PC user converted to Mac

[Tim Hancock]

Originally posted by stevepaa
Tim, I installed anti virus program once in 17 years on Mac about 15 years ago.

What little symbols were there?

I only messed with it for a short time, but I couldn't even figure out how to copy files or find a menu showing what programs were installed. It just had a bunch of icons on the screen and if you did not know what the icons meant, you had no way of knowing what they were. Dragging a cursor over them did not pull down any text to identify them. All I could think about during this brief encounter was "intuitive my @ss!". Surely if someone spent a few minutes with me explaining where a few things were, I could have gotten past this, but in all seriousness all I could think about was "intuitive my @ss!".

Other than the occasional virus type stuff I am happy with my Dell cad station at work and my laptop at home. I know how they work and I am plenty "creative" on Autocad which works perfectly on both.

[lendaddy]

Originally posted by stevepaa
Joel, what did they say was bad? Do you still have it?

I don't recall, but yea I think it's in the garage. Bug me this weekend and I'll see if I can find it for you.

[speeder]

Thought I'd chime in as a non-techie type who has used both. I did not even own a working computer until 2001, (late to the party), my first one was a Sony Vaio desktop P3 that I still have. I never had any serious issues w/ it, even though it had the worst OS, Windows ME. It would freeze up once in a while, but I just would shut it off and do the disc scan occasionally. I used it for web-surfing, (very fast), photo editing, (great free program on it), selling stuff on eBay, burning CDs, etc..

I probably do not demand much from a computer, compared to you guys.

I picked up a Mac G4 Powerbook in '04, (used), I really abused that thing and it lasted a long time. It was dropped more times than I can remember, (once really hard on cement), it was really impressive for a laptop. Beautiful screen and nicer interface, IMO. The screen finally died, (it is now my back-up hard drive), I got another used G4 Powerbook for x-mas this year.

There are some apps that work better and are easier on the PC, IMO, but overall I vastly prefer Macs now that I am accustomed to them. I also like Apple's total product line, (Ipods, etc..), and they will always work better together than mix & match w/ PCs.

I might put my old Vaio back in service just for the web and selling on eBay, (PCs are faster and better on the web, it seems), but for a traveling laptop I prefer Mac and airport.

As for the whole "elegant" deal, life is just too short not to use a Mac, IMO.

[fastpat]

Originally posted by lendaddy
I have a G4 just like the one pictured that took a **** 2 years ago. We took it to the Mac store and they said it was officially dead, don't bother.

Those are pretty old, a computer ages a year every three months, worse than "dog years".

You want nothing less than a dual processor G4, the Quicksilver models with dual 1ghz processors are pretty good, the MDD's (mirrored drive doors) are the last and best iteration of the G4 machines. The MDD's have room and connectors for up to four hard drives and two DVD burners.

You could turn your Mac into a custom modified machines, ala Blue Ice or turn it into a PyraMac.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally posted by Tim Hancock
I only messed with it for a short time, but I couldn't even figure out how to copy files or find a menu showing what programs were installed. It just had a bunch of icons on the screen and if you did not know what the icons meant, you had no way of knowing what they were. Dragging a cursor over them did not pull down any text to identify them. All I could think about during this brief encounter was "intuitive my @ss!". Surely if someone spent a few minutes with me explaining where a few things were, I could have gotten past this, but in all seriousness all I could think about was "intuitive my @ss!".

Other than the occasional virus type stuff I am happy with my Dell cad station at work and my laptop at home. I know how they work and I am plenty "creative" on Autocad which works perfectly on both.

Those little icons are shortcuts to the applications and by default rolling over them pops up their names. Someone turned that off. Copying files is the same as any other computer, drag them from one place to the other.

[stevepaa]

Originally posted by Tim Hancock
I only messed with it for a short time, but I couldn't even figure out how to copy files or find a menu showing what programs were installed. It just had a bunch of icons on the screen and if you did not know what the icons meant, you had no way of knowing what they were. Dragging a cursor over them did not pull down any text to identify them.

Drag and drop for file transfer, just like windows now.
Yeah, there is no menu list like xp has, you just double click on hard drive, double click on apps folder and it shows them to you.

I think there is a ballon dialogue feature you can turn on to get info on any icon you put the cursor on.

[MichiganMat]

Cmd-I will probably tell you more than you care to know

[RKC]

Used Windows since 3.0. Switched my office and home to Mac in 2004 - 7 computers at work, 3 computers at home, airports & extensions, and some networked printers. No formal computer training. I run all of these, do print and web design work, and am much happier on Mac.

I could not justify the Mac cost for my business in the 1990's - it may have been better, but Apple was dying and business is business and $$ is $$. Today, I could not justify Windows (98 was unstable but it was 2004's virus attacks that converted me.)

There is a reason that Vista has so many features which came out first in OSX - Apple is clearly now in the lead for regular users.

The Microsoft lovers all seem to be hard-core computer programmers, which is great. I get why Apple's error codes in English and its simple, beautiful interface are looked down upon by them. It has been the same story with all craftsmen when laymen were finally able to enter their realm due to technological advances. But for the rest of us.....

I suppose it's good that I remember how to guess about the proper balance of resolution to size that I used in Aldus Photostyler so I could make a picture look good on the web.

But I really prefer in CS2 to throw my 20MB Photoshop images directly into GoLive automatically - and take my lunch hour now.

Black magic craftsmanship it isn't, but I have more time for life now. And life is too short......

[Porsche]

Just for fun, since someone brought up Photoshop, check out this list of imaginary Photoshopped Apple products, part of an online competition:

http://www.worth1000.com/cache/contest/contestcache.asp?contest_id=13700&display=photoshop#entries

Samples:







Funny stuff...

[Deschodt]

Case in point (me: works professionaly on PCs in IT industry, but used to be mac head when younger)

- Bought a new PC for my parents because that is what they knew, no choice... 2 days of hassle and phone calls /setup, removal of norton crap, internet issues, firewall, major PITA

- Bought my wife a Mac Book last w/e: Up and runnign in 10 minutes, everythign worked, no drivers required, integrated Icam, and I even had XP running in a window (parallel desktop) an hour later (that's XP installing slow, can't blame the mac)

Now that you can use XP on the mac (not even boot camp style, parallel desktops is awesome becasue you don't reboot) if you really have to, I don't see any reason to keep on buying Windoze machines. They keep me employed at work due to their crappiness, at home I'd rather have the mac, thanks a lot !

Saving for a 24" Imac...