advice on macs
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Posted on Apr 20, 2007 01:03 am
fortymile
Member Since: Jan 18, 2003
sorry, i wanted to start a new thread. the other one wasn't focused right. (does this annoy anoyone? i still don't know the etiquette on that).
anyway, i think i might want a macbook. this computer will be only for work. word processing and browsing the net. so it needn't be very powerful or do much, and it seems like a good way to test mac to see if i might want to switch down the line. i'm not sure that i ever will. but i also wouldn't mind owning one mac, because i like them in some ways.
most of my questions are stupid. really stupid.
i wonder about wireless hotspots out there in cafes and such. just out of curiosity, how exactly do they handle both pc and mac? is there a regular cable modem and then two routers? like a pc router and a mac writer? here in the apartment i have a cable modem. my PC is attached to it. if i want to use the mac wirelessly in the house, how can i run both PC and MAC off of my one modem? i'm not sure how that works or if it is even an issue. that's question number one.
question number two is: who knows about microsoft word for mac? i will need to use that for my work. i'd like to talk to anyone here who uses that program on thier mac.
question three: am i insane to switch? am i being seduced by ad campaigns? (a friend recently called macs 'fisher price computers'). what is wrong with my decision to try this, and what unanticipated problems will i encounter? will i regret my decision? haha. seers, please?
question four: macs perform differently. my current desktop is fast enough, at 1 gb ram and a 1.87 ghz processor (i think that's what it is). but on pc, anything less would be slow. when i had 512 ram it was a little slower. my dad's pc laptop runs at 512 ram and a 1.something ghz processor and is very slow (of course he has not kept it oiled). anyway: perhaps i can aim lower with the specs for a mac, since they seem to run more smmothly from all i've heard.
i want to keep it cheap. that's hard to do with mac. the lowest priced model starts at 1049 or so, and i want to keep it near there.
any input much appreciated
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RigsbyUltra MagnusMember
Since: Nov 13, 2004
Apr 20, 2007 05:53 am My mac mini is 512 ram, that's my music computer, does 48 tracks with VSTs and a lot of edits etc. Like i said before, mac and PC ram works completely differently, my old G3 had 32mb (yes 32) ram and did 16 tracks with VSTs etc.
I've used word a bunch on work macs, what do you want to know? You'll have to buy it, it doesn't come with OS10, there's a try-before-you-buy version on OS10 but it only lasts 30 days then you either buy it or uninstall it.
I don't get the fischer price thing tbh, i like macs, they're fun and they work. For me, someone who's not so interested in taking my computer apart and upgrading parts etc, i just want a machine that works like my mind works, so macs are perfect. That said, why switch if you're happy with PCs and there's nothing you specifically want from a mac, PC laptops, as you know, are way way cheaper.
I'll be getting a laptop sooner or later for work stuff and if i'm paying i'll definitely be getting a PC, just for the price. I mean if it's just for word and the net, why pay the premimum for everything else, no matter how much i prefer the OS?
Just my .02.
Let me know what you want to know about word btw.
Apr 20, 2007 06:54 am Comments like "fisher price" is just ignorant, it's just another type of computer. Graphic artists are almost all Mac, they consider PC fisher price, Sun Solaris sysadmins consider them both fisher price...so it's all relative.
I'd never call anyone foolish for trying anything that isn't harmful. The only significant downside I see with Mac is the lack of software available for them and expense of upgrading, but it doesn't sound, at least at this point, like that will matter to you.
zekthedeadcowEat Spam before it eats YOU!!!Member
Since: May 11, 2002
Apr 20, 2007 07:32 am well... the nice thing about PCs AND Macs is that both run Linux :)
But to answer your question about hotspots, everything runs off the same router. Network standards are supposed to be neutral...
Apr 20, 2007 10:41 am As far as performance goes between the two, while I do not know the details/technical details, but, what I do know is that there is more than one way to benchmark performance, and whichever side of the field you are on, you can find a statistic that supports it.
You can measure CPU operations per second type performance, speed data goes thru the system (RAM, busses, etc), read/write speed of hard disks, disk seek time and any other number of factors come in to the equation. Some say the RAM is what matters most these days...some benchmarks only study CPU speed...eh, it gives me a friggin headache, I am glad I got out of the technical hardware side of I.T.
Bottom line is, for what you have said you want it for, a modern model of either will be more than enough.
Apr 20, 2007 11:10 am Quote:
Bottom line is, for what you have said you want it for, a modern model of either will be more than enough.
Yep...that sums it up. I was a Windows user for over ten years, and then switched to a Mac. It's a computer. It does what I need it to do. From a functionality standpoint, there is very little difference between the two. My only gripe (as dB mentioned) is that there are fewer applications and programs out there for the Mac...but I can usually find what I need if I keep looking. (If only Har-Bal would port over...I'd be in heaven!)
You will not be disappointed either way...
Apr 20, 2007 07:08 pm what about the question about my own modem? like i said i will want to use the mac wirelessly in conjunction with my current cable modem. that modem is hooked up to my pc. to go wireless, i will get a router. i'm just trying to figure out if, for the home user, it is possible to run, say, a mac laptop, a pc desktop, and --suppose-- a wireless pc laptop all at the same time. i am just trying to figure out how that works. sounds like it shouldn't be a problem?
rigsby that's good news about the ram!
why switch to mac: if i'm going to pay a little bit of money which i can't really afford to pay right now, i'd like to experience at least a month or two of intrigue and excitement. if i get a pc laptop, the sense of newness will fade in like one week. sure, there'll be a breaking-in period with vista. but if i get a mac, the experience will be similar to getting a new model ipod. you are kind of really into exploring a totally new device for a little while, you know? basically, i'd be doing this just for a change. since it's just a work computer, it doesn't really matter to me. perfect time to experiment.
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Apr 20, 2007 07:28 pm No problem, the language that gets bits and bytes from the router (or modem) to a computer is independent of the computer that's talking to it.
It's called a protocol, like a set of rules, that PC programmers, or MAC programmers have to use when developing software for networks.
This way, all computers that use the same protocol, can talk to any device that supports that protocol.
Or, you could think like a spoken language. If all computers (and devices) knew Portuguese, then they could all talk amongst themselves.
I have a linux box in my basement, for web dev work, and my PC and laptop connect and use the internet the same way the linux box does. No problems.
You'd just have to be sure the mac laptop supports the same standards that the router/modem does. Almost assuredly it will, as they'd be stoopid not to.
Apr 20, 2007 08:46 pm Yep...I have a wirelss network at my house. At any given time I have connected to it: A Windows XP machine, A Mac Mini, a Mac iBook, and even and old Windows 98 laptop. They all understand 802.11b with no fighting.
Apr 20, 2007 09:53 pm ok, thats what i assumed. i know what protocols are. i just wasn't sure that 802.11whatever was one.
Apr 22, 2007 04:19 am would you get:
1. windows vista
* Intel® Pentium® dual-core T2060 at 1.6GHz
* 1MB L2 cache
* 533MHz Front Side Bus
* 1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz, 2 Dimm
(Shared)
Drives:
* 80GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
* 8x DVD+/-RW Burner Drive
--------$895
OR
apple macbook
* 1.83GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 512MB memory
* 60GB hard drive1
* Combo drive
------$1049
i ... i dont know what to do
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Apr 23, 2007 06:35 pm Yep, the Fischer Price thing is kind of hog wash. I know I as well am not a big Mac advocate and wouldn't have one here, but it is cost to me and that is it. Performance per dollar spent is the bottom line here and at work for me. And Mac just doesn't cut it. I do agree though that graphics and a few other things Mac does do astoundingly well at, mostly because the programs are written for Mac and not PC in that type of work. And hardware crossing between the Mac and PC has come a good distance, but not enough to make me want to switch.
forty, in your case if you can justify the extra cash outlay for the Mac then by all means go that route. But my reasoning not to would only be because you intend to use a program that will cost less and is a native windows program if you go PC.
I will also state that the systems you mention will be almost identical for the type of work you intend to use it for. One drawback is the Intel duo for the Mac does not take full advantage of the dual core buss set up like windows does. But it may not have any effect on simple word processing at all.
Apr 23, 2007 08:59 pm I have been using a pc for the past couple of years and just reciently bought a Mac mini.The Mac's OS feels smooth and stable compared to my pc.It is kind of hard to explain.Not buggy maybe?(I'm not connected to the internet,no virus issues there).Anyway,I have not looked back since,or rebooted.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Apr 23, 2007 10:52 pm That is one thing that bugs the crap out of me. Calling a Mac more stable or less buggy is just plain foolish. Not jumping on you there either vic, just making a statement.
Any bugs I encountered PC wise I have to admit I was completely to blame. Not windows, but me. So it goes on down the line. Anyone who says they have problems with windows can usually trace it back to something they themselves did to it. My surfbox is exposed to the internet 24 hours a day. It has only been powered down 6 times in the last 5 years and that is for cleaning and adding/changing hardware. The main studio box does get shut down but runs on the average 12 to 16 hours per day. It as well has never had a bug or problem I didn't cause. It as well is exposed to the internet although to a minimum of sites.
Moral of the story here is keep the crap out, maintain it and keep the crap out of it. I know just as many people with problem Mac's as I do problem PC's. My ex bro in law was one of them.
Apr 24, 2007 12:45 am I don't understand why that would "bug" you?.Maybe I used the wrong descriptive?.That pc NEVER sees the internet and windows XP was reinstalled prior to recording use so the crap was out.Please don't be offended by my opinion Mr. Gates.
Apr 24, 2007 12:58 am Umm... Macs are more stable/less buggy, 'cause the company making the Operating System has near-100% complete control over the hardware that goes into the machine: thus, they optimize the **** out of it 'cause it doesn't have to work with 100,000,000 different hardware configurations.
That said, one can make a ridiculously stable/fast PC with no problem. It's not that PC's *can't* be stable; they just have a higher likelihood of hardware/software-related problems.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Apr 24, 2007 11:29 pm vic, not offended at all. I guess I did sound a bit over the top there didn't I? I did state though that I wasn't bashing on you in particular though. Just on the majority that claim Mac to be far superior to PC.
I must add though that if a Mac was so much better, why is it a hacker can get into OSX in one one hundredth the time it takes to get past MS security?
Just thought I'd toss that one out there to make sure you have a good hardware firewall set up on your router. Or a good third party software firewall.
Apr 25, 2007 06:51 am i got in a little tiff with a friend today who was basically laughing at pc's. he is under the impression that pc's are total junk because the two he's owned have been literal pieces of crap. they actually had what looked like crap ON them. probably like 256 mb memory and the world's oldest processor. and i wouldn't be surprised if he or the former owner had actually tried to remove programs by deleting the .exe files without uninstalling.
so now he gets a mac, experiences no problems, and actually snickers at pc users. laughed a few times, as if there were simply no other alternative, and that all windows users were fools.
it sucks. you wanna say something. you wanna say, 'no man, it's you--you were at fault and you dont know what you're saying.' but its kinda hard if you know the guy. haha
the only real improvement i can expect from getting a mac, it seems to me, is a decreased virus-worry and fewer program-hanging programs, which has been my only occasional symptom the whole time i've owned this pc (several years).
Apr 25, 2007 07:10 am The funny thing is that if Mac ever have a dominent market share (which will never happen) they'd have virus' and such too...Mac computers are not more secure (or, not much) they have been exploited and they have had virus', it's just they are not as targeted because they are not 90% of the computers out there...it's all about hackers aiming at the biggest target.
Apr 25, 2007 07:23 am right. but...sometimes i don't know if microsoft will remain dominant. a lot of people are just tired of dealing with crap. not that mac will replace them. but who knows whats gonna happen. some governments around the world are running linux now.
Apr 25, 2007 07:29 am That chance is always there, but, while MS does have it's issues, and people are sick of it in some ways the scope of effort to change desktop environments in corporate and gov't networks (which are the bulk of MS's income, not consumers) is massive, so most won't change until they HAVE to.
That is the exact same reason many big companies still have their mainframes in operation...just too insurmountable of an effort to move away from it.
I am in no way saying it won't happen, but it certainly won't be in my lifetime (note I am 40 in two weeks).
Apr 25, 2007 07:44 am right, but if a tipping point occurs, the switch would happen quickly. if another OS builds up slowly in the world and sneaks up on MS, there could come a moment, unexpectedly, where it would make sense for larger organizations to switch, and then there could be a runaway effect.
happy birthday mang!
Apr 25, 2007 07:46 am oh, and i think much bigger things are in store during our lifetimes. i am one of those people who wants to believe in the 'singularity.' but i don't, at least not within 20 years. i do think that huge technological changes will happen in a relatively short time, though. some of them hard to imagine now. completely different computing platforms/substrates.
Apr 25, 2007 07:59 am Agreed, those points are reached at which people start changing, but after 10 years in IT in very large and very small corps...it never happens fast.
Before I am dust though, yes, big changes will happen, and MS will continue to be toward the front of them...not at the front, but close enough to maintain their dominance...after Ballmer and Gates are gone, who knows, but those egos will keep them there.
Apr 25, 2007 09:31 am slightly off topic, I'd be curious to see how the core 2 duo macs compare with a similarly equipped windows machine, performance wise.
On a side note, I think XP Pro is the best operating system ever. *hides in corner* haha.
I've never had a blue screen of death or trouble that I didn't cause since I've been using XP... like Noize2u was saying.
Apr 25, 2007 09:37 am I am in the same corner, I like XP, I have found it incredibly stable and WAY outperforms Windows 2000 (I HATE that OS)...I have no reason to look elsewhere and no reason to look toward Vista...XP does the job for me very well.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Apr 25, 2007 07:05 pm I'm looking forward to Space Elevator's myself.
Apr 26, 2007 01:53 am space elevator will rock. still don't know how they'll prevent micrometeoroid impacts tho.
Apr 26, 2007 07:35 pm Noize,were cool.You just seemed a little quick on the defense.I am definitly no Mac snob.I could care less about the name on my equipment,I left that mentality back at high school.The only reason I bought a mac was simply to try something different.Now I'm glad I did.OK, I'll try another word beside buggy to describe the OS.How about smooth.And I was serious about the reboot.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Apr 26, 2007 08:36 pm Sweet vic, its all good. I do know several peeps that are into the graphics thing and they love their Mac's once their set up proper and have stable hardware their good as gold. In my case I couldn't even come close to what I have here with a Mac so for me its PC for that reason. I suppose if I ever had a money tree in my yard I would probably add a Mac to the arsenal here as well just for the purpose of covering all the bases.
forty, yep that is my concern as well. I think space week is about to start on Sci-Fi soon isn't it? I know Shark week is coming this month on Discovery and I'm all about that. But I gotta check out Space week as well.
May 16, 2007 10:22 pm well, i'm no closer to deciding. i just can't seem to decide between the two lousy options of a macbook or a windows vista dell notebook.
i'm now thoroughly sick of the mac 'attitude.' at first i thought the attitude was pretty harmless. now i see it's pathological. is it intellectual dishonesty or is it self-deception, or is it stupidity? i can't tell. dawkins would say they're infected by a meme, that they're colonized by a mind virus. (macs may not have viruses, but i think mac USERS might. the idea that 'macs are better, end of story,' is a trojan or something.)
i just visited a site called 'macdailynews.com' and clicked on an article entitled "time magazine: windows vista 'an embarassment to the good name of american innovation.'" so i clicked on the link.
here's the quote in the *actual context* of the article:
"The fact that it took Microsoft over five years and $6 billion dollars to create Vista is — and I mean this quite seriously — an embarrassment to the good name of American innovation, but it's perfectly fine."
what's up with all the dishonesty surrounding this system? even the mac commercials, as cute as they are, are dishonest in a way that goes over the line.
wow. not helpful, mac.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
May 16, 2007 10:32 pm Indeed, the simple fact is you can turn a lot of that stuff off if you really don't want it on. So the Mac commercials drive me nuts with that crap.
May 17, 2007 08:29 am I'm a Mac user...and I HATE those stupid commercials. Is there no humility in this God-forsaken world anymore?
Have you ever seen clips of any of Steve Jobs' MacWorld speeches. Those dweebs in the audience practically have orgasms every time Apple rolls out some new iFeature .1.10.X. What a bunch of iMorons.
I think it's a plus to the Windows community that they have not "retaliated". They put out a decent product that does what it is supposed to do...and they don't need to belittle someone else to make themselves look better.
My next computer will not be a Mac.
May 17, 2007 08:45 am I love the commercials, they make me chuckle, which most commercials don't. Still, the brain-washed cultism of Mac users does weird me out, when Jobs comes out at MacWorld with jugs of kool-aid I'll then get nervous...
May 17, 2007 05:29 pm i like the commercials too. but i think i like PC guy better!
May 17, 2007 05:41 pm The PC guy was brilliantly cast, the Mac guy could be any young hip fella...he doesn't have a real "personality" or anything.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
May 17, 2007 07:48 pm BH, that is oddly funny. Though oddly strange as well.
cooloFrisco's Most UnderratedMember
Since: Jan 28, 2003
May 17, 2007 08:51 pm I liked that BH...
May 18, 2007 12:12 am haha nice
May 23, 2007 01:39 am i have decided to stay faithful and avoid a serious mistake. i will purchase a dell notebook with 2 ghz processor and 2gb ram tomorrow.
whew. that was a close one. apple's maximization behavior is just subpar and silly. one day they'll be king, maybe. not yet, though.
i will continue to be a loyal ipod supporter, though. everyone has their niche.
May 23, 2007 07:03 am unless anyone thinks 2 ghz processor is not enough...
May 23, 2007 07:04 am 2Ghz should be fine unless you are recording many, many tracks at once.
Congrats on finally putting this decision to rest, whichever way it came out, it's just nice to have closure :-)
May 23, 2007 08:52 am I have a personal preference for mac, probably because I started on it and its easier for me. I have a mac g4, an imac core duo and a toshiba pc lap top all on a belkin wireless G router with no problems. Though I can say I am growing to like the pc more and more. IMO I think it works more like a mac with every OS progression. But I do like to watch the pc vs. mac fights its kind of like watching a battle over the best booze, who cares just give me some and show me how to drink it.......
May 23, 2007 05:53 pm yeah blues, my post here is just to suck up to the windows users. this decision was actually hard for me. db, not planning to use it to record necessarily (but hey who knows--good to know it might be possible with this setup)
