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Message |
    
Harry Simenon
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
638
Registered: 10-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 25, 2005 - 09:43 am: |   |
Finally got myself an Apple Mac.
My PC really needs several evenings of maintenance (case of neglect and severe laziness). And after all kind of mysterious and less mysterious PC events, I switched from PC to Mac. De “Mini (lunch box)” is now cheap enough ($500.) Mac has only 2 or 3% of the market, so still boring for virus producers. It can read and write Microsoft Word/Excel documents.
There are a few negative points. It comes with only 256 Mb, and definitely needs expansion to 512 (+$80) Pity that it has only 2 USB ports, so you’ll need a hub. Also the USB ports are limited in power to 500mA. The power supply is separate, and the switch is at the back of the unit. Not a good idea, but not too serious.
Still the first impression is good. It is very small and silent, and looks nice. The Mac keyboard feels pleasant with a sensual curve. It is rather heavy, and also very white and clean. I eat and drink while writing, so that will be a problem. I didn’t gamble on the Mac mouse and use a PC one. I also use my old PC monitor. The Mac comes with lots of software already installed. OS 10.3 looks really nice, and is great to work with.
The text editor in AppleWorks is easy to work with, and not annoying. I had several “pity that it is not possible” experiences (ignorance and refusing to read manuals,) just to find out that it was possible after all.
It is now easy to find my way, after a bit of impatient #$@%^ in the beginning.
The CD/DVD player works smooth. It does seem a bit greedy as you push the CD into a slit: the Mac pulls it in rather aggressively. Makes you wonder if it is a shredder after all. Luckily the little Mac is quite willing to return your CD in one piece when nicely asked.
Will the Mac improve my writing? Probably not, but it sure is pleasant. I hope it stays that way, as I will probably never earn the money to justify the expense by selling books. But for the moment I’m converted, although I keep my old PC for the programs I have that don’t run on Mac (mainly my son’s games) |
Claudia Turner VanLydegraf
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
2072
Registered: 06-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 25, 2005 - 11:05 am: | |
great for you Harry.
I have a MAC sitting here in my office, and it has Photoshop and Pagemaker, as well as several other really neat programs on it (it is way older) and I never could get used to the thing at all. It frustrated me no end, but I think that mostly it was because it is sort of a dinasour of olden days. I got it when I was publishing a small community paper for a few years, back in 99, mostly for the Photoshop and Pagemaker programs that were on it, and still always had my PC. Found that after finalgeling (sp?) with the MAC, I could finalgle with the PC and do just about the same stuff, and not be so frustrated all the time while trying to get my paper ready for print. But like I said, that was before the MACs started to get better at being easier for PC users to adapt to. Actually IF I had my druthers, I would combine the two of them together and have a MAC/PC machine that would do all the neat stuff that each of them do in one.
MACs are really good and much better for certain needs, especially art work and that sort of thing. They have much better graphics and the clarity of a MAC monitor is astounding. Have fun with it, they are really fun to do stuff on when you can get around on them, which I couldn't quite adapt to. Course, one other thing might have been my problem, and that is I have been using PCs, or other variations of PCs, for about 35 years give or take, and many old dogs simply can't be taught new tricks.
Claudia
MINDSIGHT MODERATOR
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Harry Simenon
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
639
Registered: 10-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 01:00 pm: | |
At home I still have Windows 98 II, 1.2GHz. At work I use Windows XP on a 2.8GHz, but still don’t really like it. I get strange messages “illegal such and such at EXC345487%, would you mind sending an error rapport to Microsoft?” In Word I often notice that the top or middle part of the words I typed has disappeared. When I scroll it out of vision and back, it is OK again. There are many little things like that. Not too serious to really bother, but often enough to get annoying. And every now and then you need to reboot the whole thing for no apparent reason.
The Mac OS X seems to fit me better than PC Windows; I like the feel of it. I think it is a matter of taste perhaps. It indeed takes some effort to learn the differences. For example: at first I couldn’t even change the size of a window. But once you find out it is logical and natural. You simply need to blanc out a bit of the Windows experience. (I’m quite eager to do that!)
Some people I know switched to Linux and are also quite happy with that.
But the main reason to switch is that I hope the Mac will be more stabile and needs less maintenance. Macs are (still) immune for most viruses. A Windows machine you need to carefully update on the latest virusscanners.
A friend of mine has his old Mac running for years and years with very few problems. In tests the Mac mini did quite well, considering it is not a heavy duty computer.
What is finalgeling? It sounds like something rather naughty, but pleasant. 
I don’t have as much years of experience as you with computers. I got my first one at 18 I think. A Sinclair ZX80 with a giant 1K of RAM. After that I had all kind of home computers. The first PC in 1981 was too expensive for me. I got one years later: a 25MHz SX and 40Mb hard disk (forgot how much memory)
After that I had every few years another PC. The last one I had for about two and a half years with increasing problems (no sound, clock wrong with full battery, burner sometimes not working, internet shaky, etc). Nothing that can’t be solved I think (viruses), but it will take more time than I’m willing to spend. I think it is boring and irritating.
I thought I would take the gamble and try a Mac. If the thing lasts 3 years it will be OK. I do hope my little Mac will last a bit longer, and that I can spend more time writing instead of tinkering and maintenance the thing. |
Fred Dungan
Unity Member
Post Number:
1040
Registered: 10-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 02:01 pm: | |
I bought a Linux machine. Linux has less than one percent of the market. Consequently, it is difficult to find a DSL provider which will support it. What intrigues me about Linux is that it runs infinitely faster than Windows, has no pop-up ads, and is immune to most viruses. Wall Mart sells Linux computers through its estore for under $300. I bought mine from Staples.com with several upgrades for less than $400 and it came with more software and games than any other computer I have owned.
http://www.fdungan.com/vigilantes.htm |
Todd Hunter
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
2387
Registered: 02-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 03:52 pm: | |
I was going to install Linux on a laptop of mine, but unfortunately, the memory requirements were more than the old beast could handle...and that's not saying much...
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Fred Dungan
Unity Member
Post Number:
1041
Registered: 10-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, April 28, 2005 - 12:45 pm: | |
Todd,
Try Opera, it uses the least memory of any browser because it is text only. You will also notice a marked improvement in the speed of your aging computer.
http://www.fdungan.com/vigilantes.htm |
Todd Hunter
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
2391
Registered: 02-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, April 28, 2005 - 02:51 pm: | |
Isn't Opera a web browser? I was looking at installing an operating system...
The trouble is/was (with the laptop) that Linux was telling me I didn't have enough memory (at 32MB RAM). Even completely formatted......which seemed very odd to me. The speed under Windows wasn't terrible (compared to the complaint I have about the laptop being about half the height and weight of a desktop computer, but just as bulky)...
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Harry Simenon
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
641
Registered: 10-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 29, 2005 - 03:53 pm: | |
Mac OS X and Linux are both based on UNIX. That system is much safer than Windows.
Windows knows about 60.000 viruses perhaps, Mac only 1 harmless one as far as I know.
I think Linux must be just as safe, and more and more people change to Linux.
But Fred, is your machine a IBM clone that came with Linux? As Linux is an operating system.
Until now there are only pleasant surprises with my little Mac Mini.
There are no complaints when you incidentally pull the plug and switch back on again.
The software is already installed; you only need to adjust your preferences.
I found out I could convert my CD’s to MP3 with the standard software, (nice for in the car, and for my son’s MP3 player…)
I can even let the thing read what I have written with the same standard software. This only works in English though. In Dutch she (female voice) suffers from an extreme thick accent that makes it difficult to understand, but makes great fun. At this moment the settings for the voice seem to be set at “Sensual Lady.” I’m not sure yet if you can change that to “Drunken Sailor” or something like that.
There is no grammar check though, but I never trusted and used the one in Word anyway.
And when I don’t feel like writing I simply stare at the graphic display while playing music.
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