I had written a long entry about my new 1.5ghz/1.5gig ram/80gig hd
powerbook and my various thoughts on it. But then safari crashed and
took my post with it. So here goes version 2.1

It’s ok.

Anyway, its a computer. And therefore subject to the law of
conservation of misery. The interface is pretty, but is difficult
to adjust to. There is lots of software available, but it costs.
The apps are well integrated with each other, but poorly
integrated with anything else.

I’m still getting used to it.

I’ve been thinking about what kind of personal laptop
I wanted for a while. It came down to a powerbook
or a thinkpad. Costwise, they were going to be within
about 20% for equilavent spec hardware.

But I wanted two things that eventually led to the purchase
of the mac. I wanted audio/music apps. And I wanted something
that worked well on the move (power management, wireless,
profiles, etc). Oh, and not Windows.

That pretty much only left one option.

I ordered last sunday, and got it this wednesday. I’ve
already spent way too much money on accessories, and
have more in sight (a nice audio interface and a firewire drive).

It’s kind of odd using a computer and not having a clue how
to do stuff. I had forgotten how much hidden knowledge is
required to become proficient with a computer. In a weird sort
of way, I’m enjoying having to learn the basics and rudiments.
It’s a slightly different feeling being a unexperienced user[1]
after being a poweruser/dumbdeveloper on linux boxes for
about 7 or 8 years.

So far, there are things I love and things I hate. The more
I use it, the more I find faults with the things I love, and
workarounds/etc for the things I hate. [2]

I’ve been taking notes on some of the stuff mentioned
above. I’ll post them at some point. If nothing else,
it might be useful for the next time badger
writes an OS X book.

[1] I _hate_ the term “newbie”. Even dumber variations like
“noob” or “newb” or “N00b” should have their usage punished with
death.
[2] If anyone knows how to kill the startup sound you
get when you boot up, I would be grateful. I want computers
to make horrible noises, but only when I ask them to.