Hey Ben Thanks for the awesome write up :) I've been thinking of getting one of these boxes, I just need to get off my ass and do it! How's life been? _____________________________________ Julian Zottl Getting ahead in the tech sector isn't about kissing butt ... you gotta sniff the right packets
---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: Ben Ruset <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: The Hardware List <[email protected]> Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2005 21:38:39 -0500 >Well, this is belated but I figured that I'd share my impressions of my >Mac Mini with the group. > >A little background. I recently started a new job. At this job, one of >our servers is an Apple XServe. Having never really worked too much with >MacOS X I asked if they would buy me a Mini to learn on. Since I have a >Toshiba laptop, I already have a Windows machine to use if I need. > >We ordered it, and there was about a 3 week backorder. I was anxious, >but not as anxious as this kid -> http://goozballs3.spymac.net/petiemac.html > >Two weeks ago, I finally got it. > >My first impression? Damn. This thing is TINY. Slightly larger than 5 CD >jewel cases stacked on each other. I also got an Apple "pro" USB >keyboard as well. The build quality on it is top notch. It's all >plastic, but it feels very solid and well built. > >OSX takes a little getting used to. In a way, it's like having a Linux >desktop that works right out of the box. There is very little tweaking >that you need to do to get things just right. I especially like how the >OS is built on BSD. Essentially you can drop down into a command prompt >and hack away at anything you want. > >One of the biggest differences I found between Windows and Mac is the >concept of installing programs. Essentially your program is one big >file. You drag this file over to your "Applications" folder on your hard >drive. Then drag the icon into the dock if you want. Bam - installed. >There is no concept of a registry, no .ini files, no .dll files >scattered all over. If you want to delete your program, just drag it to >the trash. It's THAT easy. > >The drawback to that is speed. I have noticed that both Firefox and >Thunderbird run at about 75% of the speed that they would normally run >under Windows. This more than likely has to do with the OS dealing with >one big "file" versus smaller files and the registry. > >The other thing that is hard to get over is the concept that there are >no full screen windows. I prefer to run my apps in full screen mode. >Open Word for Mac and it's just large enough to use - no making it the >full width of the screen. (Well, you might be able to, but it doesn't >default to that size.) I read somewhere that Windows users are more apt >to use their apps in full screen mode versus windowing, whereas in Linux >and Mac they're sort of forced to use windowing. > >With the deluge of spyware and viruses, and the draconian tactics of >Microsoft in Windows, I would not be surprised to see more and more >people switch away. I am pretty much a die-hard Windows/Linux sysadmin >and I personally want to ditch all of my Windows machines and go Mac. > >
