Apple noob

[JD309]

I've been using DOS and Windows for all my life and I've finally decided that I'm gonna switch to an iBook G4 just as soon as a good deal comes up on eBay . I've just got a few questions before I buy.

1. I've currently got a Windows XP PC with a 512kbps ADSL connection. Is it possible to set up an iBook to wirelessly share it's connection? I know nothing about wireless stuff.

2. If when I buy an iBook it doesnt have a DVD/CD-RW combo drive in it, would it be possible to put one in?

3. What sort of spec. should I be looking for? I will mainly use it for: Getting music from a CD to my iPod, DVD playback, school work (mainly word processing and maybe a few presentations), web based e-mail (gmail), web browsing and maybe using iLife.

 

[JD309]

Or, I might go for a G3 if it's cheaper.

 

[jimbopalmer]

1) Macs use the same 802.11G (if new) and 802.11B (if older) protocol as do PCs, any wireless router will work.

2) as with any laptop, yes but the confines of space make it very painfull to upgrade them

3) I would buy one that ran the lastest version of OSX

http://www.apple.com/macosx/upgrade/requirements.html

I tried to remain child-like, all I acheived was childish.

 

[BabyJeffy]

You can share your connection and effectively turn your Mac into a base station if you wish. Check what Airport card (wireless card) it comes with -- if it has 802.11b then you will not be able to get it to share an 802.11g network (sorry if I am stating the obvious).

I would make sure you got a model with a CD writer (at least) in it. It's going to be very expensive to find an upgrade... even on eBay.

Spec-wise... make sure you have USB (all modern Macs do) and a larger hard disk if possible (although upgrading the hard disk is easy using pretty much any slim-line 2.5inch drive on the market). I agree with other posters that MacOSX would be a good choice for operating system (and often implies a more recent release computer). Try and get something with a decent amount of RAM. 512Mb would give you a very nice user experience (considering your requirements).

I'm sure others will have an opinion -- maybe they could suggest some specific models (I'm afraid that my Mac "skillz" are not what they used to be).

Regards,
Jeff

 

[34534534534555]

Running OS X i would suggest no less than 512Mb RAM. Keep in mind that the releases of OS X have been frequent in the last few years, but with the impending release of Tiger OS X 10.4 (woooo!) this pace will slow. So even if you are buying without the latest release you may want to consider buying 10.4 on a education license which makes it a little cheaper ~£100.

I must disagree with Jeff, if your laptop is running 802.11b and you have a router running 802.11g, they will of course communicate, but at the lower speed. All of these protocols are backwards compatable. If you aren't using a router, that is the easiest way to share an internet connection between multiple computers and it isn't too expensive.

Buying a laptop you should be looking to buy as good a machine as you can afford with everything you requrie, upgrading is possible but shouldn't be considered a possibility so early on in your ownership, unless for RAM which is simple. Laptop's are much more limited than desktop's in terms of upgradeability (to state the obvious).

I have a G4 so this is where my experience lies, bear in mind that Apple are usig G5's in deskops and so these must filter through to laptops in the near future. I would therefore suggest a G4 is the lowest you should get.

In terms of your requirements they are fairly similar to my own uses. Don't forget that the Mhz war in PC's doesn't apply to Mac's. I run a 1Ghz and it is lightning fast for anything i do. But i also have it on reduced processor performance to keep the fan off!! So i would say anything over a 700Mhz will suit your purposes just fine, but remeber the RAM is important.

Hope this is of sime help.


| Feedback is always appreciated as this will help to further our knowledge as well |

 

[whit3rd]

First, you say you have PC with ADSL and want to wirelessly share:

Yes, if you move the ADSL modem to the Macintosh and turn on 'share
my network connection with others' to make it route IP packets to
the ADSL, then turn on 'create wireless networks' to make it serve out
its wireless connection (presumably you got the Airport card installed if
it didn't come with the laptop), then your network connection is available
to multiple computers. Most people DON'T like having this connection
setup, because your Wintel box won't connect until the Mac is running.
Preferably, you'd get a wireless router (about $40 if you look for a sale)
that would serve out the ADSL over wireless and Ethernet both, and just
leave it plugged in and turned on 24/7. Either way, some configuration is
necessary.

Second 'would it be possible to put in'... an upgrade optical drive.
Yes, I've done it (but I've got certifications, Apple's internal documents,
tools, and experience, and it was NOT pleasant), but it's
easier, and cheaper (about $100) to just get
an external DVD-RW/CD-RW burner. Either USB (not recommended)
or Firewire will do. The time required to do a full burn is long enough
that you'd never do this without AC power (and as long as it's not burning
while portable, why bother with a portable burner?). As a bonus, the same
burner will plug into your Wintel box if you want; remember, these are
all plug-and-play!

Most current models won't need any upgrade, but an eBay bargain might.