The IT weenie here in my office told me that Macs don't get viruses. That alone was almost enough information to decide to get a Mac for the next "family" computer.

Here's my question: is it an easy process to move over iTunes from one computer to another with a different OS?

That's like saying green cars don't break down. If you actually need to do any serious work with that unit you'll wish you had bought a PC. iTunes is a downloadable App and can be installed on anything. You will deactivate your current computor and activate the new one using your iTunes account.

Mac do not get viruses.. A few of my friends believed it..
There are less virus attacks on Mac for a very simple reason, who would spend so much time trying to contaminate such a little quantity, not enough targets.
Get a good anti virus and you will be quiet with a PC..

Mostly I want to start learning how to treat digital images for image enhancing and production. The few photographers I have asked about this say they use Macs, claiming the MAC OS processes this type of work faster with easier commands. Heck, I don't know if they all have it wrong, but they all seem to use Macs.

The mac is probably better for basic hobbyist type graphics work. Professional applications require more horsepower than you can build into a mac. Start with a mac (they're cheap) and then see if you need something more. Keep in mind the transition from one OS to another is irritating like speaking a different dialect of the same language. Are you gonna buy a Froggy mac ??

quote:

Originally posted by Macifej:
The mac is probably better for basic hobbyist type graphics work. Professional applications require more horsepower than you can build into a mac. --

Hmmm, thought PIXAR used Mac as well as many of the big Hollyweird graphics shops?

Ain't no off the rack Mac and/or they're probably using a proprietary app. Depends on how many things you're trying to do at once. I easily outgun a full tilt Mac with my regular daily use here.

quote:

Originally posted by Macifej:
The mac is probably better for basic hobbyist type graphics work. Professional applications require more horsepower than you can build into a mac. Start with a mac (they're cheap) and then see if you need something more. Keep in mind the transition from one OS to another is irritating like speaking a different dialect of the same language. Are you gonna buy a Froggy mac ??

I ordered the new iMac with the 27" HD screen. I opted for the 2.8 Ghz processor, quad core 8 GB ram, and a 1 T hard disk. It also has the ATI Radeon HD 4850 with 512mb video card as well. I'm hoping it will suffice for tweaking a few photos. And yep, it will be a Froggy.

a friend who is an excellent photographer but a complete nut when using computers says that he has taken a Mac because they are more simple to use.

Wink - that should do the trick!! At some point you may decide to upgrade your video card but the rest sounds more than adequate.

Well I'm chiming in here a bit late but that fact is a Mac CAN get a virus but only if you allow it to. See the Mac has a non over ridable password protected system. If you want to install anything it asks for a password, If a program tries to install with out your permission it will ask for a password and give you a chance to cancel it.
As for the "real work" for the "real world" The Mac will function same or better right along side ANY pc period.
The problem is if you want a machine that is upgradable like a PC then be prepared to shell out some big bucks as the best iMac is just up to snuff when it come to processing power. The real horsepower comes from the Mac Pro That is the system you need to handle any Professional applications CAD/CAM, video, photography etc.
So someone saying they use a "Mac for there profession is a bit miss leading. This post is being typed on a iMac but it is nowhere near a system I could use for work. It has no option for upgrading the video card so I'm stuck with 64Mb of dedicated video memory.
Oh and they are pricey too. But The best thing about a mac is that when an application starts acting funny it doesn't foul up the whole system. Just shut down the one application and reopen it thats it. My mac has been running for over three years and has never needed a restart due to a system failure or locking up. I've only had to restart it for updates and that is about once every two or three months.
I personally will never go back to a windows based system ever again

Gee - I've never seen a virus which asked it could be installed ...

So you run solid modelling software on your Mac ..?? Which app?

Well thats the thing it's not the virus that asks it's the OS. It absolutly prevents anything from installing on your machine with out a password first. The only way around this is if you were running a non Apple application that the virus tried to attack Like attacking your web browser or adobe or something but the viruses that we are concerned about are the ones that attack your email and hard drive and these are again password protected and the OS will not allow any new software or application to install with out that password. And it can not be over ridden. That was one of the selling points that a buddy of mine mentioned. He's a Mac Geek and has been using one for years and he even set up our phone system that runs on unix. And again everything is password protected so it is very hard for an automated program to atack the system I don't know how to explain it but it is the way the software is written. It is very hard to attack. and it is also the way the software is written that makes it so stable. Windows boots up and reads all the files it need to boot once. It read the registry once and doesn't look at it again until a new piece of software make a registry change or you re boot. Unix has no registry so it is constantly updating and reading the files it needs to operate. This is why it's so stable It never forgets what a setting was or how things are allocated because these are running in the back ground constantly updating. They run extremely smooth
I know it sounds simple but windows has so many loop holes where a virus can get in it's not funny. Not to mention Mac has no registry so if a virus want to foul things up, it can't there's no registry to attack.
Oh and this machine has been running for over three years with no virus protection other then what comes built in to OS X
I was running Alibre Cam but now I run that on my laptop. The laptop runs XP and Alibre won't run on OS X so it's either run bootcamp, Parallels or use a dedicated pc to do my CAD CAM stuff. I had it installed on this machine but as I said I have no way of upgrading my video card So any rendered solid either never showed up or was extremely slow to process. My next Mac will be a Mac pro.

Well, my PC asks me everytime I want to install something or an update has to be installed. I did not get virus problem anymore since I installed quality antivirus, antispybot and anti spammers instead of the cheap stuff supplied OEM or free stuff I have had before. What I paid has cost me less in the long run.

And thats the point, you get what you pay for. When I had a PC as my primary PC i ran quality antivirus and antimalware same as you. and had few problems. Windows Vista is just about the best windows platform they ever came out with but it still is not the best they could do.

quote:

Originally posted by Macifej:
Gee - I've never seen a virus which asked it could be installed ...

So you run solid modelling software on your Mac ..?? Which app?

Auto Desk, BRL-cad, Puremac cad, Graphite cad, and Cobalt cad, to name a few my Engineer buddies at Raytheon Missile Systems use.

I have a major disappointment since taking delivery of my new iMac. It turns out the two software packages I intended to use on it, Nikon Capture NX2 and Dx0, don't work. It seems they haven't yet upgraded their software for the new Mac operating system, called Snow Leopard. Woe is me. Nikon Capture nX2 is supposed to be ugraded in December, Dx0 has only committed for "next year".

Try using iphoto, found at the bottom of your screen. I paid for Aperture US$200 for a fancier photo handler. Both download my Nikon photos just fine and you can do anything you want with these programs. I recently switched (partly) to a Mac Pro (both MacBook Pro and the 27" fancy thing) after getting tired of having (with windows) to upgrade/update my software/peripherals/(you name it). Stable, easier to use after we get the right/left brain thing figured out with the Macs. Also- a book by David Pogue- "Switching to the Mac" is helping me. So far so good...
Lee
NRA Life
SCI Life
DSC Life

iPhoto will do alot of useful things, but not precisely what I want to do with DxO and Nikon Capture NX2 (D-Lighting under Capture NX2 and distortion correction under DxO). If you are not familiar with DxO you should take a look at it. It's great photo software and can be used as a plug-in to Photoshop CS4 or stand-alone.

I wrote to DxO and was told that they believe their update to function in the Snow Leopard OS will be available in the first few months of 2010. On some web sites I have read that Nikon Capture NX2 was to Snow Leopard compatible in December 2009, but I haven't seen that yet.

Got Macs. With an "s". The "annoying" transition from Windows to OSX lasted about a week or so, that was 5-6 years ago.

Since then, anytime I have to type on a Windows-based computer, I feel like throwing the darn thing out the window.

Get yourself a Mac, and forget about trivia such as frozen computer, rebooting mid-stride, reinstalling the OS, getting constant irritating pop-up windows warning you of a threat or another, crashes, etc., etc.

All the people I know who have switched to Mac wouldn't go back to Windows if they were paid for it.

People who say that PCs are better, usually don't have a Mac in their history...

I'm on my dad's iMac right now. Missing my PC very badly..

quote:

Originally posted by Philip A.:
Got Macs. With an "s". The "annoying" transition from Windows to OSX lasted about a week or so, that was 5-6 years ago.

Since then, anytime I have to type on a Windows-based computer, I feel like throwing the darn thing out the window.

Get yourself a Mac, and forget about trivia such as frozen computer, rebooting mid-stride, reinstalling the OS, getting constant irritating pop-up windows warning you of a threat or another, crashes, etc., etc.

All the people I know who have switched to Mac wouldn't go back to Windows if they were paid for it.

People who say that PCs are better, usually don't have a Mac in their history...

'Or are gluttons for punishment.

Good news for photo imaging software users, Nikon Capture NX2 and DxO have both been updated to function on the new Mac software, Snow Leopard. Did I mention that DxO, the world's greatest photo processing software, is French?

The thing about Macs as well as the PC is that you don't have to use the software that comes with the camera to download the photos to your computer. You have to understand that Apple has to upgrade the OS every time a camera manufacturer comes with a new product. But a good thing about the Mac is that Apple updates OSX several times per year. One reason why OSX is more difficult to catch viruses is because in order for being able to install any application, one has to authorize the installation with a password. Also Safari has a firewall once can set, in addition to the router's firewall.

Software you can use to download your photos (other than the camera's software):

1. Graphic Converter ("The Poor's Man PhotoShop). This application was developed by a German fellow with the last name of Lemke. You can use GC for just about anything, including for the use of photo scanners. The free lifetime updates for Graphic Converter happen several times per year, sometimes once per month. GC costs $35.00.

2. PhotoShop CS series, or just Elements. Also LightRoom, and Aperture.

quote:

Originally posted by Wink:
Good news for photo imaging software users, Nikon Capture NX2 and DxO have both been updated to function on the new Mac software, Snow Leopard. Did I mention that DxO, the world's greatest photo processing software, is French?

Not too long ago I remember reading horror stories about installing DxO.

The photo forums were quite in uproar about some of the installation files.

I wonder if they have modified that?

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by Wink:
Good news for photo imaging software users, Nikon Capture NX2 and DxO have both been updated to function on the new Mac software, Snow Leopard. Did I mention that DxO, the world's greatest photo processing software, is French?

Not too long ago I remember reading horror stories about installing DxO.

The photo forums were quite in uproar about some of the installation files.

I wonder if they have modified that?

I usually don't install the software that comes with the camera, but have had good luck with Canon software. Overall, the best software is CS4 or CS5, Lightroom, and such. It may cost a lot more, but i don't like to put-up with some of the troubles camera software sometimes create.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by Wink:
Good news for photo imaging software users, Nikon Capture NX2 and DxO have both been updated to function on the new Mac software, Snow Leopard. Did I mention that DxO, the world's greatest photo processing software, is French?

Not too long ago I remember reading horror stories about installing DxO.

The photo forums were quite in uproar about some of the installation files.

I wonder if they have modified that?

They must have corrected all that, I had zero problems installing the software, and have no problems using it either.

quote:

Originally posted by Macifej:
The mac is probably better for basic hobbyist type graphics work. Professional applications require more horsepower than you can build into a mac. Start with a mac (they're cheap) and then see if you need something more. Keep in mind the transition from one OS to another is irritating like speaking a different dialect of the same language. Are you gonna buy a Froggy mac ??

Pure bull. The latest iMacs have the same processors available in PC's and can run Windows APPS if need be.

quote:

Originally posted by Ahab:

quote:

Originally posted by Macifej:
The mac is probably better for basic hobbyist type graphics work. Professional applications require more horsepower than you can build into a mac. Start with a mac (they're cheap) and then see if you need something more. Keep in mind the transition from one OS to another is irritating like speaking a different dialect of the same language. Are you gonna buy a Froggy mac ??

Pure bull. The latest iMacs have the same processors available in PC's and can run Windows APPS if need be.

You got that right. New Macs have "Intel inside," the same used on the PC.

What soft wear should I use for Imac to get sony
HD video to the Mac and store the movies.

quote:

Originally posted by cameronaussie:
What soft wear should I use for Imac to get sony
HD video to the Mac and store the movies.

iMovie to capture and edit and iDVD if you want to burn it, but it will burn as a SD DVD, not HD.