My suggestion is that you should embrace the differences rather than trying to change them if you expect to be a long-term Mac user. You started out like I did but I eventually gave up on converting every Mac into a pseudo-Windows box and find things to be much more natural now.
Guest
· 1 year ago
Sam, thanks for the suggestion.
I've converted to the Mac way of doing things for many tasks, but since the rest of the world uses Windows, and I still need to use Windows regularly, this makes some conversions less convenient than others. For issues like the mouse acceleration curve, I just disagree with OS X's approach; for cut and paste keys, I could go either way. I guess time will tell whether I end up changing or if Apple does. I see them making it easier for Windows users to convert in the long-term.
OS11
· 1 year ago
Nice overview about switching but many of your points come down to "Microsoft Problems", and nothing related to the Mac or OSX. You need to keep in mind Apple only uses OPEN standards, it doesn't take the proprietary approach... so if it's not OPEN, Apple won't use it.
1) Real work? MS Office began life on the Mac, but since Microsoft has always been terrified of Apple, they later started to weaken the Mac Office version so Macs wouldn't be able to compete in the enterprise. There are PLENTY of better alternatives, but you need to modernize your thinking of what "real work" actually is before they will appear to you.
2) Actually, the Web on the Mac works correctly, it's Internet Explorer that is broken. The entire Web STARTED on OSX (then called NeXTSTEP) in 1990. Safari, Camino and about 40 other browsers on the Mac render the web based on established standards, again it's IE that has caused your issues, not the other way around.
3) Mouse movement on a Mac is much more refined, so yes, it's different than Windows since in the early days controlling PC Mice on the screen was primative and didn't have near the control that Apple offered... that weakness simply carries on to today.
4) How is "Microsoft doesn't make ActiveSync for OSX" an Apple problem exactly? That's fully a Microsoft issue, not an Apple one. Getting an iPhone is the better long term solution, it's a better phone with far more functionality.
5) Uninstalling within OSX is just Drag and Drop, so it's a not issue. It seems you are harboring long held fears of Windows Registry when you describe the want for an "Uninstaller"... but that is simply no longer needed in the OSX environment.
6) Command-X, Command-V, etc is the proper way to "Command" the computer via a key, using "Control" is likely related to Windows being based on old selectric typewriters and / or a throwback to the DOS era.
7) I've never understood the need for Home or End keys, the mouse is much quicker, but it's probably a throwback to the Terminal era.
8) Ah, you mean Microsoft again is the problem, not Apple or OSX. The FACT you can't import PST files directly into Entourage is 100% MS's fear of Apple. Apple uses the STANDARD mbox so you are never trapped into a proprietary format. I think you should now switch over to Apple Mail and give up on the whole mess that is Outlook & Entourage.
9) Yes, Apps do crash on both systems, but I've found OSX is far less likely to fail when an App dies. You just force quit the irritant App, and keep on moving. It's the joy of UNIX mostly.
Again, good article, but always keep in mind Apple sets the UI rules and Microsoft merely has to play by these rules the best they can. MS had to switch a lot of their "copied" ideas from Apple because of a lawsuit, so that's why you see upside down / convoluted ways in how Windows works... so you end up unlearning bad habits when you move up to a Mac which works out for the best.
- - -
Guest
· 1 year ago
OS11 - thanks for your comments!
To respond to your post, as well as some of the other comments defending the Mac, I want to clarify that the "problems" I'm highlighting are not necessarily things that the Mac is doing "wrong" from an intrinsic design perspective. Instead, they are differences between the platforms which create specific challenges for users switching from Windows, because they feel wrong or create new problems for them.
The CTRL-X vs. COMMAND-X question is a good example of this. Apple created this shortcut first and then Microsoft copied (and changed) it. However, now that most PC users have been pressing CTRL-X for many years, this creates a switching challenge - especially in a Windows dominated world that they'll need to venture into every now and then.
A hypothetical scenario which I think illustrates this well is if Macs shipped with Dvorak keyboards. Anyone who had learned how to type on a Dvorak would certainly be able to argue credibly for its superiority over the standard QWERTY designs. However, to 99% of switching users, it would be a HUGE problem, and the first thing would do with their new Mac is replace the keyboard. :-)
As I noted in the post, overall, I love the Mac and OS X, and can't imagine going back to Windows.
OS11
· 1 year ago
great response, thanks... but keep in mind, Apple isn't going to change things that are "correct" to appease Windows users, it's just not worth it... they'll come around soon enough.
and just a fun factoid, you can switch a mac keyboard to DVORAK by going into the International System Pref, then choose the Input Tab... then below is how to pop off the current keys on your Mac keyboard and rearrange them.
Mouse is quicker than instant for home and end? No way! Especially not with the touchpad.... ew.
banjodreams
· 1 year ago
Dave Van Ronk said that after Bob Dylan recorded his unique version of "House of the Rising Sun" (without his permission), he had to stop playing it because people accused him of stealing Bob D's version. Old "dumb" computer terminals had lots of funky keys to talk to mainframes and IBM mindlessly copied that keyboard onto it's first PC's and it stuck. Apple thought that its mouse should simplify things and its first Mac keyboard was a deliberate departure (no ctl, esc, del, F1-15, etc). They created the "apple" key to do keyboard equivalents of menu commands (why people now call it the command key). Apple used -C,-X,-V for years before Microsoft first version of windows copied apple's convention. Maybe they used the control key so they could say they didn't copy Apple. I guess switchers are lucky Microsoft didn't try to be different and use F5,F6,F7 or ctl-del-5, ctl-del-esc,num-lock-esc-3. BTW since I routinely switch between Widows and Mac, I am also bothered by the different feel of each mouse. rem
Eytan
· 1 year ago
As for using Command instead of CTRL keys... Command is a true Modifier key, CTRL is not. From the Wikipedia: "On teletypewriters and early keyboards, holding down the Control key while pressing another key zeroed the leftmost 2 bits of the 7 bits in the generated ASCII character. This allowed the operator to produce the first 32 characters in the ASCII table. These are non-printing characters that signal the computer to control where the next character will be placed on the display device, eject a printed page or erase the screen, ring the terminal bell, or some other operation. Aptly, these characters are also called control characters." That is why I can Command-V into the terminal, while CTRL-V ing into the Command window on Windows just gives you crap. Apple made the right choice, Windows made the wrong choice. As a LONG term developer (30+ years now) I can tell you that using the CTRL key to map to Windows commands was a mistake... At least it was an upgrade from windows 1-3 initial attempts, where there was no consistency and Shift-Insert was paste (and was not even the same in all of MSFTs applications)
kirkrr
· 1 year ago
Safari has always been standards compliant, which is why web sites that do not render properly under other browsers are apparently not standards complaint.
ALL Apple product provide either open data standards or the ability to export to these open standards. MS products (as you mentioned with Outlook) are proprietary closed formats, made with the intent to lock you into their platform, as they are unable to compete on rich feature set, I would assume.
Apple did the cut and paste key thing LONG before MS Windows (remember SHIFT-INSERT). Blame Windows on a poor copy of the original.
When OS X applications crash, they do not take down the OS - the same cannot be said for Windows, in most cases.
ActiveX ActiveSync, MS version of Kerberos, calendar format (a bastardized IMAP format), Office file formats, even the new "closed" XML Office format, Active Directory, Sharepoint, Visio.... I could go on for hours about MS products holding my data hostage to cling to market share. This barrier to migration, artificially imposed by MS on the user, is probably the most egregious and blatant example of monopolistic practices. MS has long argued that the key definition to a monopoly is "consumer harm". Their "dumping" of IE (definition; sold below cost to force the competition out of the market) and killing the network/web paradigm for many years, along with Netscape, is illegal and has done serious harm to the consumer by restricting choice and forcing decisions to be made, not on technical merits, but on the cost of freeing one's data from bondage. The Rockefeller's have nothing on Gates and company, the most heinous and costly monopoly of all of history.
XP is stable, as long as you don't try installing and removing lots of applications. DLL and registry hell destroy the integrity of Windows, and granting root access to any installer would flunk Operating System Design 101 at any university.
mgh
· 1 year ago
Funny you should have mouse problems--mousing is one of the things I hate most about windows for the very reason you cite, probably because I learned to use a mouse on a Mac. Moreover, it sometimes seems that windows gives the cursor access to only every other pixel (both directions) on the screen--a real pain if you need to be precise.
Beyond what others have said about Cmd v. Ctrl, I would add that using your thumbs for the Cmd keys, gives a decided ergonomic advantage (one handed) over trying to use your little finger on Ctrl. With windows, you almost have to use both hands--another annoyance.
DustyMac
· 1 year ago
As for the Control vs. Command Key, I find the proximity of the Command key to the rest of the keys to provide a more comfortable experience than the Control key, which requires more digital dexterity.
Your post is great and provides real help to switchers, but it persists in the belief that the Windows way is "right" and the Mac way is "wrong" and somehow must be corrected rather than adapted to.
Harvey
· 1 year ago
When I was in college (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth), I had two typewriters, one for English and one for German. On the German keyboard, the Y and Z keys are reversed compared to the American layout, and the ; ' and [ keys are mapped to ö, ä, and ü. It didn't take me long to develop a billingual muscle memory. Pretty soon I could type on either machine with ease.
The same happened when I got the Mac. After an initial period, which was longer than I'd like, I developed a bilingual muscle memory. No conscious effort is involved. I can switch back and forth with ease.
Forget all the who-struck-John about who did what first and who imitated whom. It doesn't matter. What matters is your ability to type fluently.
I recommend against swapping Command and Control. It's best not to fiddle with such things in the long run. Just let it be, and after a while, everything will be okay.
k-man
· 1 year ago
I'm considering switching to a MAC, however, now i'm just confused. All my apps are with windows and fear that it will take a huge investment to get an MAC going (ie. word processing, spreasheets, presentations, mail). Are equivelant softwares available in a basic MAC package? What happens to all your hardware, are they all compatible (given proper drivers)?
On top of this, my wife will most likelly quesiton my spending big $ when she'll be lost in the new operating system...
Jeremy
· 1 year ago
Wow Shuman, you've managed to bring out every staunch Mac defender with the article. I can almost hear them saying "Don't you dare say anything is wrong with our Mac......"
I use both platforms, FYI. No big hoopla for a Mac. Just different. Not better or worse than PC. Most of the "better/worse" hoopla lies in the Mac's aggressive marketing. I think either platform works great if you know what your doing. People who don't know how to properly use a Mac will hate it and those who don't know how to properly use a PC will hate it.
I'm in graphic design and photography (Photoshop, Illustrator, Noise Ninja, Aperture, Lightroom, etc) and I actually prefer the usability on my PC better than a mac, probably because I actually KNOW how to set up and use my PC properly. MAC works great too, but I feel more "spoon fed" on a MAC and have less control of some of the things I want to do (especially with Mac's built in multimedia tools). But that's a personal preference. Some will like the "spoon fed" approach.
FWIW.....always good to give PC is due accolades and give Mac it's due accolades, rather than try to tear the "other" platform apart with fanboy tactics.
Cheers! Jeremy
cheap guy
· 1 year ago
Sounds like there are too many third-party applications that need to be purchased to make a Mac work decently. I'm too cheap for that. :)
Adrian
· 1 year ago
As someone who has just been forced to start using a mac at work (in the past I've split my time equally between Windows and Linux) I'm experiencing many of these issues. My main problem with macs, however, is their user base. Comment #1 from OS11 is a great example. It appears he didn't see the valid points in the post, but instead saw the post as a personal attack and sprung to defend his beloved Apple on every single point made.
Apple users remind me somewhat of Scientologists in their preaching and defence of their beloved corporation, but since I've now started using a mac only time will tell if I join the ranks...
Nick Stamoulis
· 1 year ago
I have been pondering making the switch to a Mac myself and I anticipate going through all that. It doesn't sound better with the switch over to Office 2008. That should make things a little better for sure.
Sidney Batta
· 1 year ago
I accidently restarted my macbook pro while I had the iceclean application running, and now instead of a desktop picture I only get a blank screen. Is there someone who knows how to get rid of this problem?
Thanks in advance..
Sidney.
Man
· 12 months ago
I do agree that there is a difference between using Microsoft Office in Windows as compared on a mac, they just don't seem to be that solid. But personally one of the best perks I find for using the mac is the hassle-free from anti-virus and spyware software, they typically save alot of time and frustration.
dipankarsarkar
· 12 months ago
Funnily i experienced nearly all the same problems when i acquired a mac mini. Ubuntu was a far less painful experience than Mac OSX :D. Productivity is really low initially, plus the assumption is that all your main machines are mac which is not the case with me. Still its a unique experience one must admit.
high professional
· 10 months ago
i d like to switch to a mac or to ubuntu, but the problems are software and usability...i fully agree about the cartel teory!
Jack
· 9 months ago
From all these posts, it is seeming to me that Mac users are very similar to Cult group members. I'm looking at a MacBook right now, been thinking of switching, but: Apple makes you a slave to how they think you should work. And "Mac Cult" turns you into an apologist for a less than perfect OS and software. To wit:
Safari: With regards to discussion about safari does not working well for some web sites, what do I care if they are SUPPOSED to work with safari? Point is, some web sites don't.
Mouse problem: Again, what do I care as to the reason for this? Fact is, if you love a quick response super fast mouse, MAC can't do this, from what I have experienced so far.
PC's are for creative, "think out of the box" type people, who want to change, tweak, customize, experience freedom.
Ryan Hargreaves
· 5 months ago
Hey my name is Ryan, I use Imac in my music studio. I am running 10.5.4 and was trying to clean it up and did not mean to drop my All Documents in to the trash. I am now losing all my Wav files when i open protools 7.4 I still have all the files in my trash I just did not know how to put them back in the All Documents. I was thinking about going to 10.5.7 and running Protools 8.
Thank you for the help,
shakeyjake
· 5 months ago
To summarize my experience, I've exchanged one set of problems for another. Neither is perfect, both are just stupid machines. My company just came out and said they will commit NO more resources to MAC compatibility and now one third of my companies business will never be reachable with my MAC.
Warts and all, I'm going back. Selling my mac to my nephew, see ya!
Scott Schuckert
· 1 year ago
I have to tell you, this post comes across as pretty uninformed. These aren't problems; they're simply ways one platform differs from another. A Mac is not a Windows machine; these are only issues if you, personally are so ingrained to Windows that you're unable to change.
If you want to talk about PROBLEMS, how about the one in Windows where applications mysteriously quit themselves whenever I close their last window? (if you see my point)
JS
· 1 year ago
All those keyboard shortcuts came from the mac & were copied in windows...maybe windows users should educate themselves.
ritel
· 1 year ago
Yup, it wasn't Apple that copied MS, but MS that copied Apple in this situation. I wonder what they will copy in Windows 7?
Frantisek
· 1 year ago
"CTRL-X and CTRL-V don't work for cutting and pasting. For some reason, Apple thinks these keystrokes ought to be COMMAND-X and COMMAND-V. In fact, a lot of what one does with CTRL on Windows is done instead with COMMAND on the Mac. This might make sense if it weren't for the fact that Mac keyboards also have a CTRL key....."
Enough people commented this. I just can not beleive you mean that seriously. Realy. That Apple would copy something MS copied from him. Wake up! NOt talking about big difference in ergonomy of command A,S,X,C,V compared breaking fingers with ctrl equivalent. Just relax and think again.
Alfred E Newman
· 1 year ago
I like your article. You are a true switcher and I appreciate you sharing your experience with the rest of us. Thank you. I also see that the bashers/defenders (depending which camp is clouding their judgment) can not see this article for what it is. I am a power user of both systems. It is a rare day that I am on a single computer running a single application. I use Windows at my place of employment and Mac @ the house and a business I own. I'm the computer guru at work and have helped many folk decide on a computer system for themselves. Most people's first and only exposure to computers is in the work place. They usually only feel comfortable with that system and usually want to buy the exact computer for their home. They are usually not technical in nature and really don't know what they want to do with a computer in the home, except that they want one. They usually don't want to spend a whole lot of money either. Though I prefer Mac's to PC's, I let them decide for themselves after we objectively discuss the pro's and con's of each system. I even bring my Mac in for them to play with it they want me to. Most end up buying the Windows machine because they are cheaper and they don't want to lay out a lot of cash on something they are not sure they really need in the first place, or they afraid to or don't want to learn another computer system since they really haven't mastered Windows. There are a lot more but that will be for another time.
As far as the right or wrong way something is done, as in the Command vs Control thing, it is really immaterial. It is just different. Take driving for instance. In Great Brittan, they drive on the left side of the road, and most of the rest of the world drives on the right side of the road. That does not make them wrong. Neither is better or worse, right or wrong, just different. The only thing that matters is that you must drive on the appropriate side of the road for the country that you are in or the Police (Defenders of that system) will write you a citation. Same as Command vs Control. Use the appropriate key for the system that you are using. I have no problem as my sub-conscience seems to know which system I'm using and my fingers just hit the correct keys. I do have to admit that when I visited Great Brittan, I did drive in the right (Wrong) lane out of habit and it just felt right (Correct). Driving in the left lane, just felt wrong. Same for switchers, some things will just feel wrong until they are re-learned. I found the biggest problem for switchers is the single button mouse. Apple's studies showed that multi-button mice confused new users, so using a single-button mouse would make the computer easier to learn. Switchers are not normally new users and are used to using mice with two or more buttons. My first piece of advice to the switchers is to purchase a two button mouse to go along with their new Mac. If they like the style of mouse they are currently using on their Windows machine, get one another one.
I'm currently playing with Linux and am finding some strange (I mean different) ways things are done. Again, thanks for telling us your experience with switching.
Name
· 5 months ago
actually a rather large part of the world drives on the left - all the old british colonies infact for example like a small country the size of the USA i.e Australia
Ryyan
· 1 year ago
Great article, although a little pedantic. I do appreciate your switching woes, and I can see that people have misconstrued your point: you have simply discussed switching issues that have caused you some downtime.
You should really take a look at it from a new perspective though: forget everything you learned about Windows. You need to be able to start fresh and drop your old thinking. This not only applies here, but in every other area of life. Any good scientist will trumpet this approach to all things in life.
The Command key for instance is a much better option than CTRL: it can be thumbed as it is directly to the left and right of the space bar - it is quicker.
As for some other switching woes, here are some recommendations:
-Stop being stubborn and just switch to Apple Mail, you won't look back -Give iWork a chance: Pages is an excellent word processor, and Keynote blows PP out of the water: this is coming from someone who is in the publishing business -Discover Automator: it is like an easy to use, codeless visual basic of sorts -Get into spaces, something I am just learning about -Set up hot corners for expose, you won't look back on this one either -Have at least 2 GB of RAM, 4 is optimal -Discover iCal -Buy an iPhone
jamesh
· 1 year ago
He said he is using Apple mail. iWorks, apart from Keynote, just isn't very good, and you shouldn't have to buy a certain cell phone in order to use your computer!
r4ds land
· 1 year ago
I totally agree with you, this is a cartel in my opinion. Why doesn't the US do anything about this?
All Comments
I've converted to the Mac way of doing things for many tasks, but since the rest of the world uses Windows, and I still need to use Windows regularly, this makes some conversions less convenient than others. For issues like the mouse acceleration curve, I just disagree with OS X's approach; for cut and paste keys, I could go either way. I guess time will tell whether I end up changing or if Apple does. I see them making it easier for Windows users to convert in the long-term.
1) Real work? MS Office began life on the Mac, but since Microsoft has always been terrified of Apple, they later started to weaken the Mac Office version so Macs wouldn't be able to compete in the enterprise. There are PLENTY of better alternatives, but you need to modernize your thinking of what "real work" actually is before they will appear to you.
2) Actually, the Web on the Mac works correctly, it's Internet Explorer that is broken. The entire Web STARTED on OSX (then called NeXTSTEP) in 1990. Safari, Camino and about 40 other browsers on the Mac render the web based on established standards, again it's IE that has caused your issues, not the other way around.
3) Mouse movement on a Mac is much more refined, so yes, it's different than Windows since in the early days controlling PC Mice on the screen was primative and didn't have near the control that Apple offered... that weakness simply carries on to today.
4) How is "Microsoft doesn't make ActiveSync for OSX" an Apple problem exactly? That's fully a Microsoft issue, not an Apple one. Getting an iPhone is the better long term solution, it's a better phone with far more functionality.
5) Uninstalling within OSX is just Drag and Drop, so it's a not issue. It seems you are harboring long held fears of Windows Registry when you describe the want for an "Uninstaller"... but that is simply no longer needed in the OSX environment.
6) Command-X, Command-V, etc is the proper way to "Command" the computer via a key, using "Control" is likely related to Windows being based on old selectric typewriters and / or a throwback to the DOS era.
7) I've never understood the need for Home or End keys, the mouse is much quicker, but it's probably a throwback to the Terminal era.
8) Ah, you mean Microsoft again is the problem, not Apple or OSX. The FACT you can't import PST files directly into Entourage is 100% MS's fear of Apple. Apple uses the STANDARD mbox so you are never trapped into a proprietary format. I think you should now switch over to Apple Mail and give up on the whole mess that is Outlook & Entourage.
9) Yes, Apps do crash on both systems, but I've found OSX is far less likely to fail when an App dies. You just force quit the irritant App, and keep on moving. It's the joy of UNIX mostly.
Again, good article, but always keep in mind Apple sets the UI rules and Microsoft merely has to play by these rules the best they can. MS had to switch a lot of their "copied" ideas from Apple because of a lawsuit, so that's why you see upside down / convoluted ways in how Windows works... so you end up unlearning bad habits when you move up to a Mac which works out for the best.
- - -
To respond to your post, as well as some of the other comments defending the Mac, I want to clarify that the "problems" I'm highlighting are not necessarily things that the Mac is doing "wrong" from an intrinsic design perspective. Instead, they are differences between the platforms which create specific challenges for users switching from Windows, because they feel wrong or create new problems for them.
The CTRL-X vs. COMMAND-X question is a good example of this. Apple created this shortcut first and then Microsoft copied (and changed) it. However, now that most PC users have been pressing CTRL-X for many years, this creates a switching challenge - especially in a Windows dominated world that they'll need to venture into every now and then.
A hypothetical scenario which I think illustrates this well is if Macs shipped with Dvorak keyboards. Anyone who had learned how to type on a Dvorak would certainly be able to argue credibly for its superiority over the standard QWERTY designs. However, to 99% of switching users, it would be a HUGE problem, and the first thing would do with their new Mac is replace the keyboard. :-)
As I noted in the post, overall, I love the Mac and OS X, and can't imagine going back to Windows.
and just a fun factoid, you can switch a mac keyboard to DVORAK by going into the International System Pref, then choose the Input Tab... then below is how to pop off the current keys on your Mac keyboard and rearrange them.
http://www.chimoosoft.com/articles/dvorak.php
BTW since I routinely switch between Widows and Mac, I am also bothered by the different feel of each mouse.
rem
Command is a true Modifier key, CTRL is not. From the Wikipedia:
"On teletypewriters and early keyboards, holding down the Control key while pressing another key zeroed the leftmost 2 bits of the 7 bits in the generated ASCII character. This allowed the operator to produce the first 32 characters in the ASCII table. These are non-printing characters that signal the computer to control where the next character will be placed on the display device, eject a printed page or erase the screen, ring the terminal bell, or some other operation. Aptly, these characters are also called control characters."
That is why I can Command-V into the terminal, while CTRL-V ing into the Command window on Windows just gives you crap.
Apple made the right choice, Windows made the wrong choice. As a LONG term developer (30+ years now) I can tell you that using the CTRL key to map to Windows commands was a mistake...
At least it was an upgrade from windows 1-3 initial attempts, where there was no consistency and Shift-Insert was paste (and was not even the same in all of MSFTs applications)
ALL Apple product provide either open data standards or the ability to export to these open standards. MS products (as you mentioned with Outlook) are proprietary closed formats, made with the intent to lock you into their platform, as they are unable to compete on rich feature set, I would assume.
Apple did the cut and paste key thing LONG before MS Windows (remember SHIFT-INSERT). Blame Windows on a poor copy of the original.
When OS X applications crash, they do not take down the OS - the same cannot be said for Windows, in most cases.
ActiveX ActiveSync, MS version of Kerberos, calendar format (a bastardized IMAP format), Office file formats, even the new "closed" XML Office format, Active Directory, Sharepoint, Visio.... I could go on for hours about MS products holding my data hostage to cling to market share. This barrier to migration, artificially imposed by MS on the user, is probably the most egregious and blatant example of monopolistic practices. MS has long argued that the key definition to a monopoly is "consumer harm". Their "dumping" of IE (definition; sold below cost to force the competition out of the market) and killing the network/web paradigm for many years, along with Netscape, is illegal and has done serious harm to the consumer by restricting choice and forcing decisions to be made, not on technical merits, but on the cost of freeing one's data from bondage. The Rockefeller's have nothing on Gates and company, the most heinous and costly monopoly of all of history.
XP is stable, as long as you don't try installing and removing lots of applications. DLL and registry hell destroy the integrity of Windows, and granting root access to any installer would flunk Operating System Design 101 at any university.
Beyond what others have said about Cmd v. Ctrl, I would add that using your thumbs for the Cmd keys, gives a decided ergonomic advantage (one handed) over trying to use your little finger on Ctrl. With windows, you almost have to use both hands--another annoyance.
Your post is great and provides real help to switchers, but it persists in the belief that the Windows way is "right" and the Mac way is "wrong" and somehow must be corrected rather than adapted to.
The same happened when I got the Mac. After an initial period, which was longer than I'd like, I developed a bilingual muscle memory. No conscious effort is involved. I can switch back and forth with ease.
Forget all the who-struck-John about who did what first and who imitated whom. It doesn't matter. What matters is your ability to type fluently.
I recommend against swapping Command and Control. It's best not to fiddle with such things in the long run. Just let it be, and after a while, everything will be okay.
On top of this, my wife will most likelly quesiton my spending big $ when she'll be lost in the new operating system...
I use both platforms, FYI. No big hoopla for a Mac. Just different. Not better or worse than PC. Most of the "better/worse" hoopla lies in the Mac's aggressive marketing. I think either platform works great if you know what your doing. People who don't know how to properly use a Mac will hate it and those who don't know how to properly use a PC will hate it.
I'm in graphic design and photography (Photoshop, Illustrator, Noise Ninja, Aperture, Lightroom, etc) and I actually prefer the usability on my PC better than a mac, probably because I actually KNOW how to set up and use my PC properly. MAC works great too, but I feel more "spoon fed" on a MAC and have less control of some of the things I want to do (especially with Mac's built in multimedia tools). But that's a personal preference. Some will like the "spoon fed" approach.
FWIW.....always good to give PC is due accolades and give Mac it's due accolades, rather than try to tear the "other" platform apart with fanboy tactics.
Cheers!
Jeremy
Apple users remind me somewhat of Scientologists in their preaching and defence of their beloved corporation, but since I've now started using a mac only time will tell if I join the ranks...
Thanks in advance..
Sidney.
Still its a unique experience one must admit.
Safari: With regards to discussion about safari does not working well for some web sites, what do I care if they are SUPPOSED to work with safari? Point is, some web sites don't.
Mouse problem: Again, what do I care as to the reason for this? Fact is, if you love a quick response super fast mouse, MAC can't do this, from what I have experienced so far.
PC's are for creative, "think out of the box" type people, who want to change, tweak, customize, experience freedom.
I still have all the files in my trash I just did not know how to put them back in the All Documents. I was thinking about going to 10.5.7 and running Protools 8.
Thank you for the help,
Warts and all, I'm going back. Selling my mac to my nephew, see ya!
If you want to talk about PROBLEMS, how about the one in Windows where applications mysteriously quit themselves whenever I close their last window? (if you see my point)
Enough people commented this. I just can not beleive you mean that seriously. Realy. That Apple would copy something MS copied from him. Wake up!
NOt talking about big difference in ergonomy of command A,S,X,C,V compared breaking fingers with ctrl equivalent.
Just relax and think again.
As far as the right or wrong way something is done, as in the Command vs Control thing, it is really immaterial. It is just different. Take driving for instance. In Great Brittan, they drive on the left side of the road, and most of the rest of the world drives on the right side of the road. That does not make them wrong. Neither is better or worse, right or wrong, just different. The only thing that matters is that you must drive on the appropriate side of the road for the country that you are in or the Police (Defenders of that system) will write you a citation. Same as Command vs Control. Use the appropriate key for the system that you are using. I have no problem as my sub-conscience seems to know which system I'm using and my fingers just hit the correct keys. I do have to admit that when I visited Great Brittan, I did drive in the right (Wrong) lane out of habit and it just felt right (Correct). Driving in the left lane, just felt wrong. Same for switchers, some things will just feel wrong until they are re-learned. I found the biggest problem for switchers is the single button mouse. Apple's studies showed that multi-button mice confused new users, so using a single-button mouse would make the computer easier to learn. Switchers are not normally new users and are used to using mice with two or more buttons. My first piece of advice to the switchers is to purchase a two button mouse to go along with their new Mac. If they like the style of mouse they are currently using on their Windows machine, get one another one.
I'm currently playing with Linux and am finding some strange (I mean different) ways things are done. Again, thanks for telling us your experience with switching.
You should really take a look at it from a new perspective though: forget everything you learned about Windows. You need to be able to start fresh and drop your old thinking. This not only applies here, but in every other area of life. Any good scientist will trumpet this approach to all things in life.
The Command key for instance is a much better option than CTRL: it can be thumbed as it is directly to the left and right of the space bar - it is quicker.
As for some other switching woes, here are some recommendations:
-Stop being stubborn and just switch to Apple Mail, you won't look back
-Give iWork a chance: Pages is an excellent word processor, and Keynote blows PP out of the water: this is coming from someone who is in the publishing business
-Discover Automator: it is like an easy to use, codeless visual basic of sorts
-Get into spaces, something I am just learning about
-Set up hot corners for expose, you won't look back on this one either
-Have at least 2 GB of RAM, 4 is optimal
-Discover iCal
-Buy an iPhone