I've been a PC user for a long time. My first PC was a 8088 clone with 256K or RAM and a 10MB hard drive. Somewhere in that time I became a Mac user for about 5 years, fully entrenched. But somehow I got back into PCs with Windoze and more specifically Linux.

As this site began to grow I got a lot of issues from Mac users. Mac users make up only about 10% of the browsers that hit the site but the actual number got significant last fall. Without a Mac I couldn't see what was going on and was flying totally blind. Anyway I took advantage of the end of year pricing and bought an iMac. Not the new ones but the old style, really basic, it cost $699 I think.

Now my desk really isn't big enough for two computers so it's basically sat there at the side in power save. However I have used it from time to time and I must say I kinda like it.

The basic iMac I got was quite a significant step up from computers of even 4 years ago. I of course did a few mods, I got rid of that stupid mouse and was pleasantly surprised to find that a Logitech USB optical wheel mouse for the PC worked perfectly without even installing drivers. I have it connected to my firewall/cable modem switch so it's got full internet access.

I wanted to do a quick video clip of some Laguna Seca footage I had in my MiniDV camera. I plugged it in to the built-in FireWire posts and used the built-in iMovie software to do a pretty nice segment. I saved it in QuickTime format and put it up for others to watch. Pretty impressive for right out of the box from an el cheapo base model with no mods other than a mouse.

I plugged in my Digital ELPH camera to the USB port on the keyboard turned it on and immediately a program popped up that showed me the images on the camera and a way to scale/crop/rotate/save the images and delete them from the camera when I was done. I uploaded those with IE to my photo album.

It tells me the time while I'm playing video games on the PC, plays my internet radio stations and CDs. If I had splurged for the CD/RW model I'd be able to burn MP3 CDs.

That pretty impressive for a $699 base model anything without spending an extra dime on or stealing any software.

If you are looking for bang for the buck value, this system is quite the deal. Great for kids cause you don't have to fix it for them A good buy, I highly recommend it

 

Did Apple just become a sponsor?

As one of those Mac users who has been on this board for awhile, I concur that these machines are pretty damned user friendly. I am also glad to see that you and Ry have been checking Mac use out and fixing some of the issues related to the site that Mac users may have encountered.

I agree tha these Macs are espceially great for kids, as they do so many things out-of-the-box, and so much is plug and play. Oh yeah, great for grown up kids like me who don't have to otherwise work with PC's.

 

The first of year I bought a Powerbook. I like it better than any notebook I've ever used. I've been a PC person since CPM dropped dead. Wasn't that in the 80's? All of my friends with notebooks are dazzled by the Powerbook. Like Honda and the S2000, Mac creates the coolest looking computers! And yes, they are user friendly. I'm just getting used to allowing all those windows to stay open and realizing my machine isn't going to crash!

Want a good laugh? Go to the link below. It does take a swing at the Mac, but worth the humor. It's about the new iToilet, which obviously does not use OSX!

http://www.raytracer25.btinternet.co.uk/iT...et/itoilet.html

 

Very amusing link Garyj! Definitely worth the humor.