What laptop to get to replace my 15" macbook?

[Eric Cope]

I am blown away you had such difficulty using a Mac. I used to hate Macs. I
bought one because I was sick of Windows... Its been fantastic. Sorry you
had such a bad experience, although it seems your complaints are more
cosmetic than anything else.

On Thu, Aug 20, 2009 at 8:17 AM, Dazed_75 <lthielster at gmail.com> wrote:

> Nice to know nothing has changed WRT using a Mac since my company forced me
> to use one back when the 1st Macintosh was getting popular.  :)
>
> On Wed, Aug 19, 2009 at 2:24 PM, Josef Lowder <joe at actionline.com> wrote:
>
>> Based on the very positive and enthusiastic comments from so many
>> people (including several of my good plug friends), I recently
>> purchased a 15" Macbook, thinking that it might be "the way to go."
>>
>> While the Mac is a very appealing product in many ways with many
>> outstanding features, I have finally come to the conclusion that the
>> disadvantages (to me) far outweigh the positives.  So I am now
>> thinking of selling it and looking for something more sensible in the
>> real world.  Therefore, once again, I am seeking input from the
>> collective wisdom of this esteemed group.
>>
>> The simple, but (to me) major drawbacks of the Mac (not to mention
>> their proprietary impositions that seem to be even worse than M$), are
>> as follows:
>>
>> 1. The keyboard layout that forces that screwy Mac/Apple X key on
>> users in lieu of simply using the CTRL key ... and then positioning
>> that weird mac key in such a terribly awkward place.
>>
>> 2. Putting the "FN" key where the "CTRL" key should be (and is on
>> every other computer keyboard) is really stupid.  Bottom-farthest left
>> is the *only* place (from an anatomically logical standpoint) where
>> the CTRL key should be (imho).
>>
>> 3. Failure to totally eliminate the "caps-lock" key (of course I guess
>> all keyboard mfrs still remain guilty of this ridiculous failing, at
>> this point).  However, I seem to accidentally hit it more on the mac
>> than on my other keyboards ... I guess because on the mac it seems to
>> be slightly oversized.  Why?  Duh!
>>
>> 4. The absolutely ridiculous limitation of being forced to the bottom
>> right corner of every window as the *only* way to resize windows.
>> That might be the most stupid of all Mac contrary-to-all-common-sense
>> "features."  And apparently no way that I can find to "maximize" a
>> window.
>>
>> 5. The needlessly glitzy but cumbersome "dock."
>>
>> 6. The lack of a simple text editor ... one that doesn't force the use
>> of html or rtf.
>>
>> 7. Most of the *nix command-line commands and utilities that I am used
>> to using do not seem to work on Mac OS-X
>>
>> 8. While I like the slot drive rather than a DVD drive that slides
>> open, I do (not) like having it on the front. Has that changed on
>> newer models?
>>
>> 9. And as for being "intuitive" ... I've tried for a week to get the
>> hang of using a Mac and almost everything that I am used to doing on
>> my "normal" computers, I find almost impossible to figure out on a
>> mac.  The 529-page "How to do everything Mac" doesn't ... and if mac
>> is so "intuitive" why should it need a 529-page book to explain how to
>> use it?
>>
>> In any case, I am now looking for a new (or used) laptop to replace
>> this mac and get back to the real world.
>>
>> One that intrigues me is a new, single-core, lower-powered Asus that
>> claims to have 8+ hours of battery life.  It is also the only one I
>> have seen so far that has lighted keys (the letters light up on the
>> keys like the mac -- one of mac's truly great features).  That seems
>> to me to be a very desirable feature.  Only problem is that that
>> feature seems to be available only in a larger format Asus unit with a
>> number keypad (that I do not want).
>>
>> So what do y'all recommend?
>>
>> I like the slot drive (on the right side), built-in camera, lighted
>> keys, lightest and thinnest possible, a "normal" keyboard (no 10-
>> pad), at least a 15" screen, preferrably matte not glossy, and long
>> battery life. I want to install Linux as the base OS and use whatever
>> virtual ware will allow me to install win98 (I do *not* want the
>> all-intrusive, pop-up crazy winXP).
>>
>> PS: Anyone interested in trading for or buying a 15" macbook with 4-gig of
>> ram?
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>
>
>
> --
> Dazed_75 a.k.a. Larry
>
> The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions,
> that I wish it always to be kept alive.
>  - Thomas Jefferson
>
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-- 
Eric Cope
http://cope-et-al.com
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