Use a Mac for a month?

by Anand Lal Shimpi on 2/4/2004 10:57 AM EST
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  • bleeb - Thursday, February 12, 2004 - link

    Once you go Mac, you never go back. ;)
  • Ornery - Monday, February 9, 2004 - link

    How much weight will "bang for the buck" carry in the final evaluation?
  • rpitre - Sunday, February 8, 2004 - link

    It might be helpful to some if you could evalutate AppleCare.
    This is one area where the single source of hardware and OS has contributed to improved service for my needs. For computer hobbyist and gamers AppleCare is probably not so important but for consultants and businesses where time==money it can make a difference.
  • Robert Cassidy - Saturday, February 7, 2004 - link

    Yes, OS X eats RAM, but consider that it uses the unix philosophy of make the most of what you have. It'll keep as much as it can get away with in RAM. It's a good thing.
  • Jeff - Friday, February 6, 2004 - link

    A few helpful mac-oriented sites:

    http://www.versiontracker.com
    Great for finding freeware shareware and misc updates

    http://www.xlr8yourmac.com
    Good overall tips and news

    http://www.macintouch.com
    http://www.macfixit.com
    Troubleshooting oriented sites

    http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve
    Macintosh Achaia is full of helpful multi-platform folks

    http://forums.appleinsider.com
    Don't get sucked into the RDF, also has helpful folks

    http://www.macsales.com
    http://www.smalldog.com
    Great places for mac-specific hardware needs

    Looking forward to your comments!

  • jonte - Friday, February 6, 2004 - link

    read this first ...

    http://www.kernelthread.com/mac/osx/

    Enjoy /j
  • Hameed - Friday, February 6, 2004 - link

    The Mac section should be called "Mac Attack" :)
    Anyway, what I am intersted in seeing compared against a PC is Graphic Design. Also CAD and CG won't hurt me thinks.
    On the other hand plz evaluate the Mac as a gaming machine or a part of the home entertainment system.

    But more importatnly, include prices when comparing.
  • Tim - Friday, February 6, 2004 - link

    Oh, and like some others mentioned, Apple is damn near ready to come out with speed bumped Rev. B ~G5fx~ models in anywhere from a weeks time to maybe a months time, only Steve Jobs knows. If this would affect you in a bad way you may want to hold off until you can get your hands on the latest and greatest.
  • Tim - Friday, February 6, 2004 - link

    I think you will have a great time with your mac. It really is a different scene now - Apple's hardware and op system have kinda come together with Panther and the G5. I had a 733 Quicksilver and it was dog ass slow - I sold it and went back Windows. Now I have and use both but 90% of the time I use my G5.

    OS X eats RAM....the more you throw at it the more it will take. the 512 MB is not enough. You need 1 GB. Coast to Coast Memory has 2 256MB sticks for 62 bucks shipped. They worked GREAT in mine. Dont bother getting SUPER FAST 2-2-2 733t RaM for it, as long as it meets the specs Apple sets it will work, and more expensive RAM means nothing in the Apple world.

    I think you should get the 2 Ghz dual G5 and the 20 inch Cinema Display. Both are available as refurbed from Apple with a full 1 year warranty same as a new machine. The G5 is only $2399. Dont know if you could get the student discount along with that or not.

    I think you will find it's not the same old mac.....

  • George - Friday, February 6, 2004 - link

    supercheap good indian can be had at Minar on 31st. Citysearch has the listing. Also the Baluchi's chain (http://www.baluchis.com/) is really good (excellent samosas) and scattered all over the city.

    NYC is food paradise. Enjoy yourself.
  • Frank Jones - Thursday, February 5, 2004 - link

    The joke is all those restaurants on 6th St. share the same kitchen. Deli Palace in Jackson Heights is my favorite indian place, right next to and less cool than the Jackson Diner.
  • Frank Jones - Thursday, February 5, 2004 - link

    The joke is all those restaurants on 6th St. share the same kitchen. Deli Palace in Jackson Heights is my favorite indian place, right next to and less cool than the Jackson Diner.
  • Frank Jones - Thursday, February 5, 2004 - link

    Get a village voice (free newspaper in sidewalk boxes) to find out where to eat or a Time Out NY (sold at news stands). TimeoutNYC will also give you listings and articles about what's going on in town.

    There are so many restaurants in each neighborhood and in each pricerange. There is no way to recommend one. Those options above list by neighborhood and price range. Avoid eating near Times Square. Everywhere else is fine. The boroughs have a lot of great places too.

    Good luck with the G5. Newer ones are coming out within the month.
  • GL - Thursday, February 5, 2004 - link

    For all of you having problems connecting to Windows shares, and to save Anand some trouble in advance, it is common for OS X 10.3 to not have the proper workgroup name configured. By default it uses WORKGROUP. But if your LAN uses a different workgroup name, the Finder will not be able to browse any of the shares on the Windows network. You should be able to manually connect to servers if you know their names however.

    To solve this situation, run Directory Access (/Applications/Utilities/Directory Access). Authenticate by clicking on the lock. Now double-click SMB at the bottom of the Services list. You can now enter the proper workgroup name, and address of your WINS server if you have one.

    This is pretty bass-ackwards if you ask me. Apple should have this option in the normal Network settings so that people who change locations (i.e. bring their laptop to work and home where the workgroup names are different) don't run into problems. OS X's location-based network settings are very handy otherwise.

    So, there you go. I hope this helps some of you having problems!
  • river-wind - Thursday, February 5, 2004 - link

    also, FTP in the finder is something not for the feight of heart. I'm honestly surprised that Apple left it turned on in 10.3. It's not very good.


    as for what to focus on - I'd like to know your basic ability to get things done on the machine after you started to get used to things like a single menu bar. Instead of just "I had difficulty dealing with AD in a Windows network at first..." which is what most Mac review are - how well does it work in y exsisting system. I'd like to see what you think of the machine on it's own - how well it would function as a main machine for you if all the other machines around it were macs.


    lastly, the biggest negative to switching platforms, IMO, is the cost of software. Most companies do not offer cross-grades, so you end up looking at a significant $$ inventment in duplicating SW on both OS's. Sadly, IMO, MS Office is still a must for most people, though there are now some OK Open Source alternatives that are fairly compatable with MS's file formats.
  • river-wind - Thursday, February 5, 2004 - link

    I'd put votes in for menulator (a nice little menubar calculator which is activated by a command+esc key combo. very handy), copypasteX (gives you 10 clipboards to work with), codetek Virtual Desktop (the best VDesktop implimentation for OS X; version 3 deals with Expose in Panther, which caused problems for v2), and Dragthing (very custimizable shortcut organiser. you can set key combos to any shortcut, too. Cmd+shft+space for me is iTunes, Cmd+shft+m is Mail.app, Cmd+shft+z is Mozilla... it rocks.
  • Anonymous - Thursday, February 5, 2004 - link

    Re: networking.

    SMB networking to Windows shares in OS X works great (SAMBA 3). However, the Finder's browser to automatically network to Windows shares (introduced in Panther) does not work as well. Stick with samba. < Go --> Connect --> SMB://xxxxxxx > Just so you know in advance.
  • Anomynous - Thursday, February 5, 2004 - link

    BLUETOOTH

    If you have a supported Bluetooth phone (check apple.com/isync), open up the Address Book app and hit the BT icon. It'll notify you on incoming calls, lets you text a reply from your keyboard and much more. Click on the little headers like 'Mobile' in a persons card to bring up options like 'Send SMS' or 'Dial'.

    If you have a SonyEricsson phone, get "Salling Clicker". In addition to all the usual remote control stuff, it'll let you lock the screen and silence iTunes by just moving (your phone) out from Bluetooth range. And the opposite when you come back. For supported Nokia phones, theres "Romeo".

    BOOK

    And I do recommend getting a book. David Pogue's "Missing Manual" is aimed at both newbies and pros and includes a huge amount of info.

    SCREEN GRAB

    If you'd like to record any of the stuff (like DVDs with sound) on your screen to movies, get the insane Snapz Pro 2 from www.ambrosiasw.com. See some of the mind-blowing captures at http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/snapzprox/scre...

    And oh yeah - LaunchBar is a must ; )

    Have Fun!

    AC
  • OoTLink - Thursday, February 5, 2004 - link

    If anything, make sure to try out the unix utilities. Install either XDarwin (full blownw window manager), or apple X11, get fink and fink commander, grab xmms, blackbox (or KDE), perhaps even gimp.. free goodies :)

    Just a note at the 2gb ram stick comment above: While the g5's chipset will indeed accept 16gb of ram the crucial sticks are ECC which will probably not work in the g5 (not to mention a tad more expensive).. expect 2gb non parity sticks soon :)

    For now that means the most you can squeeze in there is 8gb.. one of the cooler things about this wild amount of ram is disk cacheing.. you can stick in a dvd or cd and it'll probably be spun down long before your music listening or dvd watching is done (depending on the app).

    One feature that's most definately worth a shot is the networking capabilities. Mac OS X has proved to be incredibly efficient in this in ways that most OSes are not. Plug in an 802.11b (or g) box, hook up to your network, turn on the g5 and watch the connection just work (may or may not want to enable icon in system prefs if it's not already).

    Ironically with laptops there's a feature that's automatically enabled by default called "use network with best signal", you can drive around with a powerbook in the car and it'll auto swap networks for the best reception :smirks:

    There's a handful of other things, like DVD burning, running the built in web server on your machine, sticking the web folder in your dock, and simply dropping files in there to put them "on the internet".. hrm oh yes.

    if you plug your mac into a regular ethernet switch with other PCs, dhcp network, the rest should come automatically including clicking the "network" icon in the finder and easily getting to your other stuff :)

    Hrmm more fun toys = dragging a folder to the dock, right click folder, contents are listed. In finder or any document windows with an icon -- option + click the document's name in the titlebar (or folder name), and you'll get a directory tree. You can also click, hold, and drag this anywhere you want (dock, other apps, desktop), to copy the file there.

    Command alt * = enable zoom features
    command alt + and command alt = zoom in or out.

    Try this one. (numpad controls for +/-/*)... very fun little utility.

    control eject = shutdown hotkey.. hrm any others?

    Yes actually. For scrutinized security, if you want it, you can go to system prefs, enable filevault and auto logout, go to applications->utilities->keychain utility, and stick a menu item in your menu that allows you to lock out your keychain (all your saved passwords for email and whatnot totally locked down) to where you have to enter a password to do anything.

    There's also the admin scheme. Any major install or system modifying requires a password.. CHUD is an awesome utility btw, almost purely for bragging rights. With it you can actually stick a menubar item in that when you click it, can turn on or off the additional CPU on the fly.. disable cache, etc. There's also a few utilities for temperature information.

    If you want to get to deeper/more intense fun with it you can right click apps and most of the time click an item called "Show package contents", which allows you to change all sorts of things .. great fun with stuff like xchat aqua here...

    Oh yes, when you have your computer on, if you have all drivers installed, plug in your printer, turn it on, go to an app and hit command P, find the printer already in the menu [if it's fairly recent it'll auto install]

    There's also more mundane features since as built in disk journalling (which doesn't need to be installed since it's on by default), which stores the file info on your drive... accidentally turn off your comp or it crashes? No problem... since it's journaled if repairs need to be made they will.. no scanning required.

    There's also more strange stuff like command V at startup to get a verbose startup which tells you all the console info while booting, or for fun, logging out, holding option, and at the login menu clicking other and typing >console as the username and hitting enter.. more stuff to play with.

    If you're really bored you can also download a utility called Imagine BootX and change the apple/grey screen at bootup with something else. :)

    Hrmm there's a million oth8er things but off the top of my head I can't remember. If you're looking for a weatherbug replacement btw there's something called meteorologist to be used. Be sure to check out themes and unsanity's shapeshifter (or themechanger or duality) for all your theme needs.

    There's also www.macupdate.com and www.versiontracker.com for the insane amount of apps you might want to play with :) Stuff like having an IPv6 network going by just configuring it (a quick change in setting), or sharing the internet connection over 802.11, ethernet, etc.. and even silly things as simple as setting the speech system to tell you when a dialog box comes up and what it says (this is really a cool feature but not for too much more than show off), or to set ichat to tell you not just that someone is IMing you but WHO is IMing you (or only to tell you if your girlfriend is or whatnot) -- this one's almost invaluable when you're in a game but still don't want to miss important stuff.

    There's so many nifty little features :)
  • Judge Fire - Thursday, February 5, 2004 - link

    Good luck! Here's a threadful of some peoples' favorite freeware/shareware for Mac OS X, including of course LaunchBar, Clutter and many more : )

    http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.php?s=e3d98aaed...

    J
  • Col - Thursday, February 5, 2004 - link

    Good idea mate. I used Wintel machines exclusively for years after my parents upgraded from our antiquated Mac, and for the most part of that time I assumed that Windows was the way forward. However, in 2001 I bought an iBook for graphic design and such, and I have never looked back. I am now using a Dual 1.25Ghz Power Mac G4, and love it to bits.

    I still appreciate that there are some things that Windows does better than Mac OS X, but in terms of overall features, usability, GUI, stability, robustness and sheer beauty Mac OS X 10.3 is so far ahead of WinXP that it becomes almost laughable.

    And Apple are committed to a yearly upgrade cycle, so by the time Longhorn arrives the Mac may well have surpassed even the promised improvements in the next-gen Windows world. I would bank on it.

    The G5 is one beast of a machine, and you will undoubtedly be more than impressed with the hardware. The only thing the G5 doesn't have standard is a really awesome video card, however, my G4 stock only has a 64MB ATI jobby in there, and it's more than enough for my needs, including the few games I run on here. I would recommend at least 128MB though, for future compat. Also, on the RAM front, I would start with at least 1GB. Currently I only have 256MB in my PM, but a friend of mine has the same unit with 1GB in there and it screams, even with its G4 processors and low bus speed.

    I hope you enjoy your experience... I think you will.

    iamcol.com
  • Anonymous - Thursday, February 5, 2004 - link

    Others have already hit the high points (I second the recommendation for 6th St Indian restaurants, btw), so I don't have a lot to add, other than a thank-you for embarking on this grand experiment; I look forward to seeing the critical light you can shed on the new Mac world.

    One tip: if you haven't purchased yet, and aren't eligible for a student developer discount, another option to consider is buying refurbished from the apple online store (look for the red sale tag near the bottom of the left column, and check back frequently). I just got a 15" Powerbook there for $500 less than MSRP and other than the box it is indistinguishable from new (even had the latest version of iLife in the box). They've had dual 2GHz G5s available for $2399 off and on for the past few days (either an opportunity to save some money or an indication of impending revision, or both).

    While I appreciate the talent at evaluating hardware that you bring to this experiment, I'm much more interested in your take on the whole experience. As a lifelong occasional mac administrator (by profession but certainly not by choice), I believe OS X changed everything. From the early nineties on, I felt like the mac was an underpowerd and antiquated platform kept alive by the devotion of a few isolated constituencies (especially my people--the creative community), but with v10.2 it suddenly leapfrogged Wintel. Though I still maintain one Windows box for gaming (one area where the vaunted software shortage is true) and compatibility testing, I've moved almost entirely to a Mac (I can't believe I just typed that without getting struck by lightning) for my work and day-to-day use. I can't see ever going back, either.

    Judging by the insightful take on computing you've offered since your site's beginning, I suspect you will have a lot of valuable observations to make about what appears to me to be the most interesting development in personal computing since Windows 3.1. Good luck!
  • Brian Everitt - Thursday, February 5, 2004 - link

    Have fun Anand! I have been reading your site for years, and I just recently switched to using a new PowerMac G5 at home. I am a computer systems engineer and I know my way around Windows and PC hardware blindfolded, but I confess that I absolutely adore this PowerMac. I like OS X so much that I lobbied desperately at work to get a new iBook instead of a Compaq Evo laptop. Sadly I lost that battle.

    I feel a lot like David Coursey at ZDNet. He tried a similar thing and his month-long experiment turned into 3 months because he liked the Mac so much. In fact he has kept the iMac and still uses it regularly. You can read about the whole thing at
    http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/4520-6033_16-4207177....
  • Darren Murph - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    Congrats! I've got both a Dual PowerMac & a 3.0Ghz P4 Gaming PC in my dorm...it's awesome to have the best of both worlds. You'll love the Mac, I doubt one's better than the other, but there's no doubt Macs are just amazing to use. ENJOY! :)
  • Eug - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    Just a note, if you're going to get a dual Power Mac: The current G5 Power Macs use 130 nm CPUs which top out 2.0 GHz (so far). Now, considering the G5 Xserves have already been announced with 90 nm chips at 2.0 GHz, considering the G5 Power Macs haven't been updated for half a year, and considering that Jobs promised 3 GHz in a year (summer/fall 2004), one would expect that the dual Power Macs are going to be updated soon. I suspect a dual 2.4 GHz Power Mac announcement within the month.

    Thus brings up one issue with Macs. Apple is very secretive about product updates, so much so that even IBM is hiding their G5 PowerPC 970 roadmaps for the sake of Apple. This makes planning purchases difficult, and thus many Mac users simply hold off buying at the end of a 6 month cycle.

    As for the "Mac Lab" test, software is of course key. Stuff like Safari (now at 1.2), iCal, Mail, Address Book, and iSync are all preinstalled. iLife '04 should come preinstalled as well, but if it isn't, it would be worth spending the $20 to get the update. (I'm assuming you're buying the Apple hardware and software, for the sake of this post.) iPhoto 4 is not the greatest program in the world, so be forewarned. It's in need of some bug fixes. I'm sure you're already familiar with iTunes; iTunes on the Mac is almost identical. If you have a DV camera, iMovie with iDVD is a very nice combo. And for the budding musician, GarageBand is nice too. Now if you need a bit more robust Apple software, you have Final Cut Express, DVD Studio Pro, and Logic Express.

    For a backup PC, using Microsoft Virtual PC would have been nice, but unfortunately it currently does not run on the G5. Microsoft has promised it for Q2 2004. Microsoft does have Remote Desktop though, which will take over control of one of your shared PCs on your network. Works great, as does the Microsoft Office v.X suite. (Office 2004 comes out soon too.)

    And of course, as you already know, there are a bazillion *nix apps available for your testing pleasure.

    Good luck, and I look forward to your blogs and article.

    Cheers, Eug. :)
  • Refrag - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    Load up the PowerMac with 16GB of RAM from Crucial. OK, that may be overkill, but Crucial does have 2GB sticks for it so I would recommend getting those for the extra RAM you add so that it would be easy to get up to 16GB if you ever wanted to.
  • Windows Fanboy - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    "If your going to do it you need to do it right and have no PC's to fall back on then you will appreciate the PC that much more when you come back to the light ;)"

    "OMG!!! OH NO!!! AIEEEEE!!!! NOOO!!!O!O!O!OO!!!O!O!!!"

    And you guys complain about Mac fanboys?
  • Anonymous - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    MACs are overpriced and slow. Do yourself a favor and forget it.
  • David - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    I'd have to say that using Safari to check out the system wide spellcheck isn't such a great idea, since (for unknown reasons) it's practically the only app that doesn't have it on by default (I suppose the Gecko browsers don't either, but that's 'cause they use Gecko text fields instead of native ones for now). Omniweb 5 beta or Textedit might be a better choice.
  • Lucian - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    On the subject of discounts, you might consider signing up for the Apple's student developer program, if you are eligible:

    http://developer.apple.com/students/

    It only costs $99 a year and you get all major OS releases sent to you for free (which already puts you ahead since they usually cost $129). You also get a discount on one hardware purchase, which, unfortunately, can be used once in a lifetime. In any case, it's well worth the $99.

    I hope this helps.
  • Jack Tse - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    long time reader here (i use both platforms)

    i just hope you don't get bogged down with the mac hardware, the real reason to buy a mac is the OS.

    i make a living with computers and I think OSX is a real and legitamate reason to switch.
  • GL - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    Mac_user,

    This is Anand's web site. Not Paul Thurrott's. There are a few reasons I don't think Anand will approach this experiment the same way Mr. Thurrott would.

    1) Anand has proven time and time again that he's willing to fairly review products that other people would overlook. For instance, one of the first articles (if not THE first) Anand did was about the AMD K6, long before it was fashionable to consider AMD as a real option. Back when he did his article, you were more likely to see a Cyrix 6x86 in a PC than a K6. He gave the K6 a fair shake and that fact that I've seen him accused of partiality toward both Intel and AMD elsewhere on the Internet, is pretty good proof that he's anything but partial.

    2) Mac OS X is not Mac OS 9. Old school Mac users no longer need to resort to lying or conveniently turning a blind eye to reality. It doesn't need misinformed comparisons to beta software to get a good reputation. Mac OS X is good enough to stand up on its own. It speaks for itself.

    I'm not confident enough to start wagering bets that Anand will love OS X as much as I do. But I just don't think there are any glaring weaknesses in the OS that would be deserving of a bashing.

    It's funny that I brought up that K6 article because 1997 was an inflection point in the computer industry. The CPU market has never really been the same and we now have new options. I think we're at a different inflection point right now regarding Apple. So it's almost fitting that Anand is right here, being a part of this inflection point like he was back in 1997. You know, AMD never did take away Intel's crown, and I don't think Mac OS X will ever take away Windows'. But nobody questions your choice of an AMD CPU these days let alone mocks you for going that route, and I think in the future the same will be said for Mac OS X. AMD didn't really butt heads with Intel until the K7. Similarly, when OS X 10.4 comes out, I think we're in for some good ol' competition with Microsoft the likes of which we haven't seen in a long time. In the end, that is what really matters and is better for us end-users.
  • Ben - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    I would wait for the next revision of the G5s to come out. The current version has issues with the power supply and has been out for quite some time. Check out http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/ for more information on timing.
  • seden - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    I just wanted to say that i think this is a great idea and i'm looking forward to hearing about your experience. I'm thinking of doing the same thing when i get the $$.
  • Thomas - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    mac_user is one of the ignorant few, much like those from the hardcore PC world that wont consider a mac for even consideration.

    I personally applaud your decision, Ive read your webpages since the "old" days (4 years ago..?), and about a year ago began a slow transition from multi-Ghz PCs to my puny 933Mhz G4.

    GL, those are some AWESOME tips. I never knew about the auto-completion, that blew my freakin mind!

    and anand, check out the "core" software that comes with the system. Its a stretch of the mind to consider that an operating system comes with applications as well thought out as anything commercial, and work together seamlessly.

    Get a superdrive. Make a movie, play with it, burn it, watch it on TV.

    Have fun, I look forward to reading your experiences.
  • Mac_user - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    I have an idea, when you are done bashing the Mac and
    showing all the Windows lemmings how superior the PC
    is running Windows, you can then tell us all about that
    vaporware called "LONGHORN" and when it's going to
    come out.

    Here is an amusing link to follow for all you WIndows losers.

    http://www.winsupersite.com/images/showcase/aero-0...

    Now that is "advanced"
    OMG That is so funny!

    Looks like 3.11 Windows for Workloops.

    See you suckers!
  • PorBleemo - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    Anonymous #13:

    On behalf of ViRGE I think that your accusation is a bit unjust. Being as Apple is the actual brand name (not PowerMac) I don't think he had any intention of offending ANYONE religiously. He was just trying to find an interesting project name.

    -Por
  • ViRGE - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    And while GL's on the subject of "firsts," some advice on the machine configuration itself:

    1) Don't forget the words "student discount," the default student discount is $300 off the dual 2ghz, and your school may make you elligable for more.

    2) You may need to be careful about memory here. To my knowledge, there hasn't been a huge memory compatibility test for the G5, so some of your sticks may not work. I don't anticipate you won't be able to find something, but it's nessisary to keep that cavet in mind. Also, the G5 is dual-channel, so you'll need pairs of sticks.

    3) Hard drives are SATA on the G5, so if you add anything, it's going to need to of course be SATA; standard HDs will suffice here, there's no such thing as a "Mac HD" ;-)

    4) Default video card on a dual 2ghz is a Radeon 9600 Pro, which is fine for all general tasks, but obviously, may not be suitable if you want to do gaming(Halo on a Mac; woot). Unfortunately, you can't drop in a PC video card, so you're stuck with Apple's prices here if you upgrade to the 9800 Pro.

    5) Even though they cost extra, go with the AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth modules right now, especially if you have a WAP lying around the AT Labs. They can be installed seperately, but it's just easier to get them installed now.

    6) As GL said, go with a multi-button mouse. The 1 button mouse is nicely designed, especially for new users, but just like with PCs, more buttons than default is better. Most Mac users I know tend to go with Microsoft mice.

    7) Unless you're planning on returning the machine after a month, grab an Applecare Protection Plan(this can be purchased now, or any time in the next year). It's unlikely the machine is going to break any time in the 3 years the plan covers, but the plan pays for itself if something does. It also boosts the resale value, if nothing else.

    As an aside, a couple of additional reccomendations just for general "fun" use:

    8) Grab an iSight camera, they're fun little things. iChatAV works very well with them, and if you get Vinney 1 too, well... I'm trying to leave this discussion PG-rated ;-)

    9) I'm particuarly impressed with Keynote(Apple's version of PowerPoint on steroids), so you might want to take a look at that.

    And one other note: Apple's video cards come with 2 connectors, DVI and ADC. If you really want to be spiffy, get an Apple LCD so you can use ADC; it provides the video signal, along with power and USB. Otherwise, if you're sticking with a normal monitor, you're fine; they include a DVI->VGA adaptor.

    Good luck.=)
  • GL - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    This just made my day:-) I think what will make this experiment very interesting is that I know you're a level-headed guy and will give a thoroughly objective look at the situation.

    One of the first things I'd recommend when you get your new computer, is to install the Developer Tools. Make sure to go through the custom install and select the optimization & profiling tools like CHUD. I think you will find them to be very helpful even though you (probably) won't be doing development.
    For instance, I used one of these tools, an OpenGL driver monitor to figure out why my Exposé animations were getting choppy after about 10 windows or so were open. I posted about this, this morning here: http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=...

    Oh, and first thing you should do is run Software Update. I think this actually happens automatically, but it's been a while since I purchased my Mac. The new version of Safari and Java are out. They come with some nice improvements and bug fixes. For instance, included in the Safari update is a feature that, IMHO, was inexcusably absent - the ability to tab between elements in a webpage. The Java update includes LiveConnect, which would have been great to have in 1998 but for the few things that happen to use it in 2003 is nice to have.

    I think it would be neat if you focused on the general experience as a whole. There are some concepts in OS X that threw me for a loop when I first used it. For instance, why was it that when I closed a program's window, it didn't actually quit the program? Why was it that all these programs I wanted to download were distributed as disk images? Drag & drop installs/uninstalls? These were a few things which were a nuisance to me because they were different. But I've slowly grown to love them. In fact, I now actively avoid programs that stray from the tenets of drag & drop installs/uninstalls, wherever possible.

    Anyways, I'll leave you with a list of some of the lesser-known things that will make you go "coooool" when you first use your Mac:

    1) Load up Safari. Go to a web page with a text area element such as the forums. Press <control> and left click, or if you have a multi-button mouse, right-click in the text area > Spelling > Check Spelling as You Type. Now spell rediculous in a text box form element and note the squiggly red line. OS X has system-wide spell checking so any Cocoa and many Carbon applications can make use of this feature.

    2) Forget if squiggly has one or two Gs in it? Type "squig" and hit F5. OS X has system-wide auto-completion.

    3) Press <shift> while minimizing a window or activating Exposé. OK this is just vain:-)

    4) Plug in a multi-button mouse and start right-clicking!

    5) Press Command (the apple key) + <shift> + 3. Look on your desktop and you now have a PDF screenshot. Press Comment (the apple key) + <shift> + 4 and highlight (by dragging) a segment of the screen you are interested in. Now look on your desktop for the PDF segment shot.

    6) Use this spam-avoidance technique in Mail - http://bereskin.typepad.com/panther_weblog/2003/11...

    7) Open up System Preferences, go to Speech and enable the Apple speakable items. Then say "Switch to Safari". Substitute Safari for the name of any other app. If you have some contact info in your address book, say "Phone for <name in your address book>". Watch...and remember the next time you're not in front of your computer but have picked up your phone and don't know a person's number. Now, go make up your own speech commands. My personal favourite custom command is "Dim the lights" which I scripted to minimize all apps to the dock, pull up iTunes with a fullscreen visualization and start playing some romantic music! This is a must when you're feeling especially geeky with your fiancé.

    8) Speaking of fiancé, type <option>+<any letter> and watch how easy it is to type special characters. Slightly easier to memorize than how Windows does it.

    9) Go to System Preferences, click on International, and switch your language to Français. Now launch an app like iCal. Or, if you have the default install of the OS (which I recommend), logout and back in, then load Finder and look how your root directories' names have changed. Revert back to English before you accidentally delete a fichier!

    10) Learn to love Folder Actions: http://www.apple.com/applescript/folderactions/.

    That should keep you busy for a bit and show you a bit of breadth in the OS! I don't have a G5 but there are some cool hardware things you can do with a G5 if you install the CHUD tools.

    Enjoy!
  • Dan Weigert - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    Try to catch a comedey club while you are there..

    Dangerfields is at 61st and 1st and always a good show.

    Dan
  • oboeguy - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    There are three major Indian neighborhoods in NYC. The one mentioned above around 6th St & 1st Ave (try "Rupali", IIRC, one of the lighted ones), one centered around E 28th St. & Lexington Ave ("Pongal" is great, and Kosher!), and one in the Jackson Heights section of Queens (don't remember names). All three neighborhoods have excellent restaurants. Also, if you want Indian, there's a nice little place near Columbia called Ajanta.
  • Anonymous - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    I kinda agree w/ #1. "Mac Lab" sounds like cool name. Go for it!
  • Anonymous - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    I kinda agree w/ #1. "Mac Lab" sounds like cool name. Go for it!
  • Anonymous - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    I kinda agree w/ #1. "Mac Lab" sounds like cool name. Go for it!
  • xospec1alk - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    for indian restaurants, theres a whole boatload of em on 6th st and 1st ave. most of them are pretty good. there are two competing ones facing 1st ave all decked out in lights, they are very good. sorry i dont have names hehe. theres also a good indian place near serendipity on 61st and lex. i'll see if i can get the name of that one.
  • oboeguy - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    Eating in NYC... pretty much anything is possible. It depends on what you like and where you will be. If you're a vegetarian, NYC is like heaven.
  • moonshine_madness - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    If i could afford one i would get one as a second computer alas i can't. It would be really good to see what you make of the move and then getting used to using it. Ive heard alot of good things, but then the odd few less good things. We shall soon find out
  • Azraele - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    Definately go for it. It should be interesting if nothing else, and it will broaden your horizons, if you will. :^D
  • Anonymous - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    ViRGE, I am deeply offended that you would even consider recommending naming this "Project Apple". With my religious background, the 'apple' is the manifestation of the first object of sin. The first thing lusted after ever. Apples are E-V-I-L. I am equally as-offended you would recommend, "Project Switch". Now just what the hell is that supposed to mean anyways? What are you trying to prove? What IS your ulterior motive, man? I'm calling shenanigans!

    j/k
  • Anand Lal Shimpi - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    Don't worry, no switch commercials being made here :) As I mentioned in the blog, I'll be doing regular updates about it as well as an article at the end of the period. I figure it may be interesting to involve everyone in the "growing pains" as they occur.

    Jigga

    Thanks for the recommendations; we're not vegetarians but I appreciate the recommendation. Any recommendations on good Indian restaurants? I figure there should be some good food there :)

    ViRGE

    Thanks for the invitation, I may take you up on it. I'm looking at the Dual G5 2GHz and throwing some additional DDR400 in it; I figure I should try the fastest thing possible since I want to see the best Apple can offer at this point.

    Keep the responses coming, this is going to be interesting...
  • ViRGE - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    Well, it's good to see that you're at least willing to try a Mac for a month; I think you'll be impressed. As for your project name, "Project Darwin" has a nice ring to it, Darwin being the OS X core code-name after all, but "Project Apple" or "Project Switch" would work just as well, along with offending fewer people. What machine are you looking at getting though? Desktops and Laptops are whole different ball games(laptops even more so since you need to match the size to your needs). Anyhow, have fun man.=)

    PS If you do need anything else(software reccomendations, etc), don't hesitate to say something via email; both GL and myself don't bite... usually ;-)
  • Cashman - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    No Minendo, I want it! :D
  • dwell - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    Ohh, if your in NYC this weekend stop by. I'll show you my Mac.
  • Jigga - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    Yay for Apple! Just promise YOU won't ever make a 'Switch' ad for them! I've always wanted a 17" TiBook myself.

    As for places to eat in NYC - I like Republic noodles in Union Square...great place for lunch or an afternoon drink and a good people-watching spot.

    For dinner, I don't know if you or Vinney are vegetarians but you should try Zen Palate, which serves no meat. Very nice, relaxing atmosphere which is a welcome contrast from the rest of Manhattan.
  • Tom Jones - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    Personally, I'd just rather see an article on it rather than 31 days' worth of blogs and all the subsequent flaming.

    Just do it and make one article at the end.

    This is an interesting thing but I don't care at the same time.
  • minendo - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    Anand,

    If you don't want it after a month feel free to donate it to me.
  • MercenaryForHire - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    OMG!!! OH NO!!! AIEEEEE!!!! NOOO!!!O!O!O!OO!!!O!O!!!
  • arod - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    If your going to do it you need to do it right and have no PC's to fall back on then you will appreciate the PC that much more when you come back to the light ;)
  • PorBleemo - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    What kind of Mac are you getting? Better make it a Dual-2Ghz G5 or the Mac fanboy websites will flame you for benchmarking on old hardware. :P

    -Por
  • Anonymous - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    So you want to use a Mac for an entire month and tell us what you thought?
  • Anonymous - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - link

    You can name the new mac experiment entry "Mac Lab"

    This fits perfectly since you will be doing experiments and stuff with it. :)

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