Re: Are you folks MAC or PC?

cjcampbell <christophercampbell@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> I also have been using personal computers since 1982. I have had an
> Apple II+, a Z80 card that ran CPM on it, and various IBM PCs running
> virtually every version of DOS and Windows.
>
> For processing photos I have switched back to Mac, using a PowerBook
> with 17" screen. It works well and I have had little trouble with it
> for that purpose. Just don't buy any Symantec software for it. I
> switched to Mac in April of this year and am not sorry for it. I will
> grant that there is something of a learning curve, but it is not much.
>
> http://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/why-pros-use-mac.htm
>
> Ken gives just about every argument that you can find for using Macs
> here. I will give one more: the Mac just looks cool. Sorry, but it is
> true. Nobody makes stuff that looks as cool as what Apple does.
>
> Okay, I do not think the Mac is perfect. I have gripes and other
> comments:
>
> 1) No "insert" key. Come on, guys, what is up with that? Fortunately,
> you can get aftermarket keyboards, or you can do like I do and use the
> insert key on my aftermarket numeric keypad.
> 2) One button mouse. At least there are decent after-market two-button
> mice.

Yup first purchase was a MS/Logitech scroll mouse, I've never got along
with the 'pro' mouse rsi within days, but with OS X you just plug one in
and it 'just works' don't even have to go through the annoying 'I've
found a piece of hardware' routine.

> 3) The "delete" key is really a backspace.
> 4) Microsoft Office programs load abominably slowly. On the plus side,
> Office 2004 for Mac has many features that are not included in the
> Windows versions. Excel has much more powerful database capabilities,
> for example, and PowerPoint blows the Windows version away. Even
> Explorer has all kinds of capability that will not be introduced in
> Windows until Vista is released; possibly not even then. But Safari is
> better.

As is Firefox, Camino, iCab, Mozilla, Omniweb, Opera and many others
available on the mac.

> 5) Photoshop rocks on the Mac. You can actually see what you are doing.
> 6) Nikon Capture stinks on the Mac. Of course, it stinks on Windows,
> too, but for slightly different reasons.

Most of the camera software ports are a bit crap. However the included
Image Capture for grabbing the pictures off a camera/card is brill,
don't install anything just plug in just about any camera (the really
cheap stuff not included that isn't a proper usb host device) Image
Capture see's it and downloads the pics. Job done, I've had various
cameras/camcorders plugged into my macs, and not had to install a damn
thing. Nikons, Canons, HPs, JVC, Samsungs etc etc.

I've installed now the Canon software but I've only used that to set the
camera name up and some custom profiles on the camera, besides the stich
application and occasional furtles in DPP I'll probably never use it
again.

> 7) iPhoto on the Mac promises so much and delivers so little, at the
> expense of messing up your whole filing system and clogging your disk
> drive with multiple copies of every picture.

iPhoto is ok for some, as something that it is basically free you can't
complain. I'm with you as a non supporter, take a look at iView though
which is imo a nice program.

The iMovie and iDVD bundle are worth the iLife price though, they are
two excellent programs. I've sold off the camcorder though through lack
of use, preferred playing in iMovie to using the camcorder.

> 8) VirtualPC for Mac is a gimmick that is probably incompatible with
> anything important that you want to do.
> 9) Don't buy anti-virus software for OS X. Waste of money and it
> probably won't run properly anyway.

Norton won't, there are others but 'currently' the only sources of
problems is macs can carry the Office Macro virus's. Doesn't affect the
mac but if you do get sent an infected doc...

> 10) No free games like Solitaire. Oh well.

Chess ;) Home spec machines normally come with a different bundle and
there is stuff out there available cheaply. I've got 'Solitaire Plus!'
which I'm still running in demo.

> 11) No Easter eggs hidden in software, either. Oh well.
> 12) The Apple SuperDrive and software: absolutely the most convenient,
> easiest to use software for burning disks that I have ever seen, and it
> seems compatible with every conceivable format.
> 13) No IR port. Took me awhile to get used to that, but Bluetooth
> actually works as advertised, unlike what you see in Windows.

Come on try using IR, it is a pain in the arse trying to balance things
in line. But yes BT works brilliantly, and with the right mobile, iSync
is really good too.

> 14) No support for Windows Pocket PC devices. The best third party
> software out there is PocketMac PC, which is somewhat temperamental but
> gets the job done. Still, it is enough to make you consider switching
> to a Palm device. PocketMac PC also has versions that support
> Blackberry.

Marc Space Missing Sync as well I think is an option iirc.

> 15) No free backup software. But you can get SoftRAID, which
> automatically mirrors your hard disk to another disk with Firewire. If
> you disconnect your laptop and do some field work elsewhere, it just
> rebuilds the mirror when you re-connect. You don't have to do a darned
> thing and it does not slow the system at all. There are various
> mirroring schemes available with Windows, but none of them are this
> foolproof and simple to use.
> 16) Game software is always about two years behind Windows software.

When I had a PC this was kinda important, and I spent a good proportion
of my time playing games on the PC. Now I've switched to Apple I don't
care, I've got a few games, hardly play them. Enjoy being productive now
rather than using an expensive PC as an overprices PS2/Xbox. If you want
to play games buy a console I say.

> 17) USB 2.0 devices actually act like USB 2.0 devices.
> 18) You run into the occasional odd printer or something that does not
> work with OS X. Relatively rare problem.

Seen very very few in personal experience.

> 19) Airport wireless networking is virtually automatic and works every
> time.
> 20) Wired networking is a bit kludgy and takes some fiddling to get it
> to work with Windows machines. But it works fine once you get it set up
> and it is no more pain than networking Windows machines together.

Wired networking isnt' kludgy, works just as well as airport, which is
better than windows. Trying to get a windows machine to talk can be a
bit kludgy, just like getting two windows machines talking, but once
you've figured it out it continues working. Try network printing too on
the mac, much simpler than windows.

> 21) Lots of great screen calibrating utilities available, including
> some that come with the machine. OTOH, they don't explain themselves
> very well.
> 22) Searchlight search engine in OS X is quicker and more powerful than
> anything in available in Windows.
> 23) The trashcan has lots of little "gotchas" that you have to learn to
> deal with.
> 24) Don't use FileVault. It works fine, but it confuses a lot of backup
> software and, contrary to the documentation, it is a one way trip. Once
> you set it up you are pretty much stuck with it.
> 25) Don't let anyone kid you about OS X being more stable than Windows.
> All you are doing is replacing the blue screen of death with the gray
> screen of death (aka "kernel panic"). Granted, this has not happened
> since I uninstalled Symantec's software, so I should re-phrase that: in
> my experience Symantec's software makes OS X as unstable as Windows.

That was prob Norton, I support around 70-90 Apple macs, The kernal
panic grey screen is v v rare (normally it is caused by a usb or cheap
ram issue). Most machines we just put to sleep when not in use, either
lift lid (laptops) or hit space (desktops) to carry on where we left
off. I've seen I think 3 panics in 2.5years on my desktop G4, 2 in
2years on the iBook G4. The G4 tower behind me has been running 24/7
doing backup/server duties for 168days and counting without a reboot,
powerdown, or anything (suppose it is about time I ran a software
update), I've had user desktop machines touch over 150days, and those
are just the ones I've checked. I do an occasional uptime check of
machines just out of interest see how they are doing for maintanance. My
biggest problem to keeping the machine running continuously at home is
power cuts.

> 26) None of the Usenet readers available are even as good as Outlook
> Express. Ugh.

That is a whole different flame war in certain groups ;) plenty of
different options don't know which you've tried. If you've got Entourage
with your office suite then that works just as OE for newgroups. If not
MacSoup, Hogwasher, Unison, MTNewswatcher few that pop off top of head.
MacSoup is a funny one, you either love it or hate it camp, but very
popular in the mac groups I frequent. Totally unlike anything else
you'll ever use, which means you probably wouldn't get on with it, but
the thread tree is marvelous.

For those that come up with the software argument against macs, actually
start looking at all those applications, and how many are actually 'any
good' and then start seeing how many are really left. How many times
have you ended up buying half a dozen different 'cheap' alternatives
just to end up buying one of the more expensive decent ones you were
trying to avoid in the first place that is actually available on both
platforms. I say this having been there and done it, bought this
application for £15, another for £20, in the end buy the adobe one which
is available on both platforms for £60. I'm not saying this is always
true, and there is a good range of 'shareware' applications out there
for the mac (and PC) that are really good, rather than being on the
shelves.

There is some stuff that the selection is a bit poor or pricey. Think
CAD is one example, but if what you want to do and the software is
available then I wouldn't hesitate recommending the apple line. I
switched 2.5yrs ago and never regretted it. You often find too the
residuals are so solid that if you buy something and after a few months
you don't like it, eBay values are close to purchase price.
--
Jon B
real email to usenet at jonbradbury dot com
.