Somewhere along the last couple days, I upgraded my browser to IE 6.1… or I upgraded my NT to SP3.

I don’t remember the machine on which each process occured — my work machine got one, my home machine got the other. Anyway.

Since then, on my home machine, any script having to do with AvantGo (logging in, recording a new page I want to have, whatever) doesn’t work.

Blows up the browser in fact.

I swear to Christ, I’m going to switch to a Mac.

I repair macs for a living. Don't go there. Software can be reinstalled. Failed equipment due to poor qc and no real repair plan can only be replaced with many hours of frustration.

I repair Macs for a living.. Go there. I have worked on a number of 7-11 year old machines still going. In fact on the Portland Metro Area Education Technology list there was talk today about getting 11 year old machines with a 9 year old OS to work with Windows 2000 Server.

At my old job, we had 1 tech for 900 Macs, from IIsi to iMac DVs and that one tech had time to run the web server, the mysql server and diddle with Novell Servers and Windows desktops. That tech was me.

I find that most failures with modern Macs (1997 G3 on) are with the Analog to Digital convertor in the first series of slot-loading iMacs from fall of 1998. TiBooks can blow thier latch if you aren't careful, iBooks are having a problem with the optical tray closing if mishandled.

I ran a beige G3 233 from May 21st 1998 until August 20th 2002 24/7 from OS 8.1 to 10.1.5 with no downtime except for RAM, CPU and HD upgrades and OS 8-9 lockups. It's going to become a server as soon as I get done with Super Mario Sunshine. My new 17" iMac with a DVD-Burner is very nice.

At my last two jobs, Take a 1997-2000 Mac - every hundred machines has 8.4 repairs for hardware. Our Dells/Micron/Gateways from 97-00 have 27.3 repairs per 100. Modern Macs, G4s/newer G3 iMacs/G4 iMacs are getting repaired at a rate of 6 repairs per hundred machines with the new Dells are at 16 repairs per 100.

With OS 10.1.5 or 10.2 - I go about 18 days between a reboot on my TiBook and 27 days between reboots on my iMac and my OS 10 Server is going 171 days between reboots.

My Redhat 7.2 on IA x86 is going 370 days between reboots.

If there was anything incoherent with my last post, it's cause I had to carry a Dell Optiplex about 3/4 of a mile so it could be shipped off for repair.

It got heavy fast.

Blown AGP slot. 3 weeks old.

Damn construction making it hard to move crap across campus.

What Clovis said. I do Mac tech support for a living, and I can manage 90+ Macs (including a remote office in NYC) pretty much all by my self.

I wish I only had 90 to do, the usual ratio is one Mac tech to 75-110 Macs, while it's about 20-65 Windows PCs per tech.

I do, about 400 now, while I used to do 900, so I'm in hog heaven now ;)

I worked Apple tech support for both the desktop models and the Powerbooks for 2 years, and loved it. It's been a few OS's since then, but I would still buy and iMac if I had the cash! Though I still would keep the PC to play Delta Force. :p

What Robert said about hardware is somewhat true. You really can't work on them they way you can a PC. But there's a reason. You shouldn't need too. :)

Hmmm...I don't have an opinion, but I sure did learn a lot. ;-)

For hardware replacment in a Mac.

Laptops are the same world-wide crappy to work on. IBM Thinkpads are easier than PowerBooks and iBooks, but you get better 802.11 reception with a PowerBook/iBook. Ram is very easy in PowerBook/iBook - 2 screws.

802.11 in iBook/PowerBook/iMac LCD is really easy. Ram in iMac is supereasy.

In a PowerMac tower most things are on the board - Firewire - 802.11 slot - Gigabit Ethernet - USB - Audio. That leaves you with 4 free PCI slots and the Video Card is in the AGP slot.

The Apple powersupply is ATX but Apple has an OEM PS that's quite small. CPU module is under a big heatsink (all PowerMacs are dual processor now) and it has speed sensitive fans for the CPU and Powersupply.

Since Apple is a smaller vendor, they do have higher quality parts and it is more expensive. But one can't really compare a PowerMac tower to say a Dell because they are basicly Sun/SGI/IBM UNIX Workstation class machines. PPC - DDR - 3 IDE buses - Gigabit Ethernet - DVD-R/CD-R/CD-RW

When they do break, we send them back to Apple Repair and it's a quick turnaround.

Last week a student dropped a loaded PowerBook G4 800 - busted case. It was returned in 4 days fully repaired.