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poor effort !! why was internet explorer up againist netscape not firefox ? betamax vs VHS not evan in the list !! i didnt realise amazon v book shop was considered as a tech rivalary neither gates v jobs also wouldnt gates v jobs be the same as apple vs pc ??

I say, Great Effort!
While I agree that IE should have been compared to Firefox instead of Netscape, the betamax vs VHS deal is not only old as the hills, but it's moot anyway because, well, who is still really bound to VHS anymore? I also agree that Amazon vs a bookstore is a little bit questionable from a tech standpoint, but I kinda understand that being included. Gates vs Jobs is certainly relevant because both run technology-oriented companies, and as for this being the same as Apple vs PC, you might note that Gates/Microsoft neither developed nor produces computers.

for what it's worth, my vote is for laptop eraserhead over touchpad. am i the only one who prefers it?

Nice of you to continue to falsely promote the myth that Mac's are more expensive. That became a myth a long time ago. Sure you can get cheaper PCs, but take one of the big name companies, put equivalent capabilities, components and design in it and it costs more and runs slower (games not included). have a look at your sister mag's own studies

I have to say I'm seriously startled by the PCW community's preference for the horrible touchpad over the all-ruling eraserhead. What is the matter with y'all?!

Done-


a 15.4" notebook with 2.5 GHz intel core 2 duo, 4 GB DDR2, 250 GB HD, ati 3650 FOR $1299

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834220307
runs as fast as macbook pro and is $1000 cheaper and I prefer mouse over touchpad or trackpad



Macs are more expensive try to prove me wrong... you can't!

I agree. Firefox and Internet Explorer should be rivalries. I don't think anyone is using Netscape anymore (sad reality). I have used Firefox, Netscape, and Internet Explorer. In my opinion, Firefox really dominates the rest. It would be nice if we have an article about Playstation 3 vs. Xbox 360.

Other tech rivalries you could include (in no particular order):
* Internet Explorer vs. Firefox
* Facebook vs. MySpace
* Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD
* DVD-R(W) vs. DVD+R(W)
* nVidia vs. ATI
* Windows vs. OS/2
* Micro Channel vs. EISA
* Windows XP vs. Windows Vista
and of course...
* PC Magazine vs.PC World
Of course, we all know which one we'd choose for that last one. :)

Why do computer magazines more than any other media source continue to perpetuate the falsehood that the Mac OS X operating system is more secure than Windows? This simply isn't true and has been shown as such in repeated actual tests. The fact that there are fewer virus infections on a Mac does not directly equate to a more secure system and is likely due to the lesser number of viruses and exploits specifically written to target the platform. If I finish first in the Special Olympics does that imply that I'm faster than the person who finished second in the Olympics?

Funny how gripers often seem to miss the full titles; it says Classic Rivalries, as in "it shaped our world". IE vs. Firefox or HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray are just too recent.

To the "Macolytes" (Love it :)), lacking the scale economies of PCs, Macs would always be somewhat pricier. Do notice though, the article mentions piecing a PC A-La-Carte; "Compaqters" or "HPartans" miss more there than "Dellites" or "DIYnamics", I guess. :9

To the "Winsomes", the shortage of exploits for Mac and Linux do is an (indirect) security feature: It's like leaving your gang-infested 'hood, and whining that your new and clean suburban home lacks electric fences, three alarms, a rabid watchdog and two-tier bars on the Windows. Plus, a diverse OS ecosystem would be safer too.

Now, how about some constructive comments for a change? Instead of the same-as-always bashing and cheering, the author did dare us to add a classic rivalry he might've missed. Anyone cares to elaborate?

@jdcast02 - I agree that a diverse OS ecosystem is better for everyone with regard to security exploits. My issue is with the initial comparison in the article related to security.

The article states: "seems to be fairly immune to the security flaws and threats." Perhaps I am belaboring the semantics of the point. In the example of the suburban home, there are two factors: the environment and the physical structure.

Using the terminology of the article, the assertion is that the "nice clean suburban" structure is less penetrable (immune) to ingress than the physical building equipped with electric fence, three alarms, a watchdog and bars on the windows.

If one used penetration statistics, the actual number of times that each is compromised, one may erroneously conclude that somehow a brick building with electrification, bars, et. al. is easier to enter than a quaint suburban bungalow with a large picture window and the key under the welcome mat. In fact, the suburban structure is more easily penetrated; it is actually less "immune".

These statements in no way indicate a preference toward either physical structure or environment; and, all things considered, living in the suburbs is statistically less likely to have a breach occur, but if urban sprawl does occur (i.e., the proliferation of Macs) or the act of isolated hooligan happens (someone who does endeavor to directly exploit a Mac), I should not be falsely mislead to believe that my physical structure will keep me safe.

As such, the first comparison in the article is factually inaccurate which then leads me to believe that there may be other factual innaccuracies in the article. I further postulate that the author is more inclined to use annectodal information than actual facts throughout.

True, the author has asked the reader to contribute other interesting technical rivalries, but prior to that the author states "Each of our picks ... identifies the main combatants." In what fashion has the author performed the "identification?" Through the use of characteristics of the combatants.

If I was to identify the combatants by brand, make, model that would be one approach, albeit rather dry for an article, similar to identifying an individual by their name, address, and birthdate. Alternatively, I could choose to characterize the individual by his or her traits or by other attributes.I could choose to characterize someone as blond, handsome, and strong. If I then further qualified one of these attributes, such as strength, by tellling you that I know the person is strong because they can pick up an entire bag of marshmellows, you probably would question my judgement on that matter. This would be further compounded if you knew that in actuality this person who can pick up a bag of marshmellows is unable to pick up a jug of milk. Would you then question my other qualitative judgements about this person, such as my perception of handsome? What about quantitative measurements? What if I stated that the person was 6 feet tall? Would you wonder if this was accurate or possibly an approximation? What if you knew that my "strong" person could bench press twice his weight? Would that support my other statements, since the person is "strong", or would you still question my overall content because I chose to use a bag of marshmellows as my criteria?

Whether net result is correct or not, the supporting facts are not.

And taking your suburban analogy a little further, suppose that I say my urban vehicle uses less gasoline than your urban car. My urban vehicle is a 1973 Impala that gets 7 miles per gallon but you drive a Toyota Tercel. I walk virtually everywhere I go or ride public transportation, while you have to drive to the grocery, drive to the shopping mall, drive to the cinema. As such, my car uses less gasoline. Is my car more fuel efficient? No. Is my O/S more secure? Not by a long shot.

There is one battle I think should have gotten some attention how about the battle between VHS and DVD or the great Cassette to CD battles. These battles were fought for years and to a point are still being fought today for people who still won't let go of their cassette tapes to CD's and their scrambling stores to buy stereo's which still have this "old technology".



I also think one BIG battle that is still being fought is the battle between Microsoft and Open Source, a battle between reliablity and the ol' mighty dollar.

Well, I believe you're right: you're belaboring the semantics for no avail.

See, as one who's done amateur articles before, I sympathize with the author and the need to cut text to fit--even risking clarity-- and deliver on a deadline. I still edit for space and relevance before posting.

We could go on over Windows' own patching, even jeer that earning all that "experience" ain't to be proud of, and yet we still need so much third-party anti-malwares. We could speculate how "Mac-Afee" will tilt the scales. I'd even rant about how these days it's all about newbie-bait interfaces, and my pinning for the simplicity of yore.

And still, what for? I can respect that you obviously care (and how'd you broke the 1000 char limit?); But, next month few will even find this article. That's why I don't take this junk too seriously.

So, friendly advice form a slightly wiser fellow who already got the chip shot off his shoulder: If you want to expand, you need a better medium than this passing space.

internet explorer should be against netscape (those 2 competed more back in the day) when firefox came out, i don't think there was a battle. people just straight up downloaded mozilla and forgot about IE.

So many more you could have added here: emacs vs vi, c vs c , java vs .net, eclipse vs visual studio, I could go on for ages...

emacs vs. vi is not a rivalry. You can't compare an operating system to a text editor, that would be like "Linux vs. Notepad". emacs clearly wins :P

ATI is no longer a company, but, yeah, how could they miss the XP vs Vista debate? Also, how should I have voted on Mac vs PC if I prefer BSD?

Vi for Victory!

blackcross is totally right - macs are just as cheap as windows with similar specs. Go to the dell website and get a 2.66 Ghz intel core2 duo processor and 2GB RAM with a 20in monitor and a cd/dvd drive, a webcam, etc all the stuff that macs come with. it'll cost you over $1000, mine was $2000. and leopard runs on slower machines than vista.....but im on linux so i can watch u guys complain about your OSs and companies while i love my ubuntu