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Sean's review of the Apple Mac Pro is very interesting

wparsonsgisnet

By wparsonsgisnet
in Digital Forum

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wparsonsgisnet

wparsonsgisnet

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Sean Reid has recently published an article about the research he pursued in the process of acquiring a new Apple Mac Pro and why it suits him.

 

This is extremely interesting to me, as I am planning to Go Apple when my current windoze machine dies. He doesn't beat up windoze in his article, but I would be glad to do so, as I have to reboot my Gateway Pentium-D constantly, as I did all of its predecessors. By contrast the two Apple laptops in the household don't need rebooting to maintain the purity of their memory.

 

Sean proposes in his article that he'll discuss running PC software in the Mac if there is a demand. I, for one, would like to hear his experience. I always ask my friends who are using Mac whether they are using Boot Camp or Parallels for their dos programs. As Sean is always so concise and clear, I would welcome such a discussion.

 

The article is highly recommended, with discussions of peripherals and associated suppliers.

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roccoriley

roccoriley

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I use both PC's and Macs. The Macs are faster and require much less maintenance. Although I have used Parallels, there isn't much of a reason to do so since most of the software that we need is available for the Mac and runs without any problems while Windows software running on Parallels is still Windows software running on a Windows operating system with all the usual issues.

 

If you are changing over to a Mac, you are doing so in order to reduce your software problems and to acquire more throughput. I think that it is better to just "bite the bullet" and acquire the native Mac software as opposed to running PC software on a Mac using Boot Camp or Parallels.

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wparsonsgisnet

wparsonsgisnet

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Rocco, well put.

 

I certainly intend to embrace the software that will run on my future Mac Pro -- or whatever Apple will be selling at that time. I'm expecting to go with the big laptop at that time, with lots of external stuff, like screens, disks, and so on.

 

It's the stuff that hangs on from my workplace that I'll have to accomodate. Also, I will have a learning curve to overcome in switching from windoze apps to Mac ones, and I can use a dos window to survive while I'm going to school.

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TEBnewyork

TEBnewyork

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Rocco, well put.

 

Also, I will have a learning curve to overcome in switching from windoze apps to Mac ones, and I can use a dos window to survive while I'm going to school.

 

I am not an expert but instead of mucking up the new mac with the windows software, I would bite the bullet and just learn the mac. Leave your Windows machine intact until you are comfortable with the mac.

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MPerson

MPerson

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Bill I was in the same position 3 years ago. I took the plunge with a Powerbook G4 but was determined not to run any MS stuff. I suppose it took me about six months to feel totally easy and learn to use the Apple equivalent software.

 

It must have worked 'cos now I have two more, a Pro and an iMac. You will hear lots of reasons to buy one but for me the main reason is 'they just bloody work'! Never had a crash or any problems and because of that they tend to sit in the background until you need them as you don't have to worry if you are going to get an error message or the 'blue screen of death'. :cool:

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clayh

clayh

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I run Mac OSX at home and Windows XP and Solaris 8 at work. And I totally agree with the observation that part of good Windows 'hygiene' is a periodic reboot just to keep things clean. Since Apple starting building their new boxes based on Intel chips, the decision on new machines is very easy, in my opinion. Buy Apple and run Windows, when you must, in either Boot camp or one of the virtual machine applications.

 

A Mac OSX application that hasn't been mentioned is VMware. This virtual machine software allows you to install Windows, or any other OS on your Mac. I have Windows XP pro and Solaris 8 installed on my home computer, and they all run flawlessly when I need to do work remotely.

 

The other thing that hasn't been mentioned is that Mac OSX runs faster than a comparable Windows system after you install all the necessary anti-virus software. The amount of system overhead devoted to maintaining the security of a Windows box is astounding.

 

BTW, Imageprint DOES have a Mac OSX version. That is the RIP I am using at home with the Epson 7800

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tashley

tashley

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Just a minority report: I would like to try switching the other way and probably would were it not for the fact that I run four machines in three different locations and to crossgrade all the machines and the software would cost a vast amount.

 

The reason I would try the switch, after many years of Mac use, are to do with reliability.

 

Until recently my 'main' machine was a dual 2ghz powerpc G5 with extra RAM and an extra hard drive. This has periodically always had a behaviour whereby from time to time it freezes and its fans go bonkers. You lose your work and have to hard restart. I never got round to dealing with it whilst in warranty because it didn't happen too often and because a bit of online reading revealed that others had the same problem and Apple seemed not to to be able or willing to deal with it. There's a thread here to show that I am not alone in this and to show that having warranty or Applecare may not help some people.

 

Apple - Support - Discussions - Mac Freezes and fan goes into overdrive! ...

 

My secondary machine is a MacBook pro, which had dodgy wake from sleep behaviour and also often required a hard restart. This is now fixed since a bit of online searching revealed a battery exchange program, in which I participated.

 

My current (new) main machine is a new style iMac 2.4ghz intel core duo with 4gb RAM. It crashes to the extent of requiring a hard reset, sometimes several times a week and is running slowly for reasons I can't quite fathom. Slowly meaning it will sometimes take a second to re-draw a browser window, and will give me the spinning ball for long periods. I could of course try to get this dealt with under warranty but by the time it has turned out to be impossible to replicate the problem whilst under observation, or to be impossible to work out whether it is the iMac, the OS or some third party bit of hardware or software at fault, I would be older and more gray. It's purely my fault for not calling in teh warranty while it exists but I do know that doing so may not yield a result and will in any event be a royal PITA.

 

My final machine is an old G4 powerbook. It is an officer and a gentleman and though sometimes a little cranky when waking up, it soldiers on.

 

My feeling with Apple over the past few years, during which time I have owned many models, is that they are no longer the little guy, either in fact or in behaviour. So if the Software Fairy would wave her wand and give me all my apps in Windoze, I'd try that instead.

 

:0(

 

Tim

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fjmcsu

fjmcsu

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Bill,

I think you wil enjoy the Mac environment & your switch. I run both Mac(MacBookPro & G5PowerPC) & Win XP & find BOTH have their quirks & advantages.I just built a PC(WinXP) to run my printer software(RIP) & e-mail.I also network the two together via TCP/IP & it works really well. The rest I do on the Mac(Aperture,1 & 2,Lightroom, PSCS3,CaptureNX,& C1_4). I upgraded from Tiger to Leopard & the switch was easy & more pleasant than my past upgrades in the Win environment. However,you may have noted that Mac runners were not spared important fixes following its release & I have been noticing more security fixes the past year than in the past(probably a product of their success).Both systems have been very stable but then again I keep them that way by periodic tune-ups as others have recommended.GOOD LUCK & HAVE FUN!

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spylaw4

spylaw4

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You won't regret the switch, Bill!

Some imaging software is however still only available in Windows version, but there's plenty of others to choose from.

There is a book "Switching to the Mac" which I read before I bought my first Mac and found very helpful.

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nhmitchell

nhmitchell

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Bill:

 

I've been on the Mac since 1985, and have never had a single regret. You might want to check out this very helpful information on Apple's site which is designed to help "switchers":

 

Apple - Get a Mac - How to move to Mac

 

And don't forget to visit the Apple store in nearby Salem, NH when you are ready to buy. No sales tax!

 

Best,

 

Nick

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TEBnewyork

TEBnewyork

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My current (new) main machine is a new style iMac 2.4ghz intel core duo with 4gb RAM. It crashes to the extent of requiring a hard reset, sometimes several times a week and is running slowly for reasons I can't quite fathom. Slowly meaning it will sometimes take a second to re-draw a browser window, and will give me the spinning ball for long periods. I could of course try to get this dealt with under warranty but by the time it has turned out to be impossible to replicate the problem whilst under observation, or to be impossible to work out whether it is the iMac, the OS or some third party bit of hardware or software at fault, I would be older and more gray. It's purely my fault for not calling in teh warranty while it exists but I do know that doing so may not yield a result and will in any event be a royal PITA.

 

Tim

 

Tim,

I have a new model iMac and the early ones had a documented problem with graphics board causing a freeze up on the machine that required a hard restart (you could move the mouse around just fine but the entire machine was frozen). There was a software fix specific to the machine (not a regular operating system update) and I have never again had the problem.

 

Terry

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bill_murray

bill_murray

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A quick look at the macbook (pro or powerbooks - apple support - forums) will show that many mac users suffer jusr as many problems (virus and trojans and worms excepted) as Windows users.

 

I use both - and am just as tired of the Mac spinning wheel as I am the Windows

error screen.

 

I prefer to use my Macbook tp print photos because of the simple way I can change colour profiles - but using excel or word is painful whether native Mac versions or using windows versions through parallels.

 

The grass may not be quite as green in Macworld as you might expect.........

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tashley

tashley

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Tim,

I have a new model iMac and the early ones had a documented problem with graphics board causing a freeze up on the machine that required a hard restart (you could move the mouse around just fine but the entire machine was frozen). There was a software fix specific to the machine (not a regular operating system update) and I have never again had the problem.

 

Terry

 

Thanks Terry!

 

I saw that one - it's not the problem I have but I heard it annoyed quite a few people!

 

Best

 

t

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Guest stnami

Guest stnami

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Running two systems on a machine is counter productive, takes up a heap of space, requires rebooting etc and the applications are very similar as well as being universal. Heaps of people work both platforms without a drama, better off with two machines if one needs to use both platforms, adobe etc allows one to install the same application on two machines anyway.

Bit of a making a mountain out of a mole hill article .......... one needs to catch up to the younger generations here

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JHAG

JHAG

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Sean Reid has recently published an article about the research he pursued in the process of acquiring a new Apple Mac Pro and why it suits him.

 

This is extremely interesting to me, as I am planning to Go Apple when my current windoze machine dies. He doesn't beat up windoze in his article, but I would be glad to do so, as I have to reboot my Gateway Pentium-D constantly, as I did all of its predecessors. By contrast the two Apple laptops in the household don't need rebooting to maintain the purity of their memory.

 

Sean proposes in his article that he'll discuss running PC software in the Mac if there is a demand. I, for one, would like to hear his experience. I always ask my friends who are using Mac whether they are using Boot Camp or Parallels for their dos programs. As Sean is always so concise and clear, I would welcome such a discussion.

 

The article is highly recommended, with discussions of peripherals and associated suppliers.

 

William,

One modest piece of advice from a Macophile since 15 years (2 minor glitches after about 8 or 9 machines, laptops and desktops) :

- in case of intensive use (my PPC 2x2.5GHz is on 12 hours a day) springclean your HD once a week with "Socks" (previously SOX) MKD Software (I run it since 3 years with excellent results — a 10 minutes operation on a 250 Gb disk)

- once or twice a quarter, run Drive Genius to defrag and check your HD

After handling big files and performing heavy tasks in CS3, LR, C1 or their siblings,

your Mac will get snappier again and you should avoid big messes. That sort of light maintenance

may save you some problems.

Apart that, I always had excellent service from Apple Car, even accepting out of warranty keyboard replacement for a 17" laptop.

;)

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