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Andy's Un-Official Unsolicited Mac Advice Thread

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    TexPhotogTexPhotog Registered Users Posts: 187 Major grins
    edited August 20, 2008
    DavidTO wrote:
    Why are you going to continue to use XP?

    FCP and Avid?

    Well... I have 2 XP laptops, so XP will stay as my main business-work-school all around laptops.

    I can always format, reformat and mess around with it, it is usually connected to my DSL

    The Mac will be used just for photo/video work... I only want to add the programs to I need in it w/out connecting it to the internet (if I do, I'll end up using IT for surfing and I rather surf on the XP, that way, if I catch anything on XP, I can always reformat and start from scratch). I want a nice clean machine for work.

    FCP and/or Avid will be used for video editing, not yet HD, but SD from a Sony DSR-PD 170
    Miguel
    www.kabestudios.com
    I use a little bit of everything gear wise...
    Nikon/Canon/Sony/GoPro/Insta360º/Mavic 2 Pro
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    DavidoffDavidoff Registered Users Posts: 409 Major grins
    edited August 20, 2008
    I'm a windows user, but I don't think you have to worry about " catch anything " on the mac.

    Either way, I'd also recommend you get the cheapest hard drive and the minumum ram, because you can buy those components yourself, much cheaper, and install them yourself as well without voiding the warranty.
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    DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited August 20, 2008
    TexPhotog wrote:
    Well... I have 2 XP laptops, so XP will stay as my main business-work-school all around laptops.

    I can always format, reformat and mess around with it, it is usually connected to my DSL

    The Mac will be used just for photo/video work... I only want to add the programs to I need in it w/out connecting it to the internet (if I do, I'll end up using IT for surfing and I rather surf on the XP, that way, if I catch anything on XP, I can always reformat and start from scratch). I want a nice clean machine for work.

    FCP and/or Avid will be used for video editing, not yet HD, but SD from a Sony DSR-PD 170


    Dude. Your life is way too complicated. deal.gif

    You won't catch anything if you connect your Mac to the net.

    Why get it at all if you're going to impose all of those restrictions? ne_nau.gif
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    DavidoffDavidoff Registered Users Posts: 409 Major grins
    edited August 20, 2008
    DavidTO wrote:
    Dude. Your life is way too complicated. deal.gif

    You won't catch anything if you connect your Mac to the net.

    Why get it at all if you're going to impose all of those restrictions? ne_nau.gif

    Absolutely, why don't you just sell all the redundant computers and get a nicer mac ? deal.gif
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    DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited August 20, 2008
    What kind of business-work-school stuff are you doing? And why would it require an XP machine?

    FCP kicks Avid's butt, anyday, btw. :D
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    NikonsandVstromsNikonsandVstroms Registered Users Posts: 990 Major grins
    edited August 20, 2008
    the Mac book Pro is definitely the one. Just don't forget the protection plan, expensive things break on computers all the time and I've had a few friends saved by that with their Macs
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    tjstridertjstrider Registered Users Posts: 172 Major grins
    edited August 20, 2008
    If you already have so many XP laptops why don't you get an iMac... it is about the same as a Macbook Pro just in desktop format...

    they are really nice... great screens.
    5D2 + 50D | Canon EF-s 10-22mm F/3.5-4.5 USM | 70-200mm f/2.8L | 50mm 1.8, 580EXII
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    DavidoffDavidoff Registered Users Posts: 409 Major grins
    edited August 20, 2008
    Also a good idea, the 24" iMac is more powerful. Also... 24" screen.
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    PupatorPupator Registered Users Posts: 2,322 Major grins
    edited August 21, 2008
    Anyone need an extra power adapter for their Macbook air? My local Best Buy has them for <$40. I'd be happy to pick one up for somebody if there was a need.
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    TexPhotogTexPhotog Registered Users Posts: 187 Major grins
    edited August 21, 2008
    DavidTO wrote:
    What kind of business-work-school stuff are you doing? And why would it require an XP machine?

    FCP kicks Avid's butt, anyday, btw. :D

    Well...

    Now, take into consideration that my XP laptops are old... one is a Pentium II 400Mhz (about 6 yrs old), and my "newer" one is a P4 1.6 w/only a gig of ram.

    Software wise, I have MS Office for one, I've already paid for it in one, Star Office on another one, Quicken, mIRC, some PC games, an HDTV external tuner...

    Avid Media Composer has both Mac & PC versions on the same DVD, which I can get for $299.99 w/school discount (and Avid is used @ one of the TV stations that I do freelance work for, so it fits onto their workflow).

    Why a Mac... from what I've heard, editing HD video is a lot easier on a Mac, especially if I do use FCP, which I can also get w/a school discount.
    Miguel
    www.kabestudios.com
    I use a little bit of everything gear wise...
    Nikon/Canon/Sony/GoPro/Insta360º/Mavic 2 Pro
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    TexPhotogTexPhotog Registered Users Posts: 187 Major grins
    edited August 21, 2008
    Davidoff wrote:
    Also a good idea, the 24" iMac is more powerful. Also... 24" screen.

    But, I can't take it with me to school (and yes, when I say school I mean photo/video work, not like research papers and such.... which is what I'd use the XP machines for :D )
    Miguel
    www.kabestudios.com
    I use a little bit of everything gear wise...
    Nikon/Canon/Sony/GoPro/Insta360º/Mavic 2 Pro
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    colourboxcolourbox Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
    edited August 21, 2008
    Don't forget that after you buy the Mac, you might not need your XP laptops anymore if you put XP on a Boot Camp partition so you can boot into XP whenever you want. Or run XP in virtualization inside OS X so you don't even have to reboot to get into XP.
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    TexPhotogTexPhotog Registered Users Posts: 187 Major grins
    edited August 21, 2008
    colourbox wrote:
    Don't forget that after you buy the Mac, you might not need your XP laptops anymore if you put XP on a Boot Camp partition so you can boot into XP whenever you want. Or run XP in virtualization inside OS X so you don't even have to reboot to get into XP.

    Yeah... you just hit the nail...

    That is exactly what I don't want to do... I don't want to clutter the Mac w/useless stuff... I want it for photo/video editing and nothing else...

    My newer XP laptop was supposed to be just for photo/video work... and now it has so much junk in it... rolleyes1.gif
    Miguel
    www.kabestudios.com
    I use a little bit of everything gear wise...
    Nikon/Canon/Sony/GoPro/Insta360º/Mavic 2 Pro
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    Moogle PepperMoogle Pepper Registered Users Posts: 2,950 Major grins
    edited August 22, 2008
    Just organize and maintain! It is so much easier to just have one laptop than keeping one as a specialy workhorse. if you are worried about space, you can upgrade the HDD or use an external. mwink.gif
    Food & Culture.
    www.tednghiem.com
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    PupatorPupator Registered Users Posts: 2,322 Major grins
    edited August 27, 2008
    So here's a funny story.

    I've been without a notebook for a while and it's killing me. I'm not as productive work-wise because I have to be sitting at my desk to work. I miss out on some family time because if I need to use the computer I have to use the desktop (way back in the guest bedroom).

    I hadn't pulled the trigger because I just couldn't find what I was looking for: thin, light (>3lbs), 12-13" screen, normal keyboard. I had thought about an eee1000h, but the screen (at 10") is just a bit too small. I'd found a Sony that would have been perfect, but it was almost $2000.

    The other day one of my friends said to me: "Why not just get a Macbook Air and put Vista on it." Duh. Why hadn't I thought of that? And with the prices on e-bay for new Airs now being ~$1300 - it's not so bad on the wallet (though not easy!).

    Anyway - thought it was funny that the biggest quasi-MS fanboy (I like to say "Vista Advocate") now has a Mac for a laptop. :) Don't worry, a few hours after I get it I'll have Vista with all my MS apps up and running. rolleyes1.gif
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    PupatorPupator Registered Users Posts: 2,322 Major grins
    edited September 5, 2008
    MBA is here! Absolutely stunning hardware - as I expected. Now I just have to wait on Software update to do its thing before I can use boot camp to get Vista on here.wings.gif
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    Moogle PepperMoogle Pepper Registered Users Posts: 2,950 Major grins
    edited September 6, 2008
    You are using a macbook air to run Vista...headscratch.gifrofl
    Food & Culture.
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    PupatorPupator Registered Users Posts: 2,322 Major grins
    edited September 6, 2008
    Yep. I can't find another computer (hardware) that matches the features for what I want - light, portable, 13" screen, bluetooth - other than a $1900 Sony. So I got a used MBA for quite a bit less than that and put Vista on it.

    It runs really, really well and so far is exactly what I was hoping it would be. Why would I switch OSs when 1) I really like Vista 2) Both of my desktops (home and work) are Vista?
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    DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited September 6, 2008
    Pupator wrote:
    Yep. I can't find another computer (hardware) that matches the features for what I want - light, portable, 13" screen, bluetooth - other than a $1900 Sony. So I got a used MBA for quite a bit less than that and put Vista on it.

    It runs really, really well and so far is exactly what I was hoping it would be. Why would I switch OSs when 1) I really like Vista 2) Both of my desktops (home and work) are Vista?


    I'll tell you a funny story... :D

    OK, not really funny. But every time I use an MS product I want to take a sledge hammer to my computer.

    Office. I got the upgrade. MS decides to set the prefs to a new file format, without a word of warning. So my wife is unknowingly saving all these .docx files that none of her coworkers can open. I changed her prefs to save as .doc, then looked at the damage. Ugh. Open them all and save as one by one? I don't think so. So I look around on the net, and find that MS has a converter to change them into .rtf files. Fine. I go to download it, and the thing is a MONSTER. It's (IIRC) 77mb, and expands to over 100mb. Most apps I have are less than that, and they DO MORE THAN ONE THING! Lightroom is a smaller app than this convert app. How friggin' ridiculous is that?

    Anyway, I got the files converted, and had to go back and delete all the extras.

    Using Word: I had to use Word at work for some TV scripts. OMG I hate that app. It's constantly getting in my way and annoying me. Paste something, and that friggin' icon shows up in the middle of your page, making you click it away. Formatting at the end of the doc constantly reverts to some default, even though I've selected all and set the font for the page. It's huge and slow. Slow. Slow. Slow. And this is the new intel native app, not running in the Rosetta emulator. I mean, it's not any faster than it was before when it was running in Rosetta. It's pathetically slow. And Stupid. And Dum.

    :D

    There, I've said my peace. Or piece. I'm never sure which.
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    PupatorPupator Registered Users Posts: 2,322 Major grins
    edited September 6, 2008
    ne_nau.gif Almost everyone I know knew about the file format change between Office 03 and 07, but I hang out with Windows people (except online). There's a compatibility patch you can install on any computer with Office 03 that will allow it to open all the .---x files.

    Still, I understand that it's different strokes for different folks - right? I like Word for the most part and haven't been nearly as frustrated by it as you (or I wouldn't use it). Word and Outlook 2007 are running great on my Macbook - but I'm in bootcamp so maybe that makes the difference?

    What do you use for document editing now?
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    DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited September 6, 2008
    Pupator wrote:
    ne_nau.gif Almost everyone I know knew about the file format change between Office 03 and 07. There's a compatibility patch you can install on any computer with Office 03 that will allow it to open all the .---x files.

    Still, I understand that different strokes for different folks - right? I like Word for the most part and haven't been nearly as frustrated by it as you (or I wouldn't use it). Word and Outlook 2007 are running great on my Macbook - but I'm in bootcamp so maybe that makes the difference?

    What do you use for document editing now?


    I'm talking about supporting my wife in Office. She's the type where I say click on the desktop, and she says "the what?" And really, I don't care who knew, it's stupid to set the prefs to a new format that most of the world can't open. Sure they can get the doohickey, but they just haven't.

    I think Word works as it should on my Mac, I just think it's an overblown pile of crap. :D

    I use TextEdit when possible. It does little, but it's lean and fast. I use Pages when I need more. I can always export to .doc files when I need to.

    The first time I load Word after not having used it for a bit, it takes a full 21 seconds to load. Somehow (cache files?) it's only 5 or 6 seconds after that if I reopen it. Pages loads in 2.

    Yah, different strokes. And for both Word/Pages and Excel/Numbers the MS products have a lot of bloat, but they also have features that many find essential that the Apple products are missing. On the Numbers/Excel front, I LOVE how Numbers can put multiple sheets on one page. That's so simple and elegant and awesome, IMO.

    Glad you're happy with the MBA, BTW. And looks like you got a decent price on it.
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    Ann McRaeAnn McRae Registered Users Posts: 4,584 Major grins
    edited September 6, 2008
    DavidTO wrote:
    .docx files that none of her coworkers can open.
    Using Word: Formatting at the end of the doc constantly reverts to some default, It's pathetically slow. And Stupid. And Dum.

    :D

    There, I've said my peace. Or piece. I'm never sure which.

    David
    At my work, our IT dept still has us on Office 2000. Clients send us docs that we cannot open. I end up bringing them home to open and save as....rolleyes1.gif
    Of the various versions of Word and Excel, I actually like the changes in 2007(Office 07 on the dhs XP machine is pretty nice...) , but I totally agree about the Word formatting nonsense. It can take twice as long to get the formatting right than to write a friggin thesis!!!

    ann
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    DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited September 6, 2008
    I really don't want to bash MS. I just don't get the way they think. But like Pupator says, some do. ne_nau.gif I just don't get it.

    But what's really pathetic is the new ad with Jerry Seinfeld that kicks off the ad campaign he's getting $10 million for.

    I think Seinfeld has just jumped the shark. At the very least this thing could be funny. ne_nau.gif
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    CatOneCatOne Registered Users Posts: 957 Major grins
    edited September 6, 2008
    Is that a churro? ne_nau.gif
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    colourboxcolourbox Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
    edited September 6, 2008
    DavidTO wrote:
    I think Seinfeld has just jumped the shark. At the very least this thing could be funny. ne_nau.gif

    It's the start of a series. I'm not going to judge it yet any more than we should judge any good TV series, like Seinfeld, by the first couple shows they made.
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    DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited September 6, 2008
    colourbox wrote:
    It's the start of a series. I'm not going to judge it yet any more than we should judge any good TV series, like Seinfeld, by the first couple shows they made.


    It's an ad, not a TV show. Huge difference. And I cut it no slack. deal.gif
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    PupatorPupator Registered Users Posts: 2,322 Major grins
    edited September 6, 2008
    I think the ad is boring, but I understand why. They want to make Jerry and Bill likable and make their friendship believable before they start trying to sell you on MS products. So I'll reserve judgment until I see the rest but it was pretty boring.

    Ann,

    If you can get your IT department to allow you to install this you'll be able to open the office 2007 files:

    http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=941B3470-3AE9-4AEE-8F43-C6BB74CD1466&displaylang=en
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    colourboxcolourbox Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
    edited September 6, 2008
    DavidTO wrote:
    It's an ad, not a TV show. Huge difference. And I cut it no slack. deal.gif

    Yeah, I know it isn't a TV show. But obviously they don't want us to see it as an ad, even though we all know. I think they hope we'll all follow the ad series and talk about it, and the Windows Vista fanboys* will collect the ads like the way Mac fanboys archive all those Apple ads on fansites and YouTube.

    I'm not saying it's gonna work...I'm just sayin'. ne_nau.gif

    *rarely observed outside of captivity
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    RogersDARogersDA Registered Users Posts: 3,502 Major grins
    edited September 6, 2008
    I need a program that can search a folder or folders for duplicate files, with at least the criteria of looking at the filename and not the extension.

    I've looked and can't really find anything that is free that looks good.

    Any suggestions?
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    DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited September 7, 2008
    RogersDA wrote:
    I need a program that can search a folder or folders for duplicate files, with at least the criteria of looking at the filename and not the extension.

    I've looked and can't really find anything that is free that looks good.

    Any suggestions?


    Chipmunk. (not free, but has demo mode)

    And for searches, versiontracker.
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