I’ve upgraded my MacBook to Mac OS X 10.5 also known as Leopard. And I love it!
I have been using computers proficiently for, let’s see, around 20 years now and I am as excited with Leopard as when I first got my Commodore Amiga 500 around 1990 and I first discovered Linux around 2000. This has nothing to do with being an Apple fanboy or whatever. I am just an ecstatic geek.
Of course, I dislike the translucent menu bar and the new dock but I can confidently say that I am in awe at the 298 remaining enhancements. Funnily, I resisted upgrading to Leopard for weeks as I thought that Tiger was perfect. Now that I have been using Leopard for a few days, I can see how wrong I was…
Luckily, making the translucent menu bar opaque is easy as there is an option for that in the Desktop & Screen Saver system preference window. To have a saner dock, you only have to issue the following in a terminal:
defaults write com.apple.dock no-glass -boolean YES killall Dock
and maybe install Quicksilver.
I did not come up with this terminal incantation by myself. Instead I got it in one of the most comprehensive and exhaustive reviews I’ve ever read in my life. It’s (of course) John Siracusa’s review of Leopard for Ars Technica. I spent hours reading this review today and ingesting and trying everything. I hope that one day I’ll manage to write something similar comparable.
I’ll finish with John’s conclusion:
The stage is set for Mac OS X 10.6 to triumph beyond the bounds of its ancestors. In the meantime, it’s the Mac development community’s opportunity to shine. Whether it reigns for two and a half years, like Tiger, or even longer, I’m looking forward to my time aboard starship Leopard.
I wrote my first program when I was 5, on my commodore, copied it from a book :), but learnt that syntax was very important. Got my first computer in 1994 with windows 3.1 and QBASIC, first own programs! Yupi! Now I have a Quad core, 2GB(not enough..) with 8600GT graphics card… and installed Linux on my PC on 2004, but using currently windows :(
its now that you are upgrading to leopard!!! :p you are late!
I used tiger for one day, then shifted to leopard the next day.
Leopard’s not that. Had to modify a few settings here and there to enable screen lock feature, now its nice.
Btw, do install visor also, its wonnnderful.
Ps. one thing i dislike about mac is that mac ports isn’t particularly very well maintained .. compared to the real ports :p
+$3|v3n
One thing i didn’t like was the whole idea about bootcamp though, :p it was somewhat painful, i wanted to get FreeBSD, Windows and OSX to exist all in that same box, had some trouble initially.
Though thankfully drivers installation was painless with bootcamp.
Forgot to add another thing, Xcode is wonderful when you set the theme to midnight! (other’s don’t know what they are missing).
THOUGH ..this whole mac thing appears like a plastic world, i really miss bugs that can be fixed through a lil hack here and there :(
read the review (skimmed plito:p)
as a GDB user, i wonderred what DTrace got better than GDB… which pointed me to that http://blogs.sun.com/dbx/entry/gdb_vs_dbx_commands_mapping
Forgot to add one more thing, ever wonder why the heck didn’t apple add pkill like any sane nix system???
GDB and Dtrace :p i got the picture with Instructments :p
As a programmer who has taught Operating Systems for two years, I also find Instruments unbelievable. Of course, Instrument is a GUI for DTrace which was released as open source software by Sun a few years ago…
Dashcode and the new Dashboard gadget creator in Safari are also great.
I need to have a look at Objective C 2.0…
Hi all,
Can you please tell me if “Subscribe to Comments” now works?
it worx!
“Subscribe to Comments” seems to be working now! I received a mail today itself ;)
I really don’t see what you have against windows. for the price I paid for it, it works fantastically well.
@ Yaasir:
In windows: one feels suffocated and imprisoned.
In FreeBSD and or Linux: One feels and its, in freedom and able to breathe properly.
In Mac: One feels lazy, and plastic!
:p an analogy would be:
there are 3 woman, one who you can almost see 1″ of makeup on her and you fear what might lie under, the second a hot babe with natural attributes, yet nice attributes, and the third one is a damned hot sexy bimbo who’s just got out of some plastic surgery clinic!
Simillarly, Windows is the first woman, FreeBSD/Linux is the second woman and MacOSX is the third woman.
…and since i prefer my woman to be natural :p I’ll choose the second one :p ..but ofcourse here its just an OS issue not woman issue … (don’t hit stones at me thinking am a geek or nerd:p).
Ofcourse there are other people who likes the tastes of makeups :p (yukk it tastes like oil) :p
+$3|v3n
Nice analogies Selven ;-)
My current stand (and this might change in the future — il n’y a que les imbéciles qui ne changent pas d’avis) is that Mac OS X is the best OS for the desktop and Linux (or any mainstream Unix variant for the matter) excellent for servers.
I have some trouble to understand where Windows could have some kind of advantage except of course for games. But then I prefer using my Playstation 2 to play games.
What is cool is that we now have choice. And Macs are not expensive anymore if you think about what you get as hardware AND software…
All this OS war is useless… :P
Everyone should enjoy the best of all 3 worlds! ;)
Windows is good if u love games & apps.
OS X is great if u want something that just works – no BSODs!
& u can’t avoid Linux if u are a true geek.
:P
True.
What apps by the way? Personally, my geekish side is satisfied with the myriad of open source software readily available and my creative side revels in the Apple software I use as well as the quality cheapware available for the Mac.
There are loads of apps that are (unfortunately) only Windows-only – usually Pro software like AutoCAD, etc.
But one thing that still amazes me is the superior look, feel & performance of Mac apps, even freeware & apps on the iPhone! Windows is still a few years behind… :|
haha, well I did say for the price I paid for it. and one does not spit on a free lunch.
as selven pointed out this whole mac thing appears like a plastic world, i really miss bugs that can be fixed through a lil hack here and there.
we do that 24/7 under windows (well not really. but we could.). Have you seen the amount of ranting rage under the FUP post? people need something to be genuinely angry about. Windows has that much much more than any other OS. and there are tons of obscure registry hacks. once you’ve seen a fair number of those you think “hey, this shit is really powerful after all. It’s just really well hidden”
Irrespective of OS though, once you’ve fixed everything that can be fixed, you’re just drumming your fingers on your desk. getting bored (or posting comments on other people’s blog).
or like wordpress, you start adding features that no sane user would want (yet. or other features that are expressly engineered to make fanboys go into orgasm).
As apps go, you get equivalent things on all OS. It’s not just games. I mean if you want to get whatever job you want done, done, you can. thanks to open source but not just. There are and always have been some wickedly useful freeware available all over the place. And most programming languages/tools have working versions for different from OS to OS. and even when there are differences, you learn interesting things.
Before, during my university years, I had both windows and Linux(ubuntu mostly) on the same PC. it was maddening enough to have to restart every time I needed (needed, not necessarily wanted) to use what another. it got worse when I needed extra space. and evidently linux had to go because I had much less user files over there. and well disk partitioning accidents happen (i’m ranting, going off topic and I have no excuse). Eventually I decided to stick with windows mostly out of habit.
And I have CygWin installed. mostly for tinkering around with. and to absolve my soul. provided I have one. which I doubt.
But Ok, macs are pretty. a bit too pretty for me. My PC looks like a beat up droid from star wars. big and clunky(though silent) with loads of wires in the back and a robust keyboard dating back to the 80’s in front. A shiny mac would look awfully out of place. A bit like the livebox, which we had to hide away because its whiteness and blinkyness of the lights was extremely out of place.
and the problem with macs is that you do get the software with the hardware. you’re not likely to have Mac OS for PCs made out of cheap off the shelve components.
And I bet you can’t eat a kebab while working at your mac.
1. OS
===========================
I use Windows XP because it does what i need; no great deal to work with or manage. And the reason why Windows is popular is because it is ‘freely’ available! [Oh, u dnt use pirated software!?] :P
I introduced Ubuntu to my family but they missed their favorite windows apps such as Photoshop, Babylon Dictionary, MusicMatch*, PowerDVD, and Microsoft Office!
*apple used to bundle musicmatch as music management software for iPod until it created iTunes :/
As far as Mac is concerned, am looking for volunteers to donate one to me!
2. Open Source Applications?
===========================
The cash-cow of Microsoft is its Office suite, which is ofcourse ‘free’ for many of us :P
I tried hard to love OpenOffice, but nothing beats Office 2007 in my opinion. All those MS-Haters should give a office 2007 a fair try and u’ll see.
Most opensource apps need to retouch their interfaces to be more appealing. [GIMP vs Photoshop]
But sooner or later, i will shift completely to Ubuntu so that my conscience stops making me feel bad about using pirated software. ;)
I hope that opensource apps won’t make me miss anything! Amarok n Firefox and superb btw ;)
I’m not that a mega superb reverse engineer :p…
While having the source it is fun and allows to say “what will happen if i add this’ or “can i pimp my box even more by doing this slight modification” :p
In windows you are bound by rules, in FreeBSD and/or Linux you are Free to do whatever the heck you wish, even things sane people will never do.
+$3|v3n
Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with the new Dock. Actually, some people like the new Dock a lot because they were bored with the previous one’s look. I like Leopard a lot, but seriously, there’s not much to brag about for most of the new 300 features, like the ones for iChat (how many Mac users use iChat?).
All is not rosy in Apple land:
1. Time Machine never worked for me.
2. I had the hardest time in the world to get Mail to work with Yahoo! Mail SMTP.
3. Watching flash videos will make my MacBook’s fan go nuts.
4. Editing five pictures (one after the other) in Photoshop Elements 6 (Universal application) will cause my fan to rev up to 6000 RPM.
5. If you keep Safari running long enough, it will start using a lot of memory.
@Avinash
Windows makes one thing possible: cheap computer packages. In Canada, I can get a laptop with a Core 2 Duo CPU, 2 GB Ram, 250 GB HDD and Windows Vista for around $500-600 from many computer manufactures. I can get a desktop computer for $300. For a person on a tight budget, this can be a very good thing.
It’s true that Mac’s come with higher-end components, iLife suite, and a better look. It’s also true that all these contribute to a wonderful computing experience. But, consumers buying $500 computers will mainly be browsing the web, do their banking online, check their e-mail, view photos, and instant messaging. And for that they don’t need a powerful nor an expensive computer. More other, they have never used any other OS than WIndows and have no desire to spend time learning a new OS. To them, there is more to life than spending time in front of a computer.
We often hear that Mac’s are not expensive considering the hardware and software combination at the end of the day. However, for some people, shelling out $500 and shelling out $1000 is a MAJOR decision. $500 in Canada can worth a month of rent for some, or a monthly installment on a car loan for others.
@Selven
Not everyone feels suffocated in Windows. Some Windows users have never used any other OS. They could not have cared less if the underlying OS was Windows, OS X or Linux. All they care about is to get whatever they want to get done, done.
@Carrotmadman
You’re right. OS wars are useless.
Indeed, the translucent menu bar is an abomination!! Thank God, after much complain, Apple gave users the choice to turn if off from System Preferences in 10.5.2 (without having recourse to Terminal)! Strangely, they added the option in Desktop & Screen Saver rather than Appearance…
On the other hand, I got used to the 3D dock after a few weeks…Stacks are handy for Applications and Downloads folders, but not usable for more nested folders such as Documents.
Anyway, a few features that I really dig in Leopard are:
1. The built-in Screen Sharing that conveniently replaces VNC client/servers.
2. Time Machine works quite well; although user access to more granular settings from within System Preferences would have made it perfect (easily remedied from with Terminal or the use of a freeware).
3. The new Core Animation and Core Image Filters are great too!
Try Belight’s Image Tricks:
http://www.belightsoft.com/products/imagetricks/
At only 2.9MB, it’s unbelievable what this nifty little freeware can do thanks to Core Image Filters! And it’s blazing fast thanks to the multi-core optimised Core Image libraries…
As a side-note, some third party developers such as Delicious Monster and Omni Group (makers of Delicious Library and OmniGraffle respectively) really make the Mac platform stand-out in terms of quality applications and innovation.
4. Apart from the more elegant and unified user-interface, a few things that I really appreciate in Leopard’s Finder are: the document icon preview, Quick Look via spacebar and the double-clickable/drag-and-drop Path Bar (enabled from within View>Show Path Bar). These may be trivial details, but they greatly improve day-to-day usability and workflow.
But still the Finder is far from perfect…For instance, I hate the way views (icon, list and column) are handled in Leopard. IMHO, Tiger was much better in this field. Leopard’s Finder deliberately ‘forgets’ a folder’s default view when using the back buttons. Ex: Opening a folder that was set to always open in list view, and then clicking on the back button, does not go back to the previously selected view…However using Command+Up arrow key still works as in Tiger.
5. Safari’s find and highlight+dim feature is really neat.
6. Spaces is an effective implementation of virtual desktops…Linux had it for years, but Leopard’s implementation is more elegant. Works great when working with multiple audio applications simultaneously and in tandem with Logic’s screensets.
[ BTW, Avi, how’s your Logic sessions going? Haven’t heard much from you since you last told me about opening your old projects without issues. Still exploring Logic’s new interface and built-in instruments? News: After using a 40-day demo, I finally got myself a new toy: TruePianos (a hybrid-physical modelling/sample-based acoustic piano)…It’s the most expressive piano emulation I’ve ever played!! Seriously, it beats the crap out of many Yamaha digital pianos I’ve played before…Check out the downloadable demo at http://www.truepianos.com and the video demo at: http:///truepianos.yohng.com/daverich.mov ]
To Patrick:
I agree with you that Microsoft is to be thanked for cheap PCs. I even wrote a post (and a poem — check the comments) on that…
To David:
Since installing Logic (I’ve “moved” to Logic Express by the way), I have spent some time playing around with the new software instruments. I’ve not really composed new songs. Rather, I’ve moved some previous Garageband songs to Logic and I’m currently working on them. Maybe I’ll release a new album in a few months… thanks partly to you :-)
Glad to hear you finally got yourself a copy of Logic Express! :) Good luck on making “Third” (maybe the title to of next album…or “Three Point O”. Who knows? ;)
Anyway, another undocumented feature of OS X: “How to take a picture of the guy who stole your laptop using Photobooth and Back To Mac remotely?” The thief must have shit in his pants the moment he realized that his photo was just taken remotely! Hehehe… :)
See The New York Times article below:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/10/nyregion/10laptop.html?em&ex=1210564800&en=1e2fca4d1701c016&ei=5087
I dunno if the last comment I posted got posted, or if some anti spam (or pro steve jobs) filter didn’t like the look of it.
fortunately, the text for it was still here when I hit back in the browser. I put it here: http://ketwaroo.com/leopardcomment.htm
in case the initial post was actually posted and it’s just some other oddity, please delete this comment.
Well about the Mac, I was asking about the configuration of a Mac Pro… i saw one at http://www.apple.com… i was simply great… I wanted to know what mainboard does it use… :) anyone got any idea about it???
Hi,
Check http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=2811&p=1
To Yaasir,
I’ve read your extensive comment and I have to tell you that Maddox is wrong: Macs are great for hacking! Many well-known hackers use Macs now. And, cerise sur le gateau, they are not that expensive any more…
I really think that Linux is a fantastic server OS and Mac OS X is fantastic on the desktop. I’ve been doing that more 2 years now and I’m 100% happy.
@ Yaasir:
First of all, I’m not here to fuel yet another endless platform war…but just to comment on what you said in post 26.
I agree with the fact that most of the 300+ enhancements mentioned on Leopard’s webpage are pure marketing material. Steve Jobs’ reality distortion field, secrecy, teasing, buzz, and media attention will always be part of Apple’s marketing machinery and like it or not, its strength.
But you certainly can’t deny the fact that since Jobs’ return, Apple is one of the most successful tech company in the industry with over $15 billion cash reserves! Far from the 1996 situation where the company was on the brink of bankruptcy…[Apple is not Mother Theresa. It’s a business with shareholders to please.]
Secrecy has always been part of Apple’s culture. It certainly is a hindrance to the company’s penetration in the corporate world, but on the other hand, secrecy is vital in the consumer electronics industry. Remember, Apple has always stated that it is a consumer hardware company that uses its software to sell its hardware; proof of its long-term strategy with the iPod and the now the iPhone. In fact Jobs has stated in the past his admiration for Sony.
Sure Steve Jobs may one of the most pretentious and arrogant CEO on the planet, but he certainly has proved in the last ten years, that Apple is a driving force with only 2-4% market share in the computer industry: a company that understands the consumers’ needs and has innovation as part of its DNA.
I agree, OS X is not open-source (and for a good reason). But contrary to popular belief, Apple is not as closed you might think. The recent strategic partnerships with Google and adoption of open formats and standards (Zeroconf, H264, etc..), shows that Apple is much more open than Microsoft (whose main concern today is acquiring internet companies, instead of fixing Vista…or developing Silverlight as an alternative to counter Adobe’s Flash supremacy…)
Sure, OS X’s is based on a Mach/BSD kernel. Sure Apple has at times copied or adopted technologies developed by others (tell me, who doesn’t in the industry?). But it’s way too easy to say that Mac OS X is just another Unix with a pretty face. Or simply, that OS X is just a copy of yet another existing OS with nothing new added. As you all know, there’s so much more to an OS than only its kernel. And OS X has some unique tools such as its Core APIs (Core Image, Core Video, Core Audio, Core Animation, etc…), WebKit, Quartz, and other technologies inherited from NeXT era such as PostScript-style imaging. There’s so much more under OS X’s slick ‘skin’. Tools for application developers that may not be immediately apparent to the normal user until new versions of their software make use of the new libraries/features.
@ Helios:
The Mac Pro uses a custom-designed motherboard based on Intel chipsets (like all Apple computers). It is an 8-core Xeon workstation machine available in 2.8, 3.0. and 3,2GHz and expandable to 32GB. There is also a low-end model with a 4-core Xeon 2.8GHz.
It is a dream machine and way overpowered for most users. And unless you’re a power- hungry user, a 2.4GHz dual-core iMac or MacBook is more than sufficient. Apart from being much more affordable, iMacs and MacBooks will help you save a lot on your electricity bills and at the same time help save the environment! :)
You can check out a more recent review below:
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/mac-pro-2g-review.ars
And compare benchmarks here:
http://browse.geekbench.ca/
Where I work, nearly all the developers have macs now. Even if their work computer happens to be a PC, you’ll often see their personal macbook pro on their desk, connected to their second monitor, and some synergy action going on.
well yes, no. or rather. maddox is an idiot because he tries to look smart by pointing out the obvious, something all of us are guilty of at some point or another. But there is some truth to the obvious.
I mean that Siracusa’s review on Ars Technica is on Ars Technica. and Ars Technica is for geeks (and people who became successful by being top geeks over the past 2 decades). You usually announce yourself as geek, yes? And most people in your circle of friends are also technologically wisened too. even the people who occasionally read your blog.
But the reason why Apple can boast making millions in profit every year is the hundred of thousands (or maybe millions?) who actually buy their computers are those who simply bought the previous version of the mac and are just fan of Apple products.
The original macintosh worked on awesome principle of “Give them so little hardware resource that they won’t be able to do much with it”. I mean it has always been engineered from the ground up, both hardware and software, for people who were not interested in knowing how it works. Those would people would die if you suggested they use a command line interface.
BUT (of course there is a but)
I also think that Apple saw a new market in the thousands of nerds, geeks and other tech junkies who suddenly got rich with the internet in the late 90’s, especially in the U.S., and adjusted its marketing and development strategy. (Boo! apple sell out!)
If you think about it, the techie lifestyle is very close to student living. Their houses, flats, lofts etc probably do not ooze opulence. They probably try to spend a little as possible on their tech and will often buy their latest upgrades via their other techie friend who knows a guy who knows a guy who can get it for them at half price or on their next trip to asia. When you are used to living like that, some habits die hard.
But still if you suddenly win at the lottery or get a much better job you will want to trade in your old fiat punto for a mercedes benz. (but then if the side mirror of your fiat falls off you can just put it back on yourself, hard to say the same thing of a mercedes)
Owning a mac is akin to a rise in (geek) social status. Apple noticed all of that. (Boo! steve jobs sell out!)
(don’t get too mad, ok?)
To 4lyf:
Dangerous? Maybe. If you are not good enough.
To Yaasir:
Apple does one thing right: it makes customers happy. And this is something that is not easy to do. Apple does this by having good products.
Of course, for years, Apple targeted the “artists” only (as well as the completely ignorant grandparents) but since adopting Next and Unix (and recently the Intel processors), Apple laptops have become very good development environments with excellent multimedia and communication abilities. I am not sure Apple did that purposely. But the end result is that a MacBook Pro is THE dream laptop for most geeks on the planet. And now that Apple hardware is not that expensive anymore, geeks are acquiring Macs in large numbers…
I don’t think I bought a MacBook to get a rise in social status. I bought one because it’s simply the best computer available in this price range… for me at least.
Another thing I would like to add is that thirty-something like David and myself discovered computers at a time where the 8088 PCs, C64, the Amiga, the Atari ST, etc. ruled and where it was perfectly natural to buy a computer and replace it after two years with something completely different. We are just continuing the trend. For instance, those are what I used intensely over the years:
8088 PC with DOS => Commodore Amiga 500 => Apple Macintosh Centris 650 => 80386 PC with Microsoft Windows NT => HP 730 with HP-UX => Silicon Graphics IRIS with IRIX => K6 PC with Windows 95/98 => Athlon PC with Linux/Windows XP => MacBook with Mac OS X Tiger and now Leopard.
One day, I’ll move to some other architecture, say X. And I’ll become an X fanboy. Naturally.
I don’t think Macbook Pro is the dream laptop! It’s hugely overpriced bcoz of the bundled OS & software. You can get twice more powerful laptops for the same price… & needless to say that you can install OS X on them as well. So it’s still inaccessible to the majority of people. (At $2000, you can easily get a very powerful Gamer laptop!)
What makes Apple stand out is something that most other manufacturers have for long time ignored (& are still ignoring!) – the DESIGN! :)
Whether you like it or not, you have to admit that Apple designers are among the best in the world! :P
Let’s the take the example of the iPhone – it doesn’t have 3G (coming next month), decent camera, removable battery etc. But it’s still the most hyped phone in the world bcoz it’s one of the best designed phones – the UI is just stunning!
Apple product specs are no different from other manufacturers, but the way they design the interface, the exterior & the tiny details, the way they market it – that’s what makes the difference.
& there’s also this Apple cult which has been blown out of proportion by Engadget & Gizmodo fanblogs.
However, it’s usually the “common people” that are amazed by Macs. Geeks (usually) go for the best hardware at the lowest price! :P
& speaking of Macs… i’ve never tried a Mac/OS X before? Mr Avinash, can students from other faculties try the Macs at the Mediacom studio??? :)
While reading post 32, I see the old cliché: “Mac users and Apple fanboys are either non-technical users or rich nerds craving for social status”.
As with all stereotypes, it’s easy to make such claims based on a few show-off users. But I can assure you that not all Mac users are rich or as biased as you believe.
A percentage of Apple users had extensive experience on other platforms before migrating to the Mac. As Avi mentioned, our addiction to computers started while we were still kids in the mid 80s; witnessing the gradual progression from command-line to GUI, MS-DOS, Windows 1.0 to 3.1, 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP…(and I’ll spare you the list of 8-bit home computers with tapes.)
As unbelievable as it might seem, at that time I was a rabid Microsoft fan and like many PC users, I constantly dissed Apple products as expensive toys! In the 90s, I was assembling PCs (clones, like they used to called it at that time…) for my personal use as well as for relatives/friends. And for over ten years, I was used to this ritual of constantly shopping for spare parts and upgrading my computer every 6-8 months. Reformatting, reinstalling DOS/Windows, managing Extended/Expanded memory, editing registries, etc…it was all part of a ‘normal’ process. And it was fun! But looking back now, I’d say it was a time-consuming and quite expensive hobby…On average, I spent the equivalent of a new computer on spare parts every one year!
I switched to the Mac platform in 1997 with a PowerMac G3/266MHz running Mac OS 8 and never looked back. Over the last ten years, I can assure you that I’ve spend much less on computer gear! My last two computers (a PowerMac G4 and PowerBook G4) lasted over 5 years before I decided to sell both of them and upgrade to a MacBook and a Mac mini. In buying a Mac, the initial investment may be slightly higher, but the total cost of ownership, lifetime and benefits definitely outweigh the additional cost!
For example, you would be surprised by the number of Macs over 8 years old, still used on a daily basis at Le Mauricien. They even have Macs dating back to 1994-1995 era running 24/7! Unbelievable!
The Mac has always been the platform of choice for designers, musicians and the creative market in general (although in the 90s, Apple’s market share in this field eroded due to uncertainty in the company’s future…)
But in the recent years, I’ve witnessed quite a lot of small businesses and individuals moving to the Mac at the end of their upgrade cycle (on average 3 years). Instead of upgrading to new PCs running Vista, some have chosen to give Mac OS X a try; which proves that not only Mac fans buy Apple products and fuel Apple’s profits. The move to Intel processors (and Parallels/virtual machines) has certainly helped to reduce those apprehensions. In most cases, knowing that they can still run Windows on their Mac is just a safety net…as most of them don’t feel the need to use Windows except for running specialized applications or custom-made ones requiring .net framework.
…And then cry out from your house top that … Mac OS X was crap! Roll on to X (whatever X is… in the future) ;) What do you think?
To Roman:
No doubt, Mac OS X will be replaced one day by something better, X. And I’ll become a fan of X. But I don’t think I’ll say that Mac OS X was crap. Because it simply is the best desktop OS on the planet today IMHO.
To carrotmadman6:
You wrote: “Geeks (usually) go for the best hardware at the lowest price!”. Are you sure about that? My perception is that geeks go for the best hardware WHATEVER the price (even if this means sacrificing all non-geekish pleasures for years…)
As for “can students from other faculties try the Macs at the Mediacom studio?”, technically speaking, yes. You only have to have a formal lab session planned there.
damned i didn’t know this discussion was on :p too tired to read all of it :p but i grepped that “who uses iChat” :p i do :p its great for aim users :p.
:p as for as the geekyness :p, i believe its more fun to have things to tweak :p which make machine pimping better :p.
btw :p due to lack of missing tweaking with my machine :p am giving my lil bro my Mac :p am getting lazy with it… [ though i’ll admit that development with it was quicker :p]
ps. there’s there’s a nice epileptic friendly app called nocturne for OSX :p its WONDERFUL :p.
+$3|v3n
the thing about moderated comment is that you don’t see them until they are moderated. I’ve missed comment 30 to 40 inclusive except mine it seems.
@David. that’s all fine really, but I’m not a microsoft fanboy either. I wan’t really tring to start an OS war.
While reading post 32, I see the old cliché: “Mac users and Apple fanboys are either non-technical users or rich nerds craving for social statusâ€.
aah, so I got it right then. If it is a cliché it was true at one point. Owning a mac probably meant different things at different points in technologial times.
There was probably a point when you said “personal computer” everybody would think of a macintosh. Those who didn’t think of a mac were those hardcorest of hardcore geeks who could probably count in hexadecimal as easily as they could recite the first 3 pages of Pi at you. Or they were terribly rich and worked in the military or some specialised field.
then there was definitely a point where mac owners were considered as snobs. (I remember clones too! I had one)
as Avinash is saying, macs are becoming cheaper (but they are still very expensive), so now if someone comes up to you and says “I have a mac” the most probable reply would be “so what?”
I wasn’t really quoting a cliché actually, I tend to reinvent wheels that other people were already using. not terribly clever I’ll admit. but a useful ability to have.
@avinash
Silicon Graphics IRIS with IRIX
that… is not cheap.
and randomly:
you can apparently install Mac OS on an average(well more like higher end to upper mid range) PC but obviously, the Leopard EULA states that it is illegal to “install Apple software on non Apple hardware”. so you’ll be damned if you do it of course. google “hackintosh”.
I was also wondering, can you get rid of all the glitter from Mac OS? In the same way you can get rid of most of make up crap in windows?
A bit like blackbox for X Windows really. maybe simpler. There’s something called bblean for windows which allows you to really do some evil looking stuff. not always terribly practical but most definitely evil looking.
bblean is blackbox for windows.
i know. is there something similar for the mac?
http://www.macports.org/ports.php?by=category&substr=x11-wm
I believe many ports are not maintained in macports….