[thelist] Mac advice?

Simon MacDonald simonmacdonald at uk2.net
Tue Mar 30 16:59:55 CDT 2010


Thanks for all the great advice - I must admit that the price kind of took
me aback as well. Also the thin on the ground software.

But I seem to be getting all positive vibes - I think I'll go to the Apple
shop :)

Thanks

Simon

-----Original Message-----
From: thelist-bounces at lists.evolt.org
[mailto:thelist-bounces at lists.evolt.org] On Behalf Of Jay Turley
Sent: 30 March 2010 10:07 PM
To: thelist at lists.evolt.org
Subject: Re: [thelist] Mac advice?

I have to concur with this. In March of 2009, following a horrifying  
and frustrating series of Vista BSODs on my new top of the line  
laptop, I vowed windows would never darken my desktop again.

I then installed Ubuntu and used that as my primary OS for almost a  
year. Now, while Ubuntu (among others) has brought desktop Linux to a  
point where it's reasonably similar to windows in usability, it is  
still a tool for power users; so much needs to be handled through the  
command line.

Then in December last year, I got an iPhone, and based on its  
usability, I decided to give Apple another try. I hadn't used an Apple  
machine since my old iic except for a couple mac sessions in the  
university computer lab.

So I bought a 13" MacBook Pro laptop and the 24" cinema display for  
use in my home office. The price was a little shocking but...

Holy Moley! While the software ecosystem is pretty thin, the usability  
of the OS is amazing. Like the iPhone and iPod, stuff just works.  
(please no rants on closed vs. open)

I kept using my Linux machine for a month while I transitioned to the  
Mac, researched the best software, and learned the tips and tricks.

And now? I use it only. I'm nowhere near an expert but my day-to-day  
web dev jobs are easier and more fun. Safari kind of sucks so I am  
glad there's a chrome dev channel.

But all in all, despite my dislike of some of Apples policies, the Mac  
is a joy to use.

My windows boxes and dos boxes were never a "joy" in any shape or  
form. And my Linux box, while stable and secure, is "clunky" to use.  
The Mac just works. And you can use your command-line fu if you desire.

I recommend trying it. The premium price you pay for an apple product  
is - in my mind - fairly justified because it pays for the polish that  
makes it muchore usable than the alternatives.

Pros: joy to use, intuitive
Cons: learning curve, skimpy software

Jay

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 30, 2010, at 12:14 PM, "Paul Bennett"  
<Paul.Bennett at mch.govt.nz> wrote:

> I brought a new end-of-line 13" macbook laptop around a year ago and
> haven't looked back (if you're lucky you might be able to find a new
> pre-2010 model pretty cheap). Both hardware and software quality and
> performance are excellent and it's a joy to use.
>
> If you're anything like me, within a month you'll be using it as your
> primary machine while your PC gathers dust in a corner and garners
> little more than disapproving looks.
>
-- 

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