11. Macs Do Windows

If you stick with Windows, you're stuck with Windows and Windows software.

If you switch to a Mac, you get the world's most powerful and attractive operating system, some of the world's easiest-to-use software, and, if you want it, the capability to run Windows and Windows software, too.

Using Boot Camp (free from Apple.com), you can choose whether your Intel-based Apple computer boots up as a Mac or a PC. With Parallels Desktop ($79.00 from parallels.com), you can run Windows (or Linux, or even DOS, if you like) and Windows software in a window on your Mac. CrossOver ($59.95 from codeweavers.com), still in development, promises to run many Windows programs, even if you don't have Windows installed on your Mac.

Windows don't do Macs -- but Macs do Windows. Why limit your options?

Comments

[joe]

I've used both Macs and PCs. My Mac crashed far more often than my PC. That was ten years ago, so maybe Macs don't do that anymore. In the same vein, your posts sound like it's been a long time since you've used a PC. When Macs are selling for a couple hundred dollars for a laptop, I might look at them again. PCs have brought computers to far more people because of the lower prices...too bad Apple never thought that was important.

[Mark]

Hi, "Joe!"

If you haven't used a Mac in a decade, then you've not really used a Mac. A lot has changed since 1997!

Meantime: I used PCs exclusively every day for the last decade, and I still use them at least once a day now. As someone who uses both kinds of computers on a regular basis, I can assure you that my experience on the Mac is smoother and less stressful than it ever is on the PC.

You mention you're waiting for Mac laptops to sell for a "couple hundreds dollars" before trying Apple computers again. If that's your criteria, Joe, what computer are you using now? PC laptops sure don't sell for two hundred bucks.

The idea that PCs cost more than Macs to own and operate is a myth, long dispelled by several articles in the mass media and on blogs around the world.

Do you really think, as someone who hasn't touched a Mac in a decade, that you're well-positioned to compare Apples to PCs? Do yourself a favor, Joe! Step away from the Windows, get yourself to an Apple store, and explore the possibilities!

[joe]

We have PCs and Macs at our house. Before I got my PC about a year ago, we had only Macs. "Couple hundred" may have overstated it, true. It is still a fact that Macs have cost more than comparable PCs--if they have come down in price, it is something new. We'll be shopping for a new Mac one of these days, so I'll find out.

I understand PCs because they expect me to know what I'm doing. A Mac? My latest frustration was in downloading a file. When I download something on my PC, I am asked where I want to put the file. On the Mac, it goes to some default location and then I have to move it to where I want it to go. It is possible that there is an easy solution to that--change the default location?--but on a PC, I don't need a solution for it at all.

I will admit that I'm not an expert Mac user--my frustration pretty much stops me from trying to figure out how much easier Macs are--but I'm not an anti-Mac fanatic. I figure both machines are tools and both can do what I need. What I AM, though, is an anti-anti-PC fanatic. I just don't see the huge advantage of Macs.

[roberto]

#1 what a great web page mark, THANKS!

#2 hi joe and thanks for your contribution too : )

i can't help but spend a moment to type...

- apple computers can't be 'cheaper' (in initial outright purchase) than regular PCs, for one simple reason which is 'you get more=you pay more' (clue: it's mostly in the OS (operating system))

- apple's market share, while mostly/historically exclusive to the higher educated/income demographic is comparative to the entire market share of; aston martin, audi, bentley, bmw, ferrari, jaguar, lamborghini, mercedes benz, porsche and rolls royce combined! (just food-for-thought but it's gotta mean something!)

- re your frustrations with internet downloads, they used to go to the 'Desktop', *right under your nose*, i know that's 'totally whack' ; ) which is probably why they now go to a designated downloads folder ... either-way, you can change this when in safari (apple's own/default browser) by going to "Preferences..." > "General" > "Save downloaded files to:" then choose/create any folder that works best for you! (if you've got a simpler way then send an email to steve@apple.com

and finally, if you're truly one of the few who actually likes windows (or can't actually see what you're missing), you're probably best to stay right there

love and light to all

roberto

[Bush -- not related]

Joe:

* you get what you pay for, and even with that caveat, prices are d*mned close when specs are similar

* my (G5 non-intel) imac's been up for over 54 days

* my (intel) macbook runs XP when I need to test something in Windows (thanks, Parallels)

* despite the above, I spend 98% of my time on the mac side because it's more intuitive/less prone to mysterious "PROGRAM NOT RESPONDING" problems

* What do you mean, "the pc asks where to put the file'? I've spent way too many hours, cumulative, trying to find a file that XP helpfully dropped into a buried TMP file somewhere, and that's with a designated DOWNLOADS folder on the desktop.

* The mac allows me to delete programs I don't need (hey, look: Internet Explorer -- didn't I get rid of you?)

* Tech support calls from family members plummet when I get them on macs (even my grandfather managed the switch with ease).

* And, my favorite: They just work.

More and more, the programmers in my "windows-based shop" are switching to Ubuntu or Macs because they can't do what they need as easily on a Windows-based machine. And that's not just a mac-fanboy talking, it's programming professionals who've spent their whole careers on the PC.

Bah. Head in the sand, if you wish, just don't look askance at macs (or their users) without far better grounding than you show.

[Richard]

Hi,

I've been looking through your book and see a few inaccuracies. Reason 54 is about customizing Macs, but in Windows it's much easier. In Windows XP, you just right-click on a folder and click the Customize tab to change its icon. I've also used Microangelo to tweak other icons, too. You can even add a dock to Windows. I haven't tried this since I think it adds unnecessary clutter. You can change the look of the startup screen, add transparency, and so on ad infinitum. XP can be customized more than OS X. For reason 67, you mention launchers, but in XP you can do the same without buying any programs. Just create a shortcut to a program or a script in your start menu or on the desktop, right-click on it, and choose a shortcut key. For example, when I want to open Internet Explorer, I press CTRL + ALT + I, no matter what program I am using. For reason 85, you praise Safari! I have used Safari and don't like it at all. You can't control which web sites give you cookies. You can make every other browser prompt you for them. Safari can't zoom in on pages, either. I use IE7 pro, which gives Internet Explorer the same capabilities as Firefox, including ad-blocking. Reason 18 is "Smoother Media Playback," in which you say you've never had to download a codec. But Quicktime and iTunes don't play Real media formats. In reason 17, you mention monitors, but the following website claims that it is difficult to run two monitors on a single Mac: . In reason 52, you mention Adium as a free chat application. But you can download Pidgin in Windows for free. It supports AIM, MSN, IRC, Yahoo, and Google.

Richard

[Aaron]

We have to remember that this stuff was written in 2006. A bit has changed since then. I am and have always been a Mac user, but I've also worked very extensively with Windows, even supporting Windows and Windows applications professionally. Still, it frustrates me every day. As Bush said above, as get further into Web 2.0, most of the programmers I know are moving to Mac and Linux because they don't need Windows just to get things done anymore.

This website takes a focus that kind of rubs people the wrong way though. Why pit Safari against IE, but not mention Firefox? Safari is too restrictive in how it allows you to modify it, and doesn't have a lot of the privacy and security features that Firefox has. The great thing about Mac is not that it comes with Safari and Mail and all this free software, it's that you can choose not to use it, and take Firefox or Opera or something else instead, that know that the Mac version will be just as good as the other versions. And Dictionary.app is a gem. Saved me about $250 on a new Japanese-English dictionary.

That Macs and PCs behave in different ways is something that one needs to expect; if Apple changed the behaviors of everything to make the transition for PC users easier, it would anger all the established Mac users. Switchers need to realize that they might have to go into an applications preferences to change something like the download location, or at least see where the default is so they can leave it there, and know where things will be. You're not going to mess anything up by going into the preferences. You also wont find preference settings nested layers deep.

System Preferences is put on the Dock by default so you know where it is, so don't be afraid to mess around with it a bit.

My grandfather got a MacBook Pro a while back, and initially I was swamped with calls asking about one thing or another. I though "What have I done to myself", but I haven't had a single call in about 6 months. He just needed time to figure it all out, and the MacBook Pro is the nicest computer quality wise that he's ever had.

[Steve]

I just found this site. I use Windows XP everyday at work. I have setup and manage several corporate networks. I know windows inside and out. I recently bought a Macbook and LOVE it. I have told several friends how nice they are, and they have switched now too. When I am connecting to the network at work and need to use a Windows only application, I fire up VMware fusion and use XP Pro on my black Macbook. I have been using PCs since the MS DOS 1.0 days. I have never liked a computer as much as this one. Mac OS X Leopard is easy to use. I have had to restart for updates occasionally, that can't be helped, but as far as for crashes, I have had my Macbook lock up once on me and need restarted (force quit did not work). I can't believe how much time is saved in just not having to wait for the computer to wake. I like my Mac so much that I bought another to replace a 5 month old PC (Vista helped to make that decision easy).