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My new PC

My new PC is a Mac. When my old computer experienced a hard drive failure, I decided against upgrading. My collection of software was hopelessly outdated, as was my original hardware. Everything I owned was so outdated that it all needed to be replaced. So instead of buying a new PC and replacing all my (paid for) software that’s not compatible with newer versions of Windows, I bought a Mac. That’s right, after ten years of Windows 95, 98, NT 4, 2000 and A+ Certification, I’m working on a Mac.

It’s been an enjoyable experience so far. No animated paper clips. No BSOD. No registry. No Paint Shop Pro 7, but I’ve been able to replace my Windows retail applications with freebies I found on the web. For simple image editing, I recommend Image Tricks or LiveQuartz.

The entire computer is located in the LCD monitor housing. There’s no putty-colored box on, or under the desk. No noisey fans either. These new Macs have fans, but they’re completely inaudible. The 20″ LCD screen is huge, yet the housing is not so heavy that I am unable to move this unit by myself.

I’ve also learned that the new iMacs are unix based. I guess all that cryptic programming I did on the UMUC server wasn’t a total waste after all. There are some interesting features built into my new box too, such as the built-in camera/web cam. I discovered this nifty feature at 4 A.M. and the acquired image scared the cr*p out of me.

I’m running OS X with the x11 componet installed so I can run vector graphics applications like Inkscape. Sounds pretty geekish, doesn’t it? I agree, and as long as I pronounce OS X as “oh-ess-ten” my geekish reputation will remain unblemished.