mac powerbook?

what do you want to know?

a mac is TOTALY different. so if you were a windows user all your life, stay there. if you like the look get Asus W1. If you want a more secure and cooler OS try linux. Mandrake and SUSE are very noob friendly.

You will find the mac a LOT easier to use provided you come from a mac background. For a Wintel veteran to jump into a OSX system will be just as hard as when the vice is versa.

In general - macs are just as versatile as wintel systems and are more user friendly. Windows XP has closed the gap in most aspects. OSX has a solid Unix foundation and is almost bullet proof.

Forget about playing the latest games on a mac...most games are not worth playing and only a handful are even worth talking about.

With a mac you dont think of it as a computer...more as an assistant...fantastic OS and everything is well integrated (software and hardware).

most files can be shared. In fact...I cant think of any file that will work on a PC but NOT on a Mac...avi, mpeg, dunno about DivX though...

P2P networks - yes you can. Do a google for Bit Torrent programs for Mac etc.

Video Editing - they are not "better" than Wintel systems or anything but more sensible and easy to use. Any n00b can get a good project out before a Wintel n00b figures out how to access the manual Yes - this is exaggeration but I love to dramatize.

As far as I know. Only Games and certain programs are not compatible. Almost everything else that works on PC has a "corresponding" program in OSX.

osx is not as bulletproof as it sounds, i use a mac in programming class (G4 eMac) with Panther, and it crashes at 2 times in 90 minutes...haha.. last time XP SP2 Pro crashed on me...errr....longer than i can remember. Integration is nice, the OS comes with almost everything you need to boot. but so does linux, I have Aurox installed right now (based on RH, supports RH9 rpm files). I did a complete install (4 cds...9GB unzipped) and all I had to install afterwards was the Kooldock (kinda like mobydock for windows), and GTK-Gnutella (had a built in torrent client). I mean it was loaded, development software (java, c, c++, gtk developer, kde gui design software), cd burning, 6 media players, 3 internet browsers, 2 offices, 3 IM clients, 2 email clients, bit torrent, stuff i am yet to discover i have. So integration...not a OS X exclusive.

IMO macs are not worth it. the software arguments of XP vs X don't apply, they are just not legit, we are comparing hardware, not software. in which case some mac parts are somewhat supperior to some pc parts, but the price shows it. i would not trade it my uniwill for a 15 powerbook (my FR teacher has one...its alright...lil uglish imo).

i on the other hand would trade my 6811 for a powerbook any day of the week. i keep it as a clean system, updated, and without a lot of junk apps. windows manager crashes on me all the time, unlike finder, but the system stays up. i have far more problems with drivers on a pc, but os/driver integration is a strong point since macs are a closed system. but with any system, mac pc or linux- if you take care of you system, your system will take care of you.

running the latest os x on a rev b imac is rock solid. granted, i know how to maintain my mac better then the average pc user, but thats not saying that a pcer could run his pc as well as i could my mac.

yes macs are good for video editing and dvd burning, and the built in software is superior (IMHO) to the windows equivilents. I am talking free stuff here. 99% of any media files you will have will run fine on the mac, unless you have drm windows media files.

there are p2p apps, most of which are pretty nice. they are shareware apps written by alternate developers so they wont burden you with the spyware or adware that most pc p2p apps would. again, this is not always the case, but the general rule.

there is plenty of software for the mac, and most anyone can get what they need. Games are one area where they are lacking, but unless you are a hardcore gamer that wont be an issue. and if you are a hardcore gamer, you probably have a custom desktop rig, or a console of some sort.

the jump to mac is a big step to a pc user. if you are just a causal computer user, you will pick it up fast. the mac has a great user support base, and getting help is a piece of cake. it wont take long to figure things out, and for the most part, things are the same. the only reason i would say stick with the pc, is if you are an hardcore gamer, or if you have an in depth understanding of windows and the way it works. if you are a casual user, or even an intermediate user macs are just as nice as a pc, perhaps even nicer

check these guys out

http://www.eskapelabs.com/products.html
http://www.elgato.com/

there are some other input options out there for the same purpose, but i havent looked for a while.

err...Limewire for OS X is as loaded with junk as Limewire for WinXP. There are plenty! of p2p apps for windows such as Ares and KLR that are spy-ware free. Maybe you have a faulty windows installation. I can't remember the last time WinXP (or any win-related app) crashed on me. The only thing to crash on me in recent memory is GAIM (GTK+ based) which is an Open Source project.

The picking it up fast is well...up to the user. I can't get used to a mac no matter how hard i try. I use eMacs, G5s and iBooks in school all the time (all of em have Panther) and, if i weren't a linux user, i'd be confused. many of my friends always ask me how to do this or that when they are trying to do something on those damn macs. Support? Err..i think there is more info available on something that owns nearly 90% of the market, not 5%.

I am not defending windows, i am just saying that at this time, it is the supperior OS for practicality purposes.

im thinking of getting a powerbook myself. a store close by just slashed some prices on everything in the store including 200.00 dollars off some of there powerbooks. ive been thinking of trying a mac out to see what its like.

if you wanna try before you buy check out PearPC (the only mac emu able to run OS X)

I just made the switch to Mac a few months ago, and I have to tell you, I don't think I'll ever want to buy a PC again.

OSX is just so easy to use. There aren't any conflicts, no DLL errors, no stupid registry to get in the way of things...no spyware or viruses.

Despite what people say you can play the latest games on a Mac—you just have to wait a few months. Not all games get ported over, but all the good ones do. Doom 3 is coming out in a few months, so is Sims 2. Halo has been out for a while now, and no doubt Halo 2 will be out not too long after the PC version. Doubtless Halflife 2 will be out sometime soon as well.

Are Macs better than PCs at video/audio/graphics? No—there was a time when they used to be, and they still are the standard in the graphics industry, but it's mainly out of tradition more than anything—but there are some Mac only programmes that are better than the PC equivalent. Also, the software that comes with the Mac for video and audio are superior to anything windows offers for home/beginner users.

I'm very glad I made the switch.


Oh, and abf...maybe your Mac at school crashes all the time because it's at school. Any computer would have problems in an environment where it's used by several new people a day. Of course your computer at home is going to seem more stable, but that's because you're the only one who uses it and you're probably not as stupid as some of the people using the computer at school.

mac powerbook

MacOSX is based on BSD Unix, which in my opinion is much better than Linux and certainly far superior than any flavor of windows. In fact any Linux software can be recompiled onto MacOS, you should be able to find these software precompliled on the Apple websites or place like MacSlash ...

The only thing is that I don't like about Macs are the hardware. The PowerPCs chips are simply not as good as the Intel Pentium Ms in terms of performace vs. power consumption.

agreed for the most part however a friend who just got a 1.33Ghz 14.1" iBook recently is getting 4+ hours a charge in battery life using the wireless and the usual office programs, better than most PM lappies.

i'm also weighing the possibility of getting an apple lappy (say it 10 time fast). i'm in the market for one of the 12" versions. the OS doesn't bother me and w/ a student discount the ibook will run me $950 and a powerbook $1400. in either case both have dedicated video chips (iBook: Radeon 9200 32MB, and PB:Nvidia 5200 Go 64MB), something u won't see in a 12" Wintel system for under $1900 (Sony: Radeon 9200 32MB) if you're lucky.

You can't really game on either, though even the 12" PB will be able to handle some last generation games, but just having the dedicated video is valuable if you are a power browser and multi tasker like me and tabbing between numerous windows and have a host of divx movies to watch on the go. but then if u don't have the interest in the smaller lappies there is a pretty big price/benefit ratio for the bigger powerbooks. i.e.-i'd go w/ either one of the 12" apples b4 i'd go w/ any of the cheaper 12" Wintel systems (Averatec non-PM, Twinhead, Sager) simply due to the dedicated video and comparable battery life (the Twinhead leads the Wintel pack topping out @ 4hrs).

The biggest selling point for me? Divx codecs for apple and the fact that i can access shared folders over the wifi network w/ my PC where all my MP3s and movies live! =D

Once u get into the 15" and 17" models tho it's a different ballgame. $2k for the 15" apple can get you a whole lot of computer in a PM system fo sho, and i'd be hard pressed to justify an apple at those costs when as noted the Wintel equivalent also w/ Radeon 9700 will beat the apple silly in games and tease it about its short battery length. So at those costs it does come down to user OS preference IMO.

Just to add. Emacs weren't really made to take advantage of OSX.
And as far as owning one... Ever tried resetting the password or installing an OS on a Mac? World of difference.

Maiison

[quote=triadone]u won't see in a 12" Wintel system for under $1900 (Sony: Radeon 9200 32MB) if you're lucky. [quote]


you have much to learn young grasshopper