My PDA has a phone in it. The interface is clean, simple and familiar. It does everything the Iphone does, and a HUGE list of things the iphone will NEVER be able to do.
A HUGE list of things the iPhone will NEVER do? Careful there. Many people have had to eat crow after using the "never" word. With iPhone's extensibility via 3rd party applications, it's truly hard to define the boundaries of the iPhone. Sure, for the time being, Apple has locked out certain features from 3rd party developers, but remember, in the beginning, the only way to get 3rd party apps on the iPhone was to jailbreak it. What happened? Apple opened the doors to developers. Jailbreaking still happens, but in all honestly, I hear less talk about jailbreaking from colleagues now than I did before Apple allowed 3rd parties to play in Apple's sandbox. I'm sure as time pushes on, we'll see the iPhone grow and mature in ways many people NEVER thought possible.
It's cute, but it's a really long way away from being a smart phone. There is no office software, there is no remote desktop, there is a pretty interface though. That is nice, but it's a very long way away from matching the feature set of my 6 year old phone.
As one other poster mentioned, office software on a PDA is fairly limiting. The iPhone will let you view Word, Excel and PDF documents. That's typically enough for most users - the ability to view. So you can't make a direct change - big whoop. Besides, who wants to work an excel spreadsheet on a 3" screen anyway? Albeit, with the iPhone's zoom ability, it can be done, but I don't know that I'd ever go there myself.
As for Remote Desktop - You are DEAD WRONG. I've been using RDP on the iPhone for months now. I connect to my corporate servers through VPN and I can establish an RDC connection to any (Windows) server/desktop I have access to. I also have SSH/Telnet abilities for accessing my Linux/UNIX servers too. And of course, there's also a VNC client for accessing anything else (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.). I even have a green-screen terminal app for accessing IBM AS/400's (just in case). No my friend - you are sorely mistaken - the iPhone has many methods for remote connectivity support.
So what makes the Iphone so awesome? Nothing. What makes it popular is the apple mystic and excellent marketing, but there is a reason serious business users shy away from it.
Maybe to some extent this is true. But I don't believe that it's the final answer. I am not an Apple fanboy myself - well, maybe a little. Honestly though - prior to OS X, you couldn't pay me to use a Mac - I HATED Macs with a passion. I thought the interface was butt ugly to look at, the OS felt really chaotic, un-structured and clumsy to me and I felt encumbered by it. I was also a DOS/Windows junkie until OS X hit the scene with a touch of UNIX/Linux for flavor. Nowadays, my home-office has Windows to my left, OS X in the center and Linux to my right. My Mac is my primary machine of choice - it's best of both worlds. My Windows box is there for "compatibility" purposes only. The Linux box is there for me to do whatever with. So far, none of this has anything to do with Apple's mystique or marketing. It has to do with the fact that I like products that work well and get the job done while accommodating my personal style.
You are right however, business user's have not truly embraced the iPhone -- yet. The Blackberry has the dominant footprint - with it's backend server technology, integration into the corporate world, etc. The iPhone was a late adopter of MS Exchange integration. And for all the "effort" Apple has put into the iPhone's "speakerphone" abilities, the iPhone still sucks as a speakerphone. The other caveat is the ability to manage several blackberries (access, right's management, etc.) through the blackberry server. At this point in time, the iPhone has no such capabilities (that I am aware of). Technically, if you wanted to do something similar, you would have to
I really have to agree with this. I was previously using a Motorola V551 prior to the purchase of the iPhone. I was fairly comfortable with the interface, albeit, the only thing I truly ever did with the phone was send/receive calls and text messages and on rare occasion, I used the limited calculator when grocery shopping.
Once I purchased my iPhone, I began realizing that I hadn't purchased a phone so much as I had purchased a 3" palm-sized computing platform. To this day, the iPhone is my personal organizer through the use of the calendar app. I've replaced the default calculator with a snazzy programmer's calculator. Since I'm a the non-3G iPhone, GPS means nothing to me at this time, but the map app and it's locate me function have served me well. After adding BeeJive, I now have the full range of IM tools I need. Having Webster's Dictionary and American Heritage dictionary onboard rim my web use way day - but wait - I do use the onboard Safari web browser extensively. The camera, which everyone complains about - well, it is what it is and it works fine for my needs. And of course, the contacts/address book is a gem in itself.
On a more technical side, with the various email connectivity methods, VPN, and 3rd party apps that allow me to SSH/Telnet, RDP, BNC, and ping, I have some decent support tools in the palm of my hand no matter where I may be geographically located.
Of course, the iPod functionality is a nice thing too. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention - it's a phone too.
However, the best feature (for me) has been the interface. The moment I first laid my hands on it, I found it extremely intuitive. So much in fact, that when I recently tried to assist my wife with her Nokia and I felt like pulling my hair out after about 2 minutes of trying to navigate through menu after menu via a smaller-than-a-chicklet sized keypad. After using an iPhone, I'm not sure I could ever (comfortably) go back to a regular cell phone.
Webinar is the conjugation of two words... "Web" and "Seminar", ergo the end result: "Webinar."
Essentially, a web-based seminar. I have been affiliated with a couple of companies who use this term frequently. It is typically a part of the vocabulary of sales and marketing types.
Typically, our sales and professional servicesengineers (within the company I work for) use webinars (typically via WebEx) to demo our company product as well as provide end-user training for said product.
This allows our prospects and current client pool to sit at their respective home in their skivvies by the pool and learn about the latest wiz-bang feature while listening to some sales guy rattle of facts and figures while the proserv guy spouts off technical mumbo jumbo.
I admit, it is a great way to handle affairs AFTER the initial face-time with the client.
However, I do agree, webinar is more of a buzz word - but it looks like it's here to stay.
BEGIN QUOTE That's ridiculous. You are talking about a rhetorical point in Psalms that has absolutely nothing to do with setting up a scale of time in Genesis. END QUOTE
Actually, there is some merit to this viewpoint. Please keep in mind, the majority of theologians and religious scholars believe that the Bible is inerrant, inspired Word of God. Therefore, giving benefit of the doubt here, this would mean that those words in the book of Psalms, spoken/wrote by Daniel, were indeed inspired by God himself and therefore, serve a purpose to the reader other than some form of poetry and song.
BEGIN QUOTE Do you really think God would go to someone who barely had invented fire, and try and explain the ins and outs of big bang theory? I mean, what would be the point of the human experience if we couldn't discover it for ourselves, and learn for ourselves? END QUOTE
BEGIN QUOTE So God -lied-. Get over it. He is God and he can do what He wants. END QUOTE
Oh no - we can't have that. You see, if God lied, then the entire story of the Bible crumbles. You see, it goes back to the fact that the Bible, like any piece of literature deserves the benefit of the doubt to be given to the author - in this case, God, which the Bible itself claims is the author - self-signing of sorts. Secondly, we must also adhere to the general rules of literature that states if an entire statement is true, it is true. If an entire statement is false, it is false. If an entire statement is part true and part false, it is false. We must also adhere to the laws of non-contradiction as well - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_noncontradiction .
Keeping this in mind, if God abhors sin, and lying is a sin (thou shalt not bear false witness) then God has contradicted himself. Therefore, God cannot lie - assuming we give benefit of the doubt to the credibility of the Bible and it's author (God Himself). However, if we can prove any fallacy within the scriptures, then and only then can we say that the Bible lacks integrity. However, keep in mind, many people better than we have tried to discredit the Bible - it's been a battle since it has been written. No one yet has been able to definitively prove any part of the Bible false. However, many can claim they simple do not have enough evidence to argue one way or another at this time. In other words, the jury is still out.
BEGIN QUOTE It does not specify the date, but it does establish a time interval (6 days = 144 hours). Unless God-days are different from our days. END QUOTE
The Christian Bible actually does expand upon this a bit... Although, you might say it is also open to interpretation...
"For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past..." - Psalms 90:4
In other words, according to the Bible, 1000 Human Years is equal to 1 God Days. Therefore, using this assumption and rounding the numbers up a little for the sake of convenience, Jesus Christ (who is said to be "The Son of God") has only been gone for approximately 2 God Days (2000 Human Years).
With regards to Genesis and the account of creation... When the Bible says it took God six days to build and construct Earth, the Bible doesn't state which unit of measure we're using here. Are we talking 6 God Days (6000 Human Years) or are we actually talking 6 Human Days?
It's worth its weight in gold. I am not one to generally purchase extended warranty plans, etc. However, when I purchased my first laptop (an Apple 17" PowerBook G4), I thought it best to by the Apple Care for that "What If" scenario.
I am glad I did... About 6 months after the normal warranty would have expired, I left my laptop sleeping peacefully on my desk for the night to come in to my home office the next morning to have find my cat preening herself atop the keyboard - keys splayed all over the desk and the floor.
No worries - I popped all the keys back into place when I realize... my bloomin' cat actually broke the 'W' key.
I called Apple Care up using their 1-800 # (screw the Genius Bar - you'd have better luck waiting for the next ice age than standing in line at an Apple Store) and next day, I had a standard laptop shipping container (same style used by Dell, Lenovo, Sony, etc.). I shipped it off via Duey, Huey, and Luey (DHL) and within 3 days time, I had my laptop back in house. Not only did Apple Care replace the W key, they also replaced my entire palm rest as the aluminum had bowed in a bit over the course of time.
Apple Care was on par with the service I have come to know and love with Dell, Lenovo, Sony, and just about any other major laptop vendor.
One thing I was miffed at however was - why didn't Apple just send me a friggin' "W" key? IBM/Lenovo would have sent me a new one and had me ship back the broken one all at no expense. Go figure.
But I digress - the service was phenomenal and expedient with regards to (what seems like) the industry standard "3-Day Turn Around" policy for laptop repairs.
I have heard other such tales of Apple Care's excellent work. Avoid the Genius Bar, call Apple Care direct.
In the company I work for, it's upper management that buy the Macs - not for OS X but for the silky, sexy hardware. And what would they have me do? Blow away OS X entirely (that's right - not even an option to boot into OS X) and install XP only. For these gentleman, it's all about aesthetics, no matter the cost.
As for myself, I run a 17" PowerBook G4 with native OS X in our Wintel environment. That's right, no Virtual PC, no BootCamp, no Parallels. Just pure, un-adulterated OS X.
I connect to Exchange, I work on SharePoint (sans SharePoint Deisgner), I create network diagrams in OmniGraffle and export to XML or PDF, I run PhotoShop, I connect to WebEx seminars, I use MS Office (sorry you OSS guys - OpenOffice just can't compete with MS Office - not yet anyway - I need to get serious work done and interact with my coworkers and clients and OO leaves me hanging with it cludgy, buggy interface and tool set that never seems to get the layout consistent (I spend more time debugging bullet point inconsitencies in OO than I do typing up my TPS reports).
Eveything my Windows counterparts do (with exception to but a few miniscule tasks), I can do. I have one added bonus, I have UNIX as my underbelly... need to run a quick scan, I run nmap. Need to scan network traffic, I run Wireshark, need to work on some SMB stuff, there ya go. Need a way to quickly test sh scripts for our small batch of Linux boxes... You get the idea.
Sure, there are a few things I truly can't do... Such as run/debug WMI scripts locally or run SharePoint designer for the more mundane tasks of SharePoint administration/design. But those are the least of my worries. That's when I dust off, cross my fingers and fire up my company-issued ThinkPad T43.
I don't think that's the point. I think even v1.0 products should at least set a core level of competency. If the world uses X features on just about every product, why limit or omit feature X?
Take hands-free dialing for example. The State of California issued several press releases about the impending law stating that cell phone use while driving would require hands free, yet, within less than a year of said law taking effect, the iPhone was released without the ability to voice dial, ergo, not being truly hands-free. You think Apple would be up to the task of do-diligence by making sure their user base is able to adhere to local and state legislation. There are alternatives... don't use your phone while driving or only answer calls using a headset. Alternatively, Motorola offers (for about $200) a device that connects to the iPhone and facilitates hands-free voice dialing. The problem is, it's an expensive add-on that should never have been needed in the first place.
Instead of focusing on stock tickers (can be had through the web browser), weather information (can be had through the web browser), and YouTube services (can be had through the web browser), I think the Apple dev team would have spent their time more wisely by addressing real-world issues such as tethering the phone to a BlueTooth laptop for use as a modem, fine tuning the email app so it's not so cludgy (have you ever tried deleted more than 20 emails in a sitting) - I think I have carpal tunnel in my tapping finger... but I digress...
Yes, I understand there will be plenty of items left on a to-do list at the end of a 1.0 release cycle. Many things end up on the cutting room floor. But why cut out common, everyday, key features that just about every modern (cell) phone already supports and leave your customer (and potential fanboy base) high and dry with the "So Sorry" schpeal?
And before you say, "Well, you bought into it anyway" - Yes I did. I know I did. I don't regret that I did. But now that I am here, I am noticing things that could have been done better - just like everyone else who owns an iPhone.
However, I must give Apple props - on a whole, out of the gate, they did quite well. I think Apple was wide to eliminate the 4GB model as well as cut the price of the 8GB model. And the end user experience has been beyond anything I ever found with any other phone...
I'm not sorry I purchased the iPhone. I really do LOVE the phone. It's the most intuitive, user-friendly (cell) phone I have ever used.
IMHO, Despite the iPhone's initial shortcomings, Apple got several things right out the gate - Google Maps has proved invaluable to me many a time, even more so with the Locate Me feature that's been recently added -- it's a poor man's GPS of sorts. The Address Book is by far the best I've seen on any phone (compared to Treo, Blackberry, etc.) especially with its tie-ins to the camera/photo library. The iPod ain't shabby either, albeit, 8 GB is a bit slim for my audiophile tastes - so I keep my regular 60 GB iPod handy. The SMS client, while lacking in the MMS dept. is much easier to navigate overall. And since I don't use SMS for MMS purposes, it's no bother to me. But I can see how a person could be bothered by it - especially when receiving MMS on the iPhone - that's no trite task, especially with the lack of copy/paste. The calendar is a God-send, especially with the ability to set multiple alarm structures for a single event and tie in to the telephone features. And the phone itself couldn't be more intuitive when merging/dropping calls, etc. Only thing that does bug me is the inability to poke around in the address book while on a call. Jailbreaking solves this problem, however, not everyone jailbreaks.
Overall, the iPhone is rock solid. However, as a competitor in the corporate arena, the iPhone still has some growing up to do. Blackberry and MS Phones have the edge there. Time will only tell as Apple has recently licensed ActiveSync for Exchange and who knows what else will come to fruition. I for one look forward to the iPhone future, especially since I have a vested interested; being an iPhone owner and all.
That's what sold me (initially). I have to admit, I was a first adopter based on the WOW factor.
My old Motorolla V551 took a hard hit and was knocked out cold. I needed a phone - fast... I walked into the Cingular/AT&T store, asked to see a phone that would do more than just be a phone... So I looked at Palm... Been there, done that, have the t-shirt from Handspring... *yawn* --- I looked at Blackberry... too fruity for me... --- I then took a serious look at the (then) top of the line Windows Mobile device... sleek, sexy styling with turbo handling, all the business needs rolled into a nice, convenient package, NATIVE support for Exchange, Word, Excel, full apps, not just viewers, the quintessential Solitaire and more... and then... the price tag... $500 --- I told the sales punk, "I might as well buy an iPhone." So he showed me the iPhone. He turned it on... Ooooh! Aaaah! Here's my credit card. Wrap it up nice and pretty for me, OK?
Several months later, here I am... frigging iPhone doesn't sport ActiveSync, email is a throw back to the dark ages (I think Pine had more features), friggen OS X without copy/cut/paste - WTF?!?! Edge Wireless? That's all? You're kidding right? No voice dialing? No Bluetooth tethering? The list of gripes goes on... But Oooh... it's so pretty...
I love my iPhone - (under my breath: frigging under-developed piece of...)
PParent hides gun in the house and tells 6 year old child nothing about it. 6 year old shoots somebody. Parent is not charged.
Not sure which state you reside in, but here in California, "hiding" the weapon doesn't win you any brownie points. I have a feeling other states have similar laws regarding firearms and minors.
In California, you need to take preventative measures by keeping the weapon(s) and ammunition unloaded, locked, and stored out of reach of minors, at all times.
If a minor harms/kills someone with use of an improperly stored firearm, in most cases it is the responsibility of the firearm owner to be held accountable.
Under the Children's Firearm Accident Prevention Act of 1991, any person who keeps a loaded firearm where a child obtains and improperly uses it, may be fined or sent to prison. (Penal Code 12035, 12036, 12071.) - California Firearms Laws 2007 - http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/forms/pdf/Cfl2007.pdf
For California residents, you can find additional information in the book entitled, "How to Own a Gun & Stay Out of Jail: What You Need to Know About the Law If You Own a Gun or Are Thinking of Buying One : California Edition 2007 (Paperback), Publisher: Gun Law Pr; Revised edition (November 15, 2006), ISBN-10: 0964286440, ISBN-13: 978-0964286443", or by contacting your local/state authorities, or reference http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/ for further laws governing the legal/illegal use of firearms in the state of California.
If you are outside of California, please consult both your State and Local authorities (yes, Local and State can differ just as State and Federal can differ, just look at the case of San Francisco vs State of California from a few years back regarding hand gun ownership) for the definitive legal terms regarding firearm ownership in the state for which you reside.
Also note: In most states, "Case Law" supersedes pre-existing laws. It is YOUR responsibility as a firearms owner to investigate such laws as the state does not send out memos to inform you of recent changes to firearm laws.
While I admire you're attempt to rationalize your position based on the structure of a backstory, I believe you have missed some key points in your doctrinal viewpoint.
You were close to hitting the target when you suggested the potential theme of infidelity. But the story goes deeper than that. First and foremost, Joseph was not yet married to Mary when she was with child. They were only betrothed (engaged/arranged to be married) at the time, and under Jewish law, this was as good as being married, sans the nuptials and the writ of marriage. Since a child out of wedlock would have been seen as a disgrace (especially to Joseph), under Jewish law, Joseph had every right to have Mary exposed for infidelity (obviously since Joseph was not the child's father). However, Joseph, being the Godly man that he was had actually planned on giving Mary a writ of divorce (Joseph's other alternative under Jewish law) and to quietly let her drift off into anonymity with her bastard child. Fortunately, Joseph had a visit from an angel of God in a dream and therefore Joseph had a change of heart.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.. - Matthew 1:18-25, ESV
Now, onto your cross-comparison of the virgin birth in comparison to other religions, such as Greek mythology, etc. First, let's examine what the Bible claims has happened.
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. - Luke 1:26-38, ESV
You are correct in noticing that it's an ancient "theme", but the Christian theme has a slight twist that no other religion (that I am aware of) describes. As we can see from the scriptural reference, the method for the conception of Christ is completely different than other religions/mythology. Other religions/mythology state that some god-like being (i.e. Zeus, father of Hercul
I rather agree with reidconti (219106). I could care less about modding my computer for the sole purpose of games. It's tweaked enough for business purposes such as network administration, programming, and viewing/.
The last thing I need is a bunch of other "junk" (ie special device drivers, A/V settings, etc.) getting in the way because a game needs something "special." And I don't care to throw out the bones to build the über gaming box when I can just fire up the good ole console, mindlessly mash some buttons for a few hours, then move onto something else, like combing through endless currents of Windows Server log files for bottlenecks.
Sure, Console games are no match for PC games in terms of complexity. And I believe that's why consoles work - their not complex. Take MechAssault on XBOX for example vs MechWarrior 3 on PC. MechWarrior 3 on PC was a blast to play, but you had to keep the cheat-sheet keyboard mapping card next to your monitor at all times just to recall those not-so-common key strokes. MechAssault on XBOX, while "dumbed down", was just plain fun to play. Sure - you couldn't do some of the cool things as in the PC version, but if you wanted a quick skirmish without the fuss, the console was (as still is) the way to go IMHO.
AHHHH! Another Prozac morning! (queue in Disney-esque theme music)...
Let's go to/. today...
What's this? My meds don't actually work? WTF! This is such a buzz-kill (queue in theme from Beethoven's 5th)...
I for one could care less which word processor I use - so long as it gets the job done. Of course, I prefer FREE, such as OpenOffice, but then again, I'm easy going with such things.
My wife on the other hand, who is a journalist / page layout specialist for the New York Times, who doesn't have a technical bone in her body used OpenOffice for all of 10 minutes before remarking how cludgy and clumsy the OpenOffice interface felt and how complicated the page layout tools were to use. Within minutes she was switching to another machine with Microsoft Word. You might say she's a word processor power user. Of course, her software of choice is Quark... that explains everything!
Anyway - this being said, OpenOffice may have a way to go before it's ready for prime-time. If it doesn't impress a professional in a field such a page layout and journalism, it might need to re-evaluate itself and try again at a later date.
Sometimes I envy Lt. Commander Data and his ability to render himself impervious to emotional attack (Borg Queens not withstanding) but I NEED my fear just like I NEED my pain!
It used to run on Linux... I believe it was back in the Photoshop 3.x days.
But hey, Linux has the Gimp...
However, being an avid Photoshop user myself, I have noticed the lack of "polish" in the Gimp. Albeit, with Gimpshop, it's a little better. I find the workflow in Photoshop to be a lot smoother and the Gimp's interface is "clunky" at best.
Considering that Adobe was forced into porting Photoshop from OS 8/9 to OS X, which has BSD (aka UNIX) roots, I don't see why Adobe hasn't bitten the bullet and just ported Photoshop to Linux. Of course, who would buy it? It seems Linux users in general rarely want to consider making a software purchase unless absolutely necessary. But when you are the industry standard of the graphic design world and the majority uses PhotoShop, it does make some sense to some degree.
I personally see major apps on the Linux desktop as a push forward for making Linux more appealing to corporate industry. But that's just my take.
2 years ago, I was in the market for a laptop. Until that point in time, I had never owned one. At the time, I was working for an OpenSource software development company in Emeryville (since removed to San Francisco). Our office was split. We had Development/Engineering who preferred to work on Linux, but a small handful were Windows based. The Corporate side of the house was Windows XP (you knows sales and marketing people).
I spoke with several of the Linux gurus there about my need for a laptop. I was surprised at the response I received. They all suggested I purchase either an IBM ThinkPad and run some flavor of Linux (their favorites were as diverse as the engineers personalities themselves) OR buy a Mac.
I inquired as to why the toss up. They all liked IBM ThinkPad's hardware. The small form factor of the T42 line (at the time, they were pretty common, now it seems the T60 is the model to have) and the weight as well as the bare bones configuration and Linux compatibility were there main points.
The reason for the Mac was best of all worlds. I could interact with the Engineering/Development team on a *NIX level as well as interact with the corporate side of the house by working natively with Microsoft Office.
So without batting an eye, I dropped $1999 on a PowerBook G4 17" with 100GB HD. I purchased it from CompUSA. I threw in another GB of RAM - no, not Apple's RAM, but Samsung - also from CompUSA for half the price!
To date, I have been extremely happy with my decision. I have since left that company, but so far, I have had no problem interacting with any of the three OS platforms - Apple/Windows/*NIX. I have also since tossed out the two Microsoft products I owned on the Mac as well... MS Office and Virtual PC with Windows XP Pro. All my systems at home are now OS X and Ubuntu. I only have one Windows box - that's on an IBM ThinkPad T42!
I love my Mac and I haven't looked back! The $400 difference in price of the Mac over the IBM was negligible. Besides, my Mac came with software that I actually use - such as iLife (specifically iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, and GarageBand). My IBM ThinkPad came with Windows, some IBM driver stuff, a CD/DVD burning package, and that was it. Warranties are comparable. One year each. However, I purchased Apples extended protection plan for 3 years plus display protection. I have a few friends who have utilized Apple Care and there service has been top drawer with silk stockings - in other words, bloody good! I have used IBM's customer care at work - I am equally impressed.
Aside from being compatible in the corporate world, I also was looking for a laptop that had all the latest hardware features at the time of purchase. I don't buy new equipment very often, so it has to last. The PowerBook had all the trimmings. The closest parallel at the time was some off brand I had never heard of and was around $2500 at the time. The Mac was the deal breaker.
Since my purchase, I have NEVER had a problem with compatibility with Windows in a corporate environment (other than lack of Visio support) - hence the reason I had Virtual PC for a time. All my other apps are 100% compatible... Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia Firworks, and Macromedia Flash. I run OpenOffice 2.x under X11 without any problems. All in all, I have not spent a single penny on software other than for MS Virtual PC, some decent shareware (Transmit and Unison), VPN Tracker, and upgrading to OS 10.4.x. The Adobe CS1 suite and MS Office was provided by work. Almost the remainder of my software is OpenSource.
When it comes to "dumping money" into the Mac, I just haven't had to do it. In the past, with my PC's, unless I'm running Linux, it seems I was always paying for some kind of software. Now I can save that money and apply them to cool add-on peripherals like my BlueTooth Mighty Mouse or a really nice USB to RS232 connector for configuring Cisco Routers.;-)
Someone did mention it - At work, I run Pidgin on Windows XP SP2 with all the trimmings. On my Mac I use AdiumX. On My Ubuntu box, I use GAIM (I haven't looked into upgrading to Pidgin yet).
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My PDA has a phone in it. The interface is clean, simple and familiar. It does everything the Iphone does, and a HUGE list of things the iphone will NEVER be able to do.
A HUGE list of things the iPhone will NEVER do? Careful there. Many people have had to eat crow after using the "never" word. With iPhone's extensibility via 3rd party applications, it's truly hard to define the boundaries of the iPhone. Sure, for the time being, Apple has locked out certain features from 3rd party developers, but remember, in the beginning, the only way to get 3rd party apps on the iPhone was to jailbreak it. What happened? Apple opened the doors to developers. Jailbreaking still happens, but in all honestly, I hear less talk about jailbreaking from colleagues now than I did before Apple allowed 3rd parties to play in Apple's sandbox. I'm sure as time pushes on, we'll see the iPhone grow and mature in ways many people NEVER thought possible.
It's cute, but it's a really long way away from being a smart phone. There is no office software, there is no remote desktop, there is a pretty interface though. That is nice, but it's a very long way away from matching the feature set of my 6 year old phone.
As one other poster mentioned, office software on a PDA is fairly limiting. The iPhone will let you view Word, Excel and PDF documents. That's typically enough for most users - the ability to view. So you can't make a direct change - big whoop. Besides, who wants to work an excel spreadsheet on a 3" screen anyway? Albeit, with the iPhone's zoom ability, it can be done, but I don't know that I'd ever go there myself.
As for Remote Desktop - You are DEAD WRONG. I've been using RDP on the iPhone for months now. I connect to my corporate servers through VPN and I can establish an RDC connection to any (Windows) server/desktop I have access to. I also have SSH/Telnet abilities for accessing my Linux/UNIX servers too. And of course, there's also a VNC client for accessing anything else (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.). I even have a green-screen terminal app for accessing IBM AS/400's (just in case). No my friend - you are sorely mistaken - the iPhone has many methods for remote connectivity support.
So what makes the Iphone so awesome? Nothing. What makes it popular is the apple mystic and excellent marketing, but there is a reason serious business users shy away from it.
Maybe to some extent this is true. But I don't believe that it's the final answer. I am not an Apple fanboy myself - well, maybe a little. Honestly though - prior to OS X, you couldn't pay me to use a Mac - I HATED Macs with a passion. I thought the interface was butt ugly to look at, the OS felt really chaotic, un-structured and clumsy to me and I felt encumbered by it. I was also a DOS/Windows junkie until OS X hit the scene with a touch of UNIX/Linux for flavor. Nowadays, my home-office has Windows to my left, OS X in the center and Linux to my right. My Mac is my primary machine of choice - it's best of both worlds. My Windows box is there for "compatibility" purposes only. The Linux box is there for me to do whatever with. So far, none of this has anything to do with Apple's mystique or marketing. It has to do with the fact that I like products that work well and get the job done while accommodating my personal style.
You are right however, business user's have not truly embraced the iPhone -- yet. The Blackberry has the dominant footprint - with it's backend server technology, integration into the corporate world, etc. The iPhone was a late adopter of MS Exchange integration. And for all the "effort" Apple has put into the iPhone's "speakerphone" abilities, the iPhone still sucks as a speakerphone. The other caveat is the ability to manage several blackberries (access, right's management, etc.) through the blackberry server. At this point in time, the iPhone has no such capabilities (that I am aware of). Technically, if you wanted to do something similar, you would have to
I really have to agree with this. I was previously using a Motorola V551 prior to the purchase of the iPhone. I was fairly comfortable with the interface, albeit, the only thing I truly ever did with the phone was send/receive calls and text messages and on rare occasion, I used the limited calculator when grocery shopping.
Once I purchased my iPhone, I began realizing that I hadn't purchased a phone so much as I had purchased a 3" palm-sized computing platform. To this day, the iPhone is my personal organizer through the use of the calendar app. I've replaced the default calculator with a snazzy programmer's calculator. Since I'm a the non-3G iPhone, GPS means nothing to me at this time, but the map app and it's locate me function have served me well. After adding BeeJive, I now have the full range of IM tools I need. Having Webster's Dictionary and American Heritage dictionary onboard rim my web use way day - but wait - I do use the onboard Safari web browser extensively. The camera, which everyone complains about - well, it is what it is and it works fine for my needs. And of course, the contacts/address book is a gem in itself.
On a more technical side, with the various email connectivity methods, VPN, and 3rd party apps that allow me to SSH/Telnet, RDP, BNC, and ping, I have some decent support tools in the palm of my hand no matter where I may be geographically located.
Of course, the iPod functionality is a nice thing too. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention - it's a phone too.
However, the best feature (for me) has been the interface. The moment I first laid my hands on it, I found it extremely intuitive. So much in fact, that when I recently tried to assist my wife with her Nokia and I felt like pulling my hair out after about 2 minutes of trying to navigate through menu after menu via a smaller-than-a-chicklet sized keypad. After using an iPhone, I'm not sure I could ever (comfortably) go back to a regular cell phone.
Soon they'll be taking donations from Uranus!
Please, for the love of all that is good and holy, eschew obfuscation!
Now if you'll excuse me, I have some juvenile delinquents that I need to evict from my grass.
Ah - I see they found your stash!
Webinar is the conjugation of two words... "Web" and "Seminar", ergo the end result: "Webinar." Essentially, a web-based seminar. I have been affiliated with a couple of companies who use this term frequently. It is typically a part of the vocabulary of sales and marketing types. Typically, our sales and professional servicesengineers (within the company I work for) use webinars (typically via WebEx) to demo our company product as well as provide end-user training for said product. This allows our prospects and current client pool to sit at their respective home in their skivvies by the pool and learn about the latest wiz-bang feature while listening to some sales guy rattle of facts and figures while the proserv guy spouts off technical mumbo jumbo. I admit, it is a great way to handle affairs AFTER the initial face-time with the client. However, I do agree, webinar is more of a buzz word - but it looks like it's here to stay.
Have you been talking to my wife again? I read that post and I could have sworn I heard her voice!
Unless his friends are all really hot [insert your preferred gender here]!
That's ridiculous. You are talking about a rhetorical point in Psalms that has absolutely nothing to do with setting up a scale of time in Genesis.
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Actually, there is some merit to this viewpoint. Please keep in mind, the majority of theologians and religious scholars believe that the Bible is inerrant, inspired Word of God. Therefore, giving benefit of the doubt here, this would mean that those words in the book of Psalms, spoken/wrote by Daniel, were indeed inspired by God himself and therefore, serve a purpose to the reader other than some form of poetry and song.
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Do you really think God would go to someone who barely had invented fire, and try and explain the ins and outs of big bang theory? I mean, what would be the point of the human experience if we couldn't discover it for ourselves, and learn for ourselves?
END QUOTE
Actually, from what I have read/researched, there seems to be a lot of aspects within the Biblical account that seem to have some very interesting scientific proofs if you will. One such source for these proofs is here: http://www.livingwaters.com/witnessingtool/browse.shtml#questionsobjections
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So God -lied-. Get over it. He is God and he can do what He wants.
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Oh no - we can't have that. You see, if God lied, then the entire story of the Bible crumbles. You see, it goes back to the fact that the Bible, like any piece of literature deserves the benefit of the doubt to be given to the author - in this case, God, which the Bible itself claims is the author - self-signing of sorts. Secondly, we must also adhere to the general rules of literature that states if an entire statement is true, it is true. If an entire statement is false, it is false. If an entire statement is part true and part false, it is false. We must also adhere to the laws of non-contradiction as well - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_noncontradiction .
Keeping this in mind, if God abhors sin, and lying is a sin (thou shalt not bear false witness) then God has contradicted himself. Therefore, God cannot lie - assuming we give benefit of the doubt to the credibility of the Bible and it's author (God Himself). However, if we can prove any fallacy within the scriptures, then and only then can we say that the Bible lacks integrity. However, keep in mind, many people better than we have tried to discredit the Bible - it's been a battle since it has been written. No one yet has been able to definitively prove any part of the Bible false. However, many can claim they simple do not have enough evidence to argue one way or another at this time. In other words, the jury is still out.
It does not specify the date, but it does establish a time interval (6 days = 144 hours). Unless God-days are different from our days.
END QUOTE
The Christian Bible actually does expand upon this a bit... Although, you might say it is also open to interpretation...
"For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past..." - Psalms 90:4
In other words, according to the Bible, 1000 Human Years is equal to 1 God Days. Therefore, using this assumption and rounding the numbers up a little for the sake of convenience, Jesus Christ (who is said to be "The Son of God") has only been gone for approximately 2 God Days (2000 Human Years).
With regards to Genesis and the account of creation... When the Bible says it took God six days to build and construct Earth, the Bible doesn't state which unit of measure we're using here. Are we talking 6 God Days (6000 Human Years) or are we actually talking 6 Human Days?
Now, back to our previously scheduled debate.
It's worth its weight in gold. I am not one to generally purchase extended warranty plans, etc. However, when I purchased my first laptop (an Apple 17" PowerBook G4), I thought it best to by the Apple Care for that "What If" scenario.
I am glad I did... About 6 months after the normal warranty would have expired, I left my laptop sleeping peacefully on my desk for the night to come in to my home office the next morning to have find my cat preening herself atop the keyboard - keys splayed all over the desk and the floor.
No worries - I popped all the keys back into place when I realize... my bloomin' cat actually broke the 'W' key.
I called Apple Care up using their 1-800 # (screw the Genius Bar - you'd have better luck waiting for the next ice age than standing in line at an Apple Store) and next day, I had a standard laptop shipping container (same style used by Dell, Lenovo, Sony, etc.). I shipped it off via Duey, Huey, and Luey (DHL) and within 3 days time, I had my laptop back in house. Not only did Apple Care replace the W key, they also replaced my entire palm rest as the aluminum had bowed in a bit over the course of time.
Apple Care was on par with the service I have come to know and love with Dell, Lenovo, Sony, and just about any other major laptop vendor.
One thing I was miffed at however was - why didn't Apple just send me a friggin' "W" key? IBM/Lenovo would have sent me a new one and had me ship back the broken one all at no expense. Go figure.
But I digress - the service was phenomenal and expedient with regards to (what seems like) the industry standard "3-Day Turn Around" policy for laptop repairs.
I have heard other such tales of Apple Care's excellent work. Avoid the Genius Bar, call Apple Care direct.
In the company I work for, it's upper management that buy the Macs - not for OS X but for the silky, sexy hardware. And what would they have me do? Blow away OS X entirely (that's right - not even an option to boot into OS X) and install XP only. For these gentleman, it's all about aesthetics, no matter the cost.
As for myself, I run a 17" PowerBook G4 with native OS X in our Wintel environment. That's right, no Virtual PC, no BootCamp, no Parallels. Just pure, un-adulterated OS X.
I connect to Exchange, I work on SharePoint (sans SharePoint Deisgner), I create network diagrams in OmniGraffle and export to XML or PDF, I run PhotoShop, I connect to WebEx seminars, I use MS Office (sorry you OSS guys - OpenOffice just can't compete with MS Office - not yet anyway - I need to get serious work done and interact with my coworkers and clients and OO leaves me hanging with it cludgy, buggy interface and tool set that never seems to get the layout consistent (I spend more time debugging bullet point inconsitencies in OO than I do typing up my TPS reports).
Eveything my Windows counterparts do (with exception to but a few miniscule tasks), I can do. I have one added bonus, I have UNIX as my underbelly... need to run a quick scan, I run nmap. Need to scan network traffic, I run Wireshark, need to work on some SMB stuff, there ya go. Need a way to quickly test sh scripts for our small batch of Linux boxes... You get the idea.
Sure, there are a few things I truly can't do... Such as run/debug WMI scripts locally or run SharePoint designer for the more mundane tasks of SharePoint administration/design. But those are the least of my worries. That's when I dust off, cross my fingers and fire up my company-issued ThinkPad T43.
Take hands-free dialing for example. The State of California issued several press releases about the impending law stating that cell phone use while driving would require hands free, yet, within less than a year of said law taking effect, the iPhone was released without the ability to voice dial, ergo, not being truly hands-free. You think Apple would be up to the task of do-diligence by making sure their user base is able to adhere to local and state legislation. There are alternatives... don't use your phone while driving or only answer calls using a headset. Alternatively, Motorola offers (for about $200) a device that connects to the iPhone and facilitates hands-free voice dialing. The problem is, it's an expensive add-on that should never have been needed in the first place.
Instead of focusing on stock tickers (can be had through the web browser), weather information (can be had through the web browser), and YouTube services (can be had through the web browser), I think the Apple dev team would have spent their time more wisely by addressing real-world issues such as tethering the phone to a BlueTooth laptop for use as a modem, fine tuning the email app so it's not so cludgy (have you ever tried deleted more than 20 emails in a sitting) - I think I have carpal tunnel in my tapping finger... but I digress...
Yes, I understand there will be plenty of items left on a to-do list at the end of a 1.0 release cycle. Many things end up on the cutting room floor. But why cut out common, everyday, key features that just about every modern (cell) phone already supports and leave your customer (and potential fanboy base) high and dry with the "So Sorry" schpeal?
And before you say, "Well, you bought into it anyway" - Yes I did. I know I did. I don't regret that I did. But now that I am here, I am noticing things that could have been done better - just like everyone else who owns an iPhone.
However, I must give Apple props - on a whole, out of the gate, they did quite well. I think Apple was wide to eliminate the 4GB model as well as cut the price of the 8GB model. And the end user experience has been beyond anything I ever found with any other phone...
IMHO, Despite the iPhone's initial shortcomings, Apple got several things right out the gate - Google Maps has proved invaluable to me many a time, even more so with the Locate Me feature that's been recently added -- it's a poor man's GPS of sorts. The Address Book is by far the best I've seen on any phone (compared to Treo, Blackberry, etc.) especially with its tie-ins to the camera/photo library. The iPod ain't shabby either, albeit, 8 GB is a bit slim for my audiophile tastes - so I keep my regular 60 GB iPod handy. The SMS client, while lacking in the MMS dept. is much easier to navigate overall. And since I don't use SMS for MMS purposes, it's no bother to me. But I can see how a person could be bothered by it - especially when receiving MMS on the iPhone - that's no trite task, especially with the lack of copy/paste. The calendar is a God-send, especially with the ability to set multiple alarm structures for a single event and tie in to the telephone features. And the phone itself couldn't be more intuitive when merging/dropping calls, etc. Only thing that does bug me is the inability to poke around in the address book while on a call. Jailbreaking solves this problem, however, not everyone jailbreaks.
Overall, the iPhone is rock solid. However, as a competitor in the corporate arena, the iPhone still has some growing up to do. Blackberry and MS Phones have the edge there. Time will only tell as Apple has recently licensed ActiveSync for Exchange and who knows what else will come to fruition. I for one look forward to the iPhone future, especially since I have a vested interested; being an iPhone owner and all.
My old Motorolla V551 took a hard hit and was knocked out cold. I needed a phone - fast... I walked into the Cingular/AT&T store, asked to see a phone that would do more than just be a phone... So I looked at Palm... Been there, done that, have the t-shirt from Handspring... *yawn* --- I looked at Blackberry... too fruity for me... --- I then took a serious look at the (then) top of the line Windows Mobile device... sleek, sexy styling with turbo handling, all the business needs rolled into a nice, convenient package, NATIVE support for Exchange, Word, Excel, full apps, not just viewers, the quintessential Solitaire and more... and then... the price tag... $500 --- I told the sales punk, "I might as well buy an iPhone." So he showed me the iPhone. He turned it on... Ooooh! Aaaah! Here's my credit card. Wrap it up nice and pretty for me, OK?
Several months later, here I am... frigging iPhone doesn't sport ActiveSync, email is a throw back to the dark ages (I think Pine had more features), friggen OS X without copy/cut/paste - WTF?!?! Edge Wireless? That's all? You're kidding right? No voice dialing? No Bluetooth tethering? The list of gripes goes on... But Oooh... it's so pretty...
I love my iPhone - (under my breath: frigging under-developed piece of...)
In California, you need to take preventative measures by keeping the weapon(s) and ammunition unloaded, locked, and stored out of reach of minors, at all times.
If a minor harms/kills someone with use of an improperly stored firearm, in most cases it is the responsibility of the firearm owner to be held accountable.
Under the Children's Firearm Accident Prevention Act of 1991, any person who keeps a loaded firearm where a child obtains and improperly uses it, may be fined or sent to prison. (Penal Code 12035, 12036, 12071.) - California Firearms Laws 2007 - http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/forms/pdf/Cfl2007.pdf
For California residents, you can find additional information in the book entitled, "How to Own a Gun & Stay Out of Jail: What You Need to Know About the Law If You Own a Gun or Are Thinking of Buying One : California Edition 2007 (Paperback), Publisher: Gun Law Pr; Revised edition (November 15, 2006), ISBN-10: 0964286440, ISBN-13: 978-0964286443", or by contacting your local/state authorities, or reference http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/ for further laws governing the legal/illegal use of firearms in the state of California.
If you are outside of California, please consult both your State and Local authorities (yes, Local and State can differ just as State and Federal can differ, just look at the case of San Francisco vs State of California from a few years back regarding hand gun ownership) for the definitive legal terms regarding firearm ownership in the state for which you reside.
Also note: In most states, "Case Law" supersedes pre-existing laws. It is YOUR responsibility as a firearms owner to investigate such laws as the state does not send out memos to inform you of recent changes to firearm laws.
Happy gun toting!
No, but you can rip someone's heart out with a tea-cup. Just ask Riddick...
While I admire you're attempt to rationalize your position based on the structure of a backstory, I believe you have missed some key points in your doctrinal viewpoint.
You were close to hitting the target when you suggested the potential theme of infidelity. But the story goes deeper than that. First and foremost, Joseph was not yet married to Mary when she was with child. They were only betrothed (engaged/arranged to be married) at the time, and under Jewish law, this was as good as being married, sans the nuptials and the writ of marriage. Since a child out of wedlock would have been seen as a disgrace (especially to Joseph), under Jewish law, Joseph had every right to have Mary exposed for infidelity (obviously since Joseph was not the child's father). However, Joseph, being the Godly man that he was had actually planned on giving Mary a writ of divorce (Joseph's other alternative under Jewish law) and to quietly let her drift off into anonymity with her bastard child. Fortunately, Joseph had a visit from an angel of God in a dream and therefore Joseph had a change of heart.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.. - Matthew 1:18-25, ESV
Now, onto your cross-comparison of the virgin birth in comparison to other religions, such as Greek mythology, etc. First, let's examine what the Bible claims has happened.
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. - Luke 1:26-38, ESV
You are correct in noticing that it's an ancient "theme", but the Christian theme has a slight twist that no other religion (that I am aware of) describes. As we can see from the scriptural reference, the method for the conception of Christ is completely different than other religions/mythology. Other religions/mythology state that some god-like being (i.e. Zeus, father of Hercul
The last thing I need is a bunch of other "junk" (ie special device drivers, A/V settings, etc.) getting in the way because a game needs something "special." And I don't care to throw out the bones to build the über gaming box when I can just fire up the good ole console, mindlessly mash some buttons for a few hours, then move onto something else, like combing through endless currents of Windows Server log files for bottlenecks.
Sure, Console games are no match for PC games in terms of complexity. And I believe that's why consoles work - their not complex. Take MechAssault on XBOX for example vs MechWarrior 3 on PC. MechWarrior 3 on PC was a blast to play, but you had to keep the cheat-sheet keyboard mapping card next to your monitor at all times just to recall those not-so-common key strokes. MechAssault on XBOX, while "dumbed down", was just plain fun to play. Sure - you couldn't do some of the cool things as in the PC version, but if you wanted a quick skirmish without the fuss, the console was (as still is) the way to go IMHO.
AHHHH! Another Prozac morning! (queue in Disney-esque theme music)... Let's go to /. today...
What's this? My meds don't actually work? WTF! This is such a buzz-kill (queue in theme from Beethoven's 5th)...
I for one could care less which word processor I use - so long as it gets the job done. Of course, I prefer FREE, such as OpenOffice, but then again, I'm easy going with such things.
My wife on the other hand, who is a journalist / page layout specialist for the New York Times, who doesn't have a technical bone in her body used OpenOffice for all of 10 minutes before remarking how cludgy and clumsy the OpenOffice interface felt and how complicated the page layout tools were to use. Within minutes she was switching to another machine with Microsoft Word. You might say she's a word processor power user. Of course, her software of choice is Quark... that explains everything!
Anyway - this being said, OpenOffice may have a way to go before it's ready for prime-time. If it doesn't impress a professional in a field such a page layout and journalism, it might need to re-evaluate itself and try again at a later date.
Sometimes I envy Lt. Commander Data and his ability to render himself impervious to emotional attack (Borg Queens not withstanding) but I NEED my fear just like I NEED my pain!
But hey, Linux has the Gimp...
However, being an avid Photoshop user myself, I have noticed the lack of "polish" in the Gimp. Albeit, with Gimpshop, it's a little better. I find the workflow in Photoshop to be a lot smoother and the Gimp's interface is "clunky" at best.
Considering that Adobe was forced into porting Photoshop from OS 8/9 to OS X, which has BSD (aka UNIX) roots, I don't see why Adobe hasn't bitten the bullet and just ported Photoshop to Linux. Of course, who would buy it? It seems Linux users in general rarely want to consider making a software purchase unless absolutely necessary. But when you are the industry standard of the graphic design world and the majority uses PhotoShop, it does make some sense to some degree.
I personally see major apps on the Linux desktop as a push forward for making Linux more appealing to corporate industry. But that's just my take.
I spoke with several of the Linux gurus there about my need for a laptop. I was surprised at the response I received. They all suggested I purchase either an IBM ThinkPad and run some flavor of Linux (their favorites were as diverse as the engineers personalities themselves) OR buy a Mac.
I inquired as to why the toss up. They all liked IBM ThinkPad's hardware. The small form factor of the T42 line (at the time, they were pretty common, now it seems the T60 is the model to have) and the weight as well as the bare bones configuration and Linux compatibility were there main points.
The reason for the Mac was best of all worlds. I could interact with the Engineering/Development team on a *NIX level as well as interact with the corporate side of the house by working natively with Microsoft Office.
So without batting an eye, I dropped $1999 on a PowerBook G4 17" with 100GB HD. I purchased it from CompUSA. I threw in another GB of RAM - no, not Apple's RAM, but Samsung - also from CompUSA for half the price!
To date, I have been extremely happy with my decision. I have since left that company, but so far, I have had no problem interacting with any of the three OS platforms - Apple/Windows/*NIX. I have also since tossed out the two Microsoft products I owned on the Mac as well... MS Office and Virtual PC with Windows XP Pro. All my systems at home are now OS X and Ubuntu. I only have one Windows box - that's on an IBM ThinkPad T42!
I love my Mac and I haven't looked back! The $400 difference in price of the Mac over the IBM was negligible. Besides, my Mac came with software that I actually use - such as iLife (specifically iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, and GarageBand). My IBM ThinkPad came with Windows, some IBM driver stuff, a CD/DVD burning package, and that was it. Warranties are comparable. One year each. However, I purchased Apples extended protection plan for 3 years plus display protection. I have a few friends who have utilized Apple Care and there service has been top drawer with silk stockings - in other words, bloody good! I have used IBM's customer care at work - I am equally impressed.
Aside from being compatible in the corporate world, I also was looking for a laptop that had all the latest hardware features at the time of purchase. I don't buy new equipment very often, so it has to last. The PowerBook had all the trimmings. The closest parallel at the time was some off brand I had never heard of and was around $2500 at the time. The Mac was the deal breaker.
Since my purchase, I have NEVER had a problem with compatibility with Windows in a corporate environment (other than lack of Visio support) - hence the reason I had Virtual PC for a time. All my other apps are 100% compatible... Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia Firworks, and Macromedia Flash. I run OpenOffice 2.x under X11 without any problems. All in all, I have not spent a single penny on software other than for MS Virtual PC, some decent shareware (Transmit and Unison), VPN Tracker, and upgrading to OS 10.4.x. The Adobe CS1 suite and MS Office was provided by work. Almost the remainder of my software is OpenSource.
When it comes to "dumping money" into the Mac, I just haven't had to do it. In the past, with my PC's, unless I'm running Linux, it seems I was always paying for some kind of software. Now I can save that money and apply them to cool add-on peripherals like my BlueTooth Mighty Mouse or a really nice USB to RS232 connector for configuring Cisco Routers. ;-)
But don't get me wrong here. I do love my Mac,
Someone did mention it - At work, I run Pidgin on Windows XP SP2 with all the trimmings. On my Mac I use AdiumX. On My Ubuntu box, I use GAIM (I haven't looked into upgrading to Pidgin yet).