“Switching operating systems is just like moving to a new city. If you’ve moved, you know there’s some fun and excitement to exploring new places but there’s some discomfort because it is unfamiliar and it might take you longer to get to where you need to go or you might get lost on occasion. We’re excited and having fun exploring Mac OS X, but we can say we’ve gotten “lost” every now and then trying to figure out how to do something.”
That’s the way we described what it was like for us to make the switch from Windows to Mac OS X, almost exactly one year ago. There’s good news and bad news to report. The good news is that we’ve gotten used to the “new city” and things are going well. In fact, this is the first year in many that we will not be purchasing new computers because we don’t feel as though there are any reasons to upgrade. The bad news… has a full year really gone by? Where does the time go?
Here’s what we’ve determined after owning Apple computers for the past year. First, Apple computers really are durable. Usually after I’ve owned a laptop for about a year, there are some definite signs of wear and tear which you’d expect, but both of our MacBook Pro computers hardly look like they’ve been used. It’s not that they haven’t been used much, they certainly have, it’s just that the aluminum holds up pretty darn well.
You know that saying, you can’t teach an old dog a new trick? At first we felt like the old seasoned Windows user, so familiar with Windows shortcuts and the Windows way of doing things that it seemed like learning a new “trick” would be, well, tricky. It took some time, that’s for sure, but us “old dogs” learned all kinds of new tricks and with time, became comfortable with the Apple way of doing things. The saying should probably be, “you can teach an old dog a new trick, just be patient.”
After one year, we have absolutely no regrets about making the switch, even with Windows 7 on the verge of launching. We both still get our fill of Windows daily because of our work computers, but it’s definitely nice to come home to the MacBook Pros.
Have any of you made an operating system switch this year whether it be from Mac to Windows, Windows to Mac, Windows to Linux, etc.?
I have switched from Windoooows to mac and linux same time a year ago. I know only ls -l command at that time. I picked Ubuntu on linux. Now I cannot live without Linux. I give mac second place, becuase it is highly priced.
My feeling is that Linux will beat mac very soon. just my 2 cents
happy exploring..linux..
Ditto on this end – Linux has replaced the WinXP on my laptop. I still have to use Windows for specific software on my main computer, but Linux is just so much nicer on that laptop, and so much more responsive. What’s more, it got me into building my own MythBuntu computer, using old parts, and even THAT machine is just humming away as my fake-tivo.
I had installed OSX on the laptop at one point, and it was fun for the challenge of it, but after doing so, I wondered… why bother? Linux was free, it’s the basis for OSX, so why not just go all the way over? I did, and have never looked back.
I switched to Mac a few years back, but I still use XP at work. It took a little while, but I feel as though I can do just as much, if not more on my iMac. It really comes down to a few handy utilities (Beyond Compare etc.) and I can do without them if I have to.
Really, I’d like to always have both although I will probably upgrade my Mac first and try to get Windows for free.
I have been a Windows user all my life and feel a little bit apprehensive on making the switch. However, after reading so many good things about Apple Mac OS and Linux, I think it’s time to explore other worlds.
Being Linux free, I’m more inclined to use Ubuntu first and then move over to Apple if the price is right.
No switching here. Stuck on Windows. I don’t see the point in switching, when something does what you want it to do. I don’t buy into the ‘better than that, better than this’ crap. I don’t think any OS is better than any other (and I’ve used a few), just use whatever works for the individual. At the end of the day, they are all about the same thing – getting work done, making tasks easier.
I’m with Michael Dobrofsky with this one. I have vista/win7/mac/ubuntu on all my machines and am finding that win7 is the best so far. Linux is fun, but always has problems when I play with it, i would never trust it for my main machine. The mac is fine but just not up to par in an enterprise environment (security, stability, integration with network specific apps), I do enjoy it for web surfing and other fun things at home tho. Win7 is brilliant and beautiful, and it will be my main OS.
I’ve made the switch at home and at work in the last 6 months, mainly because I need to be able to work on OSX & Windows at the same time for the type of work I do. My gf switched as well, because she prefers working in OSX over Windows. I have to say that working in OSX seems more productive (never thought I would say this) as I seem to spend less time on unrelated things.
I came to love several applictions which are not available for Windows (Things or The Hit List, NetNewsWire, Fluid, EventBox, Espresso, Skitch, Transmission), but I still do miss some applications which I was using on Windows too (RoboForm, AnyDVD, BeyondCompare, ACDSee, Babylon, DirectoryOpus). I still have to use Windows in VMware because of that, but less often than I thought I had to. Loving Windows 7 as well, but I won’t make the switch back. Too satisfied with my productivity on OSX (and the general look and feel – very clean and unobtrusive).
I switched to the new unibody MacBook last fall, having used PCs and Linux for about 20 years.
I started iPhone development last fall so I needed a Mac, otherwise I would have never purchased one as the prices are just insulting.
In my experience, I could easily get my work done with either, plus on Windows I can play games and have a wider selection of software to choose from.
The advantages to the MacBook are that it performs very well on lesser hardware, and doesn’t require much maintenance. I have also learned to LOVE the buttonless trackpad (although its horrible under boot camp).
MacBook has very limited mouse support and the accuracy is not as good. Window management on a Mac is also a little more cumbersome than Windows – maximizing, resizing, fullscreening limitations of Mac I have yet to get used to. ‘Finder’ navigation is definitely annoying – from what I understand its not been updated in years.
Also, some apps aren’t very good at exposing ALL of their windows to you can switch between them, neither are some good at coming to the front when you click the app icon in the dock. Photoshop Express is especially annoying as it cannot be resized *at all*.
The lack of ports (like Firewire and Expresscard, SD card, more than 2 USB ports) and inclusion of nonstandard ports (like the ‘line-in’ rather than regular microphone port, and the mini displayport) are just inexcusable on a $1600 laptop and have definitely been a pain in the ass for me – but I’ll be damned if I will pay over $2000 for a ‘Pro’ to get ports that are standard on a $700 Dell laptop.
However, the integration of Spaces is very well done – I have played with multiple desktops for years, but this is the only implementation where it has become a natural part of my workflow.
Probably the most interesting thing about my MacBook is that I feel much more productive on it. I think this is largely because it is impossible for me to take a work break to play any of my favorite games on it.
I think it’s quite ironic reading 2 comments above that using Mac is make you more productive since.. well, you can’t do “too much other things” in OSX
I built a XP x64 box in April 07 and I’m still running that. I laid down cash for Outpost Firewall, NOD32, Directory Opus, O&O Defrag and UltraEdit/UltraCompare. So I will lose some apps when I make the move to Linux/BSD.
Don’t get me wrong, XP x64 has treated me great! I downright refuse to invest money in Vista though and hopefully will never have to use it. Windows 7 is a far off second choice. Macs (to me) are luxury items, plus you can’t build them from scratch (can you?)
I’ll be testing my DOpus out on Wine soon, since its the only one I can salvage. Although UEX (UltraEdit for Linux) will be beta’ed later this year!
What is your point? My point was that I can work more focused on OSX. I absolutely do not experience a lack of possibilities. I can do everything I want and need to do (actually, I can do more because I can run OSX and Windows at the same time – try to do that reliably on Windows..). Nothing ironic about it.
As you guys know by now I am huge Ubuntu fan (but I have been a Linux users for nearly 10 years now from Mandrake, to Fedora, to SLED and now Ubuntu). I made the full switch to Ubuntu on my first laptop 3 years ago when I got my first laptop. I made the full switch to Ubuntu on my desktop last year when I build my new desktop. But I still have my older computer (which is 6 years old now) with Win XP Pro on it (which feels like an old comfortable sweatshirt that you don’t really want but don’t like to throw away as you know it’s good and comfortable). Windows 7 is looking really good…but will I use it probably not…will I get it yes as I can get a copy from MSDN.
Try using the freebie TwoUp from [irradiatedsoftware.com] (or SizeUp, which is its paid counterpart). I switched to a unibody Macbook Pro a few months ago and although my experience has been extremely positive, I never much liked OS X’s window zoom behavior relative to Windows’ maximize behavior. TwoUp fixes much of that by adding keyboard shortcuts to maximize and split the screen. Mercury Mover from [heliumfoot.com] does something similar…also worth a look.
You should definitely give Linux a whirl if you haven’t already. Personally I don’t know if I’d end up switching to it full time because I really like where Microsoft is headed with Windows 7, but I think it’s good to understand what the alternatives offer.
One of the main reasons I wanted to get a Mac was so that I could become familiar with that operating system as well. I agree though, if you just use your computer to get things done you should use what you’re comfortable with. Right now I’m still using XP more than anything in my daily routine since that’s what we have at work. Hopefully we’ll roll out Windows 7 once it’s available, but I’m doubtful.
The lack of an SD card slot is the one that really gets me. I still can’t believe these laptops don’t have that when it’s pretty much a standard at this point.