It’s decision time again. The VAR Guy has a MacBook Pro at work and a Dell PC running Ubuntu Linux at home. He loves both systems. But now he needs another home computer for his family. Which platform will he choose? The answer just presented itself…
Sure, The VAR Guy loves the simplicity and speed of Ubuntu. There are thousands of free applications available for the Linux operating system. And it’s certainly less expensive to buy a Dell PC running Ubuntu compared to a similarly configured iMac.
But in this debate, the iMac wins. The reason? The VAR Guy just got hooked on GarageBand, an application that comes bundled with Macintoshes. On the MacBook Pro, GarageBand allows The VAR Guy to easily produce podcasts and integrates well with Apple’s hosted services (surprise, surprise). Plus, The VAR Guy is hooked on all the other Mac apps (iPhoto, iDVD, iEverything…).
Yes, there are surely dozens of free podcasting tools for Ubuntu Linux. But The VAR Guy is moving forward with GarageBand and the iMac — at least for this PC purchase.
Oh, and what about Windows Vista? Sorry folks, but Microsoft’s operating system doesn’t warrant consideration from The VAR Guy at this time.
I think your analysis is pretty lame. I have an iMac but the last reason for buying it would be garageband… I love my mac, but have to say it, OS X is slow compare to linux and yeah (i don’t like it) wintendo… I think you guys better start talking about Leopard kernel instead of how nice the desktop looks like, otherwise the OS will not be taken seriously
It is a shame when people let the PC control them rather than take control of their PCs. Over time, these issues will become more accentuated.
I have a similar dilemma, being in the market soon for a new work computer. Macs “just work”, while Linux gives me control of my own machine (Windows isn’t even a consideration anymore). I’ve about decided to get a MacBook and dual-boot it with Debian. The only real negatives to that are that lousy one-button mouse and the higher up-front cost. (Give me two buttons on the mouse, Apple, and then it’ll be a no-brainer.)
I had to make the same decision, and eventually opted to buy 2 linux custom-built PCs in place of one Mac. The price was about the same, but with bigger monitors.
Your mileage may vary, since I already had a linux server running bunch of services and one existing linux PC that I already went through installation of the same distro, making it pain free to install again.
Microsoft operating systems may not be worthy of consideration, but I kind of like the Microsoft mouse. They work well with a Mac. To Roy Schestowitz … I got rid of my one button Apple mouse a long time ago. Don’t let that be the reason you don’t buy a Mac.
Oy, you forgot the first retailer to sell Ubuntu GNU/Linux machines OEM. Sure, Dell got in the market, but right now their performance kinda sucks. They’ve got thousands of folks on backorder and are having a hard time keeping up.
System76 was in the OEM Ubuntu market before Dell, and guarantees much better turnaround than Dell’s estimated 3 weeks. I’d stick with System76 and avoid Dell.
As far as your Mac preference, I suppose if you want to expose your kids to that kind of software and those types of restrictive business practices, that’s your call. I’ll just go ahead and keep using software that doesn’t make me a hypocrite when teaching toddlers to share.
ManChicken,
Check out out sister site, http://allaboutubuntu.com.
Yes, The VAR Guy is aware of System76, ZaReason and other Ubuntu PC makers.
Get the best of worlds. Use Parallels for Mac virtualization software and run Ubuntu, Vista, XP, etc., etc.
[...] you may have read, The VAR Guy is mulling another PC purchase. He’s trying to decide between an iMac and a Dell PC running Ubuntu. Yes, he knows about Parallels — the virtualization software that allows Macs to run Mac OS, [...]