As for Windows 7, yes, I really hope Microsoft takes this feedback and responds. I think even Vista fans would have to admit not everything in this OS was on point, to say the least.

WINE is unlikely to do much for audio on Linux. If Linux becomes a vibrant alternative, it’ll be because of native development, not a port panacea. And there are apps built on cross-platform frameworks, particularly those with new codebases, so there are commercial apps that could make the leap. When they do it, they’ll likely do it without WINE. But for now, the segment really is too small. I think we’ll see other apps for Linux first, then maybe music following.

That said, I still stand behind my assertion that one gets more bang for your desktop buck on the PC Win side (as long as one is building it DIY). I mean, yes there is Mac Minis for $599, but for around $300-$400 you can easily build a Pentium D 3GHz machine with 2GB of RAM that’s going to be faster than the Mini. Of course it would be a full-sized desktop which itself has some pluses and minuses.

You’re partially right tho Peter, when it comes to pre-built machines or laptops Apple has become VERY competitive with the WinPC makers, beating several of the high end companies in terms of value.

My WinXP (no vista here partner) machines I feel give me the best mix of “pro” commercial and various oddball, cheap, free, etc. products. Stability is good and performance is acceptable when tweaked, so I don’t think I’ll be upgrading to a new operating system anytime soon. I’ll just have to remember down the line to be VERY selective about the hardware/software I buy to make sure they still run on XP. Either that, or switch to Linux once they figure out how to get copy protected commercial programs to work well in WINE. Who knows, maybe the next MS OS will fix what is so wrong about Vista.

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9785337-7.html

ATA

* More free, cheap, and bizarre plug-ins (the Adrian Anders quotient of the OS).
* Cakewalk (only their instruments are cross-platform)
* FL Studio (aka Fruity Loops)
* EnergyXT, indeed (also on Linux, but not the best example of a Linux app; shows its Windows roots)
* DIY systems
* Tablet PCs, and more computer choice in general
* Gaming (you know, when you’re not making music)

If those aren’t important to you, you won’t care, but someone cares about them, which is why this isn’t Create Mac Music.com.

I actually don’t agree with some of your points, though, Adrian. When you can buy a $600 mini or $1000 MacBook and $500 Logic Studio, “cheaper” doesn’t quite cut it. Compatibility is kind of out the window with Vista, at least in some respects, though there is still more 3rd-party hardware support, in general. (although, in fairness, some of the examples you cite do indeed work on Vista) And “compatibility” really comes down to what you want to run. At least you can emulate C64s and Amigas on Mac OS X, and boot XP to run Rebirth if you need to via Boot Camp.

I also think it’s worth pointing out that the Mac will hardly starve you for choice, and a lot of this choice software-wise you don’t really need. And Core Audio and Core MIDI, and the OS in general, still provide a far smoother ride than Vista or XP.

But are there reasons to choose Windows? Absolutely. And they’re all the more worth considering when you can boot a Mac into Windows (though with some caveats — Jaymis I believe just found out the hard way that video output didn’t work as expected on a MacBook doing that).

I think OS choice has gotten overly stereotyped, which misses some of the strong points Linux, Mac, and Windows all have in their favor. I keep thinking about doing an OS comparison, but it comes down to stuff people already know; I’d rather meet the more pressing issue of identifying stuff that’s broken on each OS and helping people fix it.

Yes there are.

1. A metric TON of freeware, donationware, and interesting/experimental stand-alones and plug-ins many of which do not have an OSX equivalent (at least not one within a reasonable price range).

2. More choices. In software and in hardware. Whereas OSX might have at most 2 dozen choices in VAs, Windows users have 100s from a wide range of vendors with different copy protections schemes. Whereas on OSX you might only have one choice in terms of where to go for a particular kind of plug-in or standalone with a feature you want, Windows users typically have 3-5 times as many vendors. So if you don’t like the dongle or challenge/response one vendor uses, you could always find someone else selling a similar product with only a serial form of copy protection.

3. Greater compatibility. Software and computer hardware from 5-10 years ago will many times still work on a modern XP machine (damn you vista). So you can have your VariOS, an older soundcard, and Rebirth all on the same machine that’s running the latest version of Live. Just not happening on OSX. Don’t give me that “oh, that stuff is obsolete” mess. On a blog that’s all about C64s, and Casios, a statement like that is just plain silly.

4. Lower prices. Probably due to greater competition and the prevalence of various kinds of developers toolkits (not just C++ but lego-esque builders like synthedit & synthmaker). So even when you have to buy your software instead of getting it from a reputable freeware vendor, many times you can get it WAY bellow what an OSX user would have to pay.

A couple of good examples are FLStudio, and Energy XT both of which you can get for under $100 and produce some pretty cool stuff with.

Also, if you build your own desktop it’s still true that you can have a system that can do most production duties you would ever need for less than $300. So go on you Mac snobs with your $2000 Macbooks… there are still plenty of kids who want to make music whose parents aren’t rich, and Windows PCs are the perfect platform for super-low cost production work.

ATA

What I’d really like to see is for significant audio and MIDI subsystems to be open sourced across platforms. Open source isn’t a panacea, but the problem with the music market is we have too few actual developers overall, and too small a market niche (compared to, say, digital cameras or printers). But that’s another story.