Mac Users Identify Yourselves!

[Mirth]

Well I solved my firewire port problem by hitting the power management unit (PMU) switch on the logic board. Fired it up afterwards and everything is hunky dory. Can't tell you how relieved I am, especially since I didn't get that job I was hoping for this week. At least I don't have to buy a new Mac that I can't really afford.

 

[RC Hagy]

At least I don't have to buy a new Mac that I can't really afford.

Do not let the Kool-Aid Brigade here that! Nothing will save you if they here that!

Well I solved my firewire port problem by hitting the power management unit (PMU) switch on the logic board. Fired it up afterwards and everything is hunky dory.

That is why I like my macs... nothing that I cannot figure out or do myself.

Speaking of doing things myself...

My present to myself was the Kensington Orbit Optical Trackball.
One word,
four letters,
all drool...

it is: S-E-X-Y.

I mean it. Get that sucker on your desktop, the only thing which does it justice. Though I do miss my scroll wheel.

Throne of Bhaal makes BGII: SoA fun again!

Freedom Force is just plain vanilla goodness.

Neverwinter Nights... I am just letting myself marinate on that one 'til the other two are finished.


Anyone else get nifty little goodies?


RCH

 

[Dimwhit]

Just a quick hello from a new Mac user. Just bought a used Quicksilver and will be coming here for advice.

Which one? I have the G4/800 Quicksilver at home (G5 at work). It's a nice computer. I put a 160GB drive inside to up my capacity. But it's treated me quite well.

Congrats! Hope you enjoy it.

 

[barsoomcore]

Has anyone seen this DunDjinni product newly out from Fluid Entertainment? It looks quite nice, I have to say, and they've written it in Java, and claim they plan to port it to other OSs as things move along.

If you think it's something you'd buy, why not post in their forums to let them know? They seem like reasonable folks and I'm sure if they saw a demand for a Macintosh version they'd get one together speedily.

I also posted in an offer to perhaps pusue the port myself. A friend of mine and I tried to do that with eTools, when Fluid was working directly with Wizards, and whoever was in charge of the project management couldn't let us in (understandable, really -- they have no idea who we are, after all), but maybe, now that Fluid's on their own, they'd be more amenable to such an offer.

Somebody's already gotten it running on Linux. Are we going to let that go unanswered?

 

[maddmic]

Which one? I have the G4/800 Quicksilver at home (G5 at work). It's a nice computer. I put a 160GB drive inside to up my capacity. But it's treated me quite well.

Congrats! Hope you enjoy it.

I have a G4/dual gig system w/ 2 80gig drives and 1.5 of ram. I'm loving it if only for my entertainment uses as well as saving and backing up all of my data while my PC was hosed. I'm really trying to get into things on this machine and hope to put it to the test.

Have any of you used iDVD for writing your own DVD's? If so, what format can I convert from? I'm importing my wedding videos from analog 8mm through my pc into mpeg format, and then moving them to the Mac to hopefully burn them onto DVD in a compilation. Anybody have a suggestion for an easier route w/o spending more $?

 

[barsoomcore]

Have any of you used iDVD for writing your own DVD's? If so, what format can I convert from? I'm importing my wedding videos from analog 8mm through my pc into mpeg format, and then moving them to the Mac to hopefully burn them onto DVD in a compilation. Anybody have a suggestion for an easier route w/o spending more $?

iMovie. Connect your analog 8mm to your Mac and capture everything via iMovie. That assumes your 8mm has Firewire. If not then there are very inexpensive Firewire converters that would be worth investing in if you think you're going to do this again.

Seriously, this is exactly what iMovie + iDVD are for. I've used iDVD numerous times -- the only thing I'll say is that sometimes the DVDs don't play on all DVD players. Not sure if there's a pattern to it or not but some DVD players can be kinda twitchy as to what they'll play. Have had no problems with our own Sony DVD player.

If you can't get the converter, the mpegs should transfer across no problem. With iDVD you just drag them into the project and poof! little buttons appear.

 

[Aryoche]

Add me to the list of Mac users here...

1)Dual 1.25ghz G4, 1.25 GB Ram, dual 80GB HD's
2) 500 mhz G4 Powerbook, 48GB HD, 1GB Ram
3) 1 1ghz G4 Powermac, 80GB HD, 1.25GB Ram

All wireless networked.

BTW, If I can find the model, there are other DVD burners you can use with iDVD, aside from the factory installed one. I believe it's a Sony drive.

 

[Enforcer]

I have a Dell Insprion 5150...and after visiting my Mac-using friend over winter break, I wish I had bought a Powerbook instead. This is after years of sole Windows use and numerous derisive comments about Macs. Anyways, I'm thinking about ebaying my Dell and seeing if I can swing a 15" Powerbook with the cash I make. If not, then perhaps I'll get one when I get my first job out of law school (in 2007...).

Why do I want to switch? Everything works. Hell, my Dell wireless router is a pain in the ass, but my friend's airport worked flawlessly for my Dell laptop's wireless connection--that's just not right. Also, there's more than just Blizzard games for the Mac now, which is nice, and I've become less of a gamer anyways. Also, you get a hell of a lot of nifty software for free with OS X (I've done lots of research on Macs in the last few weeks.

What's holding me back? Right-clicking for one. Yes, I know my Microsoft USB mouse will work, but that doesn't help on a Powerbook when I don't want to lug my mouse around. On my Dell I can program corners of the touchpad to act as extra buttions--the upper-left acts as the "back" button in Internet Explorer, the lower-left will minimize a window. I could also program a corner to do the same thing as the right-click button, though with two real buttons I have no need. Can a Powerbook's touchpad be programmed the same way? Oh, and you can program the touchpad to have a tap=1 click, right? None of the Macs at the Apple Store downtown were programmed that way, as I remember.

Anyways, I'd like to be considered a future Mac owner for the purpose of this thread.

 

[Aeolius]

Corel kills another one...

Many Mac users may remember the day that Corel killed development for Bryce for the Mac OS. They just did it again; the Mac CorelDRAW Suite has been discontinued.

I hate learning new Apps, when I have been comfortable with others for years. I have used CorelDRAW on Macs and Windoze machines since version 3 (i.e versions 6,8,10, and 11 on the Mac, versions 3-10 on the PC). I break with most Mac users, here, as I would rather gargle glass shards than use the abomination that is Adobe Illustrator. So, what choice have I. but to start anew and learn Freehand? Score one for Macromedia.

I am reminded of how I felt when I learned Adobe had discontinued LiveMotion and then reduced the feature set in GoLive (which I have been using since the days before Adobe bought GoLive's Cyberstudio and made it their own). If Adobe is forcing me to buy Flash and/or Fireworks to replace LiveMotion, why not invest in Dreamweaver while I'm at it? Score two for Macromedia.

Sometimes I wish Apple would purchase the decaying carcass that is Corel, and assimilate their products into their own portfolio. At least then Bryce would have a home again. Instead, I am tempted to consider e-on's Vue 4, which works better with Poser anyway (until Curious Labs kills that, forcing me over to DAZ|Studio).

Whoops...was that a rant?

 

[Lalato]

I'm still stinging from when Corel dropped WordPerfect... Oh well...

At least you won't be disappointed with Dreamweaver. It's a great program.

--sam