Do you recommended to use a Mac for the IM buisness?

[molan]

Hey ,
i really love this forum....
I have a small think to myself....
i am consider to buy a mac for my personal use and for my IM business ,do you think its a good idea?...
or maybe you recommends some other laptop?...and which?
thanks ...

[dvduval]

I think mac's work just fine now, and they have come a long way in compatability with PCs as well as browsers.

[Jenn Dize]

I have used a Mac the entire time I've been in IM, and I have no issues Many software companies now produce versions for the Mac, or there is something comparable for the Mac available.

I highly recommend getting a Mac machine...but you'll get a lot of opinions on the matter

[lharding]

I moved over to Macs about 2 years ago. Don't have a PC in the house, thank god. I got so fed up with sorting the things out. Having a Mac has allowed me to concentrate on getting on with business rather than fixing Operating System issues.

Hopefully Vista has improved things for PCs, but I can't comment as haven't used it. Moving to a Mac has been the best move I've made (and my Wife can use her Mac without constantly asking me questions on "how-to").

Most compatibility issues have gone away, Macs read/write most PC file formats.

Of course one of the things I love is that the Mac comes with MySQL and PHP preinstalled, so you can develop/test sites locally. Yes I know you can do this with a PC, but you've got to sort it all out yourself.

Cheers, Lee.

[John Henderson]

I was so fed up of "fixing" my PC that I switched from Windows to Mac in 2004; my only regret is that I didn't switch before then.

If your IM products involve computers or software, you might want to hang on to one PC, if only to create screengrabs/screencasts for the customers who use Windows.

[Peter Adamson]

Originally Posted by molan

Hey ,
i really love this forum....
I have a small think to myself....
i am consider to buy a mac for my personal use and for my IM business ,do you think its a good idea?...
or maybe you recommends some other laptop?...and which?
thanks ...

All things being equal, a Mac is easier to use and more stable than a PC if you can afford it. Windows is unavoidable for many users with specific Win-only applications. If this is not your case, and you have the dough, buy a Mac!

[lharding]

I forgot to mention. If I do need to capture Windoze screenshots, or run a specific windoze package I use VMWare to run Windoze as a virtual machine. I can also run other operating systems using VMWare. Having two screen connected to my MacBookPro means I can run Windoze full-screen. You'd never know it was on a mac (except when it crashes you can simply restart the VM in seconds).

Cheers, Lee.

[Gary McCaffrey]

I have use and like both.

I was always strictly PC but got a Mac about 6 months ago and its my main computer now.

As for constantly having to fix issues with PC's, thats something I never really experienced, I'm often called upon to fix issues on other peoples machines, but any PC's of mine never seemed to get any issues.

I went for well over a year without even using any anti-virus software and never got any viruses. Simply because I didn't download then execute any.

[lharding]

That is true, if you're careful on a PC you can avoid viruses etc, but in the world of IM where you may like to download products etc to test, it may become difficult to isolate your PC completely.

Using a Virtual Machine on my Mac means I can have multiple Windows installations, one for each product. When I VM gets a virus I just delete it and create a new VM. All VMs can share you Mac storage so file sharing is easy.

I guess the Mac gives you the best of everything.

L

[Paul Myers]

Hopefully Vista has improved things for PCs

Ummm.... No.

XP is killer, for an MS OS. I'm getting an Asus Eee system with it, and installing Linux on the second partition. (Strictly for chat/2.0 apps.) I recently ended up with a Vista machine, and got reminded why I hated Windoze 98 (first edition.)


Paul

[JoMo]

The number 1 issue with macs is software. Everything is written for the PC. Not everything is written for the mac. A lot of the time if it is written for a mac it is a port, and all too often ports don't perform as well.

Do not buy into the hype that macs are better at doing anything in the design arena. It is all about the software, and as I understand it macs are now all intel based machines, so it is only the OS that is different from PCs. And now I believe you can even put windows on them too, so that makes them just expensive PCs.

As far as the virus thing goes. I have been using PC's heavily on the internet since 94. I have been infected less than 10 times in 15 years, and every time I was able to recover with no loss, and only minimal downtime. Most of that time I did not even have virus software installed.


- joel

[mikemcmillan]

Have used Macs since I got my "mac-in-the-box" SE over 20 years ago. Now I've got a MacBook laptop and it is a thing of beauty. Sure, it's harder to find some software, but the ease of use--well, I wouldn't part with it for the world.

[Pat Ordenes]

mac ALL the way! no arguments.

[Mugil]

I've used mac and done IM just fine. I have VirtualBox that runs Windows XP on my mac because I have some IM related Windows software that I use regurarly. I have considered getting a PC because of this but running Windows on a mac is easier than you might think. Though I don't think I'll ever get rid of my mac (except when I buy a never version).

[John Henderson]

Originally Posted by JoMo

Everything is written for the PC. Not everything is written for the mac.

For example: viruses, trojans, keyloggers, worms, phishing programs, malware, adware, spyware, botnets...

Friends don't let friends buy Windows machines.

[Peter Adamson]

Originally Posted by JoMo

The number 1 issue with macs is software. Everything is written for the PC.

Not true. If you are doing any serious LAMP development, you are far better in a Linux/Unix environment. Just compare ssh'ing with Putty vs Linux or MacOS shell. I use them both every day. Perl? PHP? Cygwyn? C'mon... no one but a masochist would choose windows to do that stuff. Far better off with Linux or MacOS X.

[Gambbit]

For Internet Marketing and work purposes, I'd prefer a Mac. A PC would be my choice when I'm playing games. That's because very few games are made for Macintosh.

[rawservices]

PC User for 15 years, Mac User for 3 Years: Mac wins hands down, get a mac mini and a monitor. Stable, Simple, Perfect.

[Doug D]

I must say, that I use a pc for my personal/business. That being said, my sis...who is my biz partner, uses a mac. She has a graphic design biz also, so this makes sense. My experience has been, that Macs are better quality systems than pc, for whatever you are doing. However, I have purchased a lot of "seo" type software, as well as article marketing software etc. And, my sis can not use some of the software on her Mac, as they do not all make them for Macs. If you think that you will be wanting to use different seo type software products etc., then I would recommend a pc.

[Mark Brian]

The time will come where it doesn't matter what computer we are using: Mac or PC, Windows, Linux or OSX... We are a few years away of a technological transition where cloud computing will be the new norm. It is the time where everything we do can be done in a browser. No need for an OS, just a browser. The release of Netbooks and Kindle is the start of this revolution.

Although I would imagine some computer softwares are still better off sitting down on a powerful computer like, video/graphic editing softwares, or games, etc. However who knows what technology can do. Someday we might just receive a real pizza right in front of our screen.

So unless you plan to do some resource intensive computing like ones mentioned above, I would say save your money and just buy a Netbook.

[JonathanBoettcher]

Argh I've been agonizing over this since my cat spilled water on my dell a few weeks ago. It kind of put me back in the market for another computer... although I was able to salvage the Dell, I no longer trust it (does funny things sometimes).

My stumbling blocks:
- the Mac costs about $1k more than a similarly spec'd Dell - is it worth it?
- need to convert to Mac versions of all my software (though I guess the VM workaround would make that a smaller issue).

My question to those using the VM thing - performance wise, is it workable to have Windows running in the background with one or two programs, while you're still using the Mac OS, or do you notice a drain on resources?

[Richvanstratum]

I got to say I started off with a PC and last year got a MAC to use with it. Gradually more and more gets done with the Mac. There's a few things I still like the PC for but everyone I talk to, including those that began with a PC seem to favor the MAC.

Whatever you prefer, either can be used to be successful online, if not buy one, earn some money and buy the other!

Rich

[Marty S]

Its true about the memory, ram and price differentials, but you you really don't buy Macs based on the same premise because their operating systems in so much more streamlined.

I now use both systems, and even though the iMac is more expensive it is way ahead of Vista in terms of stability. I am never mad at my iMac, but often have ongoing arguments with my PC's.

I am also considering getting an MacBook because my old PC laptop seems like an oversized brick compared to the slim MacBooks.

[CDarklock]

Originally Posted by molan

i am consider to buy a mac for my personal use and for my IM business ,do you think its a good idea?...

Nope. I am a big blue-flag-waver and think everyone should buy as much software as they can from Microsoft. Go Microsoft! Yay!

But you probably don't care.

Honestly, there's not a lot of difference between a PC and a Mac anymore. There is still a difference, but it's miniscule, and it's something only the geekiest of geeks (e.g. me) actually care about. In general, there are only a tiny few apps that don't run on both platforms, and if you don't already know you MUST have one of them - you can get something damn near as good for the other platform, anyway.

[Sensei.Design]

I will recomend you a mac no matter what you are doing for living...

They are providing the best OS and iWork is awesome too

[Kat Fuschillo]

Hi,

I've got a Mac and a PC. I mainly use the PC for my IM based work, because the majority of software I use is written for PCs. There are often alternatives for the Mac, but I guess I'm just too lazy to find it!


Having said that, I find my Mac far easier to use, it has fewer problems and it's much prettier to look at.


Kat x

[Anonymous Affiliate]

I was considering buying a Macbook laptop few months ago so I shopped around... Oh my God Macs are over-priced or what?! sure they look good, sure they are stable, sure their OS kicks ass but... you can buy an equally spec'ed Dell for half the price!

I couldn't justify paying the huge price premium and the VERY limited customization options just for a sleek look and for the OS. I mean, I was looking into the 13" Macbook: only 2 USB ports, sub-standard screen, it aint particularly light, it costs 100 bucks to upgrade from 2gb to 4gb (100 bucks, WTF!), no HDMI port, so-so'ish battery life... And the price was around $1500...

I mean, that's a sub-spec'ed laptop for a premium price, plus all the freaking external devices from Mac are also overpriced. The OS better be damn good...

[Jay Greathouse]

I mostly use a Mac and have an old HP laptop w/XP-Pro for checking on on the other 90+%

Yes, I do recommend using a Mac for everything (but some games are only on Windows, since I don't play games non-issue for me)

IMHO, the difference between them seems like the difference between buying a new car or a used car; a new car you just drive and with a used car you will be under the hood (with Mac being like a new car, Windows like a used car and I suppose *nix like building a street rod)

If you want a computer hobby, then Windows will give you plenty to mess with. If you just want to get your work done and forget about messing with the technology, then Macs hands down.

[JoMo]

Fanboys. Gota love em.

[John Henderson]

Originally Posted by JoMo

Fanboys. Gota love em.

Oh Joel, we're not fans of Apple. We're fans of completing our work.

[Wakunahum]

Find out what applications you want to use, then pick the operating system.

I have used lots of various operating systems and haven't found any that give me many problems at all.

Really it's about your programs. So if everything you can use runs on a mac and you want to spend the money on one, I guess it's a good option.

[CBSnooper]

I've got an iMac and have been using Macs for the last 4 years since I got fed up having to reinstall XP every other month. I haven't had a single problem with it and it still boots up at around the same speed it did when I got it (30 seconds ish).

The good thing with the Intel based macs is that you can run Parallels (Windows Emulator) in a window and it doesn't run like a dog. So if you have any PC only software you can run it in that. I've only ever had to do that once though, when I was reviewing some Forex software.

Originally Posted by CDarklock

Honestly, there's not a lot of difference between a PC and a Mac anymore. There is still a difference, but it's miniscule, and it's something only the geekiest of geeks (e.g. me) actually care about.

I kind of disagree with the difference being miniscule. The differences may be little ones, but it makes for a much more usable interface. For example, quite often in windows when you get a dialog box up, there's some text and two buttons that say 'Yes' and 'No'.

Do you ever read what the text says? I mean PROPERLY read it?

Quite often you're in a rush and click what you think the right answer is. And it's the wrong button.

On a Mac you get text and then two buttons that say something like 'Yes, save' and 'No, cancel'. From that you know that the text is about saving your work without having to read it properly. It's the little things like that, that makes it more usable. (IMHO!)

Have a read of this: Top 10 Usability Highs Of Mac OS | Events | Smashing Magazine

[JoMo]

Wow, been using a PC for 15 years, and I must have never gotten anything done. Amazing. Thank you for opening my eyes.

[n00b]

I am a total Mac girl. I've had my laptop for 6 years with no complaints and that is a long time to keep a laptop. My husband just bought a new PC with Vista and he's had it 2 weeks and it's crashed 3 times that I know of.

Windows Vista takes up a lot more memory than XP without adding a lot of good. That's how Microsoft develops for some reason. Then you look at the latest OS announcement from Mac and they've improved functionality and made it take up less space on your computer. Just like the commercials say, Macs just work. You don't have to worry about doing massive security patches and upgrades. Mac doesn't release a product unless it works out of the box. The only software I've ever had issues with was when I tried to run Microsoft software like entourage. Macs are superior machines with a lot less problems. PC users that don't have issues are the exception, not the norm.

Now, in all honesty, IM is not one of those things that favors one over the other. For video editing, go with a Mac. For gaming go with a PC. For IM, go with what you personally want. A lot of software is made just for the PC, but I haven't found any that I actually want. Major companies that are producing worthwhile software tend to make it for a Mac too.

I wouldn't say choosing a computer is one of those things that is going to make or break your IM career. I'd go with a Mac everytime, but there are others that always go PC and it works for them.

[n00b]

@CBSnooper, thanks for the link! I'd never seen that article before and I really liked it!

[klepfish]

I've been using a Mac laptop for 2 years now, and I love it. It's slick and functional and very fast.

It used to be that doing IM work was a lot harder on a Mac since many programs were Windows-only. But now all you have to do is get an emulator program like Parallels and you're all set.

- Leon Klepfish

[CBSnooper]

Originally Posted by n00b

@CBSnooper, thanks for the link! I'd never seen that article before and I really liked it!

No problem. I was actually trying to find a different article I'd read, but couldn't!

[sbucciarel]

I've always used a PC and don't need to sort out any of the problems the Mac people suggest that PC users have. In addition, I don't need to worry about what software will work with my computer since PC's still rule as far as market share goes, so it stands to reason that most of the software developed will be for the PC.

2008 PC vs MAC Market Share Roundup - Tech Spotlight

[John Henderson]

Originally Posted by JoMo

Wow, been using a PC for 15 years, and I must have never gotten anything done. Amazing. Thank you for opening my eyes.

You misunderstand me, Joel. Your comment -- "Gotta love those fanboys" -- made out that the people posting in this forum were brainless disciples of Steve Jobs. I was trying to tell you that these posts aren't motivated by a desire to pump up Apple's stock... they're motivated by the desire to help a fellow warrior buy a computer upon which his IM business can rely.

I don't know what motivates Windows users to post messages that say something like "Well, I've never had any problems with Windows!". It's a huge leap for a PC user to dump all of the hardware, software, accumulated knowledge and most of their peripherals, and then start all over again with a different computer system. They don't do it lightly. So when they do switch, you can bet that they aren't doing it because of "slick design" or a "nice interface" -- they're doing it because they've reached breaking point after years of wrestling with an unstable, unreliable and insecure operating system.

[Wakunahum]

Originally Posted by John Henderson

I don't know what motivates Windows users to post messages that say something like "Well, I've never had any problems with Windows!".

Speaking in general terms, most of the time when people switch to another operating system away from windows, they go on and on about all the problems they have with it.

Now I don't think this is the case for everyone.

So they are probably saying that they don't see the need to switch since they don't see the issues and frustrations involved.

[Kishor Karsan]

Originally Posted by molan

Hey ,
i really love this forum....
I have a small think to myself....
i am consider to buy a mac for my personal use and for my IM business ,do you think its a good idea?...
or maybe you recommends some other laptop?...and which?
thanks ...

Hi Molan

I would say get a MAC if you want to be doing IM, its a business so you need the best to get the best out of your business, but also depends on what your business is,

I used PC before and the amount of times I had to rebuild / due to software crashing and BSODing I ended up using a MAC and to this day I have not touched a PC

Also the beauty of this is I can still run my Windows software in a VM session on my MAC, so got everything i need just on one MAC.

Regards

Kishor

[Metronicity]

I do all my stuff on a mac. have done for the past five years. Got sick of the viruses on PC. Now I'm on the very latest Intel 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo 24" and it is brilliant. I hated spending the money at first but have absolutely no regrets now. I'm on the thing 10-12 hours a day. Here's a new feature that's a lot of fun - photobooth. You can record these and stick them in emails or post to your blog with YouBoob. Like this -

YouTube - Photo Booth on the Mac

[Scott Lundergan]

Originally Posted by Jay Greathouse

If you want a computer hobby, then Windows will give you plenty to mess with. If you just want to get your work done and forget about messing with the technology, then Macs hands down.

He pretty much said it right there. If you need Windows, just get VMWare or Parallels on your Mac to switch over when you need to use PC software. I use the PC side all the time on my Mac.

[dorim]

I have a MacBook and I totally love it. I also have a Win Vista laptop that I only use when I have to. I think the Mac is far superior to a PC in every way!

[JonathanBoettcher]

Originally Posted by John Henderson

You misunderstand me, Joel. Your comment -- "Gotta love those fanboys" -- made out that the people posting in this forum were brainless disciples of Steve Jobs. I was trying to tell you that these posts aren't motivated by a desire to pump up Apple's stock... they're motivated by the desire to help a fellow warrior buy a computer upon which his IM business can rely.

I don't know what motivates Windows users to post messages that say something like "Well, I've never had any problems with Windows!". It's a huge leap for a PC user to dump all of the hardware, software, accumulated knowledge and most of their peripherals, and then start all over again with a different computer system. They don't do it lightly. So when they do switch, you can bet that they aren't doing it because of "slick design" or a "nice interface" -- they're doing it because they've reached breaking point after years of wrestling with an unstable, unreliable and insecure operating system.

Thanks John - you kind of nailed that one. I'm somewhat of a PC poweruser having built all of my own PCs until I bought a laptop last year. I know my way around windows pretty good, for better or worse, and I usually don't have all the problems that my friends seem to, because I'm a bit more careful I guess. That said, I still find myself formatting & installing windows fresh every 6-12 months just to keep the thing running somewhat respectably.

I guess the long term stability and speed of the mac alone would save me a minimum of 2-4 days a year in lost productivity just reformatting, reinstalling and re-customizing windows. Heck, that's worth some money.

I've got a few Windows apps that I've paid for that I'm not likely to just up and replace as soon as I get a Mac (I gotta admit - the new lineup out the other day has me pretty interested) so here's the question I'd really like answered:

Using a VM thing or Parallels - how is the performance? IE could you actually play a game in there if you wanted, say on XP, or is there not enough juice for that? I assume it will be more than adequate for office apps...

Cheers

[GrantFreeman]

Loved Mac ever since I bought my first Performa 650. It was an all-in-one. Hooked ever since.

Software issues? Maybe in the late 80's and until the mid 90's. It was a drag going into a computer software store and finding nothing but two shelves for mac software.

If you searched the net long enough, you'd find a shareware application on A.O.L that was close enough to get the job done. Some you'd find were surprisingly better than the PC versions that cost more.

I think what makes Mac different are the people who work behind the scenes. They listen to the everyday user, and the developers. When they made it easier for developers to create software shortly after the release of OSX, things really exploded.

It's software that's made specifically for one machine. The way it should be.

I remember looking for a graphic design job in 1992. Answered an ad that said they used mac machines, drove 45 minutes across town to find people doing graphics on PC machines.

Ask the manager who was showing me the image-setting room, "I remember your ad in the paper said you use Macintosh computers for the graphics." To which she denied.

Gave the Manager a dirty look and walked out. They knew enough to know there WAS a difference in the way Macs did graphics vs PC's. For me, the PC box made it impossible to be precise with even the best after-market track-ball mouse.

Where is a lit match and a can of gasoline when you need one?

Remember the small track balls inside the mice? Mac's were more rubber-ish than the PC Mice. They would bounce a little. I know because when I was designing for companies, I'd sometimes bounce them off the head of the girl working in front of me.

You just couldn't get the lift you wanted with a PC mouse ball. In a series of bounce tests, the Mac ball out performed the PC ball 8 to 1 for bounce hight and user satisfaction.

Mac does have drawbacks when preparing the file you're selling to customers with PC's.
Whatever you zip on a mac, is unzipped with the customer finding OSX's invisible files.

This causes confusion at the end of the fulfillment process because the customer doesn't know what they are. They see files they don't know what to do with. If you're new to Mac, you might not even know you're sending them. With Parallels, this problem goes away.

If you're wanting to know if Mac is the right choice, go play with one at an Apple Store or Fry's Electronics.

Bottom line is Macs still rule

Grant

[JonathanBoettcher]

Thanks Iamkassi - that's what I wanted to know (and what I suspected too).

Cheers

[Tyrus Antas]

I won't ever buy a mac until Mac users stop behaving like smug weenies

Tyrus

[MichaelHiles]

I'm not particularly against Macs... they've certainly come a very long way.

I just must be in the extreme minority of PC users that has never really had any problems with Windows, never gotten infected with a virus, can fix anything on the machine all the way down to the command prompt level and even into the Foundation Classes... err... oops that's a giveaway... I'm an MCSE & MCSD...

[Mark Riddle]

Macs use a closed proprietary system written on top of the BSD flavor of unix.

Because its a narrow system (definition of narrow meaning there is only one way to implement something)

The code written for them its tight.

Macs from a system level are written and produced as "controller" machines using "embedded systems", that is like a computerized thermostat, or your video game.

Embedded system controllers are have a small set of instructions available for use, and TONS of Null action codes.

The switch over to Intel based macs opened up a lot of possibilities that were not available to the macs before.

However, when a code writer uses these new possibility the programs are no longer mac certified even though they are fully functional on macs.

A mac computer is much like Starbucks coffee, The people who love them are loyal to the brands, but put the same computer in a different box and take off the logo, you get different opinions even by the most loyal of mac users. (is it a wonder their home offices are so close to each other).

Mark Riddle