WOW! This is so cool.

[Guest]

Most of the unbiased articles I read state that for flexibility and business applications to stick to PCs - for "fun" get a MAC.

I run three businesses with Macs:
www.adams-blake.com - a publishing company
www.jaya123.com - a web service company
www.insurancesolutions123.com - an agency

There is not one thing that I know of (that I need/want to do) that I can't do on my Mac (except a few games... and I'm not a gamer). If there is some program that must use windows I just run Windows via either Bootcamp or Parallels. No big deal. Simple.

As for unbiased opinions, the guy who writes for the Wall Street Journal recommends the Mac. Only one guy... but a BIG guy!

I don't run Windows because I KNOW how badly that OS is written and how easy it is break it... or break into it.

In another post someone claimed that there is no malware out there for Mac because the userbase is so small. Same for Linux. What you don't understand (but I do because I know the community) is that the holy grail of hackerdom is reserved for the person who creates a virus or worm that can bring down just a small (say 10,000) number of the million of Macs and Linux boxen out there. Imortality awaits the guy or gal who can accomplish it (and after they get out of prison, they will get job offers from every computer security consulting firm in the world... becasue they will be considered 'the best.')

The reason there is no malware for the Mac or Linux (which are both built to the same paradigm) is because it is damn hard (so far impossible) to do. I could write you a book here to support that... but I won't (obviously).

In a perfect world Windows is fine... but it was developed with ease-of-use first and foremost... and security second. Linux, BSD (foundation of Mac OS-X), and Unix were developed with security first and ease-of-use second.

As for Vista, I don't know. It's still built on the same registry-based (single point of failure) of Windows. Maybe MS got it right. We'll know.

If I want to cripple Windows, I just need to find a way to break into the registry... and belive me it is not that hard. Last time I looked there were over 32,000 different pieces of malware that can do it.... and there are new ones being developed each day. The entire OS has a single point of failure. I'm glad the planes I fly on are not built to that standard!

Mac, Linux, or Windows. Take your choice. All I know (and I know far more than anyone here) is that I would not want MY heart-lung machine running on Windows, but would be fine with it on a Mac or Linux platform.

If you like Windows than knock yourself out. All I said was that malware is not an issue to me because I'm not on Windows... and would never be. I just wanted to correct the perception that because the market base is smaller that no one is trying to HARD to hack it. Not one of you here has even a remote connection to the hacker community, so on this topic you could not possibly know what you don't know.... much less be correct about what you think you know.

Al

 

[J.R.]

I have always used Windows so please forgive the upcoming simple questions.

What software do you use for web surfing? e-mailing? putting together word documents, spreadsheets, etc. I am considering the possibility of switching over to MAC after I saw my uncles Labtop this past weekend. Thanks.

-J.R.

 

[somarco]

all the spayware and adware their computer can hold.

Security starts with a good firewall. Zone Alarm has been on my computer for years. I also use AVG for virus protection, Kaspersky for my email & Spybot for adware.

 

[Guest]

I have always used Windows so please forgive the upcoming simple questions.

What software do you use for web surfing? e-mailing? putting together word documents, spreadsheets, etc. I am considering the possibility of switching over to MAC after I saw my uncles Labtop this past weekend. Thanks.

-J.R.

Web surfing: Safari (free, comes with Mac), FireFox (free), Opera (free). 98% of the time I use Safari. 1% of sites work (render) better with FireFox and 1% render better with Opera (the Aetna site to be exact.)

Email: Apple Mail (comes with the Mac). Lots of folks like to use Eudora or Thunderbird. I've never used either. Apple Mail is like Outlook Express without the security issues.

Office docs: You can BUY Microsoft Office for the Mac. But I'm too cheap so I use a free program called NewOffice (www.neooffice.org) which is basically the Open Office system for the Mac. It will read and write Microsoft file formats for both docs and spreads.

Mac comes with all the video and audio software built in as well as a ton of multi-media stuff (Garage Band) that I've never used.

I've only bought 3 programs for my Mac. One is called RapidWeaver which is sort of a DreamWeaver knockoff ($50). I also got an FTP program called YummyFTP (no idea why it is called that) for $25. Finally I got Parallels ($70) that allows me to run XP as another window on my Mac (but it's best to have at least 1GB of RAM...2 is better) if you are going to do this a lot) and of course you need a copy of XP which is easy to get from eBay etc.

If you want to see the tens of thousands of programs for Mac go to:

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/
or
http://www.versiontracker.com/macosx/

This is also a good site on "how to switch":
http://www.apple.com/getamac/movetomac/

For years and years I ran my biz on Linux.

We moved off Linux and on to Macs last summer after a test period gave us the results we were seeking.... manuf.-directed upgrade/update and (in my opinion) well-engineered, quality hardware.

Personally, I miss Linux (which I use on my old IBM 600e when I travel).

Linux was fine for our publishing company (www.adams-blake.com) as well as our web-service (www.jaya123.com) as all we did was common business 'stuff'... memos, letters, Internet etc. But when I opened the (health) insurance agency I found I needed seamless multi-media (video, fax, scan, photo, sound, phone, sync, etc.) and Macs excel at this stuff .

Plus, OS-X lets me run any X based software I want as well as most Linux utilities (although I don't use either). I always think of Mac OS-X as what BSD (a Linux-like system) would have become if anyone in the BSD 'movement' was interested in money!

I would not run Windows for the usual reasons. There is one lead source GoLeads.com) that requires Windows to run their software and I run that under Parallels (a cheap but quite robust virtualization program). So much of everything else in the ins. biz these days are web-applications... although a few of them (Aetna... you just gotta hate em!) require IE 6.... but Opera on the Mac works OK with the few carriers (like Aetna) who write buggy Javascript... and any site needing ActiveX (I can only think of one) I can view with Parallels running an ancient copy of XP).

What small biz wants (and will pay for) is the old saying... "one neck to strangle." We don't want nor can we afford high-priced hardware consultants AND software consultants ... who come and go in/out of business with great regularity.. and who alwasys point to the other guy as being the problem! We want to pay one-fee to one large, well-established company who specializes in whatever we buy from them, and they do it all. This is why IBM and Sun and HP are so popular in the big-biz world. It's not so much a question of saving money, it's a question of having someone to call 24/7, someone who is going to be
pro-active with updates (and warnings) and someone whom we know will be there tomorrow, not out of business or on vacation, etc.

I never had a lick of trouble with my personal Linux machine... but I was the only one who knew anything about the ones in the office. And even on so-called identical hardware, sometimes the same version of Linux had issues on certain machines (usually with respect to scanning, printing, and video.) It was just a time-sink. We've not had those issues with Macs. It's all just plug and play. Really. Apple 'owns' the hardware and the software and they've 'mated' them well. Like I say, it all just works and I don't have security (break-in) nightmares or have to buy (and update) a whole suite of security software (there really is none for the Mac even IF you wanted to buy it!)

I think that if you live in a large metro area, you can find reasonable priced and reliable Linux consultants, but in a 2nd or 3rd tier city like mine, it's hard. Apple (or Dell... we'll soon soon see) may not be terrific, but they DO answer the phone and Apple Care is pretty reasonable cost-wise for what you get (in my experience so far.)

The key is to buy QUALITY up-front so as to avoid problems later. That's how I see the Apple stack. (You ever crack open an Apple Mac? It's a work of art inside. You may hate Apple as a company, but most admit that their hardware and software are pretty well engineered.... at least that is my opinion. I put these tiny Apple Minis (www.apple.com/macmini) on the corner (literally) of desks and they go 24/7... just like Linux.

The day that HP and IBM (my preferred hardware vendors) standardize on a Linux and offer soup-to-nuts support to small biz (like they do on Windows to large firms) that is the day that small biz (15 to 200 employees) will take Linux seriously, IMO.

Windows is fine. If that is what you like, by all means run it. I don't run it because of technical knowledge, but also because I have a lot of history with the company and I simply don't like the culture or philosophy of the company. Apple is not perfect, nor is Dell, but anytime I ever shook hands with someone from Microsoft, as I walked away I counted all my fingers.

The Mac works for me. YMMV.

Al

 

[Frank Stastny]

I have always used Windows so please forgive the upcoming simple questions.

What software do you use for web surfing? e-mailing? putting together word documents, spreadsheets, etc. I am considering the possibility of switching over to MAC after I saw my uncles Labtop this past weekend. Thanks.

-J.R.

The tech I use tells me that right now Avast is one of the best out there for viruses. It is a free download and has been doing an awesome job for me on my computers.

He has a program on his website that I use for spyware. He keeps it updated almost "daily". All I have to do is run it. Nothing to download. I don't seem to ever have any problems with either viruses or spyware.

It really pays to find someone good and give him your business, even if it does cost a little more. One only gets what one, or even two, pays for.

For Word docs I use Word, for spread sheets I would suggest Excel, however, I never find a need for them. I have a program that really gives me all I need for my insurance business.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

I run three businesses with Macs:
www.adams-blake.com - a publishing company
www.jaya123.com - a web service company
www.insurancesolutions123.com - an agency

There is not one thing that I know of (that I need/want to do) that I can't do on my Mac (except a few games... and I'm not a gamer). If there is some program that must use windows I just run Windows via either Bootcamp or Parallels. No big deal. Simple.

As for unbiased opinions, the guy who writes for the Wall Street Journal recommends the Mac. Only one guy... but a BIG guy!

I don't run Windows because I KNOW how badly that OS is written and how easy it is break it... or break into it.

In another post someone claimed that there is no malware out there for Mac because the userbase is so small. Same for Linux. What you don't understand (but I do because I know the community) is that the holy grail of hackerdom is reserved for the person who creates a virus or worm that can bring down just a small (say 10,000) number of the million of Macs and Linux boxen out there. Imortality awaits the guy or gal who can accomplish it (and after they get out of prison, they will get job offers from every computer security consulting firm in the world... becasue they will be considered 'the best.')

The reason there is no malware for the Mac or Linux (which are both built to the same paradigm) is because it is damn hard (so far impossible) to do. I could write you a book here to support that... but I won't (obviously).

In a perfect world Windows is fine... but it was developed with ease-of-use first and foremost... and security second. Linux, BSD (foundation of Mac OS-X), and Unix were developed with security first and ease-of-use second.

As for Vista, I don't know. It's still built on the same registry-based (single point of failure) of Windows. Maybe MS got it right. We'll know.

If I want to cripple Windows, I just need to find a way to break into the registry... and belive me it is not that hard. Last time I looked there were over 32,000 different pieces of malware that can do it.... and there are new ones being developed each day. The entire OS has a single point of failure. I'm glad the planes I fly on are not built to that standard!

Mac, Linux, or Windows. Take your choice. All I know (and I know far more than anyone here) is that I would not want MY heart-lung machine running on Windows, but would be fine with it on a Mac or Linux platform.

If you like Windows than knock yourself out. All I said was that malware is not an issue to me because I'm not on Windows... and would never be. I just wanted to correct the perception that because the market base is smaller that no one is trying to HARD to hack it. Not one of you here has even a remote connection to the hacker community, so on this topic you could not possibly know what you don't know.... much less be correct about what you think you know.

Al

There's no argument here - just probably personal preference. I'm a pure capitalist - cream rises to the top over time. Simply put, the best value ends up being the most popular. You can hype something, but only for a short time. If PC's were a fraction of the horror story MAC protray's them to be then they'd own the market share. But.....they don't.

 

[Guest]

I'm a pure capitalist - cream rises to the top over time. Simply put, the best value ends up being the most popular.

The most popular car in the USA is the Toyota or Honda, or Chevy depending on where you live.

Everyone I know in the ins. biz (except me) drives either a BMW or a Benz.

I believe that in every way you can quantify, the Mac is surerior to the PC.

Popular vs. 'best'? I don't know, but I usually won't equate the two.

Al

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Wrong analogy. You can't compare a Chevy at $10,000 to Benz at $40,000.

Now, if you compare price to price foreign cars are outselling American cars....so thanks for proving my point. Price for price quality dictates the best seller - hence the PC being the best.

 

[Frank Stastny]

Everyone I know in the ins. biz (except me) drives either a BMW or a Benz.

You don't drive a Bently by any chance do you?

Just kidding.

 

[Frank Stastny]

Wrong analogy. You can't compare a Chevy at $10,000 to Benz at $40,000.

Now, if you compare price to price foreign cars are outselling American cars....so thanks for proving my point. Price for price quality dictates the best seller - hence the PC being the best.

John,

Why is it, without exception, everyone I have ever talked to that has a Mac always wants to get into an argument about how much better their computer is? They get all red in the face and want to "fight" even.

I would never think to bring up the subject, I don't run around telling everyone I know who has never even asked that a Mac is a kids computer.

If I'm talking about a piece of software, and there is a Mac user in the crowd they jump in and start telling me how great and wonderful their Mac is and that mine is a piece of junk. When I ask them if they have tried the software they say that their awesome Mac, that is so cool, won't run it.

Mac, great computer, mine, substandard. My computer will run the program, theirs won't. What am I missing?

Al,
Lighten up, if you are happy with your Mac, great, I'm really happy for you, but keep it in one of your threads, not "mine".

I started this thread because I found a really cool program. You called it "lame". It isn't suppose to bring world peace.

No one said a word about "computers" until you jumped in and started telling us that we were stupid if we ran the program on our "sub-standard" computers.

You then had to start telling us how wonderful a Mac is. Personally I don't care and I don't think it is appropriate in this thread. I think Mac's are lame even it they will bring world peace. but I don't jump into every thread telling people how stupid they are if they are using a Mac.

We are all adults and we don't need you or anyone else "watching out for our computers" and making statements telling us to beware like we were a bunch of little kids trying to cross the street.

Start your own thread telling everyone how shitty their computer is and what a stupid choice we all made because we didn't buy a Mac. And, how much smarter you are than the vast majority of people in the world.

I like my thread and and the "lame" program I found.

If you are so convinced that Mac is the savior of the computer world then please start your own thread to foster your crusade to have Mac take over the universe.