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UbuntuFu

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 16, 2007
278
196
http://www.cnet.com/8301-13643_1-9779598-45.html?tag=cnetfd.blogs.item

I sold and bought my first PC a long, long time ago. Back in the late 80s I owned a Mac, I think it was a Mac2. I honestly thought there would never come a time where I would buy a Mac. Ever.

Then I upgraded my PC to Vista. What a disaster. I had grown accustomed to my PC freezing every now and then. Enter Vista and my PC was frozen more often than it was working. The biggest culprit was MicroSoft Outlook.

The application has to have a memory leak. I could follow memory numbers as they grew and grew. Then as my email was downloading, the rules would stop working and everything went straight to my inbox. Spam and all.

When you get as many emails as I do, that's a problem. When it also causes the system to freeze, its more than just a problem.

My first step was to get a copy of CPU Magazine with Vista tricks. The tricks helped. Everything froze or crashed less often. Significantly less often. But the annoyance factor was beyond belief. I don't run any special applications. I run outlook, Office and firefox. Thats it.

I had gotten to the point where I was embarrassed to be a PC owner. The thought of someone calling me and asking me to go to my computer to find something was paralyzing (ok, not that bad, but it sounded cool writing it).

This wasn't just a problem on my Desktop, it was a problem on my laptop with Vista as well.

So a few months ago I made the executive decision to buy a MacBook to replace my laptop.

I haven't looked back.

It's not that there aren't hassles with the Mac. There are two. One there isn't a version of Outlook for the Mac. As someone who has more than 10 years and gigabytes worth of emails in multiple outlook files, the concept of exporting and importing wont fly. So i am keeping my PC Desktop purely to download my emails into Outlook so I have a master database. But I only do so after deleting unimportant emails from the server using my Macbook.

The 2nd problem is the lack of the right mouse click. I know its a Mac thing to only have one button, but its a hassle. Sure there are work arounds, none of which are quick and easy for a longtime PC user.

Both of these are easily offset by 3 simple Mac elements that make me very happy.

First is that when I close my MacBook without turning it off, it doesn't lose power. It can sit there for hours and then work when I open it up.

The 2nd is that it rarely freezes up. Maybe 3 or 4 times in months.

Finally, i LOVE the fact that it boots up in 1/1000000000 of the time it takes my PC. It probably will add years to my life .. (ok an exaggeration).

I'm not an Apple fanboy, but I love me some MacBook.

You think someone like Mark Cuban could easily afford a Macbook Pro and not just a Macbook. also another lame excuse with the no right click.
 

fistful

macrumors 6502a
Mar 29, 2004
892
0
Socan
My first thought was why he didn't go with a MBP as well. I guess just because you have the money doesn't mean you should purchase something above your needs. It also may have been a size consideration.
 

Dybbuk

macrumors 6502a
Aug 8, 2006
976
35
He's right about the right click, and I don't know why so many people support Apple on this. There should be two buttons on the track pad, and a real Apple two-button mouse.
 

balamw

Moderator emeritus
Aug 16, 2005
19,366
979
New England
It also may have been a size consideration.
I'm in that boat too. Won't replace my iBook until something significatly smaller comes along. The 13.3" is only half a pound lighter and an inch narrower.

Bring on a 13" or smaller MBP and we'll talk Apple. ;)

B
 

Snorrblitz

macrumors newbie
Aug 8, 2007
13
0
Lack of right mouse click? Plug a USB mouse in and configure the right mouse button, Mark! :p


Usually you don't even have to configure the button, it already works.
I've gotten so used to having only one button on the trackpad that when I use a computer with two buttons I reverse them because that the way my hand used to be positioned.
 

Dybbuk

macrumors 6502a
Aug 8, 2006
976
35
There are. Well, not really but you can right click without touching the control button. System Preferences>keyboard & mouse> Track pad > place two fingers on track pad for secondary click.

That isn't very intuitive! I understand that originally there was a purpose for having just one button, but it's archaic.
 

D1G1T4L

macrumors 68000
Jun 26, 2007
1,724
99
Raleigh, NC
There are. Well, not really but you can right click without touching the control button. System Preferences>keyboard & mouse> Track pad > place two fingers on track pad for secondary click.

Use this and LOVE it. Track, click, double click, drag....all can be done with the trackpad.
 

Freyqq

macrumors 601
Dec 13, 2004
4,038
181
He's right about the right click, and I don't know why so many people support Apple on this. There should be two buttons on the track pad, and a real Apple two-button mouse.

back when control click was the only way to right click i would agree with you

now that there is the two finger on the touchpad = right click feature..its actually more intuitive than a second button
 

Lord Blackadder

macrumors P6
May 7, 2004
15,669
5,499
Sod off
We have a G5 tower at the office connected to a flatbed scanner and slide scanner. Everyone complained that "Macs are a pain to use" because of the "stupid mouse with only one button".

One day I swapped out the Apple Pro Mouse with a USB 3-button scroll wheel mouse from one of the Dells...and I was able to get people to admit that they really avoided the Mac because were just too lazy to learn OS X (as if that's difficult). Not to mention that they mostly use Photoshop anyway, so it isn't as if they are venturing into totally uncharted waters... :rolleyes:

I have to admit that I think Apple should abandon the one-button mouse - but I also think that the "one button mouse excuse" is the lamest excuse to not buy or use a Mac, and I still hear it lot.
 

bousozoku

Moderator emeritus
Jun 25, 2002
15,727
1,897
Lard
You'd think that a company like c|net could afford some people who knew what they were doing with technology. How do they find these people? Do they pull homeless people from the streets to write?

I'm surprised that he can access his 10 GB of e-mail through Outlook. It always seemed slow even on a fresh machine with just a few e-mails.

The right-click alternative really isn't that difficult to learn but I guess since most people don't get out and try different things, they get stuck only learning one way.
 

UbuntuFu

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 16, 2007
278
196
You'd think that a company like c|net could afford some people who knew what they were doing with technology. How do they find these people? Do they pull homeless people from the streets to write?

I'm surprised that he can access his 10 GB of e-mail through Outlook. It always seemed slow even on a fresh machine with just a few e-mails.

The right-click alternative really isn't that difficult to learn but I guess since most people don't get out and try different things, they get stuck only learning one way.


In case you didn't know Mark Cuban is the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team. He help founded Broadcast.com which was later bought by Yahoo for like 5.7 billion worth of Yahoo stock in 1999. He cashed out just before the dot com bust.

I'm pretty sure he's pretty good with computers. I don't know why he would want to upgrade to Windows Vista if all he does is basically 2 applications - Outlook (and the rest of Office apps) and Firefox. I still use Windows XP and it's fine. As for the Macs crashing, I've never had a major crash on my Macbook in the longest time. Usually it's stupid Firefox that is not responding on my macbook so I have to force quit it.
 

Stampyhead

macrumors 68020
Sep 3, 2004
2,294
30
London, UK
He's right about the right click, and I don't know why so many people support Apple on this. There should be two buttons on the track pad, and a real Apple two-button mouse.
No there shouldn't. I like the track pad just the way it is. The only people who need two mouse buttons are Windows people who can't get used to the way Macs work.

In case you didn't know Mark Cuban is the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team. He help founded Broadcast.com which was later bought by Yahoo for like 5.7 billion worth of Yahoo stock in 1999. He cashed out just before the dot com bust.
Thanks for the explanation. I had no idea who he was either.
 

Dybbuk

macrumors 6502a
Aug 8, 2006
976
35
No there shouldn't. I like the track pad just the way it is. The only people who need two mouse buttons are Windows people who can't get used to the way Macs work.

Well if you like it, it must be great!

Thank God most Mac users aren't switching from Windows, or this might be a problem worth investigating! :rolleyes:

Seriously, now. Couldn't we get at least a touch sensitive button like on the Mighty Mouse? Would anyone have any complaints about that?

Never mind, I'm sure someone does.
 

D1G1T4L

macrumors 68000
Jun 26, 2007
1,724
99
Raleigh, NC
Well if you like it, it must be great!

Thank God most Mac users aren't switching from Windows, or this might be a problem worth investigating! :rolleyes:

Seriously, now. Couldn't we get at least a touch sensitive button like on the Mighty Mouse? Would anyone have any complaints about that?

Never mind, I'm sure someone does.

Using two fingers on the trackpad is just too hard that you still want touch sensitive button?

I don't even use the button as it is now with all the options they have given with the trackpad.

Of course I guess that still isn't good enough unless there is TWO buttons :p
 

D1G1T4L

macrumors 68000
Jun 26, 2007
1,724
99
Raleigh, NC
No reason why Apple can't make the button touch sensitive and configurable like the MM. They gave in on the MM, why not on the trackpad and be done with all the whining.

So again using two fingers to tap just isn't enough? Maybe I just don't understand why people what that button so bad.
 

D1G1T4L

macrumors 68000
Jun 26, 2007
1,724
99
Raleigh, NC
Its just difficult for people to break lifelong habits. 2 button mice have been with us (in the mainstream) for 20 years now and its ingrained in most folks brains.

Yet the argument was to make "switchers" happy. Arn't they changing? Breaking a computer habit?

Just odd IMO.

Plus at the same time I have found MANY windows users impressed by my trackpad. Just have to show them you can pretty much do everything without even having to worry about the button.

Again.....I just might not understand.
 

Dybbuk

macrumors 6502a
Aug 8, 2006
976
35
It's not that I can't use it the way it is; I've adapted just fine.

But the option should be there!
 
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