Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 11, 2012 - 11:34pm

I am in the process of buying a new laptop for school. Especially because the one I have is full of viruses from looking at porn all the time, but that is neither here nor there. The question at hand is whether PC or MAC is better for writers? Is there a difference? If so, what is it? I know that both have their strengths and weaknesses, but I want the groups opinions on the matter

 

PandaMask's picture
PandaMask from Los Angeles is reading More Than Human February 11, 2012 - 11:40pm

Macs are good if you're a hipster, graphics designer, or make music.

PC is good for everything else. You get more bang for your buck.

Boone Spaulding's picture
Boone Spaulding from Coldwater, Michigan, U.S.A. is reading Solarcide Presents: Nova Parade February 11, 2012 - 11:40pm

Cheap-ass PC that is only good for word processing.

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest February 11, 2012 - 11:41pm

I got a $350 Toshiba laptop. I get online and I write. Works well for me.

PandaMask's picture
PandaMask from Los Angeles is reading More Than Human February 11, 2012 - 11:42pm

Same

Charles's picture
Charles from Portland is reading Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones February 11, 2012 - 11:43pm

bottom of the barrel PC/netbook here. running linux (yay, its free!) save everything i submit as a pdf. problem solved.

PandaMask's picture
PandaMask from Los Angeles is reading More Than Human February 11, 2012 - 11:45pm

Typewriter.

clickety clack

Nighty Nite's picture
Nighty Nite from NJ is reading Grimscribe: His Lives and Works February 11, 2012 - 11:45pm

Save your money, get a PC. The only reason I would have suggested getting a mac, like 5 years ago, is because of a program called Scrivener. It's fantastic for writers. But now Scrivener is made for Windows as well, so it doesn't even matter.

PandaMask's picture
PandaMask from Los Angeles is reading More Than Human February 11, 2012 - 11:46pm

If you want to impress your peers, get a MAC.

Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 11, 2012 - 11:50pm

SOLD, I'll get a mac with all the trimmings. Just kidding. I was just curious if there was some unknown reason to get a MAC that I didn't know about for writers. Thanks all.

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest February 11, 2012 - 11:51pm

If you want to impress your peers, get a MAC.

If you really want to impress your peers, get one of these:

PandaMask's picture
PandaMask from Los Angeles is reading More Than Human February 11, 2012 - 11:53pm

I have a PC. I never step into coffee shops. If I do I'll get shunned. I also hate hipsters.

Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 11, 2012 - 11:54pm

.......that's what I have.....except mines, the 15"

I just need to get something else because I keep playing the games I loaded on here. Skyrim, BF3, the new star wars. It is too distracting. I will just get something for writing. Entertainment and fun will be this, the other will be school and work. I'm that guy who needs things separated or else I won't do what I'm supposed to.

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest February 11, 2012 - 11:54pm

I have a PC. I never step into coffee shops. If I do I'll get shunned. I also hate hipsters.

Ditto...

Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 11, 2012 - 11:55pm

And that bastard thing is close to 15 lbs. I'm not lugging that and my books around.

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest February 11, 2012 - 11:55pm

Go with the cheapest PC you can find. All you really need is internet access and a word processor.

PandaMask's picture
PandaMask from Los Angeles is reading More Than Human February 11, 2012 - 11:56pm

That's how I feel. I want a PC so I can play the new Star Wars too.

Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 11, 2012 - 11:58pm

It is kinda awesome. I didn't do anything for like three days. I had to stop. I've been TOR free for two weeks.

I did see these new awesome ultrabooks. Start at like 800. They may be the new PC anti-hipster gear to get.

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest February 11, 2012 - 11:59pm

Is this Star Wars the one that's like Warcraft? Excuse my ignorance, but I don't game. My friend is like a fucking fiend for that Star Wars game...

PandaMask's picture
PandaMask from Los Angeles is reading More Than Human February 12, 2012 - 12:00am

If it doesn't have an apple on it it's not cool.

Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 12, 2012 - 12:03am

It is like WoW. But better because you're a fucking jedi and shit.

I will be the old guy at school. I will be 32 and just starting. My cool days are long behind me.

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest February 12, 2012 - 12:04am

 But better because you're a fucking jedi and shit.

My friend said the exact same thing.

Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 12, 2012 - 12:06am

lol, well it is true and I can relate a lot more than fighting snakes and rats. But as of now it is on hold, until I get some decent stuff written. Work first, then play. I hope I can keep myself disciplined.

PandaMask's picture
PandaMask from Los Angeles is reading More Than Human February 12, 2012 - 12:07am

I played the Xbox ones which were amazing. I never beat the second one though.

Honestly for 800 you can get a really good laptop. For 1200 you can get one that runs Skyrim, BF3, and TOR easily.

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest February 12, 2012 - 12:07am

Disciplined must yourself keep... 

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest February 12, 2012 - 12:09am

I better be gettin' some sucky sucky with that $1200

Nighty Nite's picture
Nighty Nite from NJ is reading Grimscribe: His Lives and Works February 12, 2012 - 12:09am

You can also get credit through a lot of PC companies. I got 1200 from Dell and got a pretty sick laptop. My payment on it is only 30 a month. Of course this works better for me because I'm a poor college student.

I actually had to get credit through Dell to get a new laptop because the macbook I owned took a massive shit on itself and died. So it goes.

Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 12, 2012 - 12:09am

No shit. This site, helps and doesnt. I need to keep reading the essays, but you guys are too fucking funny.

misskokamon's picture
misskokamon from San Francisco is reading The Moonlit Mind February 12, 2012 - 12:34am

I'd be careful with Scrivener for Windows. That program has eaten every story I've opened with it. Luckily my writing folder is on Dropbox... easy backup system there.

I can write on both, but I prefer Mac and I'll tell you why: I don't get so easily distracted on it. See, I attribute Macs to business. I use a Mac for work (artsy-fartsy stuff, really) and I can't play games on it without getting pissed off at the slow framerate. I find it's easier to dive into writing because I'm not tinkering with this or that program and I'm not troubleshooting PC errors or closing out programs that slow down my machine, too. 

I own everything, really: a sweet Windows 7 laptop that is peeeerrrrfect for gaming (And has an awesome backlit keyboard in Rainbow), an old Acer netbook, a Macbook Air (which I bought specifically for writing) and (now that my company has dissolved and sold off everything at a ridiculously low price) I have a Macbook pro. I'd stay away from netbooks for writing due to the small keyboard, but like someone mentioned earlier, Scrivener is on both Windows and Mac now and that's the program that matters.

Oh, and I've talked about this in other threads, but here is why I got the Macbook Air for writing: it's tiny. Hell, this sexy thing is thin and sleek and easier to carry around than a notebook. The battery life lasts a decent amount of time, the keyboard is the right size (and backlit!) and the screen isn't too small. It's fast, too--boots up in less than ten seconds for me. The hdd is too small to have a junkload of programs and shows downloaded onto it, but it's big enough to feel comfortable and load up a playlist or three. Then there is the whole not-so-distracting bit. And did I mention it's the perfect size? 

The important thing is to work on a machine that 1) won't impede your writing, 2) won't make writing feel like a hassle or a chore, and 3) won't cause you injuries. 

Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 12, 2012 - 12:44am

Nicely said. I shall take it into consideration. But you do understand that there are some people on here who will now deem you a hipster and will throw eggs at your starbucks out of spite.

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest February 12, 2012 - 12:47am

Why waste eggs. Just throw a handful of Folgers at it.

razorsharp's picture
razorsharp from Ohio is reading Atlas Shrugged February 12, 2012 - 2:27am

I must be a hipster 'cause I've used Macs since 1991. If you want a quality laptop, nothing beats a MacBook. You can make software/hardware arguments all day long, but for me there are two key features: 1) The multitouch trackpad. MacBooks are the only laptops I can use efficiently without plugging in a mouse. The quality of the MacBook trackpads cannot be emphasized enough 2) The keyboard. It feels like a real keyboard when you type.

If you don't have enough money for a MacBook and you want to go the PC route, I suggest a desktop. PC laptops don't last very long, they have horrible input devices, and they're made out of cheap plastic unless you're paying what you would for a Mac. If you want to buy a PC b/c you don't want to be seen as a 'hipster' - well, that's like buying a gas guzzler because you don't want other drivers on the road to mistake you for some tree-hugger.

Also, you can run Windows on Macs but you can't run Mac OS X on non-Apple hardware. Apple's always a step ahead, always throwing in bleeding edge features. Macs are easier to use. If you get an iPad/iPhone you'll be able to sinc it with your Mac. The only reason I can think of not going the Mac route is if you're seriously broke. But keep in mind that with a PC it will become obsolete sooner, so in the long term you don't really save any money.

Nick Wilczynski's picture
Nick Wilczynski from Greensboro, NC is reading A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin February 12, 2012 - 2:51am

Doesn't matter.

But I hear that Macs don't come with spell check.

aliensoul77's picture
aliensoul77 from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall. February 12, 2012 - 3:14am

Sweet lord, it's the age old debate. Mac versus PC.  Cavemen debated about this. They decided a rock was better.

Nick Wilczynski's picture
Nick Wilczynski from Greensboro, NC is reading A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin February 12, 2012 - 3:15am

Linux?

drea's picture
drea from Rural Alberta, Canada is reading between the lines February 12, 2012 - 9:49am

I second everything Misskokamon said. I travel a lot and I fucking love my MacBook Air. Shit is light as, ummm, air, compared to my old Toshiba laptop, which I invariably had to skyckeck on regional flights. 

And ftr, Pages (word equivalent) has spell check.

Bekanator's picture
Bekanator from Kamloops, British Columbia is reading Ugly Girls by Lindsay Hunter February 12, 2012 - 10:22am

I like to think I'm so fucking hipster that I use a PC in a coffee shop, and I listen to music while I write on my Zune, which is so ridiculously hipster that you can't even buy one anymore.

HP's are my favourite, though.  They have some neat-looking laptops.

PandaMask's picture
PandaMask from Los Angeles is reading More Than Human February 12, 2012 - 11:15am

The hipsters don't approve.

I had the first Zune, which was like a brick. You could kill someone with that thing. The program for it was the worst, but the audio was way better than an ipod.

HP's are great. They're tough and sturdy.

Nick Wilczynski's picture
Nick Wilczynski from Greensboro, NC is reading A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin February 12, 2012 - 11:21am

Fuck the hipsters who can't see that people like Beks are just applying their philosophy in a consistent way.

I rock the Sansa mp3 player instead of the Zune though, Bekanator, that is just, next level.

Dude, you're getting a Dell (I miss that guy). (Dells aren't actually very good computers)

aliensoul77's picture
aliensoul77 from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall. February 12, 2012 - 1:30pm

Yeah, the pothead Dell guy was awesome.

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest February 12, 2012 - 1:44pm

Even better was the tweeker Sham-Wow guy...

Korey's picture
Korey February 12, 2012 - 2:21pm

Ha ha. The Sham-Wow guy was a schizy bastard. 

aliensoul77's picture
aliensoul77 from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall. February 12, 2012 - 4:39pm

The Sham Wow guy is back with the Shticky!  Have you seen it?

My favorite line, "problems with that shedding pussy?"

Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 12, 2012 - 4:43pm

I always feel like my life isn't complete until I buy one of his products. *sigh* Now I must buy something else.

aliensoul77's picture
aliensoul77 from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall. February 12, 2012 - 4:49pm

Do you have a shedding pussy?

Michael Hodges's picture
Michael Hodges from Chicago is reading Oryx and Crake February 12, 2012 - 4:53pm

I can't stand laptops. Mac or Windows, doesn't matter to me.

I write on a desktop with a 24 inch monitor and older keyboards with chunky keys that rattle. Dell made some fantastic keyboards for a bit there. You could hammer with them or play frisbee and they'd hold up. Nice and heavy, too. I keep a couple spares just so I don't have to buy one of those flimsy new keyboards. It's the fiddly keys on laptops that get me. My fingers are just too long/big for them. Plus they’re so slow and usually loaded with bloatware. I run my O.S. on a solid state drive and my manuscripts in Word load at the blink of an eye.

Sometimes I'm forced to use laptops, though. I have one with a 40 gig SSD installed that works okay. The typos go thorugh the roof because of the keyboard, so I try to avoid it.

Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 12, 2012 - 4:55pm

I do. I actually have three shedding pussies.

Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 12, 2012 - 4:56pm

I haven't worked on a desktop in years. I think the last time was around 2006.

Bekanator's picture
Bekanator from Kamloops, British Columbia is reading Ugly Girls by Lindsay Hunter February 12, 2012 - 4:58pm

I don't just listen to my Zune, I fucking love it.  I think I have a second-gen one, if you want to even call it that.  I also have no idea what the hell I'll do if and when it dies, because they don't exist anymore, and not enough people had one in the first place, so coming across a used Zune is probably more difficult can finding a brand new one.  But yeah, it is rather brick-like.  Makes it easy to find in my purse.  I've never had any issues with the software, though.

@nkwilczy - My husband has a Sansa.  He doesn't listen to it often, but he does really like that it's a simple drag and drop sort of device.

PandaMask's picture
PandaMask from Los Angeles is reading More Than Human February 12, 2012 - 5:02pm

The softwar for mine sucked. The device is good though. The audio is amazing and I think it surpasses the iPod in many ways. Mine crapped out on me though.

The second gen ones are much nicer and lighter.

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated February 12, 2012 - 5:50pm

I have to go PC, because I can't use a Mac for more then 3 minuites without having to choice between

A) Walk away

B) Chuck the thing at a wall