Computer ordered...ok deal?

[Anapan]

In reply to the new hardware thing on HPs; Almost all laptops come with Sata drives now, but they also almost always have a bios switch that allows IDE functionality in them. Now the thing that pisses me off is it's already built into the hardware but HP has purposely disabled that switch on all the models with Windows Vista home edition making downgrading that much more difficult (need to add a specific raid driver into the install script of XP or it can't detect the harddrive). To top that off, the XP drivers for all the hardware are available, but purposely not given out by HP. I can always find them, but instead of just putting them on the main site, I have to go to all the hardware vendors sites for each chip on the motherboard, or if I'm lucky I can sift through drivers for different models or european counterparts to get them. Still, Microsoft is making my side-job much more difficult and time-consuming lately.

In reply to the overheating thing; Just get a slim USB powered laptop cooling fan for $10-20 that sits under the body of the computer. They weigh nothing and can easily be packed right beside the laptop in your carrying case.

I also agree about getting a cheap laptop and a good tower. Laptops are easily broken or stolen. The only thing they have going for them is portability. Luckily with the price they go for they're nearly disposable now. Get a model that does only what you need it to on the go.

I'm typing this on a laptop that was given to me because the $80 quote for repair was too much for how old the hardware was for my client. Best laptop I ever owned.

[Niode]

My only concern is I just went to Macs website and logged in the student discount section and hardly saw any comparable discount. I built a Macbook Pro 17" and the difference in price in the end was a mere 60 dollars... but maybe I did it wrong or something.

You have to use the HE discount which is only available from inside the school//college's intranet. It simply gives you a 404 error if you try and do it through a normal civilian network.

I personally love OS X and would use it as my main operating system all the time if I could install it on my PC. There's so many things it does right and things that completely puzzle me that no other OS seems to do them. Such as the universal shortcuts, as in every single shortcut works the same in every single application. CMD+, always opens up preferences, CMD+w always closes the current window, CMD+q always closes the current app. CMD+ anything is just so much more convenient to use. I can practically get around my entire mac with hardly using my mouse at all. I only use my mouse for moving files and windows in the os and that's it.

[Jrecee]

Am I the only person who is driven nuts by the mouse acceleration on macs?

No, I'm not

http://db.tidbits.com/article/8893

After almost 2 years of owning a mac, this is still one of the things that causes me to head for my pc. And no, none of those downloadable things really fix it (usb overdrive, steermouse) although they at least make it useable.

[Niode]

It's never bothered me. There was a noticeable difference when I switched from using only PCs to using both, but it wasn't that much a big deal really. I think it depends on the mouse you use. The mighty mouse is pretty crap and I have no idea why some people prefer it.

[lordofduct]

My only concern is I just went to Macs website and logged in the student discount section and hardly saw any comparable discount. I built a Macbook Pro 17" and the difference in price in the end was a mere 60 dollars... but maybe I did it wrong or something.

I personally love OS X and would use it as my main operating system all the time if I could install it on my PC. There's so many things it does right and things that completely puzzle me that no other OS seems to do them. Such as the universal shortcuts, as in every single shortcut works the same in every single application. CMD+, always opens up preferences, CMD+w always closes the current window, CMD+q always closes the current app. CMD+ anything is just so much more convenient to use. I can practically get around my entire mac with hardly using my mouse at all. I only use my mouse for moving files and windows in the os and that's it.

I have tons of universal shortcuts on my OS. Most of the stuff people praise OSX for doing I get over here on Linux (no surprise, they're both Unix-like).

My biggest issue with the operating system is the GUI (which I find attrocious, similarly I hate KDE which tries so damn hard to be like OSX). That and they try to cover up all the intricate work and force you into their model of doing things.

Now I understand WHY, it creates a similar system look and feel across ALL users, just like with the strict hardware support, Apple's purpose of doing this is to ensure the OS runs correctly for all users no matter what. If an issue arises, a simple patch and all computers fall in line quickly and easily. So goes for the user interface, standardize and reduce, and no matter what the way to do something on one machine works on another no matter what.

What annoys me about this is that I don't like the way Apple decides you should do things. I don't like the way iTunes sorts and manages my music, I don't like the damn top task bar which at any given moment can represent any given application (depending which is highlighted) etc etc. I don't like the way the interface tries pretty hard to keep the directory tree out of sight (not that you can't get to a directory explorer, just that they try to avoid showing it to you in that manner).

In the end the OS feels like Unix for momos. Oh we have all the goodies down underneath, but we will make it one hell of a bitch for you to get to it. Instead we'd prefer you to do it out way so that way any support we give out can be standardized across all users. (and I don't want to hear "well I can get to it", yes you can get to it, that's not my point... you have digging to do to get to it... example the day I attempted connecting to a Samba share on my Linux server over wifi with my sister's macbook... Ohhhh that was fun. Solaris, Windows, BSD, and Linux all connect peacefully, OSX wanted to complain.).

Sorry Apple, I'm not your hardware... I don't want to be standardized.

::shrugs::

to those who do love it, have fun, I guess you just happen to enjoy that style of interface. It is what is coming into mode today, the call it "intuitive", I found it as intuitive as Latin... but that's me. Maybe I just have to play with it more, it took me a while to transition to Linux (4 years to be exact) and once I finally made it I am very pleased and will never look back... I guess the same could occur for Macs, but at the price and the idea of another transition period... just doesn't sound worth it to me. But if that's so, that's not a very intuitive interface if I need a transitional time period, that defeats the definition of intuitive.

[Jrecee]

Oh the mighty mouse was the first thing to go. I then tried out a laser mouse I already had, and then bought a wireless mouse. None of this really impacts the way the mouse movement is programmed though.

I think the biggest problem I have with mac, besides just not caring to switch after a lifetime of windows use, is the hardware cost. And there aren't really enough choices. If you want a desktop pc with any sort of power, you need either an imac or a mac pro. For most people, including me, the mac pro is outside their pricerange. It starts at $2500. That leaves you with an imac, and whatever they're putting in them at the current time.

[Niode]

@ Lod

Some of the things you list as hating are some the things I like about the OS. The menu bar at the top is great, it means that there isn't wasted space on each window for it's own little menu. Something that Google almost got right with the Chrome browser, why is there 30px of space wasted above the tabs?! What is the point in that being there?

I for one, like the way iTunes organises my music. I can always make smart playlists that auto sort my music in a way that I want it anyway.

Leopard added proper support for SMB shares now. SMB was only a bitch on OS 10.4 and below, which was fixed with a bit of freeware software anyway. When I was running a linux server with zeroconfig my mac found all my SMB shares without any configuration at all. My Windows PC didn't. That required me to 'map network drive' before it would even think about looking for shares on the network, even ones in the same workgroup. No matter how many times I went to 'My Network Places' and searched the entire network it just refused to even look on the network let alone automatically discover and mount shares.

I know it's all a matter of taste and I like all the major OS for different things. Linux serves it's purpose for very specific automated tasks, I know I can set it up how I want it and it will toil away with nary a prompt, aside from the occasional software update. My windows box is my power house and gaming system. I use it for video editing since Premiere just loves having 4 cores to play with. My Mac is there for music since I can't get Logic Pro on any other platform, and there's nothing that can beat it now Logic Studio 9 has added elastic time (something Pro Tools had, and dragged me kicking and screaming back to it time and time again, but no more!). So all my systems have an OS suited to it's appropriate task.

@ Jrecee

Yeah the price is an issue, and something that bugs me that Apple hasn't taken care of. The iMacs are just not powerful enough for the enthusiast market, and the Mac Pro's are just too damn expensive. They need to make a medium sized tower that has upgradable parts for somewhere around the iMacs price point, which seems fair since it would be easier to manufacture and it doesn't come with a screen or keyboard.

[lordofduct]

That's the thing...

iTunes works for those who want to work like iTunes

the task bar works for those who want the task bar to work like that. As for wasted space goes, as far as I remember there is still a bar across the top of every window where the close, reduce, and the sort buttons are. Now it's just one long blank bar with three buttons in the corner. Furthermore most applications extend it further to give you extra buttons and additions for use (safari with the nav bar, iTunes with different buttons and property crap, etc etc...). The separation of the tools bar from the window doesn't feel intuitive to me because there is an explicit separation of the application window from the tool bar... it doesn't scream relationship unless you explicitly know the relationship.

So Leopard gives proper SMB support. Vs. 10.5? The latest version? Ok... and how long has Samba been around? Nevermind the fact that Samba is merely a integration method on Linux to accept MS network file sharing... a standard even older.

Yes it's a matter of taste. And that was my specific point. Either standardize to the OSX way of doing things, or don't use OSX, (that or reduce and hack away from the OSX gui and use it like BSD which OSX is, and in which case why not just get freeBSD or some other version there of).



Any ways I'm going to leave this Mac conversation there as my input goes, and throw back to the agreed statement of it's a matter of "taste". Don't want to hijack another thread.

[Octopod]

I changed my mind about building my computer. I just do not have the time or desire. Anyone recommend something good I can get for around $1,000-1,500? I was looking at Dells again but maybe I can get something better from someone else for the same money?

[Octopod]

So I went with Dell. I'm not sure if I feel good about my purchase or not. We'll see when it gets here I guess.

This is what I got...

Dell Studio XPS 8000
20" HD monitor (Model ST2010 if anyone cares)
Intel Core i7-860
8GB DDR3 SDRAM
1TB SATA 16MB cache HDD
nVidia GeForce GTX260
Windows 7 Home Premium

$1299.00 +tax

Guess that about sums it up. Any thoughts? Did I over pay or does it sound about right? Should this computer do me right? Since I work at a place that sells MS products maybe I will upgrade the OS...or not. *shrug*