[Leica] Migrating to Mac

[jbm at jbm.org (Jeff Moore)]

2009-11-09-15:51:35 Tina Manley:
> OK - you guys have almost convinced me.  Everybody that I know who loves 
> photos and is also an expert on computers uses Macs.  There must be a 
> reason.

Great to hear.  I'm not one of the traditional design-school Mac clan, but an
old-school computer geek who nonetheless has adopted a Mac as his preferred
desktop (still use Linux or the like for servers) because it's just painless
and works (and is fast and the user interface is nice to look at).

>  My desktop PC is ancient (6 years old) and due to be replaced 
> soon.  I've had many problems with it lately and I'm afraid it's on its 
> last legs.  I'm seriously considering getting a Mac laptop instead of 
> replacing the PC desktop tower.
  [...]
> I want something really fast 
> that can use PSCS4 and LR3 optimally.

Here's the thing.  Not only are the Mac Pro towers the ultimate in the Mac
line when it comes to being "really fast", they're upgradeable in ways which
can often allow you to keep using them effectively for a generation or two
longer than a less-parts-swappable machine, and -- here's what I think is the
most important thing of all -- their internal cooling and probably a few
other design aspects just make that sort of tower machine a more
long-term-reliable platform than a laptop.  Laptops have a lot of stuff
crammed into a tiny space, and their hard disks in particular have a harder,
hotter life than those in an effortlessly cool aluminum tower.  That, and
laptop-class drives are enough slower than what's found in non-portable
machines to make a noticeable difference in the perceived speediness of the
whole machine.

If you actually want to carry the new Mac around, then never mind -- that's
what laptops are FOR.  If not, it doesn't seem the optimal device for the
purpose.

 -Jeff