Been assimilated... going with Apple 'puters

[JodyH]

It's time to replace my aging fleet of Windows home computers.
The old Dell XP desktop just isn't cutting it anymore and something is making the hard drive work constantly (probably something downloaded by the wife or the 9 year old).
The wifes Dell Win7 laptop is still working fine and she'll still use it for work.
My Dell laptop had Win7 take a crap on it so I installed Linux Ubuntu on it and it's just about perfect... until you come across some annoying Linux glitch that forces you into the hell that is "Terminal".
I ordered up a iMac for the family machine and a 13" MacBook Air as my travel companion.
I'll probably still use the Ubuntu machine for my home net surfing.
I'm tired of tinkering with settings and downloading drivers constantly and just want things to work (like an appliance) and be secure/virus free despite my wife and 9 year old's best attempts to compromise the system.
So what kind of transition am I looking at switching from being a long time Windows user (been using it since 3.0) to using Mac Os X?
Good bad ugly?

[_JD_]

It's time to replace my aging fleet of Windows home computers.
The old Dell XP desktop just isn't cutting it anymore and something is making the hard drive work constantly (probably something downloaded by the wife or the 9 year old).
The wifes Dell Win7 laptop is still working fine and she'll still use it for work.
My Dell laptop had Win7 take a crap on it so I installed Linux Ubuntu on it and it's just about perfect... until you come across some annoying Linux glitch that forces you into the hell that is "Terminal".
I ordered up a iMac for the family machine and a 13" MacBook Air as my travel companion.
I'll probably still use the Ubuntu machine for my home net surfing.
I'm tired of tinkering with settings and downloading drivers constantly and just want things to work (like an appliance) and be secure/virus free despite my wife and 9 year old's best attempts to compromise the system.
So what kind of transition am I looking at switching from being a long time Windows user (been using it since 3.0) to using Mac Os X?
Good bad ugly?

It shouldn't be that bad. I only go back to Windows 95 but I still have to do some work in DOS and I've adapted to Mac OS X pretty well. The biggest thing that bothers me is that with the I-Photo application you can't just go moving pictures around without totally screwing up the library...so I don't use I photo and still arrange them in directories etc.

Is there a Mac store anywhere near you? If so you can actually go in and take a little intro class etc.

[Seven_Sicks_Two]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJmrRpPWj4M

But seriously, the switch was pretty painless for me. Although this may have something to do with the fact that I wasn't exactly a whiz at running a Windows based machine. I'm typing this on an approx. 4 year old Macbook that I haven't had any issues with. Take that for what it's worth.

[Josh Runkle]

I am SOOOOOO happy I made the switch. It took me about 2 days of playing with stuff to figure it out, but honestly, it's MUCH simpler and easier to do stuff on. I'm the kind of person who likes to press click and do something.

[jlw]

My last PC laptop lasted exactly one year and 15 days and crashed in the middle of a major project. I jumped in the truck, went to the Mac store, and haven't looked back. I have replaced all personal computing and communicating devices with Apple products and have been very pleased.

[t1tan]

Apple software is pretty self-explanatory and very intuitive, at least I find it to be in my experience. I'm confident your transition will be a smooth one.

I always grew up on PCs, heavy into PC gaming and still do builds for myself and friends, but wanting a laptop I could not find anything worth a damn. Anything I gave a chance running Windows constantly needed maintenance, removal of proprietary software the manufactures add that eat up resources, etc etc.

My first Mac was the first MacBook Air off the truck in my area and it was great in all aspects, build quality and software. Once the iPad came out I felt I had no need for the Air and the iPad would be sufficient. Ended up selling the Air, bought an iMac and iPad, an ideal combination for me. Now with iCloud, everything I do between my devices is always easily accessed between my iMac, iPad 2 and iPhone 4[5 Pre-ordered], all being backed up my my Time Capsule. If Apple doesn't have the solution for you software wise, I've always found a well made 3rd party application to suffice, but usually Apple is good about recognizing users needs and including items in later software revisions rendering the 3rd party apps unnecessary.


I still use PCs but it is limited to gaming as everything I need and want, OSX and my iOS devices take care of my needs. Although I do have a Bootcamp partition installed on my iMac with a severely stripped down version of Windows 7 Basic so that I can run PC only gaming titles through Steam(generally I do run these titles on my PC, being that it is hooked up to my TV, Diablo III is impressive on a big screen).

[Vinh]

Jody,

I don't know if you have used Macs before, but if not, you are in for a very rude awakening.

I am a former computer science guy that as of two weeks ago decided to try a MacBook Pro after my Dell was decapitated.

The first few days were so frustrating that it made me want to give up on technology altogether, buy an SR15, and go live in the woods. I find OS X 10.8.1 to be obtuse, unintuitive, and inefficient. You will still need to tinker with settings and will absolutely need some sort of anti-malware software, as Apple is quite lackadaisical with security. So much is hidden from the user that you will have to intimately reacquaint yourself with the Terminal. At this point in my life, I refuse to relearn command-line instructions so I have to simply go without any sort of intermediate/advanced functionality.

I cannot post my thoughts on Apple software, but I like the hardware, so in the end I kept the MacBook. I have come to accept that I paid big bucks for reduced productivity and security. I suppose as I grow older value has become less important.

[Tamara]

I used the same G3/466 iBook SE as my roadtrip computer from 2001, when I purchased it as a factory refurb, to earlier this year (http://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-heck-of-run.html). I don't know how many twelve year old Wintel laptops are outside of landfills, let alone still usable for light-duty web surfing.

And although this is being typed on a Wintel tower, there's an eight-year-old G4/1.25 eMac sitting on the desk next to it that I still use as an iTunes server (for a three-year-old 5th generation iPod Nano.)

As long as you're not using it for cutting edge gaming or needing to have the latest programs or apps, Apple hardware and software is easy to use and incredibly long-lived.

[Carraway]

I use both. I use PCs for work and have a desktop, both Dells, but mainly use a Mac laptop. After some adjustment, switching isn't too difficult. In fact, I think Windows XP used a lot of Mac-like interfaces.

The adjustments depend on what kind of work you do. If you are used to Office, Mac has equivalents and Microsoft has a version of Office for Mac, but they are not as robust as the Windows versions and can get a little quirky. With my first Macbook, I bought Apple's office-like products but was't too impressed, so with my second, I've gone to Open Office, which is pretty good and free. For writing, however, I use Scrivener, which is now my favorite writing/organizing program. (It's here, if you're interested: http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php . There is a free trial, but I quickly bought it after seeing how well it functioned with how I work).

If you're looking to play games on the computer, the Mac selection isn't nearly what it is on a PC. (I don't really have games on the computers and just use a console for that).

The interface is a little different, but if you didn't have much trouble switching to XP, you should be fine. A couple of small things: when you hit the "x" on something, the window will close, but the program will stay active. If you want the program itself to end, you have to select "Quit." Also, while each program in Windows has a taskbar, Mac uses one at the top of the screen which changes for the current program.

Personally, I like using both. I decided on a Macbook when I needed a laptop and didn't want Vista, but I like having a Windows desktop available, mainly for Office, as well. I doubt I'll buy another Dell, however, and do not trust one without a backup drive constantly attached.

[JodyH]

For my office software I use Open Office on my Win machines and Libre Office on my Ubuntu machine.
They do everything I need, I am not a Excel/Word guru and still type with 2 fingers.

I no longer game on a PC. I do a few time wasters on my Droid tablet but that's it.

90% of the household computer use is internet surfing (forums for me, Facebook for the wife, Youtube for the 9 year old) and the occasional streaming movie.
The rest is picture storage/editing (currently use Gimp in Ubuntu), a few documents and presentations and that's about it.
The FaceTime camera/software will replace my Magic-Jack phone so my boy can "call" Mom on her iPhone/iPad when he gets home from school. He has a cell phone for real calls but the FaceTime/Magic-Jack is proof he's actually calling from the house.
I would have skipped the 13" MacBook Air and just did all my travelling with my 10" Droid Tablet, but the tablets still aren't up to the task of presentations on a big screen like in my CCW classes.
You still need a laptop for extended HDMI output, tablets just aren't stable and reliable enough yet for hours of use and multiple files types.
A laptop makes Powerpoint, .PDF, .JPG, .MP4, .DOC, hassle free to open and share.
The tablet does all that, but they still aren't ready for prime time in that area.

I gave up on being a computer "power user" several years ago.
Endlessly tweaking autoexec.bat and config.sys just to make the latest game run burned me out years ago and the few trips I've made into the Linux terminal reminded me how much tweaking sucks.
These days I want my computer to just be a fancy TV with a keyboard.

iMac for the family machine.
iPad2, iPhone4S and a Win7 Dell laptop for the wife.
Samsung Galaxy Tab2 7" for the 9 year old.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Ubuntu laptop (desktop basically), MacBook Air, Droid Atrix HD for me.
Lenovo XP Pro laptop (damn corporate legacy software) and a Nexus 7" tablet for my work machines.

That should cover it, and I embrace diversity!
Equal opportunity for every OS to crash at my house.

[ToddG]

I used PCs from '83 (I was in 8th grade). I even went through a phase when I built my own PCs and spent my free time on comp.os.windows.advocacy.

In '06 I switched to Mac because I was tired of the bugs, crashes, and constant tweaking necessary to get Win to run.

Unlike Vinh, I found the change seamless. I can count on one hand the number of times I've had to resort to Terminal in the past six years. Each time, it's been as easy as Googling the problem and following the solution step by step.

There have certainly been some frustrations along the way, but they've been minor and temporary. I've never been hit with a virus or malware. After switching from MS Office to Apple's Pages, Numbers, and Keynote as my default suite the number of crashes I've experienced has literally dropped to zero. My wife switched a couple of years ago but insists on using Outlook and she's had no end of troubles. There's no doubt in my mind that MS feels a vested interest in making Macs run poorly.

My current MBP is four years old and as much as I'd like a new computer for the heck of it, I honestly cannot think of a single reason to upgrade. After all the travel, bumps, drops, and abuse this computer has taken, it's still like new.

[JodyH]

Anybody remember GeoWorks?
That was the GUI on my smoking fast 286 10MHz!
:cool:

[JV_]

Anybody remember GeoWorks?
That was the GUI on my smoking fast 286 10MHz!
:cool:

No, but I recall using Norton Commander, on a 286/12.

I've tried to make the switch to a Mac multiple times, but I find myself working too hard to get things the way I want, and always go back. I'm fairly pleased with Win7.

[JodyH]

What finally tipped me away from Windows was working with Ubuntu 12.04 on my laptop.
No bloatware and it made my machine (Dell 15" laptop, Intel i5 2.53GHz, 4GB ram) run like a next generation computer.
Internet surfing is great with Chromium and no worries about getting a virus or other malware.
The only problem is Linux can be a pain in the butt to do the simplest things on, like set up a wireless printer or mount a NAS.
I'm hoping OS X ends up being a more polished Ubuntu like experience without the security gaps and bloat of Windows.

[Tamara]

Anybody remember GeoWorks?
That was the GUI on my smoking fast 286 10MHz!
:cool:
XTree on my Turbo XT, rockin' Hercules graphics on a page white IBM monitor, baby. Playin' Wizardry V and SimCity and Test Drive to the break of dawn! :cool:

(I liked the white phosphorus monitor because it looked like a Mac's. :o )

[JodyH]

Playin' Wizardry V and SimCity to the break of dawn! :cool:
BTDT

[Carraway]

XTree on my Turbo XT, rockin' Hercules graphics on a page white IBM monitor, baby. Playin' Wizardry V and SimCity and Test Drive to the break of dawn! :cool:

(I liked the white phosphorus monitor because it looked like a Mac's. :o )

Ah, SimCity. After all these years, I still remember the feeling of finally getting a city working beautifully, then Godzilla attacked. As soon as I repaired the damage, the nuclear plant had a meltdown.

I waited until I had a computer with sound to get Need for Speed and Battlezone II.

I think I still have a Timex Sinclair somewhere.

[Default.mp3]

be secure/virus free despite my wife and 9 year old's best attempts to compromise the system.

Just a thought: an Apple PC might be fairly "virus free", but that is largely by virtue of the fact that its market penetration isn't quite large enough for virus writers to make it worth their time... for now. From a strictly technical POV, Windows is has been seen as being secure than OS-X for awhile now, it's just that the large installation base makes it so that it's a far more popular target.

[tremiles]

I'm a professional nerd, and use and sell Windows for desktops and laptops. The difference in price between "virus proof" Apple and Windows devices with an good lightweight anti-malware protection like ESET Smart Security is still pretty big.

Then again, what I buy for myself or sell to a customer isn't the same Windows experience as a consumer who purchases a computer in a big box store from a jackass who actually knows less about what they sell than their customer.

That being said, most of my non-work computing, other than gaming, is done on my phone.

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk 2

[JodyH]

Anymore the majority of my internet time is spent on my tablet.
Internet anytime, anywhere.

Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk 2

[LittleLebowski]

With absolute respect to Vinh, I've been running Macs sans anti malware since 2004 and never had a problem. I've had to crack open Terminal twice to solve problems that the GUI couldn't solve twice. I have heard the BS that "once OS X gets popular, there will be viruses for it" for years. Anyone want to jog my memory on a real virus for OS X sans cross platform Java exploits and silly disguised scripts that you still have to run as root?

OS X is POSIX compliant, Linux is POSIX compliant. The argument that "once OS X gets popular, there will be viruses for it" could very easily be applied to Linux since Linux runs so many enterprise sites and therefore is popular yet seemingly less affected by malware by an order of magnitude than Windows.

OS X has been steadily growing in popularity yet viruses affecting it have not affected it despite said popularity.

My household is 50% android, 50% OS X.

[will_1400]

XTree on my Turbo XT, rockin' Hercules graphics on a page white IBM monitor, baby. Playin' Wizardry V and SimCity and Test Drive to the break of dawn! :cool:

(I liked the white phosphorus monitor because it looked like a Mac's. :o )

Yes, yes, those are mandatory... but what about the System Shock series? IMO, if you haven't faced off against S.H.O.D.A.N., you're missing out on one of the top 5 best villians in gaming history.

/derail

[Tamara]

Yes, yes, those are mandatory... but what about the System Shock series?

/derail
Dude, I played that on my 486DX-66 off CD-ROM. That's not old school; that was, like, yesterday. ;)

(While I was living on the houseboat back in Georgia, I had the 486 and a Mac SE/30 side-by-side on my desktop. Big pimpin'. I traded the guy who ran the local computer store a Browning BDM to get that Mac. I also used to find him 7.92x33 for his StG44...)

[derekb]

The argument that "once OS X gets popular, there will be viruses for it" could very easily be applied to Linux since Linux runs so many enterprise sites and therefore is popular yet seemingly less affected by malware by an order of magnitude than Windows.

Linux is also open-source, so there's at least as many guys looking at the code every day fixing major holes as there are trying to exploit those holes.

My own attempts to use macs always end poorly. I don't get along with the OS, I don't like the hardware design (or price!) and am generally contented to run a mix of win7 and linux wherever they make the most sense for me.

[LittleLebowski]

Linux is also open-source, so there's at least as many guys looking at the code every day fixing major holes as there are trying to exploit those holes.



I don't think that plays as big of a role as the Unix like design. Imagine in your head how many thousands of Linux servers there in the world. Do you really think they all get patched that fast?

I mean no offense to anyone in this thread but it's just odd how folks suspend all logic regarding operating systems when it comes to Apple and mainly over distaste over Apple's marketing or pricing.

[JV_]

My own attempts to use macs always end poorly. I don't get along with the OS, I don't like the hardware design (or price!) and am generally contented to run a mix of win7 and linux wherever they make the most sense for me.

+1

[LittleLebowski]

Windows 7 is the first Windows OS that I really don't notice and that gets out of my way and lets me work. XP was workable, Vista was an abortion, and now they are changing the UI completely for Windows 8.

Apple hardware goes through some abuse in my house. We are generally on a 5 year replacement cycle on laptops. The Macs hold up. Just don't run suspect scripts/programs with administrator privileges and you'll be fine.

[jslaker]

I just went the opposite direction. Went from a 2006 MBP to one of the new Vizio T+Ls.

Fact is, I've split time equally between Windows, OS X, and Linux for the past decade. I really don't care that much which I'm using. Most of my work anymore is cloud-based, so it matters even less today than it did 5 years ago.

And that's exactly the reason why I didn't buy another Mac. If the OS doesn't matter, then there's no point in me giving Apple a 50%+ premium. Vizio decided to break into the PC market at the perfect time for me, too. Clean, sturdy designs and they ship what Microsoft is calling Windows Signature, which is a nice way of saying they don't come with any pre-installed bloatware whatsoever. Taking a PC out of the box and being able to just use it was a bit of a culture shock.

Truth is, I'd probably be running Ubuntu on this for a couple of work-related things, but Linux support for the touchpad hardware is meh. I can still do what I want, Linux is just a bit easier for me to do a couple of things with.

In the next 5 years, I expect there to be even less difference between the major OSes. Native apps are dying, and I couldn't be happier about it.

[LittleLebowski]

The Vizios look very nice. I've been looking around for an Ultrabook. I'd prefer one in the 11" or so format with backlit keys and an SSD.

[NETim]

*NIX is da bomb.

[tremiles]

The Vizios look very nice. I've been looking around for an Ultrabook. I'd prefer one in the 11" or so format with backlit keys and an SSD.

I wouldn't purchase on that came stock with a SSD. Retail packaged SSD's are much less expensive now as an after purchase add on VS. stock equipped. Plus, you get to choose the drive as opposed to whatever the OEM got a great deal on.


Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk 2

[LittleLebowski]

I'm not worried about obsessing over transfer rates on hard drives but I do like saving money.

[tremiles]

I'm not worried about obsessing over transfer rates on hard drives but I do like saving money.

I've got a 6YO laptop with a SATA2 controller, so reliability > price > xfer rate for me as well. In my experience, SSD's with the SandForce controllers are very firmware dependent and other than the new Intel branded SSD's with Intel's own firmware validation, just aren't reliable enough for my work machines. Intel's older drives with their own controllers were very reliable, but slow and expensive, Crucial's Marvell controller based drives have been reliable and affordable, and the Samsung drives with their recent price drops are reliable, competitively priced, and fast.

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk 2

[jslaker]

I wouldn't purchase on that came stock with a SSD. Retail packaged SSD's are much less expensive now as an after purchase add on VS. stock equipped. Plus, you get to choose the drive as opposed to whatever the OEM got a great deal on.

The Vizios, like many of the Ultrabooks on the market now, use mSATA drives because there's just plain no room for a traditional 2.5" HDD. They're using Toshiba drives -- as does Apple and a number of other manufacturers -- which aren't the fastest thing in the world, but they're reliable and get the job done.

Crucial just released mSATA versions of their M4 line a few weeks ago, so upgrading is still an option for those that are worried about it. Honestly, just about any SSD is good enough for the work I want to do on an ultra portable notebook.

[LittleLebowski]

Crucial just released mSATA versions of their M4 line a few weeks ago, so upgrading is still an option for those that are worried about it. Honestly, just about any SSD is good enough for the work I want to do on an ultra portable notebook.

Same here. I'm not a gamer though I do appreciate the speed of an SSD. Have no intentions of tuning with hdparm and sdparm again.

[JodyH]

Been using the iMac and MacBook Air since Monday, everything seems to be fairly intuitive.
There are a few things that will take me some time to get straight but nothing major.
The menu bar at the top of the screen instead of at the top of the window is taking me a bit to get used to.
Remembering that the red X just closes the window instead of quitting the app is still messing with me.
And no highlight, right click menu cut/paste is annoying.

[jslaker]

Been using the iMac and MacBook Air since Monday, everything seems to be fairly intuitive.
There are a few things that will take me some time to get straight but nothing major.
The menu bar at the top of the screen instead of at the top of the window is taking me a bit to get used to.
Remembering that the red X just closes the window instead of quitting the app is still messing with me.
And no highlight, right click menu cut/paste is annoying.

Under System Preferences, there's an option to enable two finger tap for right click.

[LittleLebowski]

Been using the iMac and MacBook Air since Monday, everything seems to be fairly intuitive.
There are a few things that will take me some time to get straight but nothing major.
The menu bar at the top of the screen instead of at the top of the window is taking me a bit to get used to.
Remembering that the red X just closes the window instead of quitting the app is still messing with me.
And no highlight, right click menu cut/paste is annoying.

You can also do Control and click for "right click."

[JodyH]

I have right click enabled.
Theres just no right click menu option for cut/paste.

[ToddG]

I have right click enabled.
Theres just no right click menu option for cut/paste.

What am I missing?

1032

[ToddG]

Jody means there is no context menu option for cut/paste.

I'm still not understanding how that is different than the menu that came up when I right-clicked, and it gave me choices including copy, cut, and paste.

[LittleLebowski]

What's wrong with doing Control+click or using a mouse with a right click button, Jody?

[Tamara]

What's wrong with doing Control+click or using a mouse with a right click button, Jody?

Speaking as someone who owns I-have-no-idea-how-many Macs and has written columns for Mac websites before, Apple's stubborn insistence on clinging to the one button mouse is moronic.

[Sparks2112]

What am I missing?

1032

OMG, too funny...

[Jason F]

What's wrong with doing Control+click or using a mouse with a right click button, Jody?

Or how about keyboard shortcuts - especially if you are on a laptop and both hands are theoretically on the keyboard to begin with.

command + C = copy
command + V = paste
command + X = cut

So easy there should be an easy button.

[JodyH]

What am I missing?

Not seeing those options when I "right click". Are you on Mtn.Lion?
I was trying to cut/paste from an email by highlighting the text, then "right clicking" and nothing happens.
The "right click" brings up the menu box on things like the dock icons, so I think I'm right clicking correctly.
Will try again when I get home.
Maybe I'm just a Magic Mouse retard.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[LittleLebowski]

http://store.apple.com/us/question/answers/product/MB829LL/A?pqid=QTYYTP2DXA4FCPTXFFTTP4XPYXH2YTDFC

[JodyH]

Fixed it.
I was able to right click on the iMac but not the Air.
Swapped the Magic Mouse between the two and guess what?
Yup... one mouse seems to have lost its "magic" and does not want to right click.
No big deal since I have a "Magic Trackpad" coming for my Air anyway.
I'll just return the defective mouse for a refund or exchange so I have a spare.

[Vinh]

You prefer an external trackpad over the Air's?

[jslaker]

Just use a third party mouse. Apple's mice are horrible.

[JAD]

Apple's trackpad, however, is generally superior to a mouse. Touch gestures are /nutty/ powerful.

[JodyH]

You prefer an external trackpad over the Air's?
My Air doubles as a desktop.
When it's on the desktop I have it hooked to a 24" monitor, wireless keyboard and now a wireless trackpad.
Gives me more desk space.