So, I have my new MacBook, and one thing I notice about Apple users is they are just as passionate about the apps they use as they are about using Apple products. What’s funny is they will argue over what text editor is better just as fervently as they do when arguing over why a Mac is better than a PC. Based on recommendations by fellow Mac users in the #habari IRC channel, I have already begun collecting applications. So far I have Menuet, Adium, Transmit, Quicksilver, Colloquy, Firefox (of course), Smultron, and Transmission. What other applications for the Mac do I need (or you think I should have)?
On the second day of my four-day weekend, I thought I’d update my blog a bit. After all, a break from work doesn’t mean a break from blogging, right? Since I’ve been off, nothing much has really happened over the past couple days, with one exception. My MacBook was delivered. What can I say? I love it. I’ve heard some users talk about their switch in the past and complained about how slow it was or how slow the programs were, but I’ve not experienced any of that. The OS runs great and programs are blazing fast to launch, even Firefox. I love the design of the MacBook, especially the keyboard and super-drive, compared to my old laptop. iChat is pretty sweet. I enjoyed chatting with Lisa on that. The only problem I had so far with the MacBook is last.fm appears twice in the dock and also doesn’t want to shut down (and needs a force-quit). I know Lisa has had problems with it appearing twice in the dock. Anyone else have any problems with last.fm on their Mac? I think next time I get a desktop it will be a Mac as well, but that won’t be for several years. That’s pretty much it for now.
After looking at Leopard, watching the videos, looking at the features, and taking a trip to the Apple Store for some hands-on experience, I bought a MacBook. I really enjoyed playing around at the Apple Store. I’ve never been to one, because there isn’t one that is that close to me. So I drove to the closest one and played around with all the gadgets. The MacBook, the MacBook Pros, the iMacs and the Mac Pros, and the iPhone were fun to mess around with and to see their capabilities. The employees were very helpful and answered any question a PC guy might have. I was very impressed with their customer service. The store sold the last MacBook of the specs I wanted, so I ordered my MacBook online. What makes it even better was the educational discount I received because I work for a participating school district. I can’t wait to get my new laptop and stop lugging around the POS that I carry around now. Is there any software that people recommend? I’m looking for a lightweight text editor (I use the awesome PSPad for the minor code editing I do). Also, what’s a good FTP client? I’d like to stick with open source apps if possible.
Ever since I got my first Gmail account a couple years ago, I wished it had IMAP support. As many probably know, Gmail has recently enabled IMAP on accounts. My account still doesn’t have it enabled, but my Gmail for domains does. I was excited at this news, but then I started thinking about it. What do I really need it for? This isn’t a few years ago when desktop email was more popular. With everything going web-based, this is a step in the opposite direction. Sure, I can use it so I have a backup of all my mail, but I could do that with POP access as well, which is what I’ve been doing for backups the past year. I don’t have an iPhone or another phone that does IMAP, so I don’t need it for that. Truthfully, I don’t have any reason for IMAP. So, here is my request Google. Change the interface of Gmail. Make it look more like the redesigned Google Docs and Spreadsheets or something. You’ve had the same interface (for the most part) since you began. A new design would be a welcome change. (Just don’t do reading panes. I hate those and hate how Hotmail and Yahoo both now feature them so they can be more like Outlook.)
For reasons I won’t discuss here I am searching for a new host. I don’t need crazy amount of space and/or bandwidth that many budget hosts oversell. I would like around 10gb space and 25-50 gb of bandwidth. I want a reliable host with CPanel (or Plesk) installed and the ability to host more than one domain (would like to host 5, at most). If anyone can recommend a reliable host that meets my needs, drop me a line.