Re: A convert to Apple needs friendly advice

James Taylor wrote: 
Hi,

Sorry about the length of this. 

No need, nobody else in here bothers with length. :-)
<snip>


<snip location and other stuff> 

Which is the biggest and/or best Apple specialist in London where
my friend Susie and I can play with the full range of machines
and get plenty of one-to-one expert advice on any necessary
peripherals or additional software? (I'm in Fulham but can travel.)

*The* Apple Store London?? 

Am I correct in thinking that there are just four models in
the current range of Apple laptops: 12" iBook, 14" iBook,
12" PowerBook, and 14" PowerBook? Am I correct in thinking that
the innards of the lowest spec. machine can be upgraded to those
of the highest? If not, which aspects cannot be upgraded, and how
much would I miss them?

15" Powerbook, not 14"+ 17" Powerbook

Susie wants to be able to play DVDs (from various regions).
Will an iBook allow that, or is it limited to just one region?
Can it play them at full screen and full frame rate?


AIUI you would hit the region change wall without hacking the drives firmware, which would probably invalidate any warranty, IMBTAUW.

What level of USB is supported? 

Up to 12 Mb/s (USB 2 ?)

Is it always possible to
connect with any camera, printer, scanner, MP3 player, or
other storage device, or do you have to choose the device
carefully based on a list of known to work USB devices?

Some just work using pre-installed device drivers, others require drivers supplied by the manufacturer of the unit.

Is there such a list? 

Probably, but I've never needed to use it.


,snip bluetooth query> 

What about wireless ethernet (Wi-Fi)? Which 802.11 standards
are supported? Is there anything proprietary or even just quirky
about MacOS Wi-Fi? Can I assume 11g frequencies and speed are
fully supported, or is it still only 11b? Are the 11X
authentication mechanisms supported, and the 11i encryption
protocols such as TKIP and especially CCMP (AES)? If not, how
soon can I expect these standards to be supported?


11g is standard for Macs now, I've never got into the black magic that is encryption.

Are Bluetooth and Wi-Fi fitted as standard?

depends on the model, I don't think bt is standard on all portables, IMBTAUWA.

If not, what are the
costs involved in getting them fitted?


Check Apple's web site.

Can they be fitted
internally without the need to use up PCMCIA slots?


Yes

Will fitting
them take up expansion space that limits my options for later
expansion?


No

Are there different versions of software drivers to
worry about? What is the impact on battery life?

Don't believe so. I managed 4hrs.+ with a new battery fully charged using Wi-Fi bt turned off.

<snip printer stuff> 

We would like to get into using Voice over the Internet (VoIP)
but first we need to know if there are any robust and open VoIP
implementations for MacOS that will work on the laptop when one
of us is away on holiday. Can anyone claim success at getting
VoIP to work, and how tricky was it to set up?

Skype et al.

What is the track record of MacOS-X on security matters such
as viruses, worms, spy-ware, email & browser bugs, open ports,
buffer overflows, and application macros? Is it necessary to feel
paranoid and hide behind constantly updated security software,
or is it more like RISC OS where nobody can remember the last
time a virus was even seen? Does MacOS-X have a robust
permissions system that protects system files from modification
by the user or any insecure software the user might be running?


Never had a virus using OS X. What's spy-ware? Apple do their best with email and browsers, alternatives are available. Built in Firewall seems to do the business. Don't talk to me about permissions. ;-)

Both Susie and I have been put-off by the shiny white plastic
look of the iBook, which reminds us of a cheap kitchen appliance
(think kettle or toaster). Susie is an incurable aesthete, and
I just want something that won't look tacky in a professional
environment. Matt black would be far more to our taste. The
brushed aluminium PowerBook we saw looked *much* smarter, but
the price seemed way too much to pay for cosmetic considerations
alone. Do Apple produce any better looking laptops at a more
reasonable price?

Horses for courses, you pays your money and takes your chances. I'm on my sixth Macintosh since a Mac Plus, the cost may seem prohibitive, but my Macs were useful productive machines with little or no upgrades (memory mostly) for longer than family and friends Wintel machines 

I am used to a three button mouse on both Linux and RISC OS.
The purpose of the three buttons are particularly well assigned
on RISC OS and greatly contribute to the fluidity of everyday use
and productivity; not just in the OS but in all the applications
too. I am worried that a one button mouse will cramp my
productivity considerably. I've heard that it is possible to get
a three button mouse for the Mac but I imagine that the
assignments of these buttons are not well integrated into the
operating system or applications. In fact, I suspect they may
even be arbitrarily assigned by the driver software supplied with
the mouse and not actually recognised as separate buttons by any
other part of the system. Can anyone offer enlightenment or
reassurance on this matter?

Mac OS X copes well with with a multitude of multi-button devices, normally if a driver is supplied for a pointing device, re-assigning of button actions is supported.

And now for a philosophical question: Coming from a RISC OS 

<snip philosopic rant>

Open source applications are available, some file formats can be problematic, but most applications allow export of files to a variety of different formats. 

The ugly reality, however, is that we live in a world dominated
by Microsoft, its file formats, protocols, bugs & viruses.
Is it possible to read and write the common MS formats (Word,
Excel, PowerPoint, Access) *without* using Microsoft software
or inadvertently letting a single penny slip Microsoft's way?


NeoOffice/ Open Office

<snip Web an Pearl>

One of our mentors will be along in a minute.


PS. Is anyone planning to visit an Apple showroom in London

You already knew the answer to your first question and could have saved a few Kb of this post! :-)

who might be able to team up with us and offer the kind of
power-user insights that sales staff tend not to possess?
It's a long-shot, I know, but it would be invaluable to us.


Lots of the denizens of this location haunt your rough local (dan souf).

HTH

Bob W
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