[macalski]

Hello All,
I have a question regrading the .MAC software. Is anyone using it? What is your views on the product, it's contents and is this all worth the money? i have been a Windows user for many years, this Tiger OS 10.4 is great.
Thank You,
Macalski /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[durandal343]

Personally, I use .mac all the time for syncing and sharing documents with family. I also use the web space and the easy page creation bundled with iPhoto. I also use .mac mail often and like the alias feature which lets me and my wife have seperate email addresses.
I have not used backup extensively so I can not comment there.

[macalski]

Hello durandal343,
Thanks for the input, I appreciate it.

[Cozmo]

I have a Powerbook and use .Mac. I use it to keep my home PC and work computer in sync. I also use it to store files which I need to access on the road. I do use the backup feature for my Quicken files and a few documents I don't want to lose. Overall, I would say it is worth the money.

[unclefoobar]

I use the great NEW feature to Quicken to
automagically make a encrypted backup
to .Mac.
I've heard good things about the new Backup
for Tiger. The old version blew goat entrail.
Foob

[Earthling7]

I never got around to trying it out. Isn't there a free demo period? Maybe I should take a look.
My reasons for not trying it out yet are:
1. I have my own domain and so am in no need for another email address.
2. My website has webspace which is not crippled to ensure "userfriendliness".
3. Everyone I know has a Windows PC, so no point in sharing things with them.
4. I use one computer for all my email, websurfing and calendar and sync it with my phone.
Did I miss somethng? Anyways, this is my logic right now. I have never tried .Mac simply because I never saw the value in it. It is totally possible that my understanding of how it works is totally off. I am ready to be convinced!

[Brettcamp]

It seems to be most useful to people who share a lot of photos. My wife is a photographer and finds it really easy to do that, and she also has to occasionally deal with email etc. remotely. She says .mac helps her do all that.
I on the other hand have free webspace and email via my university, and I don't do photos, and I do almost everything with one computer (Powerbook), so I don't see how it'd help me. Even when I give up my university account, my internet provider will give me space for a web page and an email account, so I'm not sure why I'd need it. When I had it during the free trial, it didn't give me anything I didn't already have; Backup worked for awhile, then repeatedly failed, and besides, I can back up to a CD or DVD.
I'd consider getting it if the price were lower and/or there was some other benefit, like say a free upgrade to 10.5 for .mac users. I also think that if you buy applecare, you should get free .mac membership for as long as applecare lasts. I wonder if the resulting increase in applecare subscriptions would offset the cost of the free .mac memberships?
Be sure to check out the free or inexpensive alternatives before buying. Maybe someone here can list a few.

[d00d]

1. I've always found my .Mac email address reliable even when my webhost was having issues.
2. Having the ability to throw up a quick page using their wizards or by uploading a page directly through iDisk is useful when not at home sometimes.
3. Why not?
4. With .Mac, you'd be able publish all that to a web page that's accessible anywhere. Having one's address book available in a web interface is very useful I've found.
As an added bonus, the latest revision of Backup is extremely useful for backing up Address Book, bookmark, etc. information and have the ability to restore in case of disaster.
I also have multiple computers, so I've found .Mac indispensable.