[Aman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kugino i think the dock is fun to use at first...but then it becomes a hindrance. i remove everything in the dock and hide it, only using it to see what apps are open. i also moved it to the top, so it appears only when the cursor is right below the menu bar... Quicksilver is a wonderful application launcher (among its many uses)...and the relatively new Piquant Menu looks interesting...

Is this for Intel macs?

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aman Actually, flip4mac CAN be used on QuickTime if you choose to run QuickTime under rosetta. There are lots of tutorials to do this with a simple google search. It's not a tricky process at all. VLC currently doesn't play WMV3 video, but I use it for everything else. It's definitely the optimal video program for OSX.

that is correct. i'd rather not run anything in rosetta unless i have to, so i prefer using VLC for my windows media stuff (if i'm forced to use WMV, that is)...and nothing that runs on a mac plays WMV3 stuff, if i'm not mistaken. i think only windows media player 10 or 11 or whatever number they're on plays WMV3 files...

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aman Is this for Intel macs?

i'm assuming you mean Quicksilver? yes, it's a UB for intel macs...as is piquant menu, i believe (though i've not used PM yet)...

if you mean the dock on top, it's a simple change to the dock plist file...

 

[RedLeader]

To be honest, as a win/nix guy the fanboyism in this thread frightens me greatly. But have fun either way, poking around with a new os is always fun!

 

[Uncle Erik]

Red Leader (and everyone else) please don't take the cult stuff too seriously. It's not the same these days, anyhow, with Apple enjoying such mainstream success.

And I'm not all Mac, either. Most of my free time is split between the Linux desktop (FC) and a PowerBook (10.4). I also poke around with old Macs, a Sun, a SGI, and a NeXT Cube. All are great fun.

As for my not-so-free time, I have to use that, uh, "other" operating system. Ugh. I usually perform a ritual purification before logging onto any of my boxes.

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedLeader To be honest, as a win/nix guy the fanboyism in this thread frightens me greatly. But have fun either way, poking around with a new os is always fun!

why does it frighten you?

 

[YngwieJMalmsteen]

A couple questions from a pc user.

What browser do you guys use? Is FireFox available?

Does anybody have any idea what the specs of the lcd on the macbook are? What are the contrast ratio, response time, bit depth, etc. Does apple publish these or what?

How upgradable are macs (specifically the new macbook)? Can I replace the video card and hard drive pretty easily?

Quote:

Originally Posted by MN Ham Phones You can expect a more stable OS.

I've had my PC for about 3.5 years, its crashed a handful of times. I can't remember the last time it crashed, I don't think it has this year.
Quote:

You can expect consistent shortcuts from app to app.

I have keyboard shortcuts for everything I need, so its not really a problem. I assume you can setup custom hotkeys on mac, right?
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You can expect an OS that doesn't get in the way (with nags/reminders/dialogs nearly as often.

Yeah, you kinda have to know what you're doing to get a pc running really cleanly, but believe me I have NO problems with this.
Quote:

You can expect much tighter control of compatibility between software and hardware.

I just don't really understand what you mean by this, AFAIK a pc is compatible with everything a mac is, or do macs control toaster ovens, the weather, and genetic characteristics of your progeny now?
Quote:

You can expect much greater freedom from security risks.

I haven't had anything worse than a tracking cookie in years, but people who don't know what they're doing seem to have a lot of problems.
Quote:

You can expect to rebuild and defrag it much less often.

If you download a lot of stuff you need to defrag right?
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You can expect to pay more for it, but use it longer than a PC and thus it becomes a better deal.

As I said before, my computer is going strong on its 4th year, and the one it replaced is still serving my dad well.
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You can expect plenty of software for everyday tasks.

PC's have plenty too, but I'd rather have quality than quantity.
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You can expect less of the specialized software such as circuit designers, PC layout software, etc.

Yeah, I probably won't need much of that. Some sort of recording program, photo editing, word processor, browser, audio/video player, thats about all I need.
Quote:

You can expect less gaming software.

Eh, most of the games I play at this point are on nes emulator... you guys got wunna' them?
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You can expect your PC friends to give you hell for finally seeing the light.

I've never been one to do this, I've always admired their design but felt they lacked flexibility/upgradability, and weren't worth the premium.

Anyway the general enthusiasm shown by mac users is a turn off because it feels like they're out to proove something, or just trying to hard to "think different."

 

[AlanY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by YngwieJMalmsteen What browser do you guys use? Is FireFox available?

Firefox is available. I used it on my Mac for over a year, but then I switched to Camino, which uses the Firefox renderer (Gecko) but has a Mac-native interface built from the ground up. Best of both worlds.

Quote:

How upgradable are macs (specifically the new macbook)? Can I replace the video card and hard drive pretty easily?

Like most laptops, you can't replace the video card in the Macbook. However, adding RAM or swapping out the hard drive is sinfully easy. Both are accessible from the battery bay.

Quote:

I have keyboard shortcuts for everything I need, so its not really a problem. I assume you can setup custom hotkeys on mac, right?

Yes. What the original poster was referring to is that OS X has a standardized keyboard shortcut system, so you can set a new keyboard shortcut (or change an old one) in one place (System Preferences -> Keyboard) and have that new keyboard shortcut or change apply across *all* applications. Cool, huh? (Of course, if you just want the change to apply in one app, you can do that too, but why not have genuine consistency across apps. Easier to remember.)

There are a lot of advantages to having a proper, standardized shortcut system across all applications like this. One of them is this app:
http://www.macility.com/products/keycue/
Basically, if you're trying to teach yourself what shortcuts are available in a program, this program lets you press a hotkey and it displays a nicely formatted quick reference card onscreen showing all available keyboard shortcuts for the current app. It replaces the various scribbled and printed keyboard quick reference cards I used to leave lying around.

Quote:

Yeah, you kinda have to know what you're doing to get a pc running really cleanly, but believe me I have NO problems with this.

I agree. Ever since Service Pack 2, if you know what you're doing, Windows isn't that bad. However, unsophisticated users still seem to end up with spyware. Most of my relatives run SP2 and I still get about the same number of support calls from them that I've always gotten. Objectively speaking, Macs tend to require less handholding and less sophistication to keep running optimally.

Quote:

If you download a lot of stuff you need to defrag right?

Nope! The OS X filesystem automatically defragments files smaller than 20GB in the background while you work. This is one maintenance chore you do not need to do on OS X in order to keep the system running optimally.

Quote:

PC's have plenty too, but I'd rather have quality than quantity.

That's the thing that has impressed me about Macs. A lot of the software is high quality. Compare, for instance, OmniOutliner Pro on OS X to NoteMap on Windows (the closest equivalent). NoteMap costs twice as much as the Pro version of OmniOutliner, yet it only does about 20% of what OO does. MS Office for Macs is really nice too, with a cool Project Center mode that isn't in the Windows version.

Quote:

Eh, most of the games I play at this point are on nes emulator... you guys got wunna' them?

Of course.

Quote:

Anyway the general enthusiasm shown by mac users is a turn off because it feels like they're out to proove something, or just trying to hard to "think different."

I agree with you that excessive enthusiasm is a turn off, though I try to separate raw fanboyism from genuine, reasoned enthusiasm. There are specific things about OS X that are very nice. I tried to list some of them in prior posts. Also, you have to admit, it's nice when people are actually enthusiastic about their computers. Windows rarely makes me excited, and I'm pretty sophisticated; I find less sophisticated people tend to have more problems and tend to just complain about their computers/Windows experience. A lot of the positive word of mouth you hear about Macs is because people are genuinely pleased about them and have good experiences.

 

[RedLeader]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik Red Leader (and everyone else) please don't take the cult stuff too seriously. It's not the same these days, anyhow, with Apple enjoying such mainstream success.

No cult?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/188...e=cultofmac-20

Mainstream success?

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1781

Quote:

Originally Posted by kugino why does it frighten you?

Because an OS and a computer are both simply a means to an end. I understand liking how something works and preferrring one product over another but outright love for a coporate entity and a hunk of silicon and plastic that you paid thousands of dollars for is a little frightening to me. I guess I'm just old fashioned or something.

 

[Aman]

Quote:

If you download a lot of stuff you need to defrag right?

Obviously, you've never used Linux...

Short story short, the filesystem is not only journaled, but also built off of the amazingly speedy/reliable EXT3 filesystem. Believe me, Macs never really decrease in performance power or reliability, no matter how old they get.

I think I will install Gentoo Linux on a USB hard drive and see how it works with the new Intel CoreDuo processors on my MacBook Pro.

 

[YngwieJMalmsteen]

Yeah, windows auto-defrags in the background, too. I have it turned off though because its slows things down, and if your computer happens to crash while its writing the master file table, you're screwed.

I really need to use a macbook in person before I would consider buying it. Basically I'll be using it for movies/music and the internet, so I want good contrast and refresh. Also some of the main selling points to me would be the build quality/ergonomics which aren't really tangible through a picture.

Enthusiasm is not such a bad thing. I bet microsoft wishes someone was at all enthusiastic about their products.

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedLeader Because an OS and a computer are both simply a means to an end. I understand liking how something works and preferrring one product over another but outright love for a coporate entity and a hunk of silicon and plastic that you paid thousands of dollars for is a little frightening to me. I guess I'm just old fashioned or something.

dude, you're taking things way too literally/seriously. yes, i love my macs. but i love coffee and i love motorcycles and grado headphones, too. it's a figure of speech for the most part, but what's wrong with liking something ardently? you probably wouldn't be on this site if you didn't like headphones to some extent...i mean, they're just a means to an end, right?

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by YngwieJMalmsteen Yeah, windows auto-defrags in the background, too. I have it turned off though because its slows things down, and if your computer happens to crash while its writing the master file table, you're screwed.

What Windows does is not really in the same league. Windows defragmenting runs as a separate process on top of the file system, so yes, it does slow things down and does run the risk of corrupting FAT disks. However, to be fair, there is no risk of corrupting NTFS partitions in this way, being a journaling filesystem.

OS X's defragmenting is built into the design of the filesystem. It doesn't have an associated performance hit because it's continuous, rather than periodic, and being journaled, there is again not a risk of corruption.

The OS X filesystem also does a lot of other sophisticated things to speed things up, including mirroring "hot files" on the fly in contiguous disk blocks. Vista will also do this, though like many other features (universal search, a GPU-rendered GUI, etc.), Mac users have had it for years.

The other really nice feature about the Mac filesystem is that files are referenced internally by unique filesystem IDs, not by filenames. This means that you can move files around on disk even while they're open in applications. On Windows I hate having to close a file I'm reading in Acrobat just to be able to move the file to my Notes folder. Similarly, you can toss something in the trash even if it's open by some application, a huge benefit if you regularly run a lot of programs on your machine and may accidentally leave a file open in one of them. I consider this one simple feature one of the more significant productivity advantages/frustration reducers of OS X.

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodgy The other really nice feature about the Mac filesystem is that files are referenced internally by unique filesystem IDs, not by filenames. This means that you can move files around on disk even while they're open in applications. On Windows I hate having to close a file I'm reading in Acrobat just to be able to move the file to my Notes folder. Similarly, you can toss something in the trash even if it's open by some application, a huge benefit if you regularly run a lot of programs on your machine and may accidentally leave a file open in one of them. I consider this one simple feature one of the more significant productivity advantages/frustration reducers of OS X.

not having used a PC in 5 years, i did not know that this was not possible on PCs...i move stuff around without thinking all the time. but while you can throw open files into the trash, you can't "empty trash" if the file is still open.

 

[sisenor]

Just wondering about the Intel switch...I remember before everyone was excited about Core Image and Quartz 2D and extreme for GPU text and stuff...what happened to all this?