Dragaera

Mac vs PC War--not fighting

Sun Feb 8 10:44:36 PST 2004

> I know nothing about this stuff, so I'm just asking this in all 
> innocence.  I'm intending to build a computer in the next six months. 
> Is it possible to build a Mac, or will I need to buy one pre-built?

I know people fiddle with mac, upgrade processors and such, but 
'scratchbuilding' is not a mac thing to the same degree as in the wintel
world.

> Also, I need to use a 5-button optic scroll wheel mouse due to some 
> physical limitations.  I use the two buttons on the sides to back- and 
> forward- page in Explorer.  Is this possible in the Mac OS?  And is 
> the right click menu functionality available in OS X?  These are a 
> couple of the things that I actually like in the x86 world.

I use a Kensignton 4 button trackball with scrollwheel with no problems on
my mac. Right button, middle button, and chording functions are no problem.

> And, to be honest, there are things about Explorer I actually like 
> over Netscape.  Weird, I know, but go figure.  Netscape can run on 
> x86, can Explorer be used on Mac?

On the Mac, Safari blows both IE and Netscape out the door. I personally
like
Safari on the mac better than other browsers on Windows.

That's just info for Lazarus. As for Mac v.s PC - if your happy in one
world, you're
not likely to move to the other unless you have to. I had to use a PC at
work for a few years
in the late 90's and was very grateful to get back to mac with the advent of
OS X.
I'd be happy to tell anyone why I prefer macs over wintel for pretty much
any use you could 
name, offline. For someone who wants to write, blog, surf, and/or do
personal accounting, spend the minimal 
necessary for a stable machine - any platform. You can get sub $800 maybe
even sub $600 
macs or wintels that have everything you need plus, because everything you
need is available on 
_last_ year's middle of the line computer.

Noam