Re: OT: Apple Macs

[forgive the post, but I'm not sure I un-spammed the original email address properly] In article , Tim Hobbs writes

If you're buying, go for a G4 or G5. We have an older iMac (G3) and a G4 desktop. Both would be fine with Quark, but the G4 is decidedly more powerful (although older), and has plenty of punch. The iMac was around

1k UKP. Powerbooks are a lot more. Secondhand ones are probably a fairly safe bet (they use the same memory as PCs these days), but the single button mice do die (the cables break internally where they leave the shell). The white mice are usually OK, but avoid S/H black ones. I *have* repaired one of ours, but it was fiddly and took ages to do, and isn't as nice as when new - they're not intended to be repaired.

There are companies selling 2nd user kit that advertise in MacWorld, etc. but I'd buy from John Lewis. We now make all our major PC purchases from them - 2 year warranty, proper telephone help line, and better prices than even the Web resellers usually. People think I'm daft, until we compare prices. Oh, and their staff usually know what they're talking about. Lewis' often have fully guaranteed factory re-packs and returned refurbished stuff too (at least they do here in Bristol). Our Apple LCD monitor and my HP Pavilion were both returned items, and both have been fine.

You can run Quark on a PC - that version has been around for ten years or so now. There is an issue with fonts - the Mac is still far better with Postscript than PCs are, and the PC Postscript fonts aren't usually completely compatible with typesetting ones. If the output is to Laser or similar, this may not matter.

We run a small network at home with PCs and Macs sharing files, internet access, printers, etc. and it works very well. Mac OS X is superb. You can emulate a PC (up to Win 95/98, usually) pretty well with cheap 3rd party software, but it's unnecessary just to share files and work. We run the MS Office suite for the Mac, and files are compatible in both directions (apart from the fonts thing, which is an issue but not a showstopper). For file sharing, the Macs show up as "Windows NT 4.5 server" on the LAN, which gets a grin from my IT friends.

Hope something above is useful.

Regards,

Simonm.

So, just in case I'm getting confused...

You thought it would be a good idea to start and arbitrarily subjected off topic thread, so that people could choose to read or ignore it, in preference to reading or ingoring, another off topic thread, which had drifted off topic? Which is what I started by saying, wasn't it? Why?

Perhaps I felt like it. I also don't want to argue with you.

Fair comment, I'll let you have that point then.

I long ago gave up on trying to understand the brain of a woman. Looking into it wasn't half as hard as getting it out in the first place...*

Me neither.

I have a job agruing with Charlotte and Max most of the time, and lose spectacularly - so you'd have to get on the queue anyway :-)

• Sad med school joke, thankfully quite old and no longer used as there's more women in med school these days who know Solicitors... :-)

Good.

I could say the same about men, although Bruce has a rather large scar on his head where they had a good look at his once at Queens Medical Centre.

good. Arguing is a waste of time and effort.

I'll get in the que then. I can't beat Bruce in an argument. Usually beacuse he's right, when I've thought about it.

very sad indeed;-)

|| || || Aye, and accepted in such a just and upright manner :-)

;-)

As you are/will be using Quark XPress there are some issues with XPress and the newest Macs as they are no longer supplied with OS 9.x. Quark have been VERY slow out of the traps and don't support OS X (the current Mac OS) prior to version 6 which has just been released.

This has a bearing on the level of Mac you need as you are likely to need OS 9.x.

There is a good second hand market for Macs as Mac users tend to replace the whole unit rather than upgrading by stealth with new mother boards/ CPU's etc... (This is by necessity rather than choice). Look in the back of any of the Mac magazines.

A second hand G3 or G4 laptop will cope easily with Quark but a new eMac ( note that's eMac NOT iMac) will give you best value for money if you don't need battery power. Just make sure it has OS 9 installed/with it as well as OS X so you can run Quark in "classic" mode. A new eMac (

700Mhz G4 roughly equal to an XP1600), capable of running Quark will set you back £600 inc. from PC World and that includes a 17" screen, keyboard, OS X and a CD burner. It'll be worth adding some extra RAM though and don't expect anyone in PC World to have a clue what they are talking about. You may think they no jack sh*t about PC's but you ain't seen nothing 'til you ask them a Mac question :-)

cheers

Dave W.

Haven't they locked you up yet?

Quite true, and we joined the ARC too and went from strength to strength as well. That Club evolved into a now even bigger organization in Ireland.

In any case, the current Club effort is not my sole effort.

Regards; Llandrovers! (remove the x to email me!)

2003 Discovery Td5 GS5 c/w CDL

South West Wales Land Rover Club -

Waiting...

Albeit being run by a paedophile...

No, you know how it is, kids like to wander. Parents 'usually' feel this is safe at such an event. That's why I think it's important that you're prevented from preying on children at such events in the future.

Which ones? The ones which were found when your computer was siezed in Wales, or do you mean the ones which were found when your computer was siezed in Dublin?

And who says I'm in total charge of it? Get your facts right, Bailey.

If I was a parent I would not let my kids wander, especially at such events.

Both, as you well know Martyn, the same person is responsible for attempting to muck up my life for the past three years or so. You'll hear more about this in the not too distant future, I can assure you of that!

Your damn right it's wearing thin. Thats the pair of you K/F

Paul

good description.

??

I'm a long-term, die-hard Mac user, and can't give a meaningful recommendation as I avoid PCs totally. I simply dont use Windows machines. Anyway, if you're worried about cost, you could look for a 'refurbished' mac direct from the Apple Store online, where you can get 25% off a fully-warranty machine.

Dont expect instant results, though it is much easier to learn than Windows apparently. You can expect an irrational sense of loyalty and fondness for an inanimate object, but then you're on this newsgroup, so you'll probably love it!

I thought it was rather apt ;-)

How sad is it that I'd never heard it before!

Martyn