Your MAC, what does it need from Windows/Linux/etc

[RonFlash]

My wife really wants a Mac Book. So between now and Christmas, I just may spurge for one.

I am a Windows guru type, but not biased. I am very curious about the Mac myself, I always like new things, their challenges, new knowledge, etc. It would be an experience I look forward to.

My question is not related to other software suites, or other hardware devices. For instance, I don't need any software for the Mac, other than Adobe products. Only hardware I would add is memory and hard drive space. So the software and hardware issues are not a concern to me and my wife.

But for those who love their Mac's, what, if anything, do you wish it would do, that Windows or Linux does for example.

What things do you miss if you are a Windows to Mac new guy?

Thanks.

 

[corey brown]

the only thing that I really missed was a photo organizing and viewing program I got with a camera it just worked really good and easy and free after I got my Mac's I ended up shelling out some money for LightRoom ( it can handle the Raw files iphoto can't ) LightRoom is definitely better then the program I was missing but it was not free other then that every thing else has been a really easy transition and there are a lot of thing I miss when I have to work on a windows machine.
--

I know my spelling and grammar are poor some times my spell check says 'I got nothing

for you' and there/ their is no grammar check yet so please forgive me Jesus did.
http://Glory2Jesus4Photography.smugmug.com/

 

[Benoit G]

Honestly...I don't miss anything. There is nothing I was doing in Windows that I can't do in Mac OS X. However, I find Windows Explorer slightly better than Mac Finder but things might change with Leopard...so I look forward to see this new OS on this Friday on my Mini.

--
Benoit

 

[RonFlash]

I just watched a Leopard video on Apply. It shows the new search.

It looks interesting, give it a try if you like.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/guidedtour/

Honestly...I don't miss anything. There is nothing I was doing in
Windows that I can't do in Mac OS X. However, I find Windows
Explorer slightly better than Mac Finder but things might change with
Leopard...so I look forward to see this new OS on this Friday on my
Mini.

--
Benoit

 

[Alpha Doug]

From the feedback on this forum, there are a couple of Windows only shareware utilities for image downloading and image printing (Qimage) that people seem to miss, but replace pretty quickly with other things. Also, the Mac version of Quicken sort of sucks. Other than that, I haven't heard many complaints from switchers, and if there is something really critical that only exists for Windows, people just run Parallels and run Windows simultaneously with OS X.

--
Only my opinion. It's worth what you paid for it. Your mileage may vary! ;-}
http://www.dougwigton.com/

 

[Najinsky]

With PPC Macs you had VPC (v. slow), with Intel Macs you have Bootcamp, Parallels or VMWare Fusion (all very good and speedy).

These all allow you to install windows in a real/virtual PC environment and run the windows software you need.

So another way to ask your question is to say what windows software do you run on your Mac (this is to emphasise there is no requirement for an actual windows PC). For me the answer is:

Visual Studio
SQL Server
Lotus Notes Domino
Mind Manager X5 Pro
Dragon Dictate
MS Access
Quicken
iTunes (to maintain PC/Mac readable iPods)

& Some PC only Internet Gaming software

-Najinsky

 

[guttaperk]

Just to make sure- you know that Mac iTunes can sync PC formatted iPods just fine, right?

It's only the firmware updates it can't do on a Windows iPod without a reformat.

--

'The camera can photograph thought. It's better than a paragraph of sweet polemic.' Dirk Bogarde
-adrian charles-
barbados.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/guttaperk/

 

[Steven Noyes]

On Windows, I love the fact I can Alt-f-s to get to File-> Save. The Mac has short cuts the they are like cmd-> shift-> p. They use cmd-> , cmd/shift-> , cmd/ctrl-> , cmd/option-> and it does get confusing sometimes. Lots of keyboard shortcuts, I just like Windows implementation lots better there.

Sizing from any corner/edge. There are hacks to get the Mac to do this.

Steven

--
---
Fall 2007:
http://www.pbase.com/snoyes/images_fall_2007_downtown_chicago

2006 White Sands and Bisti Workshop
http://www.pbase.com/snoyes/white_sands_and_bisti

 

[DCSteve]

Isn't there a way to link iphoto to a RAW decoder (like in Windows) so that it will display raw images?

 

[Alpha Doug]

DCSteve,

Not sure where this question is coming from, but if you look in iPhotos preferences, you will find an option to send images as RAW files to outboard processors if that is what you are trying to do. Or are you referring to OS X's ability to automatically render RAW files in the Finder if your camera is supported?

--
Only my opinion. It's worth what you paid for it. Your mileage may vary! ;-}
http://www.dougwigton.com/

 

[Najinsky]

It's only the firmware updates it can't do on a Windows iPod without
a reformat.

Yup, and the initial registering/format. I do this so I can keep my 'disk-use' iPods able to be read by windows as those are the machines I exchange files between. Once set-up, I use the Mac version of iTunes for syncing (my windows version has no music library).

-Najinsky

 

[idr]

What things do you miss if you are a Windows to Mac new guy?

There might be easy workarounds to my problems but so far after 3 mo of MacBook I have not succeeded. I am sort of happy but... I thought that with Mac I would not have to use any manual tricks but that is not the case, I have to use scripts, many windows, rotating and renaming software etc.

I miss easy lossless rotation of JPGs. ACDSee Classic was very easy and fast, on my MacBook I have begun to use Phoenix Slides which is not too bad. ACDSee Classic was also very fast photo viewer, all I needed for my photos. Now I have Phoenix Slided and iPhoto so twice the software.

I miss renaming of photos according to their EXIF date keeping the old filename. Some have been upset when iPhoto lost their library and filenames were their only help. I am not familiar with those incidents. Jim Merkel has PhotoInfo software but so far it does not keep the old filename.

I miss Windows Explorer and its always visible directory tree structure, it was effortless to move files from a folder to another. With OSX I see only one folder and its path at a time unless I open another Finder window.

OSX's system font is too big and I always end up scrolling.

I can't find autosorting of folder icons/thumbnails anywhere, when I move some files the rest are left in their place so they scattered all over the folder window unless I go and manually select organize after every move.

I miss number of files in properties, with OSX info I only get gigabytes. Sometimes it would be useful to see how many files you have in a folder especially when copying files from several locations.

I miss Mediamonkey's integrated LAME mp3 encoder, using OSX Max does not allow iTunes to find album art. I had some problems with iTunes' LAME plugin but can't remember now what they were.

I miss Mediamonkey's integrated customizable file relocate option, one could have their music in which ever folder order e.g. genre-year-artist-album or year-genre-artist, iTunes has a script for that but that leaves the original emptied folders undeleted.

I miss Mediamonkey's autoimport folder where you could drop any new mp3s and MM would find them next time when launching. Once in a while relocating would keep everything in order - YOUR order. This is of some importance if one wants to copy some music to his friend, with iTunes I can easily drag&drop to desktop etc. but then I have to use renaming software to get something else than songname.mp3. No point in three song called Rain from different artist in your folder. Why is it that filenames are so underrated in Mac and only metadata is relevant?

 

[Rotlex]

I "switched" 4 years ago. I LOVE my Mac in general, but there is ONE thing that Windows, IMHO at least, does better that I still miss to this day, and that's explorer. The Finder leaves a bit to be desired in terms of usability if you are used to the two pane view of Windows explorer and all the different tasks you can do from within. I also find it VERY annoying that there is no true, built in way to "cut and past" files in the Finder. Moving files by dragging to me is annoying.
--
Steve
http://web.mac.com/rotlex

 

[DCSteve]

Alpha,

Corey Brown wrote that iphoto doesn't handle RAW files. I don't even have a mac yet (buying one next week) and maybe I read too much into the statement. In Windows, you can tell link explorer to image editing software that decodes RAW. That way, RAW images can be displayed in all programs, not just the image editing software.

Steve

 

[Alpha Doug]

OS X natively decodes most popular RAW formats right in the OS. For instance, if you have a folder of images and you open the folder, if you have it set to Icon view, you will instantly see your images as thumbnails. OS X has a free image downloading application called Image Capture, and it has a quick viewing and editing program called Preview. All of these programs can view RAW files. Also, iPhoto does "handle" RAW files. You can import RAW images into iPhoto and it will keep track of them. It creates a "placeholder" JPEg for you to look at while you are working on the file. But the edits you make (exposure, temperature, etc.) are calculated using the RAW data, then a new, replacement JPEG is created to look at. The process is very similar to LR or Aperture. In the preferences you can set iPhoto to send a RAW file to an outboard RAW processor if you want, and the RAW processor can send the edited file back to iPhoto with the edits. That said, iPhoto is an excellent amateur photo organizer and editor, but it is not meant to be a professional level all in one program. But it does come free with your new computer. You will have to learn how the Mac handles files. It does it differently than a PC. On the Mac you will work in a program called the "Finder", where you work in a Web Browser (I.E.) on the PC. If you open yourself to the experience, eventually you will like the Mac paradigm better.

--
Only my opinion. It's worth what you paid for it. Your mileage may vary! ;-}
http://www.dougwigton.com/

 

[Alpha Doug]

No offense folks, but focusing on what's wrong with the Mac is very negative. I'm sure we could also focus on what's wrong with Windows in the same way. The truth is "different strokes, for different folks". I have found that those who open themselves up to really learning the Mac and finding out exactly what they can do with the tools presented, do the best at making the switch. If you lament some favorite software, or you spend all your time trying to make your Mac work "just like a PC", you will forever struggle. Is the Mac perfect? No. But in the many years that I worked with Windows machines at work, and a Mac at home, I have always enjoyed the Mac more, and it has been less hassle to keep running efficiently. And, when I started my small photography business 5 years ago, the fact that the whole OS and all Apple programs were color managed was a godsend. Where there are holes in what OS X can do, there is a plethora of freeware, shareware, and commercial programs that take up the slack.

I'm not saying OS X is better. I'm saying it is different. And if you open yourself up to the experience, it can be very positive.

--
Only my opinion. It's worth what you paid for it. Your mileage may vary! ;-}
http://www.dougwigton.com/

 

[danegeld]

I switched a little over a year ago and wish I'd done it sooner. There are only two things I miss:

1. Winamp. I'm not a fan of iTunes and don't want to add my nicely structured directories to a library. All I want is a simple, stable player with an equalizer that I can drag a directory onto and have it start playing. Is that too much to ask? VLC is too unstable to use and I'm currently using Whamb, but it's clunky and the playlist window doesn't focus properly.

2. Cut-and-paste filenames. It's just plain stupid that OSX doesn't allow cutting (Cmd-x) in filenames. I'm all grown up and I can be trusted to muck with my own filenames.

What I don't miss from Windows is constantly having to do maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair on system that likes to corrupt itself every few days for no apparent reason.

----------------
http://www.pbase.com/tmalcom/

 

[Alpha Doug]

Could we maybe focus a little bit on what parts of OS X and the Mac you really prefer and like vs. Windows? Just a little?

--
Only my opinion. It's worth what you paid for it. Your mileage may vary! ;-}
http://www.dougwigton.com/

 

[DCSteve]

Alpha,

Thanks. I just got back from the Apple store and saw some of what you're talking about when I played with iphoto. I think switching systems will be an interesting experience but, considering that I will be able to run Windows on the new machine, the risk isn't all that great. I'll see how I like the glossy screen but, truth be told, it looks so much better to me than the matte screens that it's worth a shot.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Steve

 

[Tony Rundle]

Most things I need have mac versions (Photoshop and so on). There is no real equivalent to Qimage, and one or two other more obscure bits of PC software.

I agree about Finder not being quite as good as Explorer, but this may change in the next release.

You may also find that some hardware is not supported on a mac. Most Wacom tablets are, for example, but most of the cheaper ones aren't. Some printers may not be (One of the most recent Kodak dye-subs isn't, I believe). However most things are.

I have managed to wean myself off MS Office (another big saving). Neo Office does all I used to use Office for (I could have used it on a PC, but needed the incentive of avoiding paying out for a mac version!). iWork and iLife are excellent value for money and do most things you want to do, often better than the PC equivalents. I like the way all the apps work together and the computer just keeps working without locking up or needing to re-boot.

I like the way there is just the one version of the operating system. I don't have to pay more to get backup capability, or printer pooling, or any of the other things that aren't in the "cheapo" version of Windows, and that the upgrade is very low cost compared to Windows

I can run Windows as a comfort blanket, but I have avoided doing so to date.

Being a version of Unix, you can do an enormous amount on a mac if you want to look under the hood. (Firends tell me that Apache is there, but I've never bothered to look for it).

I think the biggest difference can be seen by looking at the magazines amied at PC users and those aimed at mac users.

The PC ones are full of info about tuning the OS, fixing problems, installing things, and mostly "techy stuff". My bread and butter for many years.

The mac ones are generally about how to use the applications better, such as video editing tips, making photobooks, creating slicker presentations and so on.

Hope that helps.
--
Tony