I'm going to buy a Mac

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Sep 6 2006, 08:47 PM) [snapback]315575[/snapback]</div>

You will have peace of mind by having the memory installed by Apple. I'm lusting over the midrange Macbook myself, and if I do get one, I think I'll go to the store to get it. (Although I've never had trouble with FedEx.) Apple does require a signature for deliveries.
There are rumors floating around about a new Apple spreadsheet program coming out soon. That would be nice.
Enjoy,
David

 

Couple of tips...

You can drag folders to the Dock... in the bottom right part... so you can right click them (or either control or apple + click for a single button mouse) and get a sort of start menu for each of the folders you put there.

You can also put frequently used documents there.

Sorry if it was already mentioned!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mirza @ Sep 7 2006, 07:52 AM) [snapback]315657[/snapback]</div>

Once you get comfortable with all things Mac then it will be time to use Quicksilver.

It will change the way you use computer. As usual no PC equivalent.

 

Daniel, regarding software --

Keynote will read powerpoint
Nisus is a *fantastic* WP, and has it's own little cult following, just like the mac -- and for very good reason.
I use NeoOffice too for my very occasional excel requirements. You might want to check out OS X shareware spreadsheet offerings, if thin and fast appeal to you. Mariner used to be a good choice, although I do not know how much it is updated to OS X (meaning I don't think it is written in Cocoa).

Hardware --
If you are adamant about having a 'desktop', pick whatever monitor you like, and hook it up to a Mac mini !! iMacs have esthetic appeal, but the built-in obsolescence is pretty steep, and lack of vertical adjustment in the design is .. well .. lame.

But really, I'd suggest you reconsider your h/w strategy, and buy a MacBook Pro notebook instead, along with a nice external hard drive for backups. You can always have a nice monitor and wireless keyboard/mouse to use at home with the notebook, for that 'no compromises' feeling, while not having to fuss with trying to remember which computer has what data. Been there, *never* going back.

This board is brimming with Mac folks, so bring us your questions, and mabrook !

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(EricGo @ Sep 7 2006, 10:52 AM) [snapback]315738[/snapback]</div>

Hey! In iMacs you will be able to upgrade the processor. Ram is laughably easy to add (there is a little door at the bottom of the case).

This is not the case with the 'books!

Cheers.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jfschultz @ Sep 6 2006, 09:06 AM) [snapback]315098[/snapback]</div>

I have Parallels for Windows. And it works, but it is buggy. As in, it won't find my printer (even though it 'sees' the USB line it's on). And even with that, it thinks it's a slow line, when it's not.

Another thing about it, it will run fine, as a small window within the Apple OS for a while, but then it decides that it wants to be large and in charge, so you have to go into the display settings on Windows and change the display settings to 800 x 600 for it to behave correctly. Which makes programs like Yahoo Mail Beta act all odd, since it wants a larger display setting.

And then, there is the file sharing on this program. It worked really well for me, for a while, but then it decided that it does not want to work so well now. It does allow me to cut and paste words back and forth, but I have yet to convince it to allow for shared images and the like, again.


So I got this Microsoft program for the Mac, that runs a VR Windows Pro, but I had to return that, since it won't work on a Intel iMac.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alric @ Sep 6 2006, 09:51 AM) [snapback]315113[/snapback]</div>

:angry:

Dang it all! I mean, I just got this iMac! the 20! And now they come out with the larger, faster one. And I went to the store, after talking to a person from Apple as well! The least they could have done was warned me that a larger one was coming out, in like, a week or so!


Man! You just can't believe how frustrating that is. I thought, 'well, at least it will be a while before I have to worry about an upgrade, unlike the PC world, where they upgrade every month, so it seems...'


:angry:

Guess I was wrong.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Sep 6 2006, 11:47 PM) [snapback]315575[/snapback]</div>

Here too. In fact, I am waiting for a package today from UPS.

I agree with you, that I want to be free of Windows, but there is two programs I have to run, that only run in the world of Windows, sadly. So, that is why I got Parallels for Mac.

Plus, oddly enough, one other program I use, to listen to XM online, works better in IE then in Safari or Firefox. So I open that up in Parallels, minimize the window, and voila, I can listen to XM happily.

Someone mentioned how the Parallels program does not run Windows as fast. I have not found that to be true, yet, but I only run simple programs in there. Oh, and if you do have to run Windows, make sure you run a anti virus program (like Norton), since while the Viruses can't really harm the programs in a Mac, I have been told, that it can still wreck havoc with the hardware.

 

I gotta have a Big Mac.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TJandGENESIS @ Sep 7 2006, 09:59 AM) [snapback]315780[/snapback]</div>

If it's less than 30 days, you should be able to contact them and upgrade without a problem.

As for QuickSilver, yeah, it's great, and it's free, but I prefer LaunchBar. It just works better, but it costs for full features.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TJandGENESIS @ Sep 7 2006, 01:15 PM) [snapback]315795[/snapback]</div>

Whoever told you this clearly needs to go do some remedial computer courses. There is no virus that I am aware of that could do this; and, while I'll never say "never," it'd be nearly impossible for a virus to impact the hardware in the way you describe. I suppose it *IS* possible that someone could design a virus that would jump the partition and wreak havoc on the Mac side of things, but I'm not aware of any viruses (and certainly no widespread viruses) that could do such a thing. Of course, even then, that's just a software issue.

 

In one of my many "support" calls, a MicroSerf told me XP running on Virtual PC on a mac is pretty much immune. I don't think this would hold true for a dual boot system without the emulation.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DavidTO @ Sep 7 2006, 01:51 PM) [snapback]315814[/snapback]</div>

I just called them, and they gave me a price adjustment (I got over $300 back on my credit card). But no upgrade without bringing the whole deal back, and then paying a restock fee, plus I lose all of what I have done to this computer.

Well, thanks anyway. At least I got some money back.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Betelgeuse @ Sep 7 2006, 02:15 PM) [snapback]315826[/snapback]</div>

Yeah, I thought so to, but figured, why not just run Norton. It's not a big deal. Seems to me that if Windows is just running in VR mode, it could not affect the Apple OS at all.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TJandGENESIS @ Sep 7 2006, 11:28 AM) [snapback]315834[/snapback]</div>

Sounds like you break even. $300 back and restocking fee.

You should be backing up the computer anyway. Get a firewire drive, and a copy of SuperDuper (search versiontracker.com for it). It'll back up your drive exactly, even make it bootable. Then you run out, get your new computer, back up to that, and you're off and running. You've lost nothing, and you've gained a backup.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alric @ Sep 7 2006, 12:18 PM) [snapback]315757[/snapback]</div>

lol ! No offense intended Alric. I *know* how sensitive you mac folk get about your 'puters

My comment is from looking at it as a desktop replacement, and being stuck with the screen, wireless, and video card. I certainly agree that a notebook is no more upgradeable, but it has the wonderful virtue of being a notebook !

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Sep 7 2006, 08:56 PM) [snapback]316166[/snapback]</div>

I think OpenOffice only runs in X11? Is that right? If so, consider NeoOffice, which is Univeral Binary, OSX native, and free for the beta. X11 is fugly.

You made a good choice re: the mini. Especially now that the iMacs are 64bit, etc, the minis are just not that appealing. Maybe for specialized uses (like that Prius mod I found on this site!), but for most of us....meh.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DavidTO @ Sep 7 2006, 02:55 PM) [snapback]315851[/snapback]</div>

Well, after thinking about it all day, the only significant difference between my Mac and the new bigger one, besides the screen size and resolution, is the NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT with 128MB GDDR3 memory.
The Mac I have has ATI Radeon X1600 graphics with 128MB GDDR3 memory. SO, not so much a big deal to me, after all. I don't do heavy lifting with graphics anyway.


And, also on far more practical side, which is rare for me, the iMac I have right now occupies a large place on my physical desk. A bigger one would me that I would have little room for my Turntable. Yes, I have a Numark TTUSB on my desktop. In fact, I am listening to Bob Dylan right now, in Mono.


All this technology, and I still love my records.