New Laptop?
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@mike lucey said:
No harm in asking your local Apple Dealers even if you had to hire a machine for a period.
Funnily enough, I did just this before Christmas, as I am looking to purchase a Mac Mini next (Mac Minis are real bargains!!). The Apple shop were very happy to help out, even offering to download SketchUp and installing it for me!
I started computing on MS-DOS (we also had access to an Apple IIe, via the university, running MS Basic!). The was on a 486DX machine, before I switched to Windows. But at that point I also had an Atari STFM (Mac on the cheap), and then picked up an ancient Apple SE30 which had a knackered HD. The SE30 just ran so much faster than the P1 windows machine, and of course was a lot more stable, as well as being portable, that I used it more often. I then bought secondhand Macs, until I could afford my first 'new' one, this one in fact, which is used 24/7 for the last 3 years- an absolute workhorse! I bought this Macbook Pro while a student, so I got the discount + 3 years worth of Applecare, free.
Incidentally, I have MS-DOS running too, on this Mac, via Boxer!
best,
Tom
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Tom, can you run a Windows version of SU via Boxer or some other method?
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Dave, unfortunately you can't run SU in Boxer, because SU doesn't run on DOS, but you can run Windows XP/Vista/7 on a Mac (as well as Boxer) either by means of virtualisation (Parallels or VMware, within Mac OS X), or by rebooting into Windows (via BootCamp). I had boxer installed so I could run some of the more ancient house design software. I believe that the original 3DS Max ran in DOS. I'd love to get a copy and see if it would work in Boxer. Because of the Core Duo 2 CPU speed, it runs like a cat off a hot tin roof- as they say.
Macs are like Leica M rangefinders. You never realise how brilliant they are until you start working with them. I really badly want a Leica again. I used to have an M6 film Leica, and I could just work without any problems. These days, every camera I own, just gets in the way, and 99% of the time, I miss the shot. I have the same experience whenever I run Windows. I'm always updating this or that, mainly security updates- it just makes me want to shut the damn thing down.
But Mike is right. You'll quickly get used to the advantages of SU in Mac OS X, and you won't look back.
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@unknownuser said:
But Mike is right. You'll quickly get used to the advantages of SU in Mac OS X, and you won't look back.
That's what I thought two years ago, I bought an Imac and decided I was going to the dark side as I was sick of Vista and all the bloody security warnings whenever wanted to do anything.
I realised half my day to day software was not Mac compatible, SU was very hard to get used to, the video card that came with the Imac was pathetic, the ram expansion was limited not to mention overpriced, and it hated my network and would jump to my second network (kids monitored one) whenever it felt like a change, not forgetting the mouse that came with it which had a nipple and zoomed everywhere when you touched it or would show the desktop gadgets on the slightest finger slip, oh if you like a tidy desktop, then you need to clean it regularly as everything lands there by default
Other than that it looked great.
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Well, more to think about.
Thanks Tom and Pete.
Tom, I know what you mean about the M6. I've never really been able to get into digital photography. I do it but I'd much prefer shooting some Kodachrome 25 on my old equipment.
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After 4 gaming spec laptops I spent a little bit more on a mobile workstation class laptop the last time arround and I must say it was faster with Sketchup than any PC I had used up to that point. The main contenders in this bracket are Dell Precision workstation laptops (M6400 and M6500 - go for Quadro FX card option) & the HP EliteBook 8730w Mobile Workstation or the lower spec 8710w if still available.
If you're going dark - go deep midnight black.
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TV, I'll look at the machines you listed. thank you.
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@solo said:
I realised half my day to day software was not Mac compatible,
If there is really a crucial app that only runs on windows, run it under vmware etc. that way when the windows partition gets virused you just start a copy of the VM setup. I've not discovered any apps that make me want to do that; I tried DoubleCAD XT and really, really, don't like it.
@solo said:
SU was very hard to get used to, the video card that came with the Imac was pathetic,
Mine has a 4850 with half a gig of ram, drives the 24" monitor and a second 20" panel perfectly well.
@solo said:
the ram expansion was limited not to mention overpriced,
Mine came with 2Gb but I spent a whole $100 for 4Gb and used the original in my macbook. New ones come with 4Gb and can take 16Gb.
@solo said:
and it hated my network and would jump to my second network (kids monitored one) whenever it felt like a change,
Not heard of that problem before. Perhaps it didn't like to associate with nasty windows machines?
@solo said:
not forgetting the mouse that came with it which had a nipple and zoomed everywhere when you touched it or would show the desktop gadgets on the slightest finger slip
you can trivially turn off the side buttons and the scrollball is actually extremely useful when orbiting and zipping around a model.
@solo said:
oh if you like a tidy desktop, then you need to clean it regularly as everything lands there by default
No, actually it doesn't. Or at least not on any of mine. Downloads go where you set it to put them. Saved models etc go where you tell them to.
We should all use tools that make us feel comfortable and capable and clearly Macs don't do it for you. But it's smart to choose tools based on actual facts rather than rumours or other people's issues or what one reads in PCWorld etc. I've used windows machines (along with assorted unices, linuxes, weird british machines, mainframes, embedded OSs and even a couple I helped to write) all the way back to 3.0 and I just don't have the patience to deal with the annoyances anymore. My work is no longer to fight the OS but to use various tools for a different level of work. OS X is the least annoying of the available choices and so that's what I use.
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Dave,
I have been using an Acer Aspire 8920G for the past two years. and I have to say its still surprisingly fast. (Intel Core 2 Duo with 2,5Ghz, 4 GB ram, 2x 320Gb hard disk, Nvidia Geforce 9650 GS (the weakest link actually)).
what made me buy this machine, mainly for SketchUp use, is it's High Definition screen, and the numeric keyboard. that comes in very handy when typing in measures in SU.
and of course the integrated Blu Ray drive doesn't hurt either
it is rather expensive though and I am not sure, if it can compete with the other options prize wise. but it definitely is a well built and fast laptop.
although you have to bear in mind that its not a light one, weighing 4,5 kg! so if you want to carry it around a lot... you might want to chose something else
about the OS question. well, thats really one's personal choice. but I use both MacOsX (I think 10.5) and Windows 7. and for the operating system itself as well as the experience of SketchUp, for me Windows 7 makes the race. not by far. its just a matter of small things that add up, really, like that with Mac OS I can't delete a file by hitting the delete button (I either have to use context click or drag it into the bin) or I haven't got a proper task manager, where I can see how much memory or CPU a program is using... that sort of stuff.
I think Windows Vista would have failed this comparisson. but Windows 7 just got there for me
(although I have to say that I am slightly biased for I've been using Win since 3.11). -
@plot-paris said:
its just a matter of small things that add up, really, like that with Mac OS I can't delete a file by hitting the delete button (I either have to use context click or drag it into the bin) or I haven't got a proper task manager, where I can see how much memory or CPU a program is using... that sort of stuff.
I think Windows Vista would have failed this comparisson. but Windows 7 just got there for me
(although I have to say that I am slightly biased for I've been using Win since 3.11).I don't really follow this - Command-backspace does file delete and Activity Monitor does what the Windows Task Manager does.
Chris
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@plot-paris said:
for me Windows 7 makes the race. not by far. its just a matter of small things that add up, really, like that with Mac OS I can't delete a file by hitting the delete button (I either have to use context click or drag it into the bin) or I haven't got a proper task manager, where I can see how much memory or CPU a program is using... that sort of stuff.
erm...
By pressing the command and backspace keys, you delete a file. Simple.
If you need to keep an eye on memory or CPU cycles (or even how hot your CPU is getting), you open "Activity Monitor" in the utilities folder.
It is simply untrue that the Mac puts everything on the desktop. YOU choose where files go- everytime. It's almost as if people say they have owned and used these brilliant machines, but actually have only played around with them in their local branch of PC World.
I'm sorry this is turning into another I hate Mac debate. It really depresses me how much those who don't use the Macintosh system are prepared to say what they do and what they don't do.
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Forgot the screen shot
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@tfdesign said:
Forgot the screen shot :oops:
I was only saying yesterday how nice it was to find a forum where Mac and PC power users don't have to spend the whole thread defending there OS choices
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cool. both things my colleagues weren't able to tell me. thanks, guys!
is there a keyboard shortcut to open up the activity monitor? and does it start even if all other programs are frozen? that would be perfect -
@plot-paris said:
is there a keyboard shortcut to open up the activity monitor? and does it start even if all other programs are frozen? that would be perfect
not since the invention of wireless keyboards for the iMac, but on my MacBookPro if you toggle caption-lock and the light works, your normally still in business,
if it does [cmd]+[s] usually will save a SU file (even if it's not responding), then clicking on the MenuBar apple/then ForceQuit/SU will 9/10 get you back on track.frozen programs more often only lock themselves, unless your playing with alfa, beta or early release software and some unfriendly SU rubies.
iStatMenus has drop-down menu shortcuts to terminal and console and itself, but most the things you want to keep an eye on are always at the top of the screen and clicking those gives you loads more info.
BTW- Apple don't call them laptops because they can get far to hot, especially the 17" ones. mine lives on a sheet of corrugated ali, and is always on and plugged in when I'm not out and about. MiniBatteryLogger is also worth a look
have fun
john
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