A brief intro and questions...

[Grifter]

Ok, well....My day is finally here.

Almost.

Tomorrow (Saturday) I will be getting the iMac 27" 3.1 GHz - the "middle of the road" option. I wanted a better graphics card for the gaming, but really felt that I wouldn't need the dual quad core and that it would be a waste.

I took Schwebs advice and purchased the HP Envy. It arrived yesterday and I haven't even unboxed it. Waiting to go to the store and hook up the iMac and just plug everything in.

Any really good/legit websites for free software? Games, applications, etc.?

Holy crap....I feel like a kid on Christmas eve....I'm not gonna be able to sleep all night because of this excitement....

 

[chas_m]

Congrats, Grif!

As I mention in my essay, there's a lot of amazing software that comes on the Mac (none of that crapware PC users are used to), so I'd stick with that first, particularly as it will help you learn the Mac faster. Having said that, yes there's a lot of top-quality freeware out there (and of course some freeware that's less than top quality!).

There's a couple of threads around here regarding freeware and shareware sites and specific programs, but if you think of a need, ask here first. You'll probably be surprised to find that in most cases the answer is actually already on your Mac. Beyond that, the members here have great experience in what constitutes a "free" program and what constitutes "an excellent value at low or no cost" and won't hesitate to recommend something.

 

[Slydude]

Chas is right about trying the software included with the Mac first before trying third party software. I am in the mtddle of writing a series of articles about that for About This Particular Mac magazine. The series is looking at interesting software/features on current Macs. This months article looks at Disk Utility. ATPM - About This Particular Macintosh

 

[Grifter]

Yea, I know it's an old post, but just wanted to follow up....

I have no freakin' idea why I waited so **** long to make the switch. I seriously could NOT be happier with my decision.

I did as suggested, didn't instal lWindows right away and use it as a crutch. I waited, installed it via bootcamp and then bought and installed the latest VMware. I needed to in order to have the wife use it for work. But neither of us have gone back to Windows to do our everyday tasks - everything has been on the iMac.

Thanks to everyone for the advice and the reading material. very much appreciated.

 

[chas_m]

Wow, thanks so much for the follow-up! Glad you are so pleased with your purchase!

Of course, this creates a new problem: sooner rather than later, your wife is going to need her own machine!