# Is there anything at all redeeming about an iMac? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 15, 2002, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574 "2002-09-15T20:06:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2002, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574/21 "2002-09-16T01:09:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sue Duhnym \* > \*\*As an aside, am I allowed to be pissed at my husband because he bought me a present that I didn’t want, didn’t need, didn’t ask for and also hate? > > If the answer to that is no, can I at least still return it? \*\* ``` Well, the time to return it was when it was still in the box. You could smile and say "Thank you, love of my ``` life, but you do know that this isn’t the system I’m familiar with, and I’d really rather such and such a system?" I think it’s OK to do that – a computer isn’t like a piece of jewelry where rejecting it would imply things about the taste of the person giving it. You could probably sell the system on E-Bay for not much of a loss. You might be able to return it for store credit, I suppose. As a \*\* long-\*\*time computer user, I can say that it’s very common to hate a new system when you start using it because it means throwing out a lot of hard-won knowledge. Sometimes you find out that the new system has some virtues. Sometimes it doesn’t. The answer to the OP is that, \* for you, \* the iMac has no redeeming features, because it’s leading to frustration and resentment. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2002, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574/22 "2002-09-16T01:24:47Z")
Maybe a relative of yours would want it? Someone with kids, college-bound or younger? If the store or company your husband got it from won’t take it back, you could try selling it on eBay. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Lao](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dr.Lao](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Lao)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2002, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574/23 "2002-09-16T04:05:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sue Duhnym \* > \*\*I have to go buy a new mouse. Today. \*\* I don’t know if that will help. I have an optical mouse on a PC and it behaves just like a ordinary ball mouse. I think the difference you are experiencing is just a result of the default sensitivity settings. I remember using G4’s in the college library. They had ordinary mouses, but they the same problem. You had to move the mouse a lot further on the pad to move the cursor a certain distance on the screen. To the point where you had to pick up and move the mouse back down to get more room. Very annoying. ---
**Author:** ![butter\_pie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@butter\_pie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butter_pie)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2002, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574/24 "2002-09-16T04:14:12Z")
Most stores I know of won’t take computers back once the box has been opened, and it says as much on the paperwork. At least it did at Best Buy when I bought my laptop, and where-ever I got this machine (one of those office stores.) They’re almost impossible to resell if they aren’t in the original, sealed packaging. You could always give it a shot, though. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2002, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574/25 "2002-09-16T06:08:05Z")
If you truly don’t want the iMac, can I have it? 🙂 > [@](#): > > What possible reason would someone want a non-optical mouse? They are inferior in every way. I use a tablet and pen for all my pointer manipulations… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2002, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574/26 "2002-09-16T07:43:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sue Duhnym \* > > The thing that really pisses me off is that my husband just bought himself a brand new Vaio (we’re networked in the house). Why on earth would he get ME a new computer with a completely different platform? Why don’t you just switch computers with your husband? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2002, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574/27 "2002-09-20T01:10:07Z")
Wow, this thread went to the Pit, and bounced back! Aren’t system outages just **magical**? ---
**Author:** ![Ennui](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ennui/32/3396_2.png) [@Ennui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ennui)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2002, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574/28 "2002-09-20T02:13:45Z")
I too love my Vaio and in the admittedly limited time I spent with a mac I learned to forget many of my Bill Gates jokes. Returns are governed by store policy, last time I dealt with CompUSA I had 14 days to change my mind (and I did, HP out Viao in). But a little schmooseing with the store manager may convince him that a customer who will buy 2 full systems at a time is a customer who’s repeat buisness is worth haveing and who’s satisfaction is important. ---
**Author:** ![Sue\_Duhnym](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2002, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574/29 "2002-09-20T07:00:21Z")
FYI This thread lost a number of posts in the outage. In fact, it had been moved to the pit (unwarranted IMO). Now that it’s back here, I’d like to keep it here. As for my current state of mind… I bought a new mouse. It’s helped tremendously but I’m still irritated that I can’t paste (I can copy) with the right button. I’m working on getting used to that with the apple+V. I have OS X so a lot of stuff doesn’t work/hasn’t been updated yet. That’s pissing me off. The fonts on everything seem to be too small which causes some reading problems and I’m having problems highlighting text (for instance, if I want to type in a web address and want to delete everything but the [http://www](http://www). in the address bar.) OTOH, I’ve DLed Limewire, reworked my favorites list (still no Google toolbar or option to make that my default search), added a “saved” mailbox as well as some subcategories to that. I’ve loaded two children’s games (one works, one doesn’t…OS X problem) and figured out how to add addresses to my address book directly from emails. I guess my biggest problem is getting used to everything being up in the toolbar way at the top of the screen rather than a toolbar at the top of the window I’m working in. I still have no idea if I’ll be able to read emails that include attachments from a Windows platform (Say a document in Word when I have Works, the Apple version. Not sure if I actually want to load up the $500 Office Suite if I don’t need it.) or if I’ll be able to send a document to someone with a Windows platform. That worries me since I’m taking a telecourse where the instructor wants to send a lot of stuff through email. Anyway, I’ve decided to keep it. I’ll let you know in two years if I’ve been converted. Right now, I’m still feeling very inconvienienced. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2002, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574/30 "2002-09-20T07:10:36Z")
Uh oh … she mentioned Limewire! That’s a one-way trip to Locked Thread City! ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2002, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574/31 "2002-09-20T07:37:31Z")
[http://www.icword.com](http://www.icword.com) [http://www.icexcel.com](http://www.icexcel.com) These programs will let you view PC Word and Excel documents. They’re $30 for both, and let you view and save Word and Excel docs into formats the Mac can open with its own apps, like AppleWorks. AppleWorks, btw, does let you save to MS Office app formats, for both Mac and PC, so you should be okay there. If you have fonts you’d like to transfer over, a font utility called TTConverter will allow you to convert PC font .ttf files into Mac font files. It has a drag-and-drop interface, and is free. The only type of PC file I can’t open is an .exe file. I get these by e-mail occasionally. Of course, unless you have a PC emulator like SoftWindows or Virtual PC installed, these are useless to you. Oh, and since I think **beagledave** mentioned it, you should take a look at [Action GoMac](http://poweronsoftware.com/store/products/actionGomac/). It installs a toolbar, much like Windows’ Taskbar, at the bottom of your screen. It has a Start button (though you can change the icon that appears on it, and whether it says Start or GoMac or iMac or whatever), clock, and icon tray. Active applications’ windows show up as buttons along the middle section of the bar. It’s pretty much a Taskbar for the Mac. You can access folders and files, launch applications, and shut down from the Start menu. I really think you should look into it-- I think you’ll find it makes the transition to your iMac easier. It’s also $30. I know it can’t be easy to force yourself to adjust to a new platform. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Us Mac users will help you out as much as we can. Convert, nothing-- feeling comfortable behind the machine you use is most important. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2002, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574/32 "2002-09-20T16:30:14Z")
If it makes you feel any better, I’m an old Mac user who is still clutching desperately to the OS 9.2.2, while my husband has X running on his, and _I_ am having too much trouble figuring out the new platform and I can’t get it to do what I want it to do and I can’t find a thing. I know I have to switch sometime as they’re phasing out 9 totally, but my computer’s too old to run X. Alas. I’m actually kind of pissed-- not so much that they’ve developed X, as it’s a good system, but that they are killing 9 completely, which seems like total intentional obsolescence, like they want to force old Mac users to buy a new machine. MEANWHILE there are so many programs that don’t have X versions yet-- I can’t run my vicam off X, for instance, and as they’ve stopped production on that thing the drivers will NEVER be developed. One thing I did on my partition of his computer is turn off the “quartz” “feature” that makes text fuzzy and unreadable. I mean, it’s nice “looking” but unreadable if you have to read it. And, Jesus Christ, have you seen the new Nethack for X? It’s awful! Why couldn’t they have just left it alone? It’s a totally different game now. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2002, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574/33 "2002-09-20T19:48:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AudreyK \* > **The only type of PC file I can’t open is an .exe file. I get these by e-mail occasionally.** God, you can’t run virii? The shock! The horror! It sucks to be you! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kirkland1244](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kirkland1244](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kirkland1244)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2002, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574/34 "2002-09-20T21:50:56Z")
People, don’t recommend tools like Action GoMac. That’s absurd. She’s running **Mac OS X**. If you really want to help her, only recommend **Mac OS X native or carbonized** solutions or interface tweaks. Kirk ---
**Author:** ![Sue\_Duhnym](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2002, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574/35 "2002-09-21T00:52:20Z")
> [@](#): > > One thing I did on my partition of his computer is turn off the “quartz” “feature” that makes text fuzzy and unreadable. I mean, it’s nice “looking” but unreadable if you have to read it. How do I do that? ---
**Author:** ![Kirkland1244](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kirkland1244](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kirkland1244)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2002, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574/36 "2002-09-21T02:32:11Z")
You can’t actually turn off anti-aliased text (which is also a default thing on Windows XP) with the plain-vanilla OS. If you’re on Jaguar you can the level of anti-aliasing, and you can set on all versions of OS X to have the system not anti alias text that’s 12pt or lower in the System Preferences program. Also, over a long period of time, it is less straining on your eyes to read anti-aliased text, which isn’t jaggy. And if you’re doing page layout or design, jaggy text is a nightmare. And the anti-aliasing is part of Quartz, but Quartz (or Quartz Extreme if you’re on Jaguar) is far, far more than just anti-aliased text. Quartz is the rendering engine that produces everything you see on screen, from the windows to the Dock to the desktop to the icons to the text, and everything in between. Kirk ---
**Author:** ![elshatan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@elshatan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elshatan)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2002, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574/37 "2002-09-21T04:10:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kirkland1244 \* > \*\*You can’t actually turn off anti-aliased text (which is also a default thing on Windows XP) with the plain-vanilla OS. If you’re on Jaguar you can the level of anti-aliasing, and you can set on all versions of OS X to have the system not anti alias text that’s 12pt or lower in the System Preferences program. > > Also, over a long period of time, it is less straining on your eyes to read anti-aliased text, which isn’t jaggy. And if you’re doing page layout or design, jaggy text is a nightmare. > > And the anti-aliasing is part of Quartz, but Quartz (or Quartz Extreme if you’re on Jaguar) is far, far more than just anti-aliased text. Quartz is the rendering engine that produces everything you see on screen, from the windows to the Dock to the desktop to the icons to the text, and everything in between. > > Kirk \*\* “Spock! Our…anti-aliasing drive…is down…” Sorry, couldn’t resist. ---
**Author:** ![Kirkland1244](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kirkland1244](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kirkland1244)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2002, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574/38 "2002-09-21T04:41:36Z")
You paused wrong for a ShanterSpeak impersonation. It’s three words, a pause, then you spit out the rest of the sentence. “Spock! Our anti… aliasingdriveisdown!” ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2002, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574/39 "2002-09-21T05:20:55Z")
Sue, as others have said here, it sounds like it isn’t really about there being anything _wrong_ with a Mac—it’s just that you are unused to it. Since you have decided to keep it, it would benefit you to educate yourself on how to use it properly. (Yes, yes, I know…God Forbid I expect you to read any sort of manual! 😃 ) OS X, specifically Jaguar (I just installed it) is a very promising OS. A lot of Windows geeks grudgingly admit that there is something quite admirable about a Unix-based OS that is “user friendly” enough for the average user. The more I use OS X (and I admit, I was dragged grudgingly from OS 9.x) the more I like it. I would recommend getting Robin Williams’ (no, not the actor) book, “The [not so little] OS X Book” and also “OS X: The Missing Manual”. When I made the transition to Mac (it was _willingly_ in my case 😉 ) I took it upon myself to educate myself on Macs as much as I could. It really made the transition go pretty smoothly for me. But I admit, there were some growing pains. Sometimes, it’s easier to see the things that you _dislike_ before you see the things that you _like_. In my case, my first Mac was an ancient 60 MHz PowerMac. It was about 5 years old when I got it, so that was a definite handicap. I disliked the one-button mouse too, and I wasn’t so sure about having to learn all the darned keyboard shortcuts. But, I decided to give in and learn to do it the Mac way. Eventually, I ended up falling in love with the Mac. Two iMacs later (I’m now on a G4 tower) I am a full-fledged Machead. I still own a PC, though, and make sounds about buying a new one. I might do it one day, too! It isn’t as if I despise all things PC. I just love Macs. And I have discovered that there are a lot of unique things to love about Macs. I just had to give myself time to discover what they were. One thing that I discovered was that learning all the keyboard shortcuts actually helped me when I was working on my PC. Many of the keyboard shortcuts are similar in Mac and PC (substitute Command for the Apple key). Before I got my Mac, I had never bothered to learn any keyboard shortcuts. Now I try to use keyboard shortcuts as much as possible. I find that they are far more efficient than right clicking or using the menu. There’s a lot of developing that needs to be done on OS X (it’s only a year or so old!) but it has a great deal of potential. For one thing, it is quite stable—so far, no crashes for me in OS X! And, the more I read about it, the more excited I get! Every day, a new program ports over to OS X. There are a lot of features and qualities in OS X that are unique, and exciting. Did you know that it comes with an Apache server built in? OK, maybe that’s a little too geeky, but _I’m_ stoked about it! Give yourself time. No one will force you to become a Machead, but since you’ve got the damned thing, might as well make the best of it. Good luck to you, and let us know if we can help in any way! ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2002, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574/40 "2002-09-21T06:33:37Z")
You want her to read OSX: The _Missing_ Manual? Come on, now, she doesn’t even want to read the manual that’s _there_! 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-at-all-redeeming-about-an-imac/128574.md?page=3)