Surprise
30 Jan 2008 
in the early evening 
Matt Winckler
I’m about to buy an iMac. Just try and stop me. I dare you!
My reasons are these:
- We want a compact, semi-portable computer for use on the main level of the house.
- I’m weary of all the other operating systems I’ve tried. OS X will not be perfect, but I can always hope that it is better than:
- Linux (flavors experienced include Red Hat, Fedora Core, Gentoo, and Kubuntu) takes too much work to get (and keep) running.
- Windows XP is a multi-user environment in no sense of the phrase.
- Windows Vista continually has quirks and compatibility issues to deal with. (Examples in my case: sound drivers, “Windows Host Services has stopped running” popups, Firefox taking ages–like 30 seconds or more–to open for the first time, etc.). Vista is still nowhere near a true multi-user environment. (Example: you can’t start iTunes if another logged-in user already has it open, even if they’re not playing anything at the moment.)
- Apple computers look nice and run quietly.
- OS X is BSD-based, which means that it is more secure than Windows and on top of that I can use Fink to run various and assorted Unix apps when I get the urge.
- Apple actually cares about user interfaces in ways that matter.
- OS X doesn’t involve tyrannical activation procedures.
- Macs Just Work!™
I’ve wanted to try running a Mac for a long time to see if it was really any better than the alternatives. Every time the computer was up for an upgrade, I’d sniff around Apple’s offerings. But the price differential between buying a Mac and building my own PC out of parts was always too great for me to stomach.
At long last, I intend to make the leap.
I expect updates on how it goes… I’m considering an iMac for our next computer (which won’t likely be anytime soon, since we’ve got plenty of jobs around the house to complete first, but still)
No worries on that account. This will be a singularly well-documented affair. If you believe even half of what the Apple zealotry says, the machine will be writing my blog posts for me, including pictures.
I must have forgotten to install THAT application on MY Mac. I’ll have to ask Jeromy to look into that one for me! :D
No, no, don’t bring up jobs around the house! We are stopping our ears; we can’t hear you; la la la la.
I have an old iMac at my house that you’ve probably seen. I paid literally $99 for it, including shipping and handling, and it has never given me one bit of problems. Well, that is, once I upgraded the Operating System to one of the newer versions of OS X. But after that, it’s worked perfectly for me. It doesn’t even have a fan in it, so it’s super quiet. Of course, it’s ancient, so it’s slow as dirt, but it really does work great.
I also have a MacBook laptop, and it’s the best little laptop I’ve ever used. It’s light, works great, never has problems, and has a bunch of cool features, like a power chord that attaches magnetically, and a touch pad that can detect two fingers at a time for special gestures. I almost never use my PC at home any more, except on the rare occasion that I just have to for using a piece of software that’s Windows only.
There’s just something to be said about good hardware/software design!
And, if you already like Linux/Unix, it’s easy to switch, because underlying OS X is BSD Unix! It’s easy to open up a console window, and do old school Unix command line stuff.
Oh my gosh, I just realized I sound like a total Mac zealot. I guess maybe I am one now. Scary thought!
There’s probably a Mac Zealot purity test out there someplace. Although I can’t be bothered to find one at the moment, it would doubtless include the following items:
[ ] (Male) Wears diamond stud earring in left ear
[ ] Wears black turtlenecks with jeans and no belt
[ ] Has a diablo-style goatee
[ ] Wears a black “artist’s” beret
[ ] Is a Starbucks loafer
[ ] Owns Birkenstocks
As far as I’m aware, you don’t match any of these criteria (yet), so you’re probably not a True Mac Zealot. Perhaps a Macolyte, but surely not a True Zealot.
Long time Mac user… see, I am a computer guy by trade, but would rather do other stuff at home than worry about computers… I just want to use it for fun, adventure, and amusement. Thus, my Mac leanings. Sorry, don’t meet the Mac Zealot Purity Test. No piercings, turtlenecks are uncomfortable, goatees are hideous, berets? no way, Starbucks waste of money and Birkenstocks? not even at gunpoint.
Go for it Matt, just and enjoy.