Comments on David Alison's Blog: A hardcore Windows guy gets a Mac

Wow, you made a really good posting about a Mac. I...

2009-12-27T03:20:48.764-05:00

Wow, you made a really good posting about a Mac. I'll read all of your postings before buying a Mac!

First thing I did when I got a Mac (as a Windows D...

2009-07-11T17:44:37.769-04:00

First thing I did when I got a Mac (as a Windows Dev) was to load XP via Parallels desktop. After being on the Mac for 1 year now I can really only say that I like the actual hardware - though it cooks my lap at times. I am heading back to a Windows notebook in my next cycle.

@Anon: Sure, I did it for quite a while. Here are ...

2009-01-08T11:35:26.655-05:00

@Anon: Sure, I did it for quite a while. Here are some previous blog posts I have on the topic:

The challenges of running Visual Studio on a Mac
Mac: How quickly does VMware Fusion run my development environment? Very.
Mac: VMWare Fusion and Visual Studio 2008 Express Edition

Hope this helps...

Hi! I just got a MacBook Pro but still need Win XP...

2009-01-08T11:10:52.455-05:00

Hi! I just got a MacBook Pro but still need Win XP to develop applications for Windows. I want to use "boot camp" to have both OSs installed. Do you know if it is safe to code under windows on a MacBook? Regards Nick

@Anon: Nope, sorry. I didn't start blogging until ...

2009-01-05T23:33:43.662-05:00

@Anon: Nope, sorry. I didn't start blogging until after I got my Mac. My anti-Mac comments were usually said to co-workers when one of our web based applications wouldn't work on Safari.

Is there any place to find stuff about Macs said b...

2009-01-05T23:29:54.437-05:00

Is there any place to find stuff about Macs said by Dave before he got his MacBook?

Simple: They don't have a password

2008-12-31T01:49:13.134-05:00

Simple: They don't have a password

I'm a Mac convert and I'm a believer. Love my Mac....

2008-07-07T18:59:09.835-04:00

I'm a Mac convert and I'm a believer. Love my Mac.

@Marcus: Macs have come a long way, especially sin...

2008-04-06T20:59:27.102-04:00

@Marcus: Macs have come a long way, especially since the release of OS X. I think a lot of people using Windows dismiss Macs because they tried them out back in the 80s or 90s and haven't what they are all about now. I was in that camp until recently myself.

My oldest brother has always used Macs (since he g...

2008-04-06T20:47:46.189-04:00

My oldest brother has always used Macs (since he gave me his Adam).
I got into Macs in 2000 because I wanted to do video editing which was not readily available on PC's at the time.
Since that time when it comes time to get a new computer I do not even consider PC's. I have to use a Dell at work and it just clunks along.

Often my friends will ask for technical advice and my first is to switch to Mac.

Welcome to the Mac world. Enjoy your machine.

2008-04-06T18:38:20.924-04:00

Welcome to the Mac world. Enjoy your machine.

@greyedout: I couldn't agree more (the hater attit...

2008-03-21T23:39:23.935-04:00

@greyedout: I couldn't agree more (the hater attitude).

It's tough for me to keep the keyboard combinations straight because I'm a pretty fast touch typist AND I have to use both a Windows XP based PC and my Mac side by side right now. I'm getting better being able to switch between the two though.

David,My advice is learn to use the Mac OS X speci...

2008-03-21T23:34:23.401-04:00

David,

My advice is learn to use the Mac OS X specific key/combo's... kinda like when you learn a new language--the only way to be truly fluent is total immersion ;)

In answer to some other posts, I'm definitely out of the norm in terms of user experience... people turn down the hate!! Let people use what they want to use... and try not criticizing "without walking a mile in another's shoes"...

I grew up coding on paper tape and punched cards, from UNIX on PDP's, to VMS on VAX's, then using A/UX on Lisa's, moving to AIX on IBM RISC systems. I was a beta tester Windows 0.9 on x86's, used Mac OS 7/8/9, loved the introduction of Win 3.01.

For over 27yrs, I developed, optimized and hardened computers, databases and networks... I've programmed in binary, assembly, 3gen and OO languages... Not a novice user, I say use what feels right to you, and jump in a whole way.

For some this is a PC running Windows, for others a PC running Linux, (having a PC running OS X would be a violation of the license agreement, so...) for others a Mac running OS X :-)

BTW, when it comes to personal computing, I use a Mac :)

"What about when something around you on the netwo...

2008-03-19T14:13:23.588-04:00

"What about when something around you on the network stops working... try and troubleshoot it with a MAC. "

Are you kidding me? Macs are Unix underneath - BSD unix specifically, and have FAR more ability to troubleshoot network problems than Windows.

I love these people that try to convince people th...

2008-03-19T04:07:28.271-04:00

I love these people that try to convince people that are truly happy with a product that it is bad. I've been a Mac (I also dislike it when Mac is in all caps.) user all my life. I was actually teased in junior high and high school because of that fact. Apparently using Macs made me "gay." This is the sort of rambling gibberish that makes the PC community a real turn-off sometimes.

To the people that spout random garbage, no one is listening to you. We love our Macs. We find them to be capable, and the tons of open source and freeware that is available shows that fact. The Apple community is one big thing that I enjoy. You see someone with a Mac laptop or computer, you instantly have a common bond. Seeing someone with a Mac just tends to bring a smile to my face. It feels like redemption. I was teased, but now, I'm starting to gain the upper hand.

18 years, Windows free. (Save for what I was forced to use in the public school system.)

MacBook Pro, Running Leopard and Ubuntu 7.10 (just for fun :) )

@srobot-"Heck! Try putting OSX 10.5 on your old 10.0 Crapintosh! I think that will work quite nicly!!!!!! NOT!!!"

Before I moved out, I was running the latest version of Tiger on my 400mhz, 512mb RAM blueberry iMac. Some of the flash was missing, but it sure ran.

I love macs. However, i'm a gamer. I really like m...

2008-03-18T09:18:55.979-04:00

I love macs. However, i'm a gamer. I really like macs because of the media apps like garageband and imovie, and i like the way everything works together. However, I'm gonna stick with vista for the games. also, i seriously don't find that many problems with vista. It isn't too slow on my com (which has 1 gig ram, and a pentium d (ooooold processor)), and its not like i'm always infected with viruses or anything. i'm not a fanboy of anything. I'd instantly switch if all video games became compatible with osx. i find osx quite easy to use, and i helped a friend set his mac up when he got one. Still, most complaints about "using multiple antivirus and antispyware softwares just to keep it working" and "it crashes like 7 times a day" are bull.

@duarschloch: I'm not a big fan of the Mighty Mous...

2008-03-17T14:58:57.069-04:00

@duarschloch: I'm not a big fan of the Mighty Mouse, though it does support right clicking. I pretty quickly attached a Logitech mouse to my Mac and it works great. OS X has excellent support for right clicking.

I also have Ubuntu on a workstation at home and love that distro - easily the most user friendly Linux variation I've played with.

While you can build a comparable machine through NewEgg for a significant amount less than the comparable hardware from Apple, there are other benefits to the Mac solution model. The big one is that since everything is a predefined set of hardware you don't have to worry about compatibility issues. From an Apple standpoint it becomes much easier to support.

A Mac is not for everyone. I can see why some people get upset over the lack of hardware choices outside the one Apple wants you to have. That used to get to me too. But since I've been using a Mac it's not bothering me. It's just worked, which I really like. It's nice for a change not to worry about driver versions and compatibility issues.

You're probably getting tired of hearing "me too",...

2008-03-17T14:53:52.902-04:00

You're probably getting tired of hearing "me too", but Me too! I have been a systems administrator for 11 years and have my own computer repair business. Nearly half of the employees where I work (mostly physicians) bought macs for their everyday needs and kept calling me with questions, so I got approval to purchase one so I could help out. Bought a mac mini, bumped up the ram and fell in love. I run Windows with Parallels for all the Windows stuff that is inevitable. Remote desktop for Mac to get to all the other pcs in the office.

Thanks for the article,
John

To make your mac even better, you should put Ubunt...

2008-03-17T14:03:51.006-04:00

To make your mac even better, you should put Ubuntu on it! Mac os/x has its perks, but I haven't found anything better than linux when it comes to productivity and multi-tasking.

Macs are too over-priced for my taste.
I work with an 8 core, 2 cpu mac system at work and I could build the same system for under 1500. Beats the 5k or so my work paid for it.

And I know this has been said over and over, but cant they get a second mouse button? Seriously, ctrl-click is annoying as hell especially if you're doing any editing in video or audio. I have to bring a mouse to work.

@SJ: great link and a very interesting site. Thank...

2008-03-17T12:17:19.037-04:00

@SJ: great link and a very interesting site. Thanks!

Just wanted to say something about a previous comm...

2008-03-17T11:35:03.805-04:00

Just wanted to say something about a previous comment. The person stated that Mac security is currently running on security through obscurity. Despite some vulnerabilities that do indeed need attention, I couldn't disagree more. Mac OS X uses good core security methodologies, and offers very usable and secure solutions out of the box. It seems like the person didn't really understand what security through obscurity actually means.

Welcome to the Mac, David, I have absolutely no doubt that you will find it a much more enjoyable development (and recreational) environment to work with.

For those of you who are just switching and are interested in keeping yourselves secure, you're welcome to visit securethoughts.net , which features a guide on Securing Leopard as well as regular news and other tutorials on keeping your Mac and your data safe.

- SJ

There is nothing obscure about uninstalling a prog...

2008-03-16T05:34:39.624-04:00

There is nothing obscure about uninstalling a program on a Mac. You drag the application to the trash then you empty the trash. Zingo! Program uninstalled.

Concerned about hanging preferences? You needn't be but if you are.

open ~/Library/preferences/, drag pref to the trash. Not necessary but keeps things neat.

The solution is simple : Run Leopard on a pc. Most...

2008-03-16T04:18:44.129-04:00

The solution is simple : Run Leopard on a pc. Most popular p35 boards with a core2duo will do. Then you have the best of both worlds : Cheap pc hardware and leopard.

My opinion after using it for a while : It's nice but no games, no good usenet programs, no media center, bad codec support, horrible quicktime/itunes/iphoto.

If you are thinking about a mac and have a look first with leopard on a pc, when you like it you can always later decide to buy one of the overpriced "look it's nice" boxes from apple itself.

All I can say is that PC manufactures suck. You ha...

2008-03-16T02:02:05.939-04:00

All I can say is that PC manufactures suck. You have to build them yourself. I have been building PCs for a better over 5 years now and I have never had any problems with Windows XP. I use no Anti-Virus software or use any crappy browsers like AOL. I cannot remember the last time I had a virus.

I can run any program I need and play any game that I want. I would like to see a Mac play Crysis on Very High Settings. I have Windows XP, Vista and MAC OSX installed on it. I only use MAC when I have to troubleshoot something for MAC users at my school.

The thing I like about PCs is the customization options available. One thing I do like about the MAC is that it looks nice and that it uses UNIX unlike Windows.

The one thing though I hate about macs is the hardware. Its all proprietary, if it breaks you have to send it in to get fixes. With my PC and just just replace the part or repair it and its up and running.

When deciding on getting a PC and MAC you have to think what are you going to be using it for. For email and facebook or music MACs are a good choice. But for the more hardcore gaming or large apps, get a PC.

I transitioned to a Mac laptop almost one year ago...

2008-03-15T22:37:26.518-04:00

I transitioned to a Mac laptop almost one year ago. There is no going back... movingtomac.blogspot.com