Computer update: OSX vs. Windows 7

Well, I had a MacBook Pro for about three weeks.  The Windows partition proved to be unstable.  Hm….  In that three weeks I got to compare OSX and Windows 7 side by side.  OSX works a lot better.  The latest Firefox runs fine, applications load quickly and stably—although few of my must-have applications run under OSX (a game, primarily, but I was also disappointed in the blogging software I was able to find).

The problem with the Windows partition was that after getting it set up and running it a few times, it would fail to boot up, and I would have to go to the Mac side.  There are people all over the Web screaming about this.

And even in Windows 7 in a clean install I was spending a lot of time fixing things.  A hobbled-together operating system has a long way to go to achieve Unix-based clarity by convergent evolution.

I was faced with the choice of spending about a thousand dollars more to buy a new Mac with the same features I could get in a loaded XPS laptop—HD, HDMI, 750 gig HD, 8 gig RAM, i7 quad core, you get the idea—so I got the 15” XPS.  I’d bought a refurbished 2010 MacBook pro the first time, and there was no guarantee that a 2011 wouldn’t have the same problem with the Windows partition.

So I get it tweaked, drop the bloatware, get the latest 4.01 Firefox set up, and what do I find?  Windows interrupts my browsing with a pop-up that says, “Firefox has stopped working.  Windows will investigate and try to find a solution.”  Right.  I’m waiting.

Problem is all over the Web.  For crying out loud, Microsoft.  I installed IE 9 but gagged on that and quickly installed Chrome.

I’ve got my HD backed up and will be loading the econometrics software soon to do the “animal spirits” update.

Aesthetically, I will say that Dell has gone about halfway in terms of design with the new XPS 15” models, with an aluminum top and main surface around the back-lit chiclet-style keyboard.  But those stupid stickers are driving me crazy… “Energy Star!”, “Intel Core i7!”, “Windows 7”!  Where is the nail polish remover…?

The soaring flight simulator is up and running fine so I can race against my competitors around the world again…. And Apple is taking their system back and refunding my AppleCare without penalty.  I wish they’d gone after market share a long time ago.  They’ve got a great product.