So out of the 6 classes I have this semester, there's only one in which I have no wireless Internet access...and unfortunately it's the one where I could use it the most - my Technical Writing Class. Thankfully, I'm not in that class right now so I can babble to you all :)
I was up in New Haven for the long weekend and it looks like I brought some warm weather up with me because it wasn't nearly as freezing as it had been in the days before I got up there. It wasn't bad at all.
I'm in two very interesting classes this semester: a compiler design class and an ASIC design class. Both classes look like they're going to be the most time consuming of my load this semester, and they are both on Tuesdays/Thursdays. We're only one week into the semester but both of those classes are turning out to be worth the effort. You may hear me ramble on about them as the semester goes on...just a heads up.
I posted the Intel Roadmap article you all asked for, although we focused on desktop CPUs in this one if there's enough demand I can do something similar for Opteron/Xeon. It's more difficult doing this stuff for ATI and NVIDIA because they share much less data with their partners than AMD and Intel do for example. ATI has actually kept an extremely tight lid on their R420, but I've got a few more sources to tap into before calling it a day.
With wireless Internet available in classes I'm seeing more and more students bringing in laptops, but what I find curious are the number of Apple Powerbooks being used. I'm not a big fan of Apple's hardware, although their ergonomics engineers have definitely earned their keep. The Powerbooks are far from the lightest devices around but they seem to have decent battery life and most of the users I've asked say that they are fast enough for what they do.
The seal on the deal however seems to be OS X, which brings me to my point - being a member of the group of the hardest of hardcore PC users, would you all ever consider not necessarily moving to an Apple but maybe adding one to your collection of computers? I've thought about it in the past, just as an experiment, but the hardware never excited me and the feel of the OS was just a little uncomfortable for me. Just curious as to what you all think.
Despite my issues with Apple's hardware, I am a huge iPod fan as well as a big Cinema Display advocate (although there are finally some more interesting PC displays available).
I've got another wedding location to visit this afternoon (I leave in about 6 minutes, after class gets out) and....ooh class got out early, I'll catch you all later :)
I was up in New Haven for the long weekend and it looks like I brought some warm weather up with me because it wasn't nearly as freezing as it had been in the days before I got up there. It wasn't bad at all.
I'm in two very interesting classes this semester: a compiler design class and an ASIC design class. Both classes look like they're going to be the most time consuming of my load this semester, and they are both on Tuesdays/Thursdays. We're only one week into the semester but both of those classes are turning out to be worth the effort. You may hear me ramble on about them as the semester goes on...just a heads up.
I posted the Intel Roadmap article you all asked for, although we focused on desktop CPUs in this one if there's enough demand I can do something similar for Opteron/Xeon. It's more difficult doing this stuff for ATI and NVIDIA because they share much less data with their partners than AMD and Intel do for example. ATI has actually kept an extremely tight lid on their R420, but I've got a few more sources to tap into before calling it a day.
With wireless Internet available in classes I'm seeing more and more students bringing in laptops, but what I find curious are the number of Apple Powerbooks being used. I'm not a big fan of Apple's hardware, although their ergonomics engineers have definitely earned their keep. The Powerbooks are far from the lightest devices around but they seem to have decent battery life and most of the users I've asked say that they are fast enough for what they do.
The seal on the deal however seems to be OS X, which brings me to my point - being a member of the group of the hardest of hardcore PC users, would you all ever consider not necessarily moving to an Apple but maybe adding one to your collection of computers? I've thought about it in the past, just as an experiment, but the hardware never excited me and the feel of the OS was just a little uncomfortable for me. Just curious as to what you all think.
Despite my issues with Apple's hardware, I am a huge iPod fan as well as a big Cinema Display advocate (although there are finally some more interesting PC displays available).
I've got another wedding location to visit this afternoon (I leave in about 6 minutes, after class gets out) and....ooh class got out early, I'll catch you all later :)
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wicktron - Thursday, January 22, 2004 - link
OS-X is definitely a wonderful OS. Hell, if there was more game support for it, I'd probably completely move over to a Mac.But then again, Macs don't fulfull my rabid addiction to overclocking.
lnguyen - Thursday, January 22, 2004 - link
I have added a mac to the hardware list.. an iBook. It definately is costly, but I got a refurb. I actually like OS X. Some people may feel it too "simple" but that's what makes it really easy. I can see why it'd be nice for the computer illiterate. Hell, I love how you "install" programs... no dll hell.With that said, I could never switch my main comp to a mac, waaay too costly. And I'm too accustomed to Windows. But my next laptop will be a 12" powerbook. I have yet to see anything on the PC side to match it in style (in the same footprint, I won't use a bigger laptop:)). Power is a moot point since I'm not doing anything intensive.
Anonymous - Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - link
macs(dont deserve to be capitalized) eww. Stop talking about them please. No need to technicaly explain why because just like macs it would be a waste of timeGL - Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - link
My main computer is now an iBook 700. To put things into perspective, I was previously using a high-end Pentium 4 computer. My reason for switching was OS X. It's really a kickass operating system. No, it's not perfect. But the sort of complaints I have about OS X are about as vain as telling a supermodel to drop a couple of pounds.Mac OS X development is also awesome. Cocoa is a great framework. Once you get used to Objective-C's syntax quirkiness, you learn to appreciate its simple beauty. I actually much prefer Obj-C to C++ nowadays. There is a consistent, well thought-out, principled approach to Mac OS X's design that only a geek can admire.
There are just so many things that get overlooked about OS X. It has the most comprehensive scriptable GUI out there. I can make a script that could take this little message I'm writing, and summarize it. While I'm typing this, I'm making use of system-wide spell checking. I've made a script that reads aloud e-mail from certain important people in my address book as it arrives in my inbox (so that I don't have to stop what I'm doing unless it's important). Rendezvous (IEEE Zeroconf) is tremendously convenient and continues to amaze me to this day, especially when used in conjuction with a wireless connection.
As I mention to everyone who asks "why did you switch?", I would have laughed at myself 3 years ago if someone were to tell me that I'd be using a Mac as my main computer. But people change, products change, and somewhere along the line this past year, I had the opportunity to try out a Mac. I haven't looked back.
I'm looking forward to puchasing my next computer which will be a dual G5 - hopefully Apple will upgrade their top of the line to a dual 2.6 GHz soon. Let me know when AnandTech starts taking review samples <cough> just in case you need somebody to show you the ropes :-)
ViRGE - Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - link
To answer your Mac questions Anand, what I think you're seeing is a general realization that even though the Mac platform has weaknesses(although, all platforms have weaknesses), the Mac's are primarily in the Desktop arena; Apple's laptops on the other hard are nearly perfect.I'm both a PC gamer and a Mac user myself, so I can offer my insights as follows. Because I'm a gamer(and to a lesser extent, a tweaker), a Mac desktop simply doesn't match my needs; I'd love to get one, and I'd probably use it most of the time, but since it doesn't really do games, it's a bit silly to have 2 machines when I can only use 1 of them at a time. It's for this reason that I instead have a PC as a desktop, but a Mac as a laptop, even though I paid for a Mac OOP instead of recieving a free(crappy) Dell. Since I don't intend to game on a laptop, it removes the biggest concerns I have with a Mac laptop, and I can instead focus on its strengths.
As far as Mac laptops go, they offer better wireless support than anything else out there on the market, with OS X's wireless control system many times simplier than a PC's/WinXP's, but still as functional. The quality of the body must also be noted, as even though a PowerBook can scratch easily due to the metal casing, it does not break as easily as plastic, so it will hold up better. The hardware is a bit underpowered compared to PCs, but this isn't a concern to me, since in 2004, there are few things that truely tax a machine, none of which I'm going to do on a laptop. The single mouse button is also a good touch(ironically enough), since I don't need to worry about what I'm pressing in the small space of a laptop.
The rest of a PowerBook's strength then lies in OS X, like you've stated. There is no argument that it takes a bit of time to learn OS X, but underneath the Aqua/Metal finish, there is a lot of power that can be exploited from it, if you want to go that far; it can be as simple or as complex as one needs it to be. Things like the iApps are a nice touch, and OS X, once you've learned the hang of it, seems to be easier to use(and I'm sorry I can't quantify the reason why), which is a benefit in the tight controls/screenspace of a laptop. The Unix base is also great to have, as it allows me to make use of a lot of interesting little GNU/free widgets.
OS X does have a couple of weaknesses I'd like to note for, just for the record. My biggest pet peave is that unlike WinXP, OS X does not have native headphone spatialization(a special channel mixing technique to avoid the distinct channel seperation of each ear being isolated), so most things sound a little "off" when using it with headphones. This is really only noticable when watching movies or listening to music however, so I use VLC, which features its own spatializer. My other complaint is a general platform complaint, in that being a non-Windows, non-IE platform, not every last site works correctly, although it's only when I go well off the beaten path that I encounter issues.
Other than that however, I am very happy with my PC/Mac duo nature. At the very least Anand, you're not exactly a poor fellow, so bite the bullet and give it a try; I think you'll quickly become adapt at the machine and the OS, and come to like it(and if not, you can quickly resell it, and get most of your money back). At the very least, as a closed platform, you won't have to worry about hardware too much, which even as a hardware guru, is a good thing, since even The Boss could use a break.:)
GTaudiophile - Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - link
Anand, please share that R420 info when you can!I was introduced to computers in first grade at the age of 7. The computer I was introduced to was a Macintosh Plus. Between 1987 and 1996, my family only used Macs...and I learned squat about most aspects of computing. It wasn't until I begged my parents for a PC, "broke" it the day after Christmas, and spent five hours on the phone with Gateway tech support that I began my lust for learning about all things PC. Of course, the Gateway we bought in 1996 has come and gone but the circa-1993 Macintosh LCIII we have is still going strong. I think that is a testament to Apple's reliability and build quality.
Apple has certainly come a long way since 1994. Their machines are masterpieces of proper industrial design. OS X has the most beautiful and refined GUI in PC history. But I think looking good is enough for Apple. They cater to a niche market, a market willing to pay a premium for that look and design. If that makes Apple's stock holders happy, I have no problem with that. In fact, if more companies adopted Apple's philosophy of effective and intuitive hardware design, everyone would benefit.
But as for my personal choice in computers, my recent decision to buy a PC laptop over an Apple Powerbook clearly indicates that I am not willing to pay a price premium for a device that will be laregely incompatible with the majority of the rest of the world. As slick as OS X is, I can't afford to go buy new software for a new platform.
Anonymous - Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - link
need more mousejake - Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - link
That's an interesting question...I never wanted an Apple PC, for much the same reasons as you. Lately they're getting better and I htink using IBM instead of Motorola will be fruitfull. The G5 is a good start.
I decided a while ago that I needed a laptop, I have wirless all over my apt for my old roommates laptop, and my parents use it, so I can hook up in many places. Plus, nothing beats being able to sit anywhere in the house, and still connect.
So, since I have a very good friend who works for Apple I decided to get a newer 15" powerbook. I like OS X, and now I have a Windows machine, a linux box, and an Apple computer. Works for me. The speed is pretty good and though I haven't really tried gaming on it, it does come with an Ati 9600 video card. I'm gonna try it after I upgrade my RAM. Long story short, it may not be an Alienware super laptop, but it's a good machine in its own right.
And James, yes they still have one damn button, but as with all modern computers, you can buy a different mouse. (I'm considering getting a bluetooth logitech wireless setup. I could bring it back and forth between my desktop, and my powerbook. :) )
James Geurts - Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - link
The problem I have with Apple hardware is the single mouse button. Maybe this has changed, but in any case, it has left a big soar spot with me.