Im Buying a new Computer

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Jan 10 2007, 07:54 AM) [snapback]373535[/snapback]</div>

Apple stopped supporting Internet Explorer over a year ago but I still have the last version on my Macs for the heck of it. They stopped supporting it because they have their own browser, Safari which is standard with every Mac. I use Firefox almost exclusively and haven't started up IE for months. I can always send the Mac version to you if you really want it. For mail, Macs have Mail as the default email client but I have Microsoft Office for the Mac and sometimes use its mail client called Entourage. Mail is better in most respects. It has better rules options. Macs pretty much come with what you need to get on the internet and they find wireless networks easily if you have one. The Airport base station is a great one to have but you can get that later. Macs also come with something called Dashboard which you can get addicted to quickly. It has a lot of apps that will do things like get stock quotes, translate words from one language to another, a dictionary, thesaurus, weather, time, measurement conversions etc. Calendar is handled by iCal. The thing that a person used to Windows has to get used to is that everything is always easier on a Mac so you kind of have to work at not having to work so hard. Being one of those persons, I can attest to that. If you're just going to use it for mail and browsing, you'll have everything that you need already. There are a lot of Mac users on PC to help you out anytime, too. Below is a picture of my desktop. Instead of a start menu, Macs have the Dock and I use the magnify option to see a bigger option so that I can see it better and it also allows me to fit a lot more things on to my dock. You pass the mouse cursor over the dock to select. I used another included feature called Grab to take the snapshot of my desktop.

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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Jan 10 2007, 06:32 AM) [snapback]373524[/snapback]</div>

Well, if there's another computer in the house for burning CDs and such why don't you wait...and get an iPhone?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Jan 10 2007, 07:54 AM) [snapback]373535[/snapback]</div>

If you buy the refurbished MacMini from the Apple store it will come with everything you need and more. It will have MacMail. It will have iCal(endar). It will have Safari which is the Apple webrowser. You can always download Firefox or Mozilla. Don't install Internet Explorer. They stopped supporting Macs years ago and it is way too...bloody awful. I've taken it off every Mac at school. On the very old machines I put an archived Netscape on (so we can use our databases). We run Safari on the OSX machines.

You can enable Safari to do tabbed browsing with your current mouse if it has right and left click capability. I'll assume it does since only Apple makes a one button mouse. Kinda stupid since you need a two button mouse to do the tabbed browsing in Safari. Okay, so you can use the ctrl key with the mouse but that's stupid. But try the tabbed browsing. I love it. Have used it for years in Mozilla.

You'll also get iPhoto, iTunes and iMovie. Plus other stuff.

Take it out of the box. Put it where you want it. Plug your monitor, keyboard and mouse into it. Attach your ethernet cable. (If you use dial up it might have an internal modem; I haven't checked.) Plug the mini into the wall. Turn it on. Turn the monitor on. That's it. You'll probably be asked to "register" and provide a user name and password upon start up. It will guide you through everything else.

When the desktop appears it will be a line of pictures called icons. One will be a blue circle that looks like a compass. That's Safari. When you move your mouse over it it will say Safari. Click on it and you're on the net.

If you want to run Windows, buy something called Parallel and you can do both Windows and Mac at the same time. You'll have to install Windows OS (not the one from your previous computer, you'll have to buy one.) and any Windows software you have. But keep in mind that you can get mac software for just about anything you'll want. Microsoft Office, (PC= Outlook Mac = Entourage), Turbo Tax, Quicken, Filemaker, Photoshopwhatever. Unless you're heavily into gaming, which it sounds like you are not, you can get software for your mac. Don't want to pay for Office? You can get something for free from versiontracker.

http://www.versiontracker.com

There's plenty of freeware and shareware with reviews.

I use the following on my mac: MacJanitor and CacheoutX. I also like TinkerTools.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Jan 11 2007, 06:18 AM) [snapback]374035[/snapback]</div>

It's a great start. The boss will want one of her own. Heck, you might even get the laptop back B) Below is a snapshot of the dasboard. It can be added to with a lot of cool apps (they call them 'widgets'). I only use the ones shown, obviously but the little plus sign in the bottom left corner allows me to add or remove them as I want.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Jan 11 2007, 07:18 AM) [snapback]374035[/snapback]</div>

That will do everything you described in your original post very well. As soon as you can obtain more RAM. As a rule of thumb I use at least 1 Gig. Out of the box this will be a very much more enjoyable computer than the Dell will ever be. Just to avoid watching the pop-ups from the pre-intalled (and crappy) software in Dells is worth it.

Cheers!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alric @ Jan 11 2007, 08:58 AM) [snapback]374051[/snapback]</div>

If you're just doing web browsing and email you don't need more than half a gig. My powerbook has a half gig and it can run an awful lot of things at the same time without any trouble. And that's using a PowerPC chipset. The Intel chipset is faster and runs cooler than the power PC so priusguy ought to be fine with the RAM listed in the specs.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JackDodge @ Jan 11 2007, 10:05 AM) [snapback]374052[/snapback]</div>

This is of course personal preference. I agree 512 k is functional. But you would be surprised what a difference more RAM makes.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alric @ Jan 11 2007, 09:08 AM) [snapback]374053[/snapback]</div>

Ah yes, the great RAM debate never ceases does it? My first powerbook, one of the first that they produced, was somewhat slow with 512 and I upgraded to 1GB. The difference was noticeable. My latest powerbook (one of the last that they produced) is faster and with the same software load runs very well. My iMac and my windows box both have 1GB. I got my memory upgrade from MemoryX and looked up the Mac mini upgrade. It would cost $110 for a 1GB chip but I hardly believe that it's necessary in this case.
http://www.memoryx.net/1incosom.html

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Jan 11 2007, 06:18 AM) [snapback]374035[/snapback]</div>

That looks fine. You can always add more memory or software applications not included later. Combo drive is fine as long as you don't want to burn DVDs. It will play DVDs.

 

Here is a machine with everything that you wanted, including a 17" flat panel monitor, and within your budget:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Jan 12 2007, 12:09 PM) [snapback]374724[/snapback]</div>

No, Macs find wireless networks and negotiate very easily without conflict with the windows box.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Jan 12 2007, 11:09 AM) [snapback]374724[/snapback]</div>

The Mac and Dell at my house both use the wireless router just fine. Easy setup on both sides, for the most part. When things go wrong it can be hard to figure it out, but sometimes it's just the startup order and resetting the cable modem and router does the trick (the cable modem has been the somewhat temperamental part of the chain). Also I don't try to connect from my Mac to the wireless printer which is attached to the router, I'm not sure how to set that up. The Mac has its own printer, so I haven't really looked into it, it's there for my wife's Dell laptop.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jan 11 2007, 12:58 AM) [snapback]374021[/snapback]</div>

That's a good point. You'll want to buy a mouse with a scroll wheel and a couple buttons. Then you'll still have your right-click context menus and such. Not sure what that has to do with tabbed browsing though, I rarely use right-clicks inside Safari, unless I want to bring up a link on another tab, but generally I open a tab from the menu to google or go to another site I thought of. But everybody does things a little differently, that's fine. I know one person who doesn't use bookmarks, just types the name of the company or organization and hopes that's right, otherwise falls back to Google.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Jan 12 2007, 12:09 PM) [snapback]374724[/snapback]</div>

There's a mac mini now available for $519.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JackDodge @ Jan 19 2007, 08:35 AM) [snapback]377656[/snapback]</div>

But if you have a monitor that's older than a couple of years, you'll also need the DVI-ADC adaptor, which is about $150...

I just bought one and it's a lot more expensive than that, when you finally get it configured.

Also, all of my system 9-software and the files associated don't work on the Intel-equipped mini, so add more to upgrade everything if you've postponed that for a bit, as I have.

In actuality, it's more like an $800 computer (or more, after tax), and that assumes supplying your own keyboard, mouse, and monitor...

Oh, and don't forget those memory modules which are a unique size, too...

It's not as cheap and simple as it's made out to be, in my opinion. Be wary of Apple's Reality Distortion Field.

 

I think the iMac is a far more elegant solution, and really not that much more expensive, all told.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Jan 19 2007, 09:55 PM) [snapback]378052[/snapback]</div>

Yes, yes it. Beware of the PC lovers reality distortion field.