# What exactly is a Mac? **URL:** \ **Category:** random\ **Created:** [September 17, 2004, 8:35pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601 "2004-09-17T20:35:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NeoDreamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ccd318/32.png) [@NeoDreamer](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/NeoDreamer)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2004, 8:35pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601/1 "2004-09-17T20:35:17Z")
Is a Mac just a brand of a computer? Why are people always asking “do you use a Mac or PC?” What is makes it so different that there is a division between the two? I heard you can install Windows on a Mac, so I don’t see what is so unique about a Mac. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2004, 8:39pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601/2 "2004-09-17T20:39:03Z")
Mac runs of of a different architecture and uses a different opperating system. They also create their own hardware. It’s like the difference between Windows and Linux. You can’t “install Windows on a Mac” you need an emulator such as Virtual PC to emulate the x86 architecture that windows runs on. It runs significantly slower. You can also emulate the mac operating system (OS 8 9 or X) on windows through Pear PC but it runs 200x slower than on comparable mac hardware. Goto > **[Apple](https://www.apple.com/)** > > Discover the innovative world of Apple and shop everything iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, and Apple TV, plus explore accessories, entertainment, and expert device support. to learn more =) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 1:33am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601/3 "2004-09-18T01:33:25Z")
that was very informitive !! i feel all warm and fuzzy inside !! thanks [:ninja:EZEkiel:ninja:] ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 2:51am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601/4 "2004-09-18T02:51:06Z")
errr how did you not know what a Mac is? Lol, sorry, I knew what a Mac was when I was 4. Hehe but it’s all cool ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 3:03am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601/5 "2004-09-18T03:03:58Z")
The computers we used to have in school were Macs. (when we used floppy floppy disks) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 3:09am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601/6 "2004-09-18T03:09:43Z")
I had a mac when I was 2 (family machine)… now I haven’t owned one since, but I want one! and it’s just a better product… that’s all 😉 😛 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 3:39am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601/7 "2004-09-18T03:39:33Z")
Ha!! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 7:21am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601/8 "2004-09-18T07:21:35Z")
Hey, have you guys heard of those things called PC’s? Lol, sorry Neo, but like your footer says: “Google it.” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 9:06am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601/9 "2004-09-18T09:06:33Z")
> **[Switch from Android to iPhone](https://www.apple.com/switch/)** > > Switch from Android to iPhone for the great camera, fast performance, and because it’s easy to use. We think you’ll love it. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 1:00pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601/10 "2004-09-19T13:00:12Z")
Well, at my old school, we had Acorns… I have no idea what dimension they were from, but they certainly were klunky (that’s right with a k!) and definitely didn’t run windows. Or maybe they was running that really rare version of windows, 2.9, i heard about a while ago eh? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 11:55pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601/11 "2004-09-19T23:55:43Z")
> [@tofu](#): > > Well, at my old school, we had Acorns… I have no idea what dimension they were from, but they certainly were klunky (that’s right with a k!) and definitely didn’t run windows. Or maybe they was running that really rare version of windows, 2.9, i heard about a while ago eh? hahahahaa!!! The Acorn Archemedes :kommie: Ancient things they are. We had them at my primary school about 6 years ago (they switched to PCs as I was leaving). They run an OS called ‘RiscOS’ (hence, they must have been running some sort of RISC processor)… and that’s about all I know about them… :tb: ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 12:44am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601/12 "2004-09-21T00:44:01Z")
I’ve been using Apple computers since I was 3. The only reason I could ever _possibly_ give to not use an Mac, or even Linux, and break down to use a PC is _the games, man._ Macs own j00. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 3:16am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601/13 "2004-09-21T03:16:55Z")
stupidest thread ever ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 4:02am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601/14 "2004-09-21T04:02:46Z")
don’t be mean 😜 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 4:46am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601/15 "2004-09-21T04:46:10Z")
> [@love police](#): > > stupidest thread ever What’s stupid about it? He didn’t know what a Mac was, so he asked (instead of Googling it). 😛 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 4:49am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601/16 "2004-09-21T04:49:09Z")
Give it up ppl, Mac’s aren’t worth the power they use. The only reason u might use one is to install Linux on it, but even that might not really be worth it. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 9:52pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601/17 "2004-09-21T21:52:45Z")
um… [size=7]Yeah they are![/size] 😛 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 10:50am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601/18 "2004-09-22T10:50:20Z")
> Give it up ppl, Mac’s aren’t worth the power they use. The only reason u might use one is to install Linux on it, but even that might not really be worth it. Everytime somehow asks something that we all know about but a person like Neo might not know, it starts to get crooked by everyone starting to laugh and say its stupid. He would have been more stupid if he hadnt asked. Macs are really good computers even though I use a PC. The fact that the technology is very powerful and innovative aspects of the system architecture makes it comprehendable. They are ideal for web development and for high-gaming processing. Plus, for added features, the G5 is basically the monitor and tower so you carry that with your keyboard and mouse as well as the basic foundations of creating the gui which gates ripped off. And as well, the security is more realiable. Its not a matter of choosing which one for your liking but one for what you need it for. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 12:21pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601/19 "2004-09-22T12:21:30Z")
yeah… that thing you said about the GUI and M$ ripping it off. good point. back in 1984 when apple released Macintosh (you’ve gotta see the multi-million dollar ad directed by Ridley Scott [titled ‘1984’]), the only thing that had a GUI was this Xerox photocopier thinger. the major OS was DOS. System 1.0 had a full-on GUI (albeit black-and-white) which doesn’t differ all that much from System 9! it was well ahead of its time. when Windoze 1.0 came out in 1986, it had an extremely lame excuse for a GUI - that usual character-based grid-like GUI we’d already seen in some DOS programs. on top of that, it blatently ‘ripped-off’ elements from Mac OS. these include ‘Get Info’, which later changed to ‘Properties’; the window controls were on the left of the title-bar; it had a ‘Special’ menu… and a whole lot of other stuff i cant think of right now… Apple is just superior and always has been - in so many ways. i could go on forever… but yeah… that’s enough. btw, i dont use a Mac as my mainstream computer. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 2:20pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601/20 "2004-09-22T14:20:11Z")
Quick question- Is it actually possible to use a Mac as a primary computer, without even owning a PC? I’m thinking of getting myself a Powerbook when I graduate (unless something better comes out by then), but I’m afraid I may have to keep my other laptop with me in case I get software from school or work that runs only on Windows. Most Mac users I know have both a Mac and a PC. Is there anyone who’s made a complete switch and not had to look back? [Next page](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-mac/64601.md?page=2)