jesustoast
We hope that you choke
I'm not exactly sure if this thread belongs in this forum but it doesn't seem to fit anywhere else. I wanted to get some feedback from iBook and Mac OS X users to help me make my decision.
This will be my first Apple Computer. I've been a PC user for years so I'm not sure how well Mac's hardware perform. Mac OS X + an iBook is really what I'm looking for since I've used linux and unix for years. Mac OS X is simple enough that my dad can use it but also powerful enough that I can compile and use my favorite unix apps (with some porting). The iBook is small, portable, and durable. I'll need that for school.
I will be using the laptop mainly for email, www, and word processing. The ability to download digital pictures from my camera and edit them would be a plus. Also, I'd like to compile unix apps I've used with linux and BSD without spending a long time waiting for them to compile. For example, EPIC, irssi, gaim, X11 and mutt.
I'm currently looking at a refurbished 14" 700mhz model with 16M vram or the new 12" 800mhz one with 32M vram. I really want the bigger 14" screen but I'm not sure if it's worth settling with a slower CPU and less video memory. (Both of these are 1,299 from the Apple Store)
Will it be worth getting a smaller display and the new, faster cpu or for what I use will it be better to get the slower, older one with the bigger display? Does 100mhz + more vram make that much of a difference? If the performance is about the same I'd rather just get a bigger display.
This will be my first Apple Computer. I've been a PC user for years so I'm not sure how well Mac's hardware perform. Mac OS X + an iBook is really what I'm looking for since I've used linux and unix for years. Mac OS X is simple enough that my dad can use it but also powerful enough that I can compile and use my favorite unix apps (with some porting). The iBook is small, portable, and durable. I'll need that for school.
I will be using the laptop mainly for email, www, and word processing. The ability to download digital pictures from my camera and edit them would be a plus. Also, I'd like to compile unix apps I've used with linux and BSD without spending a long time waiting for them to compile. For example, EPIC, irssi, gaim, X11 and mutt.
I'm currently looking at a refurbished 14" 700mhz model with 16M vram or the new 12" 800mhz one with 32M vram. I really want the bigger 14" screen but I'm not sure if it's worth settling with a slower CPU and less video memory. (Both of these are 1,299 from the Apple Store)
Will it be worth getting a smaller display and the new, faster cpu or for what I use will it be better to get the slower, older one with the bigger display? Does 100mhz + more vram make that much of a difference? If the performance is about the same I'd rather just get a bigger display.