A Month with a Mac: A Die-Hard PC User's Perspective
by Anand Lal Shimpi on October 8, 2004 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Mac
This is, quite possibly, one of the most difficult articles to write; for starters, it's not a review of hardware, and it's not actually a review of anything concrete - it is a review of an experience. We all go about using our computers knowing that if we don't like something about them, if they are too slow or too unreliable or don't do something we need them to do, then we can upgrade them, or we can swap out the faulty part and put in a new one. Now, it costs us money (sometimes lots of it), but it is possible. But much like the U.S. election system, although there may be the illusion of multiple options for your OS, in reality, there is really only one. If you want any sort of software compatibility, driver support and don't want to be made fun of, Windows is the way to go. There have been righteous attempts by smaller OSes to gain traction, and some of them have (e.g. Linux), but for the most part, we're dealing with a one-party OS system. Now that's not necessarily a bad thing; quite contrary, in fact. I believe that Windows XP is the best thing to ever come out of Redmond and I have very few issues with the OS. I actually liked the XP theme when it first came out and I've been happier with Windows XP than any previous Microsoft OS (except maybe the good ol' DOS days). When installed on the right hardware with the right drivers (and with an eye to be wary of poorly written apps), I found that Windows XP was just as stable as any other OS that I'd ever encountered. My personal machine would go months between reboots without a single problem. It's not that there is anything wrong with Windows; it's that if you want the option, if there's any particular thing that you don't like about the way Windows works, you're straight out of luck.
I think that a bit of me was feeling, after being a strictly Windows user ever since version 2.0 (with the requisite mix of DOS back then), that there were a couple of things that had started to annoy me about Windows, which I would rather do without.
For starters, heavy multi-tasking management under Windows had caused me a lot of grief. Maybe it's just because of the nature of my work, but I tend to have a lot of windows open at any given time. I like quick access to the information that I need when I'm working and much like a messy desk, there is a method to my window-madness that only I know. When writing an article (especially big NDA launches), I'd have around 20 IE windows open, Outlook with another 5 - 15 emails, Power Point with NDA presentations, Word with my article, maybe Dreamweaver if I was starting to put it into HTML, not to mention Acrobat, some sort of MP3 player, Trillian and a bunch of explorer windows as well. After a certain point, the cramped taskbar became difficult to use as a locator tool, and while I could ALT+TAB forever, I just felt like I was idle for too long. I knew what it was that I needed to get to, and I knew I had it open, but the process of getting to it was a pain.
The other issue was with the way Windows handled having so many windows opened; after a certain number of windows were opened, stability and performance both went down the drain. Sometimes applications could no longer spawn additional windows or dialog boxes, requiring me to close a handful before I could continue doing anything, and other times, applications would simply crash.
It's not that I was dissatisfied with Windows and the PC experience in general, but I thought it might be time for something new - to see what else was out there.
I've always been a fan of trying alternate Oses - I was even an OS/2 user (both 2.0 and Warp) for a little while in my early years. So, a while back, I conjured up this idea to try using a Mac for a month. At first, it started as just a personal experiment, but it later developed into the foundation for the article that you're reading now. After doing the necessary research to make sure that I could actually get work done on a Mac, I whipped out the trusty credit card and decided to give the experiment a try.
What you are about to read are my impressions, as a devout PC user, of the Apple way of life.
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WJS - Saturday, October 9, 2004 - link
Excellent article - I don't think you could expect anything fairer or more balanced from a Windows guy.Try using Exposé in combination with drag-n-drop and spring-loaded folders, a feature you didn't mention. You can drag an image off a Web page and put it away multiple folder levels deep, for instance. Just start dragging the image and, without letting go of the mouse button, hit the F11 key to get rid of all windows, then hover the icon over a drive icon or a folder icon. It will snap open after an adjustable pause. Keep going until you get to where you want to store the image, then let go.
I often use Exposé to work back and forth between several applications. For example, if I want to make selections from a big InDesign document and collect them in a Word document, I drag the selected text or image, then hit F9 to se the Word document window, then drop the item right where I want it.
Here's a hot flash - Exposé is just at the beginning - I've seen some features in a Tiger (10.4) beta that blow me away.
Cheers :-> Bill
victorpanlilio - Saturday, October 9, 2004 - link
A good overview of caching, etc. in MacOS X:http://www.kernelthread.com/mac/apme/optimizations...
In the interest of keeping this forum useful for those who might be curious to learn more about OS X, let's refrain from feeding trolls. If the point of the discussion is to dispel ignorance, clear up misunderstanding, and grow the individual and collective knowledge of forum participants, then so much the better.
Dennis Travis - Saturday, October 9, 2004 - link
#78. 95/98 are not premptive multisking at all. Only NT, 2k, SP have premptive multitasking.http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=...
gankaku - Saturday, October 9, 2004 - link
#53... skiboysteve... you need to revisit your opinions on the G5 being a slow chip. It's competitive with AMDs offerings, and faster than just about anything Intel can produce.Of course, I'm talking about serious computing, not just games (where any PC will pound a Mac), and not just bakeoffs between Word for Mac vs Word for Windows.
You might be surprised at how fast a G5 actually is. Have a look at this benchmark, between an HP workstation (dual Xeons at 3.06 GHz, Linux) and a dual PowerMac at 2 Ghz. Running serious scientific programs like BLAST and HMMer... I'll give you a hint. The HP was creamed.
It wasn't run by a Mac mag, or a PC mag. Nope. Just Popular Mechanics, and they were surprised, too. The PowerMac is an amazing computer that is more than $1000 cheaper than the HP workstations it bested.
No wonder the world's fastest clusters, offering the best bang for the bucks, are made with Apple XServes. Of course, the best thing is that a 64-bit OS for the masses is just around the corner, with some early reports suggesting another 30 - 40 per cent increase in speed just from upgrading to Tiger. Ohhh.... gives you goosebumps, doesn't it!
So... for your edification:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/compute...
gankaku - Saturday, October 9, 2004 - link
This is a fair and balanced article, and I have little to complain about as a Mac diehard. Anand is wrong about a few things, and points out a few problems that, in fact, have easy solutions (ex: he says you can't navigate a "save sheet" with keyboard shortcuts; though you can, of course). But all in all, it seems thorough and thoughtful.Another small point. This review has just been published, but it's based on Anand's experiences back in March, or 8 months ago. He does mention this fact at the beginning, but I don't think he should be moaning about this being a $3,000 machine. It's not any more, it's a $2500 machine. That's a small but important point.
He does mention that OS X can be slow in a few mundane areas, and points to scrolling as one concrete example. But if memory serves - and I know you will all correct me if I'm wrong - isn't this by design? Doesn't the Mac OS slow scrolling so you can actually see the pages (in Word, for example) that you're scrolling through.
As well, he states correctly that this machine is fast, fast, fast when it comes to multitasking, a point that more Mac reviewers should be at pains to assert.
But honestly, for me, the real surprise is that he likes the PowerMac and OS X as much as he does! Didn't anyone here have the same thought?
I mean Anand talks about using Microsoft Word and Excel, and Macromedia Dreamweaver extensively, and in my opinion, these are the three slowest Mac applications I have ever seen... By a wide, wide margin! And they're the apps that crash most often (for me). (In fairness, Anand also uses Photoshop a lot, which runs nicely on a Mac).
That Anand spent his time surrounded by mediocre apps - and still enjoyed himself - blows me away. Imagine how glowing this review would be if he used the iLife apps, the various incarnations of Final Cut, DVD Studio Pro, Shake, the Logic family, or Motion. All world class, best of breed. Apple apps on Apple hardware is computing nirvana!
Poor Anand: He missed out on ALL the best parts!
iisabrane - Saturday, October 9, 2004 - link
I thought this article was well written and informative. I have a XP desktop and a 12" Powerbook G4 I take around with me to classes(I'm a college student). People here seem to be very biased with their individual computers but having both, my opinion differs a little bit.I think XP is a great OS which is many times better than the Windows of old. It offers great ease, is fairly stable, and has the most software and hardware compatibility of all the OS'es out there. Sure it has its shortcomings and problems, but nothing is perfect.
Mac OSX is a very simple and powerful OS that I think is also very easy to get used to. The integration of everything into a convenient package with very good built in software is a big draw for the Mac.
Now, I love games. I'm not a hardcore gamer, but I do enjoy playing games for a few hours here and there. Because of this, I use my desktop to play to my hearts delight. The fact is that the PC is basically the only computer platform for games. With such small numbers of people using anything other than Windows, there isn't a real reason for companies to appeal to MAC, Linux, and other OS users. On top of that, the hardware for PC's is much faster and there is a lot more competition to keep prices low. As far as desktops go, I think PC's are probably a better solutiong. But that's just my opinion.
As for my G4, I love its simplicity and hell, it looks sexy. You can't deny that everything Apple makes is really slick. Anyways, it has great 1st party programs and like the reviewer says, its great for multitasking. Also, I DO think that OSX is a lot more stable than Windows XP. It might just be my luck but i've had my powerbook crash just once in its 1+ years of work and that crash was only after I got it back from Apple. (Apple's Applecare program is pretty awesome by the way). I've had XP crash on me a lot more often than that. Anyways, I think Apple Laptops are very well made and the prices are comparable to PC's out there (not including those crazy Dell Deals from like Fatwallet). A new ibook these days will run you about a grand, which is a good price I think
Anyways a summary of my comment is:
PC's: Cheaper, Faster, Less Stable and Secure, GAMES!
Apple: More Expensive, More stable, Looks sexier, Much simpler
OH yeah, Apple stuff is crazy overpriced. They want like 30 bucks for replacement feet on my powerbook. 30 DOLLARS for 5 little rubber feet that are half a cm in diameter. Ridiculous. Anyways, thanks for reading
Poser - Saturday, October 9, 2004 - link
If Apple would go either of two routes, I might be interested in the OS:1. Mac clones.
2. Port the OS to run on PC hardware. Sell it as standalone software.
As odd as it may sound, Apple's long been a monopolist, albeit a monopolist of the niche called the "mac platform." Personally, I'm not willing to pay a monopolist's price for a full system -- it's grating enough to pay a monopolist's price for just a standalone OS (i.e. Win XP). If they either break the system monopoly by allowing clones, or by porting the OS to standard hardware I really would be interested. As is, the price/performance ratio is NEVER going to be good enough to be interesting. Moreover, with their system monopoly, they're damning themselves to a niche which they show no interest in escaping from.
Reflex - Friday, October 8, 2004 - link
#31: Just had to correct this bit of misinformation....Windows 1.0 existed in 1985 and allowed 'multitasking', which was actually 'task switching'. The MacOS up until X never had pre-emptive multitasking, which is what Anand was reffering to. It used task switching, which is not the same thing.
Windows95 was the first version of Windows to support pre-emptive multi-tasking, although it was poorly implemented. The NT line has had it from the beginning, as has OS X from Apple.
And finally, Quarterdeck was acquired by Symantec, not Microsoft. They merged their utilities into the Norton suite.
kingtj - Friday, October 8, 2004 - link
Overall, I thought this was a great article too! I've been a long-time Windows/DOS (and even OS/2) user, with the occasional Linux box or partition - and yes, i even owned a Mac Performa tower in the mid 90's for a little while (but disliked it).I rediscovered the Mac when I got to use a G4 tower with OS X 10.2 at a company I worked for. I was immediately impressed with the fact that they had a Unix type OS at the core of it, yet succeeded in making a usable and beautiful GUI to go on top of it seamlessly. (If only Linux could eventually get there!)
Suffice it to say that despite it being a big financial "hit", I bit the bullet and purchased both a G5 dual 2.0Ghz tower and an aluminum Powerbook laptop in the last year or so - and I use them almost daily, along-side my Athlon 64 tower PC running XP Pro.
I guess I have a few misc. thoughts to add, related to the article. For one, yes, gaming is abysmal on the Mac if you're mainly concerned with playing whatever the latest game out is. Being in my early 30's though, my "need" for the latest and greatest games has waned a bit. I just want to find 3 or 4 really good games that I truly enjoy playing over and over, and keep them installed on my machine. With a Mac, you almost never get a new game first, but you benefit from the fact that nobody will waste their time porting over PC games unless they're decidedly "cream of the crop".
I've got UT2004, Halo, Medal of Honor, Spiderman, Spy Hunter, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 and 4, Tiger Woods PGA Golf from EA Sports, Jedi Academy, Warcraft 3 with the Frozen Throne expansion, Call of Duty, and much more. I don't feel like my Mac lacks good games at all. It just lacks new titles released in a timely manner.
Also, I look at my Mac systems much like I would any other tools. When you want to screw in a phillips screw, nothing beats a good phillips screwdriver. You might get the job done with a slotted one, but it won't be the best option. By the same token, your hammer is great for hammering in nails, but probably useless on those screws. One of the big "plusses" I saw to the Mac was its video editing ability. I bought a Sony camcorder before I owned a Mac, and working with DV video on my PC was typically an exercise in frustration. "Movie Maker" included with XP was basically a joke. (How do you make a DVD from that app, natively, anyway?) 3rd. parts apps like Pinnacle Studio had promise, but crashed all the time and required loads of update patches. On my G5, video editing is truly enjoyable by comparison. The included apps are quite usable, and even impressive with $99 or so spent on good add-on packs to add new transitions and effects. If you want to get more serious, you can do simply awesome things for $299 with Apple Motion, or Final Cut Express. No searching for hard-to-find device drivers to make the camcorder work either. Just plug it into a firewire port and it's ready! On the other hand, if I was doing CAD design, I'd probably feel forced to dump my Mac and fire up the PC - since AutoDesk doesn't seem to make a single Mac native application!
gdbje - Friday, October 8, 2004 - link
Overall a great artile and probably one of the best I have ever read coming from a windows user. The only things that I wish the author would have touched on is the lack of spyware and adware on a OS X machine. Also the fact that you don't have to worry about get a virus on the OS X platform. I really enjoy the fact that I can click on every piece of junk mail that I get and never have to worry about what will happen.