Microsoft was inspired by Apple's OS X

face it. microsoft is good at what it does - producing quality commercial software. it flourished on part by its monopolistic business practices, but primarily because its products were favorably accepted by the customers.

of all MS-bashers on this board i wonder how many of you are actual unix/linux developers. if someone can't get used to running and making use of complex and often perplexed systems running on unix you label them "noobs". well then, you unix gurus, ask yourselves this: how many noobs are there anyway? hundreds, thousands, millions of computer novices would choose windows over linux any day of the any year of the century. user interface is more intuitive and, for the lack of better word, "friendly". the "customizable" and "open" spirits boasted by these arcane unix-based operating systems often do not justify steep learning curve associated with them. now that i mentioned it, imagine if any linux distro came with similar price tag as windows. they don't stand a chance even to those who are moral or noobish enough to actually pay for windows. they will get annihilated, period. ok, i'm also in the biz (i'm an EE) and i know majority of servers run unix cuz its far more stable and secure than windows. i remind you i'm talking about OSes on consumer pcs here.

sure windows got bunch of bugs and safety issues. that's why i use offline ubuntu system for storing and manipulating my sensitive data, and use my windows system for casual web-surfing, playing games, watching movies, etc.. windows is way better at these things than any linux distro out there. how much percentage of your average, run-of-the-mill pc users can tweak and compile their linux kernels? i'd say an estimate of 1% at best, and it still feels grossly optimistic. you 1% geeks can use linux and bash windows all you want. but face the truth: 1% of the computing populous is in commercial sense pretty much irrelevant.

If you want a laugh, try playing a Blu-ray video on that multimedia powerhouse OSX. So far not even Slow Leopard can do it!

The real kicker? Both Vista and Windows 7 can play Blu-ray out of the box ;)

OS X sucks major ass and it's about time you, "I paid too much and refuse to admit it" clowns came down off your self gilded pedestals. I love the BS statements about graphics design that you chumps always fall back on..."Yeah Win7 might play games faster and run the newest hardware but OS X is much better for graphics work"...LOL like any of you assholes ever do graphics work...LOL. Im so freaking tired of hearing about OS X and how Mac are so much better than Windows. There is not one single thing OS X does better than Win7...not 1. But there are plenty that Win7 can do with ease that OS X cant even play at. Let's start with games...I want to play Modern Warefare 2...oh wait I can't...I bought a freakin Mac. I want to fire up my new Radeon 5870 and spank some noob ass...woops, no go once again...why? because I bought an over priced PC running OS X....get real you morons. And the only trolls worse than you OS X freaks are the Linux douchebags that continue to try and convince the rest of the world that Linux will save us all from some imaginary evil known as Microsoft. Yeah OK...sure. Look up "lame" in the dictionary and a Linux fanatic is pictured...

It looks like now a PC can install a retail version of Snow Leopard using Free Empire Efi, or Rebel Efi, or Boot 132 loader.

http://prasys.co.cc/2009/10/empire-efi/#more-2127

I have to say, that toilet paper is really pretty bloody useful.

"Simon Aldous said that one of the things that people said about Apple's Mac OS was that it was very graphical and easy to use."

Mr Authorship, do you understand simple English? Are you even capable of writing and understanding your own statements? For what its worth, it doesn't seem so.

You quote this Aldous chap, "people said about Apple", and indicate this was the reason behind MS emulating OSX. Excuse me while I blurt out laughing - what were you smoking when you wrote this tripe (certainly wasn't marijuana). I am sure theres more to it than just a simple "people said". They might as well conduct a "people said" survey for their next OS and most definitely hire the INQ to make sure its utterly scientific.

Why not insinuate the same about Mac-OS? Why not tell our zombie readers how the custodians of revolutionary computing (Fruit Inc) came up with their GUI. Oh wait, let me answer that, because you would rather poke fun at a far superior product, one more widely used, and one that takes a big chunk out of your INQ pocket money.

And you beligerent Mac-Muffins do you like your pretty little desktop? Does it remind you of sitting in the back of the class room with big crayons and colouring books.

This is what it equates to, Macmuffins are idiots incapable of any form of sophistication." Oh bright lights, pretty colours oh so pretty" said one Mac-muffin about the OS. Just like the Iphone, oh so pretty yet as worthile as toilet paper.

Bloody imbeciles.

Every comment is stupid which relates to system x is far more stable than system y.

@Winshi7e

You just verfied that Windows XP rocks, you could had asked me, I already knew that ^^

'My mum's better than your mum', 'well my dad is better than your dad!'

Why do we have to put up with this pointless and childlike bickering.

Just grow up and get a life, if you dont like it, fine dont use it, use something else, just dont insult others for using something you dont like or have had a bad experience with.

Apple do some good stuff, MS do some good stuff, end of.

...I think it could be safe to conclude:

1) That most of this sample of the population may have difficulty with a highly configurable computer system such as Linux (or a highly vulnerable system, such as Windows which is too hard to protect), and could therefore be better off running simplified user interfaces such as a Mac, and

2) That it is a shame that the Inquirer is now attracting those who feel they must use four-character words to highlight their apparent two-digit IQ's.

(Oh, and it is also nice to see Microsoft stepping on another one of its outspoken employees...after the iPhone-stomping incident, and the chair-throwing incident...what a great place to work!).

Why don't you look it up, genius.

From Merriam-Webster:

emulate
1 a : to strive to equal or excel b : imitate; especially : to imitate by means of an emulator
2 : to equal or approach equality with

How does it feel to have paid a hundreds or thousands more for the same hardware? Mac fanboys are a riot, with looks of smarmy smugness over Win7 being $50-$60 more than OSX and all the while trying to justify the hundreds or thousands in Mac tax for the hardware they bought.

Keep up the great articles Nick. The fanboys are too busy patting themselves on the back to see wit and humor.

The guy quoted works in an advertising dept.

Since when did they become an authority on anything other than dodgy stats ?

What a laugh.. the sad thing is that Crapple MACs are pretty fucking awful to use, unintuitive noob garbage for retards and well noobs, the sad thing is that since Vista, Microsoft have started copying Apple simplized shit design and dumbing the shit out of its own OS to appear more noob friendly.

Just look at the shit Explorer Shell, its still way way better to use XP explorer with extension. Everything about Vista and shitty 7, stink of noob driven retard design, I can barely use such stinking looking shit.. its just a pile of ASS. The Aero GUI is pile of fucking shit, and its looks like even worse garbage than the original XP visual styles did. Piss poor customization and UI/UX

And check this out.. http://www.windows7taskforce.com/view/2776

LarryOsterman you are a complete fucking retard (he didn't even understand the point and went on about that other fucking shit breadcrumb crap)... visteurgh Explorer is pile of fucking noobshit! but then Larry is known for making shit code like the crap audio crackling and liking crap. No wonder Windows is getting to be more and more fucking useless, soon I'll just move to Linux along with every other pro and Microsuck can be forgotten along with all its noob crap.

So Apple are bringing MS down to its own level of shit, soon Apple will be able to compete with MS on its own terms. Welldone Apple.. you make funny adverts, sell an appalling shit OS and software, but at least you can get MS to slowly destroy itself.

@tek noob?

what's your problem?

.. will I be using that Win7 'Shite Pile', fuck no, the RTM+some betas was enough of waste of time testing out MicroSuck junk.

worth watching..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToFgYylqP_U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay-gqx18UTM

videos of Winshi7e in action, look at the crap looking win7 Explorer shell for noobtards, it uses more cpu processing, and joke is that its even worse looking shit. So not only slower but useless. And its the same with audio processing, slower and more cpu usage for less hardware acceleration+crackling. Those are just some retarded architectural changes that came in with shity vista, been kicked out the door with the rest of the shit design, without making sure they are fully providing a real advantage in the changes they were making. Lets not get into all other retarded crap that is useless

Also pathetic performance aside, notice how so fucking little has actually improved.. Explorer looks like even worse noob junk now, and services.msc, still doesn't fucking remember its last window size position. Lets not get into the fucking shit desktop, piss poor managability, and ooh if you just remember some syntax that shit search might useful.. meanwhile.. So much for a decent sidebar GUI providing FUCKING search optiosn to make it easier and quicker to make more powerful and customizable searches qucker.. Seriosuly MICROSCUK you guys are fucking retards! making crap for noobs like yourselves. Just one small issue among mountain of retardation.

But hey at least those fucking idiots that think there uber i7core multi cpu is getting used, sure its getting used, running a pile of fucking crap! lol

I'll stick with XP, soo so many decent shell extensions enhancements to explorer shell, taskbar, so many decent enhancements that work for XP, have not been updated for SHity Vista or Shity 7.. And you know what.. I'm not surprised, becuase only fucking retards are using those dumbed down consumer junk. DX11 is good as useless, as is DX10, Explorer shell is just pathetic. Aero GUI is waste of processing CPU/GPU most the time and looks like shit, aswel as barely customizable.

-its fucking shit- www.windows7taskforce.com to see how so much of win7 is still basically just shitty vista and extra noob crap. They haven't done nothing to really improve on things, just changed shit around for the worse is most cases.

Windows 7 is utter garbage in so many areas, I’ll stick with XP where the Explorer can at least not only look better and but also function better with decent shell extensions. Unlike Winshi7e where its all just gone to epic noob shit! with mostly dumb ass crap changes.

Really this OS for gaming tards and clueless uninformed newbies who don't bother finding out that much of Win7 is already possible on XP. -minus the retarded changes.

ok rant over... and I don't even have to use Win7, but it is a real shame the progress and improvements are just utter crap, you'd think in the years they've spent working on whatever is 50,000+ MS employeers do, they could have fucking come out with something that is better than XP 8+years on.. WHAT A JOKE!... maybe ignorance is bliss, its just hard going back to being noob and to enjoy crap.

Windoze 8 beta, coming out when next year? guess they'll be shipping out crap changes sooner, to make up for the lack of decent third party enhancements to improve upon MS coded junk!

Every time I read these Linux vs Windows comments a picture pops into my mind. Remember the two ape tribes screaming at each other in the beginning of 2001 (Kubrick)? Notice the similarities?

Since the news not always true since problem cause everyone pissed on UAC aka User Account Control is really annoy plus the boot up time are tooooooo slow cause there are too many stack of junkie codes without clean it. that why they quickly clean the codes from vista to improvement the performance and less annoy on UAC change name Windows 7. In fact, MAC do have many cool idea on graphic and system and most of time, Microsoft did copy the ideas. Unfortunate for MAC because they not let us use their OS for PC platform, if dream came true then M$ will have nightmare if MAC decide release OS for PC!

OSX can definitely be more stable, but of course it's like having "stability" in a secluded, regimented country with no cultural diversity. Even when there's a revolution, such as changeover from OS9- to OSX or from PPC to x86, the faithful suck it down and follow the doctrine laid down by the great leader.

The Macolytes should feel flattered, as imitation is the sincerest form of flattery right? Then again the royalty were not flattered by the middle class's new found wealth and prestige, even when the only things they could lay claim to were a name and a legacy.

jeez, I guess they let any bloke in.
at least he's no Spiralist Meritocrat who drives a Ford Mondeo...
or is he?

Hey Nick,

Last time I checked "emulate" means copying. Look it up, you worthless hack.

The current mac mouse is the most advance in the world, it looks like one button but it has multi-touch sensitive surface. You can do loads of finger gestures and clicks on it. Apple stuff looks simple, but is way smarter!

...it's only got one mouse button and the keyboard is as small as an iPhone's, not to mention only 1 power button for the whole shebang.
It's impossible to screw up!

Vista more stable than MacOS X

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

BREATH

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

BREATH.

Damn, wet meself laughing. Best laugh I have add for a LOOOOOOOOOOONG Time.

I just didn't know Microsoft are comedians. I suppose they have to be Vista IS a laugh.

I used Mac and PCs, both are worked hard in a graphics environment. Windows crumbles first. The Mac keeps going.

they did a great job of fucking and mucking everything up. Like we really need a stupid macos 10 look alike. Its too dummed downed and there is to much drilling down to get the menus you want. The interface was a failure since Vista. I NEED MY XP TASKBAR, the original xp taskbar back.
Compare this task on xp vs vista vs 7
1 changing display properties
2 modifying page file, variables, start up.
3. change your ip (gui)
thank goodness the management snap in is still there in the hi end versions.

Trying to use Ubuntu doesn't qualify one to judge that it applies to ALL Linux.

Ubuntu does NOT represent ALL Linux. Get that through your head. It uses different versions of bits and pieces compared to all the other distros out there.

That's like saying all muslims are terrorists because Osama Bin Laden is a muslim. That's nonsense, and we all know it...So why do you repeat this very mistake?

we ONLY use windows for gaming (PC gaming)

all the others are better with open source computing, like firefox, thunderbirds etc

Chill!

Who cares about linux, it will never be a mainstream desktop. Only basement dwellers and geeks use it. As far as apple: unless they give up the monopoly on hardware, I'll never use it. Most people want to surf or play games and there's nothing better than Windows. Win 7 has been great.

Linux fanbots go home, or back to the basement!

I use both in everyday use, and even though I don't use my windows installation very often because ubuntu jaunty is way faster to boot, I have to admit windows is by far more stable than Linux.

Sure it may BSOD on you a couple of times, but application installation goes smoothly almost always, without having to worry about dependencies or other crap, even if you're not connected to the internet.

Also it doesn't close on you when you're playing a video, and its audio system doesn't suck as much as pulseaudio.

So yeah, I'm willing to bet windows is more stable, but that's because I'm objective unlike linux zealots.

That's not to say it's better, but I reckon it's more stable.

Unix/Linux. Well its installed now what do we do with it? We can stare at the blinking cursor! Everyone walks away.

Windows. Its installed lets game, create websites, edit videos, blog, twitter, facebook, edit photos, balance checkbook, e-mail mom, video conference, translate this to another language, book a flight, oh lets open this application from someone I never heard of but sounds familiar. Awww. Windows sucks.

Vista SP3, I mean 7 looked and felt like Vista, same kernel with some pretty graphical items bolted on.

"Vista is far more stable than the current Mac OS X platform, he claimed."

This bit really got me as a laugh out loud, claiming that Windows Vista is more stable than Unix.