PC? Mac? Linux? Who knows?
Batman vs. The Joker. Superman vs. Lex Luthor. The U vs. the Y. Epic battles are found in every age, every population and every medium thinkable. Computers are no exception.
The Mac vs. PC debate can cause some serious arguments, said Holly Andersen, junior in elementary education.
“There is a massive rift in our apartment because people care too much about a stupid computer,” she said, noting one roommate strongly prefers Mac and another PC.
Despite this, one isn’t necessarily better than another, said Joe Phippen, junior in speech communication who works for Computer Solutions in the USU Bookstore.
“All together, it’s 6’s one way and a half dozen the other,” he said.
Macs retain their value better, but PCs are used more, he said.
He recommends the two computers based on what type of programs someone wants to run on them. For more technical things, such as drafting or musical notation, he said he suggests using a PC, while a Mac is typically better for media projects and the creative arts.
“Anything in the middle doesn’t matter,” he said, such as for typical student or business use.
There are also differences between the computers when it comes to viruses, he said, with more viruses found on PCs than on Macs. The reason for this is because the creators of viruses go for impact, he said.
“You have a fat, Dorito-eating nerd in the basement, and he’ll write for PC,” he said. “More people use a PC.”
Rob Davis, a former graduate student in physics, agreed and said he’s never found a virus on a Mac.
“People who want to make a virus want to be as mischievous as possible,” he said.
However, Phippen said he expects to see more viruses for Mac as its popularity increases.
He said he personally uses a Mac.
“It’s more stylin’, and they don’t make cheap, bargain-bin stuff,” he said. “It’s also an elitist thing – not everyone uses it.”
Michelle Zundel, junior in graphic design, also uses a Mac.
“I use a Mac because it’s the industry standard in my profession,” she said. “You can program on a Mac, but, granted, some things are easier on a PC.”
The debate between Mac and PC isn’t necessarily about the computer, she said, but about the system on which they run. Macs come running standard on Mac OS X while PCs run standard on Windows, she said.
Whatever the differences between the Mac and PC, Linux can be used on either, Phippen said.
Linux (pronounced LIH-nucks), an operating system originally created as a hobby by Linus Torvalds, a student at the University of Helsinki in Finland, is an open-source operating system, which means anyone has access to it, and it is free.
“It’s the same concept as Wikipedia,” Zundel said, in that everyone has access to it and can change it. “It’s just so weird.”
Phippen said using the system is not for everyone.
“It’s not the industry standard for the average Joe,” he said. “It’s a counter-culture thing. It’s not just for nerds but also for super-nerds in their basement. You’re not contributing to Mac or PC. And, again, it’s the elitist thing.”
“Linux is built by a community of developers, not by a single company like Microsoft or Apple,” said Chad Mano, assistant professor of computer science. “It was traditionally used by people interested in maintaining a customized computer system. Linux typically has the reputation for being only for nerds. Although it is still not quite as easy to set up and run as a standard Mac or PC, it’s become a lot more user-friendly over time.”
Mano said he uses Linux mainly for research purposes. His area of expertise is computer security, and because Linux is a fully functioning and open-source operating system, it’s flexible and thus especially good for experimentation, he said.
“It’s good to see how changes affect a real operating system,” he said, “rather than a purely experimental one.
“Some drawbacks of Linux are that sometimes properly configuring a system can be an issue, and versions of some common programs for Mac and Windows aren’t available for Linux,” he said.
As for the Mac versus PC debate, Mano said he’s used to a Mac but uses a PC, too.
But overall, the debate is overblown, Andersen said.
“Mac or PC? It doesn’t really matter as long as you can get your homework done,” she said.
-lisa.m.christensen@aggiemail.usu.edu