Well, expanding your knowledge into Apple products is probably a good thing for any professional systems administrator. It can't hurt to have that on your resume. I bought a Mac Mini 2 or 3 years ago for just that reason. And I like it but I wouldn't say I love it. I ddon't want to sound like I'm damning it with faint praise either but like any operating system MacOS has its problems. Don't get me wrong, I like my Mac but its not God's gift to blind computer users. If you go into it thinking its going to make a Windows machine with jaws look backward you're going to be disappointed. I think that before I bought my Mac,Mmy expectations had probably been built up too high. My opinion is that there is no clear winner for screen reader bang for the buck. Jaws all by itself is more expensive than a Mac Mini. So if you get a Mac Mini, you get a computer, an operating system, and a screen reader for less than the cost of jaws itself. Is jaws that much better than voiceover? I don't know. Besides, if you really want to get off cheap, you can go with linux and orca and pay absolutely nothing for your operating system and screen reader. You can probably easily find a used computer that will run linux and orca for $100. In fact, around here, people are giving away computers that will run linux and orca just to avoid the disposal fee. So for at most a hundred bucks you can have a computer, operating system and screen reader. Is voiceover that much better than orca? I don't know that either. In my opinion, the most compelling reason to get a Mac is because Mac products have gotten so popular lately. If you're job is dealing with technology, you don't want to be left out of the next big thing. PS: As a price point, I went to the web site of the used computer store here at the University of Wisconsin. They have a G5 with 512 Mb of RAM and an 80 Gb disk for $250. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Scott Granados" <scott@granados-llc.net> To: "Blind sysadmins list" <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> Sent: Saturday, March 05, 2011 12:38 PM Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] Mac Users?
Run and don't walk and get the Mac.
What kind is it and what OS is installed?
Macs are great, I've been using one for a while now and love it. Voice over is very functional, you can install your own OS, applications are accessible, and ITunes on the Mac is so much better than the PC.
On Mar 5, 2011, at 9:10 AM, David Mehler wrote:
Hello,
If there are any Mac users on this list can you please write me offlist? I'd like to know your level of Mac experience. I've got the opportunity to get a used Mac and am wondering if it's a good deal or not, wanting to expand my knowledge in to Macs.
Thanks. Dave.
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