There are a number of advantages that the Mac OS has over Windows. First of all, I find the Mac OS more intuitive. Once you get used to it, it is easier to find the functions that you want. Second, the Mac OS is more secure. There are no where near the number of malicious programs out there for the Mac OS. You are constantly hearing about this virus or that virus that affects Windows. None of them work under the Mac OS. OS X has been out for over 5 years now and it was just earlier this year that the first virus was reported for it. There are two reasons why the Mac OS is more secure. First of all, Apple does a better job of closing security holes in its OS than Microsoft does. The second reason is because, Macs constituting a much smaller part of the computer market, make a much smaller target for malwear developers and hackers. These types of people are usually looking to get the biggest return on the investment. They want to cause as much damage as they can. Windows, being the much more popular OS, give the more spectacular results when one is interested in disrupting large numbers of computers. The third advantage that the Mac OS has over windows is all of the elegant little touches that Apple has added to it. For example, suppose you want to open multiple folders that are in the same window and you want them to be open at the same time. In windows, you have to open each one individually. Depending on how you have set up the OS, this could mean having to navigate to the folder with the desired folders multiple times and having to start from the home directory each time. In the Mac OS, all you have to do is select all of the desired folders and either double-click on one of them or do command-O to open them all at the same time. Another nice feature is the system-wide spelling check function. This is a feature that is available to all programs. All the software developers have to do is activate it. If I were writing this response on my Mac, then I could tell my browser to check the spelling as I type it. Since I am currently writing it on my Windows laptop, I have to compose it in MS Word to make sure that I get the spelling correct. Then there is Exposé which allows you to see all open windows, all open windows in the front program, or move all open windows out of the way with a single keystroke each. These are just a few of the touches. I could go on, but this post is already going rather long. The only significant advantage that I see with Windows it that it is the more common OS. Therefore, there are more programs available for it. Now, I can usually find software to do what I want on my Mac, but there are some more specialized applications that are not available for the Mac. The most significant of these being AutoCAD (the standard for computer aided drafting). For most home users, this isn't a problem, but in professional environments it could be. It is also a factor if you want to play games on your computer. There just aren't as many games for the Mac. This leads to and interesting change. When Macs first came out, there was the attitude that, you wanted to play games, then you got a Mac. However, if you wanted to get work done, then you got a PC. Now the situation has been reversed. Macs are for getting work done and Windows is for playing games. Well, that is all that I can think of for now. I will leave it up to the Windows lovers out there to sing the praises of that OS.

Mac OS -- easier to use, nicer to look at, safer (less people looking for holes in the OS). Windows -- cheaper (when combined with a computer purchase), huge user support network, easy to customize and repair, support for a gazillion hardware and software extensions. My worst gripes about Mac -- limits your choice -- for example, want to play music??? you have to use iTunes and an iPod. As hot as the new intel platform is, I think it's taking many software vendors too long to keep up. My worst gripe about Windows -- the people who need the anti-virus and anti-spy the most, don't use it, consequently making the platform more dangerous for everyone. I use free security software, and I've never had a problem with security. Glenn Blaylock: Yes, perhaps MAC software costs less, but when combined with hardware, a windows/intel platform is about 20% less on average, for a full blown computer. Also -- most users don't need the advanced features of XP/pro or the stuff you can find under the hood of OS X. It's true OS X is a great OS -- being a UNIX head myself -- but I have no interest in getting under the hood of a computer I use for email and web browsing.

"But think about what this means. Your web browser--the very same one you probably use to visit most other web sites--has the authority to download and install changes to the very operating system itself." As a person who uses both Windows and Mac OS X, I can tell you that is simply not a correct statement. The Internet Explorer web browser never had the authority to "automatically" make changes to the system. Not to go into details but you always had to manually initiate this process and it only works with Windows 2000 and Windows XP. (A special ActiveX control was required to be installed in Internet Explorer to use the Windows Update website.) There was a point when Microsoft really began to phase out use of the Windows Update website, and configure their operating systems to automatically download the updates in the background and then prompt the user if they want to install them or not. The two other options are to either decline the updates or install them when the system is shutdown. Windows Vista and Windows 7 no longer uses the Windows Update website to install updates. They now automatically download the Windows updates in the background, initiated by a service running on the PC which is similar in some ways to how Mac OS X gets its updates from Apple. I'd say the biggest problem with Windows users is that it seems almost all of them run their computers with a user account that has full administrative rights to the system. I suspect this is a carryover from the old MS-DOS and Windows 3.x days where the operating system was really just a "single user" system and there was no concept of access control. In contrast, at least on the UNIX and later Linux side of the house, there was always the correct notion that you should never run your computer as a full administrator or have "root access" to the system when surfing the web.

Go stick your finger up your ass and jerk off to it

As many people have stated, Macs don't get as many viruses, and people talk about "appearance" and such. But nobody would get viruses regardless of their operating system if they were smart about internet use and had anti-virus software. As for appearance, well that's an opinion thing (in my opinion, I liked the LOOK of win 98se best, the new operating systems are too frilly). The main advantages for either side really depend on what you're going to use the computer for. However, I will say that Windows does have better support and a wider range of comatible hardware/software. Also, as I read somewhere else, normal PCs are more customizeable because you can choose which operating system the run (and come with), and set up the hardware the way you want it, wheareas Macs are pretty much pre-assembled and can't be changed (nearly as much). Honestly though, I never liked Macs, and after win98 my opinion of Windows has been declining. Perhaps the best solution would be for people to make their own operating systems. I know it's not feasible, but at least then everyone would get what they wanted.

Mac: Great OS-- annoying as hell fanbase. Windows: Great OS-- annoying as hell exploited vulnerabilities. For the same reason you use both Firefox and IE, you can/will/might use both operating systems. With the advent of virtualization, its just a loyalty war. You can use both on the same hardware without much of a problem. If the Mac fanboys quit yipping and Windows admins properly hardened thier OS, then we could have some sort of harmony. But people are arrogant and lazy, so meh, pick whatever makes you happy.

Gets a better laugh than a Windows machine. Is named after animals you don't want to see in your bedroom. Very good advertising for going to Linux instead.