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AlphaTech

macrumors 601
Oct 4, 2001
4,556
0
Natick, MA
IF that picture you posted is you koolaid, you are the stoner poster child... Did your parents have any children without brain damage???
 

damon

As Seen on TV (apple.com/switch)
Jun 19, 2002
9
0
Originally posted by Rower_CPU
Good points.


Don't forget that Damon Wright also worked/works in IT.

Hey, what's with dragging me down, too?! ;)

Here are a few cents on the "propaganda" angle. First, I was sensitive about my ad when I saw it the first time. Realize, we were filmed for a LONG time. I was on camera for at least 45 minutes, most were shot longer. That's 45 minutes of me jawing on all topics technical. We talked about dynamic memory and GUI design from a HID standpoint vis office productivity and networking hassles, desktop support issues... whatever. They took 30 seconds. 30 seconds. That's the way it worked out.

When I first put my post on my site, man, people went nuts. I've been ragged all over the Internet based on the things I said there. Someone made a connection between the PS2 I used when I was 15 and my career in the IT field and deduced that I must be a complete idiot. I sat down and immediately started going through all that I'd written making sure that there wasn't anything people could pick apart. I soon discovered that's impossible. You can't please all of the people. ...

Posts like this on Aaron's ad are unavoidable, and that's sad. I see the point, that the propaganda angle might, in the eyes of some, denegrate the field. Though, I don't know many companies who's IT department could be deflated any further -- let's face it, everyday-users don't always appreciate IT. I understood the vernacular they chose for Aaron, whatever the words were, and I've lived those feelings myself, as have many others, I'm sure. The ad, and those words, serve Apple well; they make their point.

I'm a better technologist because of my experience with the Windows platforms, Mac, and all the other OSes I've touched. That I've settled on a Mac for my life right now, well, that's par for the course.

Have a great day,

dw
 

Koolaid

macrumors newbie
Jun 21, 2002
7
0
I am not afraid to sound presumptuous in saying that I think koolaid is truly a mac lover at heart he just got lost on the information highway

lol maybe. just maybe.

Honestly? I don't have a thing against the mac platform. I know they are dependable machines as I have friends who will swear by it. There are a few things that I question in regards to price, but hey, I don't own one so I can only compare what I get to what I see in a mac advertisement. I gotta tip my hat to Apple though for the design of the new iMac. Now if they would just come out with a simple plain beige looking case... heh

Funny you mention that cuz I just got off the phone with a buddy of mine who loves his dual ghz G4. We were talkin about this discussion here and laughed a bit. He told me to buy a mac and I said I had no need for one because my XP box does everything I need but if my daughter wanted one sometime in the future I would buy it. He laughed harder :)

I have to admit, we were in compusa one evening lookin at printers and I couldn't get her away from the iMac. I said "great, now I'm gonna have one of these things in my house" wife hit me and said "oh would you stop it".

Jabs are all in good fun :cool:

edit: OMG no thats not me! That was taken from http://www.emotioneric.com

This is me ...
grr.gif


and I was the only one with braindamage. Or so my parents tell me.
 

AlphaTech

macrumors 601
Oct 4, 2001
4,556
0
Natick, MA
koolaid... the poster child for both birth control and abortion. :rolleyes: :p I feel for your parents... really, I do.

As for the hexpee box you have, home or pro edition of windblows??? With the lack of security with the passport account that you created for registering the home version (or you would have a OSless box after 30 days) I would make sure that you change anything on there to something not accurate.

It makes you wonder when a company forces you to get a passport/.net account JUST to use the os that came with your computer... Typical m$ monopoly practices... to get people to give them even more just because m$ wants it. Don't forget about the options they removed because THEY thought you wouldn't need them. Who the F*CK are they to tell me what I do or do not want???

You really DO need to get a Mac, so that you can actually have an educated/informed opinion about them. Just going from what other people have told you, or what you have read is moronic. Find out for yourself by using one for a few months. THEN come back and make statements about it.

One fact about the Mac... the lifespan of the hardware is long. We have beige G3 systems at work (233MHz) that we are just now pulling off to replace with newer systems. Think about it, a system that was built in 1998 is still in active use. With a little added memory, we could easily install, and run, OS X (10.1.x). How many 4 year old peecee's are in active use today??? How about older systems??? I know of people still actively using PowerMac 7200 series systems and some with 7100 series too.
 

King Cobra

macrumors 603
Mar 2, 2002
5,403
0
Originally posted by AlphaTech
How many 4 year old peecee's are in active use today??? How about older systems??? I know of people still actively using PowerMac 7200 series systems and some with 7100 series too.

My father has used an older Mac running System 7 or other, running at 33MHz (yep, a Quadra) for at least 7 years or so. I'll admit, it has a few problems, but that was system 7.

He!!, I am still using the original iMac. It has been completely erased and restarted from scratch though, but I got a solid couple of years on it. Now I have only what I need on it, along with OS 9.2.2, and it runs rather quick.

As for the old peecee in our house, it's becoming old and lonely. Maybe we should put it with the rest of the peecees downtown! :cool:
 

Paladin

macrumors member
Jun 21, 2002
94
1
Houston, TX
It finally happened...

After being stuck for years in the terrible world of the PC, I've found my way home! My parents asked me what I wanted for my college graduation, and I said "a new iBook." Having served as their in-house Windows tech support for the past 10 years, they obviously thought I was crazy. Well, I got the iBook, and now I make sure to take a few minutes each day to tell them what a pleasure it is to work with OS X and this beautiful machine. It does everything well, and the performance is much better than I expected (yeah, MHz used to matter to me). I don't know about the previous iBooks, but this thing really flies. I've been contemplating this move since I worked with Macs in middle school, so it wasn't the advertisements that turned me (I bought it a week before they premiered). However, I know how they feel. I've switched for good, and it's great to be here.
 

King Cobra

macrumors 603
Mar 2, 2002
5,403
0
I have to note Paladin for three things:
(1) graduating from the big times :)
(2) welcome to the forums! :D
(3) Congratulations on finally being able to evade the dreaded peecee world! :cool:

Maybe you should appear on one of those Apple commercials that show real people who use Macs for real reasons. But, until then, enjoy your iBook! :cool:
 

AlphaTech

macrumors 601
Oct 4, 2001
4,556
0
Natick, MA
Welcome to the fold Paladin... Now all you need to do is become a dark paladin and things will be even better.

I purchased my first Mac back when they were still making clones, yup, I got one of those. I was forced to look at what you got for the money, but at least it was a Mac system. After Apple did away with the clone makers, I picked up a PowerBook G3, and then a G4 (when the Sawtooth board was used). I have traded up through a few PowerBooks until I finally got my new 800MHz model. Yeah, there are peecee laptops out there with higher numbers. Do I care?? F*ck no... :D

As they say, once you go Mac, you don't go back... :D
 

PGant

As Seen on TV (apple.com/switch)
Jun 19, 2002
19
0
I go away for a day and *look* what happens

Geez. I go away for a day and *look* what happens: flame wars, people picking on Aaron and whatnot. I'm quite surprised to see how much life is still left in this thread about the ads. I'm far from being unbiased, but here's my professional take (for what it's worth).

The best ads prompt you to talk about them. Whether or not you agree with the content is another story. The point is if you notice them, then that's an accomplishment. Think of it as Step One. Granted there's far more to a great ad that this factor alone, but it's a biggie nevertheless. Imagine if an ad was rolled out that was so middle of the road, so calulated that everyone agreed with the content. What would you have? Yup, you guessed it. Boring mediocrity. And who really wants that? There's enough of that out there already. I'd offer examples, but even I am not silly enough to offer myself up as flame bait.

Speaking of flames...Picking apart what Aaron or I or anyone else in the campaign says on-camera is rather silly when you consider it's a 30 second snippet of a much longer dialogue (see Damon's earlier post). Instead, look at the underlying message of the campaign: all Mac users are the best sales people that Apple has at its disposal. So come on guys, use your powers for good, not uhh...well...you know...evil.

PS To Damon and Aaron: I too got my invite to join SAG, from Melissa Gilbert. As any Babylon 5 fan knows, she works for the Shadows, so I declined the offer.
 

AlphaTech

macrumors 601
Oct 4, 2001
4,556
0
Natick, MA
Something you won't have to deal with once you switch to the Mac... constant 'critical updates' from m$ every other day. They have been releasing security updates way too much. Kind of makes you wonder (even more) about the quality of coding they use in their security protocols. Apple has only had a few 'security' updates, and most of the time, those are to plug holes in m$ software. :D

OS X is evolving all the time, so updates are expected (and much easier to download and install then what m$ puts you through). With the updates from m$, you HAVE to go to their web site to obtain them (via ie of course). With either OS 9.x or OS X, you run the update application/control panel/system preferences item, and IT grabs the updates for you. It's also much easier to install only the ones you want under either OS 9.x or OS X. Especially with how m$ has 'updated' the way the 'windows update' works.

Seems that m$ enjoys shafting the users so much that they find new ways to do it. If they are not going after your money, they are trying to f*ck with your mind.
 

Postal

macrumors regular
Jun 22, 2002
134
17
Ottawa, ON, Canada
Gack, I didn't actually realize that one of the people from the commercials (Patrick) effectively lives right next door to me! Never let it be said that all the extra little bits of information on forums are useless...

I'm currently a Windows-based PC user (Macs are personal computers as well, so I don't think of the term "PC" as negative) who's seriously looking at adding a Mac to his home network in 2003. I would do it sooner but my Big Expensive Thing (tm) budget for 2002 has largely been blown, being a university student 'n all. :)

The main reasons why *I* am considering a Mac are both for fun and strategic reasons. First, the fun part: I'm a geek and I know it, and while Windows offers an outlet for my gaming needs I also would like an OS that's interesting to use by itself. Windows XP is better than earlier versions but still has a decidedly regular look to it and nothing particularly attention-getting. OSX is very visual and has a Unix command-line terminal. Unix! You can't get more geeky than that.

The strategic reasons are simple. First, I'm not a big fan of Microsoft's tactics; yes, Apple also integrates a lot of its own products into the OS, but Microsoft does it with the explicit goal of squeezing out everyone else (and they make sure that their formats are used when possible). They also seem to be moving towards a scheme where they may effectively own your computer, forcing you to "subscribe" to your OS just to keep going. The XP activation scheme is just tolerable.

Also, as many people know, Windows is finnicky; it crashes (though thankfully much less in XP) and can start doing things for no apparent reason. In tech support I deal with a lot of customers whose systems simply refuse to behave - occasionally we'll do a standard reinstall of TCP/IP and the restart will fail, or it appears to work but something's suddenly removed, and so on. The Mac users, on the other hand, are simple to deal with, but there's one problem - since I don't use a Mac at home, I can't talk to them with the same kind of intimate knowledge that I have as a Windows user. I'd like to fix that, especially with OSX; at work we can only support OSX on the most basic of levels, and I'd like to be able to say that I really DO know how to set it up.

Patrick, is there any chance I can visit sometime? It may help to ease any transition I might make... besides, it's nice to meet a mini-celebrity. :p
 

AlphaTech

macrumors 601
Oct 4, 2001
4,556
0
Natick, MA
Welcome to the fold Postal... just don't go postal on anyone here, yet... :D

I started working on a dos based pc when I was 8. I didn't think much of the Mac until I actually sat in front of one back in 88, since then, I've been hooked.

As a tech as well, it really does help to have the kind of computer you are supporting at home. I currently have a Mac for my main system at work, but my boss is getting me a brand new windows box this year. I have my TiBook at home, which I use every day for just about everything possible. The only time I fiew up the win box is to play games. That's what I built it for, so that is just about all it does. Oh, and I do NOT have xp installed on it... I went with w2k since I built this before xp came out (glad of it to). I refuse to pay m$ the couple of hundred dollars they want for me to 'upgrade' to xp.

Once you start using OS X, windows will look like a clunker... as it is. :D
 

Postal

macrumors regular
Jun 22, 2002
134
17
Ottawa, ON, Canada
Thanks for the warm greets. I'm not the sort to literally go "postal" (I hope not!); my alias was actually chosen when I was in my early teens - I think it was a social commentary for the time, but I've had it so long that it's hard to let go of it.

I have to say that I can't blame anyone who's comfy with Win 2000 and doesn't want to upgrade. There are a few nice tweaks in XP, but nothing worth an upgrade if you're already using 2000. Although it is rather nice to see how relatively automatic some hardware installs can be in XP...

For me the main dilemma in getting a Mac (apart from bracing myself for the purchase) is the question of what to get. I'd love to get a gaming-oriented system, but it may also be much smarter to just go for a basic system that lets me run OSX smoothly (which will be just about any recent Mac once Jaguar is out).

MWNY (and maybe MWSF) will probably help me decide...
 

AlphaTech

macrumors 601
Oct 4, 2001
4,556
0
Natick, MA
Get whichever tower you can afford when you go to purchase. If you already have a good monitor, then get a kvm box to connect multiple systems to it. Or splurge and get a new screen (either from Apple or anyone else).

I would recommend getting the fastest single processor tower, unless you have enough money to get a dual processor model. Get the standard memory amount from Apple and then go out and get more right away. Install it before you even power up the system. You will be very glad you did. Don't go with anything less then 512MB (total) to start with. Ignore the 'deals' that offer 'free' memory with the system (typical of the catalogs), they charge about $30 just to install the memory. You would be better off using that towards a larger memory chip and installing it yourself. If you have EVER installed memory before, you can do it in a Mac. If anything, it's easier then a pc (just another thing that is easier).
 

Postal

macrumors regular
Jun 22, 2002
134
17
Ottawa, ON, Canada
Actually, as a gamer I was thinking more about upgrading the video card over the CPU if I wanted a "power system" (and it would mean more with Jaguar, since the video card could work full-time on 2D). For example, instead of a plain G4 933 (at the moment, not after MWNY) with a GF4 MX or Radeon 7500, I'd opt for a G4 800 with a GF4 Ti instead. The CPU might suffer but the truly intensive things I'd use - games, natch - would be a lot faster.

I never thought about getting a switch for an existing monitor, actually - that would make sense, although I'm sure it might get annoying unless a KVM switch also has connectors for other parts of the system (mouse, keyboard, speakers). In a multi-computer household switches are usually unnecessary, since everyone wants undivided attention from their computers!
 

Koolaid

macrumors newbie
Jun 21, 2002
7
0
The "K" and the "M" stand for Keyboard and Mouse so yes it will support what you're asking.

Your decision to not go with fastest cpu and go with faster video makes sense. You're a gamer and need the performance. Most of the latest CPU's will give you the HP you need to run any game. The graphics is what your bottle neck will be.

I have a 650mhz P3 with a Radeon 8500. I play 90% of my games with no problems and decent resolution/quality settings. Thanks to my video card. However I do get hiccups once in a while which I'm sure is due to my 2 1/2 yr old CPU.

While I agree with you, I handle it differently. I put my self into temporary debt when I upgrade. I get the latest CPU and Mobo out. Decent RAM.

Are you able to upgrade MAC's like you can a PC? Meaning, just take out your mobo and throw in a different one? Or your CPU? Or do you have to buy a whole new system.
 

Postal

macrumors regular
Jun 22, 2002
134
17
Ottawa, ON, Canada
Koolaid:

I'm not in the Land of Macs (yet) but I can tell you that you can't upgrade your motherboard in most cases, as they aren't sold seperately in any official channels. You'd either have to cannibalize a newer system or shop on eBay if and when you're looking for an upgrade in that area.

However, that's not to say that upgrades don't happen. One distinct advantage of Macs is that, at least with older models (and likely with newer ones), the CPU is on a card rather than going directly into a socket that only fits one CPU range. For example, recently I read up on someone who upgraded his old blue-and-white G3 PowerMac to a G4 500. The AGP on his motherboard (if it even supports AGP) isn't improved and he won't get gigabit Ethernet connections, but it would be like going from a P2 266 or 300 to your P3 650 without having to change any other components.

Apart from that, any PowerMac is readily upgradeable. You can replace the video card (so long as the replacement is Mac-compatible, that is), add more memory, add new hard disks (any IDE drives, or SCSI if your Mac has a SCSI card), and so on. Any case from the blue-and-white G3 onwards has a side door that pulls the motherboard away from the main case so that you can add upgrades without fighting the rest of the components.

Something I should also note is that a LOT of Mac users like to add external hard disks and optical drives, since Firewire is reasonably fast for that purpose (USB 2 is faster at the moment, but non-existent on Macs and rare on Windows PCs). If you ever just need a hard disk for storing music or things like that, you don't even have to open your case.

One more thing before I conclude: if you do consider upgrading important beyond memory or external devices, be sure to get a PowerMac (even if it ends up being a refurb model). On the new iMac the only core upgrade you can make yourself is memory (the Airport card is technically an external device), and I don't know if you can do even that much on an eMac.
 

AlphaTech

macrumors 601
Oct 4, 2001
4,556
0
Natick, MA
Originally posted by Postal
Something I should also note is that a LOT of Mac users like to add external hard disks and optical drives, since Firewire is reasonably fast for that purpose (USB 2 is faster at the moment, but non-existent on Macs and rare on Windows PCs). If you ever just need a hard disk for storing music or things like that, you don't even have to open your case.

Actually in independant tests, FireWire prooves to be faster then USB2. Sustained data transfer rates of USB is just not there. The 480Mbps of USB2 is peak/burst speed, which it really doesn't do. FireWire on the other hand, has a higher sustained data transfer rate (varies with different drives, but the lowest I have seen is about 30MB-35MB/sec on thin drives).

Another bonus/benefit from FireWire is that Apple had a major hand in developing it (don't forget, they have adopted FireWire as the official name for it :D). USB2 is intel's bastard child... 'nuf said. :D
 
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