coursework help

[quaker_kid]

not sure if i'm posting in the right topic but i need a little help with some coursework. hope someone can help me out.

scenario: a flash website design company need to overhaul their equipment and decide which OS to use (windows,mac or linux).
I need to think about cost, hardware requirments, available software and OS efficiency.

its only a very small assignment and is basically to show i have used several resources for my research (hence asking on here). just a simple paragraph or two would be most appreciated.

[MacPerson]

Go with Mac.
Never mind the extra cost... it's cheaper in the long run.

[JabezStone]

Haha... I feel a flame-war coming on! the uber-mac-elitists vs. the puritan-pc-fanatics.

[JabezStone]

By the nature of your sample business (a flash website design company) you would have to initially rule out Linux-based systems, unless you only use this for coding and server-related work. That leaves you with two contendors... PC and Mac.

My company is mostly a Mac-run outfit, however 90% of the work I do is on PC... because I choose to.

I work with both platforms on my desk, coding and building mostly on PC, and testing on the Mac.

While I much prefer the Mac's aesthetics and comfortable feel, I get a sheer performance boost using my PC over the Mac.

Cost-wise, a comparable Mac will cost you easily twice as much as a PC. I don't know how MacMatix might figure the cost being cheaper in the long-run, but whatever. Unless you have a screaming G5 with dual processors, plan on being left behind in productivity, especially with Macromedia products, as they generally run slower on a Mac... this equates to lost dollars, as far as I'm concerned.

Regarding software, this is really a moot issue now, as there are myriads of cross-platform development programs available.

Anyway, there are just a couple thoughts on the issue.

I'll step back and duck the blows, now.

[MacPerson]

The problem with PCs is similar to what happens when I make the mistake of putting a red 'T' shirt in the wash with my white ones...

I sometimes spend hours tuning my color compositions until they are perfectly balanced (or as close as I can get it)... only to see them in a client's PC... looking totally red shifted. Then I have to spend hours trying to wash the red out. Time is also money. (this never happens on a Mac)

Not to mention the psychological pain... It's like listening to a Leonard Coen composition sang by Donald Duck.

[MG315]

i would personally use a mac because
1. More reliable (i know some of you say your pc has never crashed, well mine has. when i worked on a powerbook it never crashed)
2. Focused on Design industry. Apple's target audience is the design industry, so they make their computer work and look great along with the software.
3. Price doesn't matter much anymore. The price difference between macs and pc's are disappearing. If you buy an iMac and a similarly equipped dell (not ghz vs ghz, actual speed performance) the mac will be cheaper. Same goes for iBook. Yes, the powermacs are a little pricy, but they are great machines.


But if you go with mac, you'll definately need a pc in the corner to test things to make sure they look right. Some things look different from mac to pc (the flash player runs slower on macs than it does on pc's)

[nordberg]

<puritan-pc-fanatic>
i would think anyone considering buying equipment for a small business would easily make the case for PCs...unless they are designers that have been put 'in charge' of this decision. from a business perspective, PCs are the ONLY choice. most of your potential employees will know how to use a PC - including your accountants, admin assistants, sales force (not everyone is a designer!). you can buy PCs EVERYWHERE, and at EVERY PRICE! software, parts, training, etc are more available with PCs. your source files and documents work on all your clients machines (not a huge issue). if something goes wrong, you can go down the street to Staples for a fix.

basically, you are a trend whore or you are not.
when running a business, it's best not to be.
(unless you need MACs to match your urban-retro loft office)
</puritan-pc-fanatic>

[pastthepresent]

For all you Mac people out there...

http://www.w2knews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=041108FA-Mac

[DMB Lover 41]

the new iMac G5's are cheaper than any comparable PC system, and will give you pretty solid peformance and one of the best 20" screens for less than 2K...and the 17" models start much cheapter. plus they look soooo much better than any pc, IMO.

for the record, i'm using a pc right now, but my last trip to an apple store has me thinking...

[MacPerson]

It's the same thing with Porsches... damn things cost more than they should and you can never find parts for them down at the wrecking yard... with Toyotas on the other hand you'll have no such problems...

[acidrap123]

just remember... Things look Lighter on a mac monitor than they do on a PC monitor because Macs use a higher mhz... So whichever you get, you should test on the other one no matter what.

[RazoRmedia]

does no-one seem to understand that the mac plays flash slower than a pc as it has to use a style of PC emulator to view flash. (This was the case with flash 5 anyway, not sure if its changed)

[MacPerson]

Thanks for that... I used to think that my Mac was a retard... it's true... it's faster on a PC.
In order to cope with that, I'm forced to limit the speed of my movies to eight frames per second... If I don't this, my stuff looks like it's on speed when I see it on a PC... and I'm MXpro.
That's yet another reason why I should stick with Macs... otherwise Mac viewers would see my movies in slow motion.