if you will actually have to carry it around a lot consider the 15" model.
Agreed. The 17" is a beautiful machine but it sure is big. I'd use the 17" as a desktop replacement with "occasional" mobility. I have an old 15" and it's "just right" in terms of size. The widescreen (1280x854) is great too - makes going back to a regular aspect screen really hard!
I found CFMX on Tomcat to be the easiest install (easier than with JRun, in
my experience).
Yes, although I've now switched back to CFMX on JRun - since I discovered how to run it with the 1.4.2 JVM (**unsupported**).
I must say that Dreamweaver MX 2004 on my 1Ghz PowerBook
performs like a dog, and I have read MANY others who have expressed that
same problem, but that is the the only piece of software I have run across
that has this problem.
According to the Q3 earnings breezo, a DW updater is coming soon:
http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/ir/macr/web_pres/earnings/q304/ (slide 26)
Although I've become a big OSX fan, I can't say there's any really
compelling reason for you to "switch" from a productivity standpoint unless
you will get a lot of use out of *nix applications.
Yes, that's the biggest culture shock for folks who've only ever used Windows - you really do need to get comfortable with the command line when you're doing development on a Mac! I typically have three or four Terminal sessions open.
You'll find a lot of quality software out there, both written for OSX and for unix more generally.
You'll also find a huge supply of free open source software which can be a great way to learn new languages and new technologies.
1) Windows -- in OSX when you Alt-Tab, you Alt-Tab across applications, not
across windows, as you do in Windows.
In Panther, I use Expos� to switch between windows (F9). I find Expos� to be one of the biggest productivity tools since it shows live miniatures of all your open windows so you can see at-a-glance what state another window is in (if you're waiting for a process to complete).
2) Having to control-click instead of having a right mouse button.
Yes, and that can get particularly confusing if you're running X11 (which really needs a three-button mouse) and Virtual PC and switching between those and Mac OS X all the time.
Virtual PC is usable but it will feel slow for interactive use. If you've got plenty of memory in your PowerBook (see below) and you don't have any other apps running, Virtual PC isn't bad.
3) Closing the last open window of an application doesn't close that application. You have to "Quit" the application itself (typically, command-Q).
Hmm, I actually really like that feature - I tend to keep all my apps open all the time (I only reboot when I update my system software) so I never have to deal with application startup time. I've also mapped Quit to Command-Option-Q in most of my applications so I can't accidentally quit an app (close window - Command-W - is too close to quit on the keyboard :)
FWIW, I too have heard that Sony laptops have longevity issues. I've heard
great things about IBM Thinkpads, though.
Yes, the Thinkpad seems to be the standard PC laptop around here and most folks seem to love them. You pay a premium for the brand but you get quality in return. I've had good experiences with Dell and would consider the Inspiron or the Latitude (do they still make that?) if budget is an issue.
Key things with any laptop:
1. Buy as much memory as you can afford / fit in the machine!
I got my 800MHz 15" Powerbook with 512Mb RAM originally. I upgraded to 1Gb RAM recently and it's like a whole new machine!
2. Go to a store and try typing on various keyboards for a while to see if you can live with the key action!
I eliminated Compaq and several other brands this way back when I was in the Windows market ('97-'02).
3. Get an extra battery!
They're expensive and heavy but the convenience of the additional battery life when you're on the road totally outweighs that. Right now, I don't have a spare battery and I sure wish I did :(
Sean A Corfield -- http://www.corfield.org/blog/
"Conform! Consume! Obey!" -- Mr Snaffleburger : http://www.matazone.co.uk/theotherside.html
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