Linc: Apple just released your Intel Mac Mini

Chess · Post by **Chess** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 11:40 pm

Linc,

Another possibility that I'm sure you've thought of is to buy a used PPC mac mini on ebay or someplace like that.

Here's are two with a buy it now price of $500

http://cgi.ebay.com/Apple-Mac-Mini-1-4G ... dZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/MAC-mini-1-42GHz-51 ... dZViewItem

Tsuroerusu · Post by **Tsuroerusu** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 11:48 pm

Chess wrote:Another possibility that I'm sure you've thought of is to buy a used PPC mac mini on ebay or someplace like that.

That's what I'm gonna do once all the Apple zealots wanna get rid of their Mac minis, which they surely will once Steve Jobs says that PPC is no good anymore

I'd really like to have a few Mac minis sitting in the corner running OpenBSD and feting torre...... Oh what am I saying!

mowestusa · Post by **mowestusa** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 11:18 am

Linc wrote: Actually, I like the form factor, The price point for that form factor is good as well. The aopen and others aren't even on the market yet and are expected to be at least a third more pricey (for the same or less config?). Hard to say because they aren't supposed to be on the market for at least another month.

The other thing is I want to be able to piss around with OSX. After all, I *am* a unix junkie and I have used every unix I can find except OSX.

As for using windows, I gave that up when I decided I wanted stability and security. I am *not* above paying for software, but I insist that the software I pay for work and be worth the money.

Well, I kind of figured you were mostly interested in using OSX. You have a good point about stability and security. I just encouraged my sister-in-law who wants to buy a new laptop to go Mac since she was considering it as one of her options. She would never consider Linux, so the next best virus free and spyware free option is Mac. My personal dream machine would be to have enough money to have a low powered silent mini-itx with linux on a CF card hooked up to a 7" LCD, with a USB mouse and keyboard that are portable. It would be a fun computer to have on my desktop at work, and to take to LUG meetings to take notes and to do demos.

As far as stability and security in Windows. I run a mixed environment of Windows XP and Linux. I have had zero problems with my recording computer which is not used to surf the internet, sits behind a hardware firewall, and only has Cool Edit installed ontop of a fresh Windows XP install with Nero Burning software. It doesn't crash, and gets no viruses or spyware. I have a Windows XP laptop that I let my virus protection lapse for 4 months. I surfed the web, answered email, and downloaded software. I never got any viruses or spyware. It too connects behind a hardware firewall. I believe most security problems in Windows involve people who don't practice safe computing. They follow porn links or gambling links. They believe the pop ups that tell them their computer is infected and they need to download this software to clean their PC. They open emails with attachments (I do this through hotmail and yahoo, but they scan all attachments so you can't download an attachment that has a virus.) In fact in the 10 years I have been using Windows my virus protection has never caught a virus coming onto the computer or found one after a full system scan on the computer, and my spyware checkers have only found questionable cookies. My relatives and their computers are a different story.

So Linc, I understand your desire to want to use OS X, but from what I know about you, a Windows XP install that was limited in the number of third party programs you installed would be stable and secure, because I don't think you would make dumb user mistakes. I do agree that it would not be as stable or secure as Linux or perhaps OS X, but it would work with you at the helm.

mowestusa