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The Ultimate MacDate
Hack Jandy writes "Anandtech - the PC hardware site - took the Apple challenge and tried a Mac out for a month. The result was the most indepth Macdate I have even seen. As quoted by Anand, 'In the end, Apple has developed a very strong platform.'"
From the article:
...
When writing an article (especially big NDA launches), I'd have around 20 IE windows open, Outlook with another 5 - 15 emails, Power Point with NDA presentations,
20 IE Windows??? Man, this guy has got to get a copy of Firefox and learn the joy of tabbed browsing.
Who said Freedom was Fair?
Well, to install an application, you simply drag the application's installer to any folder on your hard drive and it's "installed". Doing so actually triggers a number of files to be copied to various places on your drive, but the fact that you are separated from that process, it really made me feel like I wasn't in control of my system. On the flip side, installing and uninstalling applications couldn't be easier. There are no full screen installers to deal with; just drag and drop, and get back to work while the application installs. The fact that I don't know where everything is being copied contributes to my feelings of file system disconnect. Then again, maybe I'm being a bit too philosophical about my OSes.
:-)
He doesn't need to feel so disconnected. All the files are exactly where he put them, nowhere else. Mac applications are actually directories packaged up to look like individual files. All the files he saw copying were just part of the application directory. Nothing to worry about.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
And a comparably equipped Dell will run you about $1000 more. Spec out a PC that has all the features of the G5 and you'll see that the PowerMac is very reasonably priced. When comparing it to the crap Dell and Gateway advertise, yeah it sounds expensive. But those machines are crap.
For those Mac OS X people with Linux envy, there is a lot of open source programs available on http://fink.sourceforge.net/.
To install fink, you need to give a root account on Mac OS X even though there is an administrator account. Mac OS X does not have a root account as default for security.
The Mac versions of Office always have the "year" label 1 year higher than the current Windows version. Office 97 (Windows) = Office 98 (Mac). Same for Office 2000/2001 and Office 2003/2004. Oh...and Office XP/v.X.
Bill Clinton: Pimp we can believe in. - The Shirt!!!
You mean for Macs, right?
Cause I"m sitting here on a AMD 2500+ Barton with 1 gig of RAM, 120 Gig HD, Geforce Video, DVD/CDROM burner all for around $600.
Built it myself. Sure, it's not a dual processor with DVD burner...but it's fast and stable.
But I will say that Apple has been consistant with their prices...their top of the line machines have always been around the 3000 mark. But at the moment they only have one machine that's below 1000, and that's with very little RAM.
Do NOT get me wrong, I LOVE Macs...but you do have to pay a premium to use them and yeah, I think it's worth it. I just can't afford it...yes, I'm poor.
"Leo Fender was in a 'state of grace' when he designed the Stratocaster." -- Paul Reed Smith
Even though it's not built in, you can add virtual desktops to Windows XP. You can download the add-on here
Office 2004 is the Applized version of Office XP. More info here. Outlook is renamed Entourage btw...
And... it's probably more correct to say that Office XP is a Windowized version of Office 2004, since much development/innovation at Microsoft is implemented first at their Apple department in California (not in Redmomd like the rest of the stuff). As an example, they tried out a sidebar in IE for Mac. Dont think it ever made it to Windows...
I wouldnt say you are insane, just that you misread the PC/Mac stuff. Some apple software ends up on win32 though, like iTunes.
Probable impossibilities are to be preferred to improbable possibilities.
Aristotele
If there is one in your area, go to an Apple Store and lay your hands on one. They're really good about letting you try it out there. You can play with it enough to get a feel for whether or not it meets your speed needs. Take a CD with some big docs on them and open them up. Do a little surfing. Check your email. Play with iPhoto and iTunes.
I have a two year old PowerBook. It's beginning to feel a little sluggish to me here and there. Apps take a couple more seconds to open than I like, but I'm spoiled by having a dual 2Ghz G5 at work. EVERYTHING feels slow by comparison.
That said, the feature mix on my PowerBook is awesome in a very portable package. A few years ago I bought a dining room table for my computer at the time (a Wintel box) and it's peripherals. Now we have the PowerBook in "office nook" in the kitchen. The size and portability are huge plusses to me.
Now, if you really need a little more power, consider one of the new G5 iMacs. The housing is VESA-compliant, so you can wallmount it. Add an Airport card, wireless keyboard, and a wireless mouse if you want nothing but a power cord.
Given the trade-offs, I'd definitely make the same decision to purchase a PowerBook.
Now, as for comparing Wintel laptops to Powerbooks. I find that much of what makes a computer seem fast or slow is the smoothness with which the OS runs. The G4 chip is not going to perform as well as the newer P4 laptops. However, the OS runs VERY smoothly, so it FEELS more powerful than many Wintel laptops. Animations are silky. Expose provides incredibly slick window management when you have 20 things open in 12 different windows. Multimedia is smooth even when you are busy doing other things.
Like I said -- go try it! The Apple web site will point you to the store nearest you.
Life is short: void the warranty.
I'm typing this on a 1.33 GHz 12" PowerBook ($1599 retail, I got it for $1399 on a student discount).
This Powerbook flies. The 1.33 GHz G4 is damn fast for a mobile chip, i.e. something that won't suck down batteries like an Irishman sucking down Guinness. Maybe more importantly, the FX Go5200 in here allows OS X to take advantage of Quartz Extreme. Let's face it, with a laptop people are generally going to be more concerned with responsiveness than absolute number crunching power. By offloading system graphics to the GPU via Quartz Extreme, OS X is incredibly responsive.
Through work, I've used some nice (for Dell at least) mid-range laptops. My Mac feels faster in comparison. although I've been a Mac user my whole life so part of it may just be that I'm more comfortable with the system. Either way, I could say for sure that the Mac will not be noticeably slower.
Also, speed aside, you would be hard pressed to find a Windows laptop that will compare with a Mac on the features to price ratio. I've yet to see a $1600 Windows laptop that comes with a comparable CPU, comparable battery life, dedicated GPU, built-in 802.11g, and built-in Bluetooth while still weighing in at 5 lbs.
As for linux envy... OS X is a BSD derivative! http://darwinports.opendarwin.org/ and http://gentoo-wiki.com/Gentoo_MacOS are some more ports friendly systems, as opposed to Fink's apt-style system. Maybe "Linux curious" would be a better term ;)
More significantly, that AMD box (albeit lacking in details) seems to have specs roughly equivalent to a G5 iMac, maybe a little faster, but not much. Add a name-brand 17" DVI flat panel to it (you don't mention a monitor for that price), and you're awfully close to the price of the new iMac, without the sleek design, the small form factor, the hardware qualification, or the pre-installed OS. So much for your big savings.
Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.
The article actually brings something up that I have always noticed on a Mac (os 9 & X), surfing the web is painfully slow compared to a windows box. I've used IE, Netscape, Opera, everything I could get my hands on, but it is still slower than on a pc. Is this a rendering thing, but it happens in os 9 even more than X? Just curious if anyone out there knows why this is.
Im.
ICalendar is a standard that is cross platform. A whole buncha programs (including Mozilla Calendar/Sunbird) for linux/winders support it.
"Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." - A.B.
Re: "In order to launch the file or open the folder via keyboard, you have to hit Command-Down Arrow (Command-Up Arrow will traverse up a folder tree). This takes a bit of getting used to and if approached with an open mind, you can get used to it in a couple of days, but it can be frustrating at first - especially if you are a keyboard addict used to Windows."
Very frustrating. Until you figure out how to use Cmd-O.
Well, I really did just switch. And I really did disclose that I work for Apple. What's the problem? When a big interview with Miguel goes about about what Novell is doing, do you immediately ignore the article because of the inherent bias? "OMG Miguel WORKS for Novell!"
- "When you want something with all your heart, the entire universe conspires to give it to you" -Paulo Coelho
You're right on this point. However most people could give a damn about flexibility. They want a machine that isn't going to get eaten alive by viruses every other week. Windows does not provide this. Period.
As for the other points you raise, aside from gaming I have never had a problem finding either hardware or software for my Mac.
I am also not a Mac zealot, as I use Linux, Windows, and OS X on a regular basis. I have to say for servers Linux wins every time. For games Windows wins every time. For actually getting work done, OS X wins hands down every time.
.technomancer
And want the link opened in the current window instead, do the following:
In the url bar enter without quote marks "about:config" and hit enter.
In the filter bar enter without quote marks "new".
Then double click browser.block.target_new_window so that it is set to "true".
I got it to experiment with putting Gentoo Linux on it...heard good things. I decided to dual boot it. I've been using OSX a lot at the beginning...while I was installing and figuring out how to get Linux on it. More and more...I find I really like a lot about the OSX side. Its really a learning experience...I think I'll be even more comfortable once I get a replacement mouse that had 2 buttons and a clickable wheel....I really miss the Linux/Unix way of clicking with left button to drag to highlight...and just click middle button (wheel) to paste. I understand with will work on OSX too with a new mouse.
Overall..I do like it. I think I'll really like it more when I can figure how to get the Gentoo for OSX portage kit put on...and start to run more native X applications on it.
I'm still having to finish the Linux install...got to troubleshoot some problems with it not waking up from sleep...and occasionally locking up hard for no reason on the Linux side...so, till I get that rectified...I'll keep using OSX more. The more I use it, the more I like it. Even when the Linux side gets fully functional...I'll still jump back and forth. And I'm looking forward to trying to run MOL (Mac on Linux) while in the Linux partition...and have the best of both worlds.
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
Microsoft doesn't develop a full Exchange client for the Mac, and it's very unlikely that they ever will.
Yeah... except for Outlook. Sure, it's the OS9 Office 2001 version, but you didn't specify MacOS X. And you can run it in Classic.
It is actually quite simple to find hardware Macs -
http://guide.apple.com/
Slightly off topic, but I feel compelled to urge Anand on this point.
I've been using a 12" PowerBook and it's the finest piece of hardware I've ever used. Obviously I haven't tried everything, but between many desktops and laptops, this is the easiest, most usable machine for light-to-medium office work and database development.
Portable, snappy, painless wireless and bluetooth (out-of-the-box), and OSX. It's just beautiful.
Everything always looks and acts the same, unless it's a ported OSS app. You have no idea how nice this is, until you've tried it for a month or two.
It doesn't use X11, so you actually get a consistent, clean UI that actually works.
Photoshop. No, the GIMP is just a toy, no matter what you think.
Driver support! They don't offer much, but what they do, works flawlessly. Contrast with spending a week trying to get a Wacom tablet to both a) insert the module correctly into the kernel, and b) get Xf86 to acknowledge it correctly.
AppleScript does have a comparison from the UNIX world - shell scripting. AppleScript is the natural extension of shell scripting into a GUI environment.
Yes, the language itself is a travesty, but thena gain, so is bash. And just like with shell scripting, there are all sorts of convenient replacements, like the AppleScript-JavaScript bridge.
w00t.
As a Mac user (desktop and laptop), I can tell you that the most important thing you can do is buy ram. You will be surprised at how much faster that 800MHz G3 feels after you put more ram in it. This is especially true if you use Office or Flash (or just like keeping a lot of apps running at once).
Powerbooks can stretch the desktop over an external monitor; iBooks can only mirror.
:-)
Actually, iBooks can do dual-head too...
The rest of the Powerbook extras do sound as if they'd be potentially very useful for many people, but (apart from the faster processor) I think I'll stick with what I've got. It makes my iBook seem like even better value, but if anyone wants to give me a Powerbook, it'd be more than welcome!
Tedious Bloggy Stuff - hooray?
Unfortunately it's not too stable...
Even mail.app supports public folders as well
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/products/entourage20
Then you need to find a different job. I have 2 Powerbooks and an iMac running OSX.3, and I am responsible for several more. They all work, and I have seen 2 kernal panics and only a few application crashes--most of which have been MS Office. If you're system is constantly crashing, you've busted something. As for the trashcan, WTF cares? My machines are extremely stable, fast and allow me and the people around me to get their work done. The iLife suite is unbeatable and the Pro Apps are incredibly easy to use. So, no marketing BS, I like my machines. BTW, how do you train software?
Anyone who whines about being modded down should be.
You can print to PDF from ANY application in OS X. No need to "convert" or use a specific program.
Not since Marie-Antoinette played milkmaid has looking simple and honest been so fake and complicated.
setting a KVM
... is not useful for storing a digital photo album
The lack of legacy PS/2 ports on the Mac would pose a problem, but KVM/IP or KVM/USB work fine.
iPhoto
Indeed. Real photographers use a 3rd party CMS/workflow solution anyway, while there are cuter solutions from Adobe and anyone else for consumers.
still picture capture
Built in to the operating system...
printing to a networked printer
Autometic network printer discovery makes things easy. It begs you do do it the first time you print.
As far as the hardware itself, as I said it looks nice, but it's cheaply made
They come off the same production lines as many commodity PC laptops, so yes, they are cheaply made. But, unless you are using a PowerBook where you should be using a hardened unit, this isn't normally a problem for end users.
you have to snap off 4 of the function keys to get at screws just to start
The keyboard peels back as a unit by pressing two tabs. The structural screws are under the detachable keyboard itself, and on the lower chasis (you would know this if you're as good at servicing things as you later claim).
or $30 each if you try on your own
Not a user-servicable part unless you want to void warranty. Not a part that needs servicing unless you are attempting repairs in the field that should be done at the factory.
except for 2 design flaws
Please, fail to elaborate on this point when you criticise everything else in such detail...
There are 1.1... kinds of people.
You can do that in OS X by right-clicking on a file, choosing Get Info (selecting and hitting command-I also works), going to the 'Open with' section, setting an application for it, and if you want it to be a default for that filename extension, hit the 'Change All' button.
"I like systems, their application excepted", George Sand (French)
I switched, and I have to say that the one Mac I own has been the best computer investment I've made in a computer for years. I've gotten so much work done with this aging tiBook, it just keeps on ticking, and it always works.
Sure, I'm mostly a Unix hacker anyway, so I'm not a typical 'gotta have all the software written for me' kind of computer user, and I don't play video games, or have any 'office' needs which can't be met with vi.. so OSX is really mostly icing in the already well-made cake.
Still, I have to admit, I am sorta surprised that its 2004 now, and the #1 vendor of Unix is Apple. I don't know why its a surprise, but its a surprise.
I'd had a lot of hope for SGI, back in the day.. if only they'd made it, and done a laptop worthy of the SGI legend! I wish someone would get into the 'making a better laptop Unix than Apple' competition now, anyway..
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
"I think I'll be even more comfortable once I get a replacement mouse that had 2 buttons and a clickable wheel..."
You will be more comfortable, although the machines don't ship with two button mice, the OS supports them seamlessly.
In the meantime, you can turn your trackpad into a 3 button trackpad with a scrollwheel by getting sidetrack here.
"I really miss the Linux/Unix way of clicking with left button to drag to highlight...and just click middle button (wheel) to paste. I understand with will work on OSX too with a new mouse."
Sadly no, the Linux method of copy/paste won't work except in X11 applications, but OS X supports text drag and drop which can still be done entirely without moving your hand from the mouse, and is independant of the clipboard.
"Overall..I do like it. I think I'll really like it more when I can figure how to get the Gentoo for OSX portage kit put on...and start to run more native X applications on it."
It wasn't until I started using OS X as just another Unix with a fancy GUI that I really started to feel comfortable.
As a person coming from the linux world, you might want to install the GNU fileutils, which is the same ls/rm/mv/cp/ln/chmod/chown etc that Linux uses, then just alias to the GNU versions instead of the FreeBSD tools it comes with.
I have a setup where I let people stream and browse (not download) my iTunes library via Apache and PHP, upload their own music via a CGI script, which places the file in a folder watched by Applescript, which then passes the song off to iTunes, which adds it to my library and sorts it. Then the original in the folder is deleted.
I should probably release my system but it's so hard to set up that very few people would use it. I was writing an installer a while back but stopped due to a lack of time.