4 Months on a Mac
It happened about June 27th. And it brought about some mixed feelings. There was the usual excitement that accompanies all tech-nerds getting a new gadget - especially when that new gadget is a laptop. But there was one hold-up. My new laptop was going to be a Mac. Having been firmly ensconced in the world of Windows since my father upgraded our Epson QX-16 (where I proved myself as a Convoy prodigy) to Windows 3.1 in the early 90s, I was a little hesitant to make the jump. Mike talked about all the advantages of a Mac: better software, better operating system, better collaboration (joining he and Nate on Macs would make things easier). He convinced me it wouldn’t be that difficult to make the switch. He didn’t have to work that hard to convince me. I was looking forward to working on a laptop again, and felt he had made some good software/collaboration arguments. But mostly, I was excited to get a new toy. So on July 1, 2007 I became working on a Mac. I didn’t quit cold turkey - I have two computers in my office running Windows. But since that day my primary computer has been my new MacBook. And each day I’ve been sipping a little more of the Kool-aid.
There are three main things that have brought me over to that which I once considered the dark side. Performance, platform, and programs.
For the performance end of things I can’t place any blame on my old Windows computer. Its really not its fault. Updating to a Intel Core 2 Duo with more Ram really isn’t all that fair for comparisons sake. Powering up (and being ready to DO something) takes about half the time. And all in all its just so much faster (again the processor deserves most of the credit), that when I am on my old computer I find myself getting impatient.
As for the platform, it took a little getting used to, but not as long as I’d expected and now when I have to work on my HP, I don’t know what to do without Expose! Expose allows you to move your mouse over a corner of your screen to view everything or nothing, literally. I currently have my bottom right hand corner configured to show all windows. So if I’m working on a few different PSDs I simply move to the bottom right to switch between them. My top left corner hinds all windows and shows me my desktop, my top right is reserved for the Dashboard. Another very nice feature with numerous widgets including weather, date, the clock for Boston and Rome (to keep tabs on Nate), the most recent Red Sox score and the number of open trails at my favorite ski area. I can’t tell you how many times I find myself scrolling to the corners of my Windows computers before realizing I need to minimize all 6 Windows to open that file on my desktop.
For programs, there are really too many advantages to list. From cool programs like GarageBand, iPhoto, iChat and Photo Booth that came with the computer, to free downloads like Pyro and Coda (purchased after trial version) there are so many pluses. There are of course a few drawbacks. Not having the Microsoft Office Suite is what more often that not pushes me back onto the old computer, but that’s just a purchase away and the trial versions were quite nice.
So four months later, I have to admit. I’m a Mac Guy.