"New Mac Book!" Topic

Yay!
Finally, I'm getting my graduation gift! A new Mac book is headed to my door, and I am wondering a few things-->

first, do you use your computer in your painting area? If so, does it get super dirty? FYI, its a new white model, so not super for use in the painting area.

second, just for the fun of it, mac or Pc?

Regards,
John

Well a MAC is a PC, I assume you mean OSX or Windows.

If you've been following recent threads I'd sat neither. Go Linux and get a more responsive system that you control.

On a professional level, what do you want to use it for? That will start to answer your question.

High End video stuff then a Mac probably, email, writing, some home accounts keeping then any, Windows games then Windows. Older Windows games then Linux with Wine,

if I had to choose between Mac and windows I would say Mac all the way. However that said. I just bought a new computer a few months ago and went with Ubuntu, which is a version of Linux. Add Wine to that and I am playing all the newer games like World of Warcraft and Spore without any problems. So my main choice would be a version of Linux over either of the two. Actually you can get wine for the Mac as well. It's called DarWine iirc.

Cheers
GeorgeD

Linux would be great if everything worked.

Mac is great because it's got a great UI, and everything works, including windows.

Windows is mediocre but the hardware's cheap

I'm going to come in as a windows defender. Windows runs everything which includes a lot of mediocre software and hardware. That's why it gets a bum wrap. With good hardware and software it runs as smooth as a mac (I've seen OSX bluescreen).

Macs have very limited software and hardware--compatibility and support is easy--but try upgrading the graphics. Plus recent macs have been a disappointment. They've quietly changed the screens on their computers to cheaper TN panels and it shows. They've had pretty bad hardware quality control with graphics chips and capacitors, even the mother boards in their powerbooks have had problems. All this for hardware sold at a premium. And yes you can run windows on them but why? If there's an application you want to run that requires windows than go with a windows machine--it's much cheaper.

Windows, then various flavors of Linux, then PC GEOS, then OS/2, then stone tablets, then the Mac.

If you only have to build an OS to support 2% of the Hardware out there, then AMC works just fine.

If you actually want to use the machine for commonly used business applications, computer games, etc. Then save yourself a grand (or so) and buy a PC.

Since it was a gift, use it until you get tired of it…

Mac here. Use MacBoot to set up a dual boot system if you really, really, need to run some Windows software. It will be more than able to handle it. But don't use the Windows OS for web surfing. The Mac OS is far more secure on that point (heck, there's no comparison), though no OS is invulnerable. Be sure your built in firewall is active, and install a good virus protection package (like Insignia's VirusBarrier). These days on the Mac, that's more like "insurance" than anything else, but it's a good idea as the Mac continues to claim market share and thus attracts more "bad guy" interest. But even so, you have little to worry about from "script kiddies", as the Mac OS just doesn't have the same level of holes as the PC (aka "swiss cheese computing"). Follow smart Internet practice, and you'll be fine.

As for graphics, the built in graphics on a Mac should handle anything you care to throw at it. If you were doing high-end professional CGI animation work (that no off-the-shelf PC could dream of handling either), well then you'd use a tower model and pop in the appropriate card, or let the local Apple store handle it.

Use a digital camera? Plug it in. iPhoto loads it. iPod? iTunes pops right up. Video? iMovie. Wanna make a web page? iWeb. Compose music/lay down your own tracks? Garage Band. Write a paper/design a brochure/heck layout an entire rule book? Pages. Presentation? Keynote. Spreadsheet? Numbers. Most of these are bundled with the machine.

Yes, there may be some obscure two-bit "business" application of specific focus and limited utility that isn't written for the Mac OS. That's what MacBoot is for. But the mainstream stuff and the high-end graphics stuff? Yeah, that's all Mac native these days. And if it's not, there's some Mac application that does the same thing, and probably better. But MacBoot's always an option, or you can go with Parallels if you wanna run 'em simultaneously. Sure, there's some emulation involved in the latter, but what would you run on a Mac simultaneously with a Mac app that would require so much processing speed that you'd notice the hit? Are you planning to play World of Warcraft and do video editing at the same time?!?

So ignore the naysayers and enjoy an "insanely great" machine!