac. (There were always pluses and minuses, not worth going into here.) But I really think Apple leapfrogged MS when they got OSX fine-tuned.

If the economy were better, and there was less difference in the price of hardware, I'd just go with Macs from this point forward and run XP as a dual boot for the few programs I can't give up. I may do that anyway. The new iMacs are really tempting.

Note: When I say windows, it should exclude vista because I never really used vista, I went to os x right when my windows xp was getting old. I'm glad I never had to use vista for anything serious.

Good question Adamz and since we don't hear much about people switching FROM os x to windows... here's my story:

The only true reason I switched to OS X in the first place was to use Final Cut Pro. I did not really care about Aperture (never used it) nor Logic (always hated it) But at school we had to use Final Cut and I've been told that it was so much better than Premiere Pro anyway.

I did the switch to OS X, which was pretty nice because while OS X blows at managing files (so many flaws) it's surprisingly good at handling windows (which at first I thought it wasn't so good because I wasn't used to not having a taskbar) After I while I stopped using Final Cut because the synergy between photoshop, after effect and premiere pro is simply too good... I also ended up doing most of my visual work in photoshop and after effect, leaving the last video editing step (which would be done either in premiere or fcp) to be very minimal (to me, since its relative) So even if fcp was better than premiere pro, it wouldn't have been hard to drop it only because of premiere pro's synergy. Also, I think premiere pro's interface is superior.

Back then another software kept me with OS X for a while, DragonStopMotion, which I did not buy yet but I don't know why I waited so long because it's amazing, the good news is that the version 2.0 is available for both windows and os x. This is the reason that allowed me to switch back to windows... Of course the fact that win7 is good did help.

Finally, I had a major bug which I couldn't solved even by formating with Max msp which is a crucial software for me. All these things added up and I had to switch. it's not really that I didn't like os x, more than I had to chance considering my position.

First thing I noticed since my move back to windows, it feels really good to use a OS that rocks at handling files.. when you have a huge amount of files, os x can't do shit unless you use adobe bridge you know.. But I really really miss exposé and spaces. I also enjoy some free plugins that were windows only and that I couldn't use when I was on os x.

If you ignore the minor differences, the two OS are almost the same (of course to a total neophyte it won't seem that it's the same and I know that under the hood it doesn't run in the same way, but work flow wise, it is).

According to my own experience, I find windows to be more stable and more reliable than os x for most tasks.

Note: When I say windows, it should exclude vista because I never really used vista, I went to os x right when my windows xp was getting old. I'm glad I never had to use vista for anything serious.

Edit: Also, just one thing about those choosing windows because the hardware is cheaper... Yes, apple is asking about 2-3 times too much for its hardware it's true. (but it's good hardwares so I wouldn't compared it to Dell or branded machines, instead you should compare it to the price if you build your own machine yourself with the parts you want because that way, it's possible to build an exact copy of any apple machines and yes, they end up cheaper.) However, this fact shouldn't be considered in your choice of OS because it's as easy to run os x on a pc than running windows on an apple machine. Also, since you should buy the OS anyway, it should be legal to do so. AKA: The law isn't against it but apple says you should not do it in their licenses, they are many legal stuff going on about this because what apple is doing with their license right now is one of the worse capitalist method ever thought, if it was windows who did it, people would be screaming in streets everywhere... Only reasons this is not happening with os x: apple has a much smaller market share, people aren't aware of that evil license stuff and some people are fanboys/naives/ignorants and just don't believe such things as running os x on non-apple machine and they don't believe that we should be able too as well.. (these are the people who just spent 5 thousands in apple gear and they don't want to be told that they could have gotten the same hardware for 2000$)

I always wanted to have a Mac for the fact the operating software was better, special compared to the crap Vista thing that MS came out with. XP was OK but not great for multi tasking

But Hardware is simply cheaper in the PC world and with a better MS OS I think you could build a real great photographic editing setup. I am going to get a decent spec tower with dual video cards and monitors for a total cost around $2000.00(Depending of quality of monitors) that can simply not be done in the Mac world

Pete

jbl - what You didn't like about Mac OS that You switched back to Win7?

There are a few Taskbar features in the new Win 7 that should help with multi tasking: Snap, Aero shake and peak and others. It would be fun to get a touch screen computer, we don't have the new HP touch screen in yet

BTW 2 years ago when Vista was forced(I mean introduced) it was no where the same to sell that new operating software, Wow did we ever have a lot of new customers going to the apple camp, and then Microsoft removed XP, let us sell it again, removed again and then let us sell again and now even The New Win 7 Pro and Ultimate have a build in XP environment.

I do think Microsoft should have offered a cheaper upgrade from Vista(like around N/C to $30.00 area) to kind of acknowledge that they should not have forced people to by Vista before it was really ready. Vista was more like a 2 year Beta OS

Pete

I've been on OS X for the last 2-3 years and now I'm going back to windows... with windows 7.

The only thing I really miss is the exposé and spaces, I'm currently looking for windows alternative to these features as I do lots of multi tasking. Got any ideas?

I really like win7 so far, very effective OS.

bmxdad: Thanks for the advice. I'm thinking you may be right with the new system...they are dirt cheap anymore. I hate to upgrade operating systems. It seems like nothing ever goes the way you plan and you spend more time treading water than anything else.
Glad you like 7. I am always goosey in trying a new platform until all the bugs are worked out.

RobertD: Technical your computer from a specs point of view can run Windows 7, but being that you have to install a full version on your older computer it might be a better value to buy a new computer

Anyway I spend some time at work checking out this new Windows 7, What has impressed me the most is simply how it tuns ON and OFF. My old XP is an annoying pest to turn ON and OFF in comparison

I hope that my 3 year old HP Pav DV5000 will get along well with Win 7

Pete

Just curious, My desk machine is a AMD Athlon XP 2800+ with only 1 GB ram running XP Pro. It's a pretty old home built box. Would 7 upgrade in my machine? I'm still thinking about it.

I came home yesterday to a Windows Box. I'll install it this weekend and let you guys know my impressions.

Anybody been using it for a while?
What's application compatability like ?

I'm currently running XP 64, but of course few applications make use of the 64.
Have Photoshop CS4 64 thuoght which is sweet.
PC is getting a bit slow now so could do with a re-install, so may consider 7.
But my main hardware is quite old now ~4yrs old.

WOuld be concerned about stuff like picture Project running on it.
(I still prefer Picture Project over transfer since Transfer does not auto-rotate images)

LOL... I mean the version from Corel.

There's this great video on YouTube of people describing paint the way Apple exec's talk about their products ("Customers just love the simplicity of 16 colors" etc.). I'll have to dig it up when I get home.

I wonder if Paint will get a make-over in Windows 7?

When I first read your post Willis I read you saying that the one software you missed was Paint as in Microsoft Paint?! LOL

The mac platform was certainly in bad shape back when XP came out. I remember trying to use them in the computer labs at college and hating it... worst user experience ever. Even the first couple releases of OSX were pretty buggy.

Today is a different ball game. I actually liked Vista, so I'm not a platform hack by any stretch. But platform is far less important now than it was 10 years ago. Sure there's more software available to PC users, but since I switched to Mac, I've never found myself missing any of them except Paint Shop Pro (and Pixelmator does 90% of what I used PSP for). With more and more programs moving to the cloud (a migration I've never fully understood or had faith in, but its happening) and with the proliferation of open source software... Porting a application between platforms is much more feasible now than it was years ago. Having Windows and Macs on the same chip architecture doesn't hurt either.

The reason I prefer OSX is because I spend less time fiddling with it. My mac is actually easier to connect to my Office VPN then my PC's. I don't have to use Cisco's VPN client software. It's all built in to snow leopard. Connecting \ Disconnecting is a snap. Networking is similarly easy.

Niko's answer is telling: Why use Windows? "Because other people use windows"... I'm not knocking that as a reason. Its certainly the best reason I can think of to use photoshop. But that doesn't mean its the best solution for your work-flow. Most non-gaming\tweaking consumers will use what they prefer. Based on my experience, that probably doesn't bode very well for Microsoft. That's why the pressure is on for Windows 7.

I might have upgraded the PC as I wouldn't have purchased Vista at the shelf price but rahter as an OEM.

I've never left or switch to anything. I've always used both.

Niko - so we have a different experience. I've switched to mac around 2-3 years ago, and since that time I forgot what it means to have a hardware/software issue. As You wrote "Time is money" - so it's for me, my workflow on mac speeded up a lot, even that almost all of my clients use Windows machines.

Why use windows? Because it's used on 90% of the worlds computers that's why. Thats the reason I use both.

I ran XP with and without SP1 and 2. With graphic intensive daily use. I've had more problems with Macs (bad motherboards, dead unchargeable batteries, bad monitors, lock ups, sudden reboots) then with my PCs (a few bluescreens of death, bad power bricks, broken laptop keys, adware,). I really can't say one system is better than the other because they can both suck big time! But windows XP has been more stable for me. Linux and Ubuntu have no place in my work flow. Time is money and I can't stop to fool around with an OS that nobody else uses except for my nerdy friends.

Microsoft still provided support for Windows 98 until about three years ago so XP will be around forever.

Niko - Did you ever run XP before SP2? When it first came out (nearly a decade ago), it was very crash prone. Once MS finally made good on their promise of delivering a stable OS, everybody jumped on it... Now its all anybody wants to use.

That's the problem with making big business the driving force behind your OS adaptation... They won't upgrade unless it makes really good sense and doesn't break any of their existing proprietary software (which MS has no way of testing).

Consumers generally prefer to use the same OS at home or at work. If you are willing to use a different one, why use Windows?. The only thing that's going to kill XP is if Microsoft stops allowing companies to sell it. If they are going to do that then Windows 7 better be good.

Very strange monty? Out of 30 plus computers running on XP I've only had problems with about 2 of them. XP has been a very stable platform. As for the 10 Macs, 4 had to be replaced so go figure :^(

I'll probably put Win7 on my laptop, which is running Vista now. My main computer at home will stay with XP for now, due to limitations with my Minolta Dual Scan IV, at least until Silverfast will run the scanner on Win7. My other home computers will get Win7 some day (doing fine without). At work, I have 15 clients on a server. All but one (Vista) run XP. Vista was a bitch to get running with SBS - until you learned the secrets that MS doesn't tell you about up front. Again, when software forces upgrade, I'll move to Win7 at work.

Same hardware on the XP and Vista machine, monty11?
For I haven't had an XP crash, period, since I replaced a bad stick of RAM.

I guess it is again my turn to wonder why people don't like Vista :D
I (looks like I'm for some reason a minority) get along with Vista a lot better than I did with XP. It is by far more stable (yes, XP was a legal version). Also I hated the arduous task of reinstalling XP after every 6-9 months as Vista has been running now for 2 years with no significant decrease in performance.

Flame away :P