Ten things I hate about the Mac and love about Windows
What I Hate About The Mac
1) USB Devices Always Wake the Computer - If my computer is sleeping, and I unplug my iPod to go out, why does my computer wake up? Why, why, why? Same if I’m unplugging my display/USB hub to use my computer as a laptop. The computer should NOT wake up.
2) USB Drives Can’t Simply Be Unplugged - In a similar vein to the first one, I should be able to yank out my USB drive and go. Why do I have to eject the drive first? I don’t on Windows…
3) No Cut and Paste in the Finder - Before I start, I understand the motivation for utilizing drag and drop. And for the most part, I love using drag an drop. But when I’m moving a file from one folder nested in Adam/Documents/Important/Files/Taxes/NotReallyTaxes/Games/MoveThis.file all the way to Adam/Movies/Films/A-F/Crappy Movies/ThisFileWas.moved, Drag and Drop isn’t the best option. Even if it isn’t called cut and paste (I’m aware of the problem with the name scheme), call it “Sticky Move” or “Smart Move” or something. Just include it.
4) No Universal Uninstaller - I love that applications in OS X are for the most part self contained. You can drag to a folder to install, and uninstall by dragging to trash. But for applications like Adobe Photoshop CS3, or Apple’s own Final Cut Studio, they are not self contained and to properly uninstall, one needs to resort to third party apps like AppDelete and AppZapper. Windows has an uninstaller (albeit a hit or miss one) built in. Why can’t OS X? It wouldn’t be used that much, but when it is needed, it would be invaluable.
5) Empty Trash is Severely Crippled - If I drop a file into the trash that an application is using, the trash won’t empty. It will throw up a message saying that “Trash cannot empty because such and such is in use.” This is all fine and well, unless, as I find happens much too often, none of your open applications seem to be using it. I have quit all my apps too many times to count only to find that the file was still “in use.” Is it too much to ask for OS X to at least tell me what process is using it? Then I could kill it with Activity Monitor.
What I Love About Windows
1) Ability To Install Almost Any Software - What’s the oldest software you can run natively on a new Mac? About three years. What’s the oldest software you can run natively on Windows? Way over 10 years. I had an OS9 version of Photoshop Elements. Ran in Classic on my Power PC Mac, Didn’t run at all on my Intel Mac. The Windows version (bundled on the same CD) Ran like a charm on Windows XP.
2) Maximize Done Right - I know that the green button in OS X isn’t technically a Maximize button, but I don’t know what it is. In iTunes and Calculator, its a mode switcher. In Safari, it’s a resizer. In iPhoto, iMovie, Aperture, and Firefox, it’s a maximizer. In Windows, it has, does, and always will expand the window to full screen. I understand why maximization isn’t practical in todays world of huge screens, but neither is a multi purpose vague button marked with a plus that may, in fact, make the window smaller.
3) Access to the Innards - Quick and Easy. I can delete any System File without being told I don’t have privileges even though I’m the freakin’ administrator. Great for tinkerers.
4) Easy Force Quit - By and large, it takes three clicks of “Force Quit” in OS X to actually make it force quit. In Windows,as long as you can get the Task Manager up, you can quit anything. It’s as easy as Ctrl-Alt-Del.
5) Settings are Remembered - OS X, If I leave my Finder window in the corner, I want it to stay in the corner. Windows knows this, you can learn too. Thanks.
What gripes do you have with OS X? What do you love about Windows? How about the other way around? Sound off below!
Keep up with the latest Apple news! - 
Subscribe to our feed →
“Why do I have to eject the drive first? I don’t on Windows…” - uhh you don’t, but you should. OS X just notifies you… go ahead and yank all you want. Some people find the message useful.
on April 17, 2008 at 05:33 PM - LINKAgrees: Mac-1,3,4,5 PC-1
on April 17, 2008 at 05:48 PM - LINKReasons - Mac-2: Sherb already said it. PC-2:I find it kind of helps, considering generally I want my maximize button to scale it up/down by a large amount. 3: While it IS easier in windows, it’s not like you can’t do it in mac without problems 4: cmd+opt+esc and use up/down then enter to force quit (though Activity Monitor really should be combined). 5:Apparently there must be something different about your mac, because mine remembers where my finder windows are.
Mac-3: Just drag and drop and press Command in the process to -move- the file instead of copying it. Took me a while to figure it out myself.
on April 17, 2008 at 06:50 PM - LINKIn Windows I Love:
1. How I get to enter Wi-Fi passwords twice before I can log on to a Wi-Fi network (I especially love this for 26 character long Hexadecimal passwords).
2. the Paperclip
3. How long it takes to get onto a network after plugging in an ethernet cable
4. Being asked If I would like to see the many advantages of Windows Genuine Advantage
5. How great system wide search is (XP)
6. How many viruses and spyware are Windows compatible
7. How many cool versions of Vista there are - I like lots of choices
8. Just about anything with a wizard involved
9. How my system slows down over time
10. Long boot and shut down times
on April 17, 2008 at 07:48 PM - LINKHenning: I’m aware of it, but it doesn’t solve the speed issue. Dragging and dropping to nested folders is slow.
Mitch: Gave me a nice laugh.
Connor: Really agree on the Activity Monitor thing.
on April 17, 2008 at 07:53 PM - LINKYou sir, are clearly retarded.
on April 17, 2008 at 08:03 PM - LINK“4) Easy Force Quit.”
Actually. I find that force quit works awesome on macs,
and on my pc, ‘End Task’ can never actually end the task first time, and often takes 3-4 attempts. FAIL by windows there.
I agree about most of the other things though. The “Ejecting Device” warning is just annoying.
on April 17, 2008 at 08:04 PM - LINK@5
To empty the trash with something open in it simply hold alt as you click empty trash. No questions asked, just empties it. :D
Glad to be of service.
on April 17, 2008 at 08:09 PM - LINKOH! And while I’m here, with the path bar turned on you can just move back up the tree like so, makes moving files loads easier.
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/3563/picture1ie9.png
on April 17, 2008 at 08:13 PM - LINK@Joe: Yes, but sometimes even this doesn’t work. More often then not due to a corrupt file (which happens more often than I’d like...) but still.
on April 17, 2008 at 08:46 PM - LINK“Dragging and dropping to nested folders is slow.”
That’s because the Finder is a piece of crap. Millions of Mac users love it though, because it is dumbed down to their level.
If you are serious about file management in OS X, get Path Finder. $35 but worth it, it has tabs.
“5) Empty Trash is Severely Crippled”
I’m with you there, and also the trash needs a way to sort deleted files by date deleted, like Windows has had since, oh, gee, I don’t know, 1995?
“2) Maximize Done Right”
I know, right? How silly is it to not be able to maximize iTunes on the Mac side without positioning the window, then dragging the lower right corner. Apple should implement this for all apps, but they do not like to admit they are wrong, hence it took them 20 years to make a mouse with more than one button.
on April 17, 2008 at 10:52 PM - LINK@2) USB Drives Can’t Simply Be Unplugged
Well, they shouldn’t be on Windows either, that’s what the Safely Remove Hardware is for. Windows just doesn’t yell at you if you don’t eject disks first. So, you can just unplug from the Mac, you’ll just make OS X mad at you though.
@3) No Cut and Paste in the Finder
All I have to say is I agree completely.
@5) Empty Trash is Severely Crippled
Windows occasionally did the same exact thing ... On OS X, you can use Secure Empty Trash to override this issue. On Windows, you’ll have to either reboot, del from the Command Prompt, or use a utility like MoveOnBoot.
@1) Ability To Install Almost Any Software
Microsoft goes out of their way to make sure that Windows is backward compatible… way way back. Things for 98 should still run on Vista. This is one reason Windows is considered bloated… Rumor has it this will changed in Windows 7
@4) Easy Force Quit
Technically, it takes three [four] clicks in Windows also. (ctrl-alt-del, click on the program/process, del, and confirm)
And I agree with ‘love Windows’ #5 ... why won’t Finder do that?
on April 17, 2008 at 10:56 PM - LINKIf you want Finder to remember where you put your windows, and at what size, my trick has always been to click the finder icon in the dock. resize and reposition the window WITHOUT changing folders (ie. stay in your home folder, or whatever opens default). then ‘x’ the window once you have it to your likings. Never failed me yet.
on April 18, 2008 at 12:28 AM - LINKWindows number 4 (Easy Force Quit), on the Mac it only takes pressing: Option+Command+Escape to access a Force Quit menu, no clicks necessary, just ‘Enter’ or ‘Spacebar’ and it will surely quit, try it…
on April 18, 2008 at 02:27 AM - LINKI knew this article would cause some dispute in the comments. Some people can’t face that Mac OS isn’t perfect.
on April 18, 2008 at 05:20 AM - LINK@Stephen Maybe some other comments are, but mine certainly shouldn’t lead you to say that. I was pointing out that some of the downfalls in Mac OS X are also present in Windows (sometimes in similar forms.) You shouldn’t get the conclusion that *I* think that OS X is perfect, because I clearly agree with the points in the article.
Windows isn’t perfect, neither is Mac OS X. Nothing can ever be perfect. There’ll always be something (perhaps small) that either doesn’t work, or doesn’t seem like it’s the best way to do something.
on April 18, 2008 at 09:38 AM - LINK@David I wasn’t referring to your comments, sorry if you were mislead by thinking that. I agree that no OS is perfect, Windows has its flaws too - in my opinion many more so than Mac OS X does.
on April 18, 2008 at 09:58 AM - LINK@Felipe: I’ts much less trustworthy in my tests than Ctrl-Alt-Delete. Wheras you can end a process in Windows consistently with one blow (I’m not talking about ending tasks, that NEVER works) On Mac OS X it takes at least three clicks of Force Quit. I would love to see Activity Monitor and the Force Quit window integrated as I said before.
on April 18, 2008 at 10:19 AM - LINKThe single worst thing about OS X is not #1-5 from the post, though a few of those are annoying--it’s the fact that you can only resize windows by dragging around the bottom right corner! Ugh, what a pain.
on April 18, 2008 at 12:45 PM - LINKI don’t know why but I actually like that. I’ve unintentionally resized a window many many times in Windows.
on April 18, 2008 at 12:54 PM - LINKWindows really does have desktop organization right. I love my Mac, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes I really miss the taskbar. My desktop on my Mac is always a mess.
on April 18, 2008 at 09:57 PM - LINKI have to disagree with you there, Mike. The taskbar serves waaay too many functions and the method of displaying windows as (rather large) buttons is extremely inferior to Exposé
on April 18, 2008 at 09:58 PM - LINKI also hate that, for whatever reason, Safari randomly asks me for my “login keychain” question. Happens the first time I launch Safari after booting up and often while I’m in the middle of browsing the web. I tried fixing this but to no avail....
on April 18, 2008 at 10:00 PM - LINKI don’t generally think of expose the same way I think of the taskbar. It reminds me more of Flip 3D than anything (where else would Microsoft get the idea, haha). It’s nice, don’t get me wrong, but it takes a lot more effort to find out what’s what than just reading the taskbar.
on April 18, 2008 at 10:06 PM - LINKSure, with only a few Windows open, but for managing more than 3 windows, Expose is crazily better.
on April 18, 2008 at 10:07 PM - LINK