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General
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Sometimes we run into problems, need to troubleshoot an error, or are unsure about how to perform a certain task on Mac OS X or Windows XP. Thankfully, both operating systems offer built-in help systems for users to reference documentation for installed applications and the operating system itself...
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Apple and Microsoft release numerous bug fixes, security patches, and other software updates throughout the year for their operating systems. You can configure Mac OS X and Windows XP to automatically download critical updates in the background while you continue to use your computer...
Networking
Both Mac OS X and Windows XP have strong support separate network settings for different network interfaces (multiple Ethernet slots, wireless cards, etc). Both support TCP/IP thoroughly, IP over Firewire, and internet sharing over Firewire. In addition, they also support sharing an internet connection (good for home networks), and both support sharing a printer over a network...
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Both Mac OS X and Windows XP offer a variety of features to reduce power consumption and save energy. Power consumption is important because it can prolong the life of your hardware and reduce the costs of electricity used to power them. For laptop owners, power consumption is even more important because they depend heavily on maximizing their laptop battery's charge for the longest running time...
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Mac OS X and Windows XP have excellent printer support. Both can share and print to any printer on a network. Scheduling of print jobs is also supported, but each operating system has different level of support. OS X can print EPS content and PostScript documents to any raster printer. XP requires that EPS or PostScript documents either be sent to a PostScript printer or sent through an EPS Rip.
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The ability to send and receive faxes through your computer's built-in modem or via a bluetooth cell phone is supported by Mac OS X and Windows XP. Both operating systems can also keep logs of the faxes you either send or receive.
Fonts
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Fonts are files that describe the appearance and style of characters/symbols on your screen. Both Mac OS X and Windows XP come bundled with a wide variety of fonts by default. This section doesn't really go too much indepth on the individual fonts you will find installed by default on either operating system. Instead, we focus on what font types are supported (OpenType, TrueType, etc.) and how well each operating system handles anti-aliasing/sub-pixel rendering...
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With so many different types of fonts available, managing them all can often be job within itself. Luckily, both Mac OS X and Windows XP come with built-in tools to assist the user with installing, previewing, and organizing the fonts on their system. This section compares the different tools found on these operating systems and sees which one offers better font management out of the box...
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Both Mac OS X and Windows XP offers multiple ways to select and apply fonts to text within documents and projects. They also offer ways to insert special characters and symbols that are not found on the keyboard...
Backup and Data Synchronization
Backing Up and Restoring Files
Both operating systems provide a way to back up files. Mac OS X has Disk Utility, although this is suited more towards working with disks as a whole. While it can be used as a backup solution, it isn't very flexible. Windows XP, on the other hand, has a Backup or Restore Wizard which is geared much more towards users who simply want to back up selected files. As such, XP is considerably more user-friendly in this area...
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The ability to synchronize data between multiple computers and/or devices ensures that you're always working with the most recent version of your data, no matter where you are. Windows XP and Mac OS X have taken different approaches to data synchronization. OS X allows users to synchronize Address Book contacts, iCal entries, and Safari bookmarks across mobile devices (and other personal computers if you have a paid .Mac account). XP Pro has created a method to synchronize files and folders between your computer and a network server, so that you can easily bring work home and synchronize it when you get back to work...
Transferring Files and Settings
The process of moving from an old computer to brand new one can be a frustrating process because you have to reinstall all your software again, reconfigure your settings, and transfer over all your files. To help ease the transition between computers, both Mac OS X and Windows XP come with utilities to assist a user in transferring their files and settings. As such, you'll probably only ever use it once during the life of your computer. That said, it's still a nice tool to have during a computer upgrade process.
System Maintenance and Troubleshooting
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Mac OS X and Windows XP divide system details (hard specs, installed software, etc.) and system activity (CPU usage, available memory, etc.) into separate applications. Both operating systems offer comprehensive details about every aspect of a user's computer.
Disk and Temporary Files Cleanup
Over time, an operating system can generate a lot temporary files that become scattered around a user's hard drive. Both OS X and Windows XP offer different methods of deleting old and temporary files on a user's boot volume.
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Defragmenting a disk forces all the fragmented parts of a file to be written again into contiguous blocks speeding up retrieval and reducing access times. Both Mac OS X and Windows XP offer ways to optimize against disk defragmentation.
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From time to time, volumes connected to your computer can experience errors that effect its operation and overall performance. These errors can be file system related or a phycical problem with the disk such as a bad sector. Both Mac OS X and Windows XP come with utilities to format, check, and repair hard disks connected to your computer.
Restoring and Recovering System Files
Sometimes the operating system and its applications can become unstable and not function correctly due to errors in system files or configuration. This is often caused by installing buggy software (including operating system updates) or user error. In this section, we compare how Mac OS X and Windows XP fix these types of issues by restoring or "rolling back" to a previous, more stable, state of the operating system.
Security
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Both Mac OS X and Windows XP are designed to be multi-user operating systems with each user having separate environments on a system to store files, run applications, etc. Before one user can access their user account, they must log in by verifying their user name and password. This ensures that only those with the proper identification are able to login into an account and access its contents...
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Both Mac OS X and Windows XP are multi-user operating systems. Each user can have their own login, their own desktop, and their own specific privileges as to what they can and cannot do.
Both operating systems have the options of automatic login (which is disabled for security reasons when on an Active Directory domain in XP Pro) and fast user switching. They can display a list of users, or require entry of a name and password in a dialog box for greater security...
Managing User Accounts (Parental Controls)
Parental controls are special restrictions that allow administrators to control the activities of individuals on a computer. There are a couple of ways that one might want to restrict users on a computer: deny access to a specific application or system related task altogether, or restrict certain types of activities within an application.
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The average user today has many passwords (computer account login, e-mail accounts, websites, etc.) to keep track of. Both Mac OS X and Windows XP can remember and "auto-fill" Internet passwords within their default web browsers and e-mail applications, but how well do they manage other passwords a user has?
Protecting Your Computer (Local Security)
Login security is not synonymous with overall security. Computer users want to know when they buy a computer and turn it on, will they be protected or will they need to take extra steps to make sure their system is secure?
Protecting Your Computer (Firewall Security)
Being connected to a the Internet or over a network without running some type of firewall software is similar to leaving the frong door on your house wide open where anybody can come in. Malicious users and software rely on uprotected systems like this to exploit and attack. A firewall acts as a security guard blocking all the network communication ports on your system and only lets traffic you authorize inside. Both Mac OS X and Windows XP come with their own built-in firewall software...
Total weight of this section: 200 points
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