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Journal grub's Journal: Sell me on a new Mac whilst I drone on... 27

Journal by grub

WARNING: I'm just doing a brain dump here so I may meander off course a bit.

First off, that Subject line is a bit misleading: I've owned Macs since early 1985 when I bought an original 128K unit with 2 floppy drives.
Fast forward 16 years and many Macs/PCs later
When my ex and I were divorcing she took Booberry, a blueberry iMac, and I was left without a Mac capable of running OSX although I have 4 that can run MKLinux and Yellow Dog Linux.

I've owned computers for 24 years since getting the Apple ][+ in 1980. DOS or Windows gaming boxes have sat here seemingly forever and some form of unixish system for almost as long. In the mid-80s I had QNX running on an IBM AT (installed by DanH [RIP] before he left Winnipeg to work at Quantum), Linux on and off since 93 and FreeBSD/OpenBSD since 98. That's all fine but something has been absent for about 3 years: I miss the Mac.

My current setup on the unixish side at home are a few smaller FreeBSD and OpenBSD machines which I was hoping to merge into one AMD-64 OpenBSD machine and a nice Win2K box for my games. Recently I bought an XBOX and soldered an Executor 3 modchip in so that's getting more use for games (Kim and I play Tetris on the XBOX NES emulator more than any other 2 player game. How retro.)

All that leads to my connundrum: I've been getting that upgrade itch. Common sense tells me to collate the unixish side of things with a single beefy machine but there's a wee voice saying "Get a new Mac". I really can't justify it so I'm leaning strongly to the OpenBSD/AMD-64 side. It's been a few years since I've has a personal Mac but I just can't justify it: in my books nostalgia is not a valid reason to buy a new $ANYTHING.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to sell me one way or the other on the idea of buying a new Mac G5.

I welcome both sides. Do your best.
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Sell me on a new Mac whilst I drone on... More

Sell me on a new Mac whilst I drone on...

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  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • On a personal note, I've used Linux on the desktop full time since about when Gnome got anti-aliased fonts. Being able to read the screen without pain is good. I've used Linux for longer, but that's when I found the desktop more or less viable.

      For me, the Linux desktop allows full customization while not getting in the way. I'm definitely not an average user, and can fix things should they go wrong, which they generally don't. I like the desktop being unobtrusive and not sugary jelly bean cute. I'm not sure


    • Just don't get an HP inkjet. :)

      Heh, I haven't bought a printer since purchasing my Epson MX80 in 1981. It's an awesome tractor-fed/plain paper 9 pin beast which still hammers out the odd bit of stuff I want on hardcopy. There's so little that I ever need to print that it was about 2 years before I setup the printcap on my desktop OpenBSD box at work to hit our workgroup laser. I tend to save things in text (or textish) files so a quick egrep will get what I need. Of course a good manual is hard to beat s

    • Ah, I should address your other stuff too.

      Yeah, I've used OSX and I really enjoyed using it, moreso than any other version of MacOS. That's where it gets harder to put value on things: how do I quantify my enjoyment of using the system? I've never enjoyed myself using Windows itself. Certainly the games are fun but that has no reflection on the underlying OS. I've tried to be rational about this but certain factors creep in that are impossible to put value on.
      • come on, man! You can pop open a 75% transparency window and vi /etc/rc!!! And hosts! And you've got all the goodness of panther/jaguar/tiger/cheetah/puma/jungle cat! SNAP OUT OF IT.

        Whats wrong with you? Do you have some sort of self image issue where you don't think you are worthy of having an easy time at the computer? Are you one of those guys at work who doesn't print on the color printer because "oh, my lowly print jobs aren't worth it"? Even though the original document has color?!!!! Stop being th

        • You're right. I'll be ordering a RealDoll immediately.
        • I bet they still walk uphill both ways barechested and shoeless in the snow, DESPITE having clothes, shoes, and a car.

          I'll have you know I ride my bike [gpz1100.com] in the rain because I LIKE IT! Yeah, that's it! I'm in command of my own fate, and my fate is being soaked through-and-through while traveling 160mph with the furious wind ripping my Gore-Tex suit to shreds. Yeah!

          If anyone needs me, I'll be off in the corner emerging that new gentoo kernel...

          And BTW grub, get the Mac. I've never used one, but I do k

      • Comment removed based on user account deletion
        • What would make me even consider a Mac right now is the presence of BSD underpinnings and some nice hardware. Maybe the presence of media programs, though I don't attempt any of that stuff seriously. I don't particularly care for the look of the interface, but it's my sense of aesthetic, and the reason I don't like KDE's default feel either. Hey, I'm consistent.

          Luckily I'm in no need of a new computer right now. While it's starting to get old in computer terms, I haven't started running anything that'd make

  • I'm in a similar boat as you; I grew up mac (Mac Plus-> Mac IIsi-> Powermac 7200), MkLinux fucking sucks, I've got some windows boxes and I hack AIX at work.

    If your time at home isn't valuable, Don't get a mac.

    I'm tired of dealing with computer bullshit. At work I deal with the bullshit and I enjoy it to a fault; its what I do, its what I get paid for.

    I'm sure linux is fine, but its got a lot of set-up crap. I like the "turn it on"-ness of the knoppix live cd, but the HD install sucked (no one l
    • if you've got a windows machine at work, can you setup remote desktop or vnc?

      my desktop at work is openbsd and dual boots xp. i'll soon be nuking the xp side and setting up a dedicated terminal server, then running everything windows i need (outlook for tasks, the occaisional excel, etc) there. leave that instance running, and i can get to it from wherever i am
  • Sounds to me like you've decided you want one, and you're now asking people to see if they can talk you out of it.

    So, what are the arguments against buying a Mac?

    Cost
    Apple boxes cost more, unless you actually compare to machines of similar specs, in which case they end up being within ~10% either way. But you probably already knew this.

    Compatibility
    While Macs are perceived to be somehow incompatible with the Wintel world, I think we can also file that under things you already know to be untrue.

    Soft

    • Sounds to me like you've decided you want one, and you're now asking people to see if they can talk you out of it.

      Not entirely, I'm really teetering on it. My fear is that I'll spend the cash on one to "relive the good ol' days" and regret it once the warm 'n fuzzy feeling wears off. Of course it may not, as I said before using a Mac has always been enjoyable.

      All your points are entirely valid but I'm really having a hard time justifying another desktop machine. True I can use X on it and connect to my
      • If you can get access to one to play with (and I think you could do this from an Apple store), download and run an app (no admin access required) called Desktop Manager, available at wsmanager.sourceforge.net. It's a typical Unixy virtual desktop implementaion, but it ties into CoreGraphics for the transitions, and is a) an awesome demo of what lurks beneath the surface of Quartz Extreme, and b) the single most compelling UI feature of the platform.

        I know, it sounds superficial, but put that on a machine,
  • I had a 3.2 Ghz P4 at the beginning of the year, with a gig of ram and a 120 Gb hardrive. Its been running linux for a while, but when the time came to get a computer for my sister, the best option I thought would be to get myself a mac and pass it on to her. I still use it occasionally (mainly for BZFlag spanned across 2 19" CRT's, she runs fedora), but I find my iBook perfectly capable of handling the rest of my life. I can even play BZFlag on it, but I'm too slow and sweaty with the trackpad (its 40 deg
  • I know you know Macs require little software maintenance and include some killer apps like iMovie and iDVD. Sorry, but iMovie rocks. Before the current iMac I would've complained about having to have an Apple tech make the smallest repairs. With the new iMac most of the parts are now user replaceable, a very big plus IMO.

    Yes, Macs cost a bit more but if you're going to do any video editing it's the only way to fly. I haven't tried it yet but sound editing is also very good.

    My main machine runs Ubuntu (a

    • Maybe you should get a PowerMac G5, build an OpenBSD box and get a KVM.

      Actually if I get the Mac I can just use X on it to work with my existing and future *nix boxes :) I don't run anything that would crush my home LANs capacity with X stuff.

      If I did the KVM thing it'd be for my Windows game box and the Mac.
  • Basically if you need the machine on the _cheap_, or if you fancy the hobby aspect of the build and OS frigging; self-build will be the better option.

    If, on the other hand, you need the machine up and running _fast_, or if you can think of things you want to spend your time on, that the above-mentioned OS-Frig-Fest will prevent you doing; Buying a Mac is the better option.

    If you're ambivalent; price up your self build, then price up a Mac that will suit you. Do the 2 pricing sessions on seperate days to a
  • Don't be convinced of buying a mac. do what you feel in the long run will be better. if you want gaming then you know mack isn't exactly the best choice, but if you want general work to be done on a solid machine that will last you a while, then maybe a shiny new mac is right for you. I have an iBook and i'll tell you what i hate about apple.... that you haev to watch these rumor sites to get the best deal. I mean i don't want to keep track of what some nut things in order to make a somewhat informed ca
  • You already know you want an G5, so just give in to the urge!
  • (sorry for the "world's most generic subject line" but I had to put *something* in there.) The main question is, how much desktop-y stuff do you want, versus how much server-y stuff do you want, and of that, how much speed do you need? I am very happy with OS X as a desktop *and* I think it makes a great server *unless* you want a lot of power, cheap.

    I have a web server at home--a PIII/500 Compaq. My #1 app on there is 'gallery', which lets you upload a bunch of pics and it will crunch on them and resize t
  • Don't get a mac without shader support. If you buy an iBook, it'll work fine now for QuartzGL, but CoreImage will leave you behind. The iMacs pass, barely.

    If I were buying a mac, it'd be from the professional line. I bought the last iBook that wasn't supported by Quartz Extreme (2002), and boy do I fucking hate it.
  • Okay, for the record, I generally hate Apples. It's true, but that's my personal preference- not an unbiased opinion, so I'll tell you what you need:

    OSX has a *BSD base in the kernel. It has a shell. It's a prettier, GUI'd OpenBSD. Love it. Use it.

    Hope that helps,
    - dshaw
  • I just got back my 2001 white ibook. It qualified for a motherboard replacement, though I didn't have trouble till a couple of months ago. When the screen first started acting up, I tried replacing a video cable myself- I figured the warranty was up anyways. I screwed up the combo drive, and broke the metal sheilding- working on notebooks is never easy! I then sent it in for repairs, thinking they'd give me a price way too high. CD/DVD drive repaired, new keyboard, new motherboard- no charge. Over $600 in
  • I'm basically going to mirror everyone else, and say this: If you want to work on your computer, DIY. If you want to get work done on your computer, get the iMac.
  • This depends on 2 things. First...

    Laptop or Tower: If you are not going to use the system for major gaming you may want to consider a laptop. Bang for your buck the Mac is a better deal. This is one of those rare places but if you comapre what you get on each and the quality level the Mac is a better deal. If you are going for a tower that is a different story and will depend on what you use.

    Second, The uses.... What are you going to use the system for??? Web development, multimedia, scripting or *

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