Topic: Mac flac/shn software

[mizary]

Ok, I know this is a newbie question...  But I'm asking on behalf of a newbie.

And *NO* I am not going over to the dark side (hmmm.... or should it be the multicolored well designed side)

I have a friend who has a mac whom I would like to help get started DL'ing music.

The basic stuff is just the ability to decompress flac and shn files to wav.  (itunes will burn wavs RIGHT?)

Are there plug-ins for itunes?  if not... why not?

If not a software flac/shn player would be nice.

She won't be needing to edit or track or compress...  Just decompress to something she can burn and possibly a player.

Oh, and any recomendations on a mac bt client?

I could find this stuff myself... but there seems to be multiple choices...  and I don't want to send her off in the wrong direction.  And don't worry someday I'll convince her to buy a PC. 

Oh and I'm pretty sure she is on OSX...  it's a pretty new looking ti book.

I feel dirty asking mac questions...     

My PC is probably pissed at me now for talking about macs...

--mizary

[Chris K]

look no further than xAct

[RRobar]

why talk her out of it?

For a BT client. Azerus, Tomato are both good.

For you other needs.
xACT is all you need. Also if she plan on encoding to AAC for iPod play. Then Scott is also working on a new utility called flaac. WHich converts flac files directly to AAC files for use on a ipod or iTunes.

And for the record you've been on the Dark side for years in running Microsoft There is good in you yound padawn learner. Learn the good, switch to a mac.

[mizary]

Sweet...    thanks for the help guys...  +T

I guess mac's are ok but I will always be a PC man.

At the very least they look super cool.

--mizary

[scb]

you might not be a pc man if you sit down and use os x for a while

[ice8888]

if she needs a player for shn/flac then she can use the Pure Music Audio Player.  It seems to work well so far.  I wish itunes could play shn/flac though.

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/audio/puremusicaudioplayer.html

[Chris K]

does pmap have gapless shn/flac playback?

edited to add shn/flac

[mizary]

Until a mac can do all the things I do on a PC while costing about the same or less...  I will be a PC man.

Granted the first half of that is pretty much true these days.  But the price is still a big factor.

Here is an article on the mac mini which talks about mac prices vs. pc prices...
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=75&e=3&u=/nf/20050118/tc_nf/29785

Exerpt:
"The Mac Mini has much to recommend it. The US$499 version sports a 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 microprocessor, 256 MB of RAM, and 40 GB of hard drive space. Compared to other manufacturers, though, it is still expensive. For example, eMachines' $499 computer, the T3958, operates on an Intel Celeron D340 microprocessor at 2.93 GHz, with 512 MB of RAM, and 80 GB hard drive."

Can macs run linux?  I wouldn't mind building a media center system on a mac mini...

Mmmm... media center PC's...  now that would be a good thread.  I wonder if anyone on here is using one.  Now if only I had cable tv and hi-speed internet. 

--mizary

[scb]

mac laptops aren't overpriced compared to comparably equipped pc laptops...

and that emachines box is about 6 times the size of a mac mini...

[RRobar]

ALso the g4 processor can blow away the celeron (and P4's for that matter) that list double the mhz. It's never been about the megahurtz. As a former PC users and current mac user. All I can say if you spend some serious time on your computer, then you owe yourself some time on OSX. I for one will never (Repeat NEVER) spend another dollar on a Microsoft, Pentium product ever again. If the mac's are truly overpriced (I think they are as comparable as any PC price wise) you get what you pay for. Cheap PC is just that a Cheap PC, bound to last 2 years (if that) before it just fails.

As far linux goes. No need to run linux, OSX is linux based. Rock solid! When your friend get the mac spend some time on it. Free yourself from what you have been trained to do with a PC. With OSX I finally found a computer OS that thinks like I think, just plain works.

[jcme262]

[quote author=RRobar When your friend get the mac spend some time on it. Free yourself from what you have been trained to do with a PC. With OSX I finally found a computer OS that thinks like I think, just plain works.

Perfect, could'nt of said it better

[mizary]

I've been using windows for over a decade now...  and know it pretty well.  I've never had any serious problems resulting from the OS. 

However for someone who is unfamiliar with mac or pc and they can afford it - a mac is probably a good choice.

Still a mac starter system is (just a guess) $600-800 (with monitor, keyboard, etc)  Where you can get a cheap pc for about $400 that will do all the same stuff.  I also agree that mac notebooks are more competitively priced than their desktops.  But most budget shoppers are going to stick with a desktop.

The other issue I will never like about the mac is lack of software choices.  There is probably more than 100x the amount of pc software available.  This is the same/only reason I don't use linux.  And it's great that OSX is linux based - but can it natively run linux apps?

However I have never used OSX for more than 1-2min...  so I would like to give it a try...  but the reasons above will prevent me from making the switch anytime soon.

I am not a mac hater…  rather a pc lover.  I used to hate on the mac…  but it’s kinda silly to hate a platform/os.  Macs are great.  PCs are great. 

Fords are great.  And so are Chevys. 

If someone gave me a mac I would use it...  ok, I'd at least play with it.  And next time I buy a laptop I will definately look at macs.  But my primary desktop is going to stay a PC for a few more years at least.

Then again, the influence of a cute girl can do a lot to change a guys mind. 

--mizary

[scb]

The other issue I will never like about the mac is lack of software choices.  There is probably more than 100x the amount of pc software available.

i've been using macs for 15 years, and have never complained about the lack of software.  it's not a real issue, just one that some people keep saying even though it's not true

[RRobar]

True, there may be more Games for the PC. But games are not software IMHO. There is a huge amount of resources for software for the mac. Many are free or very cheap. Just check versiontracker.com for a ton of great apps and utilities. Basically I have found if there is no mac version of a particular software, there will be a comparable software out there for the mac. If this are really tight and you just HAVE to a specific windows only software. You could always install Virtual PC and run the app on a windows platform on the mac. Now I do this from time to time as my work is a windows software manufacturer. It's not the speediest thing out there, but it can be done (the newest version is much faster than the past ones). It seems any software that microsoft does develop for the mac is pretty damn slow, by design I would guess. But there are tons of options for software.

I've used both macs and windows machines for the better part of 15+ years. For awhile I was on PC's exclusively. They can do anything that mac can do in basic theory. When I switched back to the mac when I started doing graphics full time again, I was like "man, this rules". The ability to truly multitask within all my adobe apps is wonderful. Simple multitasking between illustrator and photoshop on the PC was "mediocre" at best. and that was on a pretty fast 2.4 ghz P4 with 512 Ram.

Mizary, alot of what you said I agree with. Some will choose what ever works best for them. And thats great. I've found the mac to be a truly inovative way of computing. So much that, I won't switch back.

[taktheride]

Then Scott is also working on a new utility called flaac. WHich converts flac files directly to AAC files for use on a ipod or iTunes.

Now thats something worth developing. Thanks to Scott.  Wicked cool.