Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I am a recent Mac convert and I can`t help but say how pleased I am that I
jumped on the Mac band wagon. I used to have sony Vaio that ran
windows XP. That was just a big mistake. I remember once someone
hijacking my browser and simply laughing at me on the other end as I
tried helplessly to redirect the browser to another web page. And the
viruses, oh yes the viruses; there was a new case of trojan every week. It
was like my computer was some playboy who didn`t understand the
concept of condoms when having his rendevous with several women. The
final straw came when I upload antispyware software on my computer
that was supposed to delete spyware that I picked up as I browsed the
Internet. However, it ACTUALLY deleted files my computer needed to run
properly.

That was it!! I had had enough. I found one of my FRENEMIES (slang for
someone who pretends to be your friend but would stab you in the back
at the slightest opportunity they get) and I sold it to him for $700.00. I
took that and added another $700.00 and bought myself an iMac G5 that
ran OS X. Now how is that for killing 2 birds with one stone?


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folaolumofin.com web design studios

My writing partner did the same. He was totally into M$, investing many bucks in stock options, and was a total PC kinda guy. Then we started having pressing deadlines, money riding on those deadlines, and his home network would crash repeatedly.

He had many machines, and upgraded them all to XP Pro, like a dutiful Micro$oft follower. Then came the chaos. One night he bought a G5, I think, and installed it in a few minutes. He looked around, found that Mac software read just about everything Microsoft produced, but that Microsoft never read anything Apple produced. Then he went under the hood.

OS-X is basically Unix, which has always and forever been more stable than anything Microsoft ever produced. He almost immediately learned how to accomplish anything he needed, and in every case, it was easier than on the PCs. That was the end. He walked away from Microsoft and "WinTel" (Windows-Intel) based machines and never looked back.

The ironic thing is that shortly thereafter, Apple started using Intel processors, Microsoft bought into Apple, and we started having these hybrid machines that supposedly could run either OS in their native form. And now...the journals are filled with growing complaints about slowdowns, crashes, problems, and annoyances. :-D

Let`s see what happens with Linux, Open Source, and those machines somebody`s financing...Google?...for $100 that run on the Linux kernel.

Actually, if you don`t mind, I`ll make a few corrections.

MS bought into Apple way back into the PowerPC days, years ago (1997, announcement at Macworld Boston).  Gotta remember, Bill Gates used to work at Apple and was even on one of their early 80`s brochures!  In the Valley don`t forget the value of personal relationships.  Microsoft wanted to sell office (a multi-million dollar market on the mac) and Apple wanted office so as to assuage any compatibility fears.

The intel processor switch is very, very recent and driven much more out of speed necessity than anything else.  The freescale/IBM chip architecture was hitting a wall of power/price/performance.

The reliability is still there, but remember the first of any new line of computers WILL be finicky.  It`s the way of the tech world.

And to address multi-os complaints, most of the performance complaints about both OS`s running at once through something like Parallels are by people who don`t have enough hardware.  You need 2 gigs of ram to do it effectively because if you think about it, you`re running two operating systems at once.  That is a ton of overhead.

I use all three major operating systems every day.  However, my preference is always going to be Mac.  They do have issues, but I`ve been rock solid for years, meanwhile the windows machines are having issues every couple months.


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"It`s not work, it`s network!"

Portage Media Solutions
http://www.portagemedia.com
My Blog: http://www.interactivemediatips.com

Interesting topic.  My friend is pushing me to the Mac side and I just might do it.  He said MAC boots up quickly.  Doesn` crash..etc.  What type of mac machine should I get my feet wet with?

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Laptop or desktop?

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"It`s not work, it`s network!"

Portage Media Solutions
http://www.portagemedia.com
My Blog: http://www.interactivemediatips.com

laptop

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Then you want a macbook.

Get that with an additional 512mb of memory to make 1gb; and then go get a cheap USB two-button mouse or use the one you have.  It`ll make your transition way easier.  The worst thing about macs is the mighty mouse.

I use iWork for alot of stuff because it creates very attractive documents and is an option (it also opens word docs just fine); and a lot of people like Appleworks.

Those options are less expensive, but there will be a slight learning curve.

If you still want office (and let`s face it - Microsofts` best application is the office suite) the best option is to just get Microsoft Office for the mac.  It works just the same.

If you don`t have to use Entourage (the mac equivalent for outlook in office) for mail with your office, I`d use Mail that comes with your machine.  It integrates better with iCal (your new calendar program that will come free with your computer) and Address book.  As for me, I use my iPod as an easy PDA with my calendar, my notes, and my contacts on me at all times


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"It`s not work, it`s network!"

Portage Media Solutions
http://www.portagemedia.com
My Blog: http://www.interactivemediatips.com

I have been a "Mac only" guy since 1990. That was when people... many people... said, "don`t buy a Mac Vince. They are going out of business and eventually your system will not be supported." I didn`t listen. I bought a Mac.

I love the fact that my Mac can do nearly anything a PC can do. Only problem I have found is that some games and very new software isn`t available for Mac. I am fine with that. I don`t have time for games and I like to wait for all the bugs to get worked out to new software.

As for the new Intel chips... I think it`s great! Of course I will wait for the next version or two. But really, the older chips run hotter and are less reliable than Intel. Intel is on top of thier game right now.

Mac is great! I have loved being without viruses my whole computer experience life! Wait... there was one virus about 7 years ago. It was a worm that made the system slow. It was fixed with a very simple, free, software.

All in all. I have been using gold that know one knew about... Now I am a bit disappointed that everyone has gold too. At least one thing is true, I will likely find better software and cooler stuff for my Mac.

Hey, do you all know about the "gadgets" of Mac? There are some great free and cheap components for time wasting and improving productivity in your day. I use several on a daily basis.  Check it out at the Mac website.



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Vincent Wilcox (a.k.a. KRAKR)
Drummer
My band: Letters Make Words