*

gonZo

  • pain in the ass moderator
  • 9740
Re: getting a Mac
« Reply #105 on: May 28, 2011, 07:38:29 AM »
MacGuard is just another variant of MacDefender, MacProtector, and MacSecurity. The recurring stories about it are still driven by Intego's press releases as they try to sell antivirus software. These apps can't install themselves unless they get the user's permission, so all you have to do is open your browser preferences, turn off "Open 'safe' files after downloading", and don't open zip files that you don't recognize or remember downloading.

*

TheZookie007

  • L Cup
  • 53281
Re: getting a Mac
« Reply #106 on: July 26, 2011, 03:39:39 PM »
Yet another reason to get a Mac ;)
ACB, BK, CT, NG, SA: FU. FUATH. 100x.

*

TheZookie007

  • L Cup
  • 53281
Re: getting a Mac
« Reply #107 on: July 26, 2011, 06:56:26 PM »
Oh, and if this report is to believed, soon you'll be able to buy a Mac in Grand Central Terminal. Oh, joy.
ACB, BK, CT, NG, SA: FU. FUATH. 100x.

*

TheZookie007

  • L Cup
  • 53281
Re: getting a Mac
« Reply #108 on: June 03, 2012, 07:37:38 PM »
Update:
I intended to get a Mac mini for my birthday but I decided to carpe diem...so I'm getting one TOMORROW :)

The spec for this particular Mac mini is 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo with 1 GB RAM (2x512 MB, expandable to 2 GB RAM), 80GB HDD, DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, Airport, Bluetooth, Remote and running Apple MacOS X 10.5. Installed software: Apple QuickTime, Apple Hardware Test, Apple Mac OS X Mail, Apple iCal, Apple DVD Player, Apple Address Book, Apple Safari, Apple iChat AV, Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Test Drive, Apple Dashboard, Apple Spotlight, Apple XCode Developer Tools, iWork (30 days trial), Apple iLife '08, Apple Spaces, Apple Quick Look, Apple Time Machine. All for around $450 (it's a closeout model). I'm getting it, as I've said before, mainly for iPhone development purposes (and to finally get myself familiar with the Way of Mac). I already have a monitor laying around but I'm going to pick up a Mac keyboard and mouse, and I'm trying to spend as little money as I can while doing so.

I'm ashamed to say that, for various reasons, the last time I even touched this machine was when I picked it up from the store -- I never even got a chance to crack it open! It's still in the box, gathering dust, and getting more and more obsolete! Shame shame shame :) My iPhone development efforts never got off the ground either. I was seduced by the siren call of Android instead and thus neglected my iOS brethren.

But that was then, and this is now. I have been thrown into a maelstrom at work which requires me to learn and implement a project for iOS in a hurry. They issued me a pretty good Mac mini machine (ironic, no?) but I needed to speed up my learning curve. Thus, I took my own advice...

BTW, two places to get cheapish used Macs (iMacs, MacBooks, etc.) are Apple Palace and Mac of All Trades.

...and I ordered for a refurbished 17-inch MacBook Pro. I was going to get a 15-inch refurb MBP from the Apple Store, until I realized I could get one from MOAT with a bigger (anti-glare) screen, more RAM and a bigger HDD, that cost less than the one from Apple! Plus, it has AppleCare until mid-2013! w00t!

Can't wait until it gets into my grubby little hands...maybe she and I can celebrate together...
« Last Edit: June 03, 2012, 07:40:39 PM by TheZookie007 »
ACB, BK, CT, NG, SA: FU. FUATH. 100x.

*

TheZookie007

  • L Cup
  • 53281
Re: getting a Mac
« Reply #109 on: June 26, 2012, 01:02:50 AM »
Quick questions:

1. VMware Fusion, or Parallels?

2. Getting one of them keyboard covers; will it leave imprints on my screen when I close the lid, and if so, how can I prevent that from happening?
ACB, BK, CT, NG, SA: FU. FUATH. 100x.

*

SwitcherX

  • Legend
  • 6598
Re: getting a Mac
« Reply #110 on: June 26, 2012, 05:20:03 AM »
Quick questions:

1. VMware Fusion, or Parallels?

2. Getting one of them keyboard covers; will it leave imprints on my screen when I close the lid, and if so, how can I prevent that from happening?

1)  Latest reviews say Parallels is better.  Check them both out and unless you're going to be a Windows power user in them, it probably dosen't matter.

2) I'd imagine not.  Do the reviews say anything about it?
Switcher X
A.K.A. Tina Fey Eichmann

"Thank you herr professor Tina Fey Eichmann, nuclear brain surgeon and moustache jockey."
-- Mammeister


"SwitcherX, you were always Mammeister's favorite...you bastard."
-- Notty

*

gonZo

  • pain in the ass moderator
  • 9740
Re: getting a Mac
« Reply #111 on: June 26, 2012, 06:44:11 AM »
Dee, the first 3 pages of reviews don't mention screen-imprinting, so I wouldn't worry about it. The screen is glass, and isn't prone to imprinting. Even if the keyboard cover secretes a little over time, you should be able to wipe anything off with a damp cloth.

*

TheZookie007

  • L Cup
  • 53281
Re: getting a Mac
« Reply #112 on: June 27, 2012, 01:29:13 AM »
The screen is glass, and isn't prone to imprinting. Even if the keyboard cover secretes a little over time, you should be able to wipe anything off with a damp cloth.

I sure hope so. I had a Compaq laptop once which didn't have a keyboard cover but whose keys did indeed imprint the screen. Try as I might, I couldn't get the smudge off. And since they're discontinuing the 17" MacBook Pro with antiglare screen, I really don't want anything to happen to the screen.

And now I have to decide whether to buy a proper copy of Windows 7 Professional (for use when I get Parallels) or get a (ahem) "liberated" copy instead ;)
ACB, BK, CT, NG, SA: FU. FUATH. 100x.

*

gonZo

  • pain in the ass moderator
  • 9740
Re: getting a Mac
« Reply #113 on: June 27, 2012, 07:47:25 AM »
I sure hope so. I had a Compaq laptop once which didn't have a keyboard cover but whose keys did indeed imprint the screen. Try as I might, I couldn't get the smudge off. And since they're discontinuing the 17" MacBook Pro with antiglare screen, I really don't want anything to happen to the screen.

And now I have to decide whether to buy a proper copy of Windows 7 Professional (for use when I get Parallels) or get a (ahem) "liberated" copy instead ;)

Are you sure you even need the keyboard cover?

They'll always have spare antiglare screens at Apple if you need one (and you're willing to pay $300-$400 for a flat-rate repair if you're out of warranty); they harvest still-good screens from dead machines, and if you get one, it's fully warrantied for 90 days. I've had Powerbooks and MacBook Pros for over a decade --the first ones had plastic screens that were a little squishy-- and none of them has ever taken an imprint from the keyboard. Apple's very careful about assembly tolerances, so unless the hinge is damaged, there's always about 1/16" of air between the screen and the keys.

*

TheZookie007

  • L Cup
  • 53281
Re: getting a Mac
« Reply #114 on: June 27, 2012, 08:50:44 AM »
That may very well be so, but of course another reason for a keyboard cover is to prevent the keys from getting worn so much or smudged so much that the keycaps become illegible.

Just found that I can pick up Parallels 7 for like $85 from Office Depot. :)
ACB, BK, CT, NG, SA: FU. FUATH. 100x.

*

funkyboobster

  • E Cup
  • 627
Re: getting a Mac
« Reply #115 on: June 27, 2012, 10:04:11 AM »
Virtual Box for free.  No need to buy virtualization software anymore. 

*

TheZookie007

  • L Cup
  • 53281
Re: getting a Mac
« Reply #116 on: June 28, 2012, 02:58:25 AM »
My rating of the alternatives from cheapest to most expensive:

VirtualBox
VMware Fusion
Parallels

So I will try VB before getting a copy of VMware.
ACB, BK, CT, NG, SA: FU. FUATH. 100x.

*

funkyboobster

  • E Cup
  • 627
Re: getting a Mac
« Reply #117 on: June 28, 2012, 08:51:39 AM »
I bought Parallels back in the day.  I liked it, but VirtualBox is more than adequate.  When I started to get email from the folks at Parallels about buying an upgrade to the new version, I switched.

*

TheZookie007

  • L Cup
  • 53281
Re: getting a Mac
« Reply #118 on: June 28, 2012, 10:13:33 AM »
Yeah, the Parallels chaps always charge you stupid prices for their updates, unlike the Fusion chaps. I'm cheap, I ain't gonna lie, so that's a factor in my decision :)
ACB, BK, CT, NG, SA: FU. FUATH. 100x.

*

TheZookie007

  • L Cup
  • 53281
Re: getting a Mac
« Reply #119 on: August 01, 2012, 06:58:11 PM »
So, has anyone updated their OS yet?

-- TheZookie "won't buy it just yet, since he's bound to upgrade to Snoop Mountain Lion soon enough" 007
ACB, BK, CT, NG, SA: FU. FUATH. 100x.