why i love the macbook pro

[stevieboy]

one of the reasons i love a mac is that its pure joy to do anything on it. :yahoo:

note i dont say 'work' its pure joy. no other way to describe it. my colleague who picked up a macbook pro 13" said, and i think it best describes mac's philosophy 'when was the last time plugging in a power cord was actually fun!' here's a grown man of around 37 plugging and unplugging and plugging the magnetic power cord back in again just cos it thrills! you just hold the cable end close to the socket and the magnet pulls the plug towards it! its a rare product that creates this level of joy in its use. at least as far as i've seen!

this is intended to be a journey of discovery for those who already have macs, who can share their own reasons of joy. audio engr you've had more play time with your new toy eh?

the major difference from the pc ('painful computer' for me ) is that every little thing is thought through intuitively. in fact i remember reading that bill gates when asked what the difference was between microsoft and apple said that steve jobs concentrated on the user experience.

this isn't intended to slam pcs (there's no contest anyway ) it's more of a log of the small tips and tricks that one discovers or loves so someone reading and in the process of buying a laptop can consider whether he'd like to consider a mac!

so everyone who uses a mac do contribute what you love about it!

here goes:

1. the fact that it boots up in under 30 seconds and shuts down in bout 5.

2. i can use my pen drive without worrying bout viruses getting in

3. i can preview files without even opening them! eg if i go to bookmarks in cover flow mode and am browsing i get a preview of the pages i've saved and if i want a closer look i just click the spacebar hovering over a saved page or even a doc file saved on my desktop and it opens up. i can then choose to make it full screen with just a click for reading without annoying side scroll bars and top menu buttons crowding the screen. and i don't need to even open the application! its still just a quick preview!

4. in itunes i can read a language lesson from my book and have the relevant part played through itunes. now to fully concentrate i can avoid having to locate the volume button all the time. in full screen cover flow mode which looks just gorgeous against a pitch black screen with minimal on screen buttons, i just click on the volume button and the cursor gets locked onto it. i then scroll using the trackpad, two fingers left or right to decrease or increase volume. no need to look up to find the volume button with the cursor.

5. i can have user guides read out to me while actually being in the application and clicking through the menu process being talked about eg pages. system preferences>keyboard>services>add to itunes as spoken track. (is this what you were referring to raghav?) its available across apps not just safari.

of course there are windows apps too. but the voice sound uncannily human. tried some online freeware like vozme but the voice was quite terrible. try shambles.net for a list of freeware, some across languages.

more to come in due time...

and to end, a fortune report on world's most admired companies. no prizes for guessing who's at the top for the third straight year, one of my personally most admired companies.

there are also plenty of tips and trick sites for mac which i shall post later on...

 

[Raghav]

I was referring to Safari specific menu.

Open safari and then open a web page. Select the material you want read out.

then go to the following menu
safari>services>speech>start speaking text

this option is there in other programs as well but does work with all of them. Did not work in MS word for mac.

But it worked in "Preview". Open a pdf file in preview. Select the text to be read out, Then the following command
preview>services>speech>start speaking text

Try it out.

5. i can have user guides read out to me while actually being in the application and clicking through the menu process being talked about eg pages. system preferences>keyboard>services>add to itunes as spoken track. (is this what you were referring to raghav?) its available across apps not just safari.

there are also plenty of tips and trick sites for mac which i shall post later on...

 

[teky]

First congrats again an acquiring the Mac Book, Which configuration did you go for?

the major difference from the pc ('painful computer' for me ) is that every little thing is thought through intuitively. in fact i remember reading that bill gates when asked what the difference was between microsoft and apple said that steve jobs concentrated on the user experience.

Agree with you above completely, IMO it beats every single device out there.

But I have a few points to add

1. the fact that it boots up in under 30 seconds and shuts down in bout 5.

My Windows 7 PC does take the same amount of time. This has vastly improved from Vista

2. i can use my pen drive without worrying bout viruses getting in

It's not a case any more, As Mac's penetration has been increasing so is the number of viruses. You get more money writing malware for these.

3. i can preview files without even opening them! eg if i go to bookmarks in cover flow mode and am browsing i get a preview of the pages i've saved and if i want a closer look i just click the spacebar hovering over a saved page or even a doc file saved on my desktop and it opens up. i can then choose to make it full screen with just a click for reading without annoying side scroll bars and top menu buttons crowding the screen. and i don't need to even open the application! its still just a quick preview!

This has been an feature in Windows 7 as well and I quiet agree with you, I can't work on Windows XP anymore.

 

[corElement]

No doubt os x is nice but I feel its way overhyped. Kind of the same reason why I'm slightly put off brands like bose.

 

[Asit]

Hi corElement,

I am sorry but your statement and comparison of the OS X is grossly unjustified, I think. I do not know how many OS's you have used, but I have used almost all kinds suited for the various needs of small, medium and large scale computing (including supercomputing), it would be extremely hard to deny the fact that I find the OS X the most suitable for desktop/laptop use, for its solidity, for its ease of use with intuitive interfaces, for its security features, for its multitasking capabilities, for its seamless integration of all features, and for its tight synergy with the hardware provided etc etc.

I like to add that the OS X is basically based on the kernel of Berkeley Unix.
The solidity comes from Unix. It seldom crashes. It is the credit of the developers of OS X to use as solid a kernel like the Unix and make it into a package that anybody can use intuitively. In fact the user interface is so attractive that everybody else wants to copy it. I still remember a Professor in my Graduate school in mid 80's got so excited about the Apple mac he bought, he used to grab anybody (be it a graduate student, an undergraduate, a secretary, or one of his faculty colleagues) and tell him/her about everything he was so excited about. I did not know about the Mac then, those were the pre OS X days.

A similar movement along the line of Linux has also gained some ground in the last 15 years. Having used at least 10 flavours of linux, I must also say, its integration is a lot poorer, but part of it is also because linux is open source movement.

BTW, people may not know that there exist thousands of freeware for the OS X just like there are in linux.

Regarding viruses and malware on unix platforms: I have been using unix based systems (including linux) for more than two decades, and although people talk about writing such things for unix platforms, if the user uses the OS reasonably sensibly, there is absolutely NO security concern. One has to remember of course that security is a thing that depends on the user. If you keep the door of your house open all the time, somebody (not wanted) will enter sooner or later and be involved in undesirable activities. But a unix system is inherently more secure than for example a MS Windows based system. Some years ago I asked one of the chief people of Trend Micro in South-East Asia about viruses etc in a unix based system, and he said in their lab they were trying to get them made so that they understood how to make a defense system (Make no mistake, I am just a Physicist and not an IT professional, but I have some interest in the business). But I have not ever heard what happened to such activities since. Teky, could you throw some light?

Regards.

 

[gannyboy]

a proud owner of macbook pro...i say comfortably its one of the best things happened, happenin to me in life !! every tool is well thought of and highly researched for consumer satisfaction..and the onida ad 'neighbor s envy owners pride' suits the mac even more...

 

[ajinkya]

Hi Asit et all,

Posting after a long time on forum. Study and paper deadline imposed hiatus. Here's a news article which had caught my eye a while back regarding the whole Win vrs OS X virus issue.
Mac OS X hacked under 30 minutes - News - Security - ZDNet Australia

To sum up above article with a quote from it:
"The only thing which has kept Mac OS X relatively safe up until now is the fact that the market share is significantly lower than that of Microsoft Windows or the more common UNIX platforms.... If this situation was to change, in my opinion, things could be a lot worse on Mac OS X than they currently are on other operating systems," said Archibald at the time.

Just another perspective on how to look at things in the OS world.

Ajinkya.

But a unix system is inherently more secure than for example a MS Windows based system. Some years ago I asked one of the chief people of Trend Micro in South-East Asia about viruses etc in a unix based system, and he said in their lab they were trying to get them made so that they understood how to make a defense system ...
Regards.

 

[stevieboy]

First congrats again an acquiring the Mac Book, Which configuration did you go for?

the base 13" one with 4 gb memory, 160gb hard disk and 2.26. with external hard disks didnt feel the need for forking out extra moolah and with the apps i have in mind the memory is more than enough! blazing speeds right now whoopeeeee :licklips:

My Windows 7 PC does take the same amount of time. This has vastly improved from Vista

oh cool that's one plus point for windows then! my old laptop i could go make a cup of coffee and come back to error messages on startup

It's not a case any more, As Mac's penetration has been increasing so is the number of viruses. You get more money writing malware for these.

quite true. i have macscan from loopinsight.com in mind for later on (macusers can check out the site for some cool applications) as asit so rightly says the benefit is that the OS is inherently more stable, but of course no sense keeping your front door open all the time...

[/QUOTE]


by the way teky your OH just might swoon for the mac. that's what happened with my colleague. first reaction was what??? HOW MUCH??? then it was like oooohhhh bugger off you fellow i'm using this now hyeah: i think the smoothness and interface just won her over.

 

[stevieboy]

this option is there in other programs as well but does work with all of them. Did not work in MS word for mac.

which version of mac do you have? i can do it in pages and text edit and also have options of making a sticky note from selected text, adding track to itunes as a spoken text file, emailing making a note and a couple more.

regards

 

[stevieboy]

Last time we spoke on this subject, I recall you saying that Mac is to roll out a new version and you were waiting for it..... seems you didn't &/or couldn't hence took the dive! :clapping: congratulations!

hi audio engr,

yes was planning to wait for new mac so i could buy the old one at reduced prices but looks like it'll take too long, april or after, after the ipad launch perhaps... so decided to take the plunge. could even go to june or after! also decided against the 15" cos with zoom options the screen size is proving to be quite enough in most apps. i also recorded my first vinyl track through the mac, through audacity. first thing i did on the mac :yahoo: second was setting up airport express and streamed internet radio to my amp.

regards

 

[teky]

But a unix system is inherently more secure than for example a MS Windows based system. Some years ago I asked one of the chief people of Trend Micro in South-East Asia about viruses etc in a unix based system, and he said in their lab they were trying to get them made so that they understood how to make a defense system (Make no mistake, I am just a Physicist and not an IT professional, but I have some interest in the business). But I have not ever heard what happened to such activities since. Teky, could you throw some light?

Regards.

Asit ji - No OS is going to be 100% secure. We're heading into Web 2.0 world and ever increasing dependency on Internet is bringing in risk to personal data. There has been only couple of Viruses discovered so far - But this is due to the fact that Mac OS penetration is probably in it's single digits and hackers don't get any monetary funds for doing so? Also Apple recommends Mac Users to install an Anti-Virus program - May be just to save themselves and Symantec & couple of other parties have released AV for Mac.

 

[teky]

oh cool that's one plus point for windows then! my old laptop i could go make a cup of coffee and come back to error messages on startup

C'mon give us a break - I'm sure I'll join your party

by the way teky your OH just might swoon for the mac. that's what happened with my colleague. first reaction was what??? HOW MUCH??? then it was like oooohhhh bugger off you fellow i'm using this now hyeah: i think the smoothness and interface just won her over.

Hmm, I shall give it a try at the right opportunity, But won't bugger off

 

[Asit]

Ajinkya,

Welcome back. Where have you been? I have also been hardly active.

I am aware of such reports. But in any case thanks for the link.

A few comments:

In the above I have talked mostly about malwares (virus, worm etc). I did not cover hacking which is a different thing and your referred article points to. Hacking is basically getting root access to a computer so that the hacker now 'owns' the computer.

No OS and computing environment is absolutely safe. I already pointed this out in my previous post. It depends on the users.

However, a unix based system is inherently a few orders of magnitude safer than for example a MS OS. These days safety is basically ensured through network safety. One can set up rules based on the so-called IP-tables that are pretty hard or well-nigh inconceivable to break in. It hardly makes any sense to talk about security of a computer without knowling the security of the network.

Usually the router (with security rules, hw/sw implemented)is kept open to the Internet. Then your servers are placed inside with public IP numbers in a so-called DMZ (de-militarized Zone) and then the computers inside the network in a MZ. The computers placed inside the MZ basically have no security threats, basically from outside.

Now for a standalone computer, let's say at home, placed in a network provided by your home ISP, will have some of these security features already in place, but preventing the machine from hacking is not so difficult, by setting hard rules. To give you a simple example: you can set your computer so that no remote access including scp, ssh is allowed, while you can ssh and scp from your computer. Now unless somebody can get physical access to your computer, there is no way somebody is going to own your computer.

It looks to me your referred report talks about Mac computers where direct physical access was given to potential hackers. This is a very unlikely event to take place, unless your machine is first stolen.

In addition, the report does not talk about what were the security principles implemented on the machine. It just gives very vague reference to all these things.

In a unix based system (like a Mac OS or Linux), there are very clear-cut ways to stop all software communication ports, or to set rules for their use, and hence security is better organized. That does not mean you cannot get in, but it's a very difficult job if your door is well shut.

I feel a bit starnge about your link, because it keeps talking specifically about the Mac OS X and not any other unix based OS. Because apart from a few minor difference, the basic security implementations would be very similar. Without provision of more details, I'd take this sort of report with a pinch of salt (as a propaganda against the Apple). But again as I said before, security depends on the individual user. If you keep your doors open, you are likely to be robbed off more often. But in a Unix based system, you are far better off to start with.

Regards.

 

[rallynut]

nice,congrats stevie..a macbook has been on my wish list for quite a while now.call apple/jobs what u want but they definitely dont dither with their products.its true,u either love/hate apple!!!and me,..slobber,..drool,...:licklips:.someday...

 

[Asit]

In all this talk about the security, I forgot to congratulate Stevie for his new acquisitions.

Congratulations, Stevie and enjoy your MBP!

Teky, I am well aware of the security issues in a much broader way. Just wanted to know specifically on malwares (as opposed to hacking) on unix-based systems, because it's not easy to make them.

Regards.

 

[AMITNOIDA]

The second Laptop is going to be reality by end of March in my home. I am in dilemma between Macbook Pro and Win-7 based Laptop. Price-wise, obviously the later is more affordable. Can you guys please put your view points regarding the comparison between the two for a normal home use. Also, I want to use this second Laptop as the source of my music system in my drawing room. My son has an IPod touch. Can a Macbook pro will give some benefit for me?

 

[Hiten]

congrats ! steven

 

[stevieboy]

Also, I want to use this second Laptop as the source of my music system in my drawing room. My son has an IPod touch. Can a Macbook pro will give some benefit for me?

most certainly amitnoida, the macbook pro has benefits. you can stream music from your hard disk or get a wireless hard disk which you can control from your macbook pro. and the best part is you can download the remote app for your ipod touch (check it out on the apple site, not sure if its only for iphone) and control playback through the touch! you can get airport express and have upto 10 users logged on through it. its basically a wireless device which gives you wireless internet and music streaming wirelessly. you can wire your airport express using an rca analog mini jack to left right rca to amp or a mini digital cable to your dac. on the mac you can set parental controls like time internet can be accessed, hours of internet access etc. plus in the drawing room it'll just look cool sitting there

 

[arj]

you can get airport express and have upto 10 users logged on through it. its basically a wireless device which gives you wireless internet and music streaming wirelessly. you can wire your airport express using an rca analog mini jack to left right rca to amp or a mini digital cable to your dac. on the mac you can set parental controls like time internet can be accessed, hours of internet access etc. plus in the drawing room it'll just look cool sitting there

BTW you can connect itunes to aiport express via windows too..

 

[buswal]

hi stevie boy,

how much you paid for mac book pro?

regards