How traumatic is the switch to a Mac?

[Glen G]

Hi ! I'm a MAC.

[Chris B]

The Mac is on its way to being a PC. Apple marketing has done a good job of selling their OS but once the Mac went Intel the jig was up.
You can "get" Windows as an extra option now thus rendering the Mac a PC.
A year or two from now the OS of (marketing) choice will be Windows with (whatever apple OS) they offer as an option.
A few years after that Apple will offer only windows and it will be another PC but with brand name.
I expect Apple to Rival Dell soon. But not with Mac OS.
Jobs is a smart cookie.

Ron

PS I hate Vista and just bought a new laptop from dell with XP

How could you say that? Apple computers may work with PC programs, but it will never be a PC!

[ronsmith100]

How could you say that? Apple computers may work with PC programs, but it will never be a PC!

Greeting from Spokane Chris.
It is not just that a MAC can [b]run PC programs. Its that a MAC can be booted into and Microsoft windows OS thus making it virtually no different than my Dell. I can also run Leopard on a PC if I wanted. When MAC dropped Motorola and went Intel it became a new world for them. I think its going to be fun.

Cheers

Ron

[Greg A]

Sure seem to be a lot of folks having problems with Vista.
I've had zero issues with it the last year, even supporting it in a network business environment has been easier once Microsoft caught up with the issues after the release. Historically, techs never install any new operating system till it's been out for a year and then it is usually OK.
Don't know much about MACs but some friends like theirs. I like that new thin one, but I can buy three laptops for what they want for that one.

[Gina D.]

I'll chime in on the "I have no problems with Vista"

I had to pick up a new laptop, and coincidently, I went to buy it on the day that XP was officially no longer available on new comps... and Vista was made available to the general public

I have been running Vista since day 1, literally.. and have had.. zero issues with it.

I am not quite sure what folks are doing or what their complaints are.. but for me, it was a seamless transition.. I even go back and forth between XP and Vista several times a day.. I rarely have to think "Oh.. this is the Vista machine.. must do it *this* way.

Maybe it's like owning and driving two cars..

[Donna D.]

I'll chime in on the "I have no problems with Vista"

Me too. My ex, a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (who doesn't do dishes), explained it to me as "You don't upgrade to Vista," at least not now. From a fresh build it's stable. The problems arise with other software that chokes the OS. I've been given to understand that Vista was as big a leap as from DOS to Windows. Whether that's accurate

What I know about Macs you could put in your eye, blink and not feel it. But I do know that most of the Mac software is now coming from companies who main focus is on PCs. There is already software that's been sundowned for Macs, there again if that's planned obsolescence... not for me to determine. And, the theory Macs are immune to virus' is bunk. Maybe not to the extent hackers/crackers are going after PCs, but it's happening more and more on Macs and will continue to rise until y'all are in the same boat as us PC users. Count on it.

Love the one you're with!

[Bill A]

And for me ,one the most important aspects of a mac ..no antivirus subscriptions.

[Pete Dumbleton]

Here's a free downloadable program with an appropriate name to remove a lot of that troublesome stuf from new Windoze computers:

http://pcdecrapifier.com/apps

[bill&sandra]

In the computer world, I spent my post-DOS days as a trained Microsoft geek. However, after being forced from operating system to operating system (who remembers NT?) with constant retraining and hardware upgrades, I look with envy at friends supporting Linux. I hate rebuilding virus damage after expensive anti-virus/spyware software has failed. The upcoming Microsoft "closure" of XP was the final straw. I am finally realizing that Bill was wrong!
And yet.... I have an opportunity to pick up an Apple laptop at a great price, and I can't get myself to pull the trigger. I know it's just another operating system, yet I panic when nothing works like Bill says it should. So tell me, computer-types out in their fibreglass trailers, is there life after Microsoft? How best to transition? Is it a good idea?

If you are not a heavy pc gamer, then the transition is ok. Like they say, some difference in look, but the difference is when you use it. Our networked pcs go down all the time at my work, and my non-networked Mac gets the work done on time while everybody else is screaming. hee hee. Took my clamshell iBook to Pineknot 07 this last time as I had troublesome design clients that I had to babysit. Used my old Netscape app to get online to get into my work email, and no probs, no extra work for me! yah!!!
Just goes to show that no matter how old the Mac is, it is still useful. We have a G4 desktop at home, and I have a G3 at work. I have my old se on the kitchen. It houses my recipes.
Come to the Mac side! You won't regret it--unless you are hooked on Call of Duty!

[Pete Dumbleton]

Windoze 7 is coming

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2314409,00.asp

[LSChilders]

Back to the original question, .... "How traumatic is the switch to a Mac?,"

When, from the basics standpoint....
Instead of.... "Start" - "Programs" - "<select your application>"
It's...."Finder" - "Applications" - "<select your application>"

Instead of.... "Control Panel"
You have ...."System Preferences"

Instead of.. "Trash Bin"
It's simply..."Trash"

You'll find many similarities, with just name changes for functions and applications, and some things located in different places, ... like the Window closing red "X" being in the upper left corner instead of the upper right.

Your favorite icons can still be place on the Desktop, ...and ran from there.

Oh, ... and I never turn my Macbook off. I just close it and put it on the charger. Next time I pick it up, ...It's 'Instant On'

I don't think you'll find the transition very traumatic at all.

I use "Firefox" web browser on all of my PCs (MAC, Linux and Windows) and it works the same in each environment.


Just switch, .... enjoy. and think no more about it.

[Bob H]

It's not near as tramatic as the switch from Mac to PC! I use both at work & home and always prefer my Mac.

BTW I'm typing this message on a iPod touch with wifi

It's cool!

ConwayBob

[peterh]

I've worked on more computer operating systems than I care to think about, spanning the range from late-1970s IBM 370 mainframes and System 3 Mini computers to modern Linux, Mac, and Windows operating systems. Given that range of experience, I'm either a lousy at giving general computer user advice or a great old sage.

I, personally, feel very comfortable working on Windows, Mac, and Linux and have computers running all three at home, but have to admit I'm least fond of Windows Vista (which is why my Windows computers run XP) and much prefer the MacOS over any version of Windows.

Why don't I like Vista? I think it's part of the "every other generation of Windows sucks" problem, e.g. I thought the (totally primitive) Windows 2.x sucked, but Win3.x was really pretty good, then Win95 came out and had myriad problems that were corrected in Win98, which was followed by WinME (which I ran under protest on just one home computer because I was employed by Microsoft at the time) and then WinXP, which once again managed to walk on water.

WinVista makes several slick-looking changes to it's user interface, but doesn't really offer any changes that make it easier to use over what WinXP does. I also don't like that Microsoft charges extra to upgrade Vista Home Edition to the functional equivalent of WinXP Home Edition. When you add that expense to the cost of replacing perfectly functional WinXP software with new versions that will work properly under WinVista, I just don't think its worth it.

One place Apple wins big is on consistency. Transplant a first-edition 1984 Mac Classic user into the 21st Century and give him or her a Mac OS Leopard system and s/he'll say "oh, cool graphics, bigger disk drive" and get right to work. Microsoft users keep having to say, "Oh, cool new user interface, but how in heck do I use it?" Microsoft's philosophy for Windows is they keep making big changes to their user interface, forcing Windows users moving from Win2.x to 3.x to Win95 to WinXP then WinVista to re-learn and re-learn and re-learn and re-learn how to use their computers.

I like Linux, and particularly the "Ubuntu" package, but have to admit that Linux is not for everyone. The biggest reason why is there are so many "flavors" of Linux (called "ditributions" or "distros"), each with their own advantages and quirks, and each with small tweaks that have to be made when installing new software on a Linux system. That means there are no pre-packaged boxes of Linux software waiting to be purchased, brought home, and loaded onto your Linux home computer; instead there's a learning curve ahead of you requiring you find a Linux software "archive" that has software tweaked to run on your flavor of Linux (distro) and then run a special installer program that downloads the software you've selected and installs it for you.

The good news for Linux is there are many pre-packaged Linux computers (like my little Asus EeePC) that come pre-loaded with a full range of easy-to-use software at half the price (or less) of a comparably equipped Windows or Mac system. The next bit of good news is that cost savings keeps on giving: When new versions of Linux software come out they're generally both very easy to install and come at an unbeatable price: free. (When was the last time a major Microsoft Word upgrade came free?) And, for those willing to spend the time to learn how to do it, Linux users can add new software functionality to their computers for free, too.

One last word on the Windows-vs-the-World comparison. Windows does have two big advantages over both Macintosh and Linux. The first is the user base: because Windows computers are everywhere, it's easier to find a Windows computer geek to help you when you have problems and easier to sell your job skills to a potential employer if you can say "I speak Windows" than "I speak Mac" or "I speak Linux." The second is computer gaming: for those who are serious computer gamers (this would not be me), Windows is where new computer games cut their teeth; many popular gaming titles never make it to Macintosh and almost no popular games make it onto the Linux platform.

[Donna D.]

Sigh, look what's coming to a store near you:
Microsoft Windows 7: What the Future Holds

[peterh]

Sigh, look what's coming to a store near you:
Microsoft Windows 7: What the Future Holds

". . . According to numerous published rumors and stories based on leaked developer builds, the forthcoming operating system will be built around a more modular iteration of the Vista kernel . . ."

If I recall correctly, Microsoft has said -- or leaked -- the same news about pretty much every release since Windows 98. And perhaps building a compact "kernel" (a term borrowed from the Unix/Linux world) has been their intention, but from where I sit it always seems that the "kernel" they produce is slow, bloated, and laced with "hooks" that have no place in a true "kernel" design.

The sad thing is that university computer science programs have taught true kernel design concepts as the gold standard for computer operating system design since I started in computers almost three decades ago. The programmers at Apple and the core Linux people took the kernel philosophy to heart when they designed their operating systems; Microsoft always seems to go the other way.

[ronsmith100]

With ya Pete.. I was programming machine language in the late 70s.
To tell ya the truth windows and MAC OS passed me bye.
I was severely stressed with Windows in that I couldn't just type dir c:\ to see what was on the drive.
A DOS donkey exposed. (which is probably why I like unix/linux so much today)

[CharlynnT]

I am in a mixed marriage: I am a Mac, my lovin' hubby is a PC.

It is true that a Mac laptop costs twice as much as a PC laptop (for similar capabilities); it is also true that my Mac lasts at LEAST twice as long as his PC, so while he goes through the trauma of importing important files to his new computer about every two years, I have that event about every five years.

Because 95% of computers in the world are Windows, I am sometimes forced to use Word, etc for work.

This is my take on the main difference between Mac and PC.

You can open a Mac and do simple things simply and right away. As you learn, you can do more and more fancy things, with complete control, for example, over the look of your document.

With a PC, it assumes it knows better than you and changes font size "on your behalf" whether you like it or not. Then you need to figure out how to unchange the UNhelpful automatic change, and NO, I do NOT want an upgrade now! It's as if the PC is saying, "Let me do that for you, you don't know your own mind."

I control my Mac, and take it at my own pace. Windows controls me -- or, rather, tries to control me -- like an over-involved in-law or a nosy neighbour.

[CindyL]

I hate those pop-up things on Windows! And I find it so darn difficult to find the commands to control it! I use Delorme GPS on a computer. It is Windows-only (Darn it!), so I sat my Mac on the seat beside me while driving to Des Moines today (Hey, Roger! I thought of you when I drove on 30 past the Tipton sign. Glad you were not there. I looked down and saw my turbo Beetle was turboing!) and ran the GPS program on the PC side. Maybe I am just too Mac and just not fluid enough on fixing a PC but I sure get tired of those darn pop-up windows. No, I don't want updates; I want my map! And I cannot find the command to tell Windows not to turn on the screen saver. I find the screen saver command, but it is not controlling the ss that pops up and blocks my GPS. For some reason, it fails to read the movement of the GPS as activity and keeps popping up the ss.

Give me a Mac and make your software Mac compatible!

Cindy

[Pete Dumbleton]

A DOS donkey exposed. (which is probably why I like unix/linux so much today)

Then you might try a Mac; their OS X (Roman for Ten) is Unix-based, so you can get inside it if you want.

Give me a Mac and make your software Mac compatible!

Therein lies the rub -- There are so many more MS-Dos based machines out there that folks marketing serious programs write for that market first. If you were trying to write a best-selling novel, would you write it in English or Serbo-Croatian?

I made a mistake once when I wrote a program poking some almost-nasty fun at a company in TI's Extended Basic for the TI-99-4A -- Everybody wanted a copy, but only a few had a TI to run it on (and it was on cassette tape, not floppy disk).

[CindyL]

Pete:

I still have a TI99-4A. I loved playing "Parsec" but my favorite was "Hunt the Wumpus." I still have those games too. I remember looking at tape programs, but I don't remember using that many.

I prefer Mac but I use both. I just find all that pop-up crap annoying. This is my first use of the 2007 Delorme, and it has too much pop-up stuff too. I do not like driving down the Interstate watching and listening for turns when a hint pops up. It cut out my voice too when it did this. I have not had this happen on my Mac, but then maybe it is as you say, Pete, it is because there are more Windows programs, so I see it more there. I am a nervous Interstate driver; I didn't need that too.

CindyL