Apple Computer?

andu wrote: Shakespeare wrote: andu wrote: ^ You can set up the Windows updates to happen exactly when you want them to... which of course doesn't make Windows safer than Mac's own, but I just wanted to correct that factual error. I didn't say that! All I said was that when updating for Macs, you can do 4 or 5 updates at a time, and then restart once for all of them, whereas on a PC, you have to restart 4 or 5 times for 4 or 5 updates. What exactly didn't you say? 'cause I wasn't putting any words in your mouth (again I tell you that). And again I'm telling you you're wrong: you can download whatever downloads you need for your Windows, and install (hence restart) all of them at once. Or you can download and install them, and make one restart for all of them whenever you want. Maybe you use a different Windows than I - myself I have XP SP2.

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.....When I started with this new computer, I had a slew of updates for every program, and I had to do a restart for each individually, I couldn't find a way to do them all with 1 restart. On my mac, when I went through the same process, the huge list of updates only required 1 restart. That's all I'm saying.

But whatever, it's not a big deal. It's not like that one aspect would make one better than the other, anyway. I don't really care...let's let this discussion die, it's not going anywhere anyway, we're both just repeating ourselves.

andu wrote: ^ You can set up the Windows updates to happen exactly when you want them to... which of course doesn't make Windows safer than Mac's own, but I just wanted to correct that factual error.

I didn't say that! All I said was that when updating for Macs, you can do 4 or 5 updates at a time, and then restart once for all of them, whereas on a PC, you have to restart 4 or 5 times for 4 or 5 updates.

bhikkhu wrote: There is really one basic question that needs to be asked. Are you a big fan of viruses, spyware (and the prigrams you need to have constantly running to combat this) , and freeze-ups?

(Not to mention having to download each individual update separately, and having to restart for each one, whereas Macs let you update a handful and restart once for all of them.)

Long live the Mac.

rileydog22 wrote: Shakespeare wrote: I use a mac and a PC, both with PA as the homepage, there are no downsides to the Mac. Get GARAGE BAND for your mac: it's a program to make music, and it's really easy and incredibly fun to use. It's what I've been using. (Everyone who has never used a Mac has a prejudice against it, everyone who has EVER used a mac is in love with them. Go with the apple.) Actually, I had to use Macs a few years in school and found PCs to be much easier to use.

Yeah, that's because they get the stupid macs. They don't pay the $1400 for the top-of-the-line labtops. The school ones suck, my school uses those.

Also, you may have grew up using PCs (like me) and got used to them. But if you were given a nice, top of the line mac, and used it a lot, and got used to, I'm sure you would prefer it.

One problem for me with Macs is that games that have been downloaded off the internet usually don't work.

Peter wrote:  Hmmmm....   Opinions -- like results, it seems -- vary.   I'm a little confused, but thanks to all for responding. I'm still willing to give the Mac a go, though -- next move is to talk to the tech guys here at work, and at my local computer store, I guess (they're good).   BTW, it was my brother in law, a recently retired IBM service rep, who recommended the Mac for me -- he has a good understanding of what I do on my computer. For the record, I am decidedly a non tech-savvy type of guy. I really know very little about computers, and the arcana of their inner workings!   Any extra comments/insights/experiences are welcome -- and how about you PA admins: any Mac - PA issues?

I'm a tech dinosaur too. I've actually only owned my own computer for 3.5 years. The first one I bought was a used iMac G3. I had only used Widows before. I got used to OSX pretty quickly. Three weeks after I had it, I got hit by lighting. It messed it up just enough to keep me from connecting to the internet. My only option at the time was trading it for a Compaq. Being back with Windows after that brief time with a Mac was enough to convince me. It got so I absolutely hated Windows. That's when I started saving for my G5.

Peter wrote: For the record, I am decidedly a non tech-savvy type of guy. I really know very little about computers, and the arcana of their inner workings!

In this case Peter you won't really miss anything by switching to the MAC. It'll only take you a little time to get used to the interface. I recommend you to go for the MAC and also to keep your old PC.

 Hmmmm....

I use a mac and a PC, both with PA as the homepage, there are no downsides to the Mac.

Get GARAGE BAND for your mac: it's a program to make music, and it's really easy and incredibly fun to use. It's what I've been using.

(Everyone who has never used a Mac has a prejudice against it, everyone who has EVER used a mac is in love with them. Go with the apple.)

Edited by Shakespeare - August 20 2007 at 11:00

andu wrote: If what you want from your computer are the usual things such as listening to music, watching films, playing games, browsing the internet, chatting, editing and archiving your documents (images, texts, etc), then I suggest you stick to the PC. The MAC was not designed for these things, but rather for being used by professionals in various areas such as, for example, image or film processing. The MAC is a computer to use at work, and the PC is the one to use at home. The MAC's strength is it's reliability, which comes from a very compact structure of it's software. If you get a MAC, you will find that you need other programs than the default MAC programs, and the more of them you install, the more damage you inflict to the compact structure I was mentioning, therefore functioning problems occur. It also has a different interface and until you learn all it's tricks, it's rather annoying. And finally, most of the programs that were initially developed for the PC have versions for MAC, but these MAC versions usually are less developed, sometimes missing essential features.I was recently given the occasion to have a very good (2500 dollars worth) MAC at my disposal for a week's time, for both work (DTP, which is an area of professional image processing) and personal entertainment. At first I was amazed at how good it was doing it's job, but then... - I installed Yahoo Messenger but the MAC version looks awful and doesn't have the Voice Call feature, so I also had to install Skype too- the video player sucks, as it has a very sloopy video filter (meaning that it's video rendering was syncopated) and a primitive audio filter (meaning that it had problems with newer audio formats and bringing the sound to a minimal, satisfying volume); a better video player and a serious filter pack are needed- ITunes sucks, with it's limited file conversion and editing options and weird file stocking for example- Safari, the web browser, does not have protection against ads (especially noisy ones ), making browsing sometimes horrendous; it also can't be customized the way Firefox can, for example; - many others as suchSo as I started making modifications to the programs and installing new ones, it begun having problems while using the major applications (such as Quark, Freehand, Photoshop) I was using; the MAC's owner even said that he never needed to use "Force quit" or to restart it for better performance before! We talked about these things and we agreed the best thing is to have both a MAC for work and a PC for personal activities.Sorry Peter, I don't think you needed to know all these, they belong to the Ranting Room Basically if you're not a very advanced PC user than you won't feel a big difference when passing to the MAC, and there are also major advantages like it's a lot safer (viruses are developed usually for PCs), it's very silent (it doesn't have a radiator) and it's easy to move (it doesn't have a central unit, everything is hidden in the monitor which is very slim), so go for it!

OK, don't use Yahoo messenger. Use Microsoft, or iChat. I love iTunes, I find it much easier to use than WMP. I also found a plugin for Safari that blocks everything (including those annoying audio ones here on PA ).