MACS & PCS, the transition. Options

[pandamonium]

i was wondering for the people out there who currently used or use MACS and also have used PCS is it hard to switch over? cause i was thinking im going to college soon and i currently use a PC so i was wondering if i should get a mac when i go to college?

is it that different? cause my friend has a mac and its awesome but i havent really played around with it just to check my email and myspace. but is it hard? or will i get used to it very easily.

[*kryogenix*]

wait till mac comes out on x86 i guess. that's what I'm doing.

[*mipadi*]

You'll get used to it fairly easily. It's different, but not so different that it'll be hard to learn. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• On the Macintosh, there is usually no installer or uninstaller. To "install" an application, just drag the application into your Applications folder; to "uninstall" an application, drag it to the trash. (Some applications do require an installer, but they will be clearly marked and simple to use.)
• If you don't have a two-button mouse, press control, then click to bring up the contextual (right-mouse-button) menu.

As far as files and stuff go, you shouldn't have much problems. OS X can read Word files out of the box, or you can get MS Word for Mac OS X if you feel like you need it.

Here are some good sites for getting software for Mac OS X:

• http://www.macupdate.com/
• http://www.versiontracker.com/

And here is a brief list of some good applications for OS X:

• Instant Message: Adium (supports multiple protocols, including AIM, Yahoo!, and MSN)
• FTP: Transmit
• Mail: Apple Mail, the program that comes with OS X, is great.
• Browser: Safari, the program that comes with OS X, is great. Do not use Internet Explorer. It sucks on the Mac and hasn't been updated in two years.
• MP3: iTunes, the program that comes with OS X, is great.
• Coding: SubEthaEdit
• Graphics: GraphicConverter

That's all I can think of for now. If I think of anything else, I'll post it here.

[*kryogenix*]

[*]Browser: Safari, the program that comes with OS X, is great. Do not use Internet Explorer. It sucks on the Mac and hasn't been updated in two years.

Are you suggesting that IE on windows is great?

I've never actually used Safari, but it's based on KHTML and I've used Konqueror before, so no complaints from me.

[nas]

You'll get used to it fairly easily. It's different, but not so different that it'll be hard to learn. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• On the Macintosh, there is usually no installer or uninstaller. To "install" an application, just drag the application into your Applications folder; to "uninstall" an application, drag it to the trash. (Some applications do require an installer, but they will be clearly marked and simple to use.)
  
• If you don't have a two-button mouse, press control, then click to bring up the contextual (right-mouse-button) menu.

And in addition, that first part about installing/uninstalling, makes everything so much easier. It's so damn hassle-free... I think it's not until you've used a Mac that you realize how great this is. With PC's, if you don't uninstall properly, you still have all those left over folders/files that you eventually forget, and eventually it takes up space on you drive. Macs make that so much easier.

PLUS, Mac applications come in 'bundles', meaning everything the application needs to run is under one icon. No need for other files in other deeply rooted folders, no need to worry about your application not running if it's placed away from the applications folder and on your desktop, or maybe even you pictures folder.

The second part can easily be overcome by simply buying a two-button mouse. :)


As far as the Internet Browser goes, Internet Explorer is simply not a choice for the Mac, but you'll always have the option of Firefox :)



I've been using an Apple computer for about 3 years now, but it's only now I'm really beginning to appreciate it. Most of the hate seriously comes down to the one-button mouse and the gaming aspect(which really doesn't bother me in the least. Virtual PC always an option though).

You get more shit done of an Apple computer. It has less problems, whether that be due to no viruses or stuff that pops out at you every five minutes telling you your computer needs updating.
Without all that, your workflow is easier and uninterrupted, thereby allowing you to use your time more efficiently. Again, I think this is something you can't appreciate until you have actually used one and have compared it to your experience on a PC.

Macs come with everything you need already installed, so right out of the box you can use the computer. No need to pop in like five cds, and no need to buy programs(unless it's Microsoft Office). That and wireless cards are already installed in all models except the Mini & eMac. Though, I'm assuming you would go for a laptop for college.



...err so yeah. Definitely consider a Mac, it is definitely not hard to get used to.

[*mipadi*]

(Before this turns into a stupid Mac vs. PC debate/flame war, I'd kindly like to remind all potential participants that we have a thread to discuss Mac vs. PC issues. Please keep all debates/flames in that thread; only post here if you have some tips/help for this user. Thanks! )

[*kryogenix*]

how is gaming on OSX? can virtual PC do as good of a job as cedega?

[*mipadi*]

Not right now, because Cedega only has to provide Win32/DirectX API's; Virtual PC also has to emulate an x86 processor through software, which is painfully slow. However, the move to Intel-based Macs should alleviate that emulation problem.

However, games written for Mac OS X run beautifully, better than they do on Windows, generally speaking.

[nas]

However, games written for Mac OS X run beautifully, better than they do on Windows, generally speaking.

How so? I've heard people say this about Microsoft Office as well, but I really don't get how.

[*mipadi*]

OS X software has much closer integration with the hardware--most software runs better. But in the specific realm of games, the API's on the Macintosh are much nicer to work with, especially ones dealing with graphics. OpenGL on the Mac, for example, has a much better API than on Windows.

As far as Office, I don't know the specifics of performance gains/loss across platform, although I imagine Microsoft doesn't work that hard to make Office X run better than Office for Windows.

[medic]

I've never actually used Safari, but it's based on KHTML and I've used Konqueror before, so no complaints from me.

Safari ROCKS, I love it. I only have used it a few times but no problems with it what so ever.

As for Office X, It runs about the same on a Mac as it would on windows. As with everything, the placement of stuff is some what different, but if you save a doc in Microsoft Word for Mac, it will be able to be opened on a Windows PC.

However, games written for Mac OS X run beautifully, better than they do on Windows, generally speaking.

I will have to disagree with that. My dad has a G5 at the office, and I have played many of games on his mac and found it to be sluggish and some picture quality to be bad, besides he does have a large monitor. As for games, I don’t find many of the new games that come out to be for the Mac format, such as Battle Field 2 or soon to be Call of Duty 2, some large games they have to wait to launch it on the Mac platform and well that puts you at a disadvantage.

[*mipadi*]

some large games they have to wait to launch it on the Mac platform and well that puts you at a disadvantage.

Only if you play games.

[pandamonium]

what is OC X. is that like the equivalence to WINDOWS? lol

[*mipadi*]

Do you mean OC X or OS X? If you mean OS X, that is the name of the operating system that runs on Macintoshes--the full name being Mac OS X. The X is pronounced "ten" as though it were a Roman numeral.

[pandamonium]

ohh alright yea thats what i meant the operating system i just couldnt think of the word for it.

so in your opinion you like macs better ?

[hunnigurl01]

i think macs are awesome.
i converted like 2 years ago, since my schools an all mac kind of school and we all need ibooks. hums. i didn't have any problems with switching. i find macs easier to use. heh. but that's just me.

[*mipadi*]

ohh alright yea thats what i meant the operating system i just couldnt think of the word for it.

so in your opinion you like macs better ?

Well...I've used Macs for a long time, since the early 90s, so I've seen them go from System 7 to 10.4. And I've used Windows since the 3.1 days (I still remember the day when my friend's parents upgraded his PC from 4 MB of RAM to 8--it cost about $400). And to be honest, I am really pleased with Mac OS X. It's a good, all-around user experience, is rock-solid, and easy to use yet powerful. Windows has some benefits, of course, but I'd take OS X over Windows anyday, myself.

It matters a lot what you plan on doing with it. If you're gaming, for example, a Mac isn't a good choice, but for the most part, that's the only place where Macs lag behind PC's.

[william]

i switched this march. i felt completely comfortable within 15 minutes, and felt totally used to it within a week (i even did the control-click on school computers after 2 weeks, haha). i'm so glad i stopped using windows. it just feels like i can do all my tasks the same (if not much much better) than i could on a pc, and it is just way easier overall. i don't have to worry about doing a virus check or whether an application will crash or getting spyware or anything. the most stressful part of switching was transferring all of my files, but i just used my ipod for that.

[Eryi]

I guess it'd be sort of a hard transition. Once you get used to it it'll get better.
I heard somewhere Macs don't freeze as much as the Windows.

[pandamonium]

I guess it'd be sort of a hard transition. Once you get used to it it'll get better.
I heard somewhere Macs don't freeze as much as the Windows.

EXACTLY lol thats one of the reasons why i was so attracted to the mac cause there arent those petty problems like in windows. mine doesnt really freeze but even though there seems to be less of everything in the mac. like pops and stupid shiet.

[artislife90]

I LOVE Mac. Its just so much easyier to use than windows.

NO spyware
NO viruses

Its just better. Switching is really easy, especially if you have a network, the Mac can just connect to your old PC and you can take all the files you want.

Switching to Mac is a good plan.

[largosama]

a little more than 40 viruses for Mac
can't complain there

[*mipadi*]

a little more than 40 viruses for Mac

And 0 in the wild for OS X!

[medic]

Theres thousands out for Windows, but I've never got one, never paid for Virus Protection, and never updated, or ran a virus scan. I've used from 95 to Long Horn beta.