drinking the kool-aid

[rone]

One of the things i requested at my new job was that my corporate-issue laptop be a Mac (partly because i was damned if i was going to get stuck with a stinkin' Dell).  After some wrangling with the CFO, my request was granted, so now i have in my possession a 15" PowerBook with a gig of RAM.  I also have a Kyocera KPC650 EVDO card.  I've installed Camino and Firefox, and i downloaded all 800+MB of the developer tools just so i could have gcc kicking around (which i used to build screen, which i configured and compiled with zero hitches).

I like it.  The display is crisp and things work, once you get used to the idea of trying stuff that you know would have never worked in Windows.  It's a damn sight better to use than the GNOME-RedHat desktop i got (which keyboard [DAMN YOU, DELL!] already triggered both tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome in my left arm — after 3 damn days of work!).

In summary, all computers suck, but the Mac seems to suck less.  Huzzah.

Comments

[eviltofu.livejournal.com]

So which LJ client are you using? :P

[ewx.livejournal.com]

Mine came with the dev tools on the install DVD - I'm surprised you had to resort to downloading?

But yes, the Mac seems to do the best job of a desktop of any of the things I've seen lately (XP, KDE; and Gnome but less recently). The dock in particular seems to be a simpler and better implementation of the notion of a pile of icons and things at the bottom of the screen than the alternatives I've encountered.

[asienieizi.livejournal.com]

Does it come with the Tiger OS I've been hearing about?
If so, how do you like it? My crappy old crappy pc is on borrowed time and replacing it with a Mac and that software is under serious consideration at my house.

[cheesetruck.livejournal.com]

damn straight.
(My Norwegian/Sweedish friends would like you to please install Opera as well (: )

Btw: 2 things I reccomend installing - Blacktree's "Quicksilver" (I don't even touch Apple's find-thing-whatever-it's-called in the upper corner, I do wish I could uninstall it (: ) And, if you're using the touchpad (I can't) 'sidetrack' from raging menace.

(If you're like me and would like to have visual glance performance stuff, menumeters rocks. Also raging menace.)

Finally, I reccomend darwinports (darwinports.opendarwin.org) just because, well, source-based things and I get along.

But, serioiusly, quicksilver.

Oh yes if you need multiple desktops, 'Desktop Manager' - google for it, it's open source somewhere or something. There's another but it's payware and I find desktop manager is just fine.

Oh, and - just cuz I can't work without this feature anymore - I tie the expose' "desktop" to the lower-right corner, "all windows" to upper-left and "application windows" to upper-right. So, when I need to switch apps, slam to upper corner, pick and I'm there. It is _SO_ freaking efficient. (due to the fact that I generally have at least 5 tasks going locally, and 6 or so term windows...

OH GOD, I cannot STAND terminal.app - I can't really use iTerm either, but it's slightly better - I compile and use aterm, rxvt-unicode, and Eterm. Which means yes I am constantly running Apple's X but it WORKS (aside from some odd issues with paste buffers as X and Apple's paste buffers are designed from opposite ends of the spectrum... and yes I do mean infrared and ultraviolet.) Your mileage may differ with iTerm, various folks I know use it 24/7 with no issues.

Anyway with that many windows, grouping them on different pages via 'app based windowing' just works better. Also it keeps me from spending 24/7 on irc some days.

Anyway, yes, it's Unix with a good user interface, and I'm enjoying working in the 100% osX office. Xserves are fun (: Oh and the Apple Raid? Also fun (:

[paracelsvs.livejournal.com]

First, I've gotta pimp my own software:

Preview sucks, so use Xee!
http://wakaba.c3.cx/releases/mac/Xee1.1.zip

Macs are supposed to be pretty, so use my screen savers, which are pretty!
http://wakaba.c3.cx/releases/mac/LotsaWater1.3.zip
http://wakaba.c3.cx/releases/mac/LotsaGlass1.1.zip
http://wakaba.c3.cx/releases/mac/LotsaSnow1.1.zip
http://wakaba.c3.cx/releases/mac/LotsaEscher1.2.zip

There's also some widgets in http://wakaba.c3.cx/releases/, most of which are useless. I'm working on EVEN MORE useless widgets as we speak. The notable exception is Alarm Clock, which I use to wake myself up, but which may not be all that useful on a laptop.

Now, for the rest: Others suggested QuickSilver, which is nice enough to have. I don't know how the trackpad handles, but if you're trying to connect a normal mouse to a Mac, you'll notice that OS X has fucking horrible mouse acceleration, which cannot be turned off, and makes the machine nearly unusuable. This can be fixed with USBOverdrive: http://www.usboverdrive.com/. It also allows for other nice customizations.

gabba gabba

[dr-memory.livejournal.com]

one of us.

ONE OF US.

[kawgirl.livejournal.com]

Welcome to the Borg. You have been assimilated. (:

[sambushell.livejournal.com]

Welcome to the platform.

[kerri9494.livejournal.com]

One app I've found I use more than any other? LaunchBar.

Some people claim that QuickSilver does what it does, but it really doesn't. LB allows you to find/launch/open ANYTHING on your machine by hitting cmd-space and then typing the first letter or two of what you want.

It is blazingly fast, and completely unobtrusive. You can decide what it indexes and what it doesn't. And it allows you instant access to any app/song/whatever on your machine (you can configure what it indexes). I don't know how it does it, and how it remains so stable, but it does.

http://www.obdev.at/products/launchbar/index.html

Also, try Yojimbo.

http://www.barebones.com/products/yojimbo/index.shtml

[sandollar17.livejournal.com]

I'm shocked that Renee hasn't commented yet, Miss MAC advocate.

good for you

[(Anonymous)]

I am so happy for you. You got what you wanted, an apple computer! NOT A DELL, grrrrrr.
By the way how is your new job? love you Uji