I have to use Windows for some engineering software that just doesn't run on a Mac and is so power hungry that even boot camp isn't an option. Switching back and forth I really notice how much better the Finder is to Windows whatever-they-call-the-finder - and everything you say is true. I put together a system that would have cost many thousands in the Apple world for under one thousand in parts. But don't forget the other bad, bad sides of Windows - constant nagging to use Edge, constant nagging to get a Windows account. Constant reminders that parts of what you are using were designed in 1993 (they still have pictures of CRTs in the icons!). USB stuff that barely works. Third party software that is constantly looking for a way to make you upgrade, subscribe or pay - grift after grift. Even unpacking zip archives is ugly. Software bloat like you wouldn't believe, I thought a terabyte was a lot but it isn't. Apple's iCloud isn't even much good - it's like they forgot how to do asynchronous. Best outcome for me is that the software I need comes to a Mac. But until it does, I'm enjoying a few games, and Mac can't even begin to touch that advantage.
I started dual booting Linux with Windows for various reasons and ended up using Linux more. I went full Linux (with the exception of my gaming PC) in 2008 and haven't looked back. After 10 years or so with Ubuntu, I'm using Mint right now and it's fantastic.
I've got a Mini PC running Zorin and I feel Linux isn't quite there yet. I was happily using Mate and this distro until I was schooled about the 'snap' issue. So bad that Mint abandoned such installs. Point and click installing is really a must for the average user and so, no, I don't think Linux is quite there. But it IS terribly interesting. Zorin runs 4 times faster on my otherwise sluggish Win10 Celeron Mini.
I haven't used snap. The software manager gui in Linux works fine, but I find just popping up a terminal window for pretty much everything second natureb at this point. That's post of went I love Linux. There's a basic gui for most things, but everything is also easy to get to at the terminal.
I haven't tried Zora. I used Ubuntu from 8.04 until they ditched Unity. I've never liked Gnome 3, particularly how it handles workspaces. I'm take loving Mint, now. It's so simple, clean and straightforward. It's great for personal work and fantastic for work. Of course, it's somewhat easy for me as I'm in academia and the only commercial software I absolutely depend on is Matlab and it runs natively in Linux. I have Office and Igor running in Crossover when I need to use them for something occasionally, but everything else I use is open source.
Since you're in a bit of a limbo, it might be worth throwing a liveUSB of Mint or Manjaro on the new PC to give them a test drive as well. Like Windows, Linux is not what it used to be.
Back up the install partition to a drive, which I believe is an option. Two copies. Label and store away.
Make rescue/password retrieval thumb drives. Two copies!
I mostly use Linux systems, but I have a windows system and a windows laptop for software that just doesn't run elsewhere. After losing a system to a "rootkit," I take great care to have rescue/restore tools ready.
This may be the final nudge that gets me to make my next laptop a PC. But that would be mainly for travel, and, well you know how that is right now. I've been looking to have a Windows install somewhere after Apple basically kneecapped half the games in my Steam library that are Mac with the 64-bit or go to hell change in the jump to Catalina. Totally coincidental with the launch of Apple Arcade...
Sorry dude, I was a Windows user going back to Windows For Workgroups 3.11. I used Windows 95, 98, 98 Second Edition, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows Vista, Windows 8, and finally Windows 10. I have to say after switching to a MAC about 2 years ago, I will NEVER go back to Windows. Sorry Microsoft but its not my cup of tea. I need a better embedded CLI with Brew like I have on my MAC. Your Ubuntu release is OK, but it does not do the job for me. Homebrew and being able to install open source Github code easily is what I really enjoy on my Mac. As a true software developer who has worked in the industry for almost 30 years, Apple is superior to Microsoft.
Forgot to mention, I use Oracle Virtualbox on my Mac, which gives me a Windows OS Platform if I need it. Again like I said above, I will never switch back to Microsoft based OS.
I'm on the same page... but the straw that broke the camel's back was being forced to store all my mail content on my hard drive. I already pay for google cloud based services for work and now i've stopped using mail and deleted all the content off the computer (not easy to do). I'm forced to use web-mail because of Apple's crappy business practices.
I'm so curious what you'd think about Ubuntu for a month; can be the same hardware... though I suppose right off the bad Adobe CC becomes the pain point.
I don't have a clue how people get viruses on their PCs. I havent had a virus/malware issue for maybe 15 years (my anti virus has flagged stuff but my PC has not ever been close to the point where it was clearly out of control and needed a wipe) and I torrent tons of stuff and the PC protection has only improved since then. As far as bloatware, not sure who the hell you people buy your products from but it's pretty simple to delete anything in Windows. Anytime you install freeware there are very easy boxes to uncheck in installation process to prevent bloatware from coming in. If anything I hate how some options have been dumbed down in the menus and buried in more difficult to find places. Nowadays the UI is slick and can be MACatized if you want all the fancy UI graphic actions. I keep it simple these days tho to conserve battery. I haven't had a Blue screen since Vista. My laptop (ThinkPad) has frozen once in 5 years and when it happened I remember thinking "wow, this hasnt happened to me on a Windows computer in years".
i have a lenovo ideapad 15" and honestly i love it, its so fast and for those who say that virus can get in "easy", hun stop downloading p0rn, bc then of course a virus its gonna get in and it doesn't matter what laptop or PC.
When I switched (to Windows 10 from Mac) I was terrified of virals and such. After about a year of no problems whatsoever I actually TRIED to get them. Or least approach the barrier and learn, "Oh, so these free streaming movie sites are the doorway to trouble." But even then Windows offers workarounds.
But Jane, I have a statement for you: in Defender there is the buried option to to a FULL SCAN instead of a QUICK SCAN. If you've never done that, do it -- because neither has Windows. And it's there you can find some stuff hiding. Or least one something.
Windows updates breaking or obsoleting functions without so much as a pardon me, All the crap loaded on new Windows machines, The registry, Security updates, Preinstalled Virus software extortion when he FREE period ends, Plugging the same USB device into a different USB port and waiting for it to install the same driver... again, Those $800 laptops that you throw out in a couple of years because repairing them costs more than a new one. (Still using my 2011 Macbook). These are a few of my favorite things.
Some PCs are loaded, others not so much. But to your point, yeah, there's a learning curve to rid yourself of Norton, Cortana, OneDrive, and MS Office. But it's not that hard. For the noob I recommend asking a friend to either do it for you or help you. It's not that hard once you get it.
Why be bothered, you ask? Solid PCs are half the price of similar Macs. That's why. You can pay a pay $50 to save you an additional $800 on that $800 laptop.
As someone who used Macs for 29 years straight -- it's a fact that Mac updates can break and obsolete functions as well. It's just that people pay so much for those things they don't want to think they've been played. So where it's AWFUL when an update 'hurts' a cheap PC, when the same thing happens to a Mac the user forgives it because, well, it doesn't get any better than this.
" Those $800 laptops that you throw out in a couple of years because repairing them costs more than a new one. (Still using my 2011 Macbook)"
This is that most classic asinine boneheaded iArgument. There is so much wrong here.
Let's say you want a laptop with more than a 13 inch screen. In the PC world that price starts at... say... $599. Yes, it can go away up, but remember that Apple doesn't offer a 14 inch screen. Or even a 15 inch screen. It offers a 16 inch screen starting at $2400.
So to say you 'throw out that' inexpensive PC -- and to do so with disdain -- because it costs more to fix it -- it world class stupid. Let's rephrase that, shall we? If you buy that $599 PC and anything goes wrong with you can buy a new one immediately and lose zero time being 'down'. In certain situations that matters. In fact -- you can afford to do this THREE TIMES compared to one Mac. In THIS scenario.
It's also a stupid thing to say because, if you're smart, you have extended warranty on both units. So it doesn't really cost you 'that much' to fix something because you already paid for this upfront. And guess what? Even the extended warranty is cheaper on the PC... and not by just 6 dollars.
Still stupid is the idea that you'd keep a Mac for a decade. I know why Mac users do this but you didn't own it: because they can't afford to replace it three years later. Since they've paid twice (or more) for a Mac they have next to no choice but to hold onto it for a decade.
I buy extended warranty and then unload the unit once expired. Why? Because if it breaks, you're right, it's silly to invest the price of a new PC into an old one. Oh, and because I have a brain, I don't 'throw' it out but sell it on eBay. You will get, say, at least $200 for a 3 year old $600 PC. That money makes your new $1000 PC cost... $800.
"But Macs have much better resale value!!!" No they don't. They just cost more up front and so you get 'more' back 3 years later. But it's about the same percentage. So let's say, for the sake of argument, PCs only get %30 back in resale whereas Macs get %50. But you're paying TWICE for that Mac and so you're still wildly behind.
Not to mention if you don't feel like being an eBay person Linux isn't really so bad. That is: you can easily install an Ubuntu flavor on an older PC and hand a young needy person a 'Chromebook', if you will. Apple Silicon is going to erase that feature.
By the by -- a lot changes in computing in 9 years. Flipping PCs every 3 years brings you great options that holding onto an old Mac doesn't.
Sorry but what are the specs of the 600$ pc ? Same core i7 ? Same ram speed ? Same SSD speed ? Same calibrated IPS screen ?
MacBook Pro may be over priced but I bought countless of sub 1000$ pc and most of the time the CPU, motherboard, ram, GPU, are just not on part. It may be what YOU want/need.
But put side by side the exact same specs as the latest MacBook for a pc and you’ll get far away from 600$.
Sony or Dell do it and it’s not cheap.
Apple chose to put high end component and not cheap ones.
It’s the same thing with the whole industry, screens, graphic cards, cpu, ram ... you can have countless options from cheaper to high end and you know what you pay for if it’s what you need.
Viruses. Spymare. Malware. Browser toolbars. Apps installed without consent. Microsoft still lets these in very easily. Microsoft may be the cheaper option up front, but not if you value your time long term.
As a switcher myself I'll readily admit there's more learning curve and work to adapt to the PC world. If you can't manage it (and many can't) you're stuck with either overly basic Chromebooks or wildly over-priced Macs. But --
-- if you seek out a PC friend... or are willing to pay one $100 or so for some 'schooling' -- all these concerns go away. Quickly, I might add. The problem is most people are too embarrassed to admit they don't know how to run their computer and so they become 'happy' Mac users... paying through the eyeballs day in and out.
I used Macs 29 years straight, from the original Macintosh to my last iMac. I turned my wife onto Macs as well. Life was good. While Steve was alive and active.
Then something happened when Tim took over. He didn't care if the iMac evolved. His move was to make incremental changes, taking away features, and raising prices. Pencil pushing baloney.
Around that time (long story short) I discovered my state of the art iPhone 6 was shafted on RAM. 1 GB. I also had to remove apps to install others and my phone couldn't hold a lot of photos. Anyone who owned this phone (as reported on YouTube by Chris Parillo) were guaranteed to experience sluggishness. So I dumped iPhone, got a OnePlus 3 with twice the storage and six times the RAM -- and never had another issue. I'm so not looking back.
At the same time wifey needed a Windows PC because of software only available on Windows. Got her a Windows 8 PC and returned it because the OS was unusable garbage. I managed to stall her a bit, Windows 10 came out, and all of a sudden she was rocking a nice Asus laptop that cost less than half of the Mac alternative. Haven't had one BSOD or major issue. Works perfect.
Me? I was an iMac person because I couldn't afford that and a laptop as well. Seemed 'silly'. Now I own an Asus VivoMini Desktop PC and a Lenovo 14 inch Flex for the price of one iMac. I also have a Micro PC at my TV -- which ran Windows MEH but Zorin Linux well.
I worked in the original West Coast Apple Store for years. I was more Apple than anyone in that store. And yet I was able to dump it with ease. Mark is right that Windows 10 isn't perfect.
1. Where Steve Jobs released OS X basically 'ready' in all fronts, to this day Windows 10's 'Finder' is just complete retro garbage. Steve would have never released a finder in this poor condition. It's appalling. Many Linux distros offer more beautiful finders than this. (One of the Zorin 'finder' themes is already where Windows 10 should be.)
2. Mark! I agree there's no need to make Windows look too much like Mac or you'll simply miss Mac. But I highly recommend installing the following mini apps --
a. WinXCorners will give you hot corners back. I cannot use an OS without this. It's critical.
b. TranslucentTB (in the Windows Store) will make your taskbar background disappear. If you have the right kind of wallpaper you'll love it.
c. TaskbarX will center the apps in your taskbar. As long as you don't have too many it gives you that muscle memory thing of looking for apps dead center instead of to the left.
d. Greenshot is the best screen cap app there is. Better than Mac even. Most developers have gotten the impression that taking a screenshot should involve as many steps as possible. Apple got that you hit three buttons, choose an area, and BOOM it's on your desktop. With Greenshot you hit ONE button, select an area, and BOOM it's on your desktop. Even faster.
I have to use Windows for some engineering software that just doesn't run on a Mac and is so power hungry that even boot camp isn't an option. Switching back and forth I really notice how much better the Finder is to Windows whatever-they-call-the-finder - and everything you say is true. I put together a system that would have cost many thousands in the Apple world for under one thousand in parts. But don't forget the other bad, bad sides of Windows - constant nagging to use Edge, constant nagging to get a Windows account. Constant reminders that parts of what you are using were designed in 1993 (they still have pictures of CRTs in the icons!). USB stuff that barely works. Third party software that is constantly looking for a way to make you upgrade, subscribe or pay - grift after grift. Even unpacking zip archives is ugly. Software bloat like you wouldn't believe, I thought a terabyte was a lot but it isn't. Apple's iCloud isn't even much good - it's like they forgot how to do asynchronous. Best outcome for me is that the software I need comes to a Mac. But until it does, I'm enjoying a few games, and Mac can't even begin to touch that advantage.
I started dual booting Linux with Windows for various reasons and ended up using Linux more. I went full Linux (with the exception of my gaming PC) in 2008 and haven't looked back. After 10 years or so with Ubuntu, I'm using Mint right now and it's fantastic.
I've got a Mini PC running Zorin and I feel Linux isn't quite there yet. I was happily using Mate and this distro until I was schooled about the 'snap' issue. So bad that Mint abandoned such installs. Point and click installing is really a must for the average user and so, no, I don't think Linux is quite there. But it IS terribly interesting. Zorin runs 4 times faster on my otherwise sluggish Win10 Celeron Mini.
I haven't used snap. The software manager gui in Linux works fine, but I find just popping up a terminal window for pretty much everything second natureb at this point. That's post of went I love Linux. There's a basic gui for most things, but everything is also easy to get to at the terminal.
I haven't tried Zora. I used Ubuntu from 8.04 until they ditched Unity. I've never liked Gnome 3, particularly how it handles workspaces. I'm take loving Mint, now. It's so simple, clean and straightforward. It's great for personal work and fantastic for work. Of course, it's somewhat easy for me as I'm in academia and the only commercial software I absolutely depend on is Matlab and it runs natively in Linux. I have Office and Igor running in Crossover when I need to use them for something occasionally, but everything else I use is open source.
Wow, only some of everything I just wrote was actually in english. 🤣 I hate phone keyboards.
Since you're in a bit of a limbo, it might be worth throwing a liveUSB of Mint or Manjaro on the new PC to give them a test drive as well. Like Windows, Linux is not what it used to be.
I'd like to try that!
Win10 was a big improvement.
One thing to definitely do:
Buy four thumb drives.
Back up the install partition to a drive, which I believe is an option. Two copies. Label and store away.
Make rescue/password retrieval thumb drives. Two copies!
I mostly use Linux systems, but I have a windows system and a windows laptop for software that just doesn't run elsewhere. After losing a system to a "rootkit," I take great care to have rescue/restore tools ready.
This may be the final nudge that gets me to make my next laptop a PC. But that would be mainly for travel, and, well you know how that is right now. I've been looking to have a Windows install somewhere after Apple basically kneecapped half the games in my Steam library that are Mac with the 64-bit or go to hell change in the jump to Catalina. Totally coincidental with the launch of Apple Arcade...
Lame
Sorry dude, I was a Windows user going back to Windows For Workgroups 3.11. I used Windows 95, 98, 98 Second Edition, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows Vista, Windows 8, and finally Windows 10. I have to say after switching to a MAC about 2 years ago, I will NEVER go back to Windows. Sorry Microsoft but its not my cup of tea. I need a better embedded CLI with Brew like I have on my MAC. Your Ubuntu release is OK, but it does not do the job for me. Homebrew and being able to install open source Github code easily is what I really enjoy on my Mac. As a true software developer who has worked in the industry for almost 30 years, Apple is superior to Microsoft.
Forgot to mention, I use Oracle Virtualbox on my Mac, which gives me a Windows OS Platform if I need it. Again like I said above, I will never switch back to Microsoft based OS.
I'm on the same page... but the straw that broke the camel's back was being forced to store all my mail content on my hard drive. I already pay for google cloud based services for work and now i've stopped using mail and deleted all the content off the computer (not easy to do). I'm forced to use web-mail because of Apple's crappy business practices.
I'm so curious what you'd think about Ubuntu for a month; can be the same hardware... though I suppose right off the bad Adobe CC becomes the pain point.
I don't have a clue how people get viruses on their PCs. I havent had a virus/malware issue for maybe 15 years (my anti virus has flagged stuff but my PC has not ever been close to the point where it was clearly out of control and needed a wipe) and I torrent tons of stuff and the PC protection has only improved since then. As far as bloatware, not sure who the hell you people buy your products from but it's pretty simple to delete anything in Windows. Anytime you install freeware there are very easy boxes to uncheck in installation process to prevent bloatware from coming in. If anything I hate how some options have been dumbed down in the menus and buried in more difficult to find places. Nowadays the UI is slick and can be MACatized if you want all the fancy UI graphic actions. I keep it simple these days tho to conserve battery. I haven't had a Blue screen since Vista. My laptop (ThinkPad) has frozen once in 5 years and when it happened I remember thinking "wow, this hasnt happened to me on a Windows computer in years".
I've had four PCs since 2015. Not one BSOD. I'd say I might freeze up once a year on each on average, which is what happened with my Macs too.
i have a lenovo ideapad 15" and honestly i love it, its so fast and for those who say that virus can get in "easy", hun stop downloading p0rn, bc then of course a virus its gonna get in and it doesn't matter what laptop or PC.
When I switched (to Windows 10 from Mac) I was terrified of virals and such. After about a year of no problems whatsoever I actually TRIED to get them. Or least approach the barrier and learn, "Oh, so these free streaming movie sites are the doorway to trouble." But even then Windows offers workarounds.
But Jane, I have a statement for you: in Defender there is the buried option to to a FULL SCAN instead of a QUICK SCAN. If you've never done that, do it -- because neither has Windows. And it's there you can find some stuff hiding. Or least one something.
Windows updates breaking or obsoleting functions without so much as a pardon me, All the crap loaded on new Windows machines, The registry, Security updates, Preinstalled Virus software extortion when he FREE period ends, Plugging the same USB device into a different USB port and waiting for it to install the same driver... again, Those $800 laptops that you throw out in a couple of years because repairing them costs more than a new one. (Still using my 2011 Macbook). These are a few of my favorite things.
Some PCs are loaded, others not so much. But to your point, yeah, there's a learning curve to rid yourself of Norton, Cortana, OneDrive, and MS Office. But it's not that hard. For the noob I recommend asking a friend to either do it for you or help you. It's not that hard once you get it.
Why be bothered, you ask? Solid PCs are half the price of similar Macs. That's why. You can pay a pay $50 to save you an additional $800 on that $800 laptop.
As someone who used Macs for 29 years straight -- it's a fact that Mac updates can break and obsolete functions as well. It's just that people pay so much for those things they don't want to think they've been played. So where it's AWFUL when an update 'hurts' a cheap PC, when the same thing happens to a Mac the user forgives it because, well, it doesn't get any better than this.
" Those $800 laptops that you throw out in a couple of years because repairing them costs more than a new one. (Still using my 2011 Macbook)"
This is that most classic asinine boneheaded iArgument. There is so much wrong here.
Let's say you want a laptop with more than a 13 inch screen. In the PC world that price starts at... say... $599. Yes, it can go away up, but remember that Apple doesn't offer a 14 inch screen. Or even a 15 inch screen. It offers a 16 inch screen starting at $2400.
So to say you 'throw out that' inexpensive PC -- and to do so with disdain -- because it costs more to fix it -- it world class stupid. Let's rephrase that, shall we? If you buy that $599 PC and anything goes wrong with you can buy a new one immediately and lose zero time being 'down'. In certain situations that matters. In fact -- you can afford to do this THREE TIMES compared to one Mac. In THIS scenario.
It's also a stupid thing to say because, if you're smart, you have extended warranty on both units. So it doesn't really cost you 'that much' to fix something because you already paid for this upfront. And guess what? Even the extended warranty is cheaper on the PC... and not by just 6 dollars.
Still stupid is the idea that you'd keep a Mac for a decade. I know why Mac users do this but you didn't own it: because they can't afford to replace it three years later. Since they've paid twice (or more) for a Mac they have next to no choice but to hold onto it for a decade.
I buy extended warranty and then unload the unit once expired. Why? Because if it breaks, you're right, it's silly to invest the price of a new PC into an old one. Oh, and because I have a brain, I don't 'throw' it out but sell it on eBay. You will get, say, at least $200 for a 3 year old $600 PC. That money makes your new $1000 PC cost... $800.
"But Macs have much better resale value!!!" No they don't. They just cost more up front and so you get 'more' back 3 years later. But it's about the same percentage. So let's say, for the sake of argument, PCs only get %30 back in resale whereas Macs get %50. But you're paying TWICE for that Mac and so you're still wildly behind.
Not to mention if you don't feel like being an eBay person Linux isn't really so bad. That is: you can easily install an Ubuntu flavor on an older PC and hand a young needy person a 'Chromebook', if you will. Apple Silicon is going to erase that feature.
By the by -- a lot changes in computing in 9 years. Flipping PCs every 3 years brings you great options that holding onto an old Mac doesn't.
Sorry but what are the specs of the 600$ pc ? Same core i7 ? Same ram speed ? Same SSD speed ? Same calibrated IPS screen ?
MacBook Pro may be over priced but I bought countless of sub 1000$ pc and most of the time the CPU, motherboard, ram, GPU, are just not on part. It may be what YOU want/need.
But put side by side the exact same specs as the latest MacBook for a pc and you’ll get far away from 600$.
Sony or Dell do it and it’s not cheap.
Apple chose to put high end component and not cheap ones.
It’s the same thing with the whole industry, screens, graphic cards, cpu, ram ... you can have countless options from cheaper to high end and you know what you pay for if it’s what you need.
Viruses. Spymare. Malware. Browser toolbars. Apps installed without consent. Microsoft still lets these in very easily. Microsoft may be the cheaper option up front, but not if you value your time long term.
As a switcher myself I'll readily admit there's more learning curve and work to adapt to the PC world. If you can't manage it (and many can't) you're stuck with either overly basic Chromebooks or wildly over-priced Macs. But --
-- if you seek out a PC friend... or are willing to pay one $100 or so for some 'schooling' -- all these concerns go away. Quickly, I might add. The problem is most people are too embarrassed to admit they don't know how to run their computer and so they become 'happy' Mac users... paying through the eyeballs day in and out.
I used Macs 29 years straight, from the original Macintosh to my last iMac. I turned my wife onto Macs as well. Life was good. While Steve was alive and active.
Then something happened when Tim took over. He didn't care if the iMac evolved. His move was to make incremental changes, taking away features, and raising prices. Pencil pushing baloney.
Around that time (long story short) I discovered my state of the art iPhone 6 was shafted on RAM. 1 GB. I also had to remove apps to install others and my phone couldn't hold a lot of photos. Anyone who owned this phone (as reported on YouTube by Chris Parillo) were guaranteed to experience sluggishness. So I dumped iPhone, got a OnePlus 3 with twice the storage and six times the RAM -- and never had another issue. I'm so not looking back.
At the same time wifey needed a Windows PC because of software only available on Windows. Got her a Windows 8 PC and returned it because the OS was unusable garbage. I managed to stall her a bit, Windows 10 came out, and all of a sudden she was rocking a nice Asus laptop that cost less than half of the Mac alternative. Haven't had one BSOD or major issue. Works perfect.
Me? I was an iMac person because I couldn't afford that and a laptop as well. Seemed 'silly'. Now I own an Asus VivoMini Desktop PC and a Lenovo 14 inch Flex for the price of one iMac. I also have a Micro PC at my TV -- which ran Windows MEH but Zorin Linux well.
I worked in the original West Coast Apple Store for years. I was more Apple than anyone in that store. And yet I was able to dump it with ease. Mark is right that Windows 10 isn't perfect.
1. Where Steve Jobs released OS X basically 'ready' in all fronts, to this day Windows 10's 'Finder' is just complete retro garbage. Steve would have never released a finder in this poor condition. It's appalling. Many Linux distros offer more beautiful finders than this. (One of the Zorin 'finder' themes is already where Windows 10 should be.)
2. Mark! I agree there's no need to make Windows look too much like Mac or you'll simply miss Mac. But I highly recommend installing the following mini apps --
a. WinXCorners will give you hot corners back. I cannot use an OS without this. It's critical.
b. TranslucentTB (in the Windows Store) will make your taskbar background disappear. If you have the right kind of wallpaper you'll love it.
c. TaskbarX will center the apps in your taskbar. As long as you don't have too many it gives you that muscle memory thing of looking for apps dead center instead of to the left.
d. Greenshot is the best screen cap app there is. Better than Mac even. Most developers have gotten the impression that taking a screenshot should involve as many steps as possible. Apple got that you hit three buttons, choose an area, and BOOM it's on your desktop. With Greenshot you hit ONE button, select an area, and BOOM it's on your desktop. Even faster.
All of these are FREE.
Forgot to add -- UNINSTALL NORTON and simply use Windows Defender/Security. For kicks I use the nagware version of Malwarebytes.
//e not ][e. there's your tell.
I'm reminded of Sheldon Cooper's comment on Windows 10: "This new Windows system is much more user-friendly. I hate that."
Windows has been better than OSX since Windows 7. TBH it was only ever not better during my beloved XP and the dreadful Vista.