Laptops: Mac vs. everyone else

[valkyrie]

Since when is there law school software? WTF? Can't you people read books and use Westlaw or Lexis on the internet like normal people? What else is there?

[ShaedyKD]

We use ExamSoft to take exams. It basically shuts you out of every other program on your computer except for ExamSoft, and you type your exam. It's kinda of like a word processing program I guess, I handwrote my exams. When the exam is over, you save your exam and close the program, then you upload it to the registrar through the internet. There's other details, don't worry, no one can write stuff and save it in there before the exam, because once you save a document, you can't open it again. There's no way to cheat around the software.

[AGDee]

The Tablet PC is a waste of money unless you are into graphic designing and want to actually draw on it and import the graphics. The ones I'm most familiar with are made by Motion Computing. If you don't purchase a keyboard for it, you have to use the stylus to type or write like you do on a PDA to "type". With the Motion Computing one, EVERYTHING is a plug in accessory. CD drive, Floppy drive, etc. There isn't anything built in except the ports for things to plug into. So, you get this really cool tiny tablet thing and you have to have at least 3 accessories to really use it (mouse, keyboard and CD/DVD Rom). The keyboards for them also act as a stand and as a cover for the Tablet. They feel really flimsy and typing on them, I worry I'm typing too hard.

I hear people rave about Vaios and I don't get it. Granted, mine was one of the earlier models, but it overheated a lot. I also had several keys just stop working.. the 6, the - and the delete key. It made things interesting, especially since my phone number has several 6's in it and my username on Yahoo has an _ in it (the shift of -). When I called Tech Support, they insisted it was an Operating System problem and had me re-install the OS over and over. It needed a new keyboard is what it needed. I do this for a living and KNEW what the problem was. They wouldn't fix it. I wouldn't touch another one.

The laptop I would like to have is the Dell Latitude D410. It's lightweight, very portable and comes with a docking station that has all your extras (CD/DVD and additional ports). Even WITH the docking station, it's slimmer than most others. One of our PhDs just got one and I was really drooling over it. It's much easier to get parts for Dells if you want to fix them yourself. They are pretty easy to disassemble too and have all their service manuals online, with step by step directions for replacing/upgrading parts. Their tech support is top notch and I would ALWAYS get the 3 year next day service level of support.

I've also had Canons, IBM Think Pads, and an Acer and I've worked with Toshibas. If I was going to get anything other than Dell, it would be Toshiba. We've never had an issue with any of our Toshiba laptops.

[blueangel]

I am typing from my MacBook Pro as we speak, and I LOVE IT! It's lightening fast-- has 2.0 GHz with an Intel core.

I have had two other Macs.. they never break, and they never get viruses. I STILL have my old Performa 600Cd from 1994, (with a whopping 8 megs of Ram-- LOL!) and it still works! I use it for word processing since I have a fabulous Apple Laser Printer (which also never breaks) that is incompatable with my newer Macs.

I have a Dell at work, and it's forever crashing and getting worms and viruses. Consumer Reports rated Apple above all the other computers for service. But then.. who needs service? They don't break!

I love my Mac.

It's worth the extra $'s!

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by ShaedyKD
Another law school must have: a flash drive. The bigger, the better, just don't lose it! You definitely want to back up those outlines and papers in case your computer self destructs (which happened to me twice in undergrad).

TAKE THIS ADVICE.

I know at my school a couple people have Macs. They can't take the exams on them, but we can take the exams in the computer lab if you don't have a computer or have a Mac. I do this too because my Toshiba crashed in the middle of our contracts exam and I haven't really forgiven it. You should find out if your school has an option like that available.

Oh, also, get some sort of case to carry whatever you get in. I have a little CaseLogic one I got off eBags that I keep in my regular bag - but unfortunately I didn't get it until I had already scratched my laptop up (not a big deal) and jacked up the power port (big deal).

[Aduladi]

I have a macbook pro and I am seriously considering marrying it.

Ok now that I have your attention... I never used a mac before this and I thought it would be hard to learn. I got it as a bday present it March and it is the best computer ever and now I am completely sold on Macs. It is not the cheapest computer out there, but, it doesn't crash, I don't worry about viruses, it is soooo amazingly fast, and it so incredibly easy to use. It comes packed with software and I mainly use it now for school-I am in a doc program, so it is my research tool. It has a buitl in camera, it's own programs for instant messaging, calendar tools, this program called garage band (so you can make your own movies). It is compatible with word and excel and comes with a trial version that you can buy but if your school has a software deal like mine does then you can get it from your school for free. If you are into blogging and making websites-it has programs for that too-I haven't tried those on mine yet.

The only draw back for me is that I can't find as many games as I could for my old PC. (that sounded really geeky) But it really is an amazing machine.

[Rudey]

Originally posted by Aduladi
I have a macbook pro and I am seriously considering marrying it.

Ok now that I have your attention... I never used a mac before this and I thought it would be hard to learn. I got it as a bday present it March and it is the best computer ever and now I am completely sold on Macs. It is not the cheapest computer out there, but, it doesn't crash, I don't worry about viruses, it is soooo amazingly fast, and it so incredibly easy to use. It comes packed with software and I mainly use it now for school-I am in a doc program, so it is my research tool. It has a buitl in camera, it's own programs for instant messaging, calendar tools, this program called garage band (so you can make your own movies). It is compatible with word and excel and comes with a trial version that you can buy but if your school has a software deal like mine does then you can get it from your school for free. If you are into blogging and making websites-it has programs for that too-I haven't tried those on mine yet.

The only draw back for me is that I can't find as many games as I could for my old PC. (that sounded really geeky) But it really is an amazing machine.

You can install Windows on it and run every single game out there.

-Rudey

[PSKAdvisor]

Personally, I'd get a PC. For the most part, univeristy networks are PC or Unix based, and mac support is few and far between because they are in SUCH a minority and the training for them is limited by the realitities of budgeting.

If you end up with a wifi networking issue or something, you'll likely end up having to talk to some Mac geek who's not really IT support staff, just a guy that works in the advertising or graphic design department... because that's the only place on most campuses you'll find Macs.


If you're looking for the best price, here's a couple things for you:

www.tigerdirect.com

www.pricewatch.com

Or... watch the best buy newspaper inserts for those great deals they have. 24 months free financing on the Best Buy card? GREAT stuff there. You can pay like $1000 and get a $400 rebate, then finance the rest over time.

I have a high-end HP wide-screen from Best Buy, probably close to two years old. I do graphic design work on it, plus all the standard "office" functions. Great machine, never a problem.

One other thing to note about Mac vs. PC... If you have or are used to "borrowing" software from friends, for the most part on a Mac you will have to buy everything. (Not that I'm advocating anything here, but something to keep in mind)

Suggestions:

1] Make sure you get virus software that updates online automatically.

2] Make sure that virus software includes Adware stuff too.

3] Never put your real email address in the settings inside Internet Explorer. Websites grab it and you'll get spammed all to heck and back.

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by KSig RC
Rudey pretty much explained to you why you're wrong - the new architecture does, in fact, account for ANY translation issues.

This means ANY law school software than can be run in Windows can be run on the MacBook, because the MacBooks actually RUN WindowsXP (it's not 'virtualWindows' anymore).

Is WindowsXP their OS or can they also just run it? The reason I'm asking is ExamSoft and Secure Exam both shut down EVERY OTHER PROGRAM that you might be running so I could still see there being a problem.

[Rudey]

Originally posted by PSKAdvisor
Personally, I'd get a PC. For the most part, univeristy networks are PC or Unix based, and mac support is few and far between because they are in SUCH a minority and the training for them is limited by the realitities of budgeting.

If you end up with a wifi networking issue or something, you'll likely end up having to talk to some Mac geek who's not really IT support staff, just a guy that works in the advertising or graphic design department... because that's the only place on most campuses you'll find Macs.


If you're looking for the best price, here's a couple things for you:

www.tigerdirect.com

www.pricewatch.com

Or... watch the best buy newspaper inserts for those great deals they have. 24 months free financing on the Best Buy card? GREAT stuff there. You can pay like $1000 and get a $400 rebate, then finance the rest over time.

I have a high-end HP wide-screen from Best Buy, probably close to two years old. I do graphic design work on it, plus all the standard "office" functions. Great machine, never a problem.

One other thing to note about Mac vs. PC... If you have or are used to "borrowing" software from friends, for the most part on a Mac you will have to buy everything. (Not that I'm advocating anything here, but something to keep in mind)

Suggestions:

1] Make sure you get virus software that updates online automatically.

2] Make sure that virus software includes Adware stuff too.

3] Never put your real email address in the settings inside Internet Explorer. Websites grab it and you'll get spammed all to heck and back.

Please don't offer computer advice if you don't know about it. At the very least, read what others wrote.

This is getting ridiculous.

You will rarely have that trouble on OS X because it's well integrated and a strong nix based OS. All campuses have IT staff that runs nix boxes, windows boxes, and os x boxes and I'd be willing to bet most of their servers are nix/bsd boxes. Plus you won't have a "wifi issue". You simply take your mouse to the top, click, and select the network you want to join. It couldn't get easier than that.

And, once again, you can run every single PC program once you install Windows. You can pirate the majority of mac programs just like you can with Windows. You can use limewire, poisoned, acquisition, or torrents to grab them or simply use someone else's CD if you feel like stealing.

And geeky, you can install Windows XP as an OS. You can install most operating systems on a mac. Examsoft won't shut it down. You can tell your IT department that you have a PC with Windows installed on it even if you have a Mac.

-Rudey

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by Rudey
And geeky, you can install Windows XP as an OS. You can install most operating systems on a mac. Examsoft won't shut it down.

-Rudey

Then she should probably be okay but if her law school's IT department sucks as mine, maybe not. She should just call and ask if she can take exams in a lab. I do that because my computer and Secure Exam don't get along.

-GP
--Is sitting here plugged into an ethernet cable because they broke the wireless printing

[KSig RC]

Originally posted by GeekyPenguin
Then she should probably be okay but if her law school's IT department sucks as mine, maybe not. She should just call and ask if she can take exams in a lab. I do that because my computer and Secure Exam don't get along.

As much as I'm a massive PC homer, this problem in particular may actually be 'better' on a Mac, due to architecture issues and the way Windows interacts with the CPU.

[PSKAdvisor]

Originally posted by Rudey
Please don't offer computer advice if you don't know about it. At the very least, read what others wrote.
-Rudey

Well...

Being the computer geek that I am and have been since 1981, and having had recent experience with a friend with a brand new Mac laptop (OS X) that had noting but issues getting networked at Marquette for the better part of a semester...

I may be slightly biased since all I had to do was email the help desk for a network key for my PC laptop. As I stated, I'm a comp geek and can work network settings, etc. pretty well. dealing with configuration settings, etc. is pretty much second nature after all this time. My Mac experience is pretty extensive as well as my PC experience.

I have friends with a G5, and every file they send me, every email, every little graphic, seems to have issues on both my PC at work and my PC at home. This is using the native Mac stuff that came right with they OSX system. Meanwhile, if they send it to my Marquette address, which I read on a Mac, I have zero issues. VERY PROPRIETARY EVEN THROUGH ALL THE COMPATABILITY HYPE.

Not sure how web apps, etc. will treat a Mac. The OS X boxes in my department at Marquette don't like web based MS Outlook and have significant issues with FTP transfers in both fetch and browser windows. There are definite font and compatability issues in Word, Excel and all the populate MS software when moving between Mac and PC. (Macs and PCs have completely different architecture as to how they handle fonts.) My Mac lab at Marquette won't print anything to the network printers unless the file has been converted to a PDF first.

Macs have been, and probably always will be, the best machines out there for graphic design, video, audio, etc.
Apple is trying to take over some of the home market with some success, as a home setup can be limited to just macs and just mac networking stuff.

Interacting with the University is another matter completely.

I have zero experience with Macs running XP as native. However, I do know it's pretty new, and in general my experiences with anything new from MSRedmond is that it takes a while to get patched up to stable.

Truthfully, and waaay back to the original question, talk to your University, and in particular the Law School. What they recommend as optimal is probably best for what you will run into in their program.

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by PSKAdvisor
Well...

Being the computer geek that I am and have been since 1981, and having had recent experience with a friend with a brand new Mac laptop (OS X) that had noting but issues getting networked at Marquette for the better part of a semester...

Marquette's IT department SUCKS. This is what the problem was. Have you ever used an on-campus comptuer there? They suck too.

[PSKAdvisor]

Originally posted by GeekyPenguin
Marquette's IT department SUCKS. This is what the problem was. Have you ever used an on-campus comptuer there? They suck too.

I could see that. I teach design at MU, so I use the Macs all the time...

Never used a PC there other than my laptop.