Kusabi

I've been having the same kind of thing going on with the games I have. I remember back in the N64 days when I couldn't even begin to count the number of carts I had for my N64. (I'm 20) Now a days, I can count on my hands the number of titles I have on each console. 8 Wii titles (Not including Wii Sports) 6 XBox 360 titles (including two original XBox games) 3 PS3 titles Okay, so I'm in college, and I don't have $60 to spend on brand new games. Hell, it doesn't help that the biggest discount I'll get buying used is about $5. I settle on borrowing from friends, but even then, there isn't much I want to play. I didn't particularly want Super Mario Galaxy on launch day, and the last game I've actually looked forward to playing was Twilight Princess. Not helping the fact is that I have games in my rack that I've only partially played, and I like to at least complete the main game, not necessarily 100%ing it. But eventually I'll get around to playing them. I love playing games, but I'm finding that its far easier to not buy a game, and not feel as if I'm really missing out on something.

I'd recommend Ratchet & Clank: Future, if that style of game is your thing. I got that and Ninja Gaiden Sigma for Christmas. Haven't played NGS......yet (Haven't had any masochistic tendencies......yet) R&C is a good game for the PS3, but my collection of PS3 games consists of a whopping 3. The two aforementioned, and MotorStorm. I wish there were more PS3 games that I'd actually enjoy playing, but the selection is quite limited at this point (as surmised from a recent trip to GameStop)

Pretty much. I'm happy with what I have, and I hope that all the PC people out there are happy with what they have. I just prefer Macs, and the ones that I have are very good machines. It's good to have choice in the marketplace. Bottom line is this: Get what suits you, and is what you want.

MSRP does not include Tax/Title/License/Doc Fee or any coupons. Plus that particular model is not on sale at the present time.

Huh? See above. Equivalent Mac and PC, and the PC is close to $800 more expensive. Bzzzt......Try again.

I pulled two systems from Apple and two from Dell: One desktop and one laptop. For the laptops: (Apple Macbook Pro 17 inch, Dell Precision M6300) Full client OS Intel C2D 2.6GHz 2GB RAM 200GB Hard drive, 7200rpm rotational speed Standard graphics, standard warranty. Apple: $3349 Dell: $3328 Difference: Dell, by $21. For the desktops: (Dell Precision T7400, and Mac Pro) Full client OS 2xIntel Quad Core Xeon at 3.16GHz 2GB RAM DVD burner 1TB SATA drive nVidia QuadroFX 5600 Apple: $7649 Dell: $8429 Difference: Apple, by $780. $780 is a nice chunk of change.

Comparing a purpose built race-car to a production car isn't exactly fair either. An Audi R8 race car will spank the pants off an R8 road car. So therefore the R8 road car has a major flaw because the R8 racer performs far better and is more customizable. Bzzzzt.....Try again. So therefore any attempt to use a slightly better security model is pointless because market share will immediately cause "security" to evaporate? Running as an unprivileged user for basic things _is_ a slightly better option than running as an administrator to do the same basic things. The problem is that 90% of end users on Windows are running as an Administrator. UAC is a good idea in concept, but it gets so irritating after about 5 minutes (literally) that I shut it off. Yes, it defeats the purpose, but every time I turned around, I get the "Are you sure you want to do this?" box. That's more irritating than anything else. Plus my Linux PC has perfect security right now. It's turned off and not connected to a network

Compare carrots to carrots. If you are going to compare a Mac to a PC, one should compare to a pre-assembled PC, as that is what the Macintosh targets. Otherwise you are saddling the Mac with the cost of assembly (which you forgo when you order a set of components) and the cost to offer some kind of user support (which you forgo in part when you buy components). This is not even getting into profits that are made on the assembled hardware. The correct analogy is that ANY pre-assembled computer is going to underperform compared to the components that can be purchased for the same amount of money. But this is comparing carrots to celery.

Some of the hardware is impractical. The main one being my Power Mac G5. If a major component takes a dive into the netherworld, then its an arm and a leg to get it working again, because all the components are non-standard. Of course, by the time something _does_ take a dive into the netherworld, it's most likely time to be looking at a new computer away. That's exactly what happened when my motherboard on my Windows PC died freshman year at school. I called my parents up, said I'm buying a new computer because the old one died, and 4 hours later, I was walking out the door of the Apple Store Lenox Mall with a Power Mac G5 Quad. Of course, the new Macbook Air is quite vapid in terms of actual value. Tech showcase, you bet your booties, Grandma. Value: None....unless you really like to waste money. Part of how Apple creates their operating environment is by having strict control over what is in it, in regards to hardware. Plus tying the OS to their hardware means a nice revenue stream that Apple is not willing to give up. <sarcasm>Remember, you are paying to share the "Mac Experience"</sarcasm>

Their desktops are overpriced, but their laptops are rock solid. Maybe if I ever decide to get a new 17 inch MBP, I could possibly sell you my 17 inch PowerBook G4. Operative word: If. I'll probably keep my PowerBook until it dies. Apple wouldn't be able to sustain themselves much if there wasn't a lock-in on OS X to Apple hardware, and you'd also see the quality go downhill to about where Windows is now. The standard justification is then that you aren't paying for the hardware, you are paying for the hardware, software, and the seamless integration thereof. Of course, the flipside to this is that full versions of the OS are $130, or a 5 pack for $200. A full, retail version of Windows Vista starts at $200 and goes up. (Yes, you can get Windows for less if you get an OEM version through Newegg, but let's compare carrots to carrots). The extra tax that you pay upfront subsidizes upgrades in the OS that you might make over the life of the system Notwithstanding the fact that it does not change the damage done to your wallet I paid somewhere in the vicinity of four thousand dollars for my Power Mac G5. It was worth every penny to me.

Heh....I have two PPC Macs, and one oldish x86 box. After last semester at school, I disconnected my x86 box completely, since it was getting in my way at my incredibly cramped desk. I'm considering putting it downstairs and just using a remote ssh login to do work on it (It runs some form of Linux, although the software is horribly out of date, and I don't feel like updating it) I don't feel deprived with my Macs. Some things are counterintuitive (as in, I want my SVN server to start on boot. Where is the documentation to get launchd to start it? Answer: Use daemonic.), others are just a pain in the butt (Sharing directories over NFS on Tiger?). I'm really not looking forward to getting an SQL server running for my databases class. So for me, a lot of the nitty gritty is far easier on Linux than OS X, but OS X does something that no other system I've used does: It gets the hell out of my way and lets me work. I feel a lot of the Apple products are overpriced for what they are, and you don't get a lot of expandability (Anyone want to be the first to replace the disk on a Time Capsule?). The reason I got my Power Mac instead of an iMac was because I _could_ add things other than another stick of memory. But hey, there is always ebay to go fetch me an old G4 Tower to get a home server going

Umm....Agnes Scott College? The Agnes Scott girls love to come to Tech on occasion. Well, either that or Emory. I live on the east end of Tech's campus, and there are a few sorority girls around. You just need to look harder Don't get me wrong, I love Georgia. I just can't stand the city of Atlanta. If I was in Newnan or Alpharetta most of the time, I'd really love it here. But living in the city just reminds me too much of home.

Another Illinoisan here. Although I'm currently living in Atlanta, Georgia for university. *shudder* It's just like living at home....the people, the crime, the stupidly large houses, the insanity of all drivers.

Ah... LOL comic. I got a choice last night, either take out my rage against the idiots of society by beating on some drums, or sit around and do nothing. I pulled out Halo 3. I am sufficiently placated now. Sure would love to, but I have some aliens to destroy...

Good news, everyone! We have made it into the top 500 teams. (Number 497 at 4:30PM EST) WOOT!