What better way to energize our moribund list serv than a PC/Mac debate! In my experience we could not make this decision solely on the actual or perceived advantages of one or another operating system. Our insitution is an all-Windows shop and our IT staff would not support Macs and worse, would not integrate them into the network. In our case, the advantages of having our imaging systems on the network, with access to high-volume storage servers, covered by the regular backup operations, and supported by our IT staff far outweigh any possible downside to using PCs for imaging rather than Macs.
All of our imaging staff has come in primarily with Mac experience, and they all adapted quickly to Windows. The fact is that working within Photoshop, which is what they do all day long, the platform does not seem to influence the actual workflow all that much. Some of them still prefer (marginally) working in the Mac platform but cannot say convincingly why; I chalk it up to old, ingrained personal allegiances or ideologies rather than actual performance differences. I agree with Sam that the external graphics environment/printing industry/etc. has been built around Mac and this is perhaps the best argument for Mac, all other things being equal. On the other hand, there are in fact high-end imaging products that are PC-only, such as the excellent Aztek flatbed scanners, last time I checked. This variability in platform support is true in the graphics software area as well; a number of highly-regarded imaging applications, used by many people in association with photoshop, are only available for PC, though I can't think which at the moment. In short, as far as compatibility, for the moment either choice will present certain limitations in one's options for hardware or software. William Real Carnegie Museum of Art
