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B58/732
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Hot as Hell, AZ
Posts: 12,313
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Yah, I'm pretty stoked. I don't think I get the light-up keyboard, though.
 Oh, well, I'm sure there are some USB-powered keyboard lights out there.  I went into CompUSA today to play around with their PB floor models and I just like the way everything seems to work smoothly. My work Win2K laptop is getting kinda fritz-y and I'm having not a lot of fun getting my LInux desktop so my wife can use it. Hope I get to upgrade to 10.3 cheap! Y'know, I used to be a real UNIX geek, loved to tinker with everything, didn't mind stuff not working right, wanted everything to be a challenge. Now, after many years, I just want the damn things to work. I don't have time to f*ck around with these idiot boxes anymore. I spend all day at work managing a huge software product, writing code, beating up developers, dealing with moron customers, kicking the asses of our software suppliers, and managing a lab full of (Windows) workstations and servers on the side. To quote the Beatles, "I'm so tired..." I just want to be able to check my email, watch videos, burn a disc or two, and sync my iPod at home. Is that too much to ask?
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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ I don't always talk to vegetarians--but when I do, it's with a mouthful of bacon. |
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10-23-2003, 07:45 PM
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you will be stoked. The new 15" units are damn nice...just got my web guy one today to replace his Ti book. The only issue I've heard are some units having white spots on the display. Seems pretty limited, and Apple is acknowledging the problem. Odds are if you are doing a BTO machine, you'll have one that is sorted.
There are USB lights out there. I've got a cool blue one, but I rarely use it. I can touch type so working in the dark isn't too tough. The cool thing is you can get back into unix...just pull up a terminal window and you've got a shell running. The iPod sync is flawless, as is most of the other experience. |
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10-23-2003, 08:22 PM
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B58/732
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Hot as Hell, AZ
Posts: 12,313
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Holy schmoly, I just read a huge thread about the "white spots" problem. Hope I don't have another Dell-type situation.
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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ I don't always talk to vegetarians--but when I do, it's with a mouthful of bacon. |
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10-23-2003, 09:30 PM
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no, Apple actually is very good about things like that...especially if you have an Apple Store near you. When my first generation iPod died, I walked into the Apple Store, they verified that it was indeed dead, and they gave me a new one.
There has been a thread going on our local geek mailing list here at the university. Seems that almost everyone has been having problems with Dell stuff for the last couple years, and almost all the IT guys have sworn off buying any of their crap. |
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10-24-2003, 06:09 AM
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This just further underscores the MYTH about Mac vs. PC reliability. It kills me that people continue to play the reliability card in deciding to move from a PC to a Mac. Dead Pods, white spots, system bugs, yada yada yada, it goes on and on. What's so different here? My office neighbor has jumped through hoops here at work to keep his Mac and Linux machines. For philosophical resons he absolutely will not use Redmond products. Yet he continues to have more problems over the course of a month than I do running my.....Dell.
Are people upgrading for hardware or software? Mac has a tighter control over hardware, which is generally top notch, and top $$$$, but you can just as easily spec a PC with top quality components as well for a fraction of the cost. Many PC reliability issues stem from users who install some bargain type component with lousy drivers they got a "deal" on at Frys. Now to me, if a person likes the Mac OS look and feel and proprietary hardware so much that he/she is willing to shell out extra $$$ to get it - then hey fine go for it. That would be a valid reason to switch. Last edited by dmoolenaar; 10-24-2003 at 07:42 AM.. |
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10-24-2003, 07:40 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: I'm out there.
Posts: 13,084
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Before the Macs, I ran Windows on a variety of machines. I had constant nightmares. Peripheral component and driver compatability was a constant issue. When something went wrong, it was a complete hassle to unravel. If I want a challenging problem to solve, I'll read a mystery novel. At work I simply have no time or inclination troubleshoot the vagaries of the Windows operating system. Simply put, Macs work. Predictably and reliably, they just work.
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10-24-2003, 07:52 AM
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David, you're working from a small dataset. I've been in a variety of university environments, all cross platform. In EVERY situation (and we're talking thousands of machines and users) hardware and softare issues were far smaller for the Mac. No manufacturer is perfect, but when things go wrong, Apple usually ponies up quickly. And you're not talking to Bangalore when you call support (at least afaik).
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10-24-2003, 08:11 AM
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Moses,
First, you've been running a Mac office for 10 years with probably all very similar (hardware/software configurations) machines. Before that was what, Windoz 3.1, or maybe at the very end 95, all on "a variety of machines". Your experience, though valid, is not relevant for a person shopping for a current day computer/OS. Hell I am anything but a networking/admin type and even I have networked 3 (not 5) machines in just a few hours time with Win2K and XP. You want real problems try establishing a network over LAN with Windows (XP, 2K, and NT), Solaris, and Linux. |
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10-24-2003, 08:14 AM
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As I previously stated, a PC can be assembled using a virtual laundry list of components/manufacturers, this is by design. It is up to the user (or SysAdmin) to choose the components that best assemble the machine for its intended purpose. Over the years windoz has made a lot of progress in minimizing issues posed with this type of setup - where Mac generally avoided this from the start by forcing owners down the same path. I can see value in both approaches.
However we're branching off into Networking issues and away from the original thread. BlueSky wants to "check my email, watch videos, burn a disc or two, and sync my iPod at home. Is that too much to ask?" No it's not, other than the iPod (don't have one - but they sound cool) I have been doing all those things and more for 2 years on my Dell (Latitude) laptop. Heck I have a P233 Win98 machine at home that maintains my MP3 collection (4 GB). Today I couldn't give that machine away, yet it's fine for web browsing, listening to music, looking at family pictures, and even running MS office tools. Total value including monitor, about $150. In the 4 years I've had it I had rebuild the machine exactly one time when the hard drive finally packed up. Thank god for backups eh! At work we are a decidedly Windoz house with 65 employees, about 200+ PCs, a few dozen Solaris machines, and handful of Linux boxes and exactly 2 Macs. We have one SysAdmin who spends a large portion of his day surfing the internet...just not Pelican like me  That all said I think OSX is a great step for Mac - their first "real" operating system. I would consider using one if price wasn't such a problem for me, and the fact that my customers pay me to develop for the machines they deploy - Solaris/Windoz. BTW - I am a Java developer - well, used to, now I manage Java developers and take them to lunch now and then when they pull of a delivery on tight deadlines 
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10-24-2003, 09:47 AM
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B58/732
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Hot as Hell, AZ
Posts: 12,313
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OK, my point is that for the amount of money I paid for the Dell ($2680, shipped, before rebates) I have a reasonable expectation of "quality" in terms of feel, construction, materials, features, and usability. The Dell was a stinking pile of crap except on the features scale, and half of those features I didn't really want or need but couldn't change (BTW, WUXGA resolution makes everything impossible to read, regardless of the system font size you choose--many dialog boxes have fixed sizes, so when you up the fontsize you can't read anything in 'em).
For a few dollars more I'm getting--hopefully--a machine with similar capabilities, looks a hell of a lot nicer, is made from far better materials, is constructed much better, and is designed for usability over flexibility. Yes, I'm actually looking for less flexibility (we side-stepped that discussion earlier, David, and I'll continue the trend!). Don't get me wrong, I'll always own Wintel machines. Just without the "Win" part. And never again will I purchase a Dell. Now they're even trying to screw me on the return (the return site declined delivery because they were doing "inventory"! Which means Dell is holding my $$ hostage and FedEx is holding the laptop until Dell requests it!!!). Todd, I bought this machine through a reseller--not directly from Apple--but the Apple store down the street from me will still handle any warranty issues, right? I mean, do they represent the company? Or are they a spin-off or something?
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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ I don't always talk to vegetarians--but when I do, it's with a mouthful of bacon. |
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10-24-2003, 11:06 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: I'm out there.
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Windows has always been an emulation program. A "user friendly" interface designed to hide the machines ugly DOS skeleton. Mac OS has always been an elegant system that communicates directly with the heart of the system. OSX is a beautiful refinement of that philosophy.
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10-24-2003, 11:08 AM
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I admit the shameless dig about a "real os" was in bad taste,
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10-24-2003, 11:20 AM
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For a few dollars more I'm getting--hopefully--a machine with similar capabilities, looks a hell of a lot nicer, is made from far better materials, is constructed much better, and is designed for usability over flexibility - a Firebird Trans Am. Dell makes loads of computers - some great and some not so great. It's a given that the Latitude is a more serious machine than the Inspirion. Seriously, congrats on the new PB and hopefully it's everything you hope it to be. 
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10-24-2003, 11:32 AM
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B58/732
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Hot as Hell, AZ
Posts: 12,313
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Your analogy, while almost amusing, is offbase. Bursting into flames (covered by insurance or warranty) is not the same as looking like it had been slapped together by blind, deranged 8-year-olds when brand new ("That's the way they all are, sir").
And the 1967-1969 Firebird was a cool car. The employee purchase program under which I was allowed to buy a Dell at a discount permitted me to choose from the Inspiron and Dimension lines. That's it. Latitudes were not available under this program. This experience with Dell has been marked by horrible service, a crappy product, and massive inconvenience to me. PS: Sorry to hear about your 914, should've bought a real Porsche.
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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ I don't always talk to vegetarians--but when I do, it's with a mouthful of bacon. |
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10-24-2003, 11:53 AM
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yes, the Apple Store will take care of any repair issues. In fact, if you just have questions on "how do I do x", you can go there and they will help you. A real person. In person. What's up with that?
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10-24-2003, 12:57 PM
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the original MacOS (system 6), was damn stable. We had Mac SEs in the lab running almost 24/7 and they pretty much never went down. System 7 introduced the ability to run multiple apps...it got less stable. Each iteration got a little worse as more capabilities were added. The main problem is that the OS was designed for a single user, and the world changed into a multi-user/network environment. As they kludged multi-tasking capabilities onto the top of the OS, stability suffered. Then as they opened up hooks for 3rd party extensions, it got worse. The move to OSX (and BSD unix core via nextstep) was needed so they could start with a multi-tasking, multi-user core and then build ease-of-use onto the top. They were working on other solutions, but when Jobs came back and brought next with him, that was the direction (anyone remember pink, or BeOS?)
One thing about the older MacOS...it was damn near hack proof. Since at it's core it was a single user system, it tended to be a very secure server platform. As I recall a Swedish group had $$$ on the table to anyone that could hack into their Mac server. The money went unclaimed... |
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10-24-2003, 01:03 PM
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B58/732
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Hot as Hell, AZ
Posts: 12,313
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BeOS ruled.
A damn shame they went down the tubes. I still boot into it every once in a while for giggles.
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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ I don't always talk to vegetarians--but when I do, it's with a mouthful of bacon. |
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10-24-2003, 01:38 PM
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B58/732
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Hot as Hell, AZ
Posts: 12,313
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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ I don't always talk to vegetarians--but when I do, it's with a mouthful of bacon. |
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10-24-2003, 02:02 PM
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B58/732
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Hot as Hell, AZ
Posts: 12,313
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For those of you who give a crap, today is Day 45 of Dell still holding my $1680 hostage. I've sicced American Express and the Better Business Bureau on them. That's pretty much all I can do at this point.
Those lousy f*ckers have made an enemy for life. I will forever shout from the hilltops how awful Dell service and quality are. I will make it my mission in life to keep as many people as possible from buying from Dell. In the meantime my Apple PB is going mostly strong. Had some crashes, turned out to be a bad (expansion) memory module. It's getting replaced at the reseller's expense; they even arranged for FedEx to come out to me an pick it up on their dime. How did this get diagnosed? Well, I took it into an Apple store a few miles from my home and a tech ran a few tests. I didn't even buy the PB from the store! And the memory was even third party! Now that's service.
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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ I don't always talk to vegetarians--but when I do, it's with a mouthful of bacon. |
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12-01-2003, 08:36 PM
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yeah, each hardware iteration has gotten more sensitive to RAM specs. Luckily as you've seen, the resellers are pretty good about making it right. And yes, Apple stores rock. I walked in with a dead iPod, and walked out with a replacement unit.
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12-01-2003, 09:42 PM
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1979 Porsche 911SC 3.0
Carrera
2003 996
04 Jeep
