| The reason Macs are considered more stable is that they are a closed ecosystem. There are only 4-5 hardware configurations available at any time, all chosen by Apple, hence drivers are well written, tested, and play together nicely.
Apple has also been known to drop support for technologies it considers 'outdated.' PCI architecture is a great example that screwed Digi and a lot of audio folks. I get the feeling they're looking to do the same thing with Firewire.
Windows has the (advantage/disadvantage) of having a plethora of hardware choices. With it you have the potential for hardware/software/driver conflicts.
If you know what you're doing and you follow instructions you can build a perfectly viable ProTools system on Windows. Just be sure to check Digi's compatibility guide for recommended (tested) hardware and stick to it.
-Dave |