Need spiritual advice for the Road to iMac!?

[fattycrowe]

How do all !!?? need some input on the spiritual road of converting from PC-dom to Mac-dom!!!

I have been a PC user for the 10 years and am extremely comfortable in both using and finding my away around the OS’s in particular Win98, NT & XP.

I am currently using XP on an Inspiron 2500 Laptop Intel Celeron 900Mhz,10Gb HDD & 512Mb RAM with a CD-RW\DVD-R. Last year I upgrade the peripherals to include a 17” Relisys monitor and USB 2.0 PCMCIA card. I also purchased an external a Medion DVD – RW with a Sony reader\writer and an external 250Gb SATA HDD. So all in all it’s a bitty system but unfortunately it doesn’t rock my boat anymore!! It’s working to the limit of its abilities and to top all that I’m sick of the constant grind of getting it to do what I want it to do.

I have spec-ed the following machine from Dell:

Dell Dimension E9200 for €1250.00
Intel Core 2 Dou E6400 Processor (2.13GHz,1066Mhz,2MB)
2048Mb Dual channel DDR2 RAM
Hdd: 500Gb SATA RAID 0 Stripe ( 2 * 250Gb 7200rpm drives)
16X DVD+/- RW Drive
256Mb NVIDIA GeForce 7900GS graphics card
OS: Vista Home Premium

It’s a good spec but its going to have the same old problems – Crashing, Viruses, Spyware, Updates etc etc. I have started to check out the iMac and in particular the high spec-ed G5. What really attracts me is the stability of the system and the apparent ease of everyday use. I am really blown away by all the bundled software with the machine, the built in speakers , mic & camera. It’s a design classic for Gods Sake!!! Wild!!! My Main uses are as follows: Email, internet(for work & pleasure), Bit Torrent, burning DVDs\CDs, mp3s, Word Processing and other bits and pieces.

The spec for the G5 20” iMac with the 2.16Ghz Intel Core Duo, 2Gb RAM and 250Gb HDD suits my needs and would allow me to kick off and enjoy myself to my hearts content! Cost is not am issue. The Irish Apple store quoted €1,760.00 for the above spec.

I appreciate the fact that some fo these questions may have already been asked – I have tried to find out as much as possible but People I need some help on the following to get right in my head and to help me on my way to making a final decision:


1. Leopard? – Is it true that it won’t be released until May’07 – should I wait for the release or go for Tiger? Will Leopard be worth waiting for? If I have to upgrade from Tiger to Leopard – will it cost much? Any other issues?
2. As a PC-Head with 10 years use in them how hard is the transition for PC’s to Mac’s?
3. At present I am using an external SATA 3.5” 250Gb HDD connected via a USB to my Laptop. It is NTFS formatted with 3 partitions. Am I correct in stating that Macs can only read from the HDD and to use it with an iMac I will have to copy the files over to the Mac drive and reformat the external drive to either to FAT32 or HFS+ to read\write to it? Would I get better performance if I got a Firewire enclosure rather than use my existing USB one?
4. Printer Issue – I have a monochrome laser printer (Samsung Izzi ML4500) and it only has a parallel port. Can I use a standard parallel to USB cable – would there be any issues that I should be aware of?
5. I have done a bit of research and I would need to install the "samsung-gdi-foomatic" drivers from http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/OpenPrinting/MacOSX/samsung-gdi and then I will need to download and install both this samsung-gdi package and the ESP Ghostscript package to make my printer work. Any other thoughts? Am I right in this?
6. Cayman 3300 ADSL Modem\Router - USB v1.1 + Ethernet 10/100 BaseTX with Auto-crossover, RJ-45. I am currently using this via a USB connection. I hope to use this with an iMac via the Ethernet port on that machine. Any issues that might be of concern to me? Can I go ahead and use it with out any major configuration issues? I presume I will have to set up the username & password via my browser on the iMac?
7. I have a Logitech Webcam - will I dump it & use the iSight camera instead?
8. I have an external Medion md-90088 DVD -\+ RW writer (Sony RW DW-G121A) USB device with LightScribe. Will I need to download & install the latest version of Patchburn to make it work? Any other issues\thoughts?
9. What Firewall is recommended? Do I need one at all?


Sorry for all the questions but if I can clarify these issues – I’ll be well on my way to embracing Mac-dom!!!

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[WillJS]

1. Leopard? – Is it true that it won’t be released until May’07 – should I wait for the release or go for Tiger? Will Leopard be worth waiting for? If I have to upgrade from Tiger to Leopard – will it cost much? Any other issues?

If you upgrade, it won't cost an arm and leg like Vista, but not exactly cheap. If you could wait untill then, do.

2. As a PC-Head with 10 years use in them how hard is the transition for PC’s to Mac’s?

I just did this, and found some things confusing.. (like installing things! ) but I found this forum and all came to peace. It's all calm and a noticeably better experience... (even installing programs! )

3. At present I am using an external SATA 3.5” 250Gb HDD connected via a USB to my Laptop. It is NTFS formatted with 3 partitions. Am I correct in stating that Macs can only read from the HDD and to use it with an iMac I will have to copy the files over to the Mac drive and reformat the external drive to either to FAT32 or HFS+ to read\write to it? Would I get better performance if I got a Firewire enclosure rather than use my existing USB one?

FW 800 would be faster, USB 2.0 isn't bad imo. But yes, to read/write it needs to be FAT32

4. Printer Issue – I have a monochrome laser printer (Samsung Izzi ML4500) and it only has a parallel port. Can I use a standard parallel to USB cable – would there be any issues that I should be aware of?

There shouldn't be. It should just be plug in and go (no software needed because the iMac's HD will probably have your software driver pre-installed. [there are ~1GB of them if I'm not mistaken])

5. I have done a bit of research and I would need to install the "samsung-gdi-foomatic" drivers from http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/O...SX/samsung-gdi and then I will need to download and install both this samsung-gdi package and the ESP Ghostscript package to make my printer work. Any other thoughts? Am I right in this?

If not pre-installed, yes you MAY need to install the .dmg (file ext) driver. I'm not an expert here, so I'll let someone else finalize it..

6. Cayman 3300 ADSL Modem\Router - USB v1.1 + Ethernet 10/100 BaseTX with Auto-crossover, RJ-45. I am currently using this via a USB connection. I hope to use this with an iMac via the Ethernet port on that machine. Any issues that might be of concern to me? Can I go ahead and use it with out any major configuration issues? I presume I will have to set up the username & password via my browser on the iMac?

Not expert here, sorry

7. I have a Logitech Webcam - will I dump it & use the iSight camera instead?

Yes.

8. I have an external Medion md-90088 DVD -\+ RW writer (Sony RW DW-G121A) USB device with LightScribe. Will I need to download & install the latest version of Patchburn to make it work? Any other issues\thoughts?
9. What Firewall is recommended? Do I need one at all?

The Mac has all the apps needed to take care of itself. It's built in firewall will suffice exceptionally (seeing there aren't many viruses for Macintosh)


I hope I've been a help, if I was mistaken anywhere, please correct me.

 

[patrick0brien]

-fattycrowe

As an IT guy who has switched gobs let me only add this:

You will tend to overthink OS X, and that will lead to frustration (not "may" but "will").


You will approach OS X from a Windows thought process, like where certain services are envoked from, control panels, Network configs, etc. You will have to effectively deprogram yourself, and reach out to using OS X from the human side, not the Windows side.

After that zen catches up with you, and the next time you hit a, "Hmm, I know how to do this in Windows, but..." you will find yourself then saying "Wait, if I made the OS, I'd put it here!"

 

[johnmartin78]

-fattycrowe

As an IT guy who has switched gobs let me only add this:

You will tend to overthink OS X, and that will lead to frustration (not "may" but "will").


You will approach OS X from a Windows thought process, like where certain services are envoked from, control panels, Network configs, etc. You will have to effectively deprogram yourself, and reach out to using OS X from the human side, not the Windows side.

Agreed,my first night with my first iMac I got pretty frustrated over something simple(forget what it was).I remember thinking,"omg why did I buy this thing?".Then in a moment of clarity,I figured out what I was trying to do and thought,"wow,that was really simple".It was hard for me to get used to not having to go through like 18 steps to do something.

 

[Carrot007]

OS X - If you've ever wished you could switch form windows to unix it will help.

Hey Linux / BSD never cut it for a main machine for me. OS X does. I still have a windows box, but use my mac for more.

How you'll transfer depends on how much you have "computing is windows" ingrained into your being.

As am amiga user back in the day who went to pc because nothing else could do it (hey pre OS X mac sucked, I know I have many in my loft) I adjusted easier than someone who had only ever been exposed to windows.

 

[scamateur]

climbing the curve

I concur that you will encounter a distinct learning curve when switching to Mac. You have spent ten years learning the "language" of how to do things on your PC, and you can expect to be frustrated sometimes with your new Mac.

You'll also encounter some consumer-unfriendly terminology such as references to "mounting" drives and working with the "disk image" -- terms that Windows hid from the user in Version 3.0. (I don't even remember those in DOS. "Mounting" refers to memory on tape reels.)

I felt that all these "it's so much easier to use" Mac-fans were "full of it," to tell you the truth, when I first got my Mac.

I also concur that it WILL come to you, though, and that you'll be glad you "went Mac." I am looking to upgrade mine!

 

[emptyCup]

It is true that the more knowledgeable you are about Windows the more frustrated you may become when the things you "know" no longer work. You might want to give yourself a head-start by reading Switching to the Mac first.

 

[mattibek]

The imac is what you want. The top end imac is pretty darn fast and a great price. If you've got that much cash then spend the extra money on some cool new toy's to go with your imac or get a macbook to kill free time on the bus.

Leopard... who know's but like it was said earlier upgrading will be easy.

Finally whatever system you get add windows through Parallels and use both OS untill you are satisfied with OSX. My buddy who got a whitebook uses windows becouse it's what he is used to but says he PLAYS in OSX alot for fun. He likes that he is making the switch at his pace.

 

[maccam]

6. Cayman 3300 ADSL Modem\Router - USB v1.1 + Ethernet 10/100 BaseTX with Auto-crossover, RJ-45. I am currently using this via a USB connection. I hope to use this with an iMac via the Ethernet port on that machine. Any issues that might be of concern to me? Can I go ahead and use it with out any major configuration issues? I presume I will have to set up the username & password via my browser on the iMac?

just plug it in to the imac via ethernet and your done.
i'm 99.9% that will work, if not let us know.

 

[Roy Hobbs]

Also keep in mind its not a G5 iMac if it has a Core2Duo chip

 

[GoKyu]

I'm still looking to get my first Mac (Mac Pro) sometime after Leopard ships, and while I've been a PC guy for like 15+ years now (with little actual "serious" time on a Mac other than a Mac Plus back in the day...), I *have* used Linux quite a bit, and I'm happy to be switching to not only a better OS, but one with UNIX underpinnings.

It'll be nice to get back to 'rm -f' if I have a stubborn file that doesn't want to delete, instead of "sorry, some program is using this file" (Of course it also makes it a bit more dangerous with the deadly 'rm -rf /' command - I always set this particular command syntax to an aliased command, like 'rm-delete' )

Speaking of UNIX, does this also mean that once you delete a file, there's no recovery possible? When you drag a file into the trash, is it a holding cell, or is the file deleted immediately?

-Bryan

 

[Erasmus]

Speaking of UNIX, does this also mean that once you delete a file, there's no recovery possible? When you drag a file into the trash, is it a holding cell, or is the file deleted immediately?

-Bryan

If by Unix you mean OSX which is based on Unix, putting something in the trash is just like putting something in a special folder. OSX will not allow you to open files in the trash, but you can still just drag them out again and open them normally.

So no, the item is not deleted immediately. Unless you drag a file into a folder that has another file with the same name, and press "replace". I believe that destroys the original file, because it doesn't go in the trash.

Even emptying the trash does not destroy the file, and it can still be recovered. "Secure empty trash" will completely destroy the file however, which is a second option.

 

[fattycrowe]

Thanks for the Replies!

Hey Folks!!!

Thanks so much for your quick and insightful replies!! Lots of advice to think about !!I think that I should look on it as a positive change , go with the flow and enjoy myself!!!! --- as opposed to hassle and strife! If I approach it like this everything fall into place !!!

To transition I could use both OS until I find my feet - thats a definite option.

My next step is to find a local retailer in my area where I go to to get a feel for it before I buy! I'll let you know how I get on!!

Again - thanks for all your help !

 

[notjustjay]

You will approach OS X from a Windows thought process, like where certain services are envoked from, control panels, Network configs, etc. You will have to effectively deprogram yourself, and reach out to using OS X from the human side, not the Windows side.

I have actually had new Mac people (folks that switched largely because I did ) ask me questions about "How the #@!% do I do ____?" I have literally told them to stop, think about what would make sense, and try that. There is literally a moment of dawning comprehension followed by a moment of excitement as they realized that "what makes sense" actually works!

This very thing has happened several times. Patrick does not exaggerate.

 

[fattycrowe]

I have actually had new Mac people (folks that switched largely because I did ) ask me questions about "How the #@!% do I do ____?" I have literally told them to stop, think about what would make sense, and try that. There is literally a moment of dawning comprehension followed by a moment of excitement as they realized that "what makes sense" actually works!

This very thing has happened several times. Patrick does not exaggerate.

Wow!! That sounds wild!!

Think logically through the 'problem' - identify what I want\need to do and take the necessary commonsense steps to get there!!! I like it!!!This makes sense as opposed to the 'Windows' way of doing things!

I have thought people how to use PC's, to program & web design and have seen the sheer mayhem caused to them by trying to use and understand Windows.

 

[GFLPraxis]

How do all !!?? need some input on the spiritual road of converting from PC-dom to Mac-dom!!!

I have been a PC user for the 10 years and am extremely comfortable in both using and finding my away around the OS’s in particular Win98, NT & XP.

I am currently using XP on an Inspiron 2500 Laptop Intel Celeron 900Mhz,10Gb HDD & 512Mb RAM with a CD-RW\DVD-R. Last year I upgrade the peripherals to include a 17” Relisys monitor and USB 2.0 PCMCIA card. I also purchased an external a Medion DVD – RW with a Sony reader\writer and an external 250Gb SATA HDD. So all in all it’s a bitty system but unfortunately it doesn’t rock my boat anymore!! It’s working to the limit of its abilities and to top all that I’m sick of the constant grind of getting it to do what I want it to do.

I have spec-ed the following machine from Dell:

Dell Dimension E9200 for €1250.00
Intel Core 2 Dou E6400 Processor (2.13GHz,1066Mhz,2MB)
2048Mb Dual channel DDR2 RAM
Hdd: 500Gb SATA RAID 0 Stripe ( 2 * 250Gb 7200rpm drives)
16X DVD+/- RW Drive
256Mb NVIDIA GeForce 7900GS graphics card
OS: Vista Home Premium

It’s a good spec but its going to have the same old problems – Crashing, Viruses, Spyware, Updates etc etc. I have started to check out the iMac and in particular the high spec-ed G5. What really attracts me is the stability of the system and the apparent ease of everyday use. I am really blown away by all the bundled software with the machine, the built in speakers , mic & camera. It’s a design classic for Gods Sake!!! Wild!!! My Main uses are as follows: Email, internet(for work & pleasure), Bit Torrent, burning DVDs\CDs, mp3s, Word Processing and other bits and pieces.

The spec for the G5 20” iMac with the 2.16Ghz Intel Core Duo, 2Gb RAM and 250Gb HDD suits my needs and would allow me to kick off and enjoy myself to my hearts content! Cost is not am issue. The Irish Apple store quoted €1,760.00 for the above spec.

I appreciate the fact that some fo these questions may have already been asked – I have tried to find out as much as possible but People I need some help on the following to get right in my head and to help me on my way to making a final decision:

Congrats! You'll love the iMac

1. Leopard? – Is it true that it won’t be released until May’07 – should I wait for the release or go for Tiger? Will Leopard be worth waiting for? If I have to upgrade from Tiger to Leopard – will it cost much? Any other issues?

Vista as you know has been a very difficult OS to upgrade to. Software incompatabilities, higher system requirements, etc.

Macs are not like that. Leopard will not be like that. You will likely have no (or very few) software problems in the upgrade, you won't need any hardware upgrades.

The cost will be $129, or $79 if a student buys it for you.

2. As a PC-Head with 10 years use in them how hard is the transition for PC’s to Mac’s?

There will be a bit of time for adjustment, but you'll learn fast and be productive quickly. Give yourself a couple weeks.

3. At present I am using an external SATA 3.5” 250Gb HDD connected via a USB to my Laptop. It is NTFS formatted with 3 partitions. Am I correct in stating that Macs can only read from the HDD and to use it with an iMac I will have to copy the files over to the Mac drive and reformat the external drive to either to FAT32 or HFS+ to read\write to it? Would I get better performance if I got a Firewire enclosure rather than use my existing USB one?

Correct; the Mac OS will be unable to write, but able to read NTFS.

HFS+ will be faster for read/write times than FAT32, but FAT32 will be compatible with your Windows PCs. I use FAT32 for my external HDD.

FireWire is faster; it maintains a consistant speed, while USB fluctuates.

4. Printer Issue – I have a monochrome laser printer (Samsung Izzi ML4500) and it only has a parallel port. Can I use a standard parallel to USB cable – would there be any issues that I should be aware of?

5. I have done a bit of research and I would need to install the "samsung-gdi-foomatic" drivers from http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/OpenPrinting/MacOSX/samsung-gdi and then I will need to download and install both this samsung-gdi package and the ESP Ghostscript package to make my printer work. Any other thoughts? Am I right in this?

I am not sure

6. Cayman 3300 ADSL Modem\Router - USB v1.1 + Ethernet 10/100 BaseTX with Auto-crossover, RJ-45. I am currently using this via a USB connection. I hope to use this with an iMac via the Ethernet port on that machine. Any issues that might be of concern to me? Can I go ahead and use it with out any major configuration issues? I presume I will have to set up the username & password via my browser on the iMac?

Shouldn't be a problem.

7. I have a Logitech Webcam - will I dump it & use the iSight camera instead?

Yup. Especially since for some silly reason Mac OS X doesn't support USB webcams.

8. I have an external Medion md-90088 DVD -\+ RW writer (Sony RW DW-G121A) USB device with LightScribe. Will I need to download & install the latest version of Patchburn to make it work? Any other issues\thoughts?

Don't know on this one

9. What Firewall is recommended? Do I need one at all?

Don't need one!