best operating system

K

Which is the best Operating Systems (Window XP/Linux/Mac/others) for a professional Photographer? Furthermore, What are the other Softwares like image editing,et., that a Photographer should learn from A to Z? Your detailed reply,please.

N

i would go 4 a Mac if u r into photo and video editing...Macs r known 4 their efficiency in such cases....u can get photoshop 4 Macs....

S

The idea that Mac is the sure way to go for Photograph and multimedia professionals doesnt really hold good now. It used to once. Most PCs with a decent processor - an Intel / AMD with 2.0+ Ghz coupled with a good Graphics card + Motherboard would work as good as any Macintosh at almost half the price. Besides most graphics apps that are available for the Mac also run well on the PC.
Regarding the kind of software you can use for photography and Image editing, there are lots to choose from. Photoshop is undobtedly a leader. Other options include software from Ulead and several shareware offerings such as Paintshop Pro. Most of these apps support plugins which let you add functionality such as new Effects to the basic program.
If you are serious about mastering Image Editing and Graphics, I suggest you pick a good book on the general concepts of Image Editing and Multimedia on the PC. Then follow it up with a book or two on the tool of your choice say Photoshop.

Good Luck

A

sailendra said:
The idea that Mac is the sure way to go for Photograph and multimedia professionals doesnt really hold good now. It used to once. Most PCs with a decent processor - an Intel / AMD with 2.0+ Ghz coupled with a good Graphics card + Motherboard would work as good as any Macintosh at almost half the price. Besides most graphics apps that are available for the Mac also run well on the PC.
Good Luck

I still advice a mac since pc's are well , thro' my experience , not meant for any faint of heart, it can be a bitter experience sometimes, while i've HEARD that mac is as user friendly as they come, so go for a MAC,
or, if u're still interested in a PC go for a Branded one , not assembled as most assemblers have engineers for troubleshooting who know mostly nothing !

Windows XP is the best OS around here, even though their are some problems. But then again Microsoft does releases Service Packs and Updates ,etc. to Correct them.

S

@anusoni,

Again i beg to differ. WIndows XP is quite user friendly. As regards support, you can find better support for PCs than for Mac's. Since PC is more widely used here than the MAC.

The Mac OS X is much much superior to windows or any PC based OS. I've been using photoshop for a long time now, and I know what the difference is when you get to work on a mac. I have a PC 2 Ghz, 640 MB RAM and a good graphics card, but the iMac G4 beat the PC fair and square when it came to image processing and the likes of it. Its too good. I don't own a Mac, I used it at a friends place. Believe me, there's a big difference...

I must admit that though the Mac is so good, it doesn't really justify the price which is halved in the PC. So, the conclusion is, if you have budget restraints, go in for the PC, otherwise, for graphics and image editing, the iMac is the way.

well i would agree to the pricing aspect of the mac... as its a monopoly(in its architecture) it can set the price it wants. Also with mac u get lots of advantages..... with a PC the maximum RAM supported is 2gb or at max 4 gb in some cases

While any MAC can support upto 8 gb of ram(except mac mini)... again mac is very very user friendly.... and as regards Windows xp... i can just say LOL! i wud say mac os 9 would be better than that.....

and its mac os x(ten)

again as rgards to the support... i believe apple has its own chain of stores in all metros... also it has retailers which will help you if u get any probz with ur mac(highly unlikely)

you can get an imac g5 for sumthing like 75k.... also a powerbook will cost you 1 lakh..(just to inform that a vaio with pentium M processor!!!! costs 1.05 lakhs)

you can't compare a mac to dell, zenith or even hp.... its just too classy....

With Mac you get proprietory OS and other softwares which sums up to its price

N

well, as far as i can tell, when u get image editing software 4 the Mac, like Photoshop, it is optimized 2 run on the Mac...so it does a good job of using the Mac architecture...

now the user freindlines...yes Macs r really easy 2 use...but if u r used the Windows environment, u might have a lil trouble geting started...but once u get 2 know ur way around it, Mac OS X is a piece of cake...

ax3 said:
win 2000 is the best ...

Hey have you ever used Win XP ???
If you have then I dont think that you will ever say that Win 2000 is the best !!!

lywyre said:
With Mac you get proprietory OS and other softwares which sums up to its price

Wrong there.
The Apple Mac OS used to be proprietary sometime back. But OS X is based on the GNU Darwin kernel which in turn is derived from the CMU Mach microkernel and FreeBSD operating systems. They all are non-proprietary technologies and available for free under the Apple Public License (similar to GPL)
See : *developer.apple.com/macosx/

The core OS is non-proprietary, However, the third party applications available for it may/may-not be proprietary(read MS-Office and Photoshop).

The Apple architecture beats any other kind of hi-tech PC hands down. We have a apple G4 machine, and since it was a 2GB RAM rig with dual PowerPC processors, we made it our Zope Server.... and now this mac looks the cutest server in our data center.

rachitboom2 said:
ax3 said:

win 2000 is the best ...

Click to expand...

Hey have you ever used Win XP ???
If you have then I dont think that you will ever say that Win 2000 is the best !!!

i have win XP now but i have used 2000 and havent found it bad :shock:

xp is good but only if regularly updated. otherwise win2000 is stable os

A

I would go 4 Windows XP.......... I think one the most stable OS and furthermore s/ws for windows is easily available as compared to some other OS. I think u can get S/Ws working under other OSs only in selected cities thats not the case with XP

excuse me.... the most stable os???? windows xp?!?!? you must be kidding... arent you?

which software u need? mac has got m$ office 2004, its got photoshop cs(works better).. hell its even got internet explorer and windows media player!?!??

it has each and every type of software that windows has... and excels in all fields...

:sigh: u gotta use a mac to know how good it is!

panther is atleast 5 years ahead of longhorn... and tiger which is releasing on april 15.. is atleast 6-7 years ahead... and it runs on 128 mb ram...

what did billva say abt longhorn and ram? 512 isnt it?
now u get the difference?

mac gets faster with each version.... windows becomes a bigger bloatware with each passing "set of bugs"

K

noting can beat WIN XP :lol:

though i feel better while designing on my mac but the problem with it is that it is isolated from the world,

A

may b u r right mail2nd, but my point was u can get winxp even in small cities.... again u r right that i havent used mac os but do u know why bcoz its not available here!!!!!!!!! and that was my point "not easily available!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Windows XP is best. It has its royalty that is comes from the Microsoft family. Superb support for plug and play devices and instant capturing

superb support for plug and play devices??!!??!

you haven't tried MAC os x(ten) have u???

d00d nothing is better in plug and play support than a MAC....

Ok! it is agreed that MAC OS X is superior to XP. But still a PC is better in many other terms. For eg consider this. if u've 1 LAC Rs to spend for a comp, then if u opt for a PC u can buy the best configuration around with all the additional hardware one needs. but in the case of a MAC things is not like that. and in terms of support, support for MAC is almost absent in even large cities.

i will die mentioning that apple has atleast 10 retailers in mumbai.. and a show room... and same is the case with 10-11 cities..

also they hv atleast 1 retailer in 20-30 cities..

and in 78k ... u can get an imac g5..

17-inch widescreen LCD
1.6GHz PowerPC G5
512K L2 cache
533MHz frontside bus
256MB DDR400 SDRAM
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
64MB DDR video memory
80GB Serial ATA hard drive
Slot-load Combo Drive

This kicks some intel and athlon a$$.... just to mention that it has a 64 bit OS and 64 bit apps to take advantage of the feature....

and in 1 lac u get a POWERMAC g5

1.8GHz PowerPC G5
600MHz frontside bus
512K L2 cache
256MB DDR400 SDRAM
Expandable to 4GB SDRAM
80GB Serial ATA
8x SuperDrive
Three PCI Slots
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
64MB DDR video memory
56K internal modem

K

mail2and said:
i will die mentioning that apple has atleast 10 retailers in mumbai.. and a show room... and same is the case with 10-11 cities..

also they hv atleast 1 retailer in 20-30 cities..

and in 78k ... u can get an imac g5..

17-inch widescreen LCD
1.6GHz PowerPC G5
512K L2 cache
533MHz frontside bus
256MB DDR400 SDRAM
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
64MB DDR video memory
80GB Serial ATA hard drive
Slot-load Combo Drive

This kicks some intel and athlon a$$.... just to mention that it has a 64 bit OS and 64 bit apps to take advantage of the feature....

and in 1 lac u get a POWERMAC g5

1.8GHz PowerPC G5
600MHz frontside bus
512K L2 cache
256MB DDR400 SDRAM
Expandable to 4GB SDRAM
80GB Serial ATA
8x SuperDrive
Three PCI Slots
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
64MB DDR video memory
56K internal modem

the machines u just mentioned are some big thing which only few (countable )people in india can afford, 8)

are we talking price or superiority? I think the question clearly goes which OS is superior. The answer to that is Clearly the mac OS X. It ends there. The mac may be a bit expensive, but you get your money's worth. Those processors can take on most of these local CPUs that intel and amd put out. Also, I don't think your average PC will get you any girls. they will just consider you a nerd or a geek. but have an iMac, and the chicks start diggin' your computer skills....

actually hafees mentioned abt the 1 lakh config.... mac mini is 28k and gives any PEE CEE a run for its money...

as goobimama pointed out, Mac is different. the experience of working on a mac can't be worded. You just have to use a mac to know the difference....

If you're talking about architectures then the Software and Hardware, both architectures are just wisely chosen by Apple.
PowerPC processors are based on IBM's RISC architecture which offer mainframe grade performance for desktops. The MacOS X is based on slick FreeBSD UNIX core, which is a mainframe grade operating system.

actually hafees mentioned abt the 1 lakh config....

for 1 Lac u can get a lot of things if u opt for a PC. that z what i mentioned.

AMD 3200 XP 64
A decent Asus m/b
512 MB DDR 400
a decent geforce fx 5700 based graphics card
17 '' monitor
+
A decent photo Printer +
A decent Capturing Card +
A good UPS +
a digital camera

Ready to run a business.

so i think opt for a PC is better, unless if u want pure performance

..... that z what i mean.

From security point of view LINUX is best....

For novince home users MS XP

I don't know about MAC......

Does any one knows that there is another OS named reactOS *reactos.com

N

hafees said:
actually hafees mentioned abt the 1 lakh config....

Click to expand...

for 1 Lac u can get a lot of things if u opt for a PC. that z what i mentioned.

AMD 3200 XP 64
A decent Asus m/b
512 MB DDR 400
a decent geforce fx 5700 based graphics card
17 '' monitor
+
A decent photo Printer +
A decent Capturing Card +
A good UPS +
a digital camera

Ready to run a business.
so i think opt for a PC is better, unless if u want pure performance

..... that z what i mean.

if u r willing 2 spend a hundred thousand rupees on a PC, then u r a hardcore gamer and u need a PC...but u can buy a mac mini if u just need a computer 4 office work, surfing, etc. it offers gr8 hardware and software and the rock solid stability of Macs :wink:

D

Macs are the way to go if you're into photo editing and stuff. Macs know how to utilise their resources better. My friends dad is a pro photographer and i have never seen him having a PC in his house. Macs only please. Blueberry to G4 and everything oin between

i m not blaming mac. what i m trying to say is, a PC is a better choice if one needs value for money rather than performance.

if u 've already one decent PC and then want to buy onother and have enough money then sure go for a mac. it will give u some stardom. every one will look u with a respect. ok all right.... nothing beats a mac in the looks department.

But imagine, u ve the digit DVD and u only have a mac, what will u do? u will be desperate to try the s/w, games, etc etc...

So my verdict is :
if u want performace (eg: u r a professional in 3d design, video editing etc), and dont mind the cost, then go for a MAC. it will not disappoint u.
if u want performance and value for ur money or if u r a gamer then go for a PC with the AMD athlon 64 bit based processor with a decent m/b , plenty of RAM, a decent graphics card etc.

I would like to clear your myth about the MAC again. There are plenty plenty of software available for a MAC. In this age of cable internet, i don't think its difficult for us to download 5 mb or 6 mb...

I mean you have got every type of software for a MAC. Also, these are way way better then any software on Windows. Just compare Photoshop CS on a MAC and a PC...

Even compare IE on a PC and a MAC. Hell, even IE looks better on a MAC!

Also at 28,000 I guess MAC mini is very affordable considering the fact that Apple will upgrade the RAM to 512 mb and the gfx card to sumthing like a 5700 or 9600 pro.

MAC is not for games. I believe games are meant only for consoles. Also most people in India buy computers with integrated graphics. Only a very few are willing and able to buy gfx cards...

So i guess people without a gfx card telling Half Life 2 won't run on a MAC is wrong. Ofcourse, gamers would require a PC

But with a MAC, life goes beyond hardware. If you buy a MAC say today, you don't need to upgrade it for atleast 5-6 years because each subsequent version of MAC OS gets faster.

Cheetah(10.1) was faster than Puma(10.0), jaguar(10.2) was faster than Cheetah(10.1), panther(10.3) was faster than jaguar(0.2) and the recent 'seeds' of Tiger are much faster than Panther.

Can we say this about Windows? Again, take an example of a P III 500 mhz pc with 64 mb ram and a G3 400 mhz with 64 mb ram...

Try running Windows XP(Equal To Puma in features) and Panther on the respective machines... you will get the answer....

Overall, with the MAC MINI, for non-gamers, it would turn out to be cheaper when you go for the next upgrade*(6-7 years on a MAC.. 2-3 years on a PC)

* including RAM upgrades

A properly configured Linux system... (Any one...) Is properly THE BEST OS in hte whole wide world...

(But I prefer Ubuntu aka Debian)...

Of course Windows users may swear by the OS...

But it is all upto the users choice.. :wink:

just to inform you that linx runs on a MAC

and better than x86

ask gnurag

Just my small comment:

If availability of applications on Mac OS X are an issue, then just think:
A Mac for 28000 Rs,+ Ubuntu Linux DVD makes a killer Home Computer. And with Linux platform, you get access to 8710 unique applications directly off debian mirrors. All the games that run natively run on Linux can be used.

I am running Ubuntu on Apple PowerBook laptop and another Apple G4. Its just rocks...

mail2and said:
I would like to clear your myth about the MAC again. There are plenty plenty of software available for a MAC. In this age of cable internet, i don't think its difficult for us to download 5 mb or 6 mb...

I mean you have got every type of software for a MAC. Also, these are way way better then any software on Windows. Just compare Photoshop CS on a MAC and a PC...

Even compare IE on a PC and a MAC. Hell, even IE looks better on a MAC!

Also at 28,000 I guess MAC mini is very affordable considering the fact that Apple will upgrade the RAM to 512 mb and the gfx card to sumthing like a 5700 or 9600 pro.

MAC is not for games. I believe games are meant only for consoles. Also most people in India buy computers with integrated graphics. Only a very few are willing and able to buy gfx cards...

So i guess people without a gfx card telling Half Life 2 won't run on a MAC is wrong. Ofcourse, gamers would require a PC

But with a MAC, life goes beyond hardware. If you buy a MAC say today, you don't need to upgrade it for atleast 5-6 years because each subsequent version of MAC OS gets faster.

Cheetah(10.1) was faster than Puma(10.0), jaguar(10.2) was faster than Cheetah(10.1), panther(10.3) was faster than jaguar(0.2) and the recent 'seeds' of Tiger are much faster than Panther.

Can we say this about Windows? Again, take an example of a P III 500 mhz pc with 64 mb ram and a G3 400 mhz with 64 mb ram...

Try running Windows XP(Equal To Puma in features) and Panther on the respective machines... you will get the answer....

Overall, with the MAC MINI, for non-gamers, it would turn out to be cheaper when you go for the next upgrade*(6-7 years on a MAC.. 2-3 years on a PC)

* including RAM upgrades

I guess we shud send this to each person who has misconceptions abt a mac

i think Xp with all the Sp is the best one around(atleast best for me)
it's been 13 months now since i last installed Xp

club_pranay said:
it's been 13 months now since i last installed Xp

And with MacOS X people never have to bother about installing an operating system. I haven't heard anyone installing/reinstalling Mac OS ever!

Yeah even while installing a new version.. you just have to upgrade...

Just show this thread to Steve Jobs. He'll tear his hair(duh! he duzn't hv 'em) and clothes and everything apart, when he watches ppl claiming that Win Xp is more stable.

MAC OS X !!! :lol:

D

Windows Xp

I will go for Windows 3.1!
It is the best OS because i have'nt seen it yet!
Otherwise other windows's just deserve a dustbin!
save win98

P

Hey guys you all over look solaris. In its new "avtar" it to is a formadible opponent to deal with.

erm... can solaris match the looks of mac os x? ok its as secure as tiger.... but duz it have spotlight... or expose.... or for that matter can microsoft even release a feature like expose in longhorn sp2?

i'll quote myself from one of my posts in another thread.....

Next, the utility of operating systems is different. Personally i feel Windows Xp is cr@p. There are so many viri, malware, adware, spyware and anything prefixed to "ware" for it

Tell me 1 viri for MAC OS X(10.x). Yes there are viri for MAC OS Classic(9.x). Then you would say, "oh! mac isn't popular".. but why isnt there even ONE virus, adware or spyware for MAC os X. ....Its been there for 4 years....there has to be atleast 1 right.... if it was really vlunerable?