No, OS X is like an Outlook virus for geeks
Jeremy Zawodny is now also doing the switch. I completely echo is feelings:
I've owned four Thinkpads and ran Linux on all but one of them (the fourth is my Windows box, used mainly for GPS and flight/navigation software nowadays). I've been at this a long, long time. But, you know what? Stuff just works on this Mac. And since all the cool kids are doing it, I have few if any fears that my favorite Open Source tools are already debugged and working there smoothly.
There really are no good reasons left for not switching. I haven't thought of anything I can do on the Linux Thinkpad that I can't do on a Powerbook running Mac OS X. Well, there are some things, but none of them matter to me. That was the important realization here.
I've now had my Powerbook for about five months. During this time, I've had ZERO problems with it. Nada. Zip. I once thought I had a problem with it, but it turned out to be a faulty IMAP server which got a bit confused. My biggest issue with it has been that I could not find the serial number for my cheap-o Panther upgrade. I called the Apple support line, and a very nice guy answered immediately and helped me through it. I don't think I've even read the manuals of this laptop.
The thing is - for an old UNIX geek this Mac is just so bloody intuitive. And since it's UNIX all the way, you can, if you want to, drop down to the lowest level. But you don't have to. That's the beauty of it. I have done twenty years of tweaking of computers. It's enough. I just want things to work - I don't have the time to tweak that crap anymore. And I'm willing to pay a bit more for that privilege. Don't get me wrong - I still think Linux is great and wonderful, and I love to install it everywhere where I can to replace Windows. Hell, if you want to have cheap hardware, you might as well save on the software as well...
But, I find myself using my Powerbook more and more... The only thing I use my Linux box anymore is for file storage (for which it is mightily good, I might add), and coding (big screen, better keyboard). But when I was upgrading the kernel to 2.6 (to get rid of the annoying X scheduling issues and hangups) and rebooted the machine for the 3rd time, I was nearly ready to call Apple Store and order myself a G5...
(Oh yeah, unlike some other Finnish bloggers, I haven't quit blogging. I'm at home, with fever and really almost nothing to blog about. I'm getting ready for a big thingy in Japan next week... In case anyone cares, I'll be in Tokyo from Saturday to Wednesday. Gah. Bad timing for a flu.)
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Comments
I had a hardware problem with my iBook recently - it was freezing with weird graphics bugs or just starting with a black screen in the first place. Didn't cost me a cent to get it fixed though, despite my inability to procure proof that it was still under warranty. :) I guess I'm going to have to think hard about whether I can afford AppleCare protection, and also about whether I can afford *not* to get it...--MichaelGoetze, 31-Mar-2004
Yeah, everybody seems to think that ~AppleCare is a good idea. I took the three year plan. So far haven't needed it, but laptops tend to be rather accident-prone.
--JanneJalkanen, 01-Apr-2004
Your comments remind me of my own process - though at the time (some years ago) I was switching from Windows. It wasn't that I couldn't do what I wanted on a PC - just that I got tired of fritzing about. I used to do all my own car maintenance and in an equally geeky sort of way I sort of enjoyed it - but when I wanted to do other things it was just a pain in the ass.
So now I'm on mac and i send my car to the garage. My time is worth more than the relatively tiny cost differential.
cheers, Mark
--62.242.7.120, 01-Apr-2004
Welcome to the Macworld!.
Having the flu sucks big time. I'm just getting over a cold (two days max :p ) and my old blue&white Mac is the only thing helping me get through this boredom.
I wish I could get a PB or a G5 but I've have other financial responsibilities at the moment but lord knows I'm going to start working hard and save every penny so I can buy these beauties.
--Rene, 01-Apr-2004
Great rant about the PowerBook; I couldn't agree more. Writing this in my trusty, zero issue, TiPB over my wireless network, that I also had zero problems with... Welcome aboard!
--moofer, 01-Apr-2004
Cool! I think I want one too.... a PowerBook that is.
--Michael, 01-Apr-2004
Amen to that! I can't seem to let go of my powerbook either after years of tweaking the crap out of wintel boxes...
--63.80.136.49, 01-Apr-2004
I can't even tell you how sick of my twice daily bluescreens of death that I was running into... I had been using freebsd on my laptop of a long time and had to start using windows for some specific work tasks, however windows drove me so insane one night that I drove to the apple store with one of my mac unix friends, and bought an Ibook. this was two years ago.. I now have 3 macs, one that I specificallly loan to Unix people who need a laptop for a short ammount of time... I've coverted 5 people that way....
It just works is an understatement... it just works, and it's SO well done it's insane.
-- kev
--69.139.5.39, 01-Apr-2004
<q>It just works is an understatement... it just works, and it's SO well done it's insane.</q>
So much truth to this statement it needed to be said twice.
--Big House>, 02-Apr-2004
Welcome to the world of Apple. For last twenty years I have been using Apple MacIntoshes daily, and by using them that is precisely what I mean not spending all my time trying to get them to work. The only computer miseries that I have had have all been related to Windows. For years friends and family have asked me what they should buy, and I always encourage them to try the Mac. They never take my advice, but when Windows decides to blow up in their faces they are quick to call me to sort it out. I have finally convinced my wife to give up on Windows even though the school at which she teaches uses PCs (which by the way, constantly have digital diarhea). Three weeks ago her Dell with Win XP decided to BSOD. I searched MS'es KB with the error codes and came up with nothing. I finally figured out on my own that a system file had been corrupted and re-installed XP and all approriate updates, it took six hours!
BTW I have had OS X on my iMac for 3 years. My last system crash was 3 years ago.
--garyb, 02-Apr-2004
Excellent, I totally agree, Apple products just work. And actually it is very interesting if you compare an Apple portable to any other WIN portable, feature by feature you'll be surprised as I was that almost 100% of the time the cost in either the same or less on the Apple.
Check it out.
--64.168.102.121, 03-Apr-2004