New Macbook

Cypher · Post by **Cypher** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 11:30 am

Tired of Windows inherent issues, and the direction they were heading with Vista epic fail edition, I became a full time Linux user for some time. It was great not having to worry about malware/viruses, and all the other requirements to keep Windows running right. Granted there's a steep learning curve for those times when things don't work the way you want. I couldn't afford a Mac at the time, so this was the best solution.

Now that upgrade time is upon me, I decided to take the plunge and get a Mac. TBH, I couldn't be happier. I get all the Unix goodness and much smoother user experience. There are GUI differences I'm learning, but it beats having to hunt for third party drivers, edit config files or compile things, unless I choose to.

I by no means hate Windows, because it's also a powerful OS itself with a tremendous amount of software available. Going from Windows to Linux to Mac has been a great learning experience. This set up meets my specific needs perfectly and I had to make a post about how happy I am.

In the end it was really worth the wait and every penny saved to make it happen.

The only problem is my Wife is already trying to get me to upgrade to the Pro so she can take this one over. She's been a die hard Windows fan who hates anything Unix. I tried to tell her OS X is Unix based, and her new stance is she hates Linux, so I set Ubuntu up like this:
http://maketecheasier.com/turn-your-ubu ... 2008/07/23
That didn't work either since it's on "the ugly laptop".

Well we'll just have to share this until I can afford to get the Pro. It'll be a LONG wait considering she's referred to the Macbook as her laptop since we opened the box.

David · Post by **David** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 12:09 pm

Have you ever thought of building a hackintosh?

David · Post by **David** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 12:13 pm

And yes, the new MacBooks are awesome. Having worked a photo library on a Mac was a joy.

Brk · Post by **Brk** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 12:24 pm

Plus, you can do your hair while looking at the screen.

Cypher · Post by **Cypher** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 12:55 pm

OSX86 left much to be desired and requires a bit of hacking. In the end I was left with a broken OS, that sent me running back to Linux. I figured I'd go for the full Mac experience this round. So far I'm loving it... RDF and all

Yeah the glossy screen is an adjustment after coming from a matte finish. It's not nearly as bad as what I read. Colors are outstanding and the viewing angle is much better than what I was used to.

A_old · Post by **A_old** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:42 pm

2 months and i'm buying a macbook pro. 2. more. months. must. hold. out. Congrats! I can't code (even for Windows) without using my mac. The way Windows manages windows is bothersome to me (plus having a real terminal is a blessing!).

A_old · Post by **A_old** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:42 pm

Burke wrote:Plus, you can do your hair while looking at the screen.

no lie!

Gandalf · Post by **Gandalf** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:52 pm

Mac users on the rise!

Cypher · Post by **Cypher** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 2:12 pm

You'll be happy you waited. I know I am.
Everything is set up just the way I like it by default. It figures I have to compile drivers for my laserjet to print over the network. I don't know how HP thinks the P1006 is OSX compatible if it only prints over USB with their crap drivers.

A_old · Post by **A_old** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 8:56 pm

Cypher_138 wrote:You'll be happy you waited. I know I am.
Everything is set up just the way I like it by default. It figures I have to compile drivers for my laserjet to print over the network. I don't know how HP thinks the P1006 is OSX compatible if it only prints over USB with their crap drivers.

can't use generic postscript drivers?

Cypher · Post by **Cypher** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 6:55 pm

Amro wrote:can't use generic postscript drivers?

Nah it's one of the "special" printers that sends the firmware each time. :/

Still... This is so much better than Linux for me. I still love the penguin though

Cypher · Post by **Cypher** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 10:06 am

I had to use the same open drivers I did in *nix. Once you add Xcode and OSX package installer, you can run most linux programs/ports.

I grabbed Crossover when they were giving it away for one night only if you need a copy. I'll have to test that out since everything else is squared away.

A_old · Post by **A_old** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 10:16 am

Thanks, I actually snagged that too -- I'll probably end up buying it when it expires in a year. I need a macbook with a better video card before I bother installing it, though. :/

Blisster · Post by **Blisster** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 10:52 am

My boss and Ihave been talking about switching over to MacBooks next year and using VMWare Fusion to run XP when needed (which is alot as we run a primarily Wndows network). Most of our users a Windows but the 'top tier' users are all on Macs.

Cypher · Post by **Cypher** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 5:39 pm

It seems to work great in a mixed environment. I have it running with Windows and Linux systems with ease. Snow Leopard will make connecting to Exchange allot easier.

I'm loving every aspect of this system. The touch pad features are very handy and make admining the site I work at a breeze. There's a program called Multiclutch, which allows you to extend gestures to other apps, and reconfigure them to suit your needs.

jjrs · Post by **jjrs** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 7:40 pm

I'm just drooling looking at those new macbooks. The multi-touch commands are great. I used it in the store and got the hang of it right away.

The only thing is, the nehalem processors are coming out next cycle, and the next mac os x snow leopard will be 64 bit and specially designed to be used with it and make optimal use of the cores. So not only will it be a huge jump for the processors, but apple's whole system will be designed to make the most out of it. I think that'll give them a big advantage over windows, which will have to run over dozens of different generic pcs. They use a lot less power too, which is a big deal for battery life.

One thing I'm beginning to realize is that no matter when you buy, apple always puts out a much better computer 6 months later, so if you wait forever you'll wind up never getting one. But this particular jump seems pretty big to me...Does anyone else think its worth the wait?

Cypher · Post by **Cypher** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 10:39 pm

I was in the same boat, but felt like I was chasing my own tail after a while. I figured this update was worth while since the Macbook has most of the features I wanted out of the Pro. When the Nehalem line comes out, I'll pick one up and pass this on to my Wife. That's only because it's the only way I could account for buying another Mac. Since they have a great resale value, I know allot of people who sell them to offset the upgrade cost. Than again I know quite a few people still running iBooks, and Powerbooks, which are still meeting their needs. From what I've seen snow will run great, and take advantage of underutilized aspects of this current lines architecture. These are 64-bit capable systems.

It all boils down to what you need vs what you want. Personally I've been waiting to make this move for a long while, and just took the plunge. I was tired of fighting with Linux and BSD, and figured the cost compensates the ease of use, while offering the best of both worlds. It was one friend who is a die hard Unix geek who inspired me to go into the Apple store and not look back.

jjrs · Post by **jjrs** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 7:24 am

Cypher_138 wrote:I was in the same boat, but felt like I was chasing my own tail after a while. I figured this update was worth while since the Macbook has most of the features I wanted out of the Pro. When the Nehalem line comes out, I'll pick one up and pass this on to my Wife. That's only because it's the only way I could account for buying another Mac. Since they have a great resale value, I know allot of people who sell them to offset the upgrade cost. Than again I know quite a few people still running iBooks, and Powerbooks, which are still meeting their needs. From what I've seen snow will run great, and take advantage of underutilized aspects of this current lines architecture. These are 64-bit capable systems.

It all boils down to what you need vs what you want. Personally I've been waiting to make this move for a long while, and just took the plunge. I was tired of fighting with Linux and BSD, and figured the cost compensates the ease of use, while offering the best of both worlds. It was one friend who is a die hard Unix geek who inspired me to go into the Apple store and not look back.

Sounds like a great little excuse to pick up the pro as well next year.

There might be a lot of people who don't use/care about their computer enough to justify the extra expense, but I'm not one of them. Between work and home I spend tons of time in front of a screen. If you use something every single day, and you know you'll get full value out of it and not regret it, why not just splurge and get the ferrari? Compared to a car or some other things $1500 or $2000 is a pittance.

Do you get deep into the unix stuff? What can macs do on the DIY end of things? I just use Mac OS X out of the box so far.

Cypher · Post by **Cypher** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 9:09 am

jjrs wrote:Sounds like a great little excuse to pick up the pro as well next year.

There might be a lot of people who don't use/care about their computer enough to justify the extra expense, but I'm not one of them. Between work and home I spend tons of time in front of a screen. If you use something every single day, and you know you'll get full value out of it and not regret it, why not just splurge and get the ferrari? Compared to a car or some other things $1500 or $2000 is a pittance.

Do you get deep into the unix stuff? What can macs do on the DIY end of things? I just use Mac OS X out of the box so far.

Yeah that makes the move to a pro allot easier. I may end up just buying a another Macbook than anyway. It's the perfect size.

Allot of people here are the same way. There's a good amount of gamers and DIY enthusiast who enjoy building top notch systems tailored to their needs. That doesn't make Mac's a very viable option. I remember when Burke got an iMac, they told him to enjoy over clocking his table lamp.

When I compared all the factors, this system outclassed similarly speced ones, in the aspects that are important to me. I was looking for a Unix based OS, ease of use and innovative design and quality that would span a few years.

I don't get too deep in the Unix stuff. I prefer it as an OS due of it's inherent strengths, like stability, security and scalability to name a few. There's also a ton of free software available via ports.

David · Post by **David** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:37 am

Quiet is another factor. While it is imperative for a tweak junkie to eke the last clock cycle out of his system, there is something to be said for something that does its business without the chorus of fans playing.

I do like Windows for all available applications, small and large. A Mac will be come to my house in the not too distance future, to keep missus from cursing.

Cypher · Post by **Cypher** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:44 am

Silence is golden for a reason.

I have our server set up as quite as possible. The refrigerator is now the loudest thing in the house. Well aside from our one neighbor.

Cypher · Post by **Cypher** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 8:40 pm

I Just added a 500GB Time Capsule and things are even better. I set it up on 5GhZ for "N" clients, and kept the "G" as an AP to service those clients. I'm thinking of moving the network out of the loft, so I can hardline into a media center in the living room. There's a closet with attic access right there, so running the cables will be simple.