Why I sometimes wish I had a Mac (Page 4 of 4)

It seems to me - and it is my definite experience - that i get more wonderful things done with my "slow" computer than any of my pc friends, no matter how fast a processor they have. Why? Very simple answer/s:
? Everything just works, and is so beautifully well integrated, and most things are made with the same idea www-designers strive for: FEW clicks with consistent disign. And not least; "the attention to detail" - Apple/Mac software is so esthetically and functionally well put together, this is really a strong selling point.
? What takes "forever" to do on a PC (because of comparatively poor integration of both soft- and hardware, a multitude of "properties of properties of properties", inconsistent behaviour/design of most apps, etc), takes so much less time on a Mac, the important factor is not the MHz. (Most the time, sitting by any modern puter is idle time, from the processor's point of view, anyhow.)
? Also, the powerPC gets about twice as many things done compared to the same MHz Intel processor, on a technical level.
? Also, the unix/bsd/freebsd multitasking/multi-processor support/protected memory etc, is so well implemented by almost all Mac apps, for me this means i can do so many things at once (burning a dvd-r while editing more dv-movies, while the whole internet-server runs, while importing lots of large digital images from camera, while video-chatting in iChat..... like i said earlier). And no crashes or hangs.
? The memory handling on a Mac is really sensational. I very seldom quit an app. Good "sleeping" apps dont use any processor time, and its memory is used by "awake" apps if needed. The interface is very adapted for this, no cludgy task-bar...etc.
? A modern Mac starts at 1.25 GHz and much faster bus speeds/memory etc. A semi-professional starts with dual 1.6 GHz processors. The soft- and hardware it is equipped with, compared to a good quality PC with the "equivalent" soft- and hardware...price about the same, today. Then again, in reality, you get much more done, more efficiently and with better results, on a Mac.
? ROI - you know the term - Return Of Investment, in report after report from e.g. Gartner Group, show the above to be true. Wish i had all the links to this now, but i am not a mac-evangelist, you know - rather a Macoholic

On the game scene, i have concluded this thru the years:
? Large base on PC, most development resources spent on that platform, gives "better" games (which is not the case with professional apps as much, because Mac already has its niches in the media/multimedia/educational world).
? Apple really does not support the massive game industry. Why not? Well...and this is probably quite controversial...The game scene is to a very large degree shoot/kill/blood/violence...and inasmuch this is a reflection of "bad karma", Apple chooses to support other things, which reflect "good karma". (Please don't hate me for saying this, but it is a very much problematic thing, the game scene, when it comes to boys' exposure to violence etc. New Zeeland just the other day forbid a very new PC game due to its bloody and violent nature, and would fine any retailer who sold it by hundreds of thousands of their currency...
Anyway, there are some very good games for mac, some only on that platform - but games is really not my bag, so...then again, i know a number of devout maccers who use a pc just for games...o well...

Hope i have not expressed to many subjective and emotional things about using a Mac. But then again, using a Mac is very often about much of that, and it would be wrong to neglect that from a comparison. Apple is determined in their goal for their OS - it should be a pleasurable and seam-less user experience - and to a very large degree, they have really succeded, thanks to (among many things) unix/freeBSD/BSD - on the server os called "open source made easy".

One more thing - the Apple GUI for all underlying *nix processes, to some may seem like it would "lock you up" in a pre-defined box and way/method of using the machine. But this is in no way the case. My *nix friends on Macs have just as much possibilities to do *nix stuff as on a bona fide *nix box. I am not one of them, but i have seen amazing things done by them on command line level, tweaking and configuring stuff that would take me another life-time to master. As a small example, i ran some unix code to be able to play any divx/avi/mpg in the command line terminal window! Amazing it was, as all them ascii and other characters representing shades of gray flew around, while the stereo sound blasted out - it was kindo like watching a movie in braille for the blind!

Hopefully, while out shopping christmas-presents for friends/family/self, you will find some time to go to some Apple Store in Stockholm (Birger Jarlsgatan and Sveavägen has a few)...i donno where your location 127.0.0.1 is - and touch and feel the new PowerBooks/iMacs/PowerMacs... When i visit those stores, I definitely have to bring a lot of hancerchiefs, because i drooool so much...as i am one poor maccer with 5-6-yr-old machines...

Maybe he is a professional mac salesman

lol and we're just unsuspecting customers-to-be

I thought it might be something like that.

I've gone from pro-mac/apple back in the '80s to anti-mac in the '90s and now I'm neutral.

I was, unfortunately, working tech-support for my university in the '90s when macs were just awful (at least if you were providing tech-support for IBM-compatibles and more than one type of mac).

Keep in mind this is from a tech-support perspective: If Apple had gone out of business back then I think they would've deserved it. Most machines had a different version of the OS and each of these OSs had a different collection of patches of varying quality and reliability--and we had no auto-upgrade via the network back then. Macs either ate up a disproportionate amount of the service department's time or they were dumped to the back of a long list and fixed when things were slow. And most of us working there couldn't help but feel annoyed when a mac-cultist client would preach to us about how their mac was inherently better than an IBM-compatible as we fixed their glitchy, buggy computer (this was the exception, of course, but it only took a handful of times to become memorable).

The most hated things to support were (in order): Packard Bells, newer network printers on Windows3.1x machines, Macs, IBM PS2's, and one particular model of Compaq.

I left university--and the tech-support job--just after Apple almost went bankrupt, got financial assistance from Microsoft instead, and then cleaned their act up by releasing OS X and the newer machines.

I understand that, i guess i got carried away - and there are others enjoying the "show", it seems.

Which is why i don't quit apps

Hmm...I ran thru that page, and don't see what you see about violation...iChat really works well with brushed metal, and the guidelines speak of using both. Brushed when it "Provides an interface for a digital peripheral, such as a camera, or an interface for managing data shared with digital peripherals?iPhoto or iSync, for example." - which iChat also does. o well

ROTFLMAO

Hope my new avatar shows up.
Hope you stay the way you do, as you have created the most excellent BB.
Hope you have a wonderful christmas, and that the finalizing of punBB 1.2 goes well - don't let platform discussions slow you down

And for the rest of you all, i must express this: To me, it is a very pleasant experience to "be" among you all like this - cuz there seems to be no hostility or flaming pride here - Here, things seem to be all about what it really is about, which i respect and value so much. Thank you

I, on the other hand, suffer from Open Apps Syndrome. I close apps the instant I don't use them. I know I don't have to, but I guess it's a remnant from the old Windows9x/MacOS7/8/9 days :)

But it doesn't? What kind of digital periphal does iChat provide an interface for? I know iChat AV can be used to do video conferencing with iSight, but that's hardly what they mean by "provides an interface for". It has to do with a usability term called mapping. A CD-player might have a brushed metal case and therefore it's suitable to have a brushed metal UI representation for a CD-player application. However, for iChat, that mapping doesn't apply.

There are more examples. What digital periphal does Safari provide an interface for? Font book?

It sure does. I kind of miss the old image though. People having their own picture as an avatar is quite uncommon :)

You have to take a break from coding sometimes. Discussing Apple is a nice break :) Oh, merry christmas to you too.

Much better :)

I don't have a smiley for this situation :)

My guess is that Macers are not biased, except against win-tel

This is probably suicide coming from a person primarily using Windows, but here are some other suggestions:

My favorite is the one with Bush :)

www.yahoo.com

I started out as a Mac user. I loved my old iMac but the price and compatibility the PC sucked me in. PC's can be very fast an effective if you know what you're doing and how to maintain it. The Apple laptops still make my mouth water though.

I recently discover Linux (SuSE 9.1 Pro), VERY interesting but it still aimed too much at the real power user. Definitely one to keep an eye on though; it was lighting quick, infinitely customizable, very pretty (that's be the old KDE) and very secure. Plus it came with a massive amount of free applications on the 4 discs; not just any old rubbish either, full quality apps. 

I'd still be running a dual boot if it worked on my new Dell laptop.