Mo Facta
Farts of Nature
There are certain factors on both ends that make this debate interesting.
First, I believe that if you're using a Mac or a PC for audio production, both work just fine. They have totally different operating systems which accomplish computing quite differently. That is what makes this whole debate so sticky as everyone has their own workflow preferences and everyone has different needs.
However, here are my opinions, if they're worth anything to you:
Windows machines are quick and dirty. They are able to host a large amount of third party software and hardware and Microsoft has not been stingy to developers and manufacturers. I suppose that is why they are so profitable. Because of this, I believe, Windows PC's are way more open to [mostly] user and occasionally developer/manufacturer error. This, I believe, is the source of their bad rep. We (I mean, PC users) all know the perils of viruses combined with a badly managed system. Too many installed programs along with fragmented drives and too many background processes will bog a Windows system down quicker than white on rice. And it's all too easy to do so. Keeping your system clean is imperative if you're using it for audio. But yes, Windows machines are highly customizable and, once optimized and configured, it will run stably and powerfully for audio. No doubt about it. Norton Ghost is your friend here. Once I get a stable install, I save the system drive to image so if there's a problem I can just load it back to normal. I guess my point is that Windows machines are not so precious and relatively easy to re-install, which is a good thing.
Mac, on the other hand, has a lot going for them and there are reasons why so many production (including graphic designers) professionals prefer them. Their multitasking ability and sheer workhorse stability is legendary. The UNIX-based operating system, once working, IS more stable, IMO. If you've got a relatively new Mac Pro with dual quad-core Xeons and lots of RAM, you know what I'm talking about. You can do so much multitasking before the system crashes (if you can get it to crash) and it's so convenient to let processes run in the background while you get to other tasks. However, Macs do crash. I've seen it and experienced total lockups first hand. If you've got a bad RAM chip it will almost certainly kernel panic (similar to a Windows BSOD) as Macs are very temperamental about what hardware you install. But they are slick and powerful and I like the OS. It's streamlined and I find it comfortable to work in.
Anyway, if any of you more geekier fellows would like to read about UNIX vs Windows, read this:
Unix vs. Microsoft Windows
Cheers
First, I believe that if you're using a Mac or a PC for audio production, both work just fine. They have totally different operating systems which accomplish computing quite differently. That is what makes this whole debate so sticky as everyone has their own workflow preferences and everyone has different needs.
However, here are my opinions, if they're worth anything to you:
Windows machines are quick and dirty. They are able to host a large amount of third party software and hardware and Microsoft has not been stingy to developers and manufacturers. I suppose that is why they are so profitable. Because of this, I believe, Windows PC's are way more open to [mostly] user and occasionally developer/manufacturer error. This, I believe, is the source of their bad rep. We (I mean, PC users) all know the perils of viruses combined with a badly managed system. Too many installed programs along with fragmented drives and too many background processes will bog a Windows system down quicker than white on rice. And it's all too easy to do so. Keeping your system clean is imperative if you're using it for audio. But yes, Windows machines are highly customizable and, once optimized and configured, it will run stably and powerfully for audio. No doubt about it. Norton Ghost is your friend here. Once I get a stable install, I save the system drive to image so if there's a problem I can just load it back to normal. I guess my point is that Windows machines are not so precious and relatively easy to re-install, which is a good thing.
Mac, on the other hand, has a lot going for them and there are reasons why so many production (including graphic designers) professionals prefer them. Their multitasking ability and sheer workhorse stability is legendary. The UNIX-based operating system, once working, IS more stable, IMO. If you've got a relatively new Mac Pro with dual quad-core Xeons and lots of RAM, you know what I'm talking about. You can do so much multitasking before the system crashes (if you can get it to crash) and it's so convenient to let processes run in the background while you get to other tasks. However, Macs do crash. I've seen it and experienced total lockups first hand. If you've got a bad RAM chip it will almost certainly kernel panic (similar to a Windows BSOD) as Macs are very temperamental about what hardware you install. But they are slick and powerful and I like the OS. It's streamlined and I find it comfortable to work in.
Anyway, if any of you more geekier fellows would like to read about UNIX vs Windows, read this:
Unix vs. Microsoft Windows
Cheers