I've got no agenda of my own, I'm only here to do the best job I can possibly do in the best interest of the readers. That being said, I'm wondering if a good way of tackling the price issue is to do a month with an iMac G5?
That could provide an interesting way to incorporate many of the things I didn't talk about in the first Mac article that I would have liked to have touched on. Just a thought.
That could provide an interesting way to incorporate many of the things I didn't talk about in the first Mac article that I would have liked to have touched on. Just a thought.
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Anonymous - Monday, October 18, 2004 - link
Some mainframes ARE hackable.Live it, love it, learn it!
Noah Body - Monday, October 18, 2004 - link
#67Thanks for clarifying the problems with your server. It is good to see that Windows was not the only problem preventing decent uptime.
I started out as a Mac user and like many Mac users I was extremely biased with the PC. I hated PCs and could not understand why anyone would use them. It was pretty ignorant of me to dislike something I've never used before. It all seemed so foreign to me this world of command prompts, .dll files and registry issues and I did not want a part of it. Of course I had to get familiar with it considering the line of work I was getting into.
It really comes down to what you're accustomed to and feel comfortable using. I feel at home on both platforms but to me they are all just "computers" though, that might be contrary to your point of view. I even got rid of my home computer just because I'm on the computer so much as it is.
wbwither - Monday, October 18, 2004 - link
#66 Well, I wasn't trying to allege Apple of price-fixing so much as I was calling them smart in their pricing. I don't think there's anything wrong with what they're doing. If anything, they're price-fixing in favor of the consumer. I realize that Apple can't have the economies of scale that come with using Intel/AMD CPU's and more-or-less generic motherboards. I'm also one of those people who doesn't think that Macs are ridiculously overpriced, and I agree that they're becoming more and more competitive. If I had the money, I'd buy a new 2.5 G5 in a heartbeat.I've got quite a bit of experience with the upgradability of Macs myself... I've owned a Quadra with a PPC/66MHz upgrade card, a PM8500/120, a G3'd 8600/300, and now I've got a B&W G3/350 with a Sonnet G4/400.
So I know that there's a lot of factors which contribute to the lasting value of Macs. My posts were pointing out (to all these PC users here) 1) the fact that Macs hold their value, thus making "the price issue" less of an issue, and 2) that Apple helps this happen by pricing their new, latest-and-greatest machines consistently.
John Q Public - Monday, October 18, 2004 - link
WELL...there's a lotta differing opinions 'round here...#49...
you are partially correct about my Win2K server...there was MUCH Lemony-Goodness to that machine...50% of its issues were attributed to drivers (allegedly WHQL Certified Drivers at that)...35% were Microsoft Security Updates hosing things...and 15% were mysterious one time occurances that could be attributed to nothing specific that a reboot "Cured"...that machine's death knell came in the form of a bad APIC module...rather than replace the mobo and keep it running I chose to just take it down permanently...too many headaches...
...and I do not use my Mac to "Protect" my PC's from virii...quite the contrary...the primary reason I run Virex on the Mac is kind of a "Typhiod Mary" thing...a Macintosh generally will not be affected by a Windows Virus...BUT...that does not mean it won't spread the virus to other machines...considering there are two Macs on a network filled with WinBoxen...it's better to be safer by limiting exposure from possible problems by having a software (with most recent definitions) on my primary machine capable of detecting Windows Virii and removing them before there could be a problem...all of the PC's use a virus protection software (save the WinXP Pro box...which usually is not connected to anything BUT the Mac...dedicated Gigabit connection between them only...no internet sharing)...
...little secret...as far as security is concerned...unless you lock-out the firmware with a password (something 99% of Mac users know nothing about)...a 10 year old could crack your Mac's security by sitting in front of it for about 3 minutes (and access to an OS 9 CD)...but overall Macintosh is a fairly secure platform most because of limited numbers...and that the current OS's are BSD...but you also gotta remember...the FIRST virus was written for Unix...
#52...
...the reason the price of a Macintosh is high in relation to that of a PC isn't Apple doing "Price Fixing"...but because of more limited numbers meaning Apple cannot afford to sell them as cheaply as say eMachines or HP/Compaq machines which are becoming so cheap you're likely to find them as prizes at the bottom of cereal boxes soon...
...likewise as far as Apple pricing goes...Apple is actually becoming a little more competitive (not much...but a little)...as sales of Macintosh increased between 2002 and 2003...the FW800 model which replaced the Mirrored Drive Door became the least expensive "High End" Macintosh...when the FW800 was discontinued (upon the G5's release) and the MDD was updated (with newer processors and drives) and re-released in June 2003 (as the last G4...MDD was the last PowerMac to be able to boot to OS 9 as well as OS X...FW800 and G5's are OS X ONLY)...the MDD was now even less expensive than the FW800 which replaced it 6 month earlier...
...as for keeping their value...there are not many people who can afford a new Macintosh (especially as a first computer)...so there's eBay...and yes...more limited number there account for higher resale values than an x86 machine...I saw a FW800 Dual 1.25Ghz on eBay this morning for a little over $1500 (with almost a day left for bidding)...
...another reason Mac's retain their value is akin to something a friend told me years ago..."Mac's are forever"...meaning a Macintosh can remain a viable machine much longer than a PC...after a Macintosh model has been out a few years and newer technologies become available...processor upgrades begin to appear...I have a couple older Macs...one is 225Mhz PowerPC 603ev (now updated to 500Mhz G3...more than double the original power for less cost than replacing at the time)...the other is a G3 All-In-One 266Mhz (the last "One Piece" Macintosh with integrated monitor and speakers before the iMac)...Sonnet produces a 1.0Ghz G4 upgrade for it...which I'll probably buy evntually...there are upgrades for every PowerMacintosh (and most of the earlier and consumer level...save iMac, eMac and iBook) except the MDD and FW800s...but those will come eventually too (hopefully in the form of a pair of Dual-Core Motorolas that should be out in a year or so)...
#55...
Let me be the first Mac-Fanatic to say you REALLY need a life...go outside...and play under the rays of the Big-Yellow-Death-Ball...and away from your Mac for a little while...
FINALLY...to all the PC users who bash Macintosh without ever using one (several years ago I counted myself as one) and don't understand why some people go over the top (and some sickos who even anthropomorphize their Macs)...Macintosh is more than a computer...Apple is more than a faceless corporation who sells us our toys...and even if you use a Mac...you'll never be a Mac Fanatic (no matter how much you enjoy yours) until you get REALLY pissed off at Apple's Management Mistakes...and the fate of one little computer company in Cupertino, CA becomes important to you...
Ornery - Sunday, October 17, 2004 - link
Resolving the price issue?"I'm wondering if a good way of tackling the price issue?"
What's to resolve? What's to tackle? People cough up good money for shiny baubles all the time. Nothing new there.
PC users measure bang for the buck with concrete performance measurements. Mac users find more subjective justification for the extra expense. Is that what this article is going to be about? The intangible, warm & fuzzy, goodness that makes up the "Mac experience"? Suit yourself, but I'd just save my breath. The best interest of most readers would be to save their money. The rest won't be lured from mesmerizing, shiny, gewgaws no matter how much they cost!
spitre - Friday, October 15, 2004 - link
Actually I went in to pick up a microwave and bought a computer. You're mistaken. Please check yourself before you wreck yourself.Thank you.
scared - Friday, October 15, 2004 - link
Please don't hurt usrpitre - Friday, October 15, 2004 - link
So you were shopping for a stereo and bought a computer instead. What I don't understand is what a Mac and a Vaio have to do with it.iluvthemac&want2marry1 - Friday, October 15, 2004 - link
#57*****Your argument that "if everyone went Mac, there would be lots of OS X malware" is true but misses a fundamental point: if YOU bought a mac right now, the marginal probability of OS X malware suddenly appearing would be almost zero.
Actually you totally misqouted me. What I said was that the Macs obscurity is part of its safety net. You can qoute that correctly if you would like.
58# & 59#
I believe you have your fanboys mixed up. No one from what I've seen has been critical of the Mac as an inferior platform or have said that it should be avoided. Just some criticism about so called "Truths" of the Mac platform that get perpetuated but not defined. Some people have taken that as an attack on their whole computing paradigm. Thus everyone who sees differently is a "sheep" and not believers of the Mac Gospel.
Puhleeeeese. It's a computer. So who cares if others "Think Different".
SD - Friday, October 15, 2004 - link
#59, correct. With these tactics, sheep should always be the target.#60, :D