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Edit: DMann beat me to the punch. Also, you can easily print to PDF from within the standard print dialog.
This happens to be a great asset in OS X.

You can create compressed files/folders (.zip) in Windows in addition to decompressing them.

OS X includes PDF reading and creation support out of the box. I do remember Microsoft wanting to include it Office 2007 but dropped it because of Adobe.

TIFF support is there but I've found it to be shaky or end up with converted files large than the original TIFF. Don't ask me why Preview does that.
I've experienced this too - hopefully this will be fixed in 10.6. I use VueScan to edit my TIFF files for now. At the very least, Preview seems to open and read them with no problem.
 
I know we are deviating from the thread but...what was wrong with Acid Pro? I've used versions 2-6 on XP Home (on 2 different Dells with 1-3gig ram, SATA drives, and a single core and quad core system) and love it. Unstable as in poor effects performance (like the soundcard couldn't "keep up" with the demand)?

You need to realize that software for the PC has to run on billions of more combinations than software on a Mac...so the authors of Garageband only have to worry about a handful of hardware specs while Sony (used to be Sonic Foundry) has to attempt to be compatible with 100 different sound cards, CPUs, graphics cards, etc.

I'm not trying to state it was you and not Acid...I've tried Garageband and hate it compared to what Acid Pro (or even the $69 Consumer version) can do.

Trust me, I've got plenty of experience with DAWs going back many years. Acid was unstable in regards to 3rd party plug-ins, be it effect or instrument. I loved the workflow though, so I dealt with it until I tried Tracktion in 2005. I then switched to that and didn't look back until I switched to the Mac.

I realize Windows software has to run on a lot of different hardware, however Tracktion and Reaper (which I also used) never had the problems no matter if I was using my Presonus FW interface, Line6 TonePort, or Tascam USB interface, on home built Athlon systems, Intel laptops......whatever.

I just didn't have good luck with stability on Acid, unfortunately.
 
Preview, which has it's roots in NeXT's OPENSTEP OS, is the app included for displaying PDFs, as well as AI, BMP, DNG, EPS, FPX, GIF, HDR, ICNS, ICO, JPEG, OpenEXR, PS, PSD, PICT, PNG, PNTG, QTIF, RAD, RAW, SGI, TGA TIF, TIFF, XBM, and including FAX files.

How true. Preview is a thing of beauty.
 
And the days when bandwidth was measured in baud. Not Kilobaud. Baud. :)

I had a Zoom modem @ 300 baud for a long time. :)

Hayes 50/110/300. And of course we kept them for a long time, because those modems cost a ton of money.

IIRC, it cost around $300 "back then", which as per the CPI, bringing it forward from circa 1980 to today, it would be $774.



-hh
 
All I'm saying is that until 1998, I could buy any electronic gizmo from any store and have a 30-day-to-play guarantee. Think about how many flavors of a camcorder or dvd player a store sells...and how many are on display?...and that are working? A very low percent...so they used to allow you to take it home, try it out, etc. And if it were a gift and you opened it and found out that the User Manual, for example, stated that the DVD player didn't have an s-video output, you packed it up and brought it back.

Gifts have special receipts that avoid this issue. If giving a purchase as a gift, ask for one.

They did not "used to allow you to....try it out". People took advantage of earlier policies.

Think about this. You are saying you should have the right to take a computer or TV home, use it for 4 weeks, then return it for no charge. Then, presumably, you will get a different one, use it for 4 weeks, return it for no charge. Etc. So...you "own" a TV for as long as you want with no rent, no purchase? You really think that is ethical? You really think Best Buy should allow that? This is theft if you get down to brass tacks.

You can't have expensive electronics for nothing. It was hacks doing this very thing that made stores create the restocking fees in the first place. Even Costco had to stop their forever-return-with-no-fee policy. It is now 90 days for electronics, started just 4 years ago or so. People would buy a 42" plasma for $3000, wait a year until 42" plasmas were $2000 with a better picture, then return the old one and buy the new one, pocketing the $1000. There would be no stores left if they allowed this to continue.

There are a few direct to consumer companies that still offer such policies, though. SVS sells subwoofers and other speakers with a 45 day policy, so do a couple subwoofer competitors of their's. Select Comfort and a couple other mattress manufacturers have 30 day policies, IIRC. And so forth. These companies tend to have products that are not ever returned, though.
 
Select Comfort and a couple other mattress manufacturers have 30 day policies, IIRC. And so forth. These companies tend to have products that are not ever returned, though.

Used mattresses - ick. What if heterosexuals had used them? Ick. Ick. Ick.
 
Gifts have special receipts that avoid this issue. If giving a purchase as a gift, ask for one.

They did not "used to allow you to....try it out". People took advantage of earlier policies.

Think about this. You are saying you should have the right to take a computer or TV home, use it for 4 weeks, then return it for no charge. Then, presumably, you will get a different one, use it for 4 weeks, return it for no charge. Etc. So...you "own" a TV for as long as you want with no rent, no purchase? You really think that is ethical? You really think Best Buy should allow that? This is theft if you get down to brass tacks.

You can't have expensive electronics for nothing. It was hacks doing this very thing that made stores create the restocking fees in the first place. Even Costco had to stop their forever-return-with-no-fee policy. It is now 90 days for electronics, started just 4 years ago or so. People would buy a 42" plasma for $3000, wait a year until 42" plasmas were $2000 with a better picture, then return the old one and buy the new one, pocketing the $1000. There would be no stores left if they allowed this to continue.

There are a few direct to consumer companies that still offer such policies, though. SVS sells subwoofers and other speakers with a 45 day policy, so do a couple subwoofer competitors of their's. Select Comfort and a couple other mattress manufacturers have 30 day policies, IIRC. And so forth. These companies tend to have products that are not ever returned, though.

Yeah I was going to say, seems like a couple douche bags ruining things for everyone, not stores trying to rip people off.
 
Gifts have special receipts that avoid this issue. If giving a purchase as a gift, ask for one.

They did not "used to allow you to....try it out". People took advantage of earlier policies.

Think about this. You are saying you should have the right to take a computer or TV home, use it for 4 weeks, then return it for no charge. Then, presumably, you will get a different one, use it for 4 weeks, return it for no charge. Etc. So...you "own" a TV for as long as you want with no rent, no purchase? You really think that is ethical? You really think Best Buy should allow that? This is theft if you get down to brass tacks.

You can't have expensive electronics for nothing. It was hacks doing this very thing that made stores create the restocking fees in the first place. Even Costco had to stop their forever-return-with-no-fee policy. It is now 90 days for electronics, started just 4 years ago or so. People would buy a 42" plasma for $3000, wait a year until 42" plasmas were $2000 with a better picture, then return the old one and buy the new one, pocketing the $1000. There would be no stores left if they allowed this to continue.

There are a few direct to consumer companies that still offer such policies, though. SVS sells subwoofers and other speakers with a 45 day policy, so do a couple subwoofer competitors of their's. Select Comfort and a couple other mattress manufacturers have 30 day policies, IIRC. And so forth. These companies tend to have products that are not ever returned, though.

Hi Jat,

1)No, gift receipts are simply receipts for the gift receiver (and usually do not have the price listed but it's buried in the store/receipt codes)...the same store rules apply...they just get a receipt so they know where to return it. If they open the dvd player and find that it is silver instead of black, they will still get harassed by the store to exchange/refund it. Same rules...just that they have a receipt showing when/where it was purchased.

2)You are greatly exaggerating about taking home a pc, using it for 30 days, returning it, and starting the cycle. Nobody is going to waste so much time especially since computers are all about personal customization. I doubt someone would do your scenario for a digital camera or dvd player because it's just not worth the time and aggravation. And I never said it was ethical and you are still expanding the scope of my statements. Yes, I'm sure *someone* will do it...probably a college kid or teenager but not all the time for all devices. Maybe a boombox they can take on vacation and return it.

3)If Costco ever had a return-it-whenever policy then whatever genius made that policy should have been fired. :)

4)Yes, stores did allow you to "try it out". In the 80s and early 90s I heard radio ads, saw tv ads, and even heard from the employees at stores like Sears, Walmart, Crutchfield, and Tweeter to try it at home. I still hear it all the time with furniture stores offering 30 and 60 day "trials" with 0 risk. Again, you want to be sure that, for example, your speakers don't stink...or that your tv doesn't look poor...or that your dvd player does in fact have s-video out or do up-conversion as the sales rep stated or isn't silver instead of black (JVC routinely makes their home devices in multiple colors). I'm a huge electronics fan and until the past few years with the web, you could never get the sales rep at a store to provide you with a Users Manual to check specifications. I can't list every example but I'm not sure why you don't believe me about this 30-day policy regarding electronics. Heck, I can return almost anything at Home Depot within 90 days no question asked...I've returned a space heater that died as well as a defective microwave...no problemo...even a light that was too large once we got it ready to be installed. Sometime around 2005 Sears changed it's policy to now include a Restocking Fee...they were pretty much the last brick and mortar retail giant to implement it while others had adopted it in 1998 or so.

Moreover, have you noticed that places like Best Buy and Staples now only have 14 days?...so they implemented the Restocking Fee program a decade ago and then sometime in the recent past they also quietly added "electronics can only be returned within 14 days while everything else in our store can be 30 days".


I'm just stating raw facts about how it used to be before the late-90s store return policies radically changed...and that the public just shrugged it off and paid the ridiculous fees. I have never paid such a fee and never will...whether it's the time I politely told the Apple Store manager I wasn't going to pay it on my Mini (it was broken and they wanted to force me to get a replacement) or just by me (nowadays) being able to shop at numerous websites to get all the infomration and honest reviews before purchasing. I think the "reviews" on websites are extremely valuable in me choosing if the device is actually friendly/usable/worth the money rather than only tech specs.
 
That was a common problem in the '70s ...

nyuck, nyuck, nyuck

curly.jpg
 
Unfortunately, when Apple decides on a way its their way or the highway. It is sad that they don't have an optional wireless kb with numpad for those that want one.

Oddly enough, I happen to have an Apple Bluetooth keyboard with Keypad.

It is of what is now the older style ... white keys, plastic enclosure (clear plastic around the edges).

Might be able to find one used on eBay...or make me an offer I can't refuse. Do I hear $500 (and a firewire iSight)? :D


-hh
 
Ok, first. I apologize if it seemed like I was attacking you. Me, I don't like these things anymore than you. But I am angry at a different group on this topic......

2)You are greatly exaggerating about taking home a pc, using it for 30 days, returning it, and starting the cycle. Nobody is going to waste so much time especially since computers are all about personal customization. I doubt someone would do your scenario for a digital camera or dvd player because it's just not worth the time and aggravation. And I never said it was ethical and you are still expanding the scope of my statements. Yes, I'm sure *someone* will do it...probably a college kid or teenager but not all the time for all devices. Maybe a boombox they can take on vacation and return it.
And yet that has happened. I'm not sure why you are denying that, maybe you could ask some CEOs for verification? Perhaps a TV would fit better in that example than a PC. (probably why I used it as the example rather than a PC :rolleyes:)

Also, there have been many instances of PCs being returned without certain internal parts, or software CDs. Perhaps you noticed sometime in the last decade the little "warranty invalid if tampered/removed" stickers showing up over certain screws on boxes? Similar reasons behind those policies. The software companies have also had a hand in policies specific to computers.

3)If Costco ever had a return-it-whenever policy then whatever genius made that policy should have been fired. :)
They still do, just not for electronics. Just last year I exchanged a lantern that I had owned for around 12 months. It had never worked properly and I finally gave up on it. It was not an obvious defect, so it took time. The new one works.
http://www.costco.com/Service/FeaturePageLeftNav.aspx?ProductNo=11204333

4)Yes, stores did allow you to "try it out". In the 80s and early 90s I heard radio ads, saw tv ads, and even heard from the employees at stores like Sears, Walmart, Crutchfield, and Tweeter to try it at home. I still hear it all the time with furniture stores offering 30 and 60 day "trials" with 0 risk.
Those are specific programs, and are more common for something like furniture that really needs a trial period. They also tend to be for special sales, like at holiday times. I thought we were talking about retail standards for electronics. The standard is, you check it out in the store. Speakers ought to be different from other electronics as they ought to be heard on location to test, and I gave an example of a manufacturer that does this, but a DVD player is pretty cut and dried and shouldn't need it.

Moreover, have you noticed that places like Best Buy and Staples now only have 14 days?...so they implemented the Restocking Fee program a decade ago and then sometime in the recent past they also quietly added "electronics can only be returned within 14 days while everything else in our store can be 30 days".
Wouldn't be caught dead buying electronics at Best Buy, frankly. But none of this surprises me. Probably because I understand why it all started.

I'm just stating raw facts about how it used to be before the late-90s store return policies radically changed...and that the public just shrugged it off and paid the ridiculous fees.
And I'm just explaining why it happened. You don't have to like it, but it is scam artists who caused this change. And they are part of the "public". You mentioned college kids might do this....do you have any idea just how many consumers are, will be or have been to college? I mean, you covered a whole hell of a lot of people with that. Even if the 40 year old version of a person is not willing to scam Best Buy today, the 20 year old may have been in 1989.
 
Used mattresses - ick. What if heterosexuals had used them? Ick. Ick. Ick.

So....gay folks are gay because they are disgusted by the opposite sex? That's not what the PC idiots usually say.
(PC not refering to computers in this post)
 
You get what you pay for!!! I always tell people that, and Apple is doing a great job keeping up the look of its Brand Equity. Being a college student, i was more than happy to put out $1600 for my laptop, best one i have ever had.
 
Those are specific programs, and are more common for something like furniture that really needs a trial period. They also tend to be for special sales, like at holiday times. I thought we were talking about retail standards for electronics. The standard is, you check it out in the store. Speakers ought to be different from other electronics as they ought to be heard on location to test, and I gave an example of a manufacturer that does this, but a DVD player is pretty cut and dried and shouldn't need it.

Ok...very long post you have there, Jat...and I agree with most of it about the .001% of the population that will do anything to get something for free or steal.

However, I disagree very very much with your quote here...I can't stress enough that until around 1998, I could walk into almost any retailer (regardless if they even sold electronics), buy something, and have 30 days to return it for ANY REASON. Period. It was never a special promotion. That's just "the way it was" back in the good old days. Period. End of story.

These days (the past 10 or so years), yes, it's very very very hard to find a store that will give you the same "good ol days 30-day return policy". And I'm sure there are a number of factors why...mainly a)the .001% that do steal b)the proliferation of the web makes it much easier to "shop around" both for specs, reviews, and prices thus you are much more knowledgeable before buying and thus far less likely to return (other than defects) and c)that the proliferation of personal computers (they really took off in sales around 1996) fell into the broad category of "electronic devices" and yes, people returned them because they didn't like the way it worked or couldn't plug the cords in or a billion other reasons.

So in essence I think you and I are on the same page. I'm almost 40 years old so I do know what it was like to shop in the 80s and 90s for electronics. :) So I've been there...and I'm here now.

Lastly, I will agree with you that I can't stand BB...hate them...unless they have a great sale on blank dvds, I never buy a single thing from them. I'm more of an Amazon, Crutchfield, Newegg, Vanns kinda guy...all 4 of those retailers are sooooo awesome that I will likely never need a 5th electronics retailer.

:)

-Eric
 
You get what you pay for!!! I always tell people that, and Apple is doing a great job keeping up the look of its Brand Equity. Being a college student, i was more than happy to put out $1600 for my laptop, best one i have ever had.

Strange, I'm always telling people the opposite!
People (especially here on mr ;)) see different value in computers and it's been done 1000x on this forum with some pretty silly arguments, let's not bother - I could give you a huge list of products and services where you don't get more for your money.
Mentioning brand equity in the same sentence is a little strange :)
 
Strange, I'm always telling people the opposite!
People (especially here on mr ;)) see different value in computers and it's been done 1000x on this forum with some pretty silly arguments, let's not bother - I could give you a huge list of products and services where you don't get more for your money.
Mentioning brand equity in the same sentence is a little strange :)

It's all my opinion and what i have come to learn from the aspects of business during my time studying at school. :) Maybe i am right, maybe i am wrong, who knows. I support what i said, its like buying a flat panel tv at wal-mart. Wal-mart sells some of the crappiest tv's you can buy compared to many other high end electronic stores, where you actually get quality and pay for it. You pay for all the features, quality and such. I mentioned Brand Equity because by apple creating such a high quality products it allows their marketing department to market their company as a great quality company and can offer their products at a higher cost because they know people are willing to shell out the cash for what they are going to get in return. I have always been a PC/Windows person for since i was 20, and since purchasing this Unibody macbook i would not look back. I have had Dells, gateways, IBM's, and HP's, none of them compared to it.

I talked about brand equity being consumer based, a strong brand increases the consumers attitude/strength towards all the products associated with Apple.

To me, a lot of the arguments are of middle class mindsets, I am middle class. I always get the situations based on car models, 'oh its just a high end ford, so you should just buy a Ford'. Thats when they are talking about a Jaguar, Range Rover, Lexus, Mercedes. Yes you are paying for the name and the status, but you are also paying for all the extra quality in the leather, shocks,audio,suspension, engine,warranty etc.

Again, all my opinion, i tend to go towards the higher end products. :):D:apple:
 
It's all my opinion and what i have come to learn from the aspects of business during my time studying at school. :) Maybe i am right, maybe i am wrong, who knows. I support what i said, its like buying a flat panel tv at wal-mart. Wal-mart sells some of the crappiest tv's you can buy compared to many other high end electronic stores, where you actually get quality and pay for it. You pay for all the features, quality and such. I mentioned Brand Equity because by apple creating such a high quality products it allows their marketing department to market their company as a great quality company and can offer their products at a higher cost because they know people are willing to shell out the cash for what they are going to get in return. I have always been a PC/Windows person for since i was 20, and since purchasing this Unibody macbook i would not look back. I have had Dells, gateways, IBM's, and HP's, none of them compared to it.

I talked about brand equity being consumer based, a strong brand increases the consumers attitude/strength towards all the products associated with Apple.

To me, a lot of the arguments are of middle class mindsets, I am middle class. I always get the situations based on car models, 'oh its just a high end ford, so you should just buy a Ford'. Thats when they are talking about a Jaguar, Range Rover, Lexus, Mercedes. Yes you are paying for the name and the status, but you are also paying for all the extra quality in the leather, shocks,audio,suspension, engine,warranty etc.

Again, all my opinion, i tend to go towards the higher end products. :):D:apple:
Please tell me how a model identical to another one is worse because it's in a Wal-Mart.

It's almost like you're telling me to only buy a Mac from the Apple Store because that's where it's the most expensive.
 
Please tell me how a model identical to another one is worse because it's in a Wal-Mart.

It's almost like you're telling me to only buy a Mac from the Apple Store because that's where it's the most expensive.

He's not saying the same models are better between different stores. For example, at Wal-mart the best Sony you can get is the S-series, which is a low end Sony model (though still better than the subpar Vizios and Emersons). At Best Buy and other electronic stores you can get V, W, Z series, etc. all the way up to the ultra high-end XBR's.
 
Please tell me how a model identical to another one is worse because it's in a Wal-Mart.

It's almost like you're telling me to only buy a Mac from the Apple Store because that's where it's the most expensive.

Definitely not saying that. I am pretty much saying Wal-mart has all the 'older' technology even though its not that old. Wal-mart is such a powerhouse that they can bully companies into doing what Wal-mart wants them to do and in return, some companies must lower cost of producing that product to get it at the price that wal-mart wants to sell it at or keep the price the same and make the smallest profit possible. Go look at the best flat panel at your local wal-mart and compare it to other major electronic suppliers (Refresh rate/contrast ratio and such). Look at all the specifications. One example, the new LED tv's that are coming out, you wont see them hit Wal-mart shelves for what i am guessing from 6 months to a year or more. :)

He's not saying the same models are better between different stores. For example, at Wal-mart the best Sony you can get is the S-series, which is a low end Sony model (though still better than the crappy Vizio's and Emerson's). At Best Buy and other electronic stores you can get V, W, Z series, etc. all the way up to the ultra high-end XBR's.

Thank you, you know what i am talking about.
 
He's not saying the same models are better between different stores. For example, at Wal-mart the best Sony you can get is the S-series, which is a low end Sony model (though still better than the crappy Vizios and Emersons). At Best Buy and other electronic stores you can get V, W, Z series, etc. all the way up to the ultra high-end XBR's.

Definitely not saying that. I am pretty much saying Wal-mart has all the 'older' technology even though its not that old. Wal-mart is such a powerhouse that they can bully companies into doing what Wal-mart wants them to do and in return, some companies must lower cost of producing that product to get it at the price that wal-mart wants to sell it at or keep the price the same and make the smallest profit possible. Go look at the best flat panel at your local wal-mart and compare it to other major electronic suppliers (Refresh rate/contrast ratio and such). Look at all the specifications. One example, the new LED tv's that are coming out, you wont see them hit Wal-mart shelves for what i am guessing from 6 months to a year or more. :)
Thank you for clarifying your points.

I can still get this at a Wal-Mart though.
 
Thank you for clarifying your points.

I can still get this at a Wal-Mart though.

That's only $200 though. Wal-mart shoppers might actually buy that. They would be far less likely to pay almost $1500 for a 37" HDTV when they see other 37" TVs at $600. The vast majority of Wal-mart shoppers aren't exactly the most tech savvy people around.
 
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