Rene, If you're interested in a Mac running VMWare's Fusion, Parallel's Desktop, or any other emulation/virtualization software, Macworld Magazine did a comparison of these programs within the past three or four months. You might still find it available on their Web site.
I also agree with Art on the 10-key peripheral. They're fairly cheap and MUCH easier/cheaper to replace than a new keyboard or computer! If it's something that would fit into your work method/style, it just might help you out quite a bit. Apple is making a push for more of the business market, and has been for quite a few years since they introduced their own rack-mounted server. Recently, with the increased sales/market share of Macs, Apple is also pushing their computers more towards the business market, too. With the help of virtualization software and Apple's own Boot Camp software, there's little that a Mac can't do these days. PC Magazine has for quite a few years now considered a Mac laptop one of the best, and PC World and Consumer Reports usually agrees with them, for what that might be worth. Good luck with your decision and purchase, whatever it might be! Samuel I. Beard, Jr. Technical Writer OI Analytical 979 690-1711 Ext. 222 sbeard at oico.com -----Original Message----- From: framers-boun...@lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Rene Stephenson Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 8:52 AM To: FrameUsers List Subject: How FM use impacts purchasing decisions Hi All, My PC laptop is beaten up so badly it's barely stable anymore, so it's getting time to start the process of identifying the next workhorse for me. (Yes, I am rough on a laptop and rely on it very heavily. Any testimonials of your laptop successes are more than welcome!) I have gotten rather irritated with Microsoft since Vista came out, and I really am reluctant to get a new PC laptop due to it shipping with Vista and all the exponentially increased hassle factor that will entail. Frankly, I don't have time to spend 30 minutes per product just to load the software and get it functional by jumping through all the hoops required now. I "get" that it's piracy protection, and I "get" the concept and am not trying to circumvent any copyright laws, but it really just feels like my time and purse are being taxed because of other people's lack of ethics. I have some friends who have moved to the Mac platform for their laptops, and they swear by them. All the IT gurus I know swear by Unix/Linux and open source development. But, then I get the cold water splashing in the face: the majority of my computer use is work related, and the majority of that work is done in FrameMaker, and FM seems viable only in PC world. Am I missing something, or is this really the trap it seems to be? If I'm going to continue working with clients whose environment, architecture, workflow, and staffing all revolve around FrameMaker, am I forced to concede to all the baggage that comes with the PC world? Or is there a viable way to use FrameMaker on a new Apple laptop/notebook/etc., or on a Linux laptop, seamlessly with FM files saved by and shared with FM PC users? I can't risk hosing anything in these single-sourced shared-file environments...! Thanks in advance, Rene L. Stephenson
