Mac, PC (Windows), or Turnkey Editing Appliance?
- Thread starter Elite3CCD
- Start date
So when it comes down to it, it's all about what you like better. And since we are all Movie buffs, sorry Macs just work better. On the editing side.
And Beeble you must of not taken care of your mac for it to crash like that. Or you got a bugged system. Cause mine is still kicking. So sorry but that makes no since. And everybody i know that has an old mac still has it in running order.
And Beeble you must of not taken care of your mac for it to crash like that. Or you got a bugged system. Cause mine is still kicking. So sorry but that makes no since. And everybody i know that has an old mac still has it in running order.
vegasindiestv said:
I might say the same thing about all these Mac users who seem to have an extremely unusual experience with Windows.
The fact is that I treated my Macs exactly the same as I treated my Windows systems. In fact, better since I didn't use it as much. I also used a suite of G3s with OS9 at my work (Disney) and guess what, they crashed all the time. But even under the best of circumstances with a perfectly running G3, it would be hard for the Mac to beat the stability of Windows NT or 2000, which rarely if ever crashed. It might be AS stable, but it would be a stretch to declare that it was absolutely much more stable, which is what Mac users were claiming at the time (and still do about OSX vs XP).
I think the problem here is that Mac users tend to ignore problems they have on their Macs and exaggerate problems in Windows. OS9 did not have protected memory. That's a technical reality, not my imagination. And in observing other users with OS9, it wasn't nearly as stable as Mac enthusiasts would have you believe. It certainly wasn't as stable as Windows 98, 2000 or NT, which is what I was using at the time.
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Well Mac OS X Panther was given the operating system of the year award or whatever that award was called. . . over ms XP. I'd go with Mac, because their stuff is solid. I have a mac, works fine. I've had a mac since 1992 and it still works, hasn't gotten a virus. Good times. I also really like mac because the programs that come with it are all well integrated with eachother, I've never had a problem with "incompatible video cards" as some of my windows friends have gone through, my mac just works. That's my experience. There's a bunch of video stuff out for Mac, and it's made by Apple itself. They know their own system. With DVD Studio, and the click of a button you can export your menu to Motion, do all that fancy stuff, and it'll throw it right back into DVD studio, for example. And there's bunch of stuff, so for me and my workflow, I don't see myself using anything else. But of course this is because I've used a mac all my life, so it's just 2nd language to me, I'm sure that's true for windows people. Obviously both systems must work, because they're still around, so it's mostly preference really. But my pref is mac. ok there's my 2 cents (more like 10, hahaha) 
Director i couldn't agree with you more. Virus that right there should shut everyone up. Macs don't get viruses. That I love.
vegasindiestv said:
That's because so few people use them that it's not really worth the effort. If either Linux or OSX ever got into high double digit market share, you'd probably see a lot more of them.
But frankly, Windows aren't that difficult to maintain. I don't get viruses because I know what I'm doing, but my father is hardly a computer geek and has only gotten one spyware program and no viruses in a year and a half on his Gateway. And the spyware he actually installed himself through a menu bar plug in for IE. He just couldn't figure out how to uninstall it.
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I understand that but my mac works fine to me, and alot of people use Macs today, and i still have 0 viruses. Thats still better than 1 virus. Gee you guys hatge macs or what. I don't even dog PC's half the amount you guys dog Macs. It's a decent system you guys make it seem like it's the worth thing that hit the market. I Love PC's give Macs a chance. I just think people are scared of what they don't know how to use... 
vegasindiestv said:
Yes, obviously when I said "Macs are great" and that FCP gives Mac the edge in editing, what I really meant was "they suck."
No, I'm not dogging Macs. I'm trying to correct a LOT of misconceptions about Mac vs Windows, including grossly inaccurate and unfair comparisons of the two.
funny that because i thought this forum is suposed to be about what is our prefered editing platform and why, not 'correct a LOT of misconceptions about Mac vs Windows'. Sure a little comparison is good but this has turned into a Mac vs windows debate which will continue for many years to come. I think we have got the idea so far that osx is generally the prefered os to edit on and we should leave it at that. Unless we want to take it to another thread and let war begin? 
lux said:
Sure, but if I came on here and said that I prefer Windows because Macs were prone to catch on fire every five minutes or that they give you cancer, it would behoove someone to point out what is or isn't true about the comparison. Not only is that not off topic, I think it's very relevant to the discussion IF you want the person to get a fair and accurate comparison of the different systems.
I agree, thats why i said after that sentence that its ok to compare a little but not to the point that you are going back and forth about the same issue which has nothing to do with editing, but about who has the most shares etc. But im not going to argue as i feel the point of this thread has been taken.
I actually think market share and user base are important factors when deciding on a system. When you work with a computer as much as I do, your most important technical support comes from other users. So the quality and size of the user base is an important topic and very underrated when considering a system.
In terms of editing, FCP has a significant enough user base to handily beat Premiere. Avid is still used by more pros, but FCP is rapidly overtaking the indie market. And THAT, to me, is what gives a Mac the edge in editing, not the OS.
In terms of features, FCP and Premiere are virtually indentical. In my experience, FCP is not quite as stable as Premiere, but it does do other things a lot better, like 24p support in QT. I regard those things as trade offs, however, and am moving to FCP thanks to the ubiquity of FCP around me in the film industry and because I can't afford a "real" (ie. turnkey) Avid system.
That said, while FCP does have a significant user base, which I appreciate, I am really turned off by a lof of the Mac user base in general. It's one of the reasons I haven't and won't completely switch to Macs altogether. It's a real turn off for all the reasons mentioned earlier.
In terms of editing, FCP has a significant enough user base to handily beat Premiere. Avid is still used by more pros, but FCP is rapidly overtaking the indie market. And THAT, to me, is what gives a Mac the edge in editing, not the OS.
In terms of features, FCP and Premiere are virtually indentical. In my experience, FCP is not quite as stable as Premiere, but it does do other things a lot better, like 24p support in QT. I regard those things as trade offs, however, and am moving to FCP thanks to the ubiquity of FCP around me in the film industry and because I can't afford a "real" (ie. turnkey) Avid system.
That said, while FCP does have a significant user base, which I appreciate, I am really turned off by a lof of the Mac user base in general. It's one of the reasons I haven't and won't completely switch to Macs altogether. It's a real turn off for all the reasons mentioned earlier.
Every time this comes up it ends the same...
What's the best editing platform? Depends on the editor.
For some it's the Mac, for some it's a PC, for some it's a flatbed film splicer... to each their own.
By the way lux, you were WAY off base about the origins of Apple and IBM. For a quick (and very enjoyable) history lesson, check out Pirates of Silicon Valley
If you don't feel like watching it, here's the major error you had. Apple didn't give up anything to anyone. Xerox gave up their graphical interface and mouse technology to Apple who used it to develop the "Lisa" and eventually the Macintosh. When Bill Gates saw the Lisa, he got his people working on development of 'Windows'. IBM licensed DOS (and eventually windows) from Microsoft for their personal computers that were developed to compete with Apple's quickly growing grasp on the thus far untapped home market.
Seriously though.. watch the movie.
What's the best editing platform? Depends on the editor.
For some it's the Mac, for some it's a PC, for some it's a flatbed film splicer... to each their own.
By the way lux, you were WAY off base about the origins of Apple and IBM. For a quick (and very enjoyable) history lesson, check out Pirates of Silicon Valley
If you don't feel like watching it, here's the major error you had. Apple didn't give up anything to anyone. Xerox gave up their graphical interface and mouse technology to Apple who used it to develop the "Lisa" and eventually the Macintosh. When Bill Gates saw the Lisa, he got his people working on development of 'Windows'. IBM licensed DOS (and eventually windows) from Microsoft for their personal computers that were developed to compete with Apple's quickly growing grasp on the thus far untapped home market.
Seriously though.. watch the movie.
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Will Vincent said:
I also highly recommend Triumph Of The Nerds. It's a three hour documentary featuring interviews with all of the key players from the early days of the PC, including Gates, Jobs, Wazniack, Allen, and more.
ahhh virtualdub... I used that today. Alas, it still wasn't able to fix my problems quick enough... blast!
Time for a new PC me thinks... as soon as I pay off this Boston trip.. hmm maybe I should pay my tuition too.
Time for a new PC me thinks... as soon as I pay off this Boston trip.. hmm maybe I should pay my tuition too.