Is MBP a good choice here?

My son is looking at getting a MacBook pro, after several years of pc laptops (lenovo, etc). He is not a gamer, but is inclined to have a lot of tabs open at once, download music, maybe movies. His previous laptops have died at about the four year point. I know this is a broad question, but is there an average lifespan for a MBP? My iMac desktops have had long lifespans, but i dont know anything about laptops.
Also, when do newest models of MBP typically come out?
Many, many thanks in advance,
Jane

Macbooks and Windows Notebooks generally have the same lifespan.....
It's all about how once treats their notebook. I still have my late 08 Macbook Uni that works great and will be passing it to my niece.
Like any other electronics out there, no one can really tell which will last longer. Anything can happen.
I own a few Macbooks and a few windows notebooks. To this day, they all work.
Macbooks generally come out with new models every year. The same as windows notebook.
I suggest you compare price versus brands.
The cheapest 13 Inch Macbook Pro is $1200 - for that price you can buy 2 windows based notebook and still have some cash left over to buy some accessories.
Am I suggesting you should buy a windows notebook? Nope......
Am I then suggesting you buy a Macbook Pro? Not really....
I suggest you purchase one based on weighing the Pro's and Con's of each notebook.
Some will say that a Macbook Pro is better than a Windows Notebook - I am one of them.
Some will say that a Windows Notebook is better than a Macbook - That's based on the fact that there are more programs out there made for windows.
It's all up to you. It's hard to say one is better than the other - This will be a long debate.
Last - how old is your son and does he need to be using a $1200 Macbook Pro if a $400 Windows Notebook can do the same job.
Good luck - and i'm sure other users will put in their .02 cents in too.

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MacBook Air good choice?

I am currently a junior in high school. Next school year, I will actually be starting college through a post secondary option at my high school. I want to get a good laptop for college this Christmas. It will be used for everyday things like email, Microsoft office, etc. I'm not really into gaming. Anyways, is the MacBook Air a good choice that will last me a long while in college? Based on some research, I don't really think I need tbe power that the MacBook Pro has to offer and having a Retina display doesn't really matter to me. I planned on going with the 13 inch MacBook Air with 128 gb flash storage and 8gb of ram. Thanks for the input.

The MBA is an incredible workhorse, don't let its small size fool you. My use borders on the power user - I'm a programmer and I do photography and videography for the company I work for. While I have a powerful iMac at home and work, my 2011 MBA is the computer that I use for most of my work. Only when I need a big display or when I'm outputting the finished video do I use the iMac. For what you plan to use it for, the MBA will be fine.
We know nothing about Apple's plans for the future and speculating about future products is prohibited by the terms of service here. My answer to whether you should wait or not is the same answer I've been giving people since the late 80s. If you need a computer now, buy it - it is silly to wait for rumored products which may not appear for months - or ever. But if you don't need it now, wait. While we don't know what Apple has in mind, we do know that sometime in the future a new model will come out and it will either meet your needs better or prove that the current model is your best choice.

Servlets a good choice for such a game?

Hi,
I'd like to write a game like darkgalaxy ( www.darkgalaxy.com)
Here is a screenshot
http://images.darkgalaxy.com/home/screenshots/7.jpg
The game has no animations. It uses a simple web interface and is turn based.
So it shouldn't be too difficult to write something similar.
I just wondered if servlets are a good choice for that or if php is more suited. I have virtually no experience with php therefore I'm not sure. php does have the advantage of running on nearly every webserver but then again the project is not that small and the code should be easily extendable and reusable for other similar games.
thanks

Your first decision has already been made: a browser will be your client.
After that decision, it really boils down to what you are most comfortable with. I would say that as the complexity of your application grows the appeal of objects will increase as well. In any case, any server that can have Java installed (which just about any web hosting or co-location company would provide already) can run Servlets. There should be no compatibility issues there.
- Saish

I've been reading the comments re FCPX on MacBook Pro and now I'm scared. I'm taking a class now and thinking about buying to do videos for nonprofits. Won't be fancy stuff, but now wonder if it's a good choice. Also, heard Apple will drop support. Help?

I've been reading the comments re FCPX on MacBook Pro and now I'm scared. I'm taking a class in FCPX and thinking about buying to do videos for nonprofits. Won't be fancy stuff, but now wonder if it's a good choice. Also, a classmate who was in CA last weekend said he heard that Apple will drop support of FCPX. Any truth? Advice?. I'm on 10.7.4 with 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB 1067 MHz. Thanks.

dkstj wrote:
Also, a classmate who was in CA last weekend said he heard that Apple will drop support of FCPX.
While it is against the TOU of these boards to speculate on future products/updates what Thomas said is right: FCPX is quite a new product and it doesn't make any sense to drop it now.
The only thing that MIGHT get dropped at a certain point is support for older hardware/OS as FCP X progresses.

Is unlocked iphone 3gs a good choice for use in the UK with PAYG?

I've never had a smartphone. I'm thinking of buying the unlocked iphone 3gs to use when I'm in the UK 2-3 (months a year). I would be using a pay as you go sim with a little data use included. All I need is the ability to call, text, email, blog, and check facebook. Would this phone be a good choice for me. I'm hearing that there are some problems with battery life on the iphone 4. Does the 3gs have those issues? Also what does the 's' stand for?
Any helpful info apppreciated.
Robertson

This is the deal I'm looking at. As you can see it comes with the upated OS. $375. Is already a bit more than I would normally spend on a phone.
iPhone 3GS 8GB Black — Unlocked
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Is Keynote a good choice for this kind of video presentation?

Can Keynote easily be set up and used for the presenter to work from a slide table mode with both names (as well as numbers) and good-size customizable thumbnails of the visual material, primarily videos, which can be clicked on so as to play for the audience, on a projector (second monitor), each clip? This would allow nonlinear access to the videos, and spur-of-the-moment changes of order. I would use Final Cut Pro for the presentations, but this will not be available in many venues. I understand the current iMovie does not have a timeline, so it will be less than ideal. Is Keynote a good choice for this? If not, what would be?

I have I work 09 (newest version 5.0.2) and the presenter window only shows the next slide.
I have never had a need for a multi-slide view, because my presentations are all developed for education and are in a pre-determined order.
I can clearly see that this "pick a slide" feature could be quite useful when engaged in a conversational presentation rather than a seminar or classroom format that I use.
To change the order you would have to flip from multi-slide or disengage the program and choose a slide from the builder/creator menu. (Basically stop the presentation and that could be awkward)
If I am missing something, someone pipe in, I opened a presentation and was only able to get "next slide" up on the presenter menu.

What are some good choices for Mac Mini Speakers?

Hi All....
I have recently purchased a new Mac Mini (i7 Quad Core 2.3 Ghz) and was wondering what a good choice (and cool choice) for Mac Mini speakers. I have the Harmon Kardon 2.1 speakers which are EXCELLENT but for some reason I'm having trouble getting it to work with the Mini. Any suggestions or ways to get the Harmon Kardon's working with it???
Thanks ahead!!

Ooops... Hit the "solved" button by mistake! hehhee....
Anyway.... I also have a Mac Pro DualQuadCore2.8Ghz.... Which it works with but for some reason I can't get it to work with the Mini. I'm temporarily using a small iHome speaker in the 3.5 jack. I don't think the HK SoundSticks have a 3.5 jack.... Just USB. But I'm still sorting through a ton of cables, plugs and wires...

Is this a good choice for a new hard drive for a 13" mid-09 MBP?

1.0TB HGST Travelstar, 5400 RPM. Anyone had any experience w/ HGST? I only use this laptop for school & surfing.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/HGST/0J22413/

I have a couple of those and used them in my MBPs. They work just fine. HGST also has a 7200 rpm version which I also have had good results. That theoretically should afford slightly faster performance. You cannot go wrong with either one.
Ciao.

Good install here!

Had a good install on my MBP 2.16, 2gb RAM, 250gb HD. I did do a superduper backup prior to the install but I did NOT stop some of my "extensions".
I thought I might be hosed but they worked fine.
I'm running the following little addons:
MenuMeters - Gives CPU activity in menu
YouControl Desktops - virtual desktops (now have spaces too!)
YouControl - Hot spot menu
Meridian - Better clock
A better finder rename - Now appears in the "more" menu
LaunchBar - Quick launcher
SMCFanControl
I've tested Entourage, Excel, Parallels 3.x 5160, FireFox, RealBasic2007 R4, iChat.
Everything seems to be working well!
Thanks Apple!
All of the above are functioning fine.

Doing a happy Snoopy dance here as well. Installed in 40 minutes which surprised me as I wiped the drive and started fresh. Other versions took over an hour.
Have not installed any 3rd party apps yet but have noticed a minor annoyance...
I cannot import my Address book backup. I thought I'd be able to to just dump it from my iPhone back into Address Book but I can't find a way to do that. I reached for the backup I made last night...it did nothing. No big deal, I booted back into Tiger (Used Super Duper to clone my drive last night) and went into Address Book and exported another version of the database. Boot back into Leopard...open AB, try to import...nothing.
Anyone have idea how to get my addresses back?
Off to se now if Adobe CS 3 works **crossing fingers.**

MBP Problems! ~ None here ~

MBP owners and prospective owners,
Like many of you I have been reading about all the issues posted on these boards about the MBP. Some of the comments and questions are laughable. Having said that I'm sure most of these are real concerns and problems.
I've had my MBP for just over two weeks and have been using it constantly. I put it in sleep mode, travel with it, surf...all the things you would expect to do with a laptop. I have had no issues whatsoever with the MBP. Time will tell, but so far so good.
If you're thinking of buying one don't despair. There are many more of us who haven't had any issues with our MBP.
~Steve

My point is many do not have any issues
To be honest I don't agree. While the "issue" may be easily fixable or dealt with, or even it's a case of an incorrect expectation, that does not mean it isn't an issue. Even more so with new member and/or first time posters where a certain amount of courage is needed to make that post in front a large "audience". Surely for them to do that there must be something that needs addressing.
Sure some post make you giggle or roll your eyes but to marginalise it as such is not right.
but there seems to be a rift of resentment, if-you-will, over the MBP
How'd you figure that one?
Having said that I do believe people cause some of their own problems and place the blame on the manufacture, third party, whomever, or are simply expecting too much, etc.
Well sure… but isn't this a nice place to set them straight on that? or would you prefer them to have a rant (assuming it's a rant they're having) elsewhere?
There have been recent suggestions posted on how to deal with Apple Care. 'Don't yell, remain calm, explain the issue carefully, professionally, etc.'
I gather you're referring to my post to MissEm? Have you considered that dealing with AppleCare can be just as important, and sometimes even more so, than coming here to identify the issue in the first place. Apple sells a warranty with your computer as well as AppleCare extended warranty so getting the most of that is as important as your logic board working right.
Additionally, most people don't know how to talk to technical support phone agents and how to get them to respond in the way that you want. I don't supposed you'd be skilled enough to have AppleCare offer, this is without asking for, a new MBP 2.16GHz (the last model with 2GB RAM) as a replacement for a 3 year old PowerBook G4 (that had 1GB RAM) over what was initially a confusion over the PB's AppleCare coverage.
Is this type of experience as valuable in instances as being able to identify the source of a kernel panic?
Rants, vague inquiries and complaints are not productive
For you maybe. Does the fact that you find that many of those posters end up after their thread feeling better about their situation, or being able to deal with it, or better still, being able to resolve it matter to you? Some of these "ranters" do end up constantly praising Apple and these Discussions so they do have value in their own way.
Sure there are plenty that need to learn some manners and have some respect for others but often comes through interacting in these Discussions.
I enjoy reading these forums for those reasons
So continue to do that. These discussions aren't only for you and the "purists" among us so let other get what they want too. There's plenty of room here for all of us. A lack of tolerance of the needs of other is what you get from the Windows forums around and I'd hate for these to go that way.
For some reason the expectation is it works flawlessly
That's because Apple presents themselve that way or have you missed all those Mac/PC ads? I have to say, there are times that even I like to slap the Mac guy about.
The reality is, its not perfect
And you might like to see it from the perception of other and not just your own.
Just my opinion
And this is just mine.

Alt Operating Systems on the MacBook. What is a good choice?

I have a macbook 2ghz core 2 duo and want to install a different operating system on my macbook. I am not really interested in windows, but am deciding between:
bsd
linux
solaris
I do not have any code background, and will not be able to do much outside of a gui interface. I understand that there are many different variations on these operating systems, but don't know what is good for someone with a good windows and mac understanding only under the context of gui.
I have some interest in solaris, as it was once not open-source, but I really don't know much about any of them.
Anyone have some advice on what to choose?

All linix configurations can compile and run all of the same software, sometimes it requires a little bit of tweaking but thats usually covered by the good old Open Source community. If your not very good with the CLI Id be a little wary of Fedora as it takes a lot more work to set up configuration and you really need to study it to understand how it works. Red hat is nice because they have commercial support if your willing to pay for it, Im not , its a pretty standard distro and works for alot of middle to high end technical people. href="http://www.ubuntu.com/" . Check it out before you make your choice though its designed around introducing people to Linix.

Shifting fro oracle core DBA to oracle apps..good choice?

Hi all,
This is Shruti here!
I have been working as a oracel core DBA since 2.5 years. I wish to switch to to oracle apps.
Please suggest if this is a good option. ALso please suggest for any trainings if availaible. Are such training reaaly usefull for getting into it. or experience does matter a lot?

I have been working as a oracel core DBA since 2.5 years. I wish to switch to to oracle apps.
Please suggest if this is a good option. Please see old threads for similar discussion -- https://forums.oracle.com/forums/search.jspa?threadID=&q=Core+AND+DBA+AND+Apps&objID=c3&dateRange=all&userID=&numResults=15&rankBy=10001
ALso please suggest for any trainings if availaible. Are such training reaaly usefull for getting into it. or experience does matter a lot?http://education.oracle.com/pls/web_prod-plq-dad/db_pages.getpage?page_id=3
http://education.oracle.com/pls/web_prod-plq-dad/db_pages.getpage?page_id=457&get_params=pillar_id:7,family_id:11,product_id:19
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Monitoring application running multiple servers. Is JMX a good choice?

Hello,
I am looking for a framework to make a monitoring application. Right now, I am looking at JMX which seems very interesting but I am not sure to understand everything totally.
I need to check several information and to do so, I need to ask several servers. Log errors on some, stat files on other and so on. Maybe also make a wrapper with a Python application.
So my question is : Is JMX a good option ?
At the moment, nothing is implemented.
Thanks for your advices.
Romain

i'm not sure i understand your question completely.
if you are asking "will jmx work for all my applications, including non-java ones", then the answer is no. jmx is a java specific framework. however, jmx enabled java applications could be monitored as part of a larger application management system. there are jmx to snmp bridges which would enable your jmx management features to be used through snmp capable tools (where snmp is a management tool which is not language specific). also, some management utilities have "plugins" which know how to talk different protocols, where there is probably a good chance that jmx is supported.
basically, jmx is probably the best choice for your java based services. you will need to find another way to monitor your non-java services. once you put all those pieces together, you will need to find a monitoring tool which can "talk" to the different services in the protocols that they support.
long answer, short: jmx is a great building block, but it is not the entire solution if you are integrating non-java based services.
Edited by: jtahlborn on Mar 1, 2011 11:32 AM

Will Java 3D be a good choice for this game. Screen Shots inside.

My company is deciding what 3D engine to use for a game we are currently designing. It needs to look as good as a game called Mech Commander 2 Here are some screenshots:
http://www.microsoft.com/brasil/games/mechcommander2/screenshots/06.jpg
http://aok.heavengames.com/pics/fanstock/mechc2_5.jpg
http://www.s2.com.br/s2arquivos/361/Imagens/318Image.JPG
Will Java3D be enough for a turn based strategy game with graphics along these lines?? We have looked into the Chrome2 engine and several others but they are very expensive, so that is why we are interested in using Java3D since its free, and our expertise is Java.

Java 3D would be able to replicate those scenes except for the shadows. You would need to find a way to do that yourself. Another part in your decision will be if Java 3D will be able to handle your polygon count and frame rate expectations. That is a tough question to answer without giving it a try. You will also need to consider how to integrate collision detection, collision response, sound, music, user interaction, camera control and a game menu system (all not part of Java 3D). There are Java solutions for many of those.
The buildings, mechs, fence and trees look like they are done with a 3D modeler. Java 3D has several loaders available to to that.
The smoke, flames, etc can done with a particle system like ours (www.indietechnologies.com) or you can build it yourself.
The fog can be done in Java 3D.
There are terrain implementations outside of Java 3D (www.j3d.org) that could provlde variable LOD and you can create the scorch marks, etc on the terrain with multitexturing (part of Java 3D).
There are other options to consider like the JOGL, LWGL, jMonkeyEngine, Xith3D, Agency9 and few others. Some use a scene graph approach, others are more closer to the metal. Have a look at www.javagaming.org.
Mike

Recording songs on MBP 13' good? bad?

Would the second 13' MBP be decent for recording songs on garage band? I know it wont be spectacular but decent enough for a rough demo at least? Also is there a direct input for instruments, or do you use the microphone?

Patrick Ford-Belisle wrote:
1. Is there any PC software out there that will allow me to transfer its projects over to Logic and GarageBand?
You can buy an old Logic version for example 5.5.1 which was the last one for PC ( hope you can find someone on Ebay ). This will do the job I guess...
2. and if not, is there a good recording software that works on both PC and Mac? I've heard good things about Ableton Live..
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!http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4967/aglogo45.gif! [www.audiogrocery.com|http://www.audiogrocery.com]

Is MBP a good choice here?

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