I am going to compare Windows 7
and MAC OS X operating systems to see if I can pick out similarities and
differences between the two.
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Similarities
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Differences
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Windows 7 has a task
bar while MAC has a dock. This is a
similarity because both the windows 7 task bar and the MAC dock are used for
the same job. This job is that the
task bar will have icons on it that a user can click on to open up a program;
this is quicker than having to go into the home menu. The dock used by MAC will do the exact same
job as the task bar used on windows.
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MAC comes equipped
with mail and messaging software while windows 7 does not come with mail and
messaging software equipped. You can
download mail and messaging software for windows 7 but it is not an essential
program like it is on MAC. The mail
and messaging service provided by MAC is called iMessage and iMail.
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The windows 7 start
menu and the MAC finder are both positioned in the task bar or the dock. This is a similarity because the start-up
menu on both will give you access to all of the programs that are stored on
the computer meanwhile on the task bar or the dock there will only be a
minimal number of programs stored.
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Both MAC and windows
7 use different layouts. This makes
them both completely different software and a lot of the time you will chose
which on you prefer due to the layout.
The layout will usually determine how you can set out your home screen
to make it easier for you to access applications and documents. As a user you may prefer the layout of windows
or MAC because of how much freedom you are given and how much easier it is
for you to access your documents.
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Both MAC and windows
offer cloud services where a user can store their files and documents to keep
them as a backup. The MAC cloud is
called iCloud while the windows cloud is called Sky Drive. Both of these offer a user a secure and
safe place to store their files on the internet where they will be kept until
the user deletes them.
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MAC gives you full
access to your drives and applications as soon as you start up while Windows
7 starts you up with nothing. This is
a big difference because some people will like to have immediate access to
their drives and applications while other people won’t really mind if they do
or if they don’t. This can play a big
part in someone choosing one program over another.
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Windows 7 media
store and iTunes on MAC are both sources used by both operating systems to
download or find music. This is a
similarity because both of the programs offer you a unique place where you
can download music legally but you have to pay for it.
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Windows 7 gadgets
work with other applications while one MAC gadget will take up the whole
screen and disappear as soon as you open any other application. This is a difference because you as a user
may want to have other applications up on the screen but maybe in one corner
have a gadget that may tell you what the temperature is. MAC will not give a user an option to do
this while windows 7 will.
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Windows 7 comes with
movie maker and MAC comes with iMovie which are both used as video editing
software. This is a similarity because
both of these programs are video editing software that can be used by a user
to create a video and add music or your own voice before you put the video up
on the internet or keep it to yourself.
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It is easier to save
or edit new files on windows 7 then it would be on MAC because on MAC you
need to close the dialogue box and switch to a finder while on windows 7 you
don’t have to open any new pages when you are saving a document.
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Both come with a
security package that will cover basic security including a firewall. This is a similarity because when you
download either of the programs you will have some security, even though it
may not be the best security that you can get to cover your computer or
system.
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When using MAC you
cannot use the ‘enter’ key to open a document like you can while using
windows 7 instead you have to double click on the file that you want to
open. This may annoy a user because it
may slow down how quickly they can do their work when they can't use the
‘enter’ key to open their documents or files.
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Both MAC and windows
7 use lightweight gadgets on their operating system. This is a similarity because it will give
the user an option of what gadgets they want to have on their desktop and
then only them gadgets will be displayed.
Both of the programs will offer similar gadgets but the gadgets will
be unique in one way or another. A
gadget is a small tool that can be placed on the desk top of the computer
that can be used to tell you different things, such as what the temperature
is or what the weather is like.
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On MAC there is no
‘maximise page’ button but instead the button you would expect to do this job
actually fixes the page to the size of the content on the page. This can be very confusing for someone who
is used to using windows programming because it is a lot more straight
forward and easier to use windows programs when you want to minimise or
maximise a program.
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Windows 7 and MAC OS
X both offer help facilities that come with all of their software. A user can use this if they don’t know what
to do or if they need help.
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Windows 7 will cost
a lot less than MAC OS X. This can be
a lot more appealing to someone who doesn’t know which software to buy and
they want to get the cheapest version.
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