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I'm a hard-core technogeek. I've used Linux since the days when
it was only available on floppies. I have a degree in computer
science. I chuckle condescendingly when people complain about the
vi editor. Most importantly, I'm the guy people talk to when
they're shopping for a new computer.
And now I tell them to buy a Mac.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. I'd been using Linux and NT at
work and home for years, and I always assumed Macs were for people
who couldn't figure out "real" computers. I think this bias was
rooted in an embarrassing episode involving a girl I liked, the
university Mac Lab, and my inability to find the power switch on
any of the Macs.
Even after I was happily married to said girl, and she was doing
all of her copy writing work on Macs, I refused to consider buying
one for home use. "Too expensive!" "No software!" I'd say whenever
the issue came up. And to her credit, she made do at home with
whatever combination of scrounged hardware and cutting edge Linux
release I happened to have working (or not) that particular
day.
Then I heard about OS X: BSD core, Apple GUI, and true
multitasking.
And the coolest thing of all? The thing that really hooked me?
The Genie Effect.
There was something about those cool looking windows shrinking
down to tiny, yet recognizable, versions of themselves. It made me
think, for the first time, that maybe there was a place for a
stylish and spiffy GUI (as long as it was on top of my beloved
Unix).
So I went out to CompUSA, and, after shrinking and expanding the
Chess game on a demo machine a few hundred times, I picked up a
Quicksilver G4. When I
brought it home and set it up next to the other computers in the
house, it looked out of place - sort of like Ashley Judd at a Star
Trek convention. The only thing to do was to move the Mac into the
living room and buy a flat panel display to match.
That was the beginning of the end. Those other boxes are still
sitting around somewhere, but I haven't touched them in months. It
was love at first sight.
It's the little details that get me, I think - the pulsing of
the power button when it goes to sleep, the little shake the login
screen makes when you get the password wrong. My wife is happy now
as well. She even showed me how the classic OS works, and I liked
it, too. So much so, in fact, that I scrounged an old beige G3/333 running OS 9 that I use as my
primary work machine.
I'm a complete Mac convert now. I even check As the Apple Turns
every day after looking to see what's new at Slashdot. And speaking of
Slashdot (news for nerds), it seems like there is a new Apple
article every other day. This was not the case until recently. In
fact, I'm probably pretty representative of a whole new group of
Mac users drawn at first by OS X but then really hooked by
Apple's build quality, attention to detail, and cutting edge
design.
Now if someone will just give me that iPod for Christmas....
Links for the Day
Mac of the Day: Motorola StarMax 5000, May 1997 - This second-generation Mac clone offered 603e, 604e processors.
List of the Day: The iPod List The iPod List is a forum to discuss the iPod, it's accessories, the iTunes Store, iTunes, and related topics.
Best Mac Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.10.
Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,799; new, $1,949 after rebate; 2.8 4-core, $2,099 shipped; 8-core, $2,599 shipped; 3.0 $3,399 shipped; 3.2, $4,099 shipped.
Best PowerBook G3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.10.
Used 14" WallStreet G3/266 MHz, $90; Lombard G3/400 MHz, $150; Pismo G3/400 MHz, $300; 500 MHz, $350.
Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.10.
Refurb 500 GB Time Capsule, $249; new, $294; refurb 1 TB, $419; new, $462; AirPort Extreme Card, $39; Base Station, $159; Express, $60.
Modding Your Old Mac to Make It More Useful, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 10.09.
If your old Mac is too slow, too noisy, too plain looking, or has too little room for expansion, you might want to mod it.
Best iMac G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.09.
Used 15" 700 MHz CD-RW, $269; 800 Combo, $300; 1 GHz, $390; 17" 1.25 GHz SuperDrive, $400; 20", $529.
Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.09.
Used 1.83 GHz Core Duo, $995; 2.16, $1,125; new, 2.2, $1,400 after rebate; refurb 2.4, $1,699; 2.5, $1,999; 2.6, $2,299; rebates on new.
Best Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger' Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.09.
DVD upgrade from 10.3, $75; upgrade bundle with 10.3, $118; full version, $129; family pack, $200; 10-user Server, $350; unlimited, $400.
Migrating My Law Office from Windows to Macintosh, Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job, 10.08.
By switching to Leopard Server, everyone in the office will be able to move to a Mac - but which ones will best meet their needs?
Low End Mac Needs Help Moving to Joomla, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.08.
We've settled on Joomla as the content management system that should work very well for Low End Mac, but we're running stuck with templates.
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