The argument has been going on for years over which computer system is better, Apple Macintosh or Windows PCs. There is no answer to this. Mac users tend to be fiercely loyal to their computer choice, and Windows users tend to be indifferent to Macs and the debate. The exception came when Microsoft introduced its Vista operating system and it didn't work that well. When Microsoft announced it would discontinue Windows XP, for the first time Windows users started to get that cultish, Mac-like fervor.
History
Apple introduced the Macintosh computer with a legendary advertisement during the Superbowl in 1984. While Microsoft founder Bill Gates got the idea for a graphical user interface (GUI) from seeing the Mac's predecessor, the Lisa, he did not release the first version of Windows until 1985. At the time, Windows was a plug-in interface that worked over the Disk Operating System (DOS) Microsoft had put into PCs.
Early Macs
The first Macs, affectionately known as the Squatting Cyclops, were all-in-one units with a screen, the computer, power supply and diskette slot built-in. Using the GUI, Apple designed its screen to simulate a desktop. It carried the idea with folders being used to store documents. Because of this design, you no longer had to know computer language to type in commands to get the computer to do what you wanted. The Mac also had the first integral use of a mouse, which meant you could almost "reach in" to your computer and manipulate things without typing commands for everything.
Windows
Despite lawsuits that eventually favored Microsoft, Windows is modeled after the Mac. Apple did not create its GUI, however, but rather purchased it from Xerox, then honed it. In Windows, things work a little differently than the Mac, and items and functions are named differently, but these days, they work much the same.
Multitasking
One of the biggest difference in they way the two systems work is that in Windows, any program by default takes up the whole screen. If you have, for example, Microsoft Word and Adobe Photoshop, both open at the same time, you can only see one of them. In order to switch, you have to go to the bottom bar, which then pops up, to switch programs. In the Mac, you can size the program windows any way you like so you can see multiple programs at the same time. To switch between them, simply click on the open page of the one you want.
Attacks
It is well known that most every virus and trojan horse developed only affects Windows-based computers. Despite firewalls and antivirus software, a Windows computer is vulnerable any time you go on the Internet. Macs are far less vulnerable to these attacks for two reasons: the operating system is better at keeping such things out and fewer people have been interested in creating attacks for the Mac.
Keyboard Shortcuts
One place that Windows and Macs have a lot in common is command keys. Command keys, or keyboard shortcuts, allow you to take actions without time-consuming mouse movements. On the Mac, most of these commands are accomplished by holding the Command key (it either says "command" on it or has a picture of an apple or a square squiggle) and another key. For example, to Save a document in any program on the Mac, you use Command-S. Windows does the same in most programs by using Control-S. For longer combinations, you can use the Command key with the Option key on the Mac or the Control and Alt keys together in Windows.
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