A new laptop

Alex's Trip · 05.25.2009, 03:29 AM

I'm getting one relatively soon. My grandpa is giving me one that he didn't open from like 6 months ago. All I know right now is that it was about $1200 and is an HP. The predicament is this: I want a macbook for sure. I'll probably wind up selling this unopened laptop and use a college discount things for the mac. But it's all up in the air still because maybe this laptop will kick ass and I'll want to keep it.

The question at hand: What are some of your pros and cons of each Windows and Apple computers? I am pretty settled with a mac book but what do you guys think?

terminal pharmacy · 05.25.2009, 04:01 AM

nearly everyone i know that has mac books, not mac book pros has had issues with them.

The Lung · 05.25.2009, 05:07 AM

I had to make a big decision about a laptop last year. I originally bought a Sony and thought it was ok but I had nothing but problems from the store i bought it from. PC World are the biggest cunts on the planet.

Anyway I didn't like vista and with all the hassle i had I decided to get a refund. Then I bought a macbook off ebay and it was one of the best decisions i've made. They seem to work on common sense and I have had no problems whatsoever. You can have as many windows open as you want and it still doesn't slow down. Plus the software you get like gargeband and imovie is really fun and easy to use.

The only shame about macs is that alot of companys only make programs for windows so I have had to install windows on it for the CAD stuff I have to use at uni. You can download all these things for free anyway http://www.opensourcemac.org/

05.25.2009, 05:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by terminal pharmacy

nearly everyone i know that has mac books, not mac book pros has had issues with them.

got one of the last ones where OSX tiger was installed and never got a problem with it. runs like on the first day, and I am really treating it bad sometimes. so just have to say good about that workhorse

Sonic Youth 37 · 05.25.2009, 07:28 AM

Buy a netbook, Dell has one for $299 with 1GB ram, 120GB HD, and XP SP3, then upgrade the ram, then pocket about $700

I might be a little biased though. My HP laptop was shit (but that was 7 years ago), I think Sony's are shit, I hate Macs and everything to do with them because I have more than two fingers on my hand and right-clicking saves quite a bit of time.

The Lung · 05.25.2009, 08:26 AM

You know if you use a mouse it still has the right click?

The trackpad on the macbooks makes scrolling pages and right clicking easy anyway. You just have to press 2 fingers on the pad then click for a right click. I find it way faster than using normal pcs but i guess its what you get used to.

!@#$%! · 05.25.2009, 01:55 PM

it's 2 separate things-- windows is software, mac is hardware and the software is a bonus. and yet, the "bonus" is the best part of the package. i wish you could get OSX on whatever machine of your choice, but that doesn't work because apple makes hardware. that's what they do. their hardware is beautiful, but flimsy (think: ipods & iphones-- highly breakable).

sure, there is hardware that is much superior to mac hardware (panasonic toughbooks, business-class thinkpads, and other things come to mind), but osx is way better than xp or vista-- except for that slow-ass browser known as safari. xp by the way is a SOLID os but it's a bit dated in look and feel. does the work though.

but anyway, i use both, and i like osx better for holding all my information, appointments, calendars, etc. i'm thinking of migrating to google documents though so i can access my shit from anywhere, which will make me more or less platform-independent.

i do love the mac's simplicity though, i just wish they made cases that are not just beautiful but also tough as fuck, which they don't-- this macbook pro has already a bit of damage, a weird click on the mousepad, a loose corner with a fallen screw, a couple of nasty scratches (fuck you, baggage checkers). so i don't see it as having a very long life, which is problematic for a piece of hardware that will run you $3/4K when you include all the bells and whistles. and yes, i could carry it like some holy item, sitting on a cushion, with a procession of acolytes clearing the way, but that's not what laptops were made for.

by the way, you can run win-doze on a mac macheen should you need to for some special purpose (i don't think you'll need it, considering your major), so i'd go maclot in your case. plus you can look at all the other cool maclots and mutually pucker your buttholes in self-satisfaction. but no, yeah, it's an image thing more than a functionality issue. all computers do what they need to do. it's just that the grandpa computer has "grandpa" written all over it, due to fashion.

i still miss my ibm x30, best laptop i ever had; the best computer ever was my mac classic, which was worlds ahead of DOS macheens in 1992.

best wishes with your little 13" mac, it's a good size to cart around and you could have a sort of dorm workstation with a pluggable large monitor & keyboard. no need to buy an apple display of course, a $200 samsung should do fine. just treat it nicely and get a good case for it or i predict it will die an untimely death.

pantophobia · 05.25.2009, 02:02 PM

is your macbook pro an older model? cause i have heard the newer aluminum ones are very tough

!@#$%! · 05.25.2009, 02:15 PM

my mbp is not yet a couple of years old, aluminum case 17" which makes it unwieldy. the aluminum itself is solid, it's that it's held to the insides by tiny screws that can become easily stripped when the case is under stress. i tried re-screwing this one and it comes of and the corner does a clack-clack sound. actually it's not the screw that is stripped, it's the hole inside where it is supposed to take hold. it's all in the details you see. a strong case needs strong screws and a strong screw needs a strong hole to hold it-- otherwise you have successive degradation. same with the fucking clicker.

this old guy i know is a very good video tech and he sez that mac is ran by california hippies who used to be junk pushers. he sez they are "hey i got this nice stuff, have it". they they come back with "here i have this nicer stuff, buy it" but are always trying to push you the next thing. these laptops are not built to last but they are wonderful while they live. then again who the fuck keeps a machine for more than 4 years, ha ha-- landfills, that's who.

!@#$%! · 05.25.2009, 02:21 PM

ps he was talking about the lack of backward compatibility with programs, how your Tiger shit (FCP) won't run in Leopard. Whereas your win2K programs will run in vista-- even DOS will run. anyway i am still buzzed from last night ha ha.

Better_Than_You · 05.25.2009, 03:48 PM

people talk a lotta shit about vista ( i personally like it). if you wait around windows 7 is coming out soon (or is out, i forget)

i like windows a lot better than mac. just because i feel like the programs i like using run better on pcs than macs. not to mention i'm a pretty big writer and my pc came with windows word on it and all the microsoft office shit. i HATE HATE HATE apple office. i think its a pile of smelly horse manure.

but then again ive also been using pcs since i was in 1st grade, i'm probably a little biased. and the macs we haev at school freeze CON.STANT.LY., but that might just be the server i dunno.

!@#$%! · 05.25.2009, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Better_Than_You

people talk a lotta shit about vista ( i personally like it). if you wait around windows 7 is coming out soon (or is out, i forget)

i like windows a lot better than mac. just because i feel like the programs i like using run better on pcs than macs. not to mention i'm a pretty big writer and my pc came with windows word on it and all the microsoft office shit. i HATE HATE HATE apple office. i think its a pile of smelly horse manure.

but then again ive also been using pcs since i was in 1st grade, i'm probably a little biased. and the macs we haev at school freeze CON.STANT.LY., but that might just be the server i dunno.

yeah but the way mail + ical + address book work together is great. and i love the fucking dashboard. i have clocks from 12 different cities, weather, an itunes panel (itunes sucks but eh), calculator & sticky notes.

true that msoffice is shit on the mac but i hate fucken office anyway. i like open office these days (it's free). ms offices has too many fucking features-- what we need is the return of typewriters ha ha.

the other thing where writing is superior for me in the mac is that the accent marks, circumflexes, opening question marks and other things are easily done throughout the OS without the need for alt + numberpad and that lets you fuck around with "furrn" languages like those i speak.

Better_Than_You · 05.25.2009, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

lets you fuck around with "furrn" languages like those i speak.

you dont need a seperate progam for that??? its just right on the processor??

!@#$%! · 05.25.2009, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Better_Than_You

you dont need a seperate progam for that??? its just right on the processor??

you punch option-e, and whatever you do after gets a tilde

eg: á, é, i, ó, ú, Á, É, í, Ó, Ú

(some people would argue don't put tilde on the capitals but i say balls)

the ñ is option-n, then n, etc.

then ü is option-u, u; ê, í are option-i

in win-doze, you can program winword to do that, but then you can't program those keys in open office-- in other words, it's program-specific, not system-wide. the only system-wide way to get these chars is to use alt + the number pad, but do you know what hell is it to do that in a fucking laptop?

pbradley · 05.25.2009, 05:16 PM

The macbook I have now (almost a year now) has been the most reliable computer I've ever owned.

Yes, and it also has the win-doze.

Better_Than_You · 05.25.2009, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

do you know what hell is it to do that in a fucking laptop?

sounds to me like a small price to pay, my friend.

phoenix · 05.26.2009, 06:39 AM

mac books are too pricey for my likes.

If I had $$$, sure, I'd probably buy one.

To get what I have on this laptop, in a macbook, I'd have needed to spend around $4500. yehrite. This cost me 1600. And.. the software is more.. easily accessable.

verme (prevaricator) · 05.26.2009, 06:43 AM

~´`^¨, you can install a secondary keyboard layout and create a shortcut to alternate in between them. you can do that on macs too.
as long as you change it to another qwerty layout it doesn't take much effort to teach your fingers where the keys are and typing an accent becomes a one or two stroke task.

at least that's what i do when i have to use us keyboards, for example.

Alex's Trip · 05.27.2009, 11:53 PM

Well, turns out my grandfather is also sending me a camera and photodock/printer that came with the computer. Sweet beans.

I may just keep the computer. I may feel bad selling it for a different one since this is my graduation gift from him.

05.25.2009, 03:29 AM	#1
Alex's Trip invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 5,608	I'm getting one relatively soon. My grandpa is giving me one that he didn't open from like 6 months ago. All I know right now is that it was about $1200 and is an HP. The predicament is this: I want a macbook for sure. I'll probably wind up selling this unopened laptop and use a college discount things for the mac. But it's all up in the air still because maybe this laptop will kick ass and I'll want to keep it. The question at hand: What are some of your pros and cons of each Windows and Apple computers? I am pretty settled with a mac book but what do you guys think? __________________ KALOPSIA
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

05.25.2009, 04:01 AM	#2
terminal pharmacy invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Australia Posts: 3,358	nearly everyone i know that has mac books, not mac book pros has had issues with them.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

05.25.2009, 05:07 AM	#3
The Lung stalker Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Leeds Posts: 299	I had to make a big decision about a laptop last year. I originally bought a Sony and thought it was ok but I had nothing but problems from the store i bought it from. PC World are the biggest cunts on the planet. Anyway I didn't like vista and with all the hassle i had I decided to get a refund. Then I bought a macbook off ebay and it was one of the best decisions i've made. They seem to work on common sense and I have had no problems whatsoever. You can have as many windows open as you want and it still doesn't slow down. Plus the software you get like gargeband and imovie is really fun and easy to use. The only shame about macs is that alot of companys only make programs for windows so I have had to install windows on it for the CAD stuff I have to use at uni. You can download all these things for free anyway http://www.opensourcemac.org/
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

05.25.2009, 07:28 AM	#5
Sonic Youth 37 invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: if there is a bright spot in the universe, the farthest point from it Posts: 9,443	Buy a netbook, Dell has one for $299 with 1GB ram, 120GB HD, and XP SP3, then upgrade the ram, then pocket about $700 I might be a little biased though. My HP laptop was shit (but that was 7 years ago), I think Sony's are shit, I hate Macs and everything to do with them because I have more than two fingers on my hand and right-clicking saves quite a bit of time. __________________ "One: Where's the fife? and Two: Gimme the fife."
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

05.25.2009, 08:26 AM	#6
The Lung stalker Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Leeds Posts: 299	You know if you use a mouse it still has the right click? The trackpad on the macbooks makes scrolling pages and right clicking easy anyway. You just have to press 2 fingers on the pad then click for a right click. I find it way faster than using normal pcs but i guess its what you get used to.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

05.25.2009, 01:55 PM	#7
!@#$%! invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: mars attacks Posts: 42,564	it's 2 separate things-- windows is software, mac is hardware and the software is a bonus. and yet, the "bonus" is the best part of the package. i wish you could get OSX on whatever machine of your choice, but that doesn't work because apple makes hardware. that's what they do. their hardware is beautiful, but flimsy (think: ipods & iphones-- highly breakable). sure, there is hardware that is much superior to mac hardware (panasonic toughbooks, business-class thinkpads, and other things come to mind), but osx is way better than xp or vista-- except for that slow-ass browser known as safari. xp by the way is a SOLID os but it's a bit dated in look and feel. does the work though. but anyway, i use both, and i like osx better for holding all my information, appointments, calendars, etc. i'm thinking of migrating to google documents though so i can access my shit from anywhere, which will make me more or less platform-independent. i do love the mac's simplicity though, i just wish they made cases that are not just beautiful but also tough as fuck, which they don't-- this macbook pro has already a bit of damage, a weird click on the mousepad, a loose corner with a fallen screw, a couple of nasty scratches (fuck you, baggage checkers). so i don't see it as having a very long life, which is problematic for a piece of hardware that will run you $3/4K when you include all the bells and whistles. and yes, i could carry it like some holy item, sitting on a cushion, with a procession of acolytes clearing the way, but that's not what laptops were made for. by the way, you can run win-doze on a mac macheen should you need to for some special purpose (i don't think you'll need it, considering your major), so i'd go maclot in your case. plus you can look at all the other cool maclots and mutually pucker your buttholes in self-satisfaction. but no, yeah, it's an image thing more than a functionality issue. all computers do what they need to do. it's just that the grandpa computer has "grandpa" written all over it, due to fashion. i still miss my ibm x30, best laptop i ever had; the best computer ever was my mac classic, which was worlds ahead of DOS macheens in 1992. best wishes with your little 13" mac, it's a good size to cart around and you could have a sort of dorm workstation with a pluggable large monitor & keyboard. no need to buy an apple display of course, a $200 samsung should do fine. just treat it nicely and get a good case for it or i predict it will die an untimely death.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

05.25.2009, 02:02 PM	#8
pantophobia expwy. to yr skull Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 2,349	is your macbook pro an older model? cause i have heard the newer aluminum ones are very tough
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

05.25.2009, 02:15 PM	#9
!@#$%! invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: mars attacks Posts: 42,564	my mbp is not yet a couple of years old, aluminum case 17" which makes it unwieldy. the aluminum itself is solid, it's that it's held to the insides by tiny screws that can become easily stripped when the case is under stress. i tried re-screwing this one and it comes of and the corner does a clack-clack sound. actually it's not the screw that is stripped, it's the hole inside where it is supposed to take hold. it's all in the details you see. a strong case needs strong screws and a strong screw needs a strong hole to hold it-- otherwise you have successive degradation. same with the fucking clicker. this old guy i know is a very good video tech and he sez that mac is ran by california hippies who used to be junk pushers. he sez they are "hey i got this nice stuff, have it". they they come back with "here i have this nicer stuff, buy it" but are always trying to push you the next thing. these laptops are not built to last but they are wonderful while they live. then again who the fuck keeps a machine for more than 4 years, ha ha-- landfills, that's who.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

05.25.2009, 02:21 PM	#10
!@#$%! invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: mars attacks Posts: 42,564	ps he was talking about the lack of backward compatibility with programs, how your Tiger shit (FCP) won't run in Leopard. Whereas your win2K programs will run in vista-- even DOS will run. anyway i am still buzzed from last night ha ha.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

05.25.2009, 03:48 PM	#11
Better_Than_You the destroyed room Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 635	people talk a lotta shit about vista ( i personally like it). if you wait around windows 7 is coming out soon (or is out, i forget) i like windows a lot better than mac. just because i feel like the programs i like using run better on pcs than macs. not to mention i'm a pretty big writer and my pc came with windows word on it and all the microsoft office shit. i HATE HATE HATE apple office. i think its a pile of smelly horse manure. but then again ive also been using pcs since i was in 1st grade, i'm probably a little biased. and the macs we haev at school freeze CON.STANT.LY., but that might just be the server i dunno. __________________ ze space.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

05.25.2009, 05:16 PM	#15
pbradley invito al cielo Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: SoKo Posts: 10,621	The macbook I have now (almost a year now) has been the most reliable computer I've ever owned. Yes, and it also has the win-doze.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

05.26.2009, 06:39 AM	#17
phoenix invito al cielo Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: the future where it's hot and dark Posts: 5,926	mac books are too pricey for my likes. If I had $$$, sure, I'd probably buy one. To get what I have on this laptop, in a macbook, I'd have needed to spend around $4500. yehrite. This cost me 1600. And.. the software is more.. easily accessable. __________________ tiny and lost.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

05.26.2009, 06:43 AM	#18
verme (prevaricator) 100% Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 746	~´`^¨, you can install a secondary keyboard layout and create a shortcut to alternate in between them. you can do that on macs too. as long as you change it to another qwerty layout it doesn't take much effort to teach your fingers where the keys are and typing an accent becomes a one or two stroke task. at least that's what i do when i have to use us keyboards, for example.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

05.27.2009, 11:53 PM	#19
Alex's Trip invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 5,608	Well, turns out my grandfather is also sending me a camera and photodock/printer that came with the computer. Sweet beans. I may just keep the computer. I may feel bad selling it for a different one since this is my graduation gift from him. __________________ KALOPSIA
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|