Matsu's total newbie experience live
Yes, as you may have noticed from my other oft modified thread, I'm now among the macophiles courtesy of a brand new 12" PB.
While that thread was basically to shout out my purchase to the world, this one is to report the new user experience as it is from the perspective of a WinXP/98se and once upon a time OS8.6-9.x user coming to X via one of Apple's latest offerings. It's been a while since I used Apple products with regularity (back in the days of easy access to the grad lab, which I still have but with little reason to make the trip these days).
So, what's the switch like?
In a word... Weird.
First day (evening) with the mac. Just picking it up from the dept office, the Milf at the desk gives me the eye as she hands me the nicely packaged mac and seperate airport card that I wasn't sure would arrive. "Aren't they great?"
Huh?
"The mac."
"Oh yes," I BS her a little, "I wouldn't use anything else."
We both look the assorted office dells with disdain. Funny...
When I get the little guy home my gf is all over it, you can tell she wants my 12 just to use for a while, I tell her I need to install the software, condition the battery, and "set her up" first, then I'll give her a trial run. I tell you, mac laptops are the closest technological equivalent to trolling the supermarket with your brother's newborn and a diaper bag. Chicks dig mac. Score one for Apple.
Internet. Could it be true. After a debacle with the idiots at Roger's Cable, trying to get my PC to release the IP so I can plug in the 12, I figure it out for me-self. Just reset the damn cable modem. Hook-up takes two secs using DHCP. Cool, but I got this airport card sitting here and a linksys we got cheap in anticipation a couple of weeks ago. My bro, who keeps me in functioning PC's, set up the linksys (802.11b) and when I get home I go to set up my airport connection. He knows I can't do sqaut, wants to set it up for me, I tell him I'll try first. He looks over my shoulder. A couple of clicks.
"That's it?"
"Yep, I guess so."
I'm surfing, and he looks both impressed and concerned at the same time, but doesn't say anything. A computer I can set up and use all by my lonesome has aroused his suspicions. Full marks for out of box internet connectivity.
Fit and finish. Everyone has sat and admired "the look" we don't notice any fit and finish issues and the machine never gets HOT, warm, yes sometimes, but no real battery/heat/fan issues. These and other fora had me worried about that. No problems. Full marks again.
And a special note about the keyboard. Apple, IMMEDIATELY CHANGE EVERY SINGLE KEYBOARD YOU MAKE TO THIS DESIGN, DO IT, NOW!!!
It's great, I can't say enough about it. A light keyboard with feedback. I could never completely get used to the pro keyboards, particularly the white ones taht seems even lighter to me. Hated them, this one is great, I want a desktop keyboard just like it. May have to get an icekey but I'm waiting to see if they'll make a silver back-lit version.
Problems,
WINDOWS USERS need to pay attention here
After a lot of windows, you start to think in windows. This isn't Apple's fault, but it's a reality. It hard for me to do things, I don't know exactly where to look for files, naming conventions don't immediately make sense to me, I worry about installing an application, put things in the dock (how do I get them out?) putting things in the finder (how do I get them out?) putting things on the desktop or taking them away? I don't know. I filled out the info upon first boot up, how do I go back and change it now, particularly since I was in a bar and didn't have internet access when I first fired up the mac, I could register it online. At first there was a menu option at the top that said register later (or something to that effect) but now it's gone. There was an offer for free .Mac trial, but now I don't see that either. I want to try it (at least while it's free) but can't get back to that. I had named the computer after myself, maybe that was a mistake and I should go back and change it, but again I don't know how. I need help. But that's besides the point. Terms like "software update" still scare me, that "thinking in windows" again, ironically moreso than they did when in windows, in windows I always had someone around to fix my screw-ups, now I'm alone, web communities notwithstanding (iHope). The Apple help in the finder is useful but slow. I want to get online and update everything and then install Safari so that the system is up-to-date before my apps arrive but that niggling product registration issue remains.
BETTER DOG GAMNED DOCUMENTATION PLEASE!!!
Hardly and Apple specific problem here. This is in fact a computing epidemic. For the price of a mac it ought to include an in depth manual/visual guide in the box (as should any computer by anyone) so that I can look things up for more than just the standard first-run walk-through proceedure.
My computer has 10.2.3. I understand this as 10.2.4 wasn't out yet, but it doesn't have the latest versions of iCal, iMovie, iPhoto on it. Dumb.
Speed, yes you've been waiting long enough for it. My adobe and M$ office apps aren't here yet so I can't tell you yet.
I can tell you that IE5.2 seemed reasonable yesterday (but noticeably slower than the PC) and it's become an utter dog today -- must be all the people staying in from the cold with nothing to do but surf and watch TV. Compared to the smurf towers I was sometimmes forced to use it is a revelation, seems faster than the DA towers I used (DP533 SP733) too.
More good stuff
Airport reception? I'm about as far from the linksys as one can get in my house. The base is in the basement near the backyard. I'm on the second floor, near a front widow -- two floors and lots of partitions between us. I'm getting three bars right now and sometimes it drops down to two. Full marks again to the PB and the linksys too (anyone know how it compares to a base station's range in real life situations?)
So that's it for now. I'll give some impressions of office and VPC (running Access) and Adobe in a few days.
Feel free to drop in a few Noob specific anecdotes, impressions, or advice of your own. Particularly the feel of being a "switcher"
[ 02-23-2003: Message edited by: Matsu ]</p>
While that thread was basically to shout out my purchase to the world, this one is to report the new user experience as it is from the perspective of a WinXP/98se and once upon a time OS8.6-9.x user coming to X via one of Apple's latest offerings. It's been a while since I used Apple products with regularity (back in the days of easy access to the grad lab, which I still have but with little reason to make the trip these days).
So, what's the switch like?
In a word... Weird.
First day (evening) with the mac. Just picking it up from the dept office, the Milf at the desk gives me the eye as she hands me the nicely packaged mac and seperate airport card that I wasn't sure would arrive. "Aren't they great?"
Huh?
"The mac."
"Oh yes," I BS her a little, "I wouldn't use anything else."
We both look the assorted office dells with disdain. Funny...
When I get the little guy home my gf is all over it, you can tell she wants my 12 just to use for a while, I tell her I need to install the software, condition the battery, and "set her up" first, then I'll give her a trial run. I tell you, mac laptops are the closest technological equivalent to trolling the supermarket with your brother's newborn and a diaper bag. Chicks dig mac. Score one for Apple.
Internet. Could it be true. After a debacle with the idiots at Roger's Cable, trying to get my PC to release the IP so I can plug in the 12, I figure it out for me-self. Just reset the damn cable modem. Hook-up takes two secs using DHCP. Cool, but I got this airport card sitting here and a linksys we got cheap in anticipation a couple of weeks ago. My bro, who keeps me in functioning PC's, set up the linksys (802.11b) and when I get home I go to set up my airport connection. He knows I can't do sqaut, wants to set it up for me, I tell him I'll try first. He looks over my shoulder. A couple of clicks.
"That's it?"
"Yep, I guess so."
I'm surfing, and he looks both impressed and concerned at the same time, but doesn't say anything. A computer I can set up and use all by my lonesome has aroused his suspicions. Full marks for out of box internet connectivity.
Fit and finish. Everyone has sat and admired "the look" we don't notice any fit and finish issues and the machine never gets HOT, warm, yes sometimes, but no real battery/heat/fan issues. These and other fora had me worried about that. No problems. Full marks again.
And a special note about the keyboard. Apple, IMMEDIATELY CHANGE EVERY SINGLE KEYBOARD YOU MAKE TO THIS DESIGN, DO IT, NOW!!!
It's great, I can't say enough about it. A light keyboard with feedback. I could never completely get used to the pro keyboards, particularly the white ones taht seems even lighter to me. Hated them, this one is great, I want a desktop keyboard just like it. May have to get an icekey but I'm waiting to see if they'll make a silver back-lit version.
Problems,
WINDOWS USERS need to pay attention here
After a lot of windows, you start to think in windows. This isn't Apple's fault, but it's a reality. It hard for me to do things, I don't know exactly where to look for files, naming conventions don't immediately make sense to me, I worry about installing an application, put things in the dock (how do I get them out?) putting things in the finder (how do I get them out?) putting things on the desktop or taking them away? I don't know. I filled out the info upon first boot up, how do I go back and change it now, particularly since I was in a bar and didn't have internet access when I first fired up the mac, I could register it online. At first there was a menu option at the top that said register later (or something to that effect) but now it's gone. There was an offer for free .Mac trial, but now I don't see that either. I want to try it (at least while it's free) but can't get back to that. I had named the computer after myself, maybe that was a mistake and I should go back and change it, but again I don't know how. I need help. But that's besides the point. Terms like "software update" still scare me, that "thinking in windows" again, ironically moreso than they did when in windows, in windows I always had someone around to fix my screw-ups, now I'm alone, web communities notwithstanding (iHope). The Apple help in the finder is useful but slow. I want to get online and update everything and then install Safari so that the system is up-to-date before my apps arrive but that niggling product registration issue remains.
BETTER DOG GAMNED DOCUMENTATION PLEASE!!!
Hardly and Apple specific problem here. This is in fact a computing epidemic. For the price of a mac it ought to include an in depth manual/visual guide in the box (as should any computer by anyone) so that I can look things up for more than just the standard first-run walk-through proceedure.
My computer has 10.2.3. I understand this as 10.2.4 wasn't out yet, but it doesn't have the latest versions of iCal, iMovie, iPhoto on it. Dumb.
Speed, yes you've been waiting long enough for it. My adobe and M$ office apps aren't here yet so I can't tell you yet.
I can tell you that IE5.2 seemed reasonable yesterday (but noticeably slower than the PC) and it's become an utter dog today -- must be all the people staying in from the cold with nothing to do but surf and watch TV. Compared to the smurf towers I was sometimmes forced to use it is a revelation, seems faster than the DA towers I used (DP533 SP733) too.More good stuff
Airport reception? I'm about as far from the linksys as one can get in my house. The base is in the basement near the backyard. I'm on the second floor, near a front widow -- two floors and lots of partitions between us. I'm getting three bars right now and sometimes it drops down to two. Full marks again to the PB and the linksys too (anyone know how it compares to a base station's range in real life situations?)
So that's it for now. I'll give some impressions of office and VPC (running Access) and Adobe in a few days.
Feel free to drop in a few Noob specific anecdotes, impressions, or advice of your own. Particularly the feel of being a "switcher"
[ 02-23-2003: Message edited by: Matsu ]</p>
Comments
Have fun. I'm jealous.
-robo
<strong>
When I get the little guy home my gf is all over it, you can tell she wants my 12 just to use for a while...</strong><hr></blockquote>
From the thread title and the sentence above, I thought we were about to witness you losing your virginity...
(and in a sense, I guess we have)
<strong>Wow, I just ran down stairs to test out the web. And it's fast! On IE on the PC, but damn slow on IE on the mac. Pathetically slow in fact. I have to test the the mac "plugged in" to make sure it isn't an issue with the airport-linksys combo. But wow, this is much worse than I expected. wasn't nearly so bad yesterday. what the heck is going on?</strong><hr></blockquote>
you using safari?
<strong>Wow, I just ran down stairs to test out the web. And it's fast! On IE on the PC, but damn slow on IE on the mac. Pathetically slow in fact. I have to test the the mac "plugged in" to make sure it isn't an issue with the airport-linksys combo. But wow, this is much worse than I expected. wasn't nearly so bad yesterday. what the heck is going on?</strong><hr></blockquote>
i suppose someone should point out that you should give safari a test run. not yet perfect, but it's my first choice, unless a site is geared specifically to IE eccentricities.
[ 02-23-2003: Message edited by: rok ]</p>
<strong>On IE on the PC, but damn slow on IE on the mac. Pathetically slow in fact.</strong><hr></blockquote>That's just IE for ya.
It's a slow, barely-threaded POS.
Get Safari ASAP.
edit: whoops, didn't see your post above mine.
[ 02-23-2003: Message edited by: Brad ]</p>
My connection dropped in the middle of downloading Safari and I accidentally shut down the computer. Now I'm stuck with this file Safari.dmg on my desktop and I can for teh love of god erase it. It's alway preparing to move to trash and it never gives up, "the item safari.dmg is being used by another task" it tells me.
???
huh?
"Try again when the other task is complete"
What the hell could this other task be?
<strong>No satisfaction. Still there, still telling me some other task is using it. Could the download manager be stuck on it somehow? I erased it from the DL manager and now I've go this little icon sitting on my desktop that I can't drag to the trash.
"Try again when the other task is complete"
What the hell could this other task be?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Try quitting IE, then deleting the file.
low-fi
Amazingly they go away one way or another.
I used the PC to find the info from Apple's page while the PB rebooted, I used "find" to find the "terminal" in my MacOSX, and I then followed the instruction to rm the offending icon/file.
Excellent. I did this, me. Trust me, it's a big deal if you knew me. YAY.
This goes back to an issue I wanted to comment on before:
DISCOVERABILITY
While I wouldn't say that the MacOS is more intuitive 'if' you've been conditioned to think in windows, I think even for us condition by windows to have intense FEAR, the macOS remains more discoverable (thanks in no small part to support tools).
Now I'll try this DL again, and hop to see Safari make my surfing life more palatable.
Woo-hoo. Score one for online mac support.
Safari is now on the desktop and rocking and rolling away on my mac. excellent. As fast as makes almost difference between mac/safari and PC/IE. Very good. Makes you wonder just which one-legged, special needs, employment equity, token junior programmer M$ had coding IE5.2.
Very very good.
And I feel pleased with myself too.
So you haven't owned a mac in years?
You've never used OS X?
And you're not a tech geek, clearly.
Yet, 4000+ posts on a mac board?
What? <img src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" />
You've talked trash to no end, but you seem to really have no experience to speak of. And I actually valued your opinion, err, bitching.
I feel decieved.
Enjoy the 12. Personally I like the feel of its keyboard but find it butt fugly. The grey/silver just doesn't do it for me. There's too much silver for my tastes. Had the trackpad been white, and the keyboard too... maybe not white, just a lighter shade to complement the silver. I also really don't like the textured trackpad, but I'm sure I could get used to it.
[ 02-23-2003: Message edited by: serrano ]</p>
Anyway, all my opinions are sound as the best opinions floating around cyberspace. You don't need a CS degree to read critically and report or filter through your own experience -- as I am doing now. Occasionally there's a brain fart, but others with real training will catch it. I never claim to understand anything in an expert way, only sometimes in AO, but even then, I'd say journeyman rather than expert, if journeyman were still an everyday word that didn't cause people to look at you funny when you spoke it aloud. Just babbling. In the mac world I am known as Matsu, but I have so many names, 4000 posts is nothing, public money is a beautiful thing.
I like silver, but I could see this book looking even better in a dark gun metal shade, still metal but darker. I like it better than white tho only because of the dirt issue.
Getting back to my cred? Cred is a funny thing. I believe you can take anything I say about the need for lower prices to the bank. I did, twice -- as an investor and a mac owner, though not currently as an investor. I shouted high and low for a credible 1800-2000 USD laptop. I identified it as a sweet spot simply by looking at what most laptop buyers end up buying. Now, lo and behold, Apple is selling a computer in that range and early indications seem to be that it's flying off the shelves. Trust your reason, your deduction, I do, but they're my reasons, my mind. You have to make your own. Your feelings of deception don't count. Anyone can lie with credentials. Find one post where I claim to be a computer expert of any kind. I've bought them, or worked for depts that need to buy them, but that was always in an education context. I worked for a prof researching wide areas of school expenditure, budget etc etc... computers come up a lot, but were looking at them form a philo-political satndpoint when we look there, not technical. I've mentioned that at least a few times
[ 02-23-2003: Message edited by: Matsu ]</p>