Value of .Mac services

kjones4 on 2003-08-18T07:27:30

Do any of you Mac users in use.perl.org land subscribe to .mac from Apple? The reason I ask is that I recently traveled and would like to know if you have used the synchronization features of iSync or iDisk or whatever it is called. Did you find it useful? I'm considering buying a Mac laptop and desktop and would like to keep important things in sync like email, bookmarks, etc. The other thing I would like to know is if any of the .mac features are available on Windows machines. I was looking at the latest Novell Netware 6.5 and it seems that their iFolder feature is similar to the iSync and iDisk features of .mac. I believe that the value of having your personal information easily accessible from anywhere is a powerful concept but I'm not sure how it works in practice at this point in time.

---

using .Mac

cbrandtbuffalo on 2003-08-18T15:57:52

I use the .Mac services and I think it's worth it. I was a pre-existing .Mac member, so I got a discount last year, but I think I'll re-up this year for full price.



The bookmark thing works, as does the address book. It actually got me using the address book because I can access it anywhere. It's now worth it for me to enter and update info.



One thing about the bookmarks: it forced me to set up user accounts on my home computer for my wife. We used to just use one account at home, but after I synced my bookmarks and had the General Hospital link in my favorites bar projected on a screen in a meeting, I had to set up an account for her :)



You also get free software, including virus protection.



If you're thinking about it, there's a referral program as well.

Re:using .Mac

kjones4 on 2003-08-18T20:20:50

Thanks for your input. It seems like a good service for less that $10 a month. I wonder why other ISPs like AOL and MSN haven't jumped all over providing real value added services like backup and data synchronization? Oh well, maybe I'll buy me a Macintosh or two. I drooled over the the little 12" powerbook at the local Apple dealer. I recently went on a trip to Hawaii and I borrowed a PC laptop from a friend so that I could upload my digital pics. The thing practically pulled my arm off and it was just a normal Dell laptop. ugh. Plus, those G5 sound great. I totally ignored Apple for 10 years, but the latest releases of OS X and the new G5s have definitely caught my attention.