Questions on OS X & Tibook..
Greetings everyone, I'm using a PC right now, but will probably buy a new powerbook because its so beautiful. What I am wondering though is how different is Windows from OS X? Is there a steep learning curve/transition period to be able to do everything I did in Windows? On the TiBook itself, I will either buy one this Christmas or next summer. Does anyone know if there will be a significant update on the next book? I'm assuming the IBM Power PC 970 is only for the powermac right? THanx.
Comments
1) How different is OS X from Windows?
I'd say they are fairly different in terms of what you can do with them. I guess it depends what version of windows you're talking about too. But, in general you'll find that things are done pretty differently on the Mac side than on the windows side and it's going to be a frustrating transition for you, I guarantee it.
It's not that the learning curve is so great, it's that the way things are done are on pretty different planes. It used to be the case that what you could do on the Mac side was 10X easier than what was done on the windows side, so much so, that when I made the switch something as simple as the drag and drop thing took me weeks to figure out and then a couple more weeks of wondering why the HELL computers didn't ALWAYS work that way (at least Windows computers).
But with OS X it's not that way anymore. Things are still easier, but there are some glaring inconsistencies/missing things that may or may not bother you. I, for one, would NEVER go back to OS 9 because OS X is so stable and fun to use. I suggest you get yourself a good book on Jaguar (OS X 10.2) and get comfortable with your computer. I guarantee it'll be the most satisfying experience you'll have with a computer. (I'd recommend David Pogue's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0596004508/qid=1037483562/sr=8-5/ref=sr_8_5/002-8011483-7875237?v=glance&s=books"; target="_blank">Missing Manual</a>).
2) Will the IBM proc make it into the tibook?
No one knows for sure how long it will be before it does, but it probably will. I don't think that it'll be any time soon just because the 'books were just updated. This is as good a time to buy as any. But the general advice here when thinking about what's going to come in the future is to wait as long as you can and then go for it. Don't look back once you take the plunge b/c there will always be something better that comes out. It's just the nature of the beast known as technology.
Anyway, welcome to the Mac-fold. Enjoy your stay. (and if you decide that you don't like it, you can just send that powerbook on over my way. I'll even pay for shipping
for the updates.. you won't find any rumors more than one week before of them. if you wait till next summer maybe there could be something...
Mac - one button
PC - 3 buttons
I think that takes care of a lot of differences between the two OSes, although I hear that mac OS X has good support for two button mice.
1)You can do just about everything on your mac you can on ur PC, just in a different way...oh yeah also you can't play 3000 variations of the same game
2)Within 2yrs you will definatly be what the technology industry calls an apple fanatic, and you will be selling people apple computers
3)you will thank urself and if ur lucky enough your kids will thank you for not making them use windows, i tahnked my parents just this week
4)you will be out of a world of ugliness and imperfection. I dont mean OS X is perfect but its a new OS, and its beautiful, also it is developing very fast and you will fall in love
and if you dont like it you can send it here...somone said the'll pay for shipping, i'll pay you steve job's salary! :eek:
[ 11-16-2002: Message edited by: ast3r3x ]</p>
In Windows, you generally have a window with a very complex, cluttered UI (this isn't meant in a derogatory way, as a lot of pro Mac apps are the same way, and it's simply the nature of the program). Most programs on the Mac, however, will have toolbars that give you shortcuts to often-used features. The other features that you don't use that often are up in that nicely-structured, omni-present menubar at the top of the screen.
Contrast this to Windows, which usually has everything placed in contextual menus, accessed by right-clicking. In that operating system, a lot of commands are hidden until you stumble upon them in the process of right-clicking. It's difficult for a Mac user to go to Windows, because of this, but Windows users shouldn't have that much trouble moving to the Mac OS, because everything is presented up-front in that menubar.
Additionally, this menubar is very consistent. Your Preferences window is ALWAYS in the "Application" menu (just like File, Edit, etc., there is a pull-down named after the application, which handles system-wide commands). You'll also always be able to quit the application from this menu.
In Windows, it's difficult, many times, to figure out whether or not a program is running, because some programs appear in the taskbar, others appear in the system tray, and others still, have no absolutely no way to keep track of them. In Mac OS X, every program or application you're running will always appear in the dock, so you'll always be able to tell exactly what you have open, and you'll always be able to control your working environment. Additionally, each application is self-contained, and nothing is just "part of the operating system," as you have experienced on Windows. For example, you might ask, exactly what is the Display Properties control panel item, in Windows? Is it an application? Part of WinExplorer? No one knows, really. On the Mac, there is a single application, "System Preferences," that lets you configure aspects of your system.
Speaking of apps, being self-contained, they are literally a single file (actually, a "package," which, through secret methods, can be explored in itself). There is no need for a Start menu, because the apps are just one file and not hierarchies of DLL's and whatnot, as in Windows. You could make your own custom Start menu, if you wanted, by simply dragging the Applications folder to the Dock, and clicking on it, to get a "drop-up" list of any app you want. Installing apps are a breeze, in many cases: you'll just drag the single file, representing that application, to wherever you want to keep it, and then double-click to open it. Uninstalling is even simpler: just drag the application to the trash.
Drag and drop is big on the Mac. Want a program/application to utilize a file? Just drag it into that window or the icon in the dock. You can do this with practically anything, and the result is always logical. It's something that can't be explained very well, but once you try it, you'll understand it.
I hope this helps. It's really not as complex as I just made it out to be with those forty-three paragraphs, but it's going to be super-easy. Take it from a switcher.
Oh, and about the PowerBooks: buy one now. You have an opportunity to buy extremely fresh hardware (they've only been out a week or so), so just go with it. I have an 800MHz Ti, and it is a godsend of a computer. Now you can get a better model, cheaper.