Aristos Queue Posted January 26, 2007 Report Share Posted January 26, 2007 I am posting this from my new laptop. A MacIntosh. I bought my last new computer in 1998. Well, not technically true -- I bought an HP desktop about 1 year ago and returned it to the store two days later because the thing bluescreened so much. So 1998 is the last time I actually bought and kept a new machine. Since I didn't want to repeat the HP experience, I spent a year looking at machines. I was in no particular rush -- my 1998 Pentium running Win98 still checks e-mail and runs Alpha Centauri just fine, and as long as those two apps work I'm happy. But the lack of a USB 2.0 jack was starting to become a bother with peripherals. And I was reluctant to add a card to the machine because I have a prejudice against opening the case of any computer -- I can make software dance to any tune, but hardware and I have a less than happy relationship (my software prowess is demonstrated by the fact that the hacked and patched Win98 OS on my machine hasn't bluescreened in two years; my hardware failure is exemplified in that I somehow smoked the first SCXI chasis when I took the SCXI customer training course when I started at NI). In short: Apple won. I spent decades opposing Apple -- I hated the locked down OS that kept me from understanding how a computer worked, where as MS-DOS would happily let me peek and poke any address I chose to abuse. I was very fond of the comment, "MacIntosh: An etch-a-sketch you don't have to shake!" But with the release of OS X, well, the world changed. I bought the new laptop online from the apple.com store. I spent three days kicking myself, thinking, sure, I've used friends' Macs, but it can't really be worth the extra cost, and I can't believe I'm supporting Apple, and "God, I hope I don't turn into one of THOSE kind of Apple users... I can do a snooty French accent, but do you buy the black beret or will they ship one with the laptop?" It arrived yesterday. The plug litterally lept from my hand and connected itself to the laptop (yes, it has a magnetic binding... no scews or pins). Then the laptop greeted me, said I had a nice home, asked if I minded if it got comfortable, and asked if I wanted anything from the fridge while it was getting a drink for itself. It appologized for having a Safari browser and offered to help me install Firefox since that's what I'm used to (as opposed to my Windows machines that tend to look askance and ask "Do you really want to do that? Open source software is known to cause radiation burns...") It accepted my iPod as a friend, and the two of them played music for me while they shared playlists, like war veterans sharing stories. On Saturday I'm going shopping for a laptop backpack (the ones from Swiss -- the same guys who make the Swiss Army Knives -- is really nice). It's sort of a "welcome to Austin" present for my laptop friend. And I'm thinking of buying something for myself as well... because the black beret wasn't packed with the laptop after all. Quote Link to comment
crelf Posted January 26, 2007 Report Share Posted January 26, 2007 I feel dirty. Quote Link to comment
LAVA 1.0 Content Posted January 26, 2007 Report Share Posted January 26, 2007 Congratulations! If I'm lucky enough to attend NIWeek 07, I'll be closely watching what type of computer you use for any demos you give ... I'm thinking of a new PC to get the kids to stop fighting between the P-II 300 MHz and P-4 2 GHz computers in our office. Maybe my next purchase will let them fight over Mac VS PC instead Quote Link to comment
Ton Plomp Posted January 26, 2007 Report Share Posted January 26, 2007 Congratulations!If I'm lucky enough to attend NIWeek 07, I'll be closely watching what type of computer you use for any demos you give ... I'm thinking of a new PC to get the kids to stop fighting between the P-II 300 MHz and P-4 2 GHz computers in our office. Maybe my next purchase will let them fight over Mac VS PC instead One reason not to buy a Mac, my boss doesn't have a mac LV license. Now if that came in the box (I don't need the baret), i'd consider Ton Quote Link to comment
Grampa_of_Oliva_n_Eden Posted January 26, 2007 Report Share Posted January 26, 2007 One reason not to buy a Mac, my boss doesn't have a mac LV license. Now if that came in the box (I don't need the baret), i'd considerTon Ton, Talk to your local rep about the Mac License. Ben Quote Link to comment
Ton Plomp Posted January 26, 2007 Report Share Posted January 26, 2007 and the laptop? My dell is just one year old... Ton Quote Link to comment
Mellroth Posted January 26, 2007 Report Share Posted January 26, 2007 A MacIntosh. So you're not only writing good comments everywhere on LAVA, you're also a Mac user... :worship: I've been a Mac user since -93 (Mac Classic II), and I've never looked back (even tough I'm on the dark side at work). Have a nice weekend, and ask your Mac to fetch you a large Whisky, you have deserved it. /J Quote Link to comment
LAVA 1.0 Content Posted January 26, 2007 Report Share Posted January 26, 2007 I don't think the license will be a problem for Stephen.... Quote Link to comment
Chris Davis Posted January 26, 2007 Report Share Posted January 26, 2007 Maybe if I get ambitious. Isn't getting a Mac the definition of ambitious? Just kidding, I've got two at work (Mac Mini G4 1.4 and PowerMac G5 2.5) and two at home (iBook G3 800 and iMac G4 800). Welcome to the club! Quote Link to comment
xtal Posted January 26, 2007 Report Share Posted January 26, 2007 Great post, Stephen! My next laptop is going to be a Mac, too. It might be a few years, but that's where I'm headed. Quote Link to comment
Rolf Kalbermatter Posted January 27, 2007 Report Share Posted January 27, 2007 Very nice post! I feel almost bad not using a Mac currently! To bad Urs isn't much here on Lava! Yes I used Macs for most of the work I did until leaving NI in 1996 and have several times looked at buying one but never fully took the leap. There is also an Emac in the office since a coworker needed a machine to support an app. But that box is so damn slow that switching between applications makes you want to fetch a coffee every time and that is not so good for my blood pressure. But the Core Duo notebooks did make me seriously consider again :thumbup: , eventhough their price is a bit higher than other systems. Rolf Kalbermatter Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.