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I'm Getting a Mac (welcome the newbie)

Jaguar is the code name for 10.2, which is the latest version of OS X.

Will you ever go back to PC? Let's hope not!

Most of the big applications - Office, Photoshop, etc. - are available on both platforms, and both Macs and PCs leverage similar - and frequently compatible - technologies, so it comes down to personal preference.

I'll tell you what my preference is: given the choice between my tricked-out Windows notebook, and the base configuration iBook I've been loaned, I choose the iBook 9 times out of 10 when I have to head to a meeting.

I'm a university student by the way, and in my program everybody is required to own a laptop for group work and classes. In a land of IBM Thinkpads, the iBook sure turns a lot of heads. Maybe that's the best reason of all to stick with Mac!
 
To connect to a PC, you use a system similar to web addresses. Once you're hooked up on the LAN either via Airport wireless or an ethernet cable, from the Finder, click on the Go menu, and select Connect to Server...

in the box that says Address, you type smb:// followed by the name of the computer you want to connect to, then / followed by the name of the shared resource you want to connect to.

For example, let's say I have a PC named "WinPC" and on this computer I have a shared folder called "MP3". To connect to this folder, type: smb://WinPC/MP3 - this will temporarily add an icon to your desktop called MP3 that you can double click to open and copy files back and forth from (it may ask you to provide a login and password, depending on how the PC is set up for sharing.)

If all you need to do is get internet access, the Mac should be able to connect simply by plugging in (if using ethernet.) This depends on the way your LAN is set up, but I'm assuming it has a DHCP server. Almost all home LANs are set up this way by default (e.g. if you have a broadband router).

Does this answer your question, or are there more specific things you need to know?
 
Originally posted by yzeater
jkojima, do you know how the mac works on PC LANs?
Click to expand...
Actually, with OS X 10.2 you no longer need to do the whole "smb://..." thing. You can simply connect with "Go>Connect to Server..." and then see all volumes on the network. If you want to print to PC printers or share your own files, though, you should get DAVE or another third party solution. I have tried three, and found DAVE to work most seamlessly. However, if you just want to be able to use a local PC server, this is built into Jaguar.

Also, more generally, I'd suggest trying stuff out. With utilities and browsers, different people seem to get slightly different results.

Lastly, I can't believe no one has mentioned Tinkertool. It is another free utility that I would consider essential.

Chris
 
While we're on the subjects of switching, I have a friend that wants to get a Mac. Becuase he new that I was big into Macs he asked me me a couple of questions. It was all going great until he asked me what he should do for word processing. I said what most of you would probably have said, 'There is a fully functioning version of Office that is considered to be better than its Windows counterpart.' He then said that he hated Office and was more of a Word Perfect guy. I didn't know what to say. Is there a way to bring WordPerfect docs to the mac? Are there any solutions?

P-Worm
 
There are two options for WordPerfect fans:

1) Use Virtual PC to run Windows, into which any program - including WordPerfect - can be loaded

2) Switch to a different program

Option 1 is not the best solution for long-term use, as Virtual PC is noticeably slow, even on a high-end Mac.

For Option 2, there are a variety of alternatives. One is just getting over it and using Office. Another is to use AppleWorks, which comes free with most new Macs. There also exists packages like ThinkFree Office, an Office-compatible clone.

Some current Mac Word Processing programs can read WordPerfect files, but at least on the PC side Word is noticeably picky about allowing users to open WordPerfect's .wpd files.

WordPerfect used to be available for the Mac, but was discontinued years ago. A Linux version was offered by Corel, but that was also discontinued and though Unix is at the core of both Linux and Mac OS X, I doubt anybody has tried to port it over to the Mac.
 
Originally posted by P-Worm
While we're on the subjects of switching, I have a friend that wants to get a Mac. Becuase he new that I was big into Macs he asked me me a couple of questions. It was all going great until he asked me what he should do for word processing. I said what most of you would probably have said, 'There is a fully functioning version of Office that is considered to be better than its Windows counterpart.' He then said that he hated Office and was more of a Word Perfect guy. I didn't know what to say. Is there a way to bring WordPerfect docs to the mac? Are there any solutions?

P-Worm
Click to expand...
I'd say there are two legitimate choices right now:

1) MarinerWrite is very good, but seems to have some stability problems in 10.2. I tried it in 10.1.x and liked it quite a bit, but needed Office for other work things. Your friend may really like MarinerWrite for all the reasons he likes WordPerfect. If he shares documents with M$ Office people, though, he may have to use .rtf files. (Personally, I think we should all switch to rich text whenever possible, as it is an open standard, and not a proprietary format.)

2) Appleworks. It is stable and can write to standard Office file formats.

I truly hope OpenOffice will get there, but it's not presently a legitimate option.

That's what I know. There might be more out there, though.

Chris
 
Those were very good answers to my LAN questions!! Now if I want to have a CDRW drive...what are my options? Only external firewire, or do I have an internal option? What kinda cost are we looking at for that?
 
You can get an internal burner fo your Powerbook, but it's going to be slow, about 8x max.
Plus they're not exactly easy to find.
If you want a decent one, you're going to have to go firewire.
Check out DOTW or Pricewatch for comparisons.
smiley.gif
 
Will any firewire drive work, or does it have to be mac specific?
 
Originally posted by yzeater
Man you're helping so much! Let me throw a couple more questions out there. What is juguar, is it different than OSX or OS 10.2? Will I ever go back to PC?
Click to expand...

Jaguar is the codename for OS X.2. OS X is the current version of the operating system. The X stand for 10. Version 10.2 is Jaguar. Does that make sense? Also, you will never go back to a PC.
 
Originally posted by RBMaraman


Jaguar is the codename for OS X.2. OS X is the current version of the operating system. The X stand for 10. Version 10.2 is Jaguar. Does that make sense? Also, you will never go back to a PC.
Click to expand...

Makes perfect sense!
 
Originally posted by chmorley
Actually, with OS X 10.2 you no longer need to do the whole "smb://..." thing. You can simply connect with "Go>Connect to Server..." and then see all volumes on the network. If you want to print to PC printers or share your own files, though, you should get DAVE or another third party solution. I have tried three, and found DAVE to work most seamlessly. However, if you just want to be able to use a local PC server, this is built into Jaguar.

Also, more generally, I'd suggest trying stuff out. With utilities and browsers, different people seem to get slightly different results.

Lastly, I can't believe no one has mentioned Tinkertool. It is another free utility that I would consider essential.

Chris
Click to expand...

TinkerTool is pretty good, especially if you don't like (or want more) eye candy and customization options, but in the end, the only thing I find myself actually using in it is making the dock icons transparent when hidden.

As for the networking thing, you may run into problems if the network is workgroup based. If that's the case, you'll have to go into Directory Access and add the workgroups manually.
 
Originally posted by yzeater
Man you're helping so much! Let me throw a couple more questions out there. What is juguar, is it different than OSX or OS 10.2? Will I ever go back to PC?
Click to expand...

God you are blasfemous.

NO , you will never go back yo pc.

Don't you dare asking this question again, hahhahah.

Jaguar is 10.2.

:D :p
 
Let me bring this back up and add another question to the mix. How long do macs take to start up? Our PCs are like 4 minutes between hitting the button and being able to do anything
 
Originally posted by yzeater
Let me bring this back up and add another question to the mix. How long do macs take to start up? Our PCs are like 4 minutes between hitting the button and being able to do anything
Click to expand...

My iBook takes about 45 seconds to reach the login screen. Once I log in, I can start using the OS after about 10 seconds of loading.
 
hesdeadjim, what does the ibook have on the powerbook I'm looking at? Just processor speed, and why is it better with gaming applications?
Click to expand...

Well processor speed and video card. Either the Ti has 16 MB or 8 MB, I don't remember. The new iBooks have 16, which should help if the Ti has 8. Either way, I suggest getting more RAM, which should help all around. Neither of these macines should be used for a heavy gamer, but a casual one should be fine. If it is for one year, it really doesn't matter what you get, but you might want to look at resale value as well. The Ti should have a slightly higher resale value, but they will probably be about equivalent. You may also just want to wait and save up for a better computer in a year. No matter what way you go, you should love your mac.
 
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