Mac User For a Month #1

- 1999.10.22

Basic training is over, and it's time to put my newly acquired skills to the test. As the title suggests, I am going to be a 100% Mac user for one month. I am unsure of what the results are going to be, but I am really looking forward to this. An old colleague of mine has already stated, "I give you two weeks, but since you liked the movie Tron, I will give you three weeks. You'll be back." I really hope his estimation turns out to be wrong.

I intend to truly compare everything I do on a day-to-day basis on my PCs with my new Macs. Older low ends Macs are being used for this experiment, so I will not be counting speed as a deciding factor. The main goal for this is to see if the Macintosh and I are destined soul mates. So without further delay lets meet the team.

• "Zoltar" Power Mac 7200/120, 128 MB RAM, 3dfx Voodoo 3 3000 PCI, Adaptec Power Domain 2940U2W SCSI controller, Seagate Cheetah2 9.1 GB HDD 10000 rpm ultra2 HDD, 24x NEC SCSI-2 CDROM, 10Base-T Ethernet, MAC OS 8.1.
• "Little Engine That Could" Quadra 605, 64 MB RAM, 250 MB IBM HDD (Internal), 700 MB Quantum HDD (External), 10Base-T Ethernet, MAC OS 8.1.
• The twins "Donald" & "Daffy" Mac IIsi, 32 MB RAM, 200 MB Maxtor half-height HDD, 10Base-T Ethernet.

All networking will be conducted over a generic 10Base-T eight port hub. Internet access provided by an analog 56k dial-out router.

Should certain parts arrive by the end of the week, the metamorphosis will begin on October 23. Sure this seems a little excessive with my configuration, but when it comes to computers I can't have just one.

Major focus areas are going to be networking performance (TCP/IP and a bit of AppleTalk), network utilities, web authoring, general applications, OS installation and usage, and security. I will not be adventuring in the gaming arena, because that would be an unfair competition with my current line up. Anyone want to donate a G4 with AGP for the purpose of game comparison?

This is going to be a "do or die" situation. So far my experience with the Macintosh has been bliss. I feel I have a real connection with them. A lovely sales rep from We Love Macs! put it best when she said, "It's like driving to the store. With a Mac you just get in your car and go to the store. On a PC, however, you have to build the car first, then you can drive it to the store." Do Macs have souls? I believe the answer is yes, they do.

The Apple community has welcomed me with open arms, and the typical attitude of a Mac user or professional has left me teary-eyed. When I shop for PC parts, no matter where I go, I always run across that "know it all" who turns out to know nothing. A typical PC sales rep is rude, condescending, and usually gives false information. Should something go wrong with a part you bought, 9 times out of 10 the retailer will place you at fault. I understand that there are a lot of users out there who just don't know how to accomplish certain tasks. However, I find it very frustrating when I have to bring my resume with me everywhere just to prove that I know what I am talking about.

Then there's the typical Macintosh sales-rep/retailer/professional/user. Always nice, never condescending, and they always make me feel comfortable about asking questions (even if it's a stupid one). They don't treat you like garbage or take a "know it all" approach. There is such a strong sense of pride and unity in the Apple world that you feel a like you are a part of a family. PC people have classified loyal Mac users as a "religious nuts" and out of their minds. These same people then have the nerve to laugh at Apple because they delayed shipment of the G4/500 due to bugs that still need to be fixed.

To this I only have to say one thing: At least Apple decided to delay shipment rather than release a faulty piece of hardware into the market place. The Pentium III Xeon 600 has a defect in it, and the chips were still released anyway! I don't want to hear about "well, this error occurs only in certain configurations." Same for Microsoft - every OS of theirs requires five service packs to get things running right. At least Apple gets it right the first time.

As you can see I have become something of an Apple evangelist. It feels good to be fighting for something with some decency, integrity, and a future.