MacBook USB Modem
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From: Kurt Ullman on 7 Mar 2006 17:27 I am thinking about either a MacBook or Powerbook. I travel and still find myself using a dial-up connection from time to time. How hard is the USB Modem to set-up with the MacBook since MB doesn't come with an internal modem.I have heard some discussion on both sides. Anything else I should consider in making my decision. I am a writer so I am not a really heavy graphics or computing power user and speed isn't much of an issue either. BTW: This will be my first Mac purchase as I have only recently renounced the Dark Side (g). -- "America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."-- Claire Wolfe
From: Randy Howard on 7 Mar 2006 17:58 Kurt Ullman wrote (in article <1NnPf.3631$6I.2651(a)newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net>): > I am thinking about either a MacBook or Powerbook. I travel > and still find myself using a dial-up connection from time to time. > How hard is the USB Modem to set-up with the MacBook since MB > doesn't come with an internal modem.I have heard some discussion on > both sides. Modems are drop-dead simple. I can't imagine an officially supported modem being hard to configure. Absolute worst-case, take it into an Apple store and have one of the so-called "genius" characters help you out. > Anything else I should consider in making my decision. I am > a writer so I am not a really heavy graphics or computing power user > and speed isn't much of an issue either. > BTW: This will be my first Mac purchase as I have only recently > renounced the Dark Side (g). In which case, you don't have a heavy investment in any existing PPC binaries or older Mac classic applications, so there is zero incentive really to buy a Powerbook over a Macbook. You get much better performance (Which really does matter, whether you think so or not), you get a new product line with active support instead of buying in at the end of a soon-to-be end of life product, and software coming out from this point forward will likely be tested and supported better on Intel hardware than on PPC hardware, with the exception of stuff that comes from Apple itself, which I imagine they'll do a decent job of testing with both. For writing, you have your choice of a lot of editors. Even if you like that abhorrent MS Word, you can use Office for the Mac under Rosetta (which by all reports performs fairly well) until an Intel version comes out, or you can use a better word processor from any of a slew of options. :-) -- Randy Howard (2reply remove FOOBAR) "The power of accurate observation is called cynicism by those who have not got it." - George Bernard Shaw
From: Kurt Ullman on 7 Mar 2006 18:12 In article <0001HW.C0336C1E0178A4ADF0488550(a)news.verizon.net>, Randy Howard <randyhoward(a)FOOverizonBAR.net> wrote: >For writing, you have your choice of a lot of editors. Even if >you like that abhorrent MS Word, you can use Office for the Mac >under Rosetta (which by all reports performs fairly well) until >an Intel version comes out, or you can use a better word >processor from any of a slew of options. :-) > My problem is that everybody I work with requires submissions in ..doc format. A couple also insist that those other programs that allegedly emulate .doc formats don't. So, if I want to get paid I pretty much have to get Office or try to sneak one through (g). BTW: Thanks for the help. It was much appreciated. As a newbie is this generally the news group for asking the slew of questions that will probable pop up while I am trying to get my mind around Macs? -- "America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."-- Claire Wolfe
From: 42 on 7 Mar 2006 20:07 In article <kroPf.1590$x94.395(a)newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net>, kurtullman(a)yahoo.com says... > In article <0001HW.C0336C1E0178A4ADF0488550(a)news.verizon.net>, Randy > Howard <randyhoward(a)FOOverizonBAR.net> wrote: > > >For writing, you have your choice of a lot of editors. Even if > >you like that abhorrent MS Word, you can use Office for the Mac > >under Rosetta (which by all reports performs fairly well) until > >an Intel version comes out, or you can use a better word > >processor from any of a slew of options. :-) > > > My problem is that everybody I work with requires submissions in > .doc format. A couple also insist that those other programs that > allegedly emulate .doc formats don't. Those other programs that allegly emulate .doc formats? You mean the various versions of Microsoft Office? Seriously. :/ Microsoft Office documents aren't fully compatible within their own product line. A complex .doc created on Office 95 opened in Office 2003 can be pretty hit and miss. Seems like a double standard... the 3rd party apps are criticised for not being 100% compatible, meanwhile Microsoft, who owns the standards and has all the specs at their disposal can't do it either. Why should end users prefer a 'microsoft' product in this case? At least the 3rd parties are trying, and mostly succeeding at document compatibility... Microsoft isn't trying, indeed, it likes to break compatibility to ensure you upgrade to the new version... Who should get your dollars?
From: breyfogle on 7 Mar 2006 20:35
Kurt Ullman wrote: > I am thinking about either a MacBook or Powerbook. I travel > and still find myself using a dial-up connection from time to time. > How hard is the USB Modem to set-up with the MacBook since MB > doesn't come with an internal modem.I have heard some discussion on > both sides. > Anything else I should consider in making my decision. I am > a writer so I am not a really heavy graphics or computing power user > > and speed isn't much of an issue either. > BTW: This will be my first Mac purchase as I have only recently > renounced the Dark Side (g). > > -- > "America is at that awkward stage. It's too late > to work within the system, but too early to shoot > the bastards."-- Claire Wolfe The PPC Powerbook line is at the end of its development cycle. Within a year or so all Powerbook models will probably be gone and in another year or so PPC software will begin to vanish also. PPC compatible periferals will also begin to go away. Sure, you can but a PB today and probably keep it for 5 years or more but it will become increasingly difficult to keep it up to date. If you can spring for the cost of the MacBook, I would do that. It will remain fully supported much longer. |