I've now been using a Mac daily for a few weeks now. While the switch has been easy overall I found a number of applications that have been a real help. This blog will focus on a few of those applications.
Launchbar (http://www.obdev.at/products/launchbar/)
"It provides instant access to thousands of files and folders, contacts and bookmarks, applications and preference panes just by entering short abbreviations of the searched item's name. You just hit Command-Space to bring LaunchBar's input window to front, enter an arbitrary abbreviation, and as soon as you start typing LaunchBar displays the best matching choices, ready to be opened immediately." I manage my environment by keyboard strokes as much as possible and on the Mac I found it very difficult to as I did with Windows. Launchbar is so powerful that beginners and power users will love it.
Witch (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/25871)
While OS X allows the ability to switch between application using Alt-Tab there are limits. In the Windows world each and every window is represented by an icon in the Alt-Tab list. This makes it very easy to switch between various windows. The problem on OS X is that you could have five Safari windows to toggle between, but Alt-Tab doesn't display each window. OS X forces you to switch to the application and then navigate to the correct window. Of course Expose could aid in this process, but Expose doesn't consistently provide the convenience of a functional Alt-Tab. Now enter Witch. Witch provides all the functionality of individual window switching as well as providing the name of the Window along with grouping windows of the same application together. It's fantastic and has been a real aid in helping me switch.
X Resource Graph (http://www.gauchosoft.com/xrg)
This application addressed an issue for the geek in me. While I like Activity Monitor and feel it's much better than the Windows Task Manager it has some limits. When my workstation seems to have some performance issue I like to check things like memory, CPU and network traffic. Activity Monitor doesn't provide the ability to view multiple system counters on the Dock. With X Resource Graph I'm able to display a variety of system counters, weather, stocks, etc. I'm able to resize and position the counters anywhere on my screen and I have immediate access to view the information. I tried two or three utilities providing the same features and found this one to be the best. There are bound to be a dozen others on Versiontracker I didn't look at, but this was filled the void I had and has worked well.
Doug's AppleScripts for iTunes (http://www.dougscripts.com/itunes/index.php)
If you're an iTunes user on the Mac this is a must know about site. The site provides solutions to just about all of iTunes shortcomings. With my Mac/iTunes configuration I store all my iTunes music on a Windows workstation. It works great, however, if I delete music from iTunes it doesn't delete from its source location. This is an issue for any iTunes user who stores music outside of their Music directory. I'm not quite clear what Apple was thinking here, but with scripting solution from Doug it doesn't matter anymore. Doug's script allows me to delete any tracks in iTunes and the script takes care of deleting the songs from my Windows box. Awesome!
RadioRecorder (http://u1.netgate.net/~snowcat/RadioRecorder.html)
I remember sitting in my room as a preteen and recording the radio with a tape deck so I could listen to the music from the radio later. Today, I listen to radio on the Internet and record the music to my hard drive to listen to. Same concept with different methods for the period of time. There are a few good programs on the Windows side I've used for years to capture streams, but had a hard time finding one for the Mac that 1) I liked and 2) had the right price. RadioRecorder met all my requirements. It's user interface provides access to all the options I need and for free it's perfect. It may not look as polished as other products, but with features like transferring music directly into iTunes and scheduling it does more than enough for me. It even captures the sound stream independent of what you're listening to on your computer. This frees you up to listen to one thing and recording another.
Export-Import Entourage (http://scriptbuilders.net/category.php?search=Export-Import+Entourage+X)
Simply put, I could not have moved from Office 2003 on the Windows side to Office 2004 without these scripts. The process is raw and rough around the edges, but the results are worth it for migrating data over from one platform to the other with the most amount of accuracy. Other application I tried for converting data were not as reliable.
All of the programs above have been a tremendous help in settle as I switch into the Mac world. Check them out if you have a chance.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Friday, March 04, 2005
Crossing the Software Divide
Switching to a Mac isn't easy. There are dozens of questions that come up about software. As a Windows user you become used to having dozens upon dozens of options with software. When you hear about the limited selection of products for Mac it's a bitter pill to swallow. When switching from Windows to Mac you really need to think out what software you'll use. Below is a quick guide of items potential Mac users should investigate their future options. For those items where Apple includes an application with "OS X" I'll include the name in paraenthesis.
Browsing (Safari)
Email (Mail)
Music (iTunes)
Photos (iPhoto)
Video Editing (iMovie)
Antivirus
Contacts (Address Book)
Personal Finance (Quicken included on certain product lines)
Word Processing
Spreadsheets
Presentations
DVD Burning (iDVD)
Instant Messaging (iChat)
Note: I intentionally left off AppleWorks because it is such a poor performer. Free products like http://www.officeoffice.org are available.
The above list is just a sample of applications most likely to be used. While it's one thing to know what application you're going to use it's another learning how to use it. There's discomfort in switching for most users, but for the average user who shows enough resistence to Microsoft it's good to know you can focus on learning the new software and not selecting it.
Browsing (Safari)
Email (Mail)
Music (iTunes)
Photos (iPhoto)
Video Editing (iMovie)
Antivirus
Contacts (Address Book)
Personal Finance (Quicken included on certain product lines)
Word Processing
Spreadsheets
Presentations
DVD Burning (iDVD)
Instant Messaging (iChat)
Note: I intentionally left off AppleWorks because it is such a poor performer. Free products like http://www.officeoffice.org are available.
The above list is just a sample of applications most likely to be used. While it's one thing to know what application you're going to use it's another learning how to use it. There's discomfort in switching for most users, but for the average user who shows enough resistence to Microsoft it's good to know you can focus on learning the new software and not selecting it.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Comments to Apple's Request for Switcher Experiences
Apple recently invited switchers to tell their story on the Apple web site. I couldn't resist. Thoughts on my Mac Mini to come. Below is the story I shared.
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I've been a serious PC user for a long, long time. I used to be a Microsoft Certified Trainer and I hold my Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (plus Internet) certifications NT and 2000. Many moons ago I had an Apple iie and then in the very early 90s I had, from I remember, an 80 meg hard drive in a MacClassic. After 94 I never really touched or looked at an Apple again.
I remember seeing the switch ads and hearing the Windows Admin guy talk about how he had switched, but that still wasn't enough to make me take notice. Early versions of X were not very impressive and Windows XP was overall a very good product as far as Microsoft goes and did everything I needed (XP has not crashed on me once in over a year of owning it).
It wasn't until the Apple store opened on Michigan Ave in Chicago that I really took notice for the following reasons.
1. The Apple staff. Really nice and down to earth guys. No pressure staff. Awesome free classes in their theater.
2. Really cool looking products. I loved the design of the iMac. The PowerMac also had a really cool look and finally started showing performance compared to intel/amd. Apple makes conversation pieces.
3. Realizing what Mac people already know. I love Tivo and over three years ago I was telling everyone about mine. Apple people tend to be the same way. I started thinking about how I was with Tivo compared to the Apple obsessed. I started thinking, "what could those Apple folks have that makes them so excited? If I'm as excited about the Tivo because I think it's so great then maybe there's something about Apple that's worth checking out. It is interesting how you have Mac users who are in love with the product, but you don't see that on the Microsoft side. No one brags about Windows. Users never chose Windows – it was handed to them.
4. OS X. I find it so much easier to get to what I need on a Mac. When Microsoft talks about XP being an "experience" they really have nothing to stand up against compared to OS X. The OS is just fun and great to look at. I never said that about any Windows product. Of course stable and secure are important traits.
5. iLife. I brag about iLife. Good software that keeps getting better. All included. All integrated. This is hard to sell to customers. They need to see and use it to understand the value and power.
6. Spyware/viruses. I always feel nervous on my Windows workstation with the amount of risk there.
7. The Apple Store. Having the Genius Bar is just Genius. The stores are just fun.
A little more history on my path to Apple. In Dec 03 I was making a big computer purchase. I was deciding between a PowerMac and a Dell 4600. The Powermac was incredibly expensive for less CPU power (I conducted my own tests of converting MP3 files to AAC - that was enough benchmarking for me). At the time I had special software for my PC and Virtual PC was not out for the G5 at that time. I ended up with a Dell. About six months later I was offered a great deal on a 766Mhz Quicksilver PowerMac, but after using it for a month it was just way too slow. The rest of the Mac product line was just too expensive and the Emac had zero appeal. Then came the Mini Mac. The Mini was perfect. The price was low enough to justify a second computer. I already had a 19 inch monitor I could use. My Logitech keyboard was already Mac ready. I was ready to go.
I've slowly moved over just about everything I do on my PC on to the Mac Mini. I use my PC to host all my data files including my iTunes music. If I need to use my Windows XP Professional I just connect with the Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection tool (better than Virtual PC!). There's nothing I need for my day-to-day needs that include streaming music, browsing, mail, contacts, calendar, chat, stream ripping, etc... The interface just makes it a pleasure to work on. I just look at the Mac Mini on my desk and just think "how cool!".
--------
I've been a serious PC user for a long, long time. I used to be a Microsoft Certified Trainer and I hold my Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (plus Internet) certifications NT and 2000. Many moons ago I had an Apple iie and then in the very early 90s I had, from I remember, an 80 meg hard drive in a MacClassic. After 94 I never really touched or looked at an Apple again.
I remember seeing the switch ads and hearing the Windows Admin guy talk about how he had switched, but that still wasn't enough to make me take notice. Early versions of X were not very impressive and Windows XP was overall a very good product as far as Microsoft goes and did everything I needed (XP has not crashed on me once in over a year of owning it).
It wasn't until the Apple store opened on Michigan Ave in Chicago that I really took notice for the following reasons.
1. The Apple staff. Really nice and down to earth guys. No pressure staff. Awesome free classes in their theater.
2. Really cool looking products. I loved the design of the iMac. The PowerMac also had a really cool look and finally started showing performance compared to intel/amd. Apple makes conversation pieces.
3. Realizing what Mac people already know. I love Tivo and over three years ago I was telling everyone about mine. Apple people tend to be the same way. I started thinking about how I was with Tivo compared to the Apple obsessed. I started thinking, "what could those Apple folks have that makes them so excited? If I'm as excited about the Tivo because I think it's so great then maybe there's something about Apple that's worth checking out. It is interesting how you have Mac users who are in love with the product, but you don't see that on the Microsoft side. No one brags about Windows. Users never chose Windows – it was handed to them.
4. OS X. I find it so much easier to get to what I need on a Mac. When Microsoft talks about XP being an "experience" they really have nothing to stand up against compared to OS X. The OS is just fun and great to look at. I never said that about any Windows product. Of course stable and secure are important traits.
5. iLife. I brag about iLife. Good software that keeps getting better. All included. All integrated. This is hard to sell to customers. They need to see and use it to understand the value and power.
6. Spyware/viruses. I always feel nervous on my Windows workstation with the amount of risk there.
7. The Apple Store. Having the Genius Bar is just Genius. The stores are just fun.
A little more history on my path to Apple. In Dec 03 I was making a big computer purchase. I was deciding between a PowerMac and a Dell 4600. The Powermac was incredibly expensive for less CPU power (I conducted my own tests of converting MP3 files to AAC - that was enough benchmarking for me). At the time I had special software for my PC and Virtual PC was not out for the G5 at that time. I ended up with a Dell. About six months later I was offered a great deal on a 766Mhz Quicksilver PowerMac, but after using it for a month it was just way too slow. The rest of the Mac product line was just too expensive and the Emac had zero appeal. Then came the Mini Mac. The Mini was perfect. The price was low enough to justify a second computer. I already had a 19 inch monitor I could use. My Logitech keyboard was already Mac ready. I was ready to go.
I've slowly moved over just about everything I do on my PC on to the Mac Mini. I use my PC to host all my data files including my iTunes music. If I need to use my Windows XP Professional I just connect with the Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection tool (better than Virtual PC!). There's nothing I need for my day-to-day needs that include streaming music, browsing, mail, contacts, calendar, chat, stream ripping, etc... The interface just makes it a pleasure to work on. I just look at the Mac Mini on my desk and just think "how cool!".
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