I'm thinking of getting a mac

[daark.child]

I have used various Windows, Linux, BSD and Solaris operating systems over the years, but have never used or owned a Mac mainly because I feel that they are very expensive and you pay a premium for the apple brand. Lately I have been thinking of dabbling with Macs and OS X, for no particular reason other than curiosity. I am torn between buying a macbook or an imac. For those of you who that own or use Macs, what would you recommend for someone who is getting started with Macs and OS X? I am not particularly bothered about portability at the moment because I have an HP notebook that I am quite happy with.

[danielsmw]

I own a MacBook Pro 4,1. I dual boot into Fedora when I do development or when I feel like messing with things, but I actually love working in OS X. It has the extreme cleanliness and functionality that comes with proprietary software, but I love having a console right there. Anything I can do in the Linux CLI, for the most part, I can do in OS X, and it's pretty awesome. So anyway, that doesn't tell you whether to get a Macbook or an iMac, but that's really just preference. I actually love the finger gestures on the Macbook, they grow on you.

[techieMoe]

I have used various Windows, Linux, BSD and Solaris operating systems over the years, but have never used or owned a Mac mainly because I feel that they are very expensive and you pay a premium for the apple brand. Lately I have been thinking of dabbling with Macs and OS X, for no particular reason other than curiosity. I am torn between buying a macbook or an imac. For those of you who that own or use Macs, what would you recommend for someone who is getting started with Macs and OS X? I am not particularly bothered about portability at the moment because I have an HP notebook that I am quite happy with.

If you can afford it, their "Pro" models are slick and full of features. if you're just looking for a decent, stable PC that will last you for several years to come, then their entry-level lines are just fine. OS X is very different, but some folks love it, and I was quite fond of it when I owned a Mac. As was said before, it's all personal preference.

[daark.child]

Thanks for responding guys. I think I'm going to buy an entry level macbook for starters and if I like what I see, then consider getting an imac or top of the range macbook later on. I think it will be cool to learn something new. I may even do a write up about my experiences and post it here.

[grantsinchak]

I have an Imac (G5 I think) and a macbook. Never any hardware complaints. OSX works great, does what it does fast and everything always looks great. OSX isn't over burdening with software updates and crap you just don't need like windows. You won't be dissapointed with it. That's just my opinion, I think you should go for it.

[DBlade]

You probably have a few friends that have macs, why not ask them to borrow it for a week and then make a decision. (Or if there is a mac store nearby, then that would be very good - you can touch and prod, etc...)
When you use the mac book you will like the sleekness and comfortable design of it. (it is a "feel good" mac) When you use the mac book pro, you'll love the keyboard back-lit keys and the wonderful power of the unit. (not to mention the power connectors...) When you see the mac air, you think, "Man that looks cool!" But it is about only good for e-mail and word processing (it is basically a larger version of an Iphone minus the call function ). Of course the Desktop units are about the same: touchy feel-y (Imac), Wow That's Awesome! (Mac Pro). But this all depends on how deep you want to go into the system. I'm sure that they don't want it returned with a different nix on it or etc...

Have Fun!

[daark.child]

None of my friends use Macs. Its either Linux, BSD or Windows, so I can't really borrow a mac from them. I have played with a couple of macs at an apple store and I think I do like the sleekness of the devices and the OS. I don't know whether it will ever replace Linux or BSD for me, but I am going into the experiment with an open mind.