The thrill is gone (Mac)

[rmcellig]

Well I guess the day was inevitable when my iMac and Macs in general just don't do it for me anymore. I have been using Macs since 1988. As I discovered Linux and the various distros out there, I found myself using Linux more and more.

I just installed a clean copy of Snow Leopard on my iMac because Lion is not a good match for my particular model (late 2006 24" iMac).

Seems as though all I use it for these days is to watch movies and videos. I don't have a large external monitor.Everything else I can do with Linux even on older 12 year old Dell desktops. Blows me away every day the possibilities. They seem to never end.

Right now I am using Zorin 5.1 and really like it! If I could use my iMac 100% Linux I would.

[blackbird34]

Couldn't you dual boot it?

I agree with you, i recently switched from mac (my laptop was stolen) to Linux and the degree to which you can customize Linux, or make it act like a mac, is insane... :D

[rmcellig]

I tried dual booting a while back. Worked great except for two important things. The built in isight camera does not seem to work in Linux. More importantly, the audio in doesn't work in linux. I have a radio connected to my iMac so that I can record my radio shows from it. Works fine in the Mac environment but not Linux. If I could resolve these problems, my Mac days are over.

[ade234uk]

When Mac was on the G5 processor I was actually saving up for the Silver Tower. I even managed to quit to smoking. That was going to be my reward for all the money I saved. Then Mac changed to Intel, for me that is when Mac lost its appeal. Also Ubuntu just seemed to be getting better and better and it felt kind of pointless.

[rmcellig]

Good point. I felt the same, and now that Linux seems to be developing further at a faster pace, that's a good thing!

[eyeofliberty]

I hear you, and feel the same way. I began using Macs in 1986, and I use them daily for work (print industry). However, at home it's Linux on my ThinkPad, and the family uses the Mac. The only time I really use it any more is for administrative type stuff. I've pretty much lost my patience for proprietary OSes. When the time comes to replace the iMac at home, it will be with a Linux box.

[rmcellig]

I will do the same thing. I've had it with proprietary computers. Last week at the radio station I went to doy show and found out the computer (XP Pro) was so infected with viruses it was unusable. I bet if I had my puppy Lunux cd with me I could have started up from it and all would have wiled fine.

Since using Linux, I have become more aware and insightful regarding computers and how they work. With Macs it always seemed like it was a big mystery and restrictive.

[eyeofliberty]

Since using Linux, I have become more aware and insightful regarding computers and how they work. With Macs it always seemed like it was a big mystery and restrictive.

At least Macs do have a distinct advantage over Windows, being based on BSD. I actually use the Mac terminal, which uses bash, quite a bit. But yeah, mostly the system is locked down and restrictive. Don't get me started about Windows! My Windows servers here at work are stable, but only by virtue of never changing, as far as their setup goes. However, I am the defacto IT guy here at work (in addition to my ACTUAL job description), and have to constantly administer the workstation PCs for the sales and customer service folks, which are pretty much always a mess. If it's not viruses, trojans, and other malware, it's settings/preferences that seem to randomly change themselves. Ugh. I'd switch them all to Linux if they weren't dependent on FileMaker Pro.

[TeamRocket1233c]

I've never really been a big Mac fan, I've always preferred Windows due to using it for most of my life, but Linux and maybe BSD beats both.

[rmcellig]

I have my record/CD collection in Filemaker Pro on my Mac. I would like to export my Filemaker files and re import them into something I can use on all platforms. Any ideas? Maybe there is an online solution? I know that Open office/ Libre office has a database component but I'm not sure if I can access the database regardless of the OS I am using.

[rg4w]

I believe all LibreOffice formats will work on any platform LibreOffice supports.

[Henkdroid]

One of my big problems with Macs and Apple is that they take something that had been in common use for ages and gives it a strange name and everyone fawns over it like it's the new messiah. Or they take a open thing and make it proprietary. And the dock connector. But I also have a really strange dislike with the MacBooks, I don't know if this is still true but their keyboards have a horrible mutant shrunken enter key and the fn keys work the wrong way round. Maybe it's just me but it annoys me.
I do however like the look of the Mac Pro but I would never get one.

[MisterGaribaldi]

I use a Mac, have done so for many years, and for me Linux on the Desktop has lost all of its thrill and shine. LO is not a sufficient replacement for me for MS Office (it's unfortunate, but it's true), I can't find any Linux-specific media apps I like, and all the non-free commercial apps I want and or need don't exist for Linux.

Say whatever you want about Apple, but there aren't any apps in Linux which challenge iLife, or heck even iWork (which is pathetic given how relatively pathetic Pages is compared to Word), and a lot of the apps that are available have a real "amateur hour" feel to them for me. Then, there's the whole Gnome 3 debacle.

[Bachstelze]

Macs are not about the thrill, they are about convenience and getting the work done. If you want a thrill, that's fine, but the Mac certainly won't give it to you.

[lancest]

Operating system over applications- then Linux.

Linux apps look fine and meet many needs.

I see alot of Windows stuff that looks pretty ugly.

[ade234uk]

Operating system over applications- then Linux.

Linux apps look fine and meet many needs.

I see alot of Windows stuff that looks pretty ugly.

I have found over the years that Linux becomes easier to use, the software is better integrated, it works, but most importantly has not lost it roots. If you want to fiddle around in the terminal and look under the hood you can. Nobody stops you doing this, and if you get bored with one Distro or Window manager, you can just install another. If you screw up, just reinstall it, none of this silly online activation rubbish.

Linux is a great desktop no matter what Distro, Windows manager you use. You can't really ask for more. Linux opens a lot of doors and also opportunities in to another side of computing.
It has certainly helped me over the years in my own job.

[Erik1984]

Isn't this a "grass is greener on the other side"-issue? If you have a super stable boring desktop you want that totally configurable experience back and vice versa. When you messed up dependencies and need to reinstall for the n-th time you want a stable "just get work done"-environment.

[lancest]

Isn't this a "grass is greener on the other side"-issue? If you have a super stable boring desktop you want that totally configurable experience back and vice versa. When you messed up dependencies and need to reinstall for the n-th time you want a stable "just get work done"-environment.

Stable here on Ubuntu for years. Office production.
Everything backed up in the cloud.
No security or licensing issues.
Simplicity, freedom and stability.

[Erik1984]

Stable here on Ubuntu for years. Office production.
Everything backed up in the cloud.
No security or licensing issues.
Simplicity, freedom and stability.

I wasn't referring to Ubuntu specifically, more Linux in General (should've made that more clear) where you can experiment a lot if you want with bleeding edge packages etc. You are right of course it's also possible to have a very stable system on Linux. The choice is yours.

[Greenborn]

Windows is okay, I still like my iMac (gave it to my wife though) but I just love my Ubuntu laptop. I can't explain why, I just do and have for years now.

[Evil-Ernie]

Macs have never done it for me, expensive style over substance. Some years ago I was forced to use one for work (marketing and advertsing) while it did the job I did not take to it, then I got budget to buy a system (same budget requirements for a Mac) and I opted for a Dell and with the budget saved got a high end system with all the trimmings. The graphic guys scoffed until they realised my machine faster than theirs and more reliable to the point they were asking borrowing my machine on a regular basis!

What it boils down to is do you want a tool or a lifestyle choice? If a Mac suits the job you are doing at the price you can afford better than anything else then its for you, but most of the time a PC with a good choice of OS will do the trick cheaper and more effectively.

[germanix]

Isn't this a "grass is greener on the other side"-issue? If you have a super stable boring desktop you want that totally configurable experience back and vice versa. When you messed up dependencies and need to reinstall for the n-th time you want a stable "just get work done"-environment.

I agree with that. For that reason I use both. My desktop at home is a iMac (just works). My laptop runs Ubuntu (constantly fiddling and changing things - love it) and so does my desktop at work (just update and no fiddling - (very stable).

[luismgl]

I didn't read the whole thread, but I can say that, 2 days after unboxing a brand new 21.5' iMac, I re-boxed and I'm going to send it back to apple as it came faulty. I'm still wondering if I should ask for my money back and use to buy the one that's coming out in the next days or just plainly something non-apple.