rone: (Default)
entombed in the shrine of zeroes and ones ([personal profile] rone) wrote2006-02-02 09:33 pm
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drinking the kool-aid

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.

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[identity profile] paracelsvs.livejournal.com 2006-02-03 01:25 pm (UTC)(link)
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.

[identity profile] cheesetruck.livejournal.com 2006-02-03 09:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Heh, I'd forgotten that part (: USB Overdrive is one of those things that just... work (:

If you have a Logitech mouse thingage, you may not need USB Overdrive, but I installed it anyway (:

[identity profile] paracelsvs.livejournal.com 2006-02-03 09:57 pm (UTC)(link)
I have a Logitech mouse, and I recall installing their driver thing, and then uninstalling it just as quickly in disgust.

[identity profile] cheesetruck.livejournal.com 2006-02-03 09:46 pm (UTC)(link)
and, um, this xee thing, does it have a description or what it does? I only found the zip files, and I'm just wondering why you're reccomending it other than 'anti-suck' (:

[identity profile] paracelsvs.livejournal.com 2006-02-03 09:59 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm reccomending it because I wrote it, duh!

I guess I could just link you the Macupdate page, where I did try to summarize what it does: http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/19978

[identity profile] cheesetruck.livejournal.com 2006-02-03 10:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, yes, but I don't know you, so I don't know what to expect (:

That says 2 magic words, tho: 'lightweight' and 'fast' - so, I'll be leeching and testing (:
ext_8707: Taken in front of Carnegie Hall (monterey)

[identity profile] ronebofh.livejournal.com 2006-02-03 10:21 pm (UTC)(link)
You know, you two are only about 160 km apart...

[identity profile] cheesetruck.livejournal.com 2006-02-03 10:33 pm (UTC)(link)
heh. I'll assume NOT to the north (:
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