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Thread: New Computer Recommendation

  1. #11

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    Re: New Computer Recommendation

    One thing to think about if you us PS is get dual monitor capability. Then you can spread those pallets to another screen.

  2. #12

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    Re: New Computer Recommendation

    I sure like MacIntosh. I grew up on Windows machines, getting an IBM PC (the original) at work in about 1980 when they first came out, and working at Intel for 9 years.

    Then, I got a PowerBook. Jeepers, the thing just works and works very well. I still use a Windows machine for some things, so I have a good basis of comparison. For example, I rarely even have to install hardware on the Mac. My Eye-One works without installation on the Mac; not true on the Windows machine. Installing drivers for my HP Laserjet 1010 ALWAYS messes up on the Windows XP professional plug and swear machine. (Can you imagine; what's more generic than an HP Laserjet?) This is never the case on my Mac. The operating system is SOOO much better on the Mac. it's friendly; it has an intuitive interface that is indeed simpler. It automatically verifies copies to CD. (Not true onmy Windows machine.) It also offers the option of writing slow to CD, for a more relaiable write. Windows XP, or any Microsoft software, is just a conglomeration of piled higher and deeper features that have no intuitive organization, nor to which there is any intuitive access. (My opinion.) The only software with which I have frustrations on my Mac are Word, Excel, and PowerPoint! (All Microsoft products.) I especially like running my Powerbook in clamshell mode. If a mouse, keyboard, external monitor, and ac adaptor is attached, one can close up the labtop and operate as if the laptop is a desktop model. This preserves the laptop monitor. I don't know if Windows based machines have this capability.

    The hardware is better, too. My son got a Dell laptop. After just over a year, after the warrenty had expired, his pc plug for the ac adaptor broke. It was wired directly to the motherboard. This is inexcusable, and he had to replace the MOTHERBOARD to get it fixed. Need I say, not true on the Mac Powerbook. Warrenty on the Mac is excellent. The 2-year extended (3 years total) Apple Care warrenty is first rate, and includes unlimited OSX support. Not true even for Dell, whose after purchase support is known as one of the best in the Windows world. The track pads on Mac laptops are excellent. For example, I really like the two finger scrolling capability that Mac laptops have.

    One negative that I sometimes encounter using a Mac is the availability of software solutions. For example, my ColorBurst Pro RIP isn't available for the Mac. (So, I'm trying to rig up a network between the Mac and PC. Easy on the Mac, but a ROYAL PAIN on the PC.) ColorBurst does have a good RIP for Macs, but not the pro version that I like to use. I can get Quickbooks for Mac, but it doesn't communicate particularly well with accountant versions, who run everything on Windows machines. There's a lack of statistical software for the Mac. (As a statistician, this applies to me where it wouldn't to others.) Also, there are no good programming solutions on the Mac. To me, this is the most surprising. For example, one can purchase Visual Basic for a Windows machine that provides a darn decent Windows based programming environment. (I've told that programming products aren't produced by Microsoft. Not sure about this, though.) But, I wonder how much of these software availability issues will still be a problem with the new Intel based Macs, which I don't have. (Especially if they run Leopard.)

    Plus, I would note that Macs have always had a better reputation for their imaging product excellence. Oh, and it's sooo much simpler and intuitive running two monitors off of Tiger than off of XP. The XP setup for this is TERRIBLE. Running two monitors with Photoshop is very convenient. Tiger on the Mac automatically loads the gammas specified in the default monitor profile up to the video card. Not true on my PC. Windows XP doesn't do this, and the Windows system needs installed software that runs at boot to perform this task. (According to Gretag Macbeth.) If I reformat the Windows PC, which I do regularly to get rid of spy ware etc., I have to at least reinstall the color management software, and usually just redo the monitor profile when I reformat. The Mac operating system fosters a better relationship between the CPU and the video card, too. Some tasks are off-loaded to the video card that help make the Mac system more efficient.

    If there's any question about whether or not to migrate to Mac, you might want to wait to see what Leopard provides. Another thing that I would want to know about prior to purchasing a Windows machine is the impact of the new color management systems in Vista. Self-serving Microsoft is making this a proprietary system, although I've heard that Vista will also support the traditional ICC system. But for me, I would definitely want to take a wait and see stance before purchasing a Windows based machine.

  3. #13

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    Re: New Computer Recommendation

    YMMV - I have run a series of Windows machines, including some Dells, for what is now 25+ years with few hardware problems. In contrast, my daughter and some of her friends had a lot of trouble with Mac laptops. I would not worry about the hardware issues, as long as you get an extended warranty.

    As for Vista - buy now and get XP. Upgrade when Vista has been out for a while.

  4. #14
    kmack's Avatar
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    Re: New Computer Recommendation

    Quote Originally Posted by Ed Richards View Post
    > Not being funny but check out Microsoft Vista:

    A main reason I bought now was to get a system with XP - I have learned to just say no to MS OS upgrades until they have been out for a while. You have to decide whether you want to go Mac or PC first. There is a lot to be said for Macs. I use several apps that do not run on Macs, and I know how to keep Windows running, so Macs are not as attractive to me.
    The new Intel Mac's are dual bootable. You can run either OS without emulation on the same machine.

    So when you need to get some work done, boot into the Mac OS and when it's time to play solitare; just boot into windows.

  5. #15
    Kirk Gittings's Avatar
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    Re: New Computer Recommendation

    Oh, and it's sooo much simpler and intuitive running two monitors off of Tiger than off of XP. The XP setup for this is TERRIBLE.
    Explain this please. I run dual monitors on all my PCs. It was an extremely simple P&P setup that took all of 2 minutes and has been problem free for years. BTW I also have a Mac and use Macs exclusively where I teach photography.

    Personally, having run both Macs and PCs for years, I think all this stuff about one being so much superior than the other is ancient history and people trying to justify their own investments in a particular system. Computer tribalism.

    The best PCs and the best Macs are now pretty comparable in price, performance and durability (as a matter of fact my 3 Dell PCs have been 100% problem free for years since purchase-not so with the Mac). The only real difference as I see it is with monitors, where Mac is clearly superior.
    Thanks,
    Kirk

    at age 73:
    "The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
    But I have promises to keep,
    And miles to go before I sleep,
    And miles to go before I sleep"

  6. #16

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    Re: New Computer Recommendation

    yup, since the advent of NT4 windows has been a very stable paltform. Most problems relate to cheap third party and improperly tested software.

    cheap software for a MAC?

  7. #17

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    Re: New Computer Recommendation

    I use a PC at home and I used a Mac in school. I agree with Kirk, I never could understand what all the arguments were about, they seemed pretty much the same to me just from the standpoint of using Photoshop and other photo programs with them. But then I'm not a computer expert and certainly wouldn't know about all the things Neil and others talk about. I will say that in twelve years of using PCs I've never experienced the litany of problems mentioned in the first paragraph of the first article cited by Ken Lee. I stopped reading after the second paragraph, in which the author told me that the only reason businesses use PCs is because the IT people need computers that break down all the time in order to keep their jobs.
    Brian Ellis
    Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you do criticize them you'll be
    a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

  8. #18

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    Re: New Computer Recommendation

    I've been using PCs since DOS version 3, used all versions of Windows to date. I've also been using Macs since Mac OS 7 and I am still using both. I can't even remember the number of PCs I've built during all this time, but I've only had a few Macs during the same period, the things just would not die.

    It essentially all comes down to personal preferences. Robc is right - most problems stem from cheap third party hardware and software. You either get cheap or you get good. Either way, you get what you pay for.

    The thing with Macs is that Apple owns the entire chain and they put premium stock in quality and quality control, two words that don't sit well with words cheap or budget. That is probably the #1 reason why Macs are shunned by the corporate crowd.

    The other reason why I personally dislike PCs, meaning mostly Windows, is the endless orgy of security updates and patches.

    But in the end, each system is a compromise of sorts, and it is up to each of us to decide which shortcuts and which sacrifices to take in return for which benefits.

  9. #19

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    Re: New Computer Recommendation

    After rereading my comments above, they come across with a lot of zeal. I would rephrase some of what I wrote and exclude the use of "sooo" and all caps. Also, my son's experience with his laptop aren't representative of Windows based hardware in general. I would say that dual monitor setup works in both XP and OSX based systems.

    But, my comments also represent the frustrations I've experienced with Windows based systems and the fact that I prefer a Mac for many of the things that I do. Please accept these comments as representing the experiences of a single individual and weigh them accordingly. Others have clearly had positive experiences with Windows based systems.

    I can be ardent. In this case, I think my ardency may have gotten in the way of what could have been a better response.

  10. #20
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    Re: New Computer Recommendation

    Ah, the Mac vs. Win debate. Like many, I've been a Windows users since day one at home and servers at work, and only since XP have ceased to actively hate it. I've just settled into a passive dislike for it. I'm tired of it.

    Even though I may have to take a software licensing hit by converting, I am going to get a Mac to replace my photo workstation in the next couple of years (I just built a new Windoze box last spring so no rush). Ever since hearing that OS X was UNIX-based I've looked more kindly on the prospect. The only thing that gives me pause is the proprietary hardware--I do like rolling my own and usually regret it when I have to put up with capabilities that other people decide I need.

    Anyone have any experience with Apple customer service, esp. with hardware issues (or are retailers responsible for those issues)? I've had a very poor experience with the iTunes people (try to find a customer service phone for those people!), so I'm wondering if non-responsiveness is a characteristic of Apple or just iTunes.

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