I don't get the two extremes: people having magical, dream-like experiences with Macs, and the other side where Macs are complete overpriced crap that serve no purpose.
The Mac OS has always been better than average with reliability and stability, and its native programs are quite good. Windows night be less stable (in the past, anyway) but it's because Windows has to support a myriad of 3rd party programs and hardware, much more than Apple's OS has to deal with. Both trend toward different needs, with some overlap of course, but there is no reason for elitism.
I'll do it for him:
I can get a quad core, 250 GB hdd, 3 GB ram, etc. desktop with a decent video card for $700. That's NOT on sale. I got mine with those specs for $570 WITH a 22" LCD from Dell on sale.
So if you spend >$1000 you either:
A) Are a gamer and spent $400 just on the video
B) Are an idiot and using a crap ton more computing power than you need
The exception would be video editors (they should spend ~$1500). Heck, even a dang good HTPC costs less than a grand nowadays.
evident
Lifer
- Apr 5, 2005
- 12,131
- 749
- 126
this X 10000000000
the mac users that i know in real life really rub me the wrong way and really irk me. they all base their self image on the friggin computer / audio player they use. anyone else have this same observation?
maybe microsoft should come out with counter-negative attack ads and say that steve jobs pals around with terrorists next.
- Nov 30, 2005
- 50,231
- 118
- 116
hanoverphist
Diamond Member
- Dec 7, 2006
- 9,867
- 23
- 76
wow, you are a marketers wet dream.
a hidden mouse button in the track pad? ive had those for the last 7 years on all my pc laptops. hidden camera and touchless wireless? wow, wait till those websites that are targeting web cams gets ahold of you. my wireless was automatic when i got this new laptop, but i stopped it from connecting to every unsecured system it found. its not only annoying, its unsafe to allow that. hell, even my "never-had-a-computer-85yrold-grampa" figured out how to set up wireless on his new laptop. granted, this is his second computer, but still. if all i was worried about was an easy experience, i guess mac would do it for me. since i want availab ility, control, usability and upgradeability, i tihink ill stick it out with my substandard pc. oh ya, none of the business software i use for my job works on macs.
sourceninja
Diamond Member
- Mar 8, 2005
- 8,805
- 65
- 91
I'm a full time linux user who switched to mac. Why? Because apple builds a superior *nix desktop. Don't get me wrong, some linux distros are getting close, but none have the integration and ease of use that osx has. Everything just works and has a nice tool to control how it works. User security is strong and easy to manage (ubuntu has made great strides in this area).
For example, I have not needed to login as admin even once after creating my restricted user. Anytime I need permission to do a function it asks for my admin user/password. Nice, clean and simple. It provides nice clean and simple messages for what it is asking those permission for as well. I simply love finder and spotlight. They work much more intuitively for me then gnome and beagle. I love the multiple desktop support. This is something I could never get to work properly in linux. Wireless also works perfectly without any special hacks or odd rituals. My dell requires tons of crap to get the wireless working (as of ubuntu 7.10). I have heard that ubuntu 8.04 fixes that problem, but at this point I have already made my switch.
Application wise there is nothing I used in linux that I can not use on OSX, however there are OSX programs that I like even better that I can not use (without hacks like wine) on linux. For example, photoshop and flash. I also find adium to be a much better libpurple application then gaim. For the most part I use the EXACT SAME applications that I used in linux. I still use firefox, open office (open office 3 is freaking amazing on a mac), vi, etc. Only now I can supplement them with much smoother applications. The FuseFS integration and growl messaging function much smoother then similar functions in ubuntu, with much less problems. For some reason, even though it uses cups, printing also is easier to use and setup. The dock simply works better imho then any of the linux clones I've tried and requires zero setup. I could go on, but I'm running out of time.
There are also trivial things I find very enjoyable. The fact I don't have a start menu to manage and just use spotlight to quickly find and run an application with just 1 or 2 key presses. The ability to close a window and leave an application running (great for torrent apps, mail apps, even keeping firefox in memory so it loads super quick). The dashboard is also something I have taken too. I love being able to cut out sections of websites and keep them in my dashboard to get instant updates.
Hardware wise, up until the latest dell releases there are many features on a mac I enjoy that other computers did not have. For example the size of the trackpad. My dell (less then 6 months old) has a trackpad so small I find it almost unusable. Side by side with my macbook pro the display looks clearer and sharper (most of my coworkers comment on that). The case looks very nice and when matched with the new keyboard and placed on a nice stand makes a very sharp setup. Which reminds me, the new keyboard is something else I enjoy a lot. I find I type faster with less errors then on my microsoft keyboard. I do have my complaints, the default mouse has problems deciding if I left or right clicked, and there is only 1 button on the trackpad (which is not a big deal as I use tap clicking anyways). In terms of heat, my dell physically is too hot to set on my lap. My mac gets very hot, but it is tolerable (maybe because of the metal shell).
Why is it better then windows? That is simple, it is unix. I have always felt *nix is better then any microsoft offering. That is why I used linux, and that is why I have moved to mac. I have always been one to move to what I felt could get the job done best for me and was the best value for my money. I moved from amd to intel and back again, I moved from ati to nvidia and back, I'll move from apple to linux and back as the need suits me. I have never found any good use for windows. They have horrible limitations such as drive letters, they have ridiculous authentication schemes for their software, and they push an unacceptable upgrade mill on their customers. With the sole exception of gaming (where windows has dominated) there are cheaper and better alternatives to almost everything you can do on or with microsoft products.
If apple does me wrong, I'd go back to linux and not think anything of it. I still feel however that my money was spent wisely and I have gotten the best value for my money. It is the first time in my life I have bought a notebook and felt that way.
For example, I have not needed to login as admin even once after creating my restricted user. Anytime I need permission to do a function it asks for my admin user/password. Nice, clean and simple. It provides nice clean and simple messages for what it is asking those permission for as well. I simply love finder and spotlight. They work much more intuitively for me then gnome and beagle. I love the multiple desktop support. This is something I could never get to work properly in linux. Wireless also works perfectly without any special hacks or odd rituals. My dell requires tons of crap to get the wireless working (as of ubuntu 7.10). I have heard that ubuntu 8.04 fixes that problem, but at this point I have already made my switch.
Application wise there is nothing I used in linux that I can not use on OSX, however there are OSX programs that I like even better that I can not use (without hacks like wine) on linux. For example, photoshop and flash. I also find adium to be a much better libpurple application then gaim. For the most part I use the EXACT SAME applications that I used in linux. I still use firefox, open office (open office 3 is freaking amazing on a mac), vi, etc. Only now I can supplement them with much smoother applications. The FuseFS integration and growl messaging function much smoother then similar functions in ubuntu, with much less problems. For some reason, even though it uses cups, printing also is easier to use and setup. The dock simply works better imho then any of the linux clones I've tried and requires zero setup. I could go on, but I'm running out of time.
There are also trivial things I find very enjoyable. The fact I don't have a start menu to manage and just use spotlight to quickly find and run an application with just 1 or 2 key presses. The ability to close a window and leave an application running (great for torrent apps, mail apps, even keeping firefox in memory so it loads super quick). The dashboard is also something I have taken too. I love being able to cut out sections of websites and keep them in my dashboard to get instant updates.
Hardware wise, up until the latest dell releases there are many features on a mac I enjoy that other computers did not have. For example the size of the trackpad. My dell (less then 6 months old) has a trackpad so small I find it almost unusable. Side by side with my macbook pro the display looks clearer and sharper (most of my coworkers comment on that). The case looks very nice and when matched with the new keyboard and placed on a nice stand makes a very sharp setup. Which reminds me, the new keyboard is something else I enjoy a lot. I find I type faster with less errors then on my microsoft keyboard. I do have my complaints, the default mouse has problems deciding if I left or right clicked, and there is only 1 button on the trackpad (which is not a big deal as I use tap clicking anyways). In terms of heat, my dell physically is too hot to set on my lap. My mac gets very hot, but it is tolerable (maybe because of the metal shell).
Why is it better then windows? That is simple, it is unix. I have always felt *nix is better then any microsoft offering. That is why I used linux, and that is why I have moved to mac. I have always been one to move to what I felt could get the job done best for me and was the best value for my money. I moved from amd to intel and back again, I moved from ati to nvidia and back, I'll move from apple to linux and back as the need suits me. I have never found any good use for windows. They have horrible limitations such as drive letters, they have ridiculous authentication schemes for their software, and they push an unacceptable upgrade mill on their customers. With the sole exception of gaming (where windows has dominated) there are cheaper and better alternatives to almost everything you can do on or with microsoft products.
If apple does me wrong, I'd go back to linux and not think anything of it. I still feel however that my money was spent wisely and I have gotten the best value for my money. It is the first time in my life I have bought a notebook and felt that way.
AstroManLuca
Lifer
- Jun 24, 2004
- 15,628
- 5
- 81
Why would you purposely setup your system so that it asks for permission to do something you're telling it to do?
I turned off UAC, etc. in Vista because when I tell it to delete something or install something, I don't need it asking again if I really wanted to do that.
I turned off UAC, etc. in Vista because when I tell it to delete something or install something, I don't need it asking again if I really wanted to do that.
Oyeve
Lifer
- Oct 18, 1999
- 22,066
- 883
- 126
He doesnt mention what he even does on his wondeful mac. Actually, what are mac REALLY for? Dont give me that bullshit about graphics and video. That was squashed years ago and the PC won. Really, name one substantial mac only thing that makes me go "Oh, SHIT! I GOTTA get a mac!". Macs, IMO, are for the young sheep who need to be "trendoids" and for the old fuckers in their 50s who have been working on macs since the late 70s and are too stupid/stubborn to learn how to use anything else. I also hate store that cater to macs. Tekserve area bunch of fake-ass trendy cocksuckers. Why do I need a ticket to enter your store? Why can;t I browse your store? Why are you following me asking me what dept I want?
AstroManLuca
Lifer
- Jun 24, 2004
- 15,628
- 5
- 81
I feel that it is my duty to comment on a phenomenon that has and will continue to view countries and the people that live in them either as economic targets to be exploited or as military targets to be defeated. As this letter will make clear, when people say that bigotry and hate are alive and well, they're right. And Linux is to blame. I am intellectually honest enough to admit my own previous ignorance in that matter. I wish only that Linux had the same intellectual honesty. As I have indicated, Linux's bons mots are clear testimony to the fact that it's never too late to exert a positive influence on the type of world that people will live in a thousand years from now. If you don't believe me, see for yourself.
If Linux thinks that it can make me abandon all hope then it's barking up the wrong tree. In these days of political correctness and the changing of how history is taught in schools to fulfill a particular agenda, Linux wants nothing less than to bribe the parasitic with the earnings of the productive. Its confidants then wonder, "What's wrong with that?" Well, there's not much to be done with feebleminded fussbudgets who can't figure out what's wrong with that, but the rest of us can plainly see that it is crystal-clear that the reason I'm writing this letter is that I can't let Linux sentence more and more people to poverty, prison, and early death. Now, I could go off on that point alone, but of all of its exaggerations and incorrect comparisons, one in particular stands out: "Linux is a perpetual victim of injustice." I, not being one of the many sniffish, noisome slobs of this world, don't know where it came up with this, but its statement is dead wrong. It's Linux's deep-seated belief that it is a bearer and agent of the Creator's purpose. Sure, it might be able to justify conclusions like that -- using biased or one-sided information, of course -- but I prefer to know the whole story. In this case, the whole story is that the point at which you discover that Linux's worshippers will have to stop shouting "Me, me!" and learn to harmonize on "Us, us!" is not only a moment of disenchantment. It is a moment of resolve, a determination that if it turns out that there's honestly no way to prevent it from giving rise to mendacious, pudibund crude-types then I guess it'll be time to throw my cards on the table and call it quits. I'll just have to give up trying to renew those institutions of civil society -- like families, schools, churches, and civic groups -- that comment on Linux's undertakings and accept the fact that people tell me that its hypocrisy has reached a new low. And the people who tell me this are correct, of course.
To some extent, if Linux's thinking were cerebral rather than glandular, it wouldn't consider it such a good idea to galvanize a voluble hysteria, a large-scale version of the pouty mentality that can block streets and traffic to the extent that ambulances can't get through. I cannot promise not to be angry at Linux. I do promise, however, to try to keep my anger under control, to keep it from leading me -- as it leads Linux -- to saddle the economy with crippling debt. Linux's indiscretions are like a Hydra. They continually acquire new heads and new strength. The only way to stunt their growth is to catalogue its swindles and perversions. The only way to destroy its Hydra entirely is to provide more people with the knowledge that Linux has been trying to conceal its plans to attack everyone else's beliefs. Fortunately, the truth about its corrupt, scurrilous screeds is spreading like a jungle fire. Soon, everyone will know that Linux is the spawn of Satan. Its accomplices probably don't realize that because it's not mentioned in the funny papers or in the movies. Nevertheless, if anything will free us from the shackles of Linux's appalling intimations, it's knowledge of the world as it really is. It's knowledge that some people profess that the word "poluphloisboiotatotic" is so compromised that I retain it only as a pejorative. Others claim that Linux is wrong. In the interest of clearing up the confusion I'll make the following observation: I'm at loggerheads with Linux on at least one important issue. Namely, it argues that anyone who resists it deserves to be crushed. I take the opposite position, that I once managed to get Linux to agree that its ballyhoos are dangerous to the health of a democracy. Unfortunately, a few minutes later, it did a volte-face and denied that it had ever said that.
I can hardly believe how in this day and age, impolitic oligarchs are allowed to drive us into a state of apoplexy. Linux and its lamebrained stooges must laugh about this in private, knowing that Linux's recent attempts to leach integrity and honor from our souls may be a propaedeutic for future attempts to batten on the credulity of the ignorant. I could write pages on the subject, but the following should suffice. "Linux" has now become part of my vocabulary. Whenever I see someone develop a credible pretext to forcibly silence Linux's opponents, I tell him or her to stop "Linux-ing".
Linux possesses no significant intellectual skills whatsoever and has no interest in erudition. Heck, it can't even spell or define "erudition", much less achieve it. To put it crudely, I defy the lewd sad sacks who persuade many of Linux's opponents to enter into a one-way "dialogue" with Linux and I defy the powers of darkness that they represent. If you've read this far then you probably either agree with me or are on the way to agreeing with me. If you're not part of the solution then you're part of the problem. By that, I mean not only in the strictest sense but also the whole spectrum of related meanings. As will become apparent sooner than you think, Linux's "compromises" are merely a stalking horse. They mask its secret intention to use terms of opprobrium such as "licentious radicals" and "officious devotees of conspiracy theories" to castigate whomever it opposes. Finally, any mistakes in this letter are strictly my fault. But if you find any factual error or have more updated information on the subject of Linux, Linux-inspired versions of Marxism, etc., please tell me so I can write an even stronger letter next time.
Pretty small difference to me if the overall purchase over 3+ years is $2000 and I'll get to enjoy it more. It often costs more to pay less up front.
NaOH
Diamond Member
- Mar 2, 2006
- 5,015
- 0
- 0
I hardly ever have crashes on my computer with vista and I have a ton of crap loaded on it. SP1 made it even more rocksolid (used to hang using my compact flash reader). I wouldn't mind getting a macbook if they will just let me put a decent graphics card in their macbook. Why the fuck do I have to pay 2000 bucks just to be able play a couple games like warcraft? I got a t60 and it came out to be only 1200 bucks with an x1400.
On the other hand, they're ipod and iphone line won me over pretty bad. I've owned most of the brands and the ipod and iphone have to be the best devices i've used (I don't need all those gimmicky features like radio, and a mic to record onto my mp3 player.......) in those categories. With an exception for iphone fw 2.0 and 2.0.1. Those crashed really bad and were shit.
On the other hand, they're ipod and iphone line won me over pretty bad. I've owned most of the brands and the ipod and iphone have to be the best devices i've used (I don't need all those gimmicky features like radio, and a mic to record onto my mp3 player.......) in those categories. With an exception for iphone fw 2.0 and 2.0.1. Those crashed really bad and were shit.
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