Also, iChat is compatible with AIM (mac and windows).

I have always had problems with windows wifi connection and none with Macs.

Jus a few comments … :)

It just works…

I wish it was like that here. I own a 3 year old Powerbook G4 and carry it around a lot, too. But at my university were laptops become increasingly popular, I mostly get odd looks for owning and using a Mac. Most people there comment that although it looks nice, “you can’t play counterstrike on it” (which is true), or that “there is no good software for the mac”. Yes, the same old bias, but I’ve given up arguing on that.

Don’t get me wrong, although I love my mac, I’m no mac advocate who walks around telling everyone to get a mac. Mostly I get those comments thrown at me without warning. The only time when I tell someone to get a mac is when some unexperienced computer user asks me what kind of computer he/she should get. Interestingly though, while the experienced users ususally know about the mac, and have made an informed decision for one platform or the other either out of personal preference or due to some forcing circumstances, the unexperienced users (which are those who turn to me for buying advice) are kind of windoze-centric out of dunno, missing knowledge or stupidity. Once I suggest to them to get a mac for reasons of safety and ease-of-use, up until now every single one of them told me they want Windoze ’cause their friends use it and everyone else, too, and they heard [insert stupid rumor here] about the mac. They won’t even listen to anything I point out, accepting Windoze as the one and only thing (Well done, Bill…) . Nowadays I usually tell them at that point to find someone else to ask. :) Well, I guess that is what you called the gravity force of the PC.

Another Issue I have is that although networking works perfectly fine as long as I use appletalk or TCP/IP-based services, as soon as I have to tap into a windows- (SMB-)network setup, the trouble starts. Connecting or finding hosts or groups is often next to impossible. And since I have to do this mostly at university, when some assitant professor is standing next to me waiting for something to happen this is kinda awkward.

And the last thing I have to note is that I know no one (Really, not a single person) here in germany who uses AIM or iChat. Everyone has ICQ or MSN here.

I don’t know, but I guess for the above reasons, somehow my Powerbook failed to create a halo effect …. :)

MacChemist