Currently, I hate the Windows OS, it's gotten worse with each iteration since Windows 7, it might be OK on a tablet but I don't use a tablet. PC hardware, on the other hand is great, I'm still running a SCSI scanner on my Win7x64 machine. And if you want a sexy, super sleek laptop to go with your desktop machine, look to the Spectre (not sure I can run it back to Win7 so that might be a deal breaker). I never did get my wireless Canon all-in-one running on Windows but it set up in just seconds using my school furnished Mac. Apple, on the other hand, holds you hostage, once you take the red pill you're screwed. The OS is very nice but requires constant upgrades, one per year, and every time you upgrade there will be a cycle of broken applications, nothing critical (HAH!) just anything by Adobe or Microsoft and after three of four fixes it may start working again, and then every few cycles, Apple will introduce an OS that won't run on the machine you just got tweaked to where you like it. And other than Adobe, all Mac software lags by at least a generation on the Mac, we also use a network printer driver at school and the Mac driver is primitive and sports very few features, the Windows driver is superb and supports all the printer features (and the printer I use supports duplex printing, color, collation, and includes a stapler but only on the Windows side, on the Mac side the same printer could just as well be a Laserjet c. 1995. To get the printer features I needed, I requested Parallels+Windows 7, I was offered an upgrade to Windows 8.1 and forcefully declined the "upgrade". I have a school issued MacBook Pro, nice machine; the next generation, just announced sound terrible, especially USB-C, and I'm still scratching my head regarding that LCD strip above the keyboard. Change, just for the sake of change, is never good. It seems to me that both Microsoft and Apple have no idea what their customers really need so a huge "take it or leave it" attitude has evolved in both cults.

I leave a universal plate in each of my quick release clamps, adapted my Manfrotto Hex clamp to use a Generic A-S clamp (hex plate with gibb screw to a generic A-S clamp which has a permanent home on my 3-way head) and am slowly transitioning all my cameras to A-S plates and L-brackets, and will eventually leave a plate or L-plate on all my cameras. The A-S system just works better. My preference is for the slower but much more secure knob-thingie clamps and not the Q-R snap clamps. I didn't trust the Manfrotto ones and sure as heck don't trust the A-S stlye since I own a hodge-podge of clamps and plates from a plethora of makers all with their own take on the standard.