[OT] iBook Laptops...

[djrdjmsqrd]

Greetings all,

I have an off topic question. Now, I have been a die-hard user of Windows as well as Linux - however, with college coming soon I have been reading more into Macs. I have never had problems with them - they are the better machines - the problem is there software support. So I am asking Mac users…do you have problems using your Macs (iBook and PowerBook) in your place of education/business.

Also, I am working for a dual Major (CPA and Information Systems).

 

[Furn_Darkside]

Salutations,

I went through a similar major track- and now that I am in the semi-"real" world.. I have found that most business based software is made for pc's.

Since you are looking for a laptop for college though- contact your school and see what they suggest to bring. More and more schools are setting up networks that students can tap into with laptops, but usually only for mac or pc.

I would also suggest calling a couple of places. I know the school I work at allows their puter store to pull some crap by sending a letter to all admitted freshmen that it is a mac campus- which is bs.

Of course, my own personal preference is that mac's are best used for paper weights and pinatas.

FD

 

[pontus]

Lesse here. I've got a Mac running MacOS X. It can compile and run java, create LaTex files, and has Photoshop and loads of other graphic and layout software. It can do what I need for my college studies.

Then again, my school is almost entirely Unix, with a few (very well equipped) Macs. The PCs terminals are kept locked away in halls I don't have access to, supposedly to minimize security risks.

 

[BluSponge]

Macs and software

I've been using macs for about 10 years now. Started out with a little color classic and have worked my way up to a G4 machine.

Software is only a problem...I repeat, ONLY a problem...if you are big into computer games. Usually, only the biggest titles come out for the mac. Most of the big names (Blizzard, Id, etc.) do simultaneous releases of their big products. Bungie used to be big on the mac platform until Microsoft bought them up to be a house organ for X-Box (GRRR! Now we'll never see Halo for the Mac!).

Most of the general software is available, though. Microsoft just released Office v.X for OS X. Most graphic design. desktop publishing and web design software is available for the mac (Macromedia, Adobe, etc.). Most of the files are immediately cross-compatible, and the mac will even read PC formated disks and files, so you don't have to trash all those PC files from the past. This also means if you get a mac and have to work on a PC in class, your computer will read your class disk just as easily as if it were a windows box.

You do lose something with smaller software publishers and shareware. However, when you break it down, most of the cream eventually gets a mac release.

You can also always opt to drop $200 on a windows emulator for the mac. That'll run 90% of all the software available, except graphic intensive games of course.

If you really need to know, go on Apple's website and look around. I believe they have a list of all the software publishers who are putting software out for OS X, the completely new and overhauled Mac OS with the juicy unix core. That will probably tell you much more than all of us with our own bias.

One more thing, there are lots of unix applications that are slowly being ported to OS X. Most of these are very specialized applications, but it still increases the mac's viability across several markets.

My $0.02,
Tom

 

[mattcolville]

PCs are Game Machines

I use a Mac for everything, including my job. The only reason I have a PC is to play games.

 

[djrdjmsqrd]

*bump*

Any more information? Anyone, if Buss that uses mac laptops?

 

[beta-ray]

Well what ABOUT using it in a bus or school? I am not sure I understand the question.

I use macs for MOST of my work... I think the ibook is a marvel of engineering and am seriously thinking of buying one. The TiBook is beautiful and is a piece of art (that screen!).

Incorporating airport or wireless networking makes things even COOLER and since the wireless standard that macs incorporate are a *standard* (though an insecure one) you can use them on shared win mac networks.

Yeah some things regarding business aren't available for mac (eg. access) but many good stuff are.

Plus with OSX (which I admit I don't think is fully prime time material) you get unix and other geeky things.

 

[gariig]

I'm a very WinTel person..so I'm not the best to say get a Mac, I wouldn't. However, what I want to know is why you want a notebook?

Also, costs are a big factor and I think Wintel laptops are still cheaper. Dell gives colleges breaks on computers. Also, software wise, there are VERY few Mac only software PC has everything and then Mac has whatever can be useful. However, for D&D/D20 things, theres only PCGen and The Crystal Ball program...While Windows has PCGen, RPM, DMFamiliar, MTools(when it comes out, I haven't heard of a mac port).


Base iBook is 1,199
Base Dell is 883

The only difference is the Ibook has a 15 GB and the Dell a 10..so tack on another $75 for the difference....

Plus, I didn't say this, about getting software, but getting free software is harder(some teachers give out copies from "site liscences" which is still illegal)

 

[Number47]

Just one more word about Mac laptops. They are extremely durable and have great battery life. I have an ibook, a little older, the blue clamshell design. The only problem with it that I've had is that the CD-ROM drive is quite loud. I don't know if that's just mine, or if others are like that. I don't know if it's been fixed for newer models. I would not recommend trusting one for color work (or any laptop for that matter), unless you hook it up to an external monitor. On all the new ones, hooking to an external monitor means simply having to buy a small adapter.

 

[GuardianLurker]

BluSponge knows what he's talking about

I've used all three major OS platforms (Wintel, Mac, and Un*x). I use a Mac for my personal use, Un*x for "at home programming", and Wintel (NT/2000) so I can pay the bills. Among the three, I've found the Mac to have the best (designed and attractive) interface, second highest reliability, and highest "ease of use". The Un*x variants have the highest reliability, but take a fair amount of effort to setup, and unless you're a programmer the interface probably leaves a lot to desire. The Wintel boxes (especially the monstrosities of Win 95/98/ME) fail in all three areas - invariably, I've found them to run a poor second to the Mac in interface, a distant third in reliability (even the stable NT version must be cold-booted approx every 10 days), and "ease of use" doesn't even enter the chart.
The *ONLY* area Wintel boxes win is their omnipresence; everybody uses them, so at least you'll have a safe topic to complain about over a water cooler.

If you're a business major, you don't need to worry about your major software - Word, Excel, and Powerpoint all work on the Mac. (Of course, why you'd want to use them besides the "work environment" issue is another thing.) IE, Netscape, Mozilla, and Opera all work on the Mac. (I'm typing this in Opera, on a Powerbook G3, as far as that goes.)

Games are a problem, yeah, but you're better off buying an X-Box anyway, for a fraction of the cost (and a multiple of the game capability and reliability) of a PC.

As far as cost goes - yes you can get cheaper in the PC world. You also get what you pay for. Macs tend to use higher quality (and more technically advanced) components. A similarily equipped PC (using the same quality components) built from the ground up will probably cost the same (or a little more). Mac notebooks also tend to be a little lighter than your run-of-the-mill PC notebook. The lightest PC notebooks (like the Vaio) are lighter, and usually cost more.

That's all evangelist talk, of course, and while I could continue in the same vein, I'd suggest you go to your local CompUsa and play around (as extensively as they'll let you) with the various notebooks. You might also want to check out the following links :

http://guide.apple.com/index.lasso
http://www.macworld.com/
http://www.macfixit.com
http://www.downloads.com (check out their Mac section; there's a _lot_ of shareware available)

I'll assume you can find the equivalent PC sites on your own.