zox Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 ...And it fits in my pocket...I'd spend money on that long before a Mac Mini...A lot more money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichNRockville Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 I have been a die hard wintel/windows guy for over 20 years. I used to teach the MAC when it first came out in the 80's but haven't thought about buying one for lots of years.I went to my local mac shop and picked up a mini-mac with 512meg ram and the super drive dvd writer.I came home and put a microsoft optical mouse and a usb keyboard on the cube. I have a lcd 21" monitor with both inputs, dvd and 15pin. The 15 pin is connected to my kvm switch for my network and other computers. I plugged the dvd cable into the cube and the back of my monitor. What a difference, just by switching the monitor to digital, the Mac came to life and I had to go thru all the registration information. Of course I had connected my network to the rj45 on the cube and I use dhcp so the cube picked up an ip. After over 60 megabytes of upgrades from apple, the system rebooted a couple of times and I was sitting on my desktop.Real pretty and I now have to revise my windows procedures, the mouse right click opened up a menu to run programs. also double click seemed to work fine.I was able to use their simple mail system and the web browser without a lot of agrivation. although a regular windows person might not understand how to do some of the setups. I tried to register at apple to get a .mac address but for some strange reason, the phone number for my home was required and I could never get it to accept what I put in. I normally use Eudora for my email and they have a Mac version which downloaded and installed without much agrivation. I was able to get email working and am pleased.dOne thing I had a problem with was getting a network print server to work. I use the linksys ppsx1 print servers and after a bit of tweeking the printer setup on the mac, I was able to set the printer up properly.I am impressed so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewmur Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 I think this would be a much better way to spend $500.http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1761533,00.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nlinecomputers Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 An AMD 1800? Well that's going to take awhile to boot don't ya think. It will work but it would be slow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewmur Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 An AMD 1800? Well that's going to take awhile to boot don't ya think. It will work but it would be slow.No, I don't think so. It might not be as fast as notebooks selling for three times the money, but I dare say it is faster than the majority of PC's in use today. And with a Linux distro tailored just for it, it will probably *work* just as fast as the mini Mac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nlinecomputers Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 I'd have to see benchmarks. I'd have my doubts that an 1800+ would fare well against a G4. OS X been optimized to run on it too. Besides I don't need a laptop I need a desktop and the mini while small is still a desktop computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b2cm Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 The OS/X optimization would give the Minimac the edge (although the XP 1800+ or equivalent P4s would have more raw power). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewmur Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 (edited) I'd have to see benchmarks. I'd have my doubts that an 1800+ would fare well against a G4. OS X been optimized to run on it too. Besides I don't need a laptop I need a desktop and the mini while small is still a desktop computer.Oh?? What is it that a "desktop" can do that a "notebook" can't? Afterall, that mini reguires an extra monitor, keyboard and mouse. And I'd like to see the benchmarks too. *I* doubt that a G4 would keep up with an Athlon 1800+. Edited February 10, 2005 by lewmur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewmur Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 (edited) The OS/X optimization would give the Minimac the edge (although the XP 1800+ or equivalent P4s would have more raw power).Ahhh!!! But this has its own "optimized" Linux distro!! So, it's really anyone's guess as to which one would work better in the "real world." My quess is that it would depend upon the makeup of the "real world."IOW, if your 'real world" consists of graphic arts or publishing, then the MAC would probably be your best bet. Otherwise, I'd stick with the Linux box. Edited February 10, 2005 by lewmur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkSerge Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 I don't really see the real appeal compared to other macs other than it's small. A laptop is just as compact in a less-square shape and doesn't need an external keyboard, mouse, or monitor.I've never been a real big mac fan so I wouldn't be surprised if I don't know what I'm talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b2cm Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 My quess is that it would depend upon the makeup of the "real world."You're right. Adobe software and some games, especially.I'm not an Apple fan so I'd think that notebook (or the Linspire notebook) would be a better buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nlinecomputers Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 The appeal for me is that I can buy my first Mac for only $500 and not have a space hog. I can plug it up to my existing switch box along side my Windows Workstation, Server, and Linux Server. I've already got a laptop that runs both Xp and Mandrake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted February 10, 2005 Author Share Posted February 10, 2005 I'm with Nathan, here. Don't be surprised if I suddenly find a Mac mini on my desktop by the end of the year. I think what Apple is trying to do is market to the fence sitters. Those who've coveted owning a Mac but never did because of the price, or there was no point when their work life revolved around the PC. Well, that has never stopped me from thinking that someday I just may stare at that Apple logo each day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewmur Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 (edited) I'm with Nathan, here. Don't be surprised if I suddenly find a Mac mini on my desktop by the end of the year. I think what Apple is trying to do is market to the fence sitters. Those who've coveted owning a Mac but never did because of the price, or there was no point when their work life revolved around the PC. Well, that has never stopped me from thinking that someday I just may stare at that Apple logo each day. If you can financially justify having it as a MAC "playtoy," then more power to you. But if you could only afford one or the other, which would you choose? (The poll question was "Would you *switch?") Edited February 10, 2005 by lewmur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nlinecomputers Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 Easy. The mac. The reason I don't own a mac now is because of the cost. I can build 2-3 PCs for the cost of a Mac. But you get what you pay for. I've been shopping used Macs for sometime now but why buy used when you can get a mini. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arena2045 Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 Yes the poll question was "would you switch" but Peachy was playing off of one of Apple's past ads the "switch" campaign. Not a full fledged switch from one OS to another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arena2045 Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 Also... when you get a laptop you are physically limited to the screen size unless you connect it to an external screen... and if you do that, well you just took up a lot more room than what the Mac mini would take.True you could argue that you could take the laptop with you, but the Mac mini isn't a laptop its a desktop unit. If you want a Mac laptop get an iBook.... until the Mac mini was introduced the iBook was the best deal for a Mac, but it still is for a Mac laptop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewmur Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 Easy. The mac. The reason I don't own a mac now is because of the cost. I can build 2-3 PCs for the cost of a Mac. But you get what you pay for. I've been shopping used Macs for sometime now but why buy used when you can get a mini.Are you really trying to tell us that you are going to *switch* from using PC's to using MAC's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nlinecomputers Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 For personal use. Yes. I'm tired of fighting with Windows crap, Linux for me isn't quite up to par as some software isn't availible for it. I work in Windows and wil always have to use it. But for personal use I want to be free of it. Mac is one way out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted February 10, 2005 Author Share Posted February 10, 2005 Plus, you get Apache/MySQL/PHP out-of-the-box in Mac OS X. Great for web developers to do some simple web hosting. As Nathan points out, Linux is not there on the desktop yet. I've tried PearPC and while that's a good way to use Mac OS X on an x86 CPU, having a true PowerPC CPU would make all the speed difference in the world.The other market that is overlooked is that a lot of people want PVRs and the Mini would fit in well aesthetically. Is aesthetics important when choosing a personal computer? No. But when you get it in the price that Apple is charging, then it's icing on the cake. No other PC SFF comes close to Apple's design in terms of style, quality and pure aesthetics. And it is a lot quieter and cooler than any PC SFF will ever be. And let's not undervalue the fact that Aqua is light-years ahead of KDE and GNOME in GUI design and usability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b2cm Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 The matter of style/aesthetics is relative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epp_b Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 Plus, you get Apache/MySQL/PHP out-of-the-box in Mac OS X. Great for web developers to do some simple web hosting. As Nathan points out, Linux is not there on the desktop yet...There IS a cheap[er] solution to running Linux - it's called X-Box! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted February 17, 2005 Author Share Posted February 17, 2005 There IS a cheap[er] solution to running Linux - it's called X-Box! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes, but the user still has to install it! Now, compare a Shuttle SFF with the mini:Looks like they don't appreciate hot-linkingI know style is a personal preference, but my personal preference leans towards that mini when compared to the SFF. If the inner hardware was switched, I'd still choose the mini form factor. And I agree with Tom's Hardware Guide, http://www20.tomshardware.com/howto/20050216/index.html, slot loading optical drives are way better than trays! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 I might add a Mac to the computers here, but I am not gonna switch.I hate switching ... except over a KVM. NOTE: Couldn't vote ... no appropriate slot for adding, rather than switching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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