iMac vs. PC? [Archive] - CareCure Forums

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smokey

01-02-2008, 03:17 PM

Patonb

01-02-2008, 04:07 PM

There both the same.... do you drive a ford or a chev.

Theres also this:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=DXCWRK1&s=dhs
Its 1399, an runs a 2.2ghz and 2GB of ram

I would get either as I'm not a "All-in-One" Fan. No fiux ability or upgrades.

Oh your post should be iMac OR PC

LaMemChose

01-02-2008, 04:07 PM

I'm going Mac and have been researching it more today to see which one and where to buy.

Having had a bad experience last month with my Uncle's new PC when I installed software for him with his Vista gig, I'm headed for Macland.

The software and d/l's Uncle J tried to install were initially rejected on his system due to Vista. It took me quite a while to set his system up so it'd accept and run what he wanted and needed.

For me a Mac makes more and more sense. I'm interested in vid shooting and editing in addition to writing so believe a MacPro is the way for me to go. Everything I hear indicates once you go Mac you never go back.

Let us know what you decide.

Eileen

01-02-2008, 04:18 PM

Patonb

01-02-2008, 05:55 PM

For me a Mac makes more and more sense. I'm interested in vid shooting and editing in addition to writing so believe a MacPro is the way for me to go. Everything I hear indicates once you go Mac you never go back.

Let us know what you decide.

This is becoming less true now with quad cores..

LaMemChose

01-02-2008, 06:00 PM

This is becoming less true now with quad cores..

You mean I've been sufficiently persuaded based upon marketing and friends to buy the hype and the MAC?

How much less of a difference in Macs and PCs? What would be noticeable in function?

Patonb

01-02-2008, 06:59 PM

You mean I've been sufficiently persuaded based upon marketing and friends to buy the hype and the MAC?

How much less of a difference in Macs and PCs? What would be noticeable in function?

Up until just recently..... No it really was true.... Unless you had gajillions oif money to spend.

The PC quad cores will render faster, becaused of multi-tasking. I tried to find so better/real facts but newest was jun 06. Whiuch Mac is/was better.

I'll try to find more factual evidence on both.

metronycguy

01-02-2008, 07:31 PM

the software that come on mac is good useful software, the stuff that comes on a PC is usually junk compared to the mac stuff.
i think the mas is more intuitive, even beginners can figure out how to send a picture look at a picture,
i wan to get one for video editing , but as Andy pointed out in another thread pc hardware is a lot cheaper.
i know abode makes some video editing software that runs on pc's that is similar to final cut pro.
si i am still undecided,

ScottS

01-02-2008, 08:48 PM

i just bought an iMac 24" w/ 2.4G 6 weeks ago. i'm not sold yet when it comes to the Mac hype. i mean, it's nice & all, but so far i think i'd have been just as happy buying another PC. the $ wasn't an issue for me tho, and had heard so much good stuff about it i figured it was worth a shot.

really, i was just fed up w/ pc problems, so i thought it would be solved by going to Mac. however, in only 6 weeks, it has locked up on me a few times, and the whole 'intuitive' hype is just that -- hype (to me, anyway). yes, it is easy, but so was pc b/c i was so used to it. plus, how can you judge 'intuitiveness' of a platform?

don't get me wrong, i do like my iMac. i'm not worried about viruses, it's fast, etc. but i recommend that if you buy it that you do so b/c it has actual physical aspects that you like. not b/c someone says it's 'intuitive.'

SCI-Nurse

01-02-2008, 09:20 PM

I've been using a Mac forever as my personal computer. At work I was forced to use a PC and hated it in comparison to the ease and intuitive feel of a Mac. No one I know who has ever "gone mac" has felt the urge to go back......

I could write nearly the same thing!! I have been a Mac user since 1989, and am now on my 3rd Mac at home (and lusting after a new iMac). At work I started off with a Mac and then was forced to get a PC which I hate...I curse Bill Gates daily for Windows and how much more difficult it is to use, and how it presumes to know better than you what you want to do (unlike the much more intuitive Mac).

And on top of that, the Mac is a much more cool looking piece of equipment!

(KLD)

Wise Young

01-02-2008, 09:51 PM

I'm thinking of getting a new Apple iMac with a 2.0 GHz processor, upgrade the memory from 1 gig to 2 gigs of RAM and a 20" screen. At Best Buy this would come to $1300. I currently have a Dell 2350 Dimension PC that works ok but is 5 years old. Is it really worth it to switch over to a Mac as many folks claim? I can get a regular PC quite a bit cheaper. I'm not into computer games and it would be for regular household usage. The iMac does look very cool and people that have them love them. Any comments appreciated...good or bad. Thanks.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8480235&type=product&id=1185267959940

smokey,

I have a different perspective for suggesting that you get an iMac than PC. Get the iMac because it is different and you will learn something new. In my opinion, the hardware costs of a Mac and PC are now very similar. If you get a PC with similar specifications as a Mac, including all the included software, the costs of a PC may actually be higher than a Mac.

Thus, for example, a Dell XPS E4500 All-in-One TV Desktop is $1500 (Source (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcmcat140500050017&type=category)). It has Intel Duo Core, 20" screen, 2 Gb RAM, 250 Gb drive, web cam, wireless, and vista home premium with TV tuner.

The iMac that you cited (Source (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8480235&type=product&id=1185267959940)) costs $1200 and has Intel Duo Core, 20" screen, 1 Gb RAM, Superdrive (read/write CD/DVD), 250 Gb drive, firewire wireless, and web cam. If you add the extra Gb of RAM and Parallels to run Windows you can take advantage of your Windows software, you come close to $1500.

For the same money, you will be getting both a Mac and a Windows desktop. If you are really dependent on Windows only software, such as games and Autocad, you can always boot the Mac up as a Windows computer and it is every bit as fast as a Dell or any other Windows machine. By the way, there are Mac only software that are great. Given this, it is difficult to understand why anybody would want to buy a Dell?

Windows is definitely not the same as Mac OSX. I am struck by the esthetic and functional difference every time I use Windows. You will not understand what I mean by the esthetic differences until you have used a Mac for a while. Simply put, OSX is beautiful and you won't appreciate it until you go from a Mac to the Windows environment. The shock is jarring.

The functional differences are equally drastic. All of a sudden, you find that the number of buttons that you push on the mouse has been reduced to one. What? How can you do so much with one button? Well, it not only is true but it is much better, in my opinion. If you want to do a right click, you can do it by holding the <control> key down while clicking. If you want, you can easily buy and use a multibutton mouse on the Mac.

The fact that almost all Mac programs use the same keystrokes for special functions really integrates the experience. Many people don't realize that Microsoft Word and Excel were written originally for the Mac and one of the reasons why they are so popular is because they essentially copied many of the Mac interface. So, if you use these programs at all, migration to the Mac will not be hard and much of the Mac system will be intuitive.

OSX, however, has been adding to the Mac standard in several distinct ways. First, in all programs that originate from Apple and many companies that make software for Mac only, pressing <Apple> will give you the text format window. This allows you to choose font and styles. Second, if you press <Apple>I, it will allow you to specify attributes of graphics and other objects. Third, they have now included a myriad of tools to display windows and Finder information, to the point that even I don't know how to use them. Finally, there are hundreds of third party and nearly free programs that allow you to extend all these tools, all aimed at giving users as much flexible control over how one navigates through the 100+ Gb of information that we have stored on our computers. Everybody who knows how to program the Mac has come out with a different way of displaying information on the Mac. That is a good thing.

Wise.

01-03-2008, 08:43 PM

really, i was just fed up w/ pc problems, so i thought it would be solved by going to Mac. however, in only 6 weeks, it has locked up on me a few times, and the whole 'intuitive' hype is just that -- hype (to me, anyway). yes, it is easy, but so was pc b/c i was so used to it. plus, how can you judge 'intuitiveness' of a platform?

I was aware of these problems (http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/showthread.php?t=93568) and I waited until December 8, 2007 before placing my order, fully expecting to have new hardware and Leopard on my hard drive. Instead I ended up with old stock.

smokey

06-04-2008, 04:04 PM

I bought an iMac last week. 2.4GHz processor, 2G memory, 250G hard drive, 20" screen; $1300. $80 more if I want iWorks (word processor, spreadsheet, etc). Not happy with it and it's going back. I'll eat the 10% restocking fee. Not even a stripped down word processor program comes with the iMac. The Safari browser has no drop box which I like to use on my pc to quickly access sites I've gone to, I downloaded the Firefox browser a couple days ago and it just quit on me now as I was on this site (second time in 5 days), two times error messages popped up claiming I didn't have enough memory to run Java, the computer wouldn't shut off one night, twice the iMac simply locked up on me....only had 2 or 3 windows open too, at 1280x800 resolution some text is so small it is completely illegible, regardless of the resolution often the images and text are a little fuzzy on most websites, if I increase the resolution the websites do not display properly, I adjusted the mouse to increase the tracking but I still don't find it to be as fast as my old Dell mouse. I do like the simplistic look of the whole computer, the flat keyboard, the quick start up cycle, no need for anti-virus software, the "tab" feature and the screen is nice too. However, at 20" I find much space is always unused and thus wasted on each side. The 20" diagonal screen is really 10.5" high and 17" wide but most websites use a display area that leaves about 2"-3" blank on each side of the page. At 2G,the speed is OK but doesn't blow me away. Overall I'm very disappointed in the iMac. By the way...I don't get the "intuitive" thing whatsoever.

Thusa

06-04-2008, 04:43 PM

ive got a windows bias over mac so know that before reading on.

ive heard alot of these discussions over time and never once have i heard a well educated explaniation as to why mac is superior to PC. generally people who argue for it (in my eyes) dont know enough about a computers functionality to truely experience a mac or PC.

it comes down to this: are you going to want to upgrade your machine and push it to the limits to see what it is capable of? or do you just want to do the mundane surf the web, listen to songs, smile at photos.. stuff like that.

this is just my opinion since ive never met anyone who actually knew their mac. its funny now that i think about, never met anyone who has put together a mac by hand, but met dozens who put their own PC together.

i cant understand why people make the decisions they do with computers. is it purely uneducation in the field mixed with all the propoganda? (pc vs mac commercials) lol

trainman

06-05-2008, 12:09 AM

Smokey, I'm sorry your experience was not a good one. I switched several years ago and am glad I did. Safari is different than IE, you have to start typing a few letters for the address to come up, such sci. for this entire address you're looking at now.

Extra screen space does take a little getting used to, but I find it handy for several applications running at once, such as Safari and a webcam chat. Others that have made the switch can relate, but you may want to check into a few the crashes with Apple before returning.

smokey

06-05-2008, 11:29 AM

Trainman, I just don't see how the extra space on each side of the screen is an asset. I think it is easier, faster, more visible and organized to have the buttons on a PC tool bar at the bottom of the screen clearly indicate what programs/windows you have open. It seems on the iMac the windows/programs are strewn about on the screen (like a messy desk) and covering up each other up. I end up sliding the windows around looking for a corner of another window to click on to see what it is. It just doesn't time efficient and certainly not "intuitive".

jeshyr

05-04-2009, 09:50 AM

Smokey, that sucks that you had a crappy experience - that's not fun for anybody. I understand you've switched back to Windows now and this is an old thread so I'm just adding this here in case future users look up this thread. I don't like leaving it with misconceptions in it:

"I bought an iMac last week [...] Not happy with it and it's going back."

For anybody else considering switching - please give it at least 2-3 months before you give up. Switching any major piece of technology - hell, even buying a new microwave - means you have to take time to learn its quirks and the ways it's different to your old machine. Windows and OS X are different in LOTS of ways and computers are probably the most complicated bits of technology we use so it'll take ages to feel like you're used to it. Depending on which country you're in, you may be able to buy an old second hand model or rent a computer to start with to see if OS X is for you.

"Not even a stripped down word processor program comes with the iMac."

Actually there's a completely functional word processor, it just has the very stupid name of "Text Editor" so you probably assumed (very logically) that it was only for plain text. It's able to open most MS Word documents as well as simpler formats, and does all the word processing functions most people would need such as bold/underline/italics, headings, setting page and margin size, change text size/colour/font, insert and use basic tables, and the other standard stuff. For anything fancier, I'd very much recommend Pages which comes as part of iWork.

"The Safari browser has no drop box which I like to use on my pc to quickly access sites I've gone to"

The quickest way to do this in Safari is to start typing a few letters from the site name, or make a bookmark of the site. You can also pick "Show All History" from the "History" menu to see every site you've visited in the past, organised by date.

There's also now a new beta version of Safari 4.0 - this wasn't available a year ago when you wrote this - which has a Top Sites function. It automatically shows you the 12 sites you're using most often, by showing you thumbnail pictures of the website which makes it easy to pick out the one you want. It also tells you if the website's updated since you visited it by putting stars in the top right corner of the picture.

"two times error messages popped up claiming I didn't have enough memory to run Java, the computer wouldn't shut off one night, twice the iMac simply locked up on me...."

You automatically get several months of telephone support whenever you buy a new Mac computer, and their telephone support is actually helpful. Whenever something like this happens I suggest you phone the support and see if they can help you sort out what's going on - these are certainly things that should NOT happen and they're NOT things that happen on a machine that's working properly.

"only had 2 or 3 windows open too, at 1280x800 resolution some text is so small it is completely illegible,"

With a big screen with a high resolution like this it's often a problem. Using System Preferences to reduce the screen resolution by 2-3 steps can be helpful if everything is too small, and there are other things which make text larger if it's only in a few places or a few programs that it's too small to see. You can find some tips at: http://atmac.org/series-simple-accessibility-hints/

"regardless of the resolution often the images and text are a little fuzzy on most websites"

I'm not sure what could be going on here, except if the monitor was faulty. If it was only happening in Safari it's another thing that Apple support phone may have been able to troubleshoot - it's not one I've come across before.

"I adjusted the mouse to increase the tracking but I still don't find it to be as fast as my old Dell mouse."

The way OS X handles mouse acceleration is different to the way Windows does and that can make the mouse feel "weird" for a while. If you don't just want to wait and get used to it, there's a problem called (If I recall correctly) USB OverDrive which can reset the acceleration so it matches the way Windows does it.

"at 20" I find much space is always unused and thus wasted on each side. The 20" diagonal screen is really 10.5" high and 17" wide but most websites use a display area that leaves about 2"-3" blank on each side of the page."

This depends on how you use your screen, really. Most of the time I suspect OS X users will have more than one program (or more than one website window) open and use them side by side which would use up all of the space. I personally get easily confused when there's more than one window so I tend to make the windows fill the whole screen. It's easy to use a Mac with pretty much any screen whose size suits you also, as long as you don't buy one of the Mac computers which have a built in screen - obviously those aren't as adjustable.

"I just don't see how the extra space on each side of the screen is an asset. I think it is easier, faster, more visible and organized to have the buttons on a PC tool bar at the bottom of the screen clearly indicate what programs/windows you have open."

The Dock at the bottom of your screen should clearly indicate which programs you have open, and using Exposé can also show you which programs/windows you have open in a visual way - Press F9 I think to show/hide application windows and F10 for all windows.

You can also use command-tab to switch between programs.

"It seems on the iMac the windows/programs are strewn about on the screen (like a messy desk) and covering up each other up."

You can hide all the programs except the one you're using right now by opening the application menu (the one with the name the same as the application you're using) and selecting "Hide Others", or switch to a program you do want to hide and select "Hide" from the applications menu. That way you can only have the ones visible that you want. Also set up Spaces (a new thing in Leopard - check the System Preferences for the Expose & Spaces pane) and put different programs in different spaces so they don't all end up on top of each other.

"I end up sliding the windows around looking for a corner of another window to click on to see what it is. It just doesn't time efficient and certainly not "intuitive"."

That would certainly be a frustrating way to do it, I thoroughly agree!

"By the way...I don't get the "intuitive" thing whatsoever."

It is rather a vague word. My personal take on "intuitive" is that it's meaning is that once you've got your head around the basic way OS X works, you can intuit any new programs. Justs open a new program and all the keystrokes and other things you already know will work the same way you'd expect in the new program, if something in one program looks like something in another program it works the same way, you can drag and drop almost anything to almost anywhere, that sort of stuff.

But if you've never used OS X and your only computing habits are from using Windows, then OS X is not the same as Windows and so at the start it *won't* feel intuitive to you. I think Apple are wrong in not making this clear. :(

Once again I'm sorry you had a crappy experience - nobody deserves to have that happen. I hope that whatever computer setup you have now is working well for you.

Cheers,
Ricky Buchanan

Katilea

05-05-2009, 06:51 AM

I was also surprised to read about someones mac locking up all the time.

I had windows as my desktop for years but had an old clamshell ibook which i got off ebay for just £200. I had it 5 years, its 8 years old.. still works. Needed repair once, used a free download called applejack to sort it. Never had a virus on it or an antivirus program on it!

Granted its old now by todays standards when people seem to be replacing them every year and doesnt have as much power but I only use it for chatting in evening if i cant sit up in chair due to back problems.

I now have iMac as my main desktop which is used everyday for writing letters, emails, photo and video editing, chatting etc. I've had this machine a year and not had one single problem with it. Doesnt take 15 minutes on start up to download antivirus everyday, hasnt even got an anti-virus on it, i was told I didnt need it if i wasnt gonna add windows.

It still starts up quicker even though I have it start up browser from where i left off everytime and it starts up my accessibility program (keystrokes) and mail automatically for me.

If this goes 5 years without breaking down like the iBook did I will be thrilled and it will have been well worth the money! No windows PC i have had has ever lasted longer than a few years. I think 3 yrs has been my best.

My reason for switching to mac as my main computer too was accessibility, but it depends what you want it for?

dunwawry

05-05-2009, 10:00 PM

hasnt even got an anti-virus on it, i was told I didnt need it if i wasnt gonna add windows.

Actually, that is no longer true. Macs have now gained sufficient popularity that they have also become targets for malware. It is recommended that you have an antivirus program and keep it up to date.

semajh7

05-05-2009, 10:25 PM

I too switched to the Imac about a year and a half ago, and it was well worth it. When I had a PC, i use to viruses on my PC all the time. It hasn't happened on my imac yet. It is so much easier to use. It does look better. I would personally recommend the IMac over a PC anyday.

05-05-2009, 10:38 PM

suncameout

05-05-2009, 11:14 PM

if you're deciding between a mac or windows pc, you want to evaluate it based on whether it'll be able to do all your computing needs, and not just on the aesthetic factor.

also the argument that mac is more secure than windows is no longer true. it's been proven that mac's are a lot easier to hack than windows. to those mac owners, don't get to comfortable not using an anti-virus. the time will come when security by obscurity will no longer work.

dunwawry

05-06-2009, 09:07 AM

Macs are no more "virus-resistant" than Windows. They merely haven't been targets due to the sheer numbers factor. Those who write malware haven't wanted to be bothered targeting a population of users that was so small when they could target 95% of users instead. However, as Macs have gained popularity, malware programmers have started to turn their attention to the Mac OS. Apple themselves are now recommending their users install antivirus software.

The Mac OS also can no longer claim greater stability. In the past, yes. But since Windows having scrapped their 9.x lines, and starting from scratch with the advent of XP, and Macs using Intel processors, the differences between the two systems have narrowed. Honestly, I have a PC and haven't had my system crash, not once, since the conversion to XP either. I am not a diehard fan of Windows, far from it, I can criticize the OS with the best. I consider it a necessary evil, else I would be running strictly a Linux box myself. However, I have used Macs, DOS, Windows, Unix, and Linux, and have a second degree in computer science. Anybody who is using the internet and not running an antivirus program, good firewall, and spyware programs is just plain foolish, no matter what OS they are using. Justifying it by saying one has never been previously infected is like saying one won't get this year's flu shot since one has never had the strains of flu covered by the injection. You may have been lucky so far but eventually you will get nailed.

And thinking downloading illegal or pirated software is required for exposure to malware is naive. I have run into trojans and viruses (stopped dead by my AV software), do you think that I participate in this kind of activity, or even unknown executables from email? Malware writers are clever these days, e.g. you can be exposed merely by running the scripts found on web pages. Sure, you can turn off those scripts if you want. However, you will have lost an essential part of today's web browsing experience, something I can't imagine anyone here would be willing to give up, and why should you? Anti-malware programs are easy to install, run, update, and free versions readily available. All that you lose are some processor and memory usage, which with today's gigabyte processors and memory, should be insignificant for the vast majority of users (c'mon, how many here need to run fast real-time applications? some gaming applications maybe, ok, temporarily close the anti-malware program, although those folks likely already have high-end memory and processor capacity which will further add to the insignificance factor).

I can't figure out the downside, and why people would want to gamble.......... definitely a case of an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure. But, it's not MY computer, I won't have to try to clean it up.

Wise Young

05-06-2009, 03:29 PM

I recall hearing that there was a recent report about Macs and the need for an antivirus program. I believe the user would have his machine compromised (Trojan horse) by downloading pirated copy of iWork 09. Otherwise I am not aware of any viruses in the wild for Macs. ClamAV (http://www.clamav.net/) is a free antivirus that you can run on your Mac. I don't use any security software on my Intel iMac. I also don't download illegal or pirated copies of software for either my Mac or Windows machine.

Paul,

I use to use anti-viral software for the "old" Mac operating system 1-9 (yes I started using the first Mac in 1983. However, since 1999, I have not used *any* anti-viral program for Mac OSX. Yes, I kept up the antiviral programs until 2006. Although I spend as much time or more than most people on internet and use my computer 10-20 hours a day, I have not had a single infection for over ten years.

In contrast, when I use Windows on my Mac, I must spend about half of my computer's CPU time installing anti-viral software and checking for and finding viruses. Most of the vulnerabilities of the Windows system to viruses and other unwelcome security risks result from the decisions by Microsoft to install powerful command software that can be executed by documents. So, for example, the few security problems that do exist on the Mac have come from Microsoft programs such as Word, Excel, and Entourage and the macro programs that they have.

Like you, I do not use any third-party "security" software for my Mac. I do not use any firewalls between my computer and internet. I allow "all incoming connections". By the way, I have connected my computer to many hundreds of ethernet ports and countless wireless connections. The vast majority of Mac users that I know do not have any special protection. So, whenever I hear about all the trouble that Windows users have with security and viruses, I heave a sigh of relief that I don't have to deal with such problems.

This is not to say that the Mac cannot be infiltrated by a determined hacker and that it is invulnerable to attack. It can be attacked and perhaps Mac users have been lulled into a false sense of complacency. Perhaps I might wake up one day to find my computer attacked by a malicious virus that wiped out my hard disk. But, this has yet to happen. For whatever reason, Mac users are simply not bothered by viruses and this is well worth the price difference between a Windows and Mac computer.

By the way, I think that if one matched feature for feature, the price difference is very small and, in my opinion, favors the Mac. My intel processor based Macbook Pro is $2300 and it compares favorably with the best Windows laptop in terms of speed, performance, and features. It comes with superb bundled in system software that is as good or better than anything Windows can offer. For example, iPhoto (Image), iTunes (Music), Safari (browser), iMovie, iDVD, iChat, Chess, Front Row, Time Machine, Image Capture, and Garageband are bundled with all Macs. Time Machine is the best backup program there is.

The iWork package of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote is now a mature package of wordprocessor, spreadsheet, and presentation applications that are as good as Microsoft Office. Of course, because the rest of the world uses Microsoft Office, I must buy and use the latest version of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. However, I must say that all the Microsoft programs reached their peak in 2004 and all subsequent versions have been worse in terms of performance, ease of use, and features whereas the iWork programs are getting better and better with each subsequent version so that they are equal or will exceed the Microsoft Office.

In my area of work (which is science and internet communication) the range and quality of Mac software is as good or better than Windows. Some of my programs are of course both Mac and Windows. For example, I use Adobe Acrobat a lot (for pdf files). I have Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator but seldom use these programs. I use Endnotes for my reference database. I use Skype for telephone and messaging. I use Filemaker as my main database program for all my letter writing. I use Fasttrack as my main project management program. I use Turbotax for taxes. Finally, for web browsing, I use Flock which is based on Firefox.

I use a number of Mac-only applications that is not available for Windows:

• Appleworks. Great wordprocessor, spreadsheet, drawing program.
• Disk Warrior. This is the best disc directory repair program.
• Dupe Guru. This programs finds duplicates files on your disc.
• Graphic Converter. This is the best graphic converter program.
• iPulse. This displays all the essential information about my Mac.
• Journier. This is the best word processing journal/diary program.
• OmniGraffle. This is the best object-oriented drawing program.
• Papers. This is the best reprint database program.
• Photobooth. This program takes your picture (for passports, etc.)
• Profcast. This program records my lectures with slides into a movie.
• SnapNDrag. This allows me to make jpeg pictures of anything.
• SuperDuper! This is the best disc mirroring program.
• Tex-Edit Plus. This is the best Mac plain text processing program.
• Yojimbo. This is the everything database program for all types of info.

These inavailability of these programs would make me very reluctant to move to Windows.

Wise.

stephen212

05-06-2009, 08:22 PM

Can anyone recommend a retailer that sells refurbished iMacs?

05-06-2009, 10:35 PM

smokey

05-07-2009, 03:08 PM

Can anyone recommend a retailer that sells refurbished iMacs?

Steven, Apple sells their own refurbished products right on the Apple Store website. Here is the link for refurbished iMacs;

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac?mco=MTE3NjY

stephen212

05-07-2009, 05:15 PM

I've also discovered Psystar computers (http://www.psystar.com/) -- one of the few mac clones available.

jeshyr

05-08-2009, 05:25 AM

I would be VERY wary of buying from Psystar or other "clone" Mac sellers. What they do is very probably illegal (Psystar and Apple are fighting it out in the courts right now, Apple seems to be winning) and if the company folds you may be left with a machine and no support available.

In any case, part of what makes Mac computers so great is that everything works together, including the support one the phone and that available when you take your machine to an Apple store or reseller (depending on which country you're in). None of that would be available with a clone, legal or not.

I recommend the online Apple refurb store another person pointed out - go to http://store.apple.com/ and on the end put the 2 letters that are your country's code for web and email addresses eg:
http://store.apple.com/uk - for the UK
http://store.apple.com/us - for the USA
http://store.apple.com/au - for Australia
http://store.apple.com/ca - for Canada
Then look for the box marked "Special Deals", it seems to be near the bottom usually. Click on the heading and it will show you all the refurb mobels available. These come with the standard warranty that all Apple products come with, and you can buy AppleCare for them the same as for any new computer.

Wise Young

05-08-2009, 06:28 PM

Wise: your years of experience as a Mac user speaks volumes, thanks!

ZDNet (http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=3157) on April 16, 2009 reported "Researchers Find Signs of Zombie Macs." The article is written by Ryan Naraine who is a security evangelist for Kaspersky Lab. The researchers are from Symantec, which makes an antivirus for Macs.

I read the article and it is extraordinarily vague. It doesn't even really say that there is a botnet. What they are saying is that there is a virus hidden in a copy of iWork ’09 that was put up on the pirate bulletin board. In order to get this virus you have to go to a pirate bulletin board and download an illegal copy of iWork ’09. By downloading this software you need to understand that this is unethical, immoral and illegal. How safe can anyone expect this pirated copy of iWork ’09 to be? To paraphrase, when you download from dogs you are going to get fleas. The researchers from Symantec say they found malware that was designed to create a botnet (to learn more you have to subscribe to the virus bulletin board). What's unclear is if they really found a botnet. All they really found is a blog entry that claims to have found a botnet. By the way, this blog entry is three months old. They don't claim that they actually observed the botnet in action. This really looks like an isolated incident (it was well publicized) and you have to work pretty hard to get this virus on peoples machine. I don't think this article demonstrates there is a widespread problem of viruses or signs of zombie Macs. However, I am sure the folks at Symantec or Kaspersky would love it if you were to buy their software. I am not convinced that Macs are as insecure as Windows. Most bad guys attack Windows because they are 90% of the market.

Right now I don't think it's time to go out and get a antivirus for your Mac.

If there were a good Mac anti-virus program, I think that I would probably buy it. For years, I used Norton, because I use Microsoft programs and documents in a university environment that is festering with Windows malware. However, shortly after 2006, I stopped upgrading it because I seldom used Norton. Norton is good for guarding against Windows malware, so that I do not pass it on to other Window users, not because it gets rid of viruses that affect my Mac http://antivirus.about.com/od/antivirussoftwarereviews/fr/nortonmac11.htm

McAfee http://about.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php?masterid=96763910&search=antivirus and Intego [source]http://antivirus.about.com/od/antivirussoftwarereviews/fr/virusbarrier.htm[source] both offer virus-scan programs for the Mac. They say that Intego is better but I am not sure how much better. It is about 3 times more expensive than the McAfee which is about $25. Norton costs about $71.

Wise.

05-08-2009, 09:38 PM

Wise: just reading through Apple Discussions (http://discussions.apple.com/search.jspa?threadID=&q=ClamXAV&objID=c235&dateRange=last90days&userID=&numResults=15&rankBy=10001) and some members use ClamXAV (http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/15850/clamxav) (free antivirus) to help their PC buddies. ClamXAV doesn't look for Mac viruses, just Windows viruses on the Mac. What do you think about ClamXAV instead of using Norton?

05-28-2009, 04:44 PM

I've also discovered Psystar computers (http://www.psystar.com/) -- one of the few mac clones available.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 1:07pm PDT
Computer maker sued by Apple files for bankruptcy
San Francisco Business Times

A Florida company sued last year by Apple Inc. in a copyright infringement suit has filed for bankruptcy protection.

Psystar Corp. said the drop in consumer spending and global economic downturn prompted its filing under chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code in which it listed $50,000 in assets and between $100,000 and $500,000 in liabilities.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/05/25/daily27.html