Ordered a Mac!

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 8 Mar 2004 10:02 am

Yesterday I spent my tax refund on a new toy: an Apple G4 Powerbook. It should be here Wednesday. This should be fun.

I used a Powerbook for some programming work last year, and really enjoyed it. I think this will be a great machine for music and web design tasks.

What do you Mac folks recommend for a 2-button mouse? Is there such a thing as a wireless (Bluetooth maybe?) mouse for OSX?

A few specs:
15" display
1.25 GHz G4 processor
512 MB RAM
80 GB disk
DVD-R/CD-RW Superdrive

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/Hotb0b.gif" width="96 height="96">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs, Open Hearts
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (C6add9),
Sierra Laptop 8 (E6add9), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6),
Roland Handsonic, Line 6 Variax

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 8 Mar 2004 10:41 am

You'll have the EXACT Mac I do, purchased 11/11/03. (except for the RAM upgrade to 1 GB last month).

Any USB mouse will work, I often use a Microsoft/Dell two button mouse with scroll wheel. Most of the time I use the one button touch pad.

There's a setting to allow the touch pad to respond to taps.I quickly found that I was
bumping it with my palm when typing, so I turned that feature off. There's a button there, so it's no loss.

I keep Blue Tooth turned off to save a bit of battery power. I use the Airport, but if you don't, turn it off to save power also.

This is my first MAC and I'm surprized how happy I am with it. I still use XP in the day job and support my wife's XP at home.

Still waiting for PG Music to release their BIAB for OSX. They say it's in beta.
[This message was edited by Joey Ace on 08 March 2004 at 10:47 AM.]

Greg Simmons · Post by **Greg Simmons** » 8 Mar 2004 10:51 am

Congrats b0b; glad you will soon be enjoying a real computer

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Greg Simmons
Custodian of the Official Sho~Bud Pedal Steel Guitar Website

Don Walters · Post by **Don Walters** » 8 Mar 2004 11:22 am

I'm weakening ... esp. since O/S X ...

Cal Sharp · Post by **Cal Sharp** » 8 Mar 2004 11:24 am

Way to go, b0b! OSX is where it's at. I have a G4 tower and I use a Kensington 2-button mouse w/wheel. About $15. Belkin makes a wireless Bluetooth optical mouse w/USB adapter for about $75.

C#

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 8 Mar 2004 1:53 pm

2 button mouse is indeed the way 2 go with X.. contextual menus appear upon a right click and everthing...

i ain't a big fan of blutooth, but that's just the Luddite in me....

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 8 Mar 2004 3:18 pm

I like wireless stuff!

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 8 Mar 2004 4:56 pm

I like the Airport Base Station.
I can carry the PowerBook anywhere in the (3 story) house and still be connected to the net.

I print wirelessly to the shared Laser Printer connected to my wife's PC. I also access a shared folder on that XP computer over the air.

I don't see the advantage of a wireless mouse. Maybe it's just me, but I'm always very near my computer when using it's mouse.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 8 Mar 2004 5:39 pm

The wire is a nuisance to hook up, though.

I have a wireless hub in my house, for Mrs. Lee's ustairs computer and my trusty old Toshiba BIAB laptop (which I may be selling!). When I brought my work Mac home and turned it on, it found the Internet immediately. No wires or anything. So coool!

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/Hotb0b.gif" width="96 height="96">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs, Open Hearts
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (C6add9),
Sierra Laptop 8 (E6add9), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6),
Roland Handsonic, Line 6 Variax

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 8 Mar 2004 5:57 pm

Yep, the rare times I take my Mac to work it finds our network.

Once I purchased some headphones for it at a large Electronics store. I had my Mac in the car and turned it on to try the phones, in the parking lot outside the store. It found their network and I was surfing the Net while sitting in my car!

I felt like a spy.[This message was edited by Joey Ace on 08 March 2004 at 05:58 PM.]

Bill Llewellyn · Post by **Bill Llewellyn** » 8 Mar 2004 9:20 pm

b0b,

Don't sell that Toshiba laptop until after the 4/3 jam, we need it for BIAB!

Glad you're joining the ranks of Mac. I've been there since 1987. My latest purchase is a G4 tower (QuickSilver) 1.25GHz. It took about 10 years for my Performa 6115CD (with the original PowerPC 601 processor) to lag enough for me to want to replace it (even after appropriate updates), mostly because of CPU speed and lack of OS-X capability. A decade with the same computer. Frankly, I don't know too many other computers that could hold their own for that long, and I'm a picky user.

I really like my new G4. I've used Unix at work for about 17 years, so having a Unix-clone OS on the Mac is very cool.

If you have Mac questions, email me. I might be able to help.

Incidentally, my mouse is a hard-wired USB LogiTech Wheel Mouse, 3-button. Works great.

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Bill, steelin' since '99 | Steel page | My music | Steelers' birthdays | Over 50?

Cal Sharp · Post by **Cal Sharp** » 9 Mar 2004 7:17 am

Here's a vaild reason for a wireless mouse: some digital cameras come with software that enables you to connect the camera to the computer and click a button on the screen to take a picture. With a wireless mouse you could walk across the room and sit down behind your steel and take a picture to post on the Forum. Nobody would ever notice you're holding a mouse in your right hand instead of a bar.[This message was edited by Cal Sharp on 09 March 2004 at 07:18 AM.]

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 9 Mar 2004 9:25 am

Yep, that's one. Here's another:

You teach or lecture, and connect your Mac to a projector for the class to see a slideshow presentation. (Powerpoint, or Keynote, or similar). You can walk around with the wireless mouse, and still click it to change slides.

Neither applys to me.

If I had a wirless mouse I'd tie it to my computer with a piece of wire, so I wouldn't misplace it.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 9 Mar 2004 11:12 am

What sold me on the new Macs was the Unix shell. Until I found that, it was just another pretty face, sorta gimmicky at that. I didn't see any real advantage over Windows. Then I discovered the shell window and realized "This isn't just a toy - it's a real computer!"

Someone pointed out to me that a wireless mouse has batteries that need to be replaced. I hadn't thought of that. Duh! Reconsidering...

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/Hotb0b.gif" width="96 height="96">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs, Open Hearts
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (C6add9),
Sierra Laptop 8 (E6add9), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6),
Roland Handsonic, Line 6 Variax

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 9 Mar 2004 11:13 am

I'll be able to run BIAB on it, won't I?

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 9 Mar 2004 11:38 am

a wireless mouse has batteries that need to be replaced.

I heard that John Galt has invented a way to extract energy from atmospheric electricity. Maybe you could use that to power the mouse.

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 9 Mar 2004 12:41 pm

"I'll be able to run BIAB on it, won't I?"

No.
The current version requires you to boot from OS 9, which is not acceptable IMO.

The OS X version was set to be released, then was delayed again when Panther (10.3) waas released.

PG Music claims the OS X verison is now in beta and close to release. The problem is they've been saying that for over a year.

Check the PG Music web site Mac discussion forums for on-going discussions and promises.

Don Walters · Post by **Don Walters** » 9 Mar 2004 1:03 pm

When BIAB runs on OS X I'll probably get one. Joey, I hope I get a chance to chat with you about Macs in Dallas
[This message was edited by Don Walters on 09 March 2004 at 01:03 PM.][This message was edited by Don Walters on 09 March 2004 at 01:04 PM.]

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 9 Mar 2004 2:47 pm

Sure thing Don.
Joe Wright is a great source of Mac musical info.
He has several. One's an old one dedicated to BIAB.

bob drawbaugh · Post by **bob drawbaugh** » 9 Mar 2004 6:32 pm

Bob, so you are crossing over to the dark side. I really love my Mac. If one can love a computer. I still have my windows machine that I must use for work, but I like the Mac better.I really like ilife 04. I have spent hours with it makinf home movies loaded with mp3s and photos. It's great. You want be sorry.

Bill Llewellyn · Post by **Bill Llewellyn** » 9 Mar 2004 9:07 pm

b0b, PGMusic is still working on BIAB for OS-X. Many of us are waiting for it. When I did the BIAB honors at the last SJ jam, I dragged my OS 8.6 desktop along, on which BIAB works.

Like I said above, hold on to that Toshiba laptop, at least until PGMusic comes through with OS-X BIAB!

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Bill, steelin' since '99 | Steel page | My music | Steelers' birthdays | Over 50?

Bill Llewellyn · Post by **Bill Llewellyn** » 10 Mar 2004 8:27 am

Scott, is GarageBand included in the Mac bundle (like iMovie, iDVD, iCal, etc.) or is it retail software?

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Bill, steelin' since '99 | Steel page | My music | Steelers' birthdays | Over 50?

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 10 Mar 2004 8:34 am

Garage Band is part of the iLife 4 bundle,
iDVD, iMovie, iTunes, and GB all for $49.

iTunes is available for free download. The others are not.

I have it, but have not yet found the time to learn Garage Band.

Greg Simmons · Post by **Greg Simmons** » 10 Mar 2004 9:03 am

Joey;

I just got an email from Apple Canada and signed up for a full-day GarageBand seminar - I think there's a cross-Canada road show the next few weeks - it's happening in the Big Smoke (aka TO) March 29.

details here:
http://www.apple.com/ca/musicrevolution/

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Greg Simmons
Custodian of the Official Sho~Bud Pedal Steel Guitar Website