Introductions

[weatheredwatcher]

Hi! My name is David Duggins and I am a Mac!

I've owned my macbook for a little over a year now and I love it!
Before I owned my macbook, I was a Linux user for nearly ten years. I
switch to Mac to get the best of both worlds. The "it just works" of
the mac and the flexibility and power of the Unix core that is Mac OS
X. I am a programming here in Columbia SC focusing mainly on
programming for the internet. I use PHP, Ruby on Rails, Perl and even
some asp/.net stuff. My favorite applications are Coda and TextMate.

You can always reach me here or via my website, http://www.weatheredwatcher.com

So, if you are a new member, please feel free to introduce yourself
to everybody on this thread

[ian.greulich]

Hi! My name is Ian Greulich, and while I appreciate his enthusiasm,
unlike Dave, I am human that uses Macs ;)

My first experience with Apple Computers was 20 years ago (if not
more, but I am not inclined to do the math), before there was Mac's to
speak of. My middle school library had 2 Apple IIgs's that were
'open'. (The computer labs were all IBM 8086's or 8088's, networked,
and hardly secure, I was in an out of all the school records in the
first class I had in the lab, but I digress...) When I say open, I
mean to say they were not just the card catalog, that was still
actually cards, those two Apple were there to use.. do homework, play
with AppleBASIC, etc. I played Lode Runner, a lot.

I currently have a late '08 iMac (I bought that Jan '09), and mid '06
Macbook (I bought that in June or July '06). Before that I was 70/30
Windows/Linux. My day to day was Windows, my server(s) had always been
Linux. (If you were wondering, my servers are now Dreamhost, it's just
easier.) My first step into the Mac (Apple, really) was my 2nd gen
iPod Mini, and since then I have purchased a 6th gen iPod (iPod
Classic) and a iPhone 3G.

Among my favorite apps, are TextMate, Coda, The Hit List, iPhoto,
Adium, and iTunes. My other regulars are Skitch, Fresh, iStat Menus,
Quicksilver, Time Machine, Delicious Library, App Cleaner, AllSecure,
Camino, Safari, Transmission.. I think you get the point.

I love my Macs.

You can find me here, or at www.iangreulichonline.com

On Oct 8, 10:48 am, weatheredwatcher <weatheredwatc...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hi! My name is David Duggins and I am a Mac!
>
> I've owned my macbook for a little over a year now and I love it!
> Before I owned my macbook, I was a Linux user for nearly ten years.  I
> switch to Mac to get the best of both worlds.  The "it just works" of
> the mac and the flexibility and power of the Unix core that is Mac OS
> X.  I am a programming here in Columbia SC focusing mainly on
> programming for the internet.  I use PHP, Ruby on Rails, Perl and even
> some asp/.net stuff.  My favorite applications are Coda and TextMate.
>

> You can always reach me here or via my website,http://www.weatheredwatcher.com

[Jed]

Hi! I'm Jed Schneider, a web developer focusing on Adobe Flex and Ruby
on Rails web applications. I think my attraction to mac came from
their incredible resale value, and hardware quality control. It is
like buying a Toyota or Lexus and if you do a lot of driving, it might
as well be a nice and reliable ride. I was with apple through their
troubled attempt at Clones (Power Computing for those that remember)
then used a PC for many years until Apple switched to the Intel
architecture. Now as a web developer, all the tools are baked in, and
you just can't beat the platform. I have to admit a keen admiration
for Ubuntu, as well.

I have a lot of favorite mac programs, but the most used are Textmate,
Terminal.app the Adobe Creative Suite, Flash Builder, Sequel Pro,
Tweetie, and I try many web browsers but keep coming back to Safari.
Command Line programs I use a lot include Webby, Rails, and Git.

Our family has a MacBook Pro, an iMac, a mini and an AppleTV, two
ipods and an iphone. Oh, and an old G4 tower I keep trying to sell to
Ian but I might turn into a couchDB server.

[ian.greulich]

I do want to buy it...

eventually.

Really, I promise.

[Living4Real]

Hello All! So, we’ve already met once, but in the event you weren’t at
the meeting *gasp* j/k…My name is Jessica. I am finishing up an
associate degree in Commercial Design within the next few weeks and
continuing on to complete a Web Development degree. I really like
doing things for the web. I’ve learned XHTML and CSS and I now love
div tags! (Well, now that David has explained a few things! lol) I am
always amazed at how much I have to learn but at the same time, web
design/development is pretty cool because once you understand a
concept, it really doesn’t change. You might apply it differently on
some projects, but there are patterns of how this stuff works – and I
like that a lot! Another thing I like about web designing/programming
is that every job/client has something different they bring to the
table, each having different goals for what they want on the web.

I am really excited about the new MUG. I was talking with David about
it one day a few weeks back and mentioned that when we went to CompUSA
in Greenville—the closest store that carried Apple computers at the
time —Bobby, the Apple rep, told me about the awesome, active, engaged
Greenville Mac group. I was all happy about a Mac group- but then
found out there wasn’t one in the Cola area. I mean come on! Are we or
are we not the capital of the state here? Lol. Needless-to-say, when
David said he applied for an official unofficial MUG group, I was like
“YAHOO!”

For me, I have been using Mac computers (with an ‘s’ hehe) since I was
knee high to a grasshopper. My first one was a power pc (that still
works and we still have.) and I loved it. Ian mentioned Lode Runner
and that was by far one of the coolest games they had. I think we
created a level a week on that thing. Those were the days when you
bought a Mac and it came with that annoying ‘Power Pete’ demo (I was
horrible at it!) and the Eric’s Solitaire demo that I didn’t know
until three games into it that it PERMENANTLY kept a tally of your
winning streak AND losing streak. Clarisworks was probably the coolest
and most significant application that I used. I would sit at the
computer station for hours doctoring bitmap British car pics –cleaning
them up, re-coloring them etc. I used to think and wish ‘if only I
could do that for a living.’ Today, I know I can— and I do - to an
extent - but I loved doing the coding for the design as well. I loved
doing my first web project because I enjoyed creating the elements for
the site just as much as the coding. But let me tell you – coding is a
LOT more fun when you know what you are doing! :)

So, that’s a little bit about my Mac-self. iPods are awesome. I am a
music person too and I love having the chance to create my own
playlists and take them with me. I haven’t done the iPhone thing yet
because quite honestly, I don’t want service with that phone company.
Why do we have to have phone exclusivity laws anyway, I ask you?

I’m looking forward to what we can do and learn with this MUG and I
hope we all enjoy the journey!

[Will McCain]

Well, with the meet-up tomorrow, I thought I'd follow Jessica's lead
and continue the introductions.

My flirtation with Macs began in high school, as they were better
suited for yearbook work. They were pleasant to work with, and I
fancied them a cute computer system. However, my loyalty remained with
the PC, as it seemed far more useful and modern.

It wasn't until a couple of years after college that my opinion of
them began to change. I was visiting with a former roommate from
Clemson who was completing grad school when I was offered his iBook to
check e-mail and surf the web. This tiny computer was entirely
different from the setups of memory. Sleek, clean, without the
cluttered controls of other laptops. And this... OS X. It was
attractive AND effective as an operating system. I found myself
marveling at how much enjoyment was to be found in simply USING a
computer. Coupled with my friend's enthusiasm, as he was himself a
recent convert, I decided that this Apple thing was something worth
checking out.

A year or so after that, I was able to put theory into practice when I
was able to purchase my current MacBook as my de-facto computer. That
was September, 2007, and it's still going (mostly) strong. Though I
like the aesthetic and design philosophy, I don't consider myself a
hardcore Mac fanboy. I look forward to comparing some upcoming Android
phones against the iPhone to see which I would prefer, and try to
avoid buying from iTunes when I can help it to avoid the DRM.

Now I am wrapping up a Web Design and Maintenance certificate at
Midlands and beginning my search for positions as well as making a
list of things I need to learn to stay up-to-date and well-versed in
the field.

I am, in other areas, a true geek. Though later-come than some to
RPGs, I enjoy both console and tabletop games. I also like to get out
when I can, be it for checking out a bar or getting together with some
church friends for a game of Ultimate. Hmm, this is starting to feel
like a personal...

Anyway! This seems to be a fun group, and I'm looking forward to
seeing what we can teach each other.

-Will McCain