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Dell Desktop + iBook viable?

M

mberrier

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 13, 2002
7
0
Erie, Pennsylvania
I have a relatively new (bought Dec. '01) 1.9 GHz P4 Dell Dimension 8200. I also have a '99 350 MHz B&W G3. I'll be heading off to college in the fall, and I'll be taking the Dell on-campus with me. I love Macs, but the Dell just beats the crap out of my old G3 and it's good to have both platforms available. I've also been keeping my ear to the ground for news on laptop advancements so I can nab one this fall or later.

My question is, if I bought an iBook, what exactly would I need to keep a healthy relationship between it and my Dell? I'd like to be able to network the two, but some convenient way of file transfer might be sufficient. I'd rather not have to email files to myself and download them on the other machine, and burning lots of CDs for transfer might get excessively expensive. I've heard of Dave; would that work well? What other hardware/software would I require? Would it be more reasonable to just go with a PC laptop (despite my Mac bias)? Any advice would be appreciated.
 
If you setup Samba on your mac it creates shares on your mac drive that are seen on windows networks, it's as easy as that, and works very well.
I use it all the time!
You simply map the share (e.g. \\iBook\share) as you would a normal PC share on another wintel box.
 
First off, thinking that computers that are over two years apart can really compete is just plain moronic. Especially when you are talking THAT much of a speed difference. :rolleyes:

As for your question of... "My question is, if I bought an iBook, what exactly would I need to keep a healthy relationship between it and my Dell? " That's easy, don't take the dell... Some people might recommend using Sharity to access a shared folder on the peecee. If you intend to get the airport card and go wireless, don't use Sharity, at all. I have heard (rumors) that the next version of OS X that comes out will have networking to peecee's integrated. What is the reason you want to network the two systems??

Cd's are very cheap... cd-rw discs can be reused in the area of 1000 times (makes the cost per burn in the pennies).

What, exactly, do you intend to use the Mac laptop for??? Why go with an iBook??? Why not the PowerBook G4??
 
As for your question of... "My question is, if I bought an iBook, what exactly would I need to keep a healthy relationship between it and my Dell? " That's easy, don't take the dell... Some people might recommend using Sharity to access a shared folder on the peecee. If you intend to get the airport card and go wireless, don't use Sharity, at all. I have heard (rumors) that the next version of OS X that comes out will have networking to peecee's integrated. What is the reason you want to network the two systems??
Click to expand...

hey alpha...

in jaguar there is a heck of a lot more support for PC networking.. much more reliable, faster, and more compatible with more systems.

also, i think he may want a laptop because it is often really useful to be able to have a computer you can take around campus to the library or to classes to take notes or whatever.. Many colleges these days also have 802.11b or whatever its called, which further allows more usefullness of a laptop around campus..
 
I also forgot to mention that from a mac you can connect to a PC share by mounting a disk (just like you would your iDisk) but using the smb protocal.
e.g. smb://pcname/share
 
i never got samba to work (maybe i should've tried harder he he) but i get files between my pc and macs very easily using hotline
 
Originally posted by Choppaface
i never got samba to work (maybe i should've tried harder he he) but i get files between my pc and macs very easily using hotline
Click to expand...
If your using OSX try Samba X, it's very easy to setup.
It's all done by a prefpane in your 'System Prefrences'.
Give it a go, u won't regret it.
 
I just installed Samba X, and it sounds great, but I'm not getting this exciting preference pane you are talking about...I'm guessing I need a restart...?
 
Originally posted by firewire2001


hey alpha...

in jaguar there is a heck of a lot more support for PC networking.. much more reliable, faster, and more compatible with more systems.

also, i think he may want a laptop because it is often really useful to be able to have a computer you can take around campus to the library or to classes to take notes or whatever.. Many colleges these days also have 802.11b or whatever its called, which further allows more usefullness of a laptop around campus..
Click to expand...

As I mentioned, the next revision of OS X (Jaguar) will allow for connecting to shared folders on pc's. Without needing to install any extra software. Sharity f*cked my airport card over. Since I have no need to trasfer files from/to the game pc, I don't need anything along those lines. I think it would be easier to just have a minor LAN and grab the files he needs for the Mac that way. Rather then sharing files between them.

I never said DON'T get a laptop, I was just questioning his decision to go with the iBook instead of the TiBook. The TiBook will have a longer life span, AND will run any altivec optimized applications a hell of a lot better. Without knowing what kind of apps he intends to run, it's hard to say which will be better. My own vote is for the TiBook.
 
Ok, I just restarted, but this is a no-go. I actually have two questions, both wondering if anyone can explain with some amount of detail. A) How do you connect to a PC/PC Network with no extra software (possible) ? and B) Detailed instructions for using Samba (X) Thanks!
 
you mean mac/pc?? what do you mean "connect"?? if you mean access shares, then its kind of a pain still in OS X. hopefully this will get fixed in jaguar.

cmd+k in finder. then type in the mount you want using this syntax: smb://workgroup;computername/sharename

then you type in the user name and password and it should mount like any drive, iDisk, etc.

if you mean just connected, it should work just fine, as the TCP/IP protocol is universal.
 
Yeah, I was just talking about what to type into the "Connect to Server" dialogue, the 'smb://" is what I meant, thanks.
 
Originally posted by AlphaTech
First off, thinking that computers that are over two years apart can really compete is just plain moronic. Especially when you are talking THAT much of a speed difference. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Perhaps you misunderstood me. I'm not interested in setting up races between my G3 and Dell. Obviously, the Dell outperforms my G3 on many levels, and that's the reason I gave for choosing it over the Mac for carting off to college. Also, my parents need a home computer, and they are totally inexperienced with Windows. Buying another system (in addition to the possible laptop) is currently out of the question, no matter how inexpensive.


As for your question of... "My question is, if I bought an iBook, what exactly would I need to keep a healthy relationship between it and my Dell? " That's easy, don't take the dell... Some people might recommend using Sharity to access a shared folder on the peecee. If you intend to get the airport card and go wireless, don't use Sharity, at all. I have heard (rumors) that the next version of OS X that comes out will have networking to peecee's integrated. What is the reason you want to network the two systems??
Click to expand...

Like I said, I just want a convenient way to share files for school. I'm not at all familiar with PC-Mac sharing, but the comments here have helped. I don't intend to go wireless yet.


Cd's are very cheap... cd-rw discs can be reused in the area of 1000 times (makes the cost per burn in the pennies).
Click to expand...

That's true.


What, exactly, do you intend to use the Mac laptop for??? Why go with an iBook??? Why not the PowerBook G4??
Click to expand...

Since I haven't even left for college yet, I'm not entirely certain what all I'll be getting into and to what extent my laptop will be used. I'm currently looking at lower-end models for simple tasks like notetaking, research on the go, etc. I don't need a portable powerhouse like the TiBook, even if it would have a longer lifespan and do menial tasks a little more swiftly. Of course the TiBook would be the preferred machine, but I can't justify spending two or three times what the iBook costs just to satisfy my need for speed. Maybe a few years down the road I'll find I need a heavy duty laptop and I'll spring for the Ti, or maybe I will decide to go that route for my freshman year. I don't know yet. I'm waiting to see what happens post-MWNY. I didn't start this thread for an iBook vs. TiBook debate, just some advice on the Mac laptop-PC desktop file sharing issue.

Also, I'd appreciate it if you didn't use such a condescending tone. Your clear wealth of knowledge is indeed very impressive, but your trifling comments aren't welcome or appreciated.

Thanks to everyone else who responded.
 
Originally posted by mberrier
Also, I'd appreciate it if you didn't use such a condescending tone. Your clear wealth of knowledge is indeed very impressive, but your trifling comments aren't welcome or appreciated.
Click to expand...

Well, excuuuuuuuuuuuse me... :p

As the saying goes, 'if you can't take the heat' don't ask stupid questions... :p :D
 
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