Just in case anyone's wondering, I love my Mac. It's a lean, good looking machine. The more I use it, the more impressed I become with it. Apple really does have its act together. It's apparent in so many ways.
Happily, my learning curve hasn't been nearly as steep as I thought it would be. Of course, I haven't mastered all the nuances yet, but I'm navigating just fine. It's very intuitive and very simple. Sometimes I think to myself "it can't be that simple"...but it usually turns out that it is.
The other concern I always had about crossing over was software. I didn't want to spend a fortune on top of paying top dollar for the computer. Well, it turns out that my software either works or I've found a suitable alternative...for free. Open Office has replaced Microsoft Office for text and spreadsheets. For what I do, I can't notice a difference in function or capability between the two. As for Outlook, the Mac includes email, calendar, and address programs. They're not as powerful and sophisticated as Outlook, but they're all I really need. And importing my mail, contacts, and dates. was a breeze. They're certainly good enough to keep me from shelling out money for the Mac version of Office.
That I can run Office on my Mac is a nice feature, but I'm not too sure I want any part of Windows on my Mac. Any Mac user out there using Boot Camp or Parallels? I'd be interested in your feedback.
So, the silver lining on all of my computer headaches of late is that it motivated me to jump ship where I might otherwise might not have. And it seems that you can add me to the list of people who say: once you go Mac, you never go back.
Happily, my learning curve hasn't been nearly as steep as I thought it would be. Of course, I haven't mastered all the nuances yet, but I'm navigating just fine. It's very intuitive and very simple. Sometimes I think to myself "it can't be that simple"...but it usually turns out that it is.
The other concern I always had about crossing over was software. I didn't want to spend a fortune on top of paying top dollar for the computer. Well, it turns out that my software either works or I've found a suitable alternative...for free. Open Office has replaced Microsoft Office for text and spreadsheets. For what I do, I can't notice a difference in function or capability between the two. As for Outlook, the Mac includes email, calendar, and address programs. They're not as powerful and sophisticated as Outlook, but they're all I really need. And importing my mail, contacts, and dates. was a breeze. They're certainly good enough to keep me from shelling out money for the Mac version of Office.
That I can run Office on my Mac is a nice feature, but I'm not too sure I want any part of Windows on my Mac. Any Mac user out there using Boot Camp or Parallels? I'd be interested in your feedback.
So, the silver lining on all of my computer headaches of late is that it motivated me to jump ship where I might otherwise might not have. And it seems that you can add me to the list of people who say: once you go Mac, you never go back.
great
Posted by: sandy | July 03, 2009 at 09:54 AM
I've been a fan of Open Office for a several years now. It does everything I need, and it's free. You can't beat that. My daughter uses it for all of her college work, and snickers every time she hears how much someone paid for MS Office, even with the academic discount.
Posted by: John Roberts | July 03, 2009 at 02:15 PM
I hear only positive things about Mac's....glad you are enjoying yours and thanks for sharing your experience!!
Posted by: Mar | July 03, 2009 at 02:30 PM
Great to hear! As you know we're a multiple mac family! My learning curve was horrible. I guess it's because I taught Windows, I found Mac really hard to learn...too easy I guess. Fred & Damon had no problems, they both laugh at me a lot!
Posted by: Debra | July 04, 2009 at 11:32 AM
I've been running Parallels 3.0 for a couple years on a 2007 15 inch MacBook Pro. It is the best Windows laptop I have ever had! Boots up quickly; if I want to leave it running it will be fine for days; pretty seamless integration with OS X.
The main downside for me is that I allocated too much hard drive space for Parallels when I first set it up and it would be painful to change that setting now.
So, unless you plan on storing a lot of stuff on your Windows C drive I recommend making it as small as you can for a functional windows system. Note, you can store all your windows documents on the MAC side and they will still open in the Windows applicaton when double clicked.
Having said all that, today I do not open Windows very often as I infrequently need to open the one last windows app that I use (Visio).
Posted by: Steve | July 04, 2009 at 04:09 PM
I've heard that if you install Windows on your Mac, you leave yourself open to strange virus infections from the Windows side that affect the Mac side. I don't know if that is true, since I don't have an Intel Mac, but it might be something to consider ....
Posted by: Jeff | July 04, 2009 at 09:25 PM
Hi,
What is going on with the gallerie site, it has been unviewable for weeks. Is everyone having a problem or just me.
Kathy Huff
Posted by: Kathy Huff | July 05, 2009 at 08:10 AM
I'm using OpenOffice too on my windows. Its a superb alternative.
Posted by: Beluga | July 06, 2009 at 08:58 PM
Here are a few quick links that I've run across recently that you might find interesting, now that you've had a chance to acclimate...
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/chris-dannen/techwatch/10-mac-apps-make-windows-users-drool
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/07/05/25-open-source-mac-apps-that-will-boost-your-productivity/
http://www.smashingapps.com/2009/05/19/11-free-mac-os-x-apps-that-you-probably-want-to-try.html
http://www.noupe.com/tools/15-incredible-mac-apps-for-freelance-web-designers.html
http://mac.appstorm.net/general/60-open-source-and-free-mac-apps/
Posted by: alice | July 18, 2009 at 09:51 AM