Did you start out on a Mac?

Just for my curiosity....I started out with computers using a Mac in 1988. I was faithfull until 1999. Then my Performa bit the big one in a major way in the middle of a final paper (I didn't back it up because I had never had problems before, I know, excuses, excuses.) Since I was done with college anyway, I was done with the Mac too. When I got a job all we had were PC's, so I used a PC for about four years, then I came back to Mac's last fall.

How many of us switchers started out on Mac's, got sucked over to the dark side, and have seen the light again?

I was never a "switcher". The first computers I used on a regular basis were Apple IIe's and IIc's. My school got a Mac in 1985. I have been around Macs since then. Yet the schools had IBM machines, too. I have always used Apple computers alongside IBM machines, even to this day. I can't say I was ever really "dedicated" to one kind of computer or OS.
For me, any computer works...I just prefer ones of the Apple variety. :black:

Well in a practical sense, I am a switcher. I have been using Windows based computers since Windows for Workgroups 3.1 and only made the switch to a modern Mac system about 2.5 months ago. However, technically, I'm an old school Apple user since the first 'pc' I ever used for any extended period was the Apple IIe back in the early years of grade school.

-Chris

I prefer to think of myself as platform neutral rather than a switcher or a Mac loyalist. I started out on Apple II's, went to the II+, IIe, and GS. But I did not get a Mac. After a brief stint on my Amiga, I then spent many years using x86 base Windows (3.11 WFW on up), and some *nix on workstations and servers. For the last 4 years I have been using a mix of Windows and Linux on the Desktop and various platforms for server.

I then bought my first Mac right before Christmas 2004 as a present for myself and now use a mix of Windows (10%), Linux (30%), and OS X (60%) for the desktop.

As a tail-end baby boomer I didn't touch a computer until age 24 in college and it was a Apple II -- so I started on a Apple

I then became a pirate about 8yrs later and cobbled together a Franklin that was essentially an Apple II as our "first" home PC in 1986.

I now renounce all and any SW / HW piracy ---- for my pennance I did 16yrs at Intel

Now I'm studing to move into a healthcare position --- and I'm back to an Apple computer

Now the circle is complete .... the student is now the master .... I am your FATHER Luke ........................ :spook:

started out with an Amiga 500 (my god i still love that thing!)
didnt have anything else untill the PS1 (not relevant but still a long time)

played with 386/486 machines with DOS5/6 and win3.11
got a PII350 with win98 then stuck with that till 2years ago when i got my first laptop for uni AMD1800xp

Thats a mix of XP/Linux (Redhat now MDK)
Finally got a mac in the form of a PB

Wasnt really a fan of macs for a long time but always wanted one cause they looked so good, mac OSX cought my attention for ages in pcworld and when a friend got one and raved about it i had to try one and have to say that im impressed with them

I had a Commodore 64 first.

i had an IBM PCjr when i was a kid. i never knew what to do with it. then i started using TRS80's in middle school. and then on to PC's. my uncle and grandfather always messed around with apple's. i couldnt stand them cause i could not figure them out. i hated apple until recently. i got fed up with M$ crap and took the plunge. now if only i can get the wife to jump in too.

I too started with a Commodore 64 and later a 128. A friend showed me his Atari 800XL so I got a 130XE with Sparta X and on that learned all my DOS as the commands were the same on the SpartaDos for the Atari. Got an Atari ST which was my first GUI system and used it for my work, and then an Amiga 500 which was more my fun and music computer. Loved how well it multitasked for that 7.1 Mhz CPU. Got a 286/16 with DOS 5 then 6 for learning the PC side of things. I still used the Amiga and Atari ST at that time for my serious work. I wanted a Mac Plus but could not afford one at the time. Got a 386 with 3.11 and later 486, P75, 133, 233, then all AMD up to the K6/2 450, then back to Intel with the celeron 366 overclocked, then the Coppermine 700, Tualatin 1.4Ghz, Amd Athlon XP 2400, P4 2.53. Somewhere around the Pentium 133 I was given a Mac Plus. Even though it was old, it still worked well for word processing and I found it more reliable than the older 3.11 Windows at that time. I kept getting way old Macs that were way behind my PC's, but still loved the way the OS worked overall. Then Windows 2k and XP came out, and it was so much nicer than 98/ME, I forgot about Macs for a while till OSX came out, then I wanted it! But due to $$$ problems I had to wait till I moved out of where I was living, then was able to get a used G4 Sawtooth, then Mac Mini. I use the Macs now for most all my work and just use the AMD for Games and the Intel P4 for some video work as it's all set up for it. Am saving for a G5 and then I will be able to use it for everything except I will keep the Amd for games.
I have always loved Macs so I don't know if I am a real switcher or not. OSX is what really won me over and made me try real hard to save the $$$ for a Mac. I am glad I did. Before OSX I was using Suse Linux for a lot of my work as it's a very stable OS and Windows for Games and other things I could not find the apps for under Linux.

I can't remember what I used in school, but then in highschool I used PC's and once in awhile a Mac.. which I thought was pretty cool, but just as unstable as the PC's that I was using. Then I went off to college and used both again. I was really enjoying the Mac, but everything I needed to do could only be done on PC's so I mostly worked on PC's. Then I worked on the yearbook and newspaper and I really started using Mac's a lot. Eventually I purchased myself a PowerComputing PowerTower Pro, went pretty bad in debt for it also I still had to use PC's and Mac's though since both of them couldn't do everything I needed to be able to do. Then came OS X! I never did use 10.1, but finally switched over at 10.2.. found out I could do everything on it, so ditched the PC and haven't looked back since

The first time I got to touch a computer was banging on keyboard at the library, when I was like 5. I wouldn't suggest it. If I ever see that librarian again, I'll be sure to do it again and stare at her right in the eyes. The first computer my family started with was a Compaq that we bought back in 1991. We still have it, and I can barely lift the thing. I must have pour cement in it in my sleep, probably out of bitter rage or something.

My first computer was a Texas Instruments 99-4a. I got that in about 1983-84 got pretty good at programing in basic on it. After that I started computer classes in 7th grade with an Apple II. a year later I upgraded my TI to a Tandy 1000ex 258 KB of ram wooo hooooo. Once in highschool we used Apple IIGS and we had one Mac in the corner that the teacher would never let anyone use even though I could program circles around him. In about 96 I replaced my tandy with a Compaq running 95. Since then I have built several PC's running windows of some sort. I bought my iBook in Feb '05 and now I hardly ever use any of my windows PC's.

My first was a TRS-80 when I was 8, moved up to a comodore PET, then an Apple ][+, //e, //c,and even a Apple ///+ that I picked up at a going out of business sale, then a Lisa 2 (MacXL). Then I enlisted in the military and was too poor to own a computer. Got out, went back to school and was graciously given an old Mac plus (rescued from my sister's closet) with an Apple printer. Then I picked up a pentium 150 and from then on just incrementally upgraded it, to the point that my computer had continuity with the original computer even though none of the components where still original. Now I've got a p4 3.06ghz laptop, a 3.2 Ghz p4 destop, a G3-400 iMac and a Mini. The Mac plus worked it's way back to my sister's closet, and as far as I know, still runs.

i started out with like OS6 i think it was and i really didant like it all that much, so i went to PC and hated computer then i saw OS X and i have loved Mac every sence

I first used an Apple II-series machine.

I've used PCs from time to time, but I've always been an Apple guy when it comes down to it.

I like to play around with "exotic" equipment, so I'm a bit jealous of those of you who had Amigas and the like. It makes me sad to think how few choices we have nowadays.

yea i was brought up on DOS 4.0, then when we found out it wouldnt pass win2k, went to win 95 P90mhz (we wer poor lol) that died, went to winNT 4.0 P233mhz, that died, P266mhz win98 (these wer from my moms work) that died, dad bought a P4 1.8ghz...i built a dual 1.4ghz, 2gb ram, 1.85KW in power supplies...and it finally died. I was given a G3 over the summer, jammed osx.2 on it...and well, i love the fact that it can multitask better than my dually did...and the unreliability of the PC was just sooo bad.

Not to mention im familliar with LInux, BSD, BeOS, IRIX, and god knows what else

My first real computer (actually my parents' first computer) was an Apple //c.

Sweet little machine.
But after that I grew up through various flavors of DOS and Windows.
My mac mini is my first Apple since the //c back in the late 80's. I still have my windows XP machine too. During the 90's, I had always considered ProDOS to be Apple's last "real" operating system.

The macs prior to OSX never did anything for me, I had to use them in the computer labs in college. The macs were just ugly beige boxes like everything else, with annoying operating systems and uncomfortable mice, and the jellybean iMacs and iBooks just made it worse.

OSX did get my attention though, particularly starting with 10.2 (major kinks worked out by then) and the hardware design started changing for the better, with the exception of some silly ones like the iMac that looks like a desk lamp. The G5 tower is a great design, and I love the mac mini. But the main reason I bought a mac was for OSX and the mini finally made the cost barrier a non-issue.

After getting my mini I spent some time on this site looking at all the various designs... I actually didn't realize there were so many different models over the years.

The first computer I remember using was when I was about 11 or 12, it was some "Tiny" machine or maybe "Time" I don't know... I remember I was allowed on the internet for like an hour a night and spent most of my time doodling in paint or trying to learn HTML from books I got out of the library.

Eventually my dad moved out and took the PC with him so I had nothing for ages! Then we got this ancient "Apricot" PC from my brother, it was crap, it had like 32mb of ram. We bought a modem for it and got online with AOL (shock) and I would spend all my time in chat rooms *****ing and fighting with people hahaha.

Then my dad got me a (marginally) upgraded PC, but it wasn't until PS2 online was coming up to release when things got good for me. I had signed up to beta test it and got accepted which meant I needed to get my hands on broadband and a network card fast. Due to some miracle my dad loosened his wallet for the first time and bought me a new PC, an eMachine, it looked **** cool and I loved it! I upgraded from doodling in paint to doodling in photoshop at around that time too.

Finally I started the graphic design course (all that paint doodling paid off, I was unconditionally accepted onto the course) and managed to wangle my iMac G5 out of my dad. My eMachine PC now lives in the front room for my mum to use and abuse with her hotmail and dating site needs. The PC is slow as **** now and I hate using it.

Now, I wonder how many people will actually read all that?

Around the age of 7, I bought my first computer. It was a Nutrend. I thought it was pretty good. Then from there, I got into computers more. I got a Dell, another Dell, then a Dell notebook. Around the time I got a Dell notebook, I noticed an iMac G4 in my local Compusa.(Was buying Virus protection for Dell Notebook ) I thought it looked awesome. Tried it out, it WAS awesome. Learned more and more about Macs. Here I am today. DP 2 PowerMac with 23" Cinema HD Display. Around Christmas, I bought myself an iBook to tote around. Now I'm better known as AppleJustWorks than Brian.

Woo.

Well...since i'm 13, this will be a short history, but here I go:

When I was 5 or 6, my dad bought a "Sam's Club Special" PC. I don't really remember it. Then we got the dreaded emachine ( which we just threw away ). Now I'm typing on a compaq, its pretty cool. Hopefully, by the end of the summer, i'll get a mac mini by mowing lawns & stuff. It's going to be the 500 dollar one with a 512mb upgrade and the 80gigabye HD upgrade