PC or Mac

[dpandorf]

Did I say that enough times in the title. I also carry a 2.5" portable backup drive the same size as my internal laptop drive that I backup to daily. Plus the backup software I use makes mirror image of my internal drive.

So if my laptop drive were to fail, I could boot from my external drive and keep going without any problems.

[Silvertwinkie]

How can one not like a Mac? I'm with ya on that. I use Carbon Copy Cloner (free software) and you can backup an active OS just like copying a piece of paper on a copy machine!

[dpandorf]

Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie

How can one not like a Mac? I'm with ya on that. I use Carbon Copy Cloner (free software) and you can backup an active OS just like copying a piece of paper on a copy machine!

I use SuperDuper and can't wait for TimeMachine in Leopard.

[doorgunner]

This about sums it up.

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by Davydd

No one yet has combined the richness of the two to make art and scaled drafting (CAD) totally intuitive. Engineered Software's Mac PowerCAD is probably the closest but is only 2D. VectorWorks is close but ignorance of them and the sheer dominance of AutoCAD has continued the arrested development sprung out of the old antiquated DOS operating system.

You might want to check out TurboCAD Mac Pro. I noticed some Windows heritage in the install, it insists on installing on the boot drive, (Can anyone say C:\Program Files\?) but after installation I was able to copy it to my larger SATA drive and run it from there. Arrogant of them, though. I chose TurboCAD because my brother was using the Win version in his boat designs. The Pro version for Mac is 3D.

Vaughan

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie

On a side note I may tear into Microsoft, but ponder this, what if Microsoft was a company based in China, Japan, Russia or some other country. As bad as Microsoft is, at least they are our own home grown thorn.

...or France.

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally Posted by dpandorf

I use SuperDuper and can't wait for TimeMachine in Leopard.

I've heard initial reports on some of the rag sheets that Time Machine isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Hopefully it will be much improved when the final release is out.

[silverback]

We had several opportunities on last weeks trip to use free WiFi at several KOAs. This is the typical result: Sitting next to each other on the front couch of the Safari my Dell Inspiron 8500 (XP, Broadcom radio) can't connect or gets really low signal. Mrs. Silverback's MacBook Pro (Airport Extreme, Core 2 Duo) is ripping away full blast on the Internet. In most cases we were several 100' from the access point external antenna and quite often had huge mohos blocking line of site. I usually had to go outside move around (into a neighboring site) and stand in a funny way. I plan to keep the Dell for a while yet so I may upgrade the radio to an Intel model and load Linux on it.
-KL

[dpandorf]

Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie

I've heard initial reports on some of the rag sheets that Time Machine isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Hopefully it will be much improved when the final release is out.

What rags sheets have you been listening to getting that info?

[53flyingcloud]

Originally Posted by silverback

We had several opportunities on last weeks trip to use free WiFi at several KOAs. This is the typical result: Sitting next to each other on the front couch of the Safari my Dell Inspiron 8500 (XP, Broadcom radio) can't connect or gets really low signal. Mrs. Silverback's MacBook Pro (Airport Extreme, Core 2 Duo) is ripping away full blast on the Internet. In most cases we were several 100' from the access point external antenna and quite often had huge mohos blocking line of site. I usually had to go outside move around (into a neighboring site) and stand in a funny way. I plan to keep the Dell for a while yet so I may upgrade the radio to an Intel model and load Linux on it.
-KL

KL,
A few helpful site concerning Linux on ur laptop. Hope they are useful.
Linux on the Dell Inspiron 8500
and then there is:
Linux on the Dell Inspiron 8500
Before I installed Linux, I used a "live CD" to check it out on the intended system for any hardware issues..Got lucky
73's
53FC aka K4NEH

[Safari Tim]

I've been toying with the idea of switching from PC to a Mac.

When I watch the keynote presentations from Apple it looks pretty fancy and flashy using templates and apple desgins etc. Is it all flash? My experience is when you make something so easy, you looks a lot of functionality. You get locked in to their way of doing something.

Like the iMovie application. It looks really simple to make a quick home movie dragging video around and dropping in a song. But I use Vegas Movie Studio on the PC and have complete control over the video, audio, etc, transitions, slow motion, audio cuts and fades and pans, etc.... Vegas is what I use to make the podcast for theVAP and I'm pretty good at it. Will iMovie be an upgrade or a flashy piece of software that will limit real work?

My other concern is that I use Quicken 2007. It does not look like there is a way to convert the data to a Mac version. Additioanlly the Mac version of Quicken has really poor reviews from people who switched from PC to a Mac.

My plan if I decide to get a Mac is to wait until Leapord comes out in October and get it on a iMac 24" display.

[audiobox]

Originally Posted by Safari Tim

I've been toying with the idea of switching from PC to a Mac.

-snip- Like the iMovie application. It looks really simple to make a quick home movie dragging video around and dropping in a song. But I use Vegas Movie Studio on the PC and have complete control over the video, audio, etc, -snip- Will iMovie be an upgrade or a flashy piece of software that will limit real work?

My other concern is that I use Quicken 2007. -snip- the Mac version of Quicken has really poor reviews from people who switched from PC to a Mac.

My plan if I decide to get a Mac is to wait until Leapord comes out in October and get it on a iMac 24" display.

Hi Tim,
iMovie is very fast and simple. Final Cut Pro is very deep and powerful, Final Cut Express is in the middle and more in the "Vegas realm". Because of the swith to Intel processors, you can also run Windows and all Windows apps on a Mac, so you can use your same version of Quicken. I believe there's a section at the Apple home site to seduce PC users. More info and sales smoke there:

http://www.apple.com/getamac/movetomac/

[bilby05]

I know the feeling of getting a slick demo on some equipment and then when you get it home its a bear to make it work.

You may feel that way about Mac, but factually once you understand the interface it is soooooo much smoother than PC. Using both, I can see why the Mac may seem odd to previous PC users, but it all depends on what you want to do. Things like AutoCad are designed for a particular interface. But the idea that you lose functionality on the Mac because of its concessions to "slick and cool," is probably not really accurate. Consider that the WYSIWYG appearance that the PC now has is like a "patch" on the PC system that actually uses up more functionality than the Mac does to do the same thing.

Just my opinion, and I am sure a PC expert could show where I am wrong, they always do. :-)I came to computers from the Graphic Design position, whereas many PC users come from the business or technical areas. So it produces quite a difference of opinion.

BTW. My next computer will be a Mac Laptop.

cheers, bill b.
Remember, it is all about what YOU want to do. your mileage may vary.

[silverback]

Tim,
The most revolutionary software for the Mac is Parallels (Ver. 3? ). It allows you to seamlessly run all Win apps (Vista is slow, XP is close to normal speed) in a virtual machine. This has become really usable now that Apple switched to Intel processors. You could also use Bootcamp and boot an Intel based Mac into XP or Vista. Or combine Bootcamp and Parallels. You can continue to use your Windows apps until you're ready to move on
-KL

[Safari Tim]

That Parallels looks pretty good. They even specifically mention Vegas in one of their video demos.

Sounds promising! I'll be heading to an Apple store to check it out soon!

Thanks

[dpandorf]

Originally Posted by Safari Tim

That Parallels looks pretty good. They even specifically mention Vegas in one of their video demos.

Sounds promising! I'll be heading to an Apple store to check it out soon!

Thanks

Depending on your video editing needs, I think you'll find Apple's latest iMovie will handle most of your needs. You can customize the audio and video. I would highly recommend you check out Apple's website for some demos Apple - iLife and I'd watch Steve Job's latest presentation Apple - QuickTime - Apple Special Event - August 2007 on the changes Apple made to the app. Pretty slick indeed. And of course it comes included free with your computer.

Plus I have the latest iMovie and its a big improvement over previous versions.

I know you were interested in the 24" iMac but since we're on the Airstream travel forum I would highly recommend the MacBook Pro laptop for compactness. It's just as powerful as the iMac too in a compact package. And if you need a bigger display, it will drive a 30" Cinema Display to boot.

[Safari Tim]

Thanks Duane. I'll certainly give iMovie a try.

What do Mac users do for banking? Like I said before I use Quicken 2007 for online banking and it syncs with Pocket Quicken on my Palm.

[Mrs_RedSHED]

Speaking of imovie.....

My latest project has been to scan all of my father's 35mm slides. There are about 750 jpg files. Next I would like to put them onto a DVD so my family members that don't have computers can watch them on their television. We have both iDVD (4.01) and imovie (4.01) on our imac G5 and it looks like both can do photos. Which on is my better bet for this job? Any opinions?

Mrs_RedSHED

[dpandorf]

Originally Posted by Mrs_RedSHED

Speaking of imovie.....

My latest project has been to scan all of my father's 35mm slides. There are about 750 jpg files. Next I would like to put them onto a DVD so my family members that don't have computers can watch them on their television. We have both iDVD (4.01) and imovie (4.01) on our imac G5 and it looks like both can do photos. Which on is my better bet for this job? Any opinions?

Mrs_RedSHED

I believe it would take you less time using iDVD. Can't remember what options you have in the 4.01 version of iDVD but you should be able drag and drop your photos right in. You should be able to select the transitions btwn the photos and add some music from your iTunes library if you've ripped your CDs.

I would highly recommend upgrading to the latest version of iLife, however, to run the latest version of iMovie you need a newer machine with the Intel processor. But they do include the last version of iMovie that runs on the G5 processor.

[dpandorf]

Originally Posted by Safari Tim

Thanks Duane. I'll certainly give iMovie a try.

What do Mac users do for banking? Like I said before I use Quicken 2007 for online banking and it syncs with Pocket Quicken on my Palm.

Hey Tim, I pay my bills directly on my banks website and they use checkfree to transfer funds to the appropriate bill collectors.

I use Budget Snowmint Creative Solutions - Budget and graphic software for the Mac to of course maintain my budget. It uses the old fashioned "Envelope" method on tracking what you have to spend and save. It will import Quicken files. I can download my online transactions in a Quicken format from my bank if need be.

The major problem I've had with the Mac Quicken version is the investment tracking module. It is not compatible with any of the online services, like Fidelity, and can't connect online to track your investments. You have to manually input your transactions.

It will import your checking and savings accounts no problem from the Windows side.

I quit using Quicken due to its cumbersome interface plus with Budget I know right now what money I have that's not already allocated to a specific budget item.