David Cairns M1- similarities and differences between Windows 7 and MAC OS X

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.

Similarities	Differences
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.	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.
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.	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.
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.	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.
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.	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.
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.	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.
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.	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.
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.	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.
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.	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.