So why is it that the Mac OS X doesn't get all mucked up like Windows does over time?

O

ozziegn

The man behind the curtain...
Joined
Jan 13, 2001
Messages
17,533
as the title says...

I'm sitting here wondering why is it that my Mac OS X on my laptop is still running silky smooth w/o any signs of slowing down even after months and months of usage?

Unlike my Windows machines (whether it be XP or Vista) which almost always seem to slow down as time goes on? this in fact usually bothers me to the point to where I always found myself having to reformat after roughly six months or so.

but not my good old OS X. it literally is running now just like it did from day one. so I'd like to know what makes the Mac OS run so much smoother even after many months of usage?

please discuss.
 
windows gets slow because of third party software

my gaming PC has the same windows install for 2 years, no slowness at all. (and I don't use it for anything except gaming)
 
Because there is a lot less 3rd party junk and spyware for people to get and install and slow down their machine.

Seriously, my windows loads last forever and run like the day I installed them, but I am careful and do not install things that look shadey or that I do not know exactly what they are doing to my system.
 
As others have said, its because of 3rd party software. I've seen plenty of people with Macs that run like total shit because of all of the crap they installed on them.

Install Norton Antivirus, a few shady P2P programs, and a bunch of other crappy software and see how your computer runs. I've seen both Windows and OS X brought to their knees this way.
 
brom42 said:
As others have said, its because of 3rd party software. I've seen plenty of people with Macs that run like total shit because of all of the crap they installed on them.

Install Norton Antivirus, a few shady P2P programs, and a bunch of other crappy software and see how your computer runs. I've seen both Windows and OS X brought to their knees this way.
Click to expand...

qft
 
I agree Windows XP can be very fast and remain this way for quite a while if proper care is taken, but we here at [H] represent a very small slice of the computer world, thus the MAC OS is better then windows for the average user. Mainly less things to worry about.
 
Torquemada XP said:
No registry, no need for defragging (in the Windows sense, anyway).
Click to expand...

LOL no registry? what the hell are plist files then? and ALOT of the time they hold corrupted info or can get corrupted. uninstallig an app will not remove the plist, dont kid yourself, osx isnt as great as you think it is.
 
Vengance_01 said:
I agree Windows XP can be very fast and remain this way for quite a while if proper care is taken, but we here at [H] represent a very small slice of the computer world, thus the MAC OS is better then windows for the average user. Mainly less things to worry about.
Click to expand...

i agree actaully, the average user doesnt really know jack about maintaining a computer or has the knowledge to PROPERLY configure one. its like most people dont know how their car works and they get ripped off by the mechanic or the dealership. wow sounds like apple. apple charges you even for phone tech support.
 
klowngoblin said:
wow sounds like apple. apple charges you even for phone tech support.
Click to expand...

Hey Mr. I don't use capitalization.

Guess who else charges you for phone and tech support. Pretty much any OEM. Guess who else robs you blind for service, or the original product. All the gaming boutiques. This practice isn't limited to Apple, yknow.


klowngoblin said:
LOL no registry? what the hell are plist files then? and ALOT of the time they hold corrupted info or can get corrupted. uninstallig an app will not remove the plist, dont kid yourself, osx isnt as great as you think it is.
Click to expand...

Uhm? plist files are very VERY different from a registry.
 
Its the macs themselves. they're magic.
My bootcamp install hasn't slowed down at all since I installed it last august.
then again I only use it once a month to play BF2142 or TF2...
:p

OS X has automated maintanence, no registry, etc.

Just a though:
OSes are like cars. If you don't maintain them they shit the bed, if you do they last a long ass time.
This is also the reason I will always recommend a Mac (and thus, OS X) to anyone who asks (I'm not one of the jackasses that preaches Macs to anyone, don't associate me with them.)
Because I know they won't have to maintain it. Plus they will grow to love it.


klowngoblin said:
LOL no registry? what the hell are plist files then? and ALOT of the time they hold corrupted info or can get corrupted. uninstallig an app will not remove the plist, dont kid yourself, osx isnt as great as you think it is.
Click to expand...


uhh, ok, so loading one SMALL preference file when a program needs it and loading a big file with preferences for every program ever installed on the machine at boot are the exact same thing right?
plist gets corrupted? delete it. you may lose your preferences in that one program, but it won't make the OS crash, and it just gets recreated the next time that program starts (adobe programs are notorious for this, although it hasn't happened to me since I started using CS2 [on CS3 now])
delete an app? the plist stays to keep your preferences if you decide to ever install it again, and the plist never gets loaded again if you don't and takes up only ~5-10kb....

Yea...registry does not even remotely compare to plist files. :rolleyes:
 
a few points,
- registry vs. plists- it's incredibly easy to into the user or system library and find the plist(s) for a specific app and dump it in the trash. Hell, you can even use spotlight now to find them. Compare that process with cleaning up or editing the registry...

- lack of support for legacy software and hardware keeps things moving forward at a good pace on the apple side of things. From apple to developers to the end user, everyone seems to understand that newer really does mean better with apple- see what percentage of users have adopted 10.4 and 10.5.

- as perviously stated, there is currently less of a need for 3rd party apps for the average user using an apple computer. With the exception of an office suite, apple computers ship with almost all the software an *average* user needs, and it's all done by the same company, which for the most part has yielded excellent compatibility and stability within the system over the years since OS X was introduced.


One of the big downfalls of microsoft and the size of their user base is that they can't make (or won't make) changes that will leave even a relatively small number of users needing to upgrade. I think they tried to move ahead with vista...but it hasn't worked out so well thus far.
 
klowngoblin said:
That's just funny. If you buy Microsoft Office 2008 and have trouble using it on day one, Microsoft will make you pay $50 for one time phone support. Want to take it to a store/shop to get help? That'll cost at least $~40. I think the same can be said of XP and Vista.

Want support for an Apple product? 90 days of free phone support with computers, and if you have an Apple store within a reasonable distance, support is free and in person. :p



This thread is now Microsoft vs. Apple, doh!
Click to expand...
 
bahula03 said:
a few points,
- registry vs. plists- it's incredibly easy to into the user or system library and find the plist(s) for a specific app and dump it in the trash. Hell, you can even use spotlight now to find them. Compare that process with cleaning up or editing the registry...
Click to expand...
It's all relative. I find plists far more obscured than registry keys. At least with the registry, once you run regedit you have a high probability of finding what you want, even if you're not sure what it is. Filenames can be infinite, and unless you know where to look on your system, a plist is a needle in dozens of haystacks. com.apple.Boot.plist? What the hell is that? How do I know what that does?

It also matters that Apple deliberately hides the OS internals from the user, since their core customer base should really never see it. The soccer mom that buys an iMac at the local Apple Store can go from brand new to Craigslist and never even open a terminal.

When I tinkered with Hackintosh I learned a lot about the inner workings of OS X because I had to. Since 'switching' to a Macbook Pro I've more or less joined the ranks of the soccer moms. The most I did in a terminal so far is disable those damn .DS_Store files.
 
Ozzie, I feel I must post in this thread. I don't know if you remember it, but I believe we had a heated argument about the merits of OS X (many years ago) and you weren't to friendly to the concept of paying so much money for a computer that you could build for half as much

I would just like to say,

I TOLD YOU SO
I TOLD YOU!!!!
HAAA!!!
HAAAAA!!!!!!!

I feel better. ;) I'm jackin with you tho
 
SuperSubZero said:
It's all relative. I find plists far more obscured than registry keys. At least with the registry, once you run regedit you have a high probability of finding what you want, even if you're not sure what it is. Filenames can be infinite, and unless you know where to look on your system, a plist is a needle in dozens of haystacks. com.apple.Boot.plist? What the hell is that? How do I know what that does?
Click to expand...
That's just down to what you're used to. Whenever I'm mucking around in the Registry, I feel well and truly lost (because I do it so rarely). Plists? That's easy. I'm guessing that's just because I've been using OS X since the public beta back in 2000 or whenever it was.

Finding Plists isn't necessarily difficult. Is something screwed up on the user level? Then your Plist is in ~/Library/Preferences. Is it global, for all users? Then it's in /Library/Preferences. Piece of cake. ;)
 
I'm in the opposite boat right now, with my mac mini (original 1.25ghz G4)
this mofo is slow as molasses on a bleak winter day.

If I open a finder window, it takes 30 seconds for the icons to appear.
When i try to use VLC, it takes 12 seconds to start the video, and it FREEZES the entire system. Literally all my net connections drop, other processes halt, the mouse halts.

This is a 3-month old install too (format + clean install) with new memory, since I've been trying to fix it. I dunno if it's something with 10.4, bum hardware, or what.
After the install, it was OK for a bit (couldve been placebo effect) but its still slow.

Maybe I just got too used to my MBP.
 
ozziegn said:
as the title says...

I'm sitting here wondering why is it that my Mac OS X on my laptop is still running silky smooth w/o any signs of slowing down even after months and months of usage?

Unlike my Windows machines (whether it be XP or Vista) which almost always seem to slow down as time goes on? this in fact usually bothers me to the point to where I always found myself having to reformat after roughly six months or so.

but not my good old OS X. it literally is running now just like it did from day one. so I'd like to know what makes the Mac OS run so much smoother even after many months of usage?

please discuss.
Click to expand...

is it not the reason for that is because of the windows registry that gets bigger and bigger over time?
 
techsupport? lets talk about that

Asus free over the phone support for life + 2yr GLOBAL warranty for my laptop (Asus F9s-B1)
apple? charges after 90 days + 1 yr warranty

Acer has free phone support for life and a 1 yr warranty
HP same
Dell same
Compaq same

phone support should always be free, even the company i worked at had free phone support even if the product was 20 yrs out of warranty.

also it seems most of you are not power users, not properly maintaining a computer will obviously cause it to go slow (IE: Loose horsepower or run rough, misfire, etc)

my HTPC has had the same windows image for 3 years, still boots un der 45 seconds, goes in and out of standby without a full reboot for 5-6 months at a time, the only time i realy need to actaully restart is when i lose power to my house, i dont have it on a UPS.

the only time i reinstalled windows was when i replaced the entire HTPC with a brand new one capable of HDMI and optical.

my gaming rig has never needed to be reimaged, still boots in under 1min (this is power OFF to windows desktop with ZERO HDD activity)

my desktop has also never needed to be reimaged but i use sandboxie for questionable software. spyware and malware usually screw up a system extremely quickly.
 
KaosDG said:
I'm in the opposite boat right now, with my mac mini (original 1.25ghz G4)
this mofo is slow as molasses on a bleak winter day.

If I open a finder window, it takes 30 seconds for the icons to appear.
When i try to use VLC, it takes 12 seconds to start the video, and it FREEZES the entire system. Literally all my net connections drop, other processes halt, the mouse halts.

This is a 3-month old install too (format + clean install) with new memory, since I've been trying to fix it. I dunno if it's something with 10.4, bum hardware, or what.
After the install, it was OK for a bit (couldve been placebo effect) but its still slow.

Maybe I just got too used to my MBP.
Click to expand...

Sounds busted.

I'm about to retire my frankenmac. Dual 1Ghz G4, just finished editing a 40GB project, 14 minutes long, thousands of cuts in FCP. It's slow but it works. Barely.
 
Black Morty Rackham said:
That's just down to what you're used to. Whenever I'm mucking around in the Registry, I feel well and truly lost (because I do it so rarely). Plists? That's easy. I'm guessing that's just because I've been using OS X since the public beta back in 2000 or whenever it was.
Click to expand...
Registries were around five years before that. Windows users are also reminded, either by legitimate or illegitimate sources, that they do in fact have a registry and that it is something that requires periodic de-gunking. How often is a Mac user (not a [H]ardOCP Mac user, I mean soccer mom) told anything about plists?

Black Morty Rackham said:
Finding Plists isn't necessarily difficult. Is something screwed up on the user level? Then your Plist is in ~/Library/Preferences. Is it global, for all users? Then it's in /Library/Preferences. Piece of cake. ;)
Click to expand...
Once you know you need to find them. And once you find the right one. How does soccer mom know a particular error or condition (maybe not an error) is a result of a plist?
 
Because majority of Mac users are idiots (save for my fellow [H] Mac users) and don't venture outside the "box" much when it comes to software (i.e. 3rd party software) . They just adapt to what programs they are given, and don't look for something else.

Conformity at it's best right here. Just like the fact that you have to have the same look as everyone else.
 
SuperSubZero said:
Registries were around five years before that. Windows users are also reminded, either by legitimate or illegitimate sources, that they do in fact have a registry and that it is something that requires periodic de-gunking. How often is a Mac user (not a [H]ardOCP Mac user, I mean soccer mom) told anything about plists?
Click to expand...
Most non-power users I know, be it Mac or Windows, could scarcely even spell "registry" or "plist," let alone actually do anything with either.


Once you know you need to find them. And once you find the right one. How does soccer mom know a particular error or condition (maybe not an error) is a result of a plist?
Click to expand...
And how does said "soccer mom" know anything about the registry? You're missing my point. You assessed that the registry makes more sense. I believe it's just down to what you're used to. If I had as much experience mucking around with Windows, I'm sure I'd be as comfortable with the registry as I am with plists and whatnot in OS X.


also it seems most of you are not power users, not properly maintaining a computer will obviously cause it to go slow (IE: Loose horsepower or run rough, misfire, etc)
Click to expand...
What do you mean by "not properly maintaining"? Does that simply mean not installing crapware, or actually taking an active part in the computer's health? I never run any kind of cleanup on any of my machines, and they seem to be chugging along fine. My iBook regularly has an uptime of a few months between reboots (when I feel I've procrastinated upgrading the the latest version long enough).
 
Methodical said:
Ozzie, I feel I must post in this thread. I don't know if you remember it, but I believe we had a heated argument about the merits of OS X (many years ago) and you weren't to friendly to the concept of paying so much money for a computer that you could build for half as much

I would just like to say,

I TOLD YOU SO
I TOLD YOU!!!!
HAAA!!!
HAAAAA!!!!!!!

I feel better. ;) I'm jackin with you tho
Click to expand...

LOL - I've had a really bad day today up until I read your post. You just turned my day around by making me laugh.

as for the heated debate a few years ago? well, what can I say? I finally saw the Macintosh light. don't get me wrong though, I still use Windows here and there, but mainly to play HL2 on the Windows side of my MacBook Pro. otherwise I almost always use Leopard just because of it's simplicity. everything runs so smoothly and I don't have to worry about any of the goofy BS that quite often comes along from using Microsoft stuff.

but, like they always say, to each their own I guess. I've been using Macs for almost a year now and I don't see myself dumping them over any Windows only machine anytime in the distant future. Apple builds very good stuff. Yes, we all know they cost more but like everything else in life, you get what you pay for.
 
klowngoblin said:
techsupport? lets talk about that

Asus free over the phone support for life + 2yr GLOBAL warranty for my laptop (Asus F9s-B1)
apple? charges after 90 days + 1 yr warranty

Acer has free phone support for life and a 1 yr warranty
HP same
Dell same
Compaq same
Click to expand...

Knows who's missing from that list? Microsoft.
 
ozziegn said:
LOL - I've had a really bad day today up until I read your post. You just turned my day around by making me laugh.

as for the heated debate a few years ago? well, what can I say? I finally saw the Macintosh light. don't get me wrong though, I still use Windows here and there, but mainly to play HL2 on the Windows side of my MacBook Pro. otherwise I almost always use Leopard just because of it's simplicity. everything runs so smoothly and I don't have to worry about any of the goofy BS that quite often comes along from using Microsoft stuff.

but, like they always say, to each their own I guess. I've been using Macs for almost a year now and I don't see myself dumping them over any Windows only machine anytime in the distant future. Apple builds very good stuff. Yes, we all know they cost more but like everything else in life, you get what you pay for.
Click to expand...

Good to have more people in the club. :)
 
klowngoblin said:
LOL no registry? what the hell are plist files then? and ALOT of the time they hold corrupted info or can get corrupted. uninstallig an app will not remove the plist, dont kid yourself, osx isnt as great as you think it is.
Click to expand...


maybe not "AS GREAT" as that specific person thinks. But ill tell you what, OSX has given me much less troubles over the years, even being used much more than windows now.

either OS can be maintained just fine, but like others have said...

"If you download crap, install crap, run crap...YOU GET CRAP"
 
OS X comes from kind, wondrous, enlightened, free-thinking fairies who sprinkle Macs with magical pixie dust that makes us smile and feel warm and happy as we use our computers.

Windows comes from mean, nasty, smelly, ugly, knuckle-dragging trolls who live deep underground and spend all their time concocting evil ways to make life miserable for PC users.

That's why!
 
BrinNutz said:
Because majority of Mac users are idiots (save for my fellow [H] Mac users) and don't venture outside the "box" much when it comes to software (i.e. 3rd party software) . They just adapt to what programs they are given, and don't look for something else.

Conformity at it's best right here. Just like the fact that you have to have the same look as everyone else.
Click to expand...

At least when you are wrong you go all out. Bravo Mr. Stereotype. Bravo.
 
From what I gather and from a little personal experience (Tiger not Leopard) Mac OSX does get a little slower on boot compared to a fresh install as more apps are installed. Granted, it probably DOES need to cache more apps to the aqua bar.

But yeah, windows "sluggishness" depends on how many processes you have running vs. the amount of CPU/RAM/HDD subsystem power you have. Install less crap and you'll find that your system.

Not that I condone it, but you can also investigate into tweaked versions of Win 2003 Server as an XP alternative or Win 2008 Server as an alternative to Vista. I've tried both, and if your system can handle it, they do handle quite alot work and cut the fat when it comes to BS processes that you wouldn't necessarily need as a power user.
 
klowngoblin said:
LOL no registry? what the hell are plist files then? and ALOT of the time they hold corrupted info or can get corrupted. uninstallig an app will not remove the plist, dont kid yourself, osx isnt as great as you think it is.
Click to expand...

You are partially correct, the plists _act_ like a registry but are a far cry from what windows has. If something gets messed up you can just remove the plists and you are fresh.

And yes, OS X is as great as we think it is when compared to Vista and XP. (Although I do love me some linux)
 
yea, like people have mentioned, i think one of the biggest reasons is that os x has most of the software that you need so you don't end up installing as many 3rd party programs as on a windows machine.
 
wow, really surprised by the lack of Mac Hate in this thread. Usually all Apple threads are nothing but flame wars after the first half of a page.

I use Onyx for most of my "mac maintenance" needs. Running it once a month seems to keep everything fresh.
 
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