to mac from pc....

[Anonymous]

i am getting more and more confused reading this site. i am thinking of getting a mac (for 2 reasons -one after watching the CORPORATE and the second, most clients with mac computers are so messy and crashes).

ok, here are my needs;
1. work at clients' offices - pc and mac environments.
2. cad programs are archicad and vectorworks
3. other programs- illustrator, photoshop and indesign and microsoft office ( excel, words and project)

my current printer is HP deskjet 1220C and scanner is HP 4400c.

i use my dell inspiron- 256ram/1.6mhz/xp and so far, no problems with the programs, the printer, scanner except for the many internet pop-ups!

I work alot on construction drawings and I enjoy using the 3d which helps alot in elevations, sections and roof ( though i still struggle with vectorworks on the elevations and roof and just wish vw clients switch to ac).

so, i will need to have a somekind of network connection to my clients' server to work on the project files and what do I need to do that?

I need a mobile computer so the 15" G4 powerbook looks ideal in size and price. But can anyone tell me if the specs are ok for my needs?

what is dual?

help!

[Anonymous]

I am using a 17" PowerBook as my primary machine and recommend it very highly. The current top of the line 15" model is even a bit faster than mine and has all the same features (except the wonderful screen of course).

No laptop (that I know of) will give the kind of 3D performance that you can get from a G5 or Pentium 4 Xeon, but using old tried and true techniques (working in limited sections, using the marquee to cut the model, etc.) I can still be very productive, even on large projects.

Definitely get the best you can afford and be sure to get the better video (64MB VRAM). I don't find the 17" PowerBook to be too large or heavy (maybe I''m stronger than I realize). It weighs about the same as all the laptops I've owned (the 15" Ti PowerBook was the lightest) and it even fits nicely in my slim Halliburton briefcase (except for the TiBook all the others have been too fat).

For more thoughts on the PC/Mac issue (particularly connectivity) you should look at my post in "getting to know mac..." in the hardware forum (probably right below this subject after I post this reply).

[Anonymous]

lsid wrote:
ok, here are my needs;
1. work at clients' offices - pc and mac environments.

no problem these days

2. cad programs are archicad and vectorworks

both pc/mac. Files interchangeable.

3. other programs- illustrator, photoshop and indesign and microsoft office ( excel, words and project)

All mac /pc except Project which I don't think is part of Office. There's probably free/shareware for the mac which will play nice with Project. Or run Project in VPC - would probably work fine given low processor overhead for this kind of program.

i use my dell inspiron- except for the many internet pop-ups!

macs get less viruses, autodiallers, spyware etc. Fact. Many reasons, which we don't need to go into here.

I work alot on construction drawings and I enjoy using the 3d which helps alot in elevations, sections and roof ( though i still struggle with vectorworks on the elevations and roof and just wish vw clients switch to ac).

I'm sure most people here would wish others would switch to AC. I have to struggle with VW despite my preference for AC. It is a very capable program at a reasonable price but...... it's not a true BIM solution whatever their website might say. It's interface is also a mess but I'll save my rant for another time and maybe another place.

so, i will need to have a somekind of network connection to my clients' server to work on the project files and what do I need to do that?

An ethernet cable (or wi-fi, 15" powerbook it's built in). And server name and password probably. As Matthew L said you'll find this easier with a mac whatever the server.

what is dual?

two processors - nice but not essential. At the moment won't do much for AC.

help!