<p>Oh, it's most certainly illegal. ;)</p>
<p>If you get a mac, you will have to buy special "Mac" software that isn't as commonly available as regular PC software... Plus, you have to buy a corresponding Pc software if you take use of a more powerful PC desktop.</p>
<p>bobmallet1,</p>
<p>It depends. Why do you need to have two instances of Office? I use my Wintel box for different stuff than my Mac.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The theory sounds right, but so far no MacOS X viruses have been indentified. But, please, if you find a valid reference to one, post it here.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>" 2.16.2006 News
Mac OS X Virus Alert - Sophos Anti Virus has found the first 'real virus' for Mac OS X known as OSX/Leap-A or OSX/Oompa-A. The OSX/Leap worm or trojan is spread via instant messenger forwarding itself as a file named 'latestpics.tgz'. When launched the worm attempts to spread via iChat sending itself to the users buddy list. The application will also try to infect the recently used applications.
"</p>
<p>(<a href="http://www.securemac.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.securemac.com/</a>)</p>
<p>It was a bit of a while ago actually. So much for the macs = no viruses theory.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Absolute nonsense. MacOS X will not install on a computer not made by Apple.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Also wrong. But it is hard, so yeah it's not really a great alternative.</p>
<p>Here's some guides to running OS X on a PC:</p>
<p><a href="http://lifehacker.com/software/mac-os-x/how-to-install-os-x-on-a-pc-117211.php%5B/url%5D">http://lifehacker.com/software/mac-os-x/how-to-install-os-x-on-a-pc-117211.php</a>
<a href="http://uneasysilence.com/os-x-proven-hacked-and-running-on-an-ordinary-pc/%5B/url%5D">http://uneasysilence.com/os-x-proven-hacked-and-running-on-an-ordinary-pc/</a></p>
<p>EDIT -oops already pointed out</p>
<p>Actually, I'll be honest-- I'd rather that Macs NOT get much more popular. For one, it means more viruses for me to deal with. Not as many, but more...</p>
<p>"" 2.16.2006 News
Mac OS X Virus Alert - Sophos Anti Virus has found the first 'real virus' for Mac OS X known as OSX/Leap-A or OSX/Oompa-A. The OSX/Leap worm or trojan is spread via instant messenger forwarding itself as a file named 'latestpics.tgz'. When launched the worm attempts to spread via iChat sending itself to the users buddy list. The application will also try to infect the recently used applications.
"</p>
<p>Ok, that so called "virus" was blown out of proportion. It wasn't really a virus if I recall, just a proof of concept or whatever. Furthermore, you would have had to manually download it then download an application to open it since it was an obscure file type I believe, then you'd have to save it to a special directory in your hard drive...something along the lines of that.</p>
<p>nonetheless, macs are safe for the moment.</p>
<p>Not as safe as Linux....CASE CLOSED!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>Sheed30,</p>
<p>Which kind of Linux are you referring to, first off?</p>
<p>That, and what do you suppose would happen to Linux if its market share increased? You'd probably see more security issues! This is one reason Macs haven't been the victim of as many viruses, and I suspect that Linux users would find themselves victimized more if Linux was more visible on the radar.</p>
<p>UCLAri, I just spent 1050 on a dell inspiron 1420 with a 14" lcd display, Core 2 Duo t7100 processor, 160 GB 7200 RPM HD, intel wireless a/b/g, 9 cell li-ion battery, 8X DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive, NVIDIA (R) GeForce TM Go 8400M GS with 128MB dedicated graphic memory, 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 RAM</p>
<p>Tell me, with a budget of $1100, how could I have done better buying a Mac?</p>
<p>^ inspiron isn't exactly known for its build quality, as with all consumer lines. macs are (presumably) comparable to business-line laptops, ie latitude, travelmate, etc.</p>
<p>i would also assume you got some sort of discount? dell likes to throw discounts everywhere. their products and support aren't the best (not that most people care about having the best)</p>
<p>the strength of a mac is its OS. if you can't use it because of your job or whatever you do with your computer, or if you simply don't like it, then obviously windows or linux is better for you. that doesn't mean macs have an inferior OS. for the general populace, which knows next to nothing about computers, OSX beats the other OSs hands down. beyond that, its personal preference and software availability. not everyone plays the newest games, and not everyone writes software.</p>
<p>i use XP pro btw. considering switching to openSUSE or Ubuntu. my next laptop, though, is very likely to be a mac, unless Linux completely wins me over.</p>
<p>Toxic pretty much nailed it with "for the general populace, which knows next to nothing.." as macs are pretty much idiot proof.</p>
<p>EDIT: Oh and Sibelius, next time, look into the company "Everex", I got their Everex XT500T, which has along the lines of your specs for 850 dollars, the sweet thing is, I got a Geforce 7600Go with 256MB GM, at that price its a <em>STEAL</em>.</p>
<p>TienIsCoolX,</p>
<p>What happens if something goes wrong? Who fixes it and what's the turnaround on repairs?</p>
<p>Also, what happens if Everex goes out of business? Who will pick up the warranty?</p>
<p>Once again...</p>
<p>You aren't paying for hardware alone when you buy an Apple or a Thinkpad. You're paying for the overall package. From the OS to the service and support.</p>
<p>I like the fact that if something goes wrong with my computer, I can just walk into a nearby store and say, "please fix this." And it gets fixed. No call centers in Bangalore. No mailing things to and fro. Just repairs. Just support.</p>
<p>That's what I'll pay a premium for.</p>
<p>Oh, and about the "idiot proof" thing... The best part about the Mac for me is the fact that it may be an intuitive and well-designed OS that anyone can use, but underneath, lurking in the shadows is a terminal where someone who knows python can do REALLY neat stuff.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Also wrong. But it is hard, so yeah it's not really a great alternative.
[/quote]
Well, it's semantics, and I'm quibbling. :) What they're installing is not MacOS X, but a hacked version (as described at the link). Question: Will Apple's online updates talk to the hacked version?</p>
<p>Ari's right, the best is that it's MacOS X and simultaneously BSD Unix.</p>
<p>As with many things, there's no simple "best" but rather, best for a given purpose. Mac is easiest to learn and use, so if you learn on it, you just find everything about Windows distasteful, and, apparently, vice versa. But after ten years of having to use Windows (for email, meeting scheduling and bug tracking) at work, I still hate it, and do productivity work on the Mac next to it (where the coding happens).</p>
<p>The thing with the Mac for me is that I feel like everything is more... smooth. It's so easy for me to switch windows with expose, or to open a program with Spotlight/Quicksilver. </p>
<p>I just work more slowly on a Windows machine. Don't get me wrong and accuse me of being Windows illiterate-- I use Windows better than most Windows users-- it's just that I prefer the way Mac OS X is set up.</p>
<p>I've never had a problem with my computers messing up, my last desktop I've had for 3 years had only one virus in all that time I used it, and the AV program was freeware. The computer did have a heat issue with the P4 processor, but that was easily fixed with 10 dollars worth of thermal paste.</p>
<p>Now with this laptop, I'll admit things are a bit trickier, but if something goes wrong like a dead hard drive, I can replace that by myself, without all the extra costs that computer companies want.</p>
<p>Who says that the computer companies want extra costs? I take my computer into Apple, they fix it under warranty, and I get it back.</p>
<p>That, and if the logic board or something harder to fix goes bad, I don't have to go nuts.</p>
<p>Saw this Q&A at an Apple stock forum, though it might not be that simple:</p>
<p>Q: so my friend is going to law school and wants
to switch to mac. however, her school told her they take exams on the
computer and the exam software only runs on windows. shes worried that
the emulator will not be 100% fool proof, and because its her exams
she was asking me if boot camp and running windows on her mac will be
able to get her through... any thoughts? I dont want her to have the
wrong advice and be unhappy switching to mac. id rather tell her to
wait and switch 2 years from now instead of having her grades
suffer... thoughts?</p>
<p>A: it will work.
She just needs to get a new mac (or used with an INTEL PROCESSOR).
Then she needs to buy a copy of Windows (whichever version her
school's software needs). Use Apple Boot Camp & Set Up a Dual-Boot
System.
Windows runs like on any other computer (less than flawless), OSX
(runs flawelessly)
She can choose which to boot at startup.</p>
<p>Yeah, it's pretty much that simple.</p>
<p><a href="runs%20flawelessly">quote</a>
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Again, as has been pointed out a ton of times in this thread, no. There is no OS that runs flawlessly. There can't be in fact. </p>
<p>And it feels very silly to buy an overpriced mac and buy a copy of XP on top of it.</p>