I don't like macs personally, they don't fit all my needs, I can work Windows fine, there's a wider range of programs for PC, then you got Linux with its open software, my friend described it to me as this, Windows is best for gaming and work, Mac is best for ease of use and design (art, movies, etc), and Linux is cheap versatile great for running servers and all that other good stuff, but if you already got Windows and Linux I don't see a huge reason for tacking on a 3rd OS cause you can get your needs from some application on either of those without the overpriced mac name.

I guess slightly faster and a smaller memory footprint. All do require allot of work to set up(EDIT Except Dragonfly), but if you're into computing, that might be most of the fun.

You will be familiar with BSD if you use your Linux Terminal, but you might have to lookup commands as they are sometimes different.

The benefits:

from http://sites.inka.de/mips/unix/bsdlinux.html:

"

The key difference between BSD and Linux can be summarized in a single term: integration, meaning both a process and the result of this process.

Each BSD distribution is considered a single project. Linux distributions on the other hand are combined from a multitude of separate projects, many of which aren't even Linux-specific. There is a Linux kernel project led by Linus Torvalds. There are toolchain and C library projects. There are a host of different GNU projects that provide various tool collections. And so on.

On BSD, the developers are also the integrators. If somebody wanted to change the output of, say, ls -l, he would also feel responsible for taking care that any scripts in the system that depend on a particular format for the ls(1) output would also be adapted. In the Linux world, the system integrators who combine many different projects into a distribution are generally not developers of those projects. The resulting system integration of BSD is tighter. Man pages are more complete, programs interoperate better, there is a more consistent look and feel to the system.

Some often mentioned differences between BSD and Linux are merely the result of BSD's single project mindset: All of the base system is contained in a single CVS tree, i.e. all of it is under version control. From there, the complete source tree can be checked out and re-compiled in one go. This is generally known as make world, from the single command that can be used to rebuild the system. So far, no Linux distribution has been able to provide its source in a CVS tree, and in fact not even the Linux kernel is under proper version control, resulting in a rather cumbersome (from a BSD perspective) development process.

Another resulting difference is the clear demarcation between base system and additional software under BSD. Many Linux distributions now ship half a dozen CDs full of packages. There is little guidance which parts belong to the core system and which are optional, which have been rigorously tested and audited, and which were just added because the source was available on the net."

Oh and the modern BSD all have Linux Binary compatibility that, once enabled, allows you to run any GNU/Linux program.

Really it comes down to wether you want to experience a new way to do computing because you're bored with the old one. I had a lot of problems with BSD with a Laptop though. I unfortunately don't have time to experiment with it anymore.

Apple's laptop lines are not really overpriced. Their feature set is solid and their build quality is top-notch. Sure, you can get cheaper laptops but it's hard to find something that will match the Mac's spec for substantially less.

As a former Windows user, I say go for it. OS X is an OS for people like me. I don't like to have to download third party crap to do the things I want. Everything OS X comes with is everything I've ever needed so far. I'm just a regular guy who likes to surf the net, listen to music, and generally use my macbook for school and sheer personal entertainment.

If you're not going to use a mac for gaming, then there's nothing really wrong with it, and everything that comes with OS X is pretty much practical. The only third party thing that I've had to download is Microsoft Office, but it was umm...free (got it from a friend).

At first, learning how to use OS X may seem pretty tedious because of being used to Windows, but after the first two or three days you'll realize how easy and practical OS X is. The only problem is going back to Windows. You'll get frustrated just looking at the "Welcome" screen when you boot up your PC.

Windows is just frustrating to use compared to OS X. If you're not frustrated with Windows at the moment, get used to OS X and then go back to Windows and you'll realize it.

I say go for the macbook (I'm using it right now and my lap is having an orgasm), but if you're still not sure, go to an Apple store and mess around with OS X and ask the workers there about stuff you're curious about. The store closest to my place is really knowledgeable about OS X.


On a side note, I wish Apple would license OS X to other companies like Dell and HP so that computers running OS X would be cheaper. Everyone deserves to run OS X for less than a grand.

That would be very persuasive, but unfortunately I don't need the problems with Windows fixed because Linux does that for free. I'm just deciding between a Macbook or a slightly cheaper laptop which i would scrub Windows from and replace it with Linux. 

That's good advice to go to an Apple store: I didn't know you could try it out to that extent. Being British, however, my nearest store is 3 hours away.

There is of course OSx86 and a, uh, "free" download.

This is very true, however the corrolary is that it assumes that every user will value every feature.

If you have a user who does not need 90% of what the Mac offers then, for the amount of valuable features the user is actually getting, the Mac is very overpriced.

Paying for an equivalent Windows machine that can do everything the stock Mac machine can will be much more costly, however paying for a Windows machine that can do everything the user needs it to is often far far cheaper than the stock Mac machine.

It all comes down to what you're looking for in your computer. ^_^

Just stick with linux, and a "PC" laptop (with linux on it instead of windows).

From what time I've spent with OS X, it just seems like a less flexible, more pretty version of linux. Don't get me wrong - it's still probably a better OS than windows, but having to buy Mac's overpriced hardware in order to use it isn't worth it.

I really don't like macs personally, but I would consider a macbook because my Sister has one and it seems really nice for on-the-go purposes. Like I believe Mac are very popular with students.

1. Only price, and only if you want a low end laptop. When you buy a Mac, you are forced to buy high end hardware. If you go to Dell, or anywhere else, and Spec out a PC laptop with the same stuff as a MBP, you will pay more. As for any other disadvantage, none. The fastest Vista laptop released last year, was a Mac. When I got my MBP, I got it with the intent of deleting the OS and running XP/Linux (I am a .NET developer). I fell in love with OSX, and now I run it almost exclusively. I have Windows installed in a virtual machine, and use it to develop, but other then that, I run OSX.

2. No, I cannot describe it. There are a thousand little things that just work better, but to talk about any one of them would not tell the whole story. To really understand how much better it is, you need to use it.

3. Yes, definitely. I own about every piece of electronics one could have (360/PS3/Wii/High end PC/30" Dell display/MBP/1080p HDTV/Smart Phone/PSP/Canon 10D Camera/I-pod/the list goes on), and if I could only own one of them, it would be the Mac hands down. And this comes from someone who hated Mac up until they went with a UNIX OS and Intel.

Hell, I have an MSDN license (get all MS software for free), and I still buy Mac software. It truly is years ahead of anything else out there (including Linux, which I love).

Game_boy,
How about you buy it in a store with a good return policy and then try it at home for 14 days and return it if you don't like it. Seriously, just try it out.