Yes, I’m afraid I did!, I’ve been told by a local Apple dealer that they had the Mac Minis 1.42GHz in stock, and they received only 2 units which are still at Customs and expected to be cleared only by tomorrow afternoon. Knowing that they have actually received the Mac Minis on the island was enough for me, all the other crap is irrelevant. So I placed the order with them for BOTH units, and have even pre-paid without a moment’s hesitation! The price was ok. Could’ve been better but I wouldn’t get that to corrupt my “instant gratification” here…
I’m anxiously awaiting their delivery to my office tomorrow afternoon.
I have no idea what I’m going to use them for, but that’s another problem!
Welcome to the Mac world. After a disconnect since about 1995, I’ll probably be back to the Mac. And one of the major reasons (ok, I’m making this up.. bite me!) is the OS’s base of a Unix-like operating system!
They’re here and one of them is installed, this is the first post edited with the new mac mini! 😀
Click the picture to see the whole set…
Comments
I have succumbed…
[quote]I have no idea what I’m going to use them for, but that’s another problem![/quote]
Perhpas Francis might like one for Valentines Day???
I have succumbed…
Please remember to post pictures of your new possession once it comes in 🙂
I have succumbed…
hehehe
Welcome back and enjoy your stay. 😀
I have succumbed…
Hey, welcome back to the Mac world :D. If you’d departed in ’95, then that’d mean you’d left a year before I arrived as a carry-on from the NeXT world. Ex-NeXT employee here having a great time watching all of the old NeXT goodness being reborn in Mac OS X.
I have succumbed…
Mahmood,
Greetings!
Writing from U.S. Glad to hear you are coming back to the fold. I have been a Mac user since 1987 but can certainly see why you parted company in the mid-’90s. Apple was teetering on the brink. But they are firing on all cylinders now and poised, I think, to convert a lot of Windows users. Let us know how the conversion goes. Best wishes!
Welcome back!
-CCRider
darn!
Can’t install the other one at home because I forgot that I don’t have USB keyboard and mouse… got to wait till tomorrow for that… I was looking for a night of tinkering!
I have succumbed…
Sheesh, you look really proud Mahmoud.
Love your blog, most amazing reading.
Latest post however, not being a puter whiz, I wouldn’t know what to do with an apple if it hit me on the head!
Jayburd
Re(1): I have succumbed…
1. http://porting.openoffice.org/mac/ooo-osx_downloads.html
2-5. all got osx releases on their sites
6. Ecto (is prolly closest) or MarsEdit (http://ranchero.com/marsedit/) equivalents
7. dunno, text editor? checkout free or commercial versions on http://www.barebones.com
8. ssh client? osx has built-in cmd-line ssh + tons or wrapper apps (free or shareware)
rest – dunno
/me is green with envy at you for having new mac hardware – andyv at xaraya dot com 🙂
I have succumbed…
I am coveting that little toy myself. I have never used a PC, I look at my husbands once in a while but I have no desire to make my self crazy.
Re: I have succumbed…
She might, but she ain’t gettin’ it!
Amna has “dibbs” on it and as her first computer was a Tangerine PowerBook, she was pleading to get one of the Mac Minis. I said NO. Then Arif asked for one, and I said sure, just to piss Amna off! 🙂 Evil!
I wanna play, so I’ll keep both for the moment, otherwise wars will be raged. Or at least until the dealer gets some more so I can buy one for each!
On a serious note however, these are the applications which I use on a daily basis for work and pleasure, please suggest alternatives for the Mac OSX world and if you could provide download links I would appreciate it. I think some programs I will list are available for both platforms, so I’ll into their policies of “side-grading” them to Mac versions. Here we go:
1. OpenOffice.org
2. Firefox
3. Thunderbird
4. FileMaker Pro
5. Adobe Photoshop Elements
6. w.blooggar
7. EditPlus 2
8. Putty
9. MindManager
10. iTunes (no brainer here!)
11. Arles Image Web Page Creator (reduces pictures and adds logo & text)
12. AutoCAD Lt 2005
There might be others, but the top 9 I use all the time and wouldn’t want to just drop them.
I know that 1 – 4 are definitely available for Mac OSX, not sure about the others. MindManager is quite important to me as I brainstorm using it and would hate to leave it behind.
Re: I have succumbed…
I always wanted to get a NeXT. It was so far ahead of its time with everything it had it looked like at the time, postscript and the other bits and pieces were really neat.
Ever since I saw OSX running at a friend’s a was actually hooked, but for one reason or another I was in denial. That’s got to be put to rest this afternoon.
But this is by no means a statement that I will leave PCs. No, not yet. Far too much of my business is dependent on them with vendors like Avid and others clearly prefer Wintel machines and their windows of software releases always go for the PC world first, then 6 – 9 months later (if ever) they release a Mac version. The story is the same for a lot of ISVs. Apple should make a concerted effort into bringing them back into the fold, if it’s serious about the high-end anyway.
This is my first “real” forray into the Apple world in 10 years because the price and the product were right. I hope I’ll find enough to allow me to stay!
Re: I have succumbed…
The beauty of it is that the Mac Mini is not a “crippled” computer or OS. It’s complete, and for the price, it’s wonderfully affordable!
Go for it!
Now can anyone give me a link on how to rip it open and install at least 1GB in these boxes? I don’t fancy the dealer doing that and getting 4x the price for the privilege (in their defence however I didn’t ask! I just like tinkering with things)
Re: I have succumbed…
CCRider I think you’re right. People, especially kids will force their parents to go out and get them one of the Mac Minis. If Apple does the same marketing campaign and creates a new cult as it has with iPODs, then a LOT of conversions will happen. Almost all “trendy” kids have computers at home, so they have the necessary monitor, keyboard, mouse and printer, what they need to do is remove that tower box and throw it out to replace it with a nice (quiet) brick!
I have succumbed…
I use TEX-EDIT PLUS – shareware (no time limit on trial use, no obligation to pay fee)
http://www.tex-edit.com/
An informative guide for new mini users
http://arstechnica.com/guides/tweaks/miniguide.ars
Congrats! I haven’t bought mine yet, but soon, very soon. 🙂
I have succumbed…
Awesome. Now maybe you’d like to hand that over to me, sir! I’ll take that off your hands. Yes, you! Now! Thank you very much. 🙂
😉
I have succumbed…
To open the case:
apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/01/19/036200&tid=174&tid=137&tid=99&tid=3
http://www.smashsworld.com/2005/01/taking-apart-mac-mini-how-to.php
Re: I have succumbed…
hey excellent! thank you 🙂
MindMaps with Novamind
After looking at MindManager I think you may like a program called Novamind. It is very similar in style, but looks to have less features. I use this program all the time and love it.
Another program, although less useful is Inspiration.
Welcome back and enjoy.
Re(1): I have succumbed…
The first salvo has been fired at Apple. Napster has introduced a FLAT pricing plan vs Apple’s 99cents a song. Would you rather pay 99 cents a song or $15.00 a month for unlimited downloads? I would say screw my iPod. I will pay for it with the savings or the ability to download more songs for less.
I suspect as what happened with unlimited Internet access will happen with this as well. Lots and lots of people dumping their iPods. If this happens a big draw for the MacMini has vaporized.
Re(2): I have succumbed…
Well, some of us will read the fine print on that fiasco…….and APPLE lovers will always be apple lovers and keep our IPODS.
Napsters deal offers 15 bucks a month catching you into a contract for unlimited downloads (directly to your MP3 player) once that space is taken up, then your stuck, you must delete before you can add more. If you want the capability to burn it to a disk, you must pay .99 cents a track and are STILL under a contract for an additional 15 bucks a month. ITUNES has absolutely NO contract involved. As far as i’m concerned, napsters still a rip off. I do use my IPOD in almost everything, house, vehicle, work, etc and I wouldn’t trade it for anything different.
mahmood – congrats on the mini purchase. I’ve been drooling over the powerbook G4’s for quite some time and I know that as soon as I do succumb, they are going to find a way to cool the G5 temperature down enough to squeeze it into one of them and I will again be behind the times so I am waiting. although, I must say, while I have been waiting, i have been making a killing off of apple in the stock market recently 🙂 Let me know what you think of them once you get some hands on time.
Rich
Re(3): I have succumbed…
Rich
Thanks for the fine print breakdown. I don’t use either and don’t plan too.
You are right APPLE lovers will always be APPLE lovers. Loyal breed you are. Apple should have been on top of the PC world. They HAD the product. The never where able to sell it to the public. Poor management in the marketing department. I hope Apple can make a positive move, gain some share, but I won’t hold my breath waiting for it to happen.
I have succumbed…
This is Mike in the US again,
Mahmood this is way, way off topic, but what kind of fabiric is your shirt made from. It looks like very comfortable material.
Dishdasha….
Nothing quite so handsome as a man in a well tailored dishdasha…. 🙂
This little ol’ gal from South Carolina is in heaven in Doha — even if it is haraam to be looking! LOL! 😀
Salaam,
PM
Re: The Thobe
It’s cotton, and you’re right the thobe (Gulf arabic) or Jalabiya (geberal arabic) or Dishdasha (Gulf arabic) is probably the most comfortable attire next to having no clothes on at all!
It costs as little or as expensive depending on the actual cloth you select for your thobe. Generally with this kind of material I’m waring it’s about BD 15 each ($40).
Re: Dishdasha….
I agree. I liked the suprised looks I got when I wore them in the Gulf, and the even more surprised look when I spoke to locals in Arabic with a distinct Hijazi accent. Surprise surprise. I always get a kick out of the confussion I cause Arabs when I speak to them in Arabic. At first they cannot understand because they expect to hear English coming out of my mouth, then they catch on.
I know how this feels. I was speak to a friend in Arabic. When he left another white guy came up to me and made a comment to me in Arabic. I just stood there confused for a second until it sunk in that this guy was speaking to me in Arabic.
Re: MindMaps with Novamind
Thanks for that. I visited their website and fount out that NovaMind actually can import and export to MindManager as well! Great!
Re: I have succumbed…
not a chance! 😉
Re(2): I have succumbed…
Hey Andy! Thanks for stopping by man. Appreciate it!
Thanks for the suggestions, I’ve got most of what I need for the office computer and it’s up and running… this reply is now written on the home mac mini and you’re the first to get that reply!
Just installed it, following the 4 very difficult steps outlined on the back of the mac mini’s box (I actually just did 3, I’ll install iLife 5 later! :)) and I am amazed and pleasently surprised that it recognised my SGI SW1600 monitor without a problem. I just selected the 1600 x 1024 resolution and I didn’t have to do a thing! Brilliant.
I’ve downloaded NeoOffice/J and feel right at home with it, being a branch of OpenOffice (without the X-Windows component, that makes it quicker than standard releases which are stuck at 1.1.2 at the moment).
Don’t be green with envy, just do what I do all the time… max out the cards!
no way!
huh?
Re: no way!
The point being you dont expect Arabic to be spoken by an American, so when it is, it can throw you off.
Re(1): no way!
click on the “huh” word, he’s talking about installing Mac OSX on a PC!
Re(1): The Thobe
I wear them at home here in the USA. You can get them at many Halal shops. I like the Gulf type Dishdasha, but prefer the Thobe Maghrebi.
I have succumbed…
I’m thinking of getting one. How much did you pay for it?
Re: I have succumbed…
BD 299 from iMachines (the 1.42GHz)
BD 110 for the 1GB memory from Equinox Computers
I have succumbed…
Mahmood,
Now that you have played with the MacMini for a few days what are your thoughts on it? Is it all you hoped for? Compared to the other systems you have how does it stand up?
I have succumbed…
Cute puppy. Someday it might be on this list [url]http://www.blinkenlights.com/pc.shtml[/url]
billT