New Toy

**furrycelt** · 28th February 06, 05:11 PM

I have respect for Macs... But I just cannot get into that way of thinking. First time I sat infront of a Mac, I was lost. Where the heck is the right mouse button? I right click on everything. And I use the middle button, and the scroll wheel... yeah.. Macs are not for me. Besides they are way over priced.

-ian

**mudd** · 28th February 06, 05:49 PM

That iBook is the same one I just got for my Wife and Daughter to use, so they wouldn’t keep trying to use my iMac.

I have to use a Wintel laptop at work and am constantly troubled with it slowing down, locking up, or blue screening on me. My Macs are up 24/7. We just put them to sleep when not in use. They operate Months at a time. The fact that they are based on UNIX now makes them even more reliable and secure.

And as far as them costing more… well, Kilts cost more than pants you know.

**Rob Wright** · 28th February 06, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by furrycelt

I have respect for Macs... But I just cannot get into that way of thinking. First time I sat infront of a Mac, I was lost. Where the heck is the right mouse button? I right click on everything. And I use the middle button, and the scroll wheel... yeah.. Macs are not for me. Besides they are way over priced.

-ian

I understand about not being able to right click but I overcame that quickly, they do have a scroll wheel now on their mighty mouse but not on their wireless mouses.

As far as being overpriced, not really. I'm only paying 100$ more than for a comparable laptop from a pc maker.

My imac was only about 150$ more than a comparable one from a pc maker. Considering that I haven't had a single crash or freeze up in the year I've had it that extra money is worth it as far as the work i do.

Macs aren't for everyone, there are a few things that a pc is better suited for, not much though ;)

Rob

**Zyzzyx** · 28th February 06, 09:27 PM

Windows systems have their place, and Mac systems have their place. And for the most part people are not going to change from one to the other. I consider it the electronic version of Ford vs. Chevy. Its an argument that can't be won, for one side or the other.

But, since we're here... I'm a PC guy. Show me the extensive list of games that are available for the Mac, then perhaps I'd give it another try. That, and I like to build my own. I love the parts selection, the building, the modifying, the upgrading. Just can't do that with a Mac.

**clancelt** · 1st March 06, 06:20 AM

Originally Posted by Zyzzyx

Show me the extensive list of games that are available for the Mac, then perhaps I'd give it another try. That, and I like to build my own. I love the parts selection, the building, the modifying, the upgrading. Just can't do that with a Mac.

You have a point there. Of course I use my mac all day, every day(using it now) and I think I played Call of Duty on it about 4 months ago. Games are not what I use my machine for. My mac does at least play "some" games which is something the Sparcbook didn't(unless you count some BSD text game ports). Now on a side note, my mac is a powerbook. When was the last time you "custom built" or upgraded a notebook? I might upgrade mine this year, to a 17" one

**Graham** · 1st March 06, 06:57 AM

I'd switch over to macs - except for one thing, to migrate to the mac version of my sign software would cost several thousand dollars. Can't do that!

**auld argonian** · 1st March 06, 07:02 AM

You can buy third party mouseseses for the Mac...scroll wheel, right button and all.

I don't have hard figures on it but I would postulate from my personal experience that a Mac will be in service longer than a Windows machine without the need for extensive (and expensive) upgrades. When you have to replace the motherboard in a Windows machine in order to run the next upgrade of Windows and the new board costs half as much as the original computer did, I don't see that the extra bucks up front for a Mac makes that much difference.

And if you are worried about games, buy a Playstation. The "availability of games" argument is one of the most long standing arguments that I've ever heard in the Mac vs PC debate. I've watched as people (members of my OWN FAMILY! the horror...the horror...) have spent WAY more tricking out a PC as a "gaming machine" than they would have spent on a Mac in the first place....all the time arguing that Macs are "too expensive".

This is a no-win argument...I totally agree. Those of you old enough to remember the origins of the division will remember that it began when IBM introduced their home computers and made the point that they would be compatible with the systems that folks were using at work. At the time Mac would not. Several companies, Apple included, have found ways to make the files compatible over the years and that argument has faded away. My experience, again, shows that it's easier translate and work with Windows files on a Mac than vice versa. My daughter did a presentation for school last night with Mac's Keynote software and was able to save it in Windows Powerpoint format so that she could use it at school on their PCs. So now Mac is using intel chips and we draw nearer to the true RISC operating system (reduced instructions system).

Great movie: The President's Analyst. In it, Severn Darden played a Russian agent out to capture the President's psychiatrist. At one point he argues, "...every year we get a little more capitalistic and every year you get a little more socialistic. Sooner or later, we'll meet in the middle...so why are we fighting?" (Just so you know...this was a COMEDY, not a documentary.)

Best

AA

**Zyzzyx** · 1st March 06, 10:40 PM

Originally Posted by auld argonian

I've watched as people (members of my OWN FAMILY! the horror...the horror...) have spent WAY more tricking out a PC as a "gaming machine" than they would have spent on a Mac in the first place....all the time arguing that Macs are "too expensive".

That'd be me. That's part of the fun and interest. But then, I look forward to spending ~$50k on a car that might be worth ~$20k if it had to sell. The building and designing is the fun, and you've gotta pay to have the parts.