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Geek Culture / To those of you who use a Mac...

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Yodaman Jer
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Posted: 10th May 2008 18:12
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Please everyone, this is not meant to be a 'Mac is better than Windows' or vice-versa thread, I'm just simply asking people who use Macs a few questions about them, because I am seriously debating purchasing one sometime this year.

Question 1: The Mac Mini comes only with itself, no monitor, keyboard or mouse. I already know the mouse has to be from Apple, but what about the keyboard and monitor? Could those be supplied from a Windows-based PC?

Question 2: The functionality. I've noticed that hardly any complaints come from Mac users who use it for video editing, which is what I want to do as a career someday. I also heard that Macs are (were) specifically designed for these computations. Is this true?
Software that I currently have on my windows computer that I use frequently is also available for Mac (Gimp, Blender 3D, Paint.NET, & EffectsLab Pro.). I'm not worried about video editing software because of iMovie or Final Cut Pro. That's taken care of.

Question 3: The interface. I have never liked the look of a an OS more! With all of it's little features (that are, mysteriously, incredibly similar to Vista except it runs faster) it just looks like the right way to go. Mac OS X Leopard basically looks like it rocks. Does it run smooth, fast, and efficient?

OK, that's enough for questions.

The main reason I want to switch to Mac is this: The only thing I use a computer for is listed in the above questions but here's a more complete list:

Internet (for resources, school, video editing knowledge, and obviously forums and other sites for social networking)

Video editing/special effects

Photo manipulation (hehehe)

3D modeling and animation

Writing scripts (and/or stories as well)

Web development (On freewebs I have a site, I will still be able to develop it from a Mac.) My current webpage is www.freewebs.com/jelproductions/

So, can you all please give me your opinions?

Thanks in advance!


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Mr Z
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Posted: 10th May 2008 19:29
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Do not have a Mac (but I have nothing against them, just find them uninteresting for me), but I have used one in school. Tiger though, not Leopard. Anyway, here are the stuff I can answer:

1. I think so. Have seen it, so it would not surprise me.

2. Mac is best at media and designed for it, true.

3. Cannot comment on Mini Mac, but on the Mac I used it worked very good.

If you are a gamer:

You can install Windows on a Mac (but you need bootcamp, but I think that comes with Leopard), so with any luck, you can dual boot and then have a good gaming computer and a good media workstation. It depends on how good the Mac you are going to buy, though.

Darkness, you haunt me. If I give in, I would be an monster beyond imagining. Light, you guide me. Thanks to you, I see past the nothingness. Life, I choose to live in the light.
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OSX Using Happy Dude
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Posted: 10th May 2008 19:36 Edited at: 10th May 2008 19:38
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Quote: "The Mac Mini comes only with itself, no monitor, keyboard or mouse. I already know the mouse has to be from Apple, but what about the keyboard and monitor? Could those be supplied from a Windows-based PC?
"

Yes, if its a USB keyboard. The monitor should be okay too.

Quote: "The functionality. I've noticed that hardly any complaints come from Mac users who use it for video editing, which is what I want to do as a career someday. I also heard that Macs are (were) specifically designed for these computations. Is this true?"

Doubtful - OSX is more efficient that Windows - it can do more with a lot less, so you get better performance.

Quote: "Mac OS X Leopard basically looks like it rocks. Does it run smooth, fast, and efficient?
"

Yes, as long as you get the lastest update - without that its a bit unstable. The latest update has fixed almost all problems.

I wouldn't got for a Mini for video editing though (unless you get some extra memory and larger hard drive with a large display) - Mac Pro or iMac would be better.

And dont forget one other Mac advantage - no need for anti-virus programs.

Visit my web site for real bangin' stuff at http://www.nicholaskingsley.co.uk
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Mr Z
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Posted: 10th May 2008 19:38 Edited at: 10th May 2008 19:40
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Quote: "Doubtful - OSX is more efficient that Windows - it can do more with a lot less, so you get better performance."


OSX is originally designed as a media workstation, but it has evolved to be good at most other things to, but still, media is where it shines best.

Quote: "And dont forget one other Mac advantage - no need for anti-virus programs."


Wrong :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB_K66mrZi4

No harmful virus exist, though. At last what I know of.

Darkness, you haunt me. If I give in, I would be an monster beyond imagining. Light, you guide me. Thanks to you, I see past the nothingness. Life, I choose to live in the light.
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OSX Using Happy Dude
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Posted: 10th May 2008 19:39
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Indeed, but I doubt its been specifically optimised for video editing.

Visit my web site for real bangin' stuff at http://www.nicholaskingsley.co.uk
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Mr Z
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Posted: 10th May 2008 19:41 Edited at: 10th May 2008 19:42
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Actually it is. Do not remember in what way, but it does something that no other OS does for what I know of. Think it has something to do with how it handles rendering on the screen or something.

Darkness, you haunt me. If I give in, I would be an monster beyond imagining. Light, you guide me. Thanks to you, I see past the nothingness. Life, I choose to live in the light.
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OSX Using Happy Dude
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Posted: 10th May 2008 19:46
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Aside from being a 64-bit OS, there isn't anything specifically for video editing built-in - Core Animation is an API that makes it simple for Mac developers to add visually stunning graphics and animations to applications. Without any esoteric graphics and maths techniques, you can create fluid, stutter-free effects and experiences as groundbreaking as Spaces and Time Machine.

Was that what you were thinking of ?

Visit my web site for real bangin' stuff at http://www.nicholaskingsley.co.uk
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Mr Z
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Posted: 10th May 2008 19:48
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Do not remember. Was just something my teacher in Webdesign mentioned that I´ve forgot now. Just remember that there where something, but not what.

Darkness, you haunt me. If I give in, I would be an monster beyond imagining. Light, you guide me. Thanks to you, I see past the nothingness. Life, I choose to live in the light.
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OSX Using Happy Dude
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Posted: 10th May 2008 19:56
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Cant see anything specific to video editing in the list of features - so no idea what your teacher was thinking of.

Visit my web site for real bangin' stuff at http://www.nicholaskingsley.co.uk
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hessiess
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Posted: 10th May 2008 20:00 Edited at: 10th May 2008 20:04
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I have used a mac. but I dont own one

Quote: "Mac is best at media and designed for it"


mac hardware is practically the same as PC hardware, and the OS is based on FreeBSD. it may have been better at one time, but there is currantly verry little difarance. essentially all you are getting is a expensive X86 PC.

on mac, you can only run one instance of Blender.

everything you listed can be done easely on Linux, at greatly reduced cost. It is even posable to make it look like OSX, or practically anything else.

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OSX Using Happy Dude
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Posted: 10th May 2008 20:02
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Thats easy to use, fast and now very stable.

Visit my web site for real bangin' stuff at http://www.nicholaskingsley.co.uk
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Mr Z
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Posted: 10th May 2008 20:02 Edited at: 10th May 2008 20:07
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Originally it was at last designed for media, do not know THAT much about Mac. Have only used it for Webdesign. Nothing for me, but I can understand why other people like it.

EDIT:

If you cannot afford a Mac and want to use it, this can be interesting:
http://wiki.osx86project.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Think it is free, but not sure.

Darkness, you haunt me. If I give in, I would be an monster beyond imagining. Light, you guide me. Thanks to you, I see past the nothingness. Life, I choose to live in the light.
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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 10th May 2008 20:11
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Quote: "
mac hardware is practically the same as PC hardware, and the OS is based on FreeBSD. it may have been better at one time, but there is currantly verry little difarance. essentially all you are getting is a expensive X86 PC."


I'd say the difference between Mac and PCs here, and why people says 'macs are faster with less' is because the OS has been designed to use less resources, hence Mac OS will run on a 128mb ram computer with little trouble (I don't know about the latest releases) whereas Vista will not run very well and well I'm typing on a laptop with 128mb ram with XP and it's a pain in the bum for resources.

So less resources with the pretty stuff still on - of course this just being a vantage point.

"Experience never provides its judgments with true or strict universality; but only (through induction) with assumed and comparative universality." - Immanuel Kant
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Osiris
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Posted: 10th May 2008 22:08
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Last time I went to a Mac store the guy told my friend that they don't have to worry about viruses because the Russians and Chinese hire hackers and pay then by the number of computers they infect... and that because Macs don't have a very large market share the hackers don't bother with them... I mean come on!

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You will be dearly missed.
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Mr Z
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Posted: 10th May 2008 22:30
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Yeah, that argument was quite stupid.

Darkness, you haunt me. If I give in, I would be an monster beyond imagining. Light, you guide me. Thanks to you, I see past the nothingness. Life, I choose to live in the light.
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Yodaman Jer
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Posted: 11th May 2008 17:33
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Thanks for the insight guys! I just talked to one of my friends who use a Mac for editing and he said that it was faster to edit on a Mac than his PC at home (the Mac he uses is at school.). He also said he highly recommended it because it's also very stable and smooth-running. So I'm definitely looking into a Mac to buy later this year.


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