Not entirely true. Windows XP merged the NT branch back with the DOS/Win3.1/Win98 branch. NT was originally an attempt to break compatibility and establish "independence" from the x86 architecture (there was even a PowerPC version), but market forces drove those lines back together. It's only the 64-bit versions that finally broke compatibility with 16-bit applications. And parts of Windows 7 can still trace their roots to Windows 1.0. Check the copyright dates on Windows 7 (they still go all the way back to 1985).
The registry is FAR worse than the Library, plists, etc. on a Mac. Migrating to a new computer is a LOT easier on the Mac because applications are largely self-contained.
That's not true, there's no 16-bit code in Windows XP and there was no merger with DOS/Win95/98/ME. Windows XP ran DOS/Win95 code the same way NT and 2000 did, with a VM and WOW (Windows-on-Windows).
Over the various generations the kernel *has* been rewritten several times and XP was probably the most vigorous rewrite as far as compatibility (although many would argue it would be Vista). The big knock on NT and 2000 was that although they were great they weren't ready for the home as they weren't optimized for slow and low-resource computers, didn't work with enough games, etc. XP is the point where they put attention on finally making the "new" OS tree mainstream and finally doing away with the Windows 95 branch of the family tree for good.
Not only was XP the first version to go 64-bit on x64, it was also the first one to run on IA64 as a separate build (Intel's "Itanium" line of 64-bit processors that predates 64-bit in the Pentium/Core processors). Although by this time DEC Alpha, Mips, PowerPC, and an unreleased SPARC versions had fallen away and only the new Itanium version remained, don't mistake that to assume XP was no longer a multi-platform design.
If there
were a significant competing processor architecture Windows 7 could support it (they still do IA64 builds, FWIW). The irony is that aside from occasional flare-ups from AMD, Intel has dispatched the alternatives and even Apple has gone Intel. Who would have guessed any of that in the early 90s?
What about it isn't modern?? Guess What.. I just copied cut and pasted a file. Sometimes people would do well to check their facts before just saying something.
He probably meant cut and paste, which you can't do for some odd reason.
Also when you try to merge two folders with the same name, it does a replace, which is not what Windows does and very inconvenient.
Unlike the Windows Registry, .plists left behind from deleted apps have zero effect on system performance. They simply take up very little space on a hard drive. The Windows Registry is read every time you boot, and can directly impact system performance, especially when it gets corrupted with left-over entries from removed/reinstalled apps.
None of which are required for a Mac to operate efficiently. Just because 3rd party apps exist doesn't mean they're necessary. They just want to sell software.
Quite true, but none of them impact Mac OS X performance. They only take up space on the hard drive.
Only a handful of trojans, which don't require any antivirus apps to defend against. Zero viruses that run on Mac OS X.
You don't "constantly" repair permissions. That's only required when you have a specific problem with permissions. I've never needed to repair permissions in 3 years on my current MBP.
Again, this is only done when needed to address a specific issue. I've never had a need to do it.
The fact is, there is absolutely no ongoing regular maintenance that is required on the part of the user to keep Mac OS X running efficiently, short of running Software Update, which any OS requires.
And all of that can be said about Windows, too. Everything you just said. The ONLY maintenance I do on the Windows 7 machine sitting next to my Mac Pro is to run chkdsk once or twice a month, and that's out of habit and preventative maintenance than necessity.
You don't "constantly" repair permissions. That's only required when you have a specific problem with permissions. I've never needed to repair permissions in 3 years on my current MBP.
I constantly have to repair permissions on many of my Macs. The fact is after they are running for any significant amount of time permissions go haywire -- apps won't run, folder's can't be deleted, etc. It happens to me all the time. And worse you get stuck with items on the hard disk that can't be repaired, ever.