Windows Vista (Ultimate) on a new notebook... or a Macbook.

This is not to be a fanboy circlejerk or incite a flamefest. Please leave such comments at the door.

For those of you who were Windows users for a long time and decided to switch over to Leopard (or some other previous incarnation of Apple's OS) -- which I imagine includes most Mac users today -- why did you do it, and what do you think in retrospect?

I'm waiting for Dell's Adamo, Studio XPS 13, and Sony's Z690 before snagging a new notebook, but I'm kind of torn on the OS bit. It'll be Vista Ultimate with Windows 7 later (showing promise as a leaked beta build, for those of you not reading Engadget / Gizmodo), and since I'm not all that Linux-savvy and couldn't run Fedora Core quite as easily as I'd like to, I guess now's as good a time as any to nitpick my choice on an OS.

 

Hey,
Well I've been always a windows user, I bought my first mac ever like 2 weeks ago... So far I really love it, you'll need some time to find the programs you're used to use for mac.. (not too much, just google it and add mac at the end for the search), and you'll need also some time to get used to the new keys combination...
Actually there's a very nice thread here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=161784
This thread explain pretty much about everything you need to know...

I decided to buy the macbook pro because I always wanted to have one and to try the mac OS, and of course the great design they got...

So basically I use mac OS for all normal activities (which manages the battery and resources in a great way), and windows vista for games or for specific programs... I've found that everything on mac OS is intuitive...

hope this helps

 

I was a long-term windows user until I started using Vista. I encountered a host of various weird problems, but that was because I was using Vista prior to MS's service packs (90% of them vanished with SP1). What really upset me was the slow speed of the OS; I still maintain a set of Vista computers, and they're just dreadfully slow compared to my OS X and Ubuntu machines. I've yet to be convinced that there is a feature set in Vista that can't either be added to XP, or found in Linux or OS X. Vista's performance, even on top-end machines is just poor compared to other operating systems.

 

I switched back to Mac after being a windows user for 15 years or so. I started out with one of the very first Macs many years ago. Last December I bought an iMac and just two weeks ago I upgraded from a VAIO to a Macbook Air. Main motivation was being fed up with Vista, which seems like a DOS program being held together by patches and paper clips. Very clumsy and slow.
Leopard is much more fluid and user friendly. With Parallels you can run any windows program you want, but for now I am just using Mac OS X. I have Office for the Mac and that works without a hitch. Nice to not have to worry much about virus or malware.
No regrets, and I love the Air. The two work seamlessly together.
Wouldn't consider going back to a PC now.
YMMV
JTMav

 

I switched to a MBP because it is one of the lightest and slimmest 15.4" notebooks, also one of the very few that has a dual-link DVI port. OSX isnt a major reason though I have used it before and like it. I've used Vista before it came out since RC1 and I got my copy before most retail from MSDN. So I am used to it. Mostly the hardware caused me to buy it. Then since I am using OSX on my MBP I decided to stick with OSX for my netbook.

 

i'm going to echo most of the comments posted here: leopard just seems "faster." with all the added pluses of the system - namely expose and the multi-touch trackpad gestures - i'm able to do things more quickly on os x than on vista. in my experience, leopard also hangs less frequently than windows.

 

Just to add my experience, I've been a windows user basically my whole life. Reason I switched to mac was to try out the OS that most people been raving on about and because the laptop itself looks so beautiful and slender. So far it's been brilliant, I was first concerned that the 2gb ram will be quite slow and that I needed an upgrade, I was quite wrong as it appeared to be faster than my pc. No need for clean install as I got everything I need and there's no bloatware. The interface itself looks minimal and tasks seems so simple to do and it generally made me feel more work productive than usual compared windows. I got my aluminium macbook less than a week and already I feel like I got the hang of things from switching over, it's also nice to know that I can switch to windows on my mac whenever I want, not that I to! Lol but I do need my gaming to keep me happy Tbh both OS has it advantages, for example on the windows I feel like I have a bit more control over preferences and customisation, but I mean with mac you can have both so that means... it's best of both worlds

 

I switched because I work with audio a lot (composing and mixing) and OS X is just more stable for me. I haven't lost a project in 1 and a half years since I switched.

Needless to say, I've lost a lot of projects just because Windows decided to start not responding.

 

what do i think 1 year after getting my first apple laptop?

i think if mac had some serious game developer support, that windows wouldn't be a serious platform anymore.

i enjoy doing work on the mac more than in windows. window management is better. memory management is better and less convoluted.

i use adobe cs3 illustrator and photoshop and flash. xcode. maya. and then basic ilife and iwork type stuff.

i have windows installed just for games and visual studio 2008.

 

That, my friend, is well said!!!! i only use windows for gaming and programming as i`m a C.S student

 

Well i bought my first Mac before Apple made it possible for Intel laptops to boot Windows. I bought my first Mac in February 06. I bought a MBP and although i had it replaced twice in that time i kept it for about 15 months. I was using Tiger at that time.

I also in time bought an Apple iBook Clamshell to try out during that time as well.

When i parted with my MBP i bought a G4 iBook then later sold that and went back to using a PC. At that time i wanted a portable 13.3 with an AL body and a few other things.
I bought a few PC's after that and then ended up with the last gen MB with Leopard OS. The MB developed a problem within 28 days and i sent it back to Apple for a full refund. I would have gone with a replacement but i was not taken with the looks and extra weight of the MB compared to the notebook i had previously.

For a while when i owned a Mac i resisted putting XP on it because i thought i should try and work with Mac OS. I later had to put XP on my notebook as a few things i needed was not working with Mac OS.

Last time i owned one i was not taken as much by Leopard. Like before some of the stuff i was not even using and some of the new features i did not like. Some of the apps i did like though. I also was getting fed up of dual booting. I was dual booting to sometimes use the Windows Messenger as i prefer it also i needed Windows as some media stuff only will work with Windows. I know you can do parallels but you also have to pay extra for the parallels CD as well. I was also not crazy about the trackpad either.

Everything i want to do i can do it using Vista. I like Vista. Maybe if the hardware was right i would get one again.

I have tried the new Macs the MBA is just not right for me it is missing to many key features i need and the trackpad is not great.

The MB the screen is not great, battery life is too short for me and it is lacking a few essential things again. It does not even have an express card slot and it is lacking an HDMI port also which is what i would require if i was buying a new laptop today. The trackpad also seems strange to me as well.

The MBP now looks more like a consumer laptop then it ever did and it is too big for my needs.

I bought my first Mac because i was tired of Windows XP. I just needed a change. I didn't hate Windows or anything like that. Vista is better than XP in my opinion it is more up to date and i am not bored using it.

 

Also bought my first Mac some time ago because I was a bit tired of Windows and wanted to try something new. It's been nice so far, mostly because there are some clean apps that do what they are supposed to do very well, like iTunes. The design of Apple products is usually very appealing as well.

But there is another side of getting a Mac too. Mac is essentially Steve's world. It's a very money focused and restricted world. There's a lot I don't like about how Apple is doing its business.