The Mac Mini

skippymjp

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Right now, I'm posting from a T-Mobile Sidekick...which is terribly cute and handy for travel, but just plain awlful for serious work. The motherboard in my PC has joined the dinosaurs.

The market right now is filled with new PC's preloaded with Windows Vista. I'd been dual booting Ubuntu Linux and Windows XP, and my first opinion when looking at Vista was "ewwww".

So now, I'm looking at the Mac Mini. It will use the USB keyboard and mouse from my PC, and even has an adapter where I can attach the VGA connector to my HDTV and use it as a monitor (sweet).

Sooo, anyone with opinions on the Mac Mini thats not listed in the literature?
 

pinkdaisy226

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Okay I know nothing about Macs but I'm so jealous you have a Tmobile Sidekick... I always wanted one! Too bad I'm a Sprint user... blah.
 

godiva

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My husband was just given a Mac laptop for work (and a new Blackberry.... :p I am jealous)... I forget what it is called, something "Pro"... it's awesome. It has a program where he can run XP and the Mac OS at the same time, just by toggling windows. Macs have come a long way! I like them better than PCs, but PCs are just everywhere.
 

swampwitch

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MacBooks have less memory (easily installed, though) and can't burn DVDs like MacBook Pros can.

http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/

My MacBook boots up in 12 seconds! I never wait more than a second for a web page, no matter how picture-heavy. It has a built-in isight camera, is very sleek, and comes with lots of cool software. After you buy it, you basically open it up, and begin! And with wireless, I can surf in the hammock in our back yard.

http://www.apple.com/macbook/macbook.html

But you are talking about the Minis!
 

strange_wings

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I had a friend get a mac mini a while back, the thing overheated and died on him.
Luckily for him the warranty covered that and he got a replacement, which I think is still running fine.
 
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skippymjp

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Actually, I still have a Compaq Wireless laptop that also dual boots between XP and Linux. But, my little brother is on a 3 week training junket in Atlanta, Georgia, and I let him use it, just in time for my desktop to croak.

I know that I asked for opinions, but I made up my mind and took the plunge about 15 minutes ago. I ordered the Mac Mini direct online, and paid for next day shipping. It should be here Friday


And thats for the link SwampWitch, already been there and signed up
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by SwampWitch

My MacBook boots up in 12 seconds! I never wait more than a second for a web page, no matter how picture-heavy. It has a built-in isight camera, is very sleek, and comes with lots of cool software. After you buy it, you basically open it up, and begin! And with wireless, I can surf in the hammock in our back yard.
i'm so jealous! i think i'm planning to use my IRS refund next year for a macbook... my imac is at least 4 years old.
 

carolpetunia

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You did the right thing! I just got a Mini a couple of months ago, and I love it! Even though money has always been a major issue for me, I stand by my Macs -- they're expensive, but they're worth it.

Just one caution: test all the ports on yours before your warranty runs out. I discovered the other day that one of mine is dead, so I have to take it in for repair.

MAC RULES!
 

lunasmom

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I think XP is my last operating system from Microsoft. After hearing that Vista appeared on the market with over 20,000 security vulnerabilities (2x as much as XP had) that basically confirmed my next move.

I have been considering Umbunto. I recently downloaded OpenOffice and really like it. We'll see..I'm not in the market for a new computer yet.
 

theimp98

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its a MAC DONT DO IT


lol just kidding, i am thinking of buying a macbook just cause i have never had a mac before to play with
 

lionessrampant

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I have a PowerBook G4 purchased in 2004...and it's in need of a little bit of cleaning and updating (it takes about 45 seconds to boot up these days) , but it's never given me trouble and it's never had a virus. I have to admit, though, it froze once, but I deserved it. I was abusing it.


I will probably buy a MacBook with Leopard (the yet-to-be-released OS) at some point next year, assuming that our wedding and moving budgets don't go over. My sister has one and I like it a lot. Plus, I'm still running Panther with 1.33gHz and 512 RAM. And I have 80GB's of HD, but that's running low because I have so much darn music on here.

I basically NEED a Mac, though, since I use Pro Tools, Garage Band and Sibelius, which as far as I know don't run on PC.
 
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skippymjp

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I paid the extra $22 USD for next day delivery, and it was right on time, the Mac Mini was here by 10:45 am.....but, I had worked 15 hours the night before, and if the FedEx driver had kicked out a window, it would not have awaken me

So, I had to drive into town this evening and pick up the package at the depot. The little Mac Mini is fantastic (and came packed in the cutest little box ever, like a big pet rock), and just completely full of eye-candy, zippys, do-dads and just plain little woweees.


It seems to have been influenced a great deal by Debian Linux, and the KDE Linux desktop, which I've used before, so getting used to using the Mac was a piece of cake. The reviews that I read about the Mini said that it had 2 USB 2.0 ports....mine has 4
It looks like the Mini has been upgraded a LOT since most of the reviews were written. I am totally, completely happy with it.
 

sharky

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I have used macs ... well lets just say I havent used one regularly since the mid to late 90's .... they are kewl thou and I might do that when I get a notebook
 

lookingglass

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Originally Posted by Skippymjp

I paid the extra $22 USD for next day delivery, and it was right on time, the Mac Mini was here by 10:45 am.....but, I had worked 15 hours the night before, and if the FedEx driver had kicked out a window, it would not have awaken me

So, I had to drive into town this evening and pick up the package at the depot. The little Mac Mini is fantastic (and came packed in the cutest little box ever, like a big pet rock), and just completely full of eye-candy, zippys, do-dads and just plain little woweees.


It seems to have been influenced a great deal by Debian Linux, and the KDE Linux desktop, which I've used before, so getting used to using the Mac was a piece of cake. The reviews that I read about the Mini said that it had 2 USB 2.0 ports....mine has 4
It looks like the Mini has been upgraded a LOT since most of the reviews were written. I am totally, completely happy with it.
Welcome to HOMO! Honorable Order of Macintosh Operators!

I want one so bad I can taste it... that is going to be my next computer!
 

rubsluts'mommy

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I used to be a totally Mac person until I thought I'd try the Air Force (TG I didn't get in). I still have both of my PC's but they certainly have far more issues than my current Mac. I bought an iMac a little over a year ago for trying to boost my web design biz (I'm now dropping that in favor of steady employment and due to a lack of sane clients). I use my iMac way more than the PC's. Of those two machines, one runs W98 (my writing computer and never online), the desktop runs XP, and have I had issues.

Here's a good example of why I love my Mac. one of my former clients started 'yelling' (via email) about how his website is infected and I must have infected it... I had to explain to him, repeatedly, that it wouldn't have come from me because I use my Mac to do the design... and I can almost 100% guarantee it's virus-free. I DL'd and ran a scan anyway, JUST to make the twit happy. I dropped him a couple months later because he was still being an a** about things... I knew that when I started getting headaches just thinking about working on his site, it was stime to dorp him. Turns out the site wasn't infected... it was his computer (won't say what internet connection program he uses, but it's VERY popular and highly overrated... and overpriced)

I'm glad you went Mac... I want to turn my PC's into Linux machines... at least one of them, but i don't think the laptop can handle a major change like that (it can't handle XP... not enough RAM it's OLD)

Well, off to work...

A.
 
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