Thinking about going Mac...

[CaliGuy]

So, after having PC's since I was a kid I'm thinking about switching teams with my next computer...

I'm sick and f'n tired of Windows! I'm done with having programs almost never work correctly without hours of f'in with then!

I know close to nothing about Apple except that people I've spoken to LOVE them and have never had an issue! This all sounds veeeery good...

Here's my questions:

Does mac wireless work like PC wireless. i.e. can you get access with any router or does it have to be a "mac router"

I'm thinking about a Power Mac, but I need 2 TB of storage and don't want to spend 5k right off the bat for it...Can I upgrade HDs? If so, do they have to be "Mac HDs"?

Do most common programs work on Macs? uTorrent, Winzip, etc?

Please pardon my ignorant questions and thanks for the help!

[firmhonda]

I can't help with all questions, but I can give some insight. It's not often that you find someone that says anything bad about their mac for the same reason that you never find an iPod owner that gives the zune any credit.. it's generally an elitest and hip mentality, at least in my experience.

As far as you getting sick of windows, have you thought about just running linux? I mean, every mac os is based off of a linux platform and you can run emulators(sp) to run just about any program that you can think of.. not to mention the fact that getting trojans, worms, virii, etc. is pretty much as close to impossible as you can get as far as operating systems go. Plus, there are several different types of linux so you're sure to find something that you like. Lately I've been playing around with fedora and I really like it.. It really shows how much mac has used linux in their os design without giving credit to them at all (which is a huge trend in macs history, all the way up to the iPhone which was a direct copy of the lg prada with a butter interface and iPod added).

Forgive me if this was not the kind of information that you're looking for, but I have yet to speak with a single IT professional that gives macs any kind of respect simply because they are overpriced and they have the same flaws that windows has with the exception of the fact that viruses aren't typically written for macs so they don't have as much of a threat.. Although, when a threat is released it typically does more damage than it does on windows.

I could give a bit more information on this stuff if you want, I've been studying for my operating systems final so I've got quite a bit of info on mac osx, windows, and unix/linux on tap right now, lol.

[CaliGuy]

Originally Posted by firmhonda

I can't help with all questions, but I can give some insight. It's not often that you find someone that says anything bad about their mac for the same reason that you never find an iPod owner that gives the zune any credit.. it's generally an elitest and hip mentality, at least in my experience.

As far as you getting sick of windows, have you thought about just running linux? I mean, every mac os is based off of a linux platform and you can run emulators(sp) to run just about any program that you can think of.. not to mention the fact that getting trojans, worms, virii, etc. is pretty much as close to impossible as you can get as far as operating systems go. Plus, there are several different types of linux so you're sure to find something that you like. Lately I've been playing around with fedora and I really like it.. It really shows how much mac has used linux in their os design without giving credit to them at all (which is a huge trend in macs history, all the way up to the iPhone which was a direct copy of the lg prada with a butter interface and iPod added).

Forgive me if this was not the kind of information that you're looking for, but I have yet to speak with a single IT professional that gives macs any kind of respect simply because they are overpriced and they have the same flaws that windows has with the exception of the fact that viruses aren't typically written for macs so they don't have as much of a threat.. Although, when a threat is released it typically does more damage than it does on windows.

I could give a bit more information on this stuff if you want, I've been studying for my operating systems final so I've got quite a bit of info on mac osx, windows, and unix/linux on tap right now, lol.

Thanks mang! Ya know, Linux never crossed my mind...I used it a bit when I was living with roomates (it was our server) with a Windows type shell and I admit---never had an issue with it...

I've decided I'm done PC gaming (consoles have come a long way and upgrading a PC to play a game is just insane at $500-1000 for a new video card, etc.) I just need a system that can store 400+ movies, 200 gogs of music, play them, word processing, and I need the net...

This system will double as a DVD player/music player...

Tell me more about Linux...cuz I'm kinda not liking the price of macs...

[atruhondagrl]

Mac elitist? Hey, Firm, I resemble that remark.

Cali, the only issues I've had are Firefox+ Mac= headache but Opera is too slow (for this site anyway) and I hate Safari. Oh and Word. I had Word on my Macbook when I was running Tiger. I left it off for Leopard. Call me old school but I do all of my writing in an rtf format anyway.

I still hate PCs, even though that's what I was working on in Kuwait. I think they're high maintenance.

[brdhouse]

you can use pretty much any external hard drive (same with internal... they're just regular ATA)... albeit some come with "backup" software designed to work with a PC, which you won't be able to use. I have several, but my newest one is a Western DIgital 250 GB "MyBook Pro," It works well and I will likely get the 1TB version for my next one (and get rid of some smaller LaCie ones).

Macs play nice with any router as well... I've never had a problem (just remember "System Preferences" for pretty much everything)

You'll have to download a torrent app (you can find anything and everything you could possibly ever need on http://www.versiontracker.com/macosx/). Compression and disc burning utilities are built into the OS, and can be accessed pretty much anywhere with a ctrl + click or right-click)

Glad to see another person is coming to their senses. You won't regret. Hope this helps!

Bill

P.S. I hate Safari too, and don't much care for firefox... I use Seamonkey for my browser (formerly Netscape).

Edit: you might want to research an iMac while you're at it... unless you know you need all that power/expandability of a tower. It's more cost effective, and makes sense, IMO, especially if you go with external HDs.

another edit: you'll want to get a new mouse (or use your current one)... apple mice suck, you won't like it (I think it really takes away from an otherwise awesome user experience).

[tukai]

pc > Mac! Cybergypsy even sent me a PM confirming this on the hush hush!

[atruhondagrl]

Originally Posted by brdhouse

you can use pretty much any external hard drive (same with internal... they're just regular ATA)... albeit some come with "backup" software designed to work with a PC, which you won't be able to use. I have several, but my newest one is a Western DIgital 250 GB "MyBook Pro," It works well and I will likely get the 1TB version for my next one (and get rid of some smaller LaCie ones).

Macs play nice with any router as well... I've never had a problem (just remember "System Preferences" for pretty much everything)

You'll have to download a torrent app (you can find anything and everything you could possibly ever need on http://www.versiontracker.com/macosx/). Compression and disc burning utilities are built into the OS, and can be accessed pretty much anywhere with a ctrl + click or right-click)

Glad to see another person is coming to their senses. You won't regret. Hope this helps!

Bill

P.S. I hate Safari too, and don't much care for firefox... I use Seamonkey for my browser (formerly Netscape).

Edit: you might want to research an iMac while you're at it... unless you know you need all that power/expandability of a tower. It's more cost effective, and makes sense, IMO, especially if you go with external HDs.

another edit: you'll want to get a new mouse (or use your current one)... apple mice suck, you won't like it (I think it really takes away from an otherwise awesome user experience).

One thing I've always hated is the no right click button. Why? I understand that macs are key stroke happy but dAMYUM! Come on. Ctrl+ click gets a little irritating.


Funny thing though. I never had a mouse stolen from a PC but dammit if someone didn't hightail off with my Mac mouse. Asses.

[firmhonda]

Sorry cali, I didn't notice your post. What more would you like to know?

Oh, and as for the comment above about macs doing well with routers, this is very true. They use collision avoidance in data transfer so instead of it transferring 2 different ways at the same time and just detecting when a collision happens, it only sends data in one direction at a time so a collision cannot happen. The trade off is the speed of data transfer, which I think is a good trade.

[reelbigfish241]

Originally Posted by atruhondagrl

One thing I've always hated is the no right click button. Why? I understand that macs are key stroke happy but dAMYUM! Come on. Ctrl+ click gets a little irritating.


Funny thing though. I never had a mouse stolen from a PC but dammit if someone didn't hightail off with my Mac mouse. Asses.

I have it set on my MacBook so that I put two fingers on the scroll pad and click the button and it right clicks. If that made any sense whatsoever, heh.

I've had my MacBook for about 4 or 5 months now and love it. It takes a little getting used to but once you do it's great.

And I got a free 30 gb video ipod with mine.

get the Mac!!!

[pixelsnob]

My sister was just in the market for a new laptop. I tried to convince her to get a Mac, but she gave me the "it's too expensive" line. Well, the way I look at it, you get what you pay for. That's why I have an Si, and she has an LX :)

I've had my MacBook Pro laptop for a year and a half, and it's great. I do all of my work on it, so it has definitely taken a pounding on a daily basis. I don't really baby the thing. I haven't dropped it though hehe.

I did have some problems initially with dead pixels, but I ordered it from Amazon, and they have a no-hassle return policy (at least they did a year and a half ago) and no sales tax in California. I had to go through 2 returns to finally end up with a good one. That was disappointing. The MacBook Pro had just come out, so maybe some initial bugs they were working out? I dunno. That was weird.

But besides that, it's been great. There's an app called Parallels Desktop http://www.parallels.com/en/products/desktop/ that allows you to run other operating systems on the Mac. I have XP installed on it, and it runs great. So, that pretty much takes care of the whole "it doesn't run on Mac" problem. Best $80 I've spent on software.

As for the drives, I'm pretty sure from the Power Mac G5 on, they've been using SATA (serial ATA) drives, so that shouldn't be a problem. 2TB? Video editing? That's a lot of data!

And as for the intangibles, well, to me, the interface is elegant. Yeah, I think the mice still have one button (I don't get that either), but the OS totally supports two-button mice, so that's not really an issue. You don't get garbage installed by the manufacturer, like on my sister's HP. That stuff pisses me off. Leave the OS alone. It already does what it's supposed to without "HP Total Care Advisor" or whatever the f*** it's called sucking up memory.

I could go on, but I have work to do :) Hope this helps...

[bad_andy0881]

I've been on a mac for about 3 years now, and I've never looked back. Given that I use a PC at work, I love getting home and getting on my mac.

Macs will work with any router. I have a Macbook and i have never had a problem joining any network wirelessly, or by ethernet.

As stated above, you just have to download the right torren app, but it works fine in that regard also.

The best thing about a mac is not worrying about viruses. You can surf the net, download files and open emails without worrying about contracting a virus off the net. That alone is what sold me on a mac so long ago.

Its very user friendly, and the no-right-click is a downer sometimes, but after a while, you get use to it and you dont even miss it (imo).

As far as HD's - Macs are pretty good at taking any brand of HD as long as its the correct size and everything. However, you want to pay a little more for quality for your HD or RAM because those are key components and they're worth it at the end.

Go to this site to get a better idea of how much you'll be spending to upgrade. Its usually cheaper to upgrade on your own than making a custom mac on their website: http://www.macsales.com/

They also have video tutorials on DIY installs of HDs and RAM on that website.

If you have the cash to get a mac, dont think twice, just get one. The new OS is suppose to be a very solid system, and they just released 10.5.1, so any little glitches should be gone.

Office 08 for Mac is coming out soon, and its going to be Universal Binary, so its going to run a lot faster than the previous versions of Office for mac.

As far as winzip, mac has an archive tool that works exactly the same as winzip or winrar - mac opens them all, and there are third-party apps (that mac will prompt you to download of necessary) that can help with any files it cant open.

Oh, yeah, and running Windows and Mac OS X at the same time is awesome, if you ever need it, just make sure if you do so, you should try to max your RAM so it runs smoothly, and have plenty of GBs on your HD.

All in all, get it and let me know how you LOVE it.

[truflip]

Have you heard of people buying PC components (with Intel CPU) and loading up MAC OS such as Leopard?

Seen it done on an IBM Thinkpad thats like 3 years old and that thing FLEW!
Seen it done also an those little 12" Sony Vaio's..

If you think about it, its the Windows OS thats slow and junkie (unless properly tweaked).
If you already have an Intel core, research some more about loading up a MAC OS into it.
I've tweaked up my XP and I have yet to see a program crash
Google Black Viper XP tweak give it a try before spending more $$ on macs :)

Might save you money, might not.. just a thought

[Driving91LX]

I'm a programmer and work mainly with PC's but have used Macs. The mac has a nice interface but bottom line is compatibility.
Why buy something at a higher price that only runs a small portion of software that's available (without emulation), not to mention hardware "wonder if it will work with mac" issues?
PC's are fast, graphics are superb, and Windows is much better than what it used to be. Buy a fast dual-core processor PC laptop and try another OS like some have suggested.

[brdhouse]

Originally Posted by Driving91LX

I'm a programmer and work mainly with PC's but have used Macs. The mac has a nice interface but bottom line is compatibility.
Why buy something at a higher price that only runs a small portion of software that's available (without emulation), not to mention hardware "wonder if it will work with mac" issues?
PC's are fast, graphics are superb, and Windows is much better than what it used to be. Buy a fast dual-core processor PC laptop and try another OS like some have suggested.

No offense, but I'm getting a little tired of hearing this argument. I've been using them professionally since '95, and I've never had a piece of hardware not work with a mac... maybe everyone else that uses macs has hardware compatibility issues!? Quite the contrary, most often (at least with OSX) you don't have to load anything, like you would have to on PC... download updates, etc., everything "just works" out of the box. YMMV.

[bad_andy0881]

I agree completely. I have plugged my macbook into several printers, scanners, etc., and never have i had an issue with compatibility. Maybe, MAYBE, it was an issue before, but now that it runs on an intel chip, there are no hardware issues. Bottom line is that if you want a laptop susceptible to virus attacks, then go with a Windows-based laptop. If you want an OS that runs smooth, has no virus issues, and is compatible with virtually any hardware without installing files, then got with a mac.

I think the choice is simple.

Originally Posted by brdhouse

No offense, but I'm getting a little tired of hearing this argument. I've been using them professionally since '95, and I've never had a piece of hardware not work with a mac... maybe everyone else that uses macs has hardware compatibility issues!? Quite the contrary, most often (at least with OSX) you don't have to load anything, like you would have to on PC... download updates, etc., everything "just works" out of the box. YMMV.

[Driving91LX]

If you are in a workplace that uses all Macs then fine, but...
Here are a couple of my experiences:
1) Macs were using a program called Quark. I had to download 3rd party ODBC driver software so that the workstations could communicate with their Win2000 server, then load special software onto the server.
2) At another place we developed a program that runs on the Windows platform. When the marketing dept wanted to run it on their Macs we had to say "sorry, no can do".

They are fine machines but in my experience have been a headache because they are "different". So no offense to Mac users that have not run into issues.

[pixelsnob]

Why buy something at a higher price that only runs a small portion of software that's available (without emulation),

Yeah, that argument was all good before they started using Intel chips, but I think that anyone that's using Parallels on Mac will probably tell you that it's plenty plenty fast. Granted, it's somewhat of a memory hog, but that's always one of my first upgrades to a machine regardless of platform. Cheapest way to boost the performance of any machine.

Not to mention Bootcamp, which allows you to install Windows and boot into it natively.

OP, I think it comes down to lots of opinions. Best you can do is go into a store and mess around with one. At least it will give you an idea of what you are getting yourself into :)

[e60.deluxe]

Originally Posted by brdhouse

No offense, but I'm getting a little tired of hearing this argument. I've been using them professionally since '95, and I've never had a piece of hardware not work with a mac... maybe everyone else that uses macs has hardware compatibility issues!? Quite the contrary, most often (at least with OSX) you don't have to load anything, like you would have to on PC... download updates, etc., everything "just works" out of the box. YMMV.

"just works" ?

tell that to the tons of people who are stuck with wired internet on their several year old imac because there are practically no USB wireless adapters that work with it, and even when the few that do people have to check revision number of that model to make sure that it has the core that works with mac, then they have to go hunting for homebrew drivers.

on the other hand i sold wireless cars to people with a 8 year old Windows 98 HP Pentium 2 and they were up and running in no time.

tell that to people to who bought a G5 but the microphone port on their motherboard broke and only 2 brands of PCI sound card manufacturers worked on Macs and they were both high end models that STARTED at $100, none of the $15-$25 sound cards works.

i used to work an electronic store, similar to best buy and circuit city except that it attracted the more tech savy crowd who installed components themselves and didnt pay tons of money or buy a new computer every 6 months.

trust me when i say that ALOT of stuff doesnt work on Macs.

[brdhouse]

Originally Posted by Driving91LX

If you are in a workplace that uses all Macs then fine, but...
Here are a couple of my experiences:
1) Macs were using a program called Quark. I had to download 3rd party ODBC driver software so that the workstations could communicate with their Win2000 server, then load special software onto the server.
2) At another place we developed a program that runs on the Windows platform. When the marketing dept wanted to run it on their Macs we had to say "sorry, no can do".

They are fine machines but in my experience have been a headache because they are "different". So no offense to Mac users that have not run into issues.

haha, I'll give you that. yeah Quark is pure crap... always has been. Indesign is where it's at!!! I honestly can't believe how Quark is still in business anymore with all the crap they make people put up with... but it's more than likely the companies that have sold their soul through corporate licensing that can't afford to switch. Time will tell, but my prediction is that Quark is gone in a few years.

[jocasti]

ive had my macbook for a little over a year now with absolutely no problems what so ever. definetly one of the best investments ive made on tech.