Goodness, I forgot to mention Quicken 2007 for the Mac.
Quicken is probably the most capable accounting program for an individual that is available for the Mac. I rely on it constantly to keep a handle on my personal finances. That doesn’t mean that I’m happy with it; it’s just the best available in my opinion.
Transitioning from the Windows version, the Mac version (I’ll call them QW and QM for the duration) does not seem to be as polished as the QW. QM, plain and simple, has a non-standard interface on the Mac which makes it more difficult to figure out where to go to get things done. One feature in particular that I miss is the ability to sort the columns by amount, when you are balancing your checking account. On QW, I always did this and it made it much quicker to locate whichever line item I was reconciling at the time. Check numbers don’t get it for me because I do most of my bill paying electronically. So I hope they bring that feature back. The interface sucks, as is.
Having said that, I understand that they are about to come out with a new version, which is supposed to clean up the interface. When it arrives, I will gladly adopt it on the off chance that they did improve on it.
For all its warts, I have to state that I have lost no data and had no problems with the actual functioning of the program. Which is why I still use it. But it could be vastly better than it is.
Three Stars for the crappy interface. Add a half a star because it does, after all, work. http://www.quicken.com/ for about $70.
-Pop
Showing posts with label Computers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Computers. Show all posts
Friday, April 25, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Mac Software Roundup
At this writing, I’ve been using a MacBook Pro for about 15 months. Being the type of person I am, I constantly search for more efficient ways to do anything, and in the world of computers, I try a lot of software. Whiz-bang doesn’t do it for me, unless the whiz-bang in question increases my efficiency in some way. This document is a list of the software I have purchased and tried on the Mac, along with a short review of each program. I have purchased a license for each non-free program in this review. This is not an in-depth review. Rather, it is my subjective take on each program, along with a bit of background. Have fun!
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1Password: One of the first programs I bought after acquiring my Mac was 1Password. 1Password is a utility for keeping up with all your passwords and logins, and can be used to fill in forms on websites, including your credit card and personal information if you wish. I knew that I would need such a utility, and 1Password fills the bill wonderfully. It works unobtrusively, and you only need to remember one password. It is possible to set up web links in your browser to automatically find and log in to a website. You enter your master password once in a session, and it does the rest. 1Password is available from http://agilewebsolutions.com/ and costs $34.95 for a single-user license. Updates are fairly frequent, and the developers are quick to update it when OS X changes in a way that would affect it. I still rely on it daily. Five stars.
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AppZapper: an uninstall utility for the Mac (OS X). When you uninstall a program by dragging it’s icon to the trash, sometimes settings and other files are left on your disk. When you run AppZapper, it opens a small window and invites you to drag any program icon to it’s drop zone; then it finds the extraneous files, and shows you what it is going to delete if desired. It works as advertised. Not a big deal, but nice to have for $12.95. You can find it at www.appzapper.com. Five stars.
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Bento: Bento is a simple database program for people who don’t need the power of FileMaker. It works as advertised, is easy to use and learn, and I use it frequently in my work to keep up with most anything that needs a list. You can get it at www.filemaker.com for $49 for a single user license. I’ve suffered no failures of any sort. Printing support is pretty much a screen print, so it’s not great at generating reports; and export capabilities are pretty limited. It is a flat file database within which you can create collections, so if you need relational capabilities, go elsewhere. I give it 4 stars, deducting one due to the lack of report generating capability.
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DevonThink Pro: a personal information manager or database program. It is very capable; and I still use it for random data storage of information I might need on an infrequent basis. For instance, I frequently create a data item to hold the text of confirmation emails when I purchase something online. I like the way search displays results, and it is capable of searching inside PDF files. I have suffered no failures or problems. Having said all that, I don’t much care for the user interface, which I found confusing, and it has a bit of a learning curve; I don’t use this program frequently. You can get it at www.devon-technologies.com for about $79. I bought the Pro Office version for about $150.
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Ecto: Ecto is used to manage and upload blog postings. You can get it at http://infinite-sushi.com/software/ecto/ and it costs $17.95. I am not currently using this program (see MacJournal) but it does a good job and works as advertised. It makes it easy to post entries or revisions. One thing it doesn’t do is allow you to assign categories or topics to posts that show up on Blogspot, so if you want to do that you have to go in and add them later. I used Ecto for many months, before switching to MacJournal because I could combine my blogging and personal journal in that program. Ecto deserves 4 stars. It does everything it says it will do but needs to be able to handle categories.
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Google Earth: Google Earth is just about the coolest program you can download for free, and there are Windows and Mac versions available. It is a wonderful program that allows you to zoom around looking at the world in satellite photos with optional map information superimposed. Nifty zoom effects take you from one place to another, and you can search for an address or location and go directly to it. You can ‘tilt’ the display or look straight down at it. This is lots of fun - you will find geographical features right around your own home that you didn’t know were there. It can be useful, too; at work we sometimes use it to identify a field location for an employee who needs to find a job site. Recommended. Five Stars. Go to http://earth.google.com/
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IWork 08 is Apple’s office suite. For what you get, it’s a real bargain. I use Pages and Numbers fairly frequently, but have not needed Keynote. Pages is a pretty decent word processor, but I haven’t really stretched it’s legs. I use it for an occasional letter or fax, but so far nothing very lengthy. Also, it can open Microsoft Word’s DOC files, so far without fail. It works well for what I have done with it, and within those limits, there’s not much of a learning curve. Numbers is the spreadsheet program. It can load the majority of Excel spreadsheets except when they are protected, but there are some interesting side effects sometimes. In general, results are good, but don’t expect a perfect translation. One feature that I really like about Numbers is its ability to have multiple spreadsheets on the same page. This makes laying out complex forms a snap. In this one thing it is really great; in most other areas, Excel gets the edge in terms of ease of use. Having said that, it’s worth it to me to use Numbers just to keep from buying a Microsoft product. Especially when you compare prices. IWork 08 - $79 - directly from Apple. Four stars.
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Yojimbo: Yojimbo is a simple flat-file database that can accommodate many different kinds of information. If you don’t need much complexity, Yojimbo is a good program. You can create folders to put data in, but only one level deep - no nested folders. This limits its utility. In my day job, I track several projects at a time, and as one is completed new projects are started. The inability of Yojimbo to create sub-folders means that everything is in one long list of folders. Other than this, Yojimbo is a great program and may be just what you need. I still use it to capture PDF files which I create anytime I’m printing a receipt or something - Yojimbo has a good unobtrusive capture facility. Four stars. You can get it at http://www.bbedit.com/products/yojimbo/index.shtml and it costs $39. I wound up using SOHO Notes to do the job I bought Yojimbo to do; it does support nested folders.
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Journier: a pretty nice personal journal program. One of the things I like about it is the ability to put pictures in your journal. If you’re creating a journal that your kids will someday read, this is a pretty good program to use. However, I migrated my journal to MacJournal and no longer use Journier. This is not the fault of the program; it does a good job. Five stars. You can get it for $34.95 at http://journler.com/.
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LaunchBar: This is the handiest program launcher I’ve found. Besides launching programs, it can find files and contacts on your computer; you can drill down to your boss’s phone number, for instance. Hitting enter on an email launches an email to that contact; hitting enter on a phone number shows it in large type; absolutely excellent for quick access to this type of info, or to launch a program. You can get it at http://www.obdev.at/products/launchbar/index.html and it costs $39. Highly recommended - five stars.
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MacJournal: This is my current favorite journal keeper and blog maintenance software. I’ve been using it a couple of months, and so far haven’t had any problems. It makes it easy to post to blogspot, and keep my personal journal in the same program. It has a nifty full-screen mode, as well. Five stars. http://www.marinersoftware.com/ for $34.95 download.
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MailSteward: a utility to archive all your email in a separate database. It works well with Mail, and can archive everything, or just the mailboxes or accounts you want. It has excellent search capability. If you worry about mail losing things over a long period of time, this is a good way to archive email. I’ve only been using it about a week, but so far it’s worked perfectly. Five stars. You can get it at http://mailsteward.com/ for $49.95.
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Notebook, from Circus Ponies, is one of the first personal information programs I bought for the Mac. It’s a great idea, but I don’t use it much anymore because I find the interface a bit clumsy for the type of information I mostly work with. It would be great for anything you’d keep in a notebook, but for keeping up with project data I find a more free-form method of storage works better for me. Four stars. You can get it at http://www.circusponies.com/ for $49.95.
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Omnifocus is an excellent program for task management. It is built around the Getting Things Done method, and it actually does work well if you use that methodology. I bought a copy and used it for a while, and I may go back to it in the future. My problem is not with the program - it’s just that I’ve not head great success adapting to the methodology, being set in my ways. If you use the Getting Things Done method, this is recommended. Four stars. You can get it at http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnifocus/ for $79.95.
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Parallels Desktop - virtual machine software for the Mac. I’m staying away from Windows as much as I can, but sometimes my work requires me to use specific software that isn’t available (directly) on the Mac. Parallels Desktop does an amazing job of allowing me to use my Mac instead of shifting to a Windows machine. I have Vista Business installed in a virtual machine in Parallels. Inside of that, I have certain engineering software installed, including my CAD software, Solid Edge; and I presently do all my CAD work in the virtual machine. I also do Windows program development using Delphi in that environment, for company projects which I maintain. It is amazing that Parallels is efficient enough to allow the use of this type of software. A major benefit is the ability to back up the entire virtual machine to offline storage- if Windows gets a virus, I just replace the virtual machine with the latest backup. Cool stuff. Five Stars. http://www.parallels.com/ for $79. This program made it practical for me to move to the Mac.
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Personal Brain is a personal information manager that is unique in its interface. Basically, you create thoughts which can hold text, or files. You create links to these thoughts. The thoughts float in space on the screen, with lines drawn between them representing the links. The relations you create are the real power of the program. For instance, I have a thought that is titled ‘where to get’ with many categories of purchased items linked below it. Click on one of them, for instance ‘flanges’ and see links to all the vendors from which I might purchase ‘flanges’. This works really well, and this is my primary management tool for my work. This is a very powerful program, and there are versions for the Mac and for Windows. Additionally, you can export your ‘brain’ to your network server and share it with your colleagues. Five Stars, highly recommended. You can get it at http://www.thebrain.com/ for FREE. THe paid version that I bought is $249.95 and I have found it well worth it.
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Quicksilver is similar to LaunchBar in terms of what it can do, but it can do more. Besides being a launcher and information finder, it is possible to process information in interesting ways using QuickSilver. I tried it, but went back to LaunchBar because I just find it more comfortable to use. Quicksilver has a steep learning curve. There probably is a real payoff there, but I didn’t use the advanced features often enough to set them in my memory; so I went back to LanchBar. QuickSilver is free, and you can get it at http://www.blacktree.com/ . If you can get past the learning curve, there’s something powerful there.
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Scrivener. Well, I’m composing this in Scrivener; what can I say? I haven’t tried every word processing program out there, but Scrivener has a unique (in my experience) way of allowing you to compose a complex document and put it all together. You don’t actually work with the formatting; instead, you create the parts of your document, pulling them in to the final document in any order you want. For instance, in this document, I have a sub-document for each program in the review. You don’t have to worry about formatting at all. When you’re done, you export your document to whatever other word processor you want to use for final formatting. This isn’t for jotting down notes or lists; this is for creating complex documents or screenplays, etc. I really like the approach, and it works well for me, for a posting such as the one you are reading. Recommended. Five Stars. You can get it at http://www.literatureandlatte.com/ for $39.95. I like it.
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SOHO Notes: SOHO Notes is a great note-taking application, and you can also store many types of files in it.. If you need a good, quick note taker, this will do the job. Very similar to Yojimbo, except it does support nested folders, a feature I find invaluable in my daily work. Recommended, I use it frequently. Five Stars. You can get it for $39.99 at http://www.chronosnet.com/ .
I don’t particularly recommend the related Organizer package - although it does have features to like, I find it clumsy and it doesn’t add that much to iCal and Address Book.
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TypeIt4Me is a nice little utility that allows you to create boilerplate, basically any text that you find yourself typing over and over. It works as advertised, but I’m about to remove it from my system because I really don’t use it much. I type so fast that by the time I remember that I have an entry in TypeIt4Me, I’ve already typed whatever it was. Since I only actually use it once or twice a week, I don’t see the need for it on my system. However, I do recommend it for you if you do a lot of repetitive typing, or if you think it would speed up your effective typing. It does work well as it is intended to work. Four stars. http://ettoresoftware.com/ for $27.
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VoodooPad is a program I purchased because I got interested in Wicki systems, or hypertext personal information systems. It’s an interesting program, and I occasionally go back to fool around with it. It could be used to set up a linked database of pretty much everything you know, if you take the time to create it. I am still interested in this way of getting at information, but I’m not actively using VoodooPad at this time. It exports to HTML, too, which might be useful. It is capable of doing the sort of thing I’m using Personal Brain for, but without the global view of the linkages that program gives you. It works well, so it gets four stars. You can get it at http://flyingmeat.com/voodoopad/ for about $30.
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In conclusion, there is a lot of really good software out there for the Mac. I tend to specialize in the sort of programs that will help me do my job better, and many of them are represented here. One thing I have noticed; generally speaking, Windows software is way more expensive than equivalent Mac software.
-Pop
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1Password: One of the first programs I bought after acquiring my Mac was 1Password. 1Password is a utility for keeping up with all your passwords and logins, and can be used to fill in forms on websites, including your credit card and personal information if you wish. I knew that I would need such a utility, and 1Password fills the bill wonderfully. It works unobtrusively, and you only need to remember one password. It is possible to set up web links in your browser to automatically find and log in to a website. You enter your master password once in a session, and it does the rest. 1Password is available from http://agilewebsolutions.com/ and costs $34.95 for a single-user license. Updates are fairly frequent, and the developers are quick to update it when OS X changes in a way that would affect it. I still rely on it daily. Five stars.
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AppZapper: an uninstall utility for the Mac (OS X). When you uninstall a program by dragging it’s icon to the trash, sometimes settings and other files are left on your disk. When you run AppZapper, it opens a small window and invites you to drag any program icon to it’s drop zone; then it finds the extraneous files, and shows you what it is going to delete if desired. It works as advertised. Not a big deal, but nice to have for $12.95. You can find it at www.appzapper.com. Five stars.
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Bento: Bento is a simple database program for people who don’t need the power of FileMaker. It works as advertised, is easy to use and learn, and I use it frequently in my work to keep up with most anything that needs a list. You can get it at www.filemaker.com for $49 for a single user license. I’ve suffered no failures of any sort. Printing support is pretty much a screen print, so it’s not great at generating reports; and export capabilities are pretty limited. It is a flat file database within which you can create collections, so if you need relational capabilities, go elsewhere. I give it 4 stars, deducting one due to the lack of report generating capability.
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DevonThink Pro: a personal information manager or database program. It is very capable; and I still use it for random data storage of information I might need on an infrequent basis. For instance, I frequently create a data item to hold the text of confirmation emails when I purchase something online. I like the way search displays results, and it is capable of searching inside PDF files. I have suffered no failures or problems. Having said all that, I don’t much care for the user interface, which I found confusing, and it has a bit of a learning curve; I don’t use this program frequently. You can get it at www.devon-technologies.com for about $79. I bought the Pro Office version for about $150.
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Ecto: Ecto is used to manage and upload blog postings. You can get it at http://infinite-sushi.com/software/ecto/ and it costs $17.95. I am not currently using this program (see MacJournal) but it does a good job and works as advertised. It makes it easy to post entries or revisions. One thing it doesn’t do is allow you to assign categories or topics to posts that show up on Blogspot, so if you want to do that you have to go in and add them later. I used Ecto for many months, before switching to MacJournal because I could combine my blogging and personal journal in that program. Ecto deserves 4 stars. It does everything it says it will do but needs to be able to handle categories.
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Google Earth: Google Earth is just about the coolest program you can download for free, and there are Windows and Mac versions available. It is a wonderful program that allows you to zoom around looking at the world in satellite photos with optional map information superimposed. Nifty zoom effects take you from one place to another, and you can search for an address or location and go directly to it. You can ‘tilt’ the display or look straight down at it. This is lots of fun - you will find geographical features right around your own home that you didn’t know were there. It can be useful, too; at work we sometimes use it to identify a field location for an employee who needs to find a job site. Recommended. Five Stars. Go to http://earth.google.com/
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IWork 08 is Apple’s office suite. For what you get, it’s a real bargain. I use Pages and Numbers fairly frequently, but have not needed Keynote. Pages is a pretty decent word processor, but I haven’t really stretched it’s legs. I use it for an occasional letter or fax, but so far nothing very lengthy. Also, it can open Microsoft Word’s DOC files, so far without fail. It works well for what I have done with it, and within those limits, there’s not much of a learning curve. Numbers is the spreadsheet program. It can load the majority of Excel spreadsheets except when they are protected, but there are some interesting side effects sometimes. In general, results are good, but don’t expect a perfect translation. One feature that I really like about Numbers is its ability to have multiple spreadsheets on the same page. This makes laying out complex forms a snap. In this one thing it is really great; in most other areas, Excel gets the edge in terms of ease of use. Having said that, it’s worth it to me to use Numbers just to keep from buying a Microsoft product. Especially when you compare prices. IWork 08 - $79 - directly from Apple. Four stars.
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Yojimbo: Yojimbo is a simple flat-file database that can accommodate many different kinds of information. If you don’t need much complexity, Yojimbo is a good program. You can create folders to put data in, but only one level deep - no nested folders. This limits its utility. In my day job, I track several projects at a time, and as one is completed new projects are started. The inability of Yojimbo to create sub-folders means that everything is in one long list of folders. Other than this, Yojimbo is a great program and may be just what you need. I still use it to capture PDF files which I create anytime I’m printing a receipt or something - Yojimbo has a good unobtrusive capture facility. Four stars. You can get it at http://www.bbedit.com/products/yojimbo/index.shtml and it costs $39. I wound up using SOHO Notes to do the job I bought Yojimbo to do; it does support nested folders.
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Journier: a pretty nice personal journal program. One of the things I like about it is the ability to put pictures in your journal. If you’re creating a journal that your kids will someday read, this is a pretty good program to use. However, I migrated my journal to MacJournal and no longer use Journier. This is not the fault of the program; it does a good job. Five stars. You can get it for $34.95 at http://journler.com/.
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LaunchBar: This is the handiest program launcher I’ve found. Besides launching programs, it can find files and contacts on your computer; you can drill down to your boss’s phone number, for instance. Hitting enter on an email launches an email to that contact; hitting enter on a phone number shows it in large type; absolutely excellent for quick access to this type of info, or to launch a program. You can get it at http://www.obdev.at/products/launchbar/index.html and it costs $39. Highly recommended - five stars.
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MacJournal: This is my current favorite journal keeper and blog maintenance software. I’ve been using it a couple of months, and so far haven’t had any problems. It makes it easy to post to blogspot, and keep my personal journal in the same program. It has a nifty full-screen mode, as well. Five stars. http://www.marinersoftware.com/ for $34.95 download.
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MailSteward: a utility to archive all your email in a separate database. It works well with Mail, and can archive everything, or just the mailboxes or accounts you want. It has excellent search capability. If you worry about mail losing things over a long period of time, this is a good way to archive email. I’ve only been using it about a week, but so far it’s worked perfectly. Five stars. You can get it at http://mailsteward.com/ for $49.95.
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Notebook, from Circus Ponies, is one of the first personal information programs I bought for the Mac. It’s a great idea, but I don’t use it much anymore because I find the interface a bit clumsy for the type of information I mostly work with. It would be great for anything you’d keep in a notebook, but for keeping up with project data I find a more free-form method of storage works better for me. Four stars. You can get it at http://www.circusponies.com/ for $49.95.
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Omnifocus is an excellent program for task management. It is built around the Getting Things Done method, and it actually does work well if you use that methodology. I bought a copy and used it for a while, and I may go back to it in the future. My problem is not with the program - it’s just that I’ve not head great success adapting to the methodology, being set in my ways. If you use the Getting Things Done method, this is recommended. Four stars. You can get it at http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnifocus/ for $79.95.
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Parallels Desktop - virtual machine software for the Mac. I’m staying away from Windows as much as I can, but sometimes my work requires me to use specific software that isn’t available (directly) on the Mac. Parallels Desktop does an amazing job of allowing me to use my Mac instead of shifting to a Windows machine. I have Vista Business installed in a virtual machine in Parallels. Inside of that, I have certain engineering software installed, including my CAD software, Solid Edge; and I presently do all my CAD work in the virtual machine. I also do Windows program development using Delphi in that environment, for company projects which I maintain. It is amazing that Parallels is efficient enough to allow the use of this type of software. A major benefit is the ability to back up the entire virtual machine to offline storage- if Windows gets a virus, I just replace the virtual machine with the latest backup. Cool stuff. Five Stars. http://www.parallels.com/ for $79. This program made it practical for me to move to the Mac.
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Personal Brain is a personal information manager that is unique in its interface. Basically, you create thoughts which can hold text, or files. You create links to these thoughts. The thoughts float in space on the screen, with lines drawn between them representing the links. The relations you create are the real power of the program. For instance, I have a thought that is titled ‘where to get’ with many categories of purchased items linked below it. Click on one of them, for instance ‘flanges’ and see links to all the vendors from which I might purchase ‘flanges’. This works really well, and this is my primary management tool for my work. This is a very powerful program, and there are versions for the Mac and for Windows. Additionally, you can export your ‘brain’ to your network server and share it with your colleagues. Five Stars, highly recommended. You can get it at http://www.thebrain.com/ for FREE. THe paid version that I bought is $249.95 and I have found it well worth it.
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Quicksilver is similar to LaunchBar in terms of what it can do, but it can do more. Besides being a launcher and information finder, it is possible to process information in interesting ways using QuickSilver. I tried it, but went back to LaunchBar because I just find it more comfortable to use. Quicksilver has a steep learning curve. There probably is a real payoff there, but I didn’t use the advanced features often enough to set them in my memory; so I went back to LanchBar. QuickSilver is free, and you can get it at http://www.blacktree.com/ . If you can get past the learning curve, there’s something powerful there.
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Scrivener. Well, I’m composing this in Scrivener; what can I say? I haven’t tried every word processing program out there, but Scrivener has a unique (in my experience) way of allowing you to compose a complex document and put it all together. You don’t actually work with the formatting; instead, you create the parts of your document, pulling them in to the final document in any order you want. For instance, in this document, I have a sub-document for each program in the review. You don’t have to worry about formatting at all. When you’re done, you export your document to whatever other word processor you want to use for final formatting. This isn’t for jotting down notes or lists; this is for creating complex documents or screenplays, etc. I really like the approach, and it works well for me, for a posting such as the one you are reading. Recommended. Five Stars. You can get it at http://www.literatureandlatte.com/ for $39.95. I like it.
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SOHO Notes: SOHO Notes is a great note-taking application, and you can also store many types of files in it.. If you need a good, quick note taker, this will do the job. Very similar to Yojimbo, except it does support nested folders, a feature I find invaluable in my daily work. Recommended, I use it frequently. Five Stars. You can get it for $39.99 at http://www.chronosnet.com/ .
I don’t particularly recommend the related Organizer package - although it does have features to like, I find it clumsy and it doesn’t add that much to iCal and Address Book.
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TypeIt4Me is a nice little utility that allows you to create boilerplate, basically any text that you find yourself typing over and over. It works as advertised, but I’m about to remove it from my system because I really don’t use it much. I type so fast that by the time I remember that I have an entry in TypeIt4Me, I’ve already typed whatever it was. Since I only actually use it once or twice a week, I don’t see the need for it on my system. However, I do recommend it for you if you do a lot of repetitive typing, or if you think it would speed up your effective typing. It does work well as it is intended to work. Four stars. http://ettoresoftware.com/ for $27.
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VoodooPad is a program I purchased because I got interested in Wicki systems, or hypertext personal information systems. It’s an interesting program, and I occasionally go back to fool around with it. It could be used to set up a linked database of pretty much everything you know, if you take the time to create it. I am still interested in this way of getting at information, but I’m not actively using VoodooPad at this time. It exports to HTML, too, which might be useful. It is capable of doing the sort of thing I’m using Personal Brain for, but without the global view of the linkages that program gives you. It works well, so it gets four stars. You can get it at http://flyingmeat.com/voodoopad/ for about $30.
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In conclusion, there is a lot of really good software out there for the Mac. I tend to specialize in the sort of programs that will help me do my job better, and many of them are represented here. One thing I have noticed; generally speaking, Windows software is way more expensive than equivalent Mac software.
-Pop
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Wireless Internet Goodness for the Mac
Howdy, Everybody;
Yesterday, I bought the Alltel branded version of the UTStarcom UM150 wireless modem, and added that line to my cellular account. Unlimited access.
After some bobbles because the product was new to the sales staff, it is now working well; using www.internetfrog.com broadband test to check performance, I’ve seen download speeds as low as 400 kbps and as high as 950 kpps, which is respectable. These numbers are true both at my office and at my home.
The significance is that out where I live, up until this became available the ONLY option for broadband was satellite internet. Where I live there is no DSL, no Cable, no fiber-optic lines. Over the years, I have tried Starband, and Hughesnet (formerly Direcway), both satellite providers. Both are adequate but not great. Their main selling point is that they work, but frequently performance is not as advertised, and, frankly, service generally sucks. As of this morning, the download speed on the satellite was OK but the upload speed was about 1/4 the advertised speed.
Now I have a different option. It’s working well so far, and compatible with the Macbook Pro. I may replace the satellite system with one of these. A little gadget about the size of a pocket knife that can replace a satellite dish on a pole, about 120 feet of wire, and a modem/router about the size of a ring binder. With comparable performance. For about $10 a month less. And it’s portable. I’ve also noticed the lack of latency you get with satellite; with satellite you actually have to factor in the speed of light to the geostationary satellite, in both directions. The signal travels 50,000 miles minimum even if you’re only sending an email next door. So response on the cellular system is a bit snappier.
So far, I’m impressed. We’ll see how it goes.
-Pop
Yesterday, I bought the Alltel branded version of the UTStarcom UM150 wireless modem, and added that line to my cellular account. Unlimited access.
After some bobbles because the product was new to the sales staff, it is now working well; using www.internetfrog.com broadband test to check performance, I’ve seen download speeds as low as 400 kbps and as high as 950 kpps, which is respectable. These numbers are true both at my office and at my home.
The significance is that out where I live, up until this became available the ONLY option for broadband was satellite internet. Where I live there is no DSL, no Cable, no fiber-optic lines. Over the years, I have tried Starband, and Hughesnet (formerly Direcway), both satellite providers. Both are adequate but not great. Their main selling point is that they work, but frequently performance is not as advertised, and, frankly, service generally sucks. As of this morning, the download speed on the satellite was OK but the upload speed was about 1/4 the advertised speed.
Now I have a different option. It’s working well so far, and compatible with the Macbook Pro. I may replace the satellite system with one of these. A little gadget about the size of a pocket knife that can replace a satellite dish on a pole, about 120 feet of wire, and a modem/router about the size of a ring binder. With comparable performance. For about $10 a month less. And it’s portable. I’ve also noticed the lack of latency you get with satellite; with satellite you actually have to factor in the speed of light to the geostationary satellite, in both directions. The signal travels 50,000 miles minimum even if you’re only sending an email next door. So response on the cellular system is a bit snappier.
So far, I’m impressed. We’ll see how it goes.
-Pop
Sunday, January 13, 2008
I still love my Mac, part 2.
A few minutes ago I came across a one-page website put up by somebody who blasted Mac lovers for loving their Macs. Very rudely. Sad - for the author. I guess he got insulted because somebody was going on and on about it.
Folks, the Mac is not perfect, any more than anything else made by man is perfect. It will sometimes have failures, and the vagaries of computers apply to the Mac as well as the Windows PC. If you expect perfection, you won't find it here.
Having said that, simply put, the frustration level is way less on a Mac. Compared to any other system currently available for the personal computer market.
I've been there and I've done that, and I've examined both systems looking for the best solution available. I have also looked at Linux (several different distributions), OS/2, BeOS (which had great performance, but was sidelined due to insanely poor business practice), EVERY version of Windows since 3.0, DOS, and CP/M before that. I haven't just loaded them up and looked at them, I've used every one and became proficient on most. And yes, I have Vista installed in a VM on my Mac. It works, and I use it for certain tasks, but I don't linger when I'm done working there. I have been responsible for maintaining all the computers in every place I've worked in the last 20 years. So I know just about everything that can go wrong on a computer.
I'm using a Mac by choice. It is a net improvement to my life.
No, it's not perfect. But it is so much less painful than working with Windows that I've adopted it wholeheartedly. I no longer spend nearly so much time (and money) just maintaining my system. It makes many things fun to do. In fact, it is so much better than Windows that I find myself typing articles like this one; something I never felt motivated to do for Windows.
OS X is subtle in many ways. For instance, in Microsoft Word, you have spell check? On the Mac, everything has spell check - it's universal. On my PC at work, I have occasionally launched Word just so I could see how to spell something. On the Mac, not necessary. You might not even notice this for a long time, but it's a real blessing. It's even a great thing for developers - they don't have to figure out how to implement spell check in their programs. Many other things are similar, in that you one day realize how well it all works.
Is there a learning curve? Yes. I've been using it a bit over a year, now, and I still learn little things about making it do what I want. For instance, the Mac keyboard doesn't have a delete-to-the-right button; the delete key deletes the letter to the left. Just a day or two ago, I found out that the delete-to-the-right function is the delete key with the Fn button held down. It was there all along. I came across it in the excellent Missing Manual book, Mac OS X Leopard Edition, which I'm currently reading.
There is a class of people I have worked with who just can't handle change. If you are one of them, stick with what you've got. It's your loss, not mine. Don't complain because it doesn't act like Windows; you have to understand that it's NOT Windows. As for me, I will try new tools that become available to see if there is merit in them. In the Mac, I find lots of merit.
So you do have to be willing to learn new things - Mac OS X is NOT Windows, although they have many similarities. If you get frustrated because it isn't Windows, maybe it isn't for you. But if you want a system that doesn't aggravate you regularly, buy a Mac.
Have fun!
-Pop
Folks, the Mac is not perfect, any more than anything else made by man is perfect. It will sometimes have failures, and the vagaries of computers apply to the Mac as well as the Windows PC. If you expect perfection, you won't find it here.
Having said that, simply put, the frustration level is way less on a Mac. Compared to any other system currently available for the personal computer market.
I've been there and I've done that, and I've examined both systems looking for the best solution available. I have also looked at Linux (several different distributions), OS/2, BeOS (which had great performance, but was sidelined due to insanely poor business practice), EVERY version of Windows since 3.0, DOS, and CP/M before that. I haven't just loaded them up and looked at them, I've used every one and became proficient on most. And yes, I have Vista installed in a VM on my Mac. It works, and I use it for certain tasks, but I don't linger when I'm done working there. I have been responsible for maintaining all the computers in every place I've worked in the last 20 years. So I know just about everything that can go wrong on a computer.
I'm using a Mac by choice. It is a net improvement to my life.
No, it's not perfect. But it is so much less painful than working with Windows that I've adopted it wholeheartedly. I no longer spend nearly so much time (and money) just maintaining my system. It makes many things fun to do. In fact, it is so much better than Windows that I find myself typing articles like this one; something I never felt motivated to do for Windows.
OS X is subtle in many ways. For instance, in Microsoft Word, you have spell check? On the Mac, everything has spell check - it's universal. On my PC at work, I have occasionally launched Word just so I could see how to spell something. On the Mac, not necessary. You might not even notice this for a long time, but it's a real blessing. It's even a great thing for developers - they don't have to figure out how to implement spell check in their programs. Many other things are similar, in that you one day realize how well it all works.
Is there a learning curve? Yes. I've been using it a bit over a year, now, and I still learn little things about making it do what I want. For instance, the Mac keyboard doesn't have a delete-to-the-right button; the delete key deletes the letter to the left. Just a day or two ago, I found out that the delete-to-the-right function is the delete key with the Fn button held down. It was there all along. I came across it in the excellent Missing Manual book, Mac OS X Leopard Edition, which I'm currently reading.
There is a class of people I have worked with who just can't handle change. If you are one of them, stick with what you've got. It's your loss, not mine. Don't complain because it doesn't act like Windows; you have to understand that it's NOT Windows. As for me, I will try new tools that become available to see if there is merit in them. In the Mac, I find lots of merit.
So you do have to be willing to learn new things - Mac OS X is NOT Windows, although they have many similarities. If you get frustrated because it isn't Windows, maybe it isn't for you. But if you want a system that doesn't aggravate you regularly, buy a Mac.
Have fun!
-Pop
I still love my Mac
Howdy, Everybody;
A few days ago I bought a Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000. I was keeping an eye out for a bluetooth mouse, because theoretically I could do away with the USB plug-in 2.4 Mhz radio transmitter required with most wireless mice. This works, of course, because bluetooth is built into my MacBook Pro.
This bluetooth feature works really well with this mouse and my Mac. The only new thing is that I have to remember to switch off the mouse when I quit for the day, to save the batteries. The only complaint I have is that the wheel on the mouse is a bit notchy. I've gotten used to the Logitech's spin-wheel which is very smooth. But I can live with that for the benefit of A) freeing up a USB port and B) not having to mess with an adapter. There is no apparent lag, action is very smooth, clicking has no hesitation and registers every time.
Recommended.
-Pop
A few days ago I bought a Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000. I was keeping an eye out for a bluetooth mouse, because theoretically I could do away with the USB plug-in 2.4 Mhz radio transmitter required with most wireless mice. This works, of course, because bluetooth is built into my MacBook Pro.
This bluetooth feature works really well with this mouse and my Mac. The only new thing is that I have to remember to switch off the mouse when I quit for the day, to save the batteries. The only complaint I have is that the wheel on the mouse is a bit notchy. I've gotten used to the Logitech's spin-wheel which is very smooth. But I can live with that for the benefit of A) freeing up a USB port and B) not having to mess with an adapter. There is no apparent lag, action is very smooth, clicking has no hesitation and registers every time.
Recommended.
-Pop
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Colder than...
Howdy everybody;
It's colder than a well-digger's, uh, feet out there! I think I saw a cow with ear-muffs on the way to work this morning. It was 17.8 degrees at my house this morning at about 6:15 AM.
No busted pipes, so far, so I'm counting my blessings.
Work is back in full swing, that is to say, about 0.9 CM (Crisis Mode) on Pop's Panic Scale. I'm getting things to do faster than I can do them. So I keep plodding along...
I am continually surprised that so many people listen to me. Four Macintosh laptops were bought at Christmastime, at least somewhat due to my recommendations. I hope they all have as much fun with theirs as I do with mine. Which I still love, by the way.
It's nice being back in the saddle, I suppose.
Happy New Year to you all!
-Pop
It's colder than a well-digger's, uh, feet out there! I think I saw a cow with ear-muffs on the way to work this morning. It was 17.8 degrees at my house this morning at about 6:15 AM.
No busted pipes, so far, so I'm counting my blessings.
Work is back in full swing, that is to say, about 0.9 CM (Crisis Mode) on Pop's Panic Scale. I'm getting things to do faster than I can do them. So I keep plodding along...
I am continually surprised that so many people listen to me. Four Macintosh laptops were bought at Christmastime, at least somewhat due to my recommendations. I hope they all have as much fun with theirs as I do with mine. Which I still love, by the way.
It's nice being back in the saddle, I suppose.
Happy New Year to you all!
-Pop
Friday, December 14, 2007
Why I Will Never Buy Another Microsoft Product
unless I just have to have it for my business.
I have a fun computer rig. I have a Macbook Pro - enough said. I'm running Parallels Desktop on it with Windows Vista Business installed in a virtual machine, for when I just have to do those Windows things.
I upgrade Parallels Desktop whenever an update becomes available. I did this about a month ago, and again last night. Apparently it changed the virtual machine enough that it activated Vista's copy protection, and I got a little warning window that showed up for about three seconds that said if I didn't activate my copy of Vista it would quit working in three days.
So after I finished what I was doing, I cranked up the Windows Validation tool. Of course, it refused to validate automatically, because I had already validated it when I installed it originally. So I had to call the 1-800 number for validation, where I got to read (to a computer over the phone) nine sets of numbers. Of course, this also failed, so it then kicked me over to a Real Live Person. From the accent, probably somewhere in India or China.
This person then had me read several of the same number groups to her over the phone; then she asked me some questions, such as had I activated it before? And, how many computers am I running this copy of Vista on? The answer, by the way, is ONE - I bought this copy of Vista for the purpose of running it in this virtual machine. Whereupon, the lady gave me nine number sequences that I had to enter into the Vista dialog box. And I was activated - again.
It pisses me off that I have to go through all that just to run an OS that I paid $300 for the privilege of using. It is a major freaking hassle to have to go through to reassure Microsoft that no, I am NOT a thief. Blast you, Microsoft!!! I resent the implication. I've paid for every bit of software on any of my computers.
And what if my system updates again, and your validation crap is not available for whatever reason? I get shut down, even though I am totally legal and paid for the product.
I'll probably have to do this again, the next time Parallels Desktop gets updated. It's not their fault - It's Microsoft that doesn't trust their customers, and builds bear traps into their software.
I will NEVER buy another Microsoft product, unless I simply have no other choice.
Macintosh, on the other hand, has OS X - $129 - no hassle, works on the first try, works really well, and they don't threaten to cut me off if, in their opinion, my computer gets changed too much. And you can get spreadsheet and word processing software that is just fine - for $79, not the $400 or so that Microsoft charges.
I have Delphi as a programming environment installed in Vista in a virtual machine on my Mac. The two most expensive programs on my computer - Vista $300 and Delphi (upgrade) $400. Over on the Mac side, X-code for programming on the Mac is (wait for it...) IN THE BOX with OS X. How cool is that?
NEVER, Microsoft, NEVER - it's too late for you - you've already burned your bridges with me. Get the picture???
-Pop
I have a fun computer rig. I have a Macbook Pro - enough said. I'm running Parallels Desktop on it with Windows Vista Business installed in a virtual machine, for when I just have to do those Windows things.
I upgrade Parallels Desktop whenever an update becomes available. I did this about a month ago, and again last night. Apparently it changed the virtual machine enough that it activated Vista's copy protection, and I got a little warning window that showed up for about three seconds that said if I didn't activate my copy of Vista it would quit working in three days.
So after I finished what I was doing, I cranked up the Windows Validation tool. Of course, it refused to validate automatically, because I had already validated it when I installed it originally. So I had to call the 1-800 number for validation, where I got to read (to a computer over the phone) nine sets of numbers. Of course, this also failed, so it then kicked me over to a Real Live Person. From the accent, probably somewhere in India or China.
This person then had me read several of the same number groups to her over the phone; then she asked me some questions, such as had I activated it before? And, how many computers am I running this copy of Vista on? The answer, by the way, is ONE - I bought this copy of Vista for the purpose of running it in this virtual machine. Whereupon, the lady gave me nine number sequences that I had to enter into the Vista dialog box. And I was activated - again.
It pisses me off that I have to go through all that just to run an OS that I paid $300 for the privilege of using. It is a major freaking hassle to have to go through to reassure Microsoft that no, I am NOT a thief. Blast you, Microsoft!!! I resent the implication. I've paid for every bit of software on any of my computers.
And what if my system updates again, and your validation crap is not available for whatever reason? I get shut down, even though I am totally legal and paid for the product.
I'll probably have to do this again, the next time Parallels Desktop gets updated. It's not their fault - It's Microsoft that doesn't trust their customers, and builds bear traps into their software.
I will NEVER buy another Microsoft product, unless I simply have no other choice.
Macintosh, on the other hand, has OS X - $129 - no hassle, works on the first try, works really well, and they don't threaten to cut me off if, in their opinion, my computer gets changed too much. And you can get spreadsheet and word processing software that is just fine - for $79, not the $400 or so that Microsoft charges.
I have Delphi as a programming environment installed in Vista in a virtual machine on my Mac. The two most expensive programs on my computer - Vista $300 and Delphi (upgrade) $400. Over on the Mac side, X-code for programming on the Mac is (wait for it...) IN THE BOX with OS X. How cool is that?
NEVER, Microsoft, NEVER - it's too late for you - you've already burned your bridges with me. Get the picture???
-Pop
Friday, November 2, 2007
Macintosh Leopard Goodness
Howdy;
I've been using the new version of OS/X, version 10.5 (Leopard) all week since it was released October 26. With very minor exceptions, the upgrade was flawless. Of course, after such an upgrade, you spend some time playing with the new features and figuring out what is useful and what isn't. My favorite new features are:
Time Machine: I plugged in my 512 GB USB drive into the laptop and enabled Time Machine. After the initial full backup, which took a while, it is thereafter seamless. So far, no downside to this. Now just the act of plugging in and turning on the drive gets me effortless backups; and the best part is it is so very easy to restore anything that needs it. Very cool.
Spaces: This is virtual window technology. I have experimented with it in the world of Windows, but was never satisfied. After a few days of using it on Leopard, I'm hooked. Right now I have four screens in use - the first is my default, with Email and Finder; the second is web browsing in Safari; the third is a spreadsheet I'm working on; and fourth is currently my blogging software. Switching between the windows is effortless, just a hot-key. Very well implemented, very fast, no downside so far. Saves a lot of time shuffling around to get the window you need to the top. Nice.
Mail: Now has notes, and a nifty feature that recognizes addresses and similar information, offering to add it to your contacts. This is something that should have been invented a long time ago - no more retyping, or cutting and pasting something I can see on the screen to get it into my address book.
Cover Flow: In Finder (and other places) this allows you to 'flip' through documents and files, glancing at the first page of each. This is so much like how you would leaf through a pile of loose papers looking for whatever that it is very natural and intuitive. Fast, too. Well done.
Lots of nifty other things, those are just my favorites so far.
One other new software item that didn't come in Leopard. I found a program named Undercover, by Orbicule. This program, once installed, sits in the background running continuously, and invisibly. If somebody steals my laptop, I contact Orbicule and enter the code for the copy of the software I bought. The next time somebody connects to the internet with my stolen laptop, the computer automatically and silently sends the IP address and other information to Orbicule, who inform the nearest police. Furthermore, it actually uses the built-in camera to take pictures of the thief, emailing them to Orbicule every six minutes. Now that's cool. The elegance of this approach really appeals to me. I hope I don't have to find out how well it works, but I'm about as prepared as I can get for anything to happen to my laptop.
The World of Apple and the Macintosh just keeps getting better and better. I'll never go back to Windows unless something big changes.
-Pop
I've been using the new version of OS/X, version 10.5 (Leopard) all week since it was released October 26. With very minor exceptions, the upgrade was flawless. Of course, after such an upgrade, you spend some time playing with the new features and figuring out what is useful and what isn't. My favorite new features are:
Time Machine: I plugged in my 512 GB USB drive into the laptop and enabled Time Machine. After the initial full backup, which took a while, it is thereafter seamless. So far, no downside to this. Now just the act of plugging in and turning on the drive gets me effortless backups; and the best part is it is so very easy to restore anything that needs it. Very cool.
Spaces: This is virtual window technology. I have experimented with it in the world of Windows, but was never satisfied. After a few days of using it on Leopard, I'm hooked. Right now I have four screens in use - the first is my default, with Email and Finder; the second is web browsing in Safari; the third is a spreadsheet I'm working on; and fourth is currently my blogging software. Switching between the windows is effortless, just a hot-key. Very well implemented, very fast, no downside so far. Saves a lot of time shuffling around to get the window you need to the top. Nice.
Mail: Now has notes, and a nifty feature that recognizes addresses and similar information, offering to add it to your contacts. This is something that should have been invented a long time ago - no more retyping, or cutting and pasting something I can see on the screen to get it into my address book.
Cover Flow: In Finder (and other places) this allows you to 'flip' through documents and files, glancing at the first page of each. This is so much like how you would leaf through a pile of loose papers looking for whatever that it is very natural and intuitive. Fast, too. Well done.
Lots of nifty other things, those are just my favorites so far.
One other new software item that didn't come in Leopard. I found a program named Undercover, by Orbicule. This program, once installed, sits in the background running continuously, and invisibly. If somebody steals my laptop, I contact Orbicule and enter the code for the copy of the software I bought. The next time somebody connects to the internet with my stolen laptop, the computer automatically and silently sends the IP address and other information to Orbicule, who inform the nearest police. Furthermore, it actually uses the built-in camera to take pictures of the thief, emailing them to Orbicule every six minutes. Now that's cool. The elegance of this approach really appeals to me. I hope I don't have to find out how well it works, but I'm about as prepared as I can get for anything to happen to my laptop.
The World of Apple and the Macintosh just keeps getting better and better. I'll never go back to Windows unless something big changes.
-Pop
Monday, October 22, 2007
Macintosh Revisited
Howdy, friends;
After about 11 months, I still love the Mac, and OS X. I can't think of the last time I've had to fool around with it to get something to work the way it's supposed to. Unlike Windows. And this Friday, the next version of OS X will be here. This ought to be fun! And, it's $129. Check out the price of Windows sometime...
On the interesting software side of things, check out "The Brain". This is a very capable personal information manager with a truly innovative user interface. The interface highlights the relationships between things. For instance, I have a 'brain' that has pumps, related to orders and also related to job sites. You can easily find an order, or the pumps that were on that order, or the field locations where they are actually located. This program has versions that run on Windows or the Mac. Incredible. Check it out here.
Excellent stuff.
-Pop
After about 11 months, I still love the Mac, and OS X. I can't think of the last time I've had to fool around with it to get something to work the way it's supposed to. Unlike Windows. And this Friday, the next version of OS X will be here. This ought to be fun! And, it's $129. Check out the price of Windows sometime...
On the interesting software side of things, check out "The Brain". This is a very capable personal information manager with a truly innovative user interface. The interface highlights the relationships between things. For instance, I have a 'brain' that has pumps, related to orders and also related to job sites. You can easily find an order, or the pumps that were on that order, or the field locations where they are actually located. This program has versions that run on Windows or the Mac. Incredible. Check it out here.
Excellent stuff.
-Pop
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Mouse for the MacBook Pro
Howdy, Everybody;
If you hearken back to the pages on switching over to Macintosh, you will remember that the biggest single problem I had was this Logitech VX Revolution mouse. I went through some teething problems and a couple of different versions of the Logitech software. The entire time I've been using it (six months?) the biggest problem was that it goes to sleep, and takes as many as 20 to 30 seconds to wake back up.
I finally uninstalled the Logitech software entirely - and installed the $20 SteerMouse drivers instead.
Problem solved. Everything works, hesitation problem solved. I am a happy camper.
Logitech, take note - your hardware is good but your Mac support absolutely sucks!
-Pop
If you hearken back to the pages on switching over to Macintosh, you will remember that the biggest single problem I had was this Logitech VX Revolution mouse. I went through some teething problems and a couple of different versions of the Logitech software. The entire time I've been using it (six months?) the biggest problem was that it goes to sleep, and takes as many as 20 to 30 seconds to wake back up.
I finally uninstalled the Logitech software entirely - and installed the $20 SteerMouse drivers instead.
Problem solved. Everything works, hesitation problem solved. I am a happy camper.
Logitech, take note - your hardware is good but your Mac support absolutely sucks!
-Pop
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Switching from Windows to Macintosh - Chapter 13
Hello, World!
Still loving the Mac! I have almost eliminated any need for Windows programs. The very few I do need, I run in Parallels Desktop or on my other machine. One thing that bothered me was the lack of alternatives to Excel on the Mac. Thankfully, I've finally found one that works well. Go to http://www.neooffice.org and take a look at NeoOffice. NeoOffice is OpenOffice for the Mac. Spreadsheet support is excellent - I pulled in a multipage Excel spreadsheet, and the only thing I found a bit strange was that it changed the text I had in some graph legends, replacing it with the column and row numbers. Not bad at all. Best of all, it's free!
I mention only the spreadsheet, but NeoOffice also offers a Word compatible word processor, as well as presentation tools and a database. I am not as familiar with them, so I'll offer no comment at this point. If I had known about this suite when I bought my Mac, I could have saved $79 I spent on iWork 06.
I bought a copy of Ecto, which I've been using in trial mode to bring this up to date. It is a good program, designed to make posting or revising a blog easy.
I am still astounded that the Mac lifestyle includes leaving many programs running all the time for instant access. At this moment, I am running ten (10) programs simultaneously, and that does not include the finder or desktop. Several of these are big programs, too. The system has not detectably slowed down. I left all this running, cranked up Parallels Desktop, launching Vista, ran Solid Edge, printed a drawing, closed Solid Edge, Vista and Parallels Desktop. While I was in Vista, it downloaded and installed one of it's updates. There is no noticeable slowdown of the system, that I can tell.
I'm still amazed.
Have an excellent Easter holiday, and remember Who it's about!
-Pop
Still loving the Mac! I have almost eliminated any need for Windows programs. The very few I do need, I run in Parallels Desktop or on my other machine. One thing that bothered me was the lack of alternatives to Excel on the Mac. Thankfully, I've finally found one that works well. Go to http://www.neooffice.org and take a look at NeoOffice. NeoOffice is OpenOffice for the Mac. Spreadsheet support is excellent - I pulled in a multipage Excel spreadsheet, and the only thing I found a bit strange was that it changed the text I had in some graph legends, replacing it with the column and row numbers. Not bad at all. Best of all, it's free!
I mention only the spreadsheet, but NeoOffice also offers a Word compatible word processor, as well as presentation tools and a database. I am not as familiar with them, so I'll offer no comment at this point. If I had known about this suite when I bought my Mac, I could have saved $79 I spent on iWork 06.
I bought a copy of Ecto, which I've been using in trial mode to bring this up to date. It is a good program, designed to make posting or revising a blog easy.
I am still astounded that the Mac lifestyle includes leaving many programs running all the time for instant access. At this moment, I am running ten (10) programs simultaneously, and that does not include the finder or desktop. Several of these are big programs, too. The system has not detectably slowed down. I left all this running, cranked up Parallels Desktop, launching Vista, ran Solid Edge, printed a drawing, closed Solid Edge, Vista and Parallels Desktop. While I was in Vista, it downloaded and installed one of it's updates. There is no noticeable slowdown of the system, that I can tell.
I'm still amazed.
Have an excellent Easter holiday, and remember Who it's about!
-Pop
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Switching from Windows to Macintosh - Chapter 12
Howdy, Everybody;
The Mac transition is essentially complete - I use the Mac for pretty much everything now.
The Logitech mouse problem has been interesting. I started using the VX Revolution again after using a wired mouse for a few weeks. The spontaneous reboot problem has not reoccurred. I noticed that the Logitech control panel software does not recognize the mouse. I tried to download the Logitech Control Center program, lcc213.dmg three different times. The Mac gives me a message that the file is not a complete disk image, and mounting it might damage my computer. So now I'm of the opinion that the problem is not the hardware, but the LCC program from Logitech is probably corrupt. They have not to date reposted an uncorrupt file to their website, even though about a week ago I emailed Logitech to advise them of the problem.
I've tried the trial version of Mariner Calc, which reputes to be able to read Excel files. It was able to pull in the data and equations from an Excel spreadsheet, but lost all graphs and formatting. I'm not impressed, so I'm not going to buy this product. Sigh. I guess I can either run Excel emulated, or buy the Mac version.
Y'all have a nice day!
-Pop
The Mac transition is essentially complete - I use the Mac for pretty much everything now.
The Logitech mouse problem has been interesting. I started using the VX Revolution again after using a wired mouse for a few weeks. The spontaneous reboot problem has not reoccurred. I noticed that the Logitech control panel software does not recognize the mouse. I tried to download the Logitech Control Center program, lcc213.dmg three different times. The Mac gives me a message that the file is not a complete disk image, and mounting it might damage my computer. So now I'm of the opinion that the problem is not the hardware, but the LCC program from Logitech is probably corrupt. They have not to date reposted an uncorrupt file to their website, even though about a week ago I emailed Logitech to advise them of the problem.
I've tried the trial version of Mariner Calc, which reputes to be able to read Excel files. It was able to pull in the data and equations from an Excel spreadsheet, but lost all graphs and formatting. I'm not impressed, so I'm not going to buy this product. Sigh. I guess I can either run Excel emulated, or buy the Mac version.
Y'all have a nice day!
-Pop
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Switching from Windows to Macintosh - Chapter 11
Hi, Everybody!
Yesterday, installed the 10.4.9 update to Mac OS X. This went without a hitch, no problem. In reading the list of changes, I noticed the following under the Bluetooth category:
"Addresses a wake-from-sleep issue for Kensington PilotMouse Mini Bluetooth devices when used with a MacBook."
This is close enough to the problem I've had with the Logitech Revolution that I decided to try it again, so I'm using it now. I'll let you know if my reboot problem reoccurs.
Everything else is still really nice.
Have a nice day!
-Pop
Yesterday, installed the 10.4.9 update to Mac OS X. This went without a hitch, no problem. In reading the list of changes, I noticed the following under the Bluetooth category:
"Addresses a wake-from-sleep issue for Kensington PilotMouse Mini Bluetooth devices when used with a MacBook."
This is close enough to the problem I've had with the Logitech Revolution that I decided to try it again, so I'm using it now. I'll let you know if my reboot problem reoccurs.
Everything else is still really nice.
Have a nice day!
-Pop
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Switching from Windows to Macintosh - Chapter 10
Hi, Everybody!
Regarding the choice of personal information manager, I'm back at Yojimbo. I used SOHO Notes for a while, and just can't get a real comfort level with it. Yojimbo seems more smooth to me somehow.
Regarding the spontaneous reboot problem - it still hasn't happened again since I ditched the Logitech Advantage mouse in favor of a wired Logitech USB laser mouse. Not once. Draw your own conclusions.
Everything else is working well. I downloaded Ecto, which is a blog editor, and this post is being created in it. So far I like it, and if it continues to work as advertised, I'll probably buy it. Much easier editing than the web interface. But to be fair, I have used it for all of five minutes at this point.
Windows is still way more frustrating than OS X, and I now use both side by side all day long.
-Pop
Regarding the choice of personal information manager, I'm back at Yojimbo. I used SOHO Notes for a while, and just can't get a real comfort level with it. Yojimbo seems more smooth to me somehow.
Regarding the spontaneous reboot problem - it still hasn't happened again since I ditched the Logitech Advantage mouse in favor of a wired Logitech USB laser mouse. Not once. Draw your own conclusions.
Everything else is working well. I downloaded Ecto, which is a blog editor, and this post is being created in it. So far I like it, and if it continues to work as advertised, I'll probably buy it. Much easier editing than the web interface. But to be fair, I have used it for all of five minutes at this point.
Windows is still way more frustrating than OS X, and I now use both side by side all day long.
-Pop
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Switching from Windows to Macintosh - Chapter 9
This is a short entry. I have gone back to trying SOHO Notes. It works pretty much the same as Yojimbo for notes, but has one additional ability that I missed in Yojimbo - the ability to nest collections (or folders). Yojimbo has not got the ability to put a folder in a folder, and my projects can at times be pretty complex, so I need this feature.
In trying all this software, in most cases, the software doesn't leave crap littered all over the disk. One notable exception is DevonThink which did not clean up some menus it had installed- after searching the documentation I found out how to do it manually.
Regarding the spontaneous reboot problem - it still hasn't happend again since I switched to a wired mouse. I'd really prefer the Logitech Advantage - it really is a nice mouse, and wireless is good. But I'm sticking with the wired one until the system spontaneously reboots again. Absense of an event doesn't prove a correlation - but the longer you go, the higher the probability that you have found the problem.
Still loving the Mac. It's not perfect, but it's an order of magnitude better than XP. And the interface is more polished than Vista. One of the things I am liking more and more on the Mac is the fact that programs you use all the time - you just leave running. Access is pretty much instantaneous.
Have a nice day!
-Pop
In trying all this software, in most cases, the software doesn't leave crap littered all over the disk. One notable exception is DevonThink which did not clean up some menus it had installed- after searching the documentation I found out how to do it manually.
Regarding the spontaneous reboot problem - it still hasn't happend again since I switched to a wired mouse. I'd really prefer the Logitech Advantage - it really is a nice mouse, and wireless is good. But I'm sticking with the wired one until the system spontaneously reboots again. Absense of an event doesn't prove a correlation - but the longer you go, the higher the probability that you have found the problem.
Still loving the Mac. It's not perfect, but it's an order of magnitude better than XP. And the interface is more polished than Vista. One of the things I am liking more and more on the Mac is the fact that programs you use all the time - you just leave running. Access is pretty much instantaneous.
Have a nice day!
-Pop
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Switching from Windows to Macintosh - Chapter 8
Howdy, All;
The Mac is still being good to me. I've learned a few new tricks and tried some more software.
New Trick: You can use Disk Utility (part of OS X) to create a partition in a file, password protected and encrpyted, so that it acts like a file until you mount it (which requires the password). After you open it, it acts like any other drive. So I did this and put my accounting files and other secure items in it. If somebody steals my laptop, not only are they going to have to get past my login password, but they're going to be seriously hampered in their ability to do identity theft. If you want to learn how to do this, it is here: http://www.macworld.com/2006/10/secrets/decmobilemac/index.php?pf=1
About the mouse. I mentioned before that I had bought a Logitech Revolution wireless mouse for the laptop. The Mac has spontaneously rebooted, oh, probably six or seven times since I put that mouse on the system. The system has never done this unless the Revolution was involved. I noticed over time that every single time this happened, I had just done something with the mouse, either just starting to use it (waking it up) or disconnecting it or plugging it in. So something in the Logitech drivers for the Revolution wireless mouse can reboot OS X, and I think it happens if anything causes the radio communication between the mouse and it's little USB receiver to glitch. This issue does not appear to be an OS X problem or a Mac hardware problem.
So I bought a $15 USB wired mouse (also a Logitech, by the way). Problem solved, so far. Two weeks, no reboots. I'll let you know if this should change.
I've tried several different personal information management programs for the Mac. My primary need is for note storage - it needs to be very quick to enter a new note, and very quick to find it again. The programs I tested include Devonthink Pro, Yojimbo, Notebook by Circus Ponies Software, SOHO Notes by Chronos, OmniOutliner Pro and VoodooPad by Flying Meat. I'll devote a short paragraph to each one. Disclaimer: What follows is based on purely subjective opinion of one person playing with a program for an hour or so. None of these programs has been rigorously tested and this is not a formal report.
NoteBook is a very good program if you want to keep notes in a notebook format. It has a lot of neat features, such as automatically building indexes and tables of contents. This is really peachy if you plan to print out the entire notebook and use it as hardcopy, but the index and table of contents feature is not really needed in a computer environment where search capabilities exist. For me, although I like it a lot, it is not a great fit, but it is a high quality program if you like what it does. I did buy a copy and will use it for some things.
SOHO Notes - has a pretty interface but I found it very clumsy. Linking contacts to a note involves selecting a note in one window, then opening a special window, finding a contact, and telling it to link. I would really rather just drag & drop to add a link to a contact to a note. I don't find much value in the pretty contacts interface that is not in the Address Book that came with the Mac, and it's less compact. I can see some power there, but it's just too clumsy for me. I removed it from my system.
Devonthink Pro I actually tried twice, because they released a new version after I had checked it out the first time. There are things I like about this program. It can automatically classify information once you have sufficient entries in the system to act as a baseline. It offers a tree-structure of collections with items in them that could be very powerful, but I found to be unintuitive. It is possible to create notes in the tree and then not be able to find them immediately. This program would be my choice if I was primarily looking for a document control system, but it is not a great fit for me at present.
VoodooPad is a really interesting program. It is based on a Wikki concept and is very good at that. It's less good as a note manager, so it is not my primary choice, but I did buy a copy because I can see it being very useful as I create a wikiki of work-related information. It has the ability to publish a wikki as HTML, so when I get enough information in it, I will publish it to our intranet so others can easily access this data.
OmniOutliner can produce some very nicely formatted tables, and I like how it looks on screen, but it isn't really made for taking phone notes, and I do a lot of that. It is great for tabular data and lists, though. By the way, it comes 'in the box' with the Mac.
Yojimbo is the program I have settled on to use for my daily note taking. It has a clean, uncluttered interface that is easy to use and understand. I can create collections, and create notes in the collections quickly. It is easy to color code a note so you can easily see when you are done with that particular problem. If you sort it by modified timestamp, whatever you are currently working on will stay at the top of the list, and things you are finished with naturally fall down the list, so it's almost like an automatic prioritization. It is just right, without being too much, like some of the others. I haven't bought a copy yet, but I'm going to. The only feature I'd like to have that it doesn't is the ability to link contacts in Address Book with a note, preferably with drag & drop, so that when reading a note, you could click a link, and get the phone numbers of the contact. Other than that, it seems to be the best fit for me personally.
That's about it for personal information managers in the world of Mac.
Y'all have a nice day!
-Pop
The Mac is still being good to me. I've learned a few new tricks and tried some more software.
New Trick: You can use Disk Utility (part of OS X) to create a partition in a file, password protected and encrpyted, so that it acts like a file until you mount it (which requires the password). After you open it, it acts like any other drive. So I did this and put my accounting files and other secure items in it. If somebody steals my laptop, not only are they going to have to get past my login password, but they're going to be seriously hampered in their ability to do identity theft. If you want to learn how to do this, it is here: http://www.macworld.com/2006/10/secrets/decmobilemac/index.php?pf=1
About the mouse. I mentioned before that I had bought a Logitech Revolution wireless mouse for the laptop. The Mac has spontaneously rebooted, oh, probably six or seven times since I put that mouse on the system. The system has never done this unless the Revolution was involved. I noticed over time that every single time this happened, I had just done something with the mouse, either just starting to use it (waking it up) or disconnecting it or plugging it in. So something in the Logitech drivers for the Revolution wireless mouse can reboot OS X, and I think it happens if anything causes the radio communication between the mouse and it's little USB receiver to glitch. This issue does not appear to be an OS X problem or a Mac hardware problem.
So I bought a $15 USB wired mouse (also a Logitech, by the way). Problem solved, so far. Two weeks, no reboots. I'll let you know if this should change.
I've tried several different personal information management programs for the Mac. My primary need is for note storage - it needs to be very quick to enter a new note, and very quick to find it again. The programs I tested include Devonthink Pro, Yojimbo, Notebook by Circus Ponies Software, SOHO Notes by Chronos, OmniOutliner Pro and VoodooPad by Flying Meat. I'll devote a short paragraph to each one. Disclaimer: What follows is based on purely subjective opinion of one person playing with a program for an hour or so. None of these programs has been rigorously tested and this is not a formal report.
NoteBook is a very good program if you want to keep notes in a notebook format. It has a lot of neat features, such as automatically building indexes and tables of contents. This is really peachy if you plan to print out the entire notebook and use it as hardcopy, but the index and table of contents feature is not really needed in a computer environment where search capabilities exist. For me, although I like it a lot, it is not a great fit, but it is a high quality program if you like what it does. I did buy a copy and will use it for some things.
SOHO Notes - has a pretty interface but I found it very clumsy. Linking contacts to a note involves selecting a note in one window, then opening a special window, finding a contact, and telling it to link. I would really rather just drag & drop to add a link to a contact to a note. I don't find much value in the pretty contacts interface that is not in the Address Book that came with the Mac, and it's less compact. I can see some power there, but it's just too clumsy for me. I removed it from my system.
Devonthink Pro I actually tried twice, because they released a new version after I had checked it out the first time. There are things I like about this program. It can automatically classify information once you have sufficient entries in the system to act as a baseline. It offers a tree-structure of collections with items in them that could be very powerful, but I found to be unintuitive. It is possible to create notes in the tree and then not be able to find them immediately. This program would be my choice if I was primarily looking for a document control system, but it is not a great fit for me at present.
VoodooPad is a really interesting program. It is based on a Wikki concept and is very good at that. It's less good as a note manager, so it is not my primary choice, but I did buy a copy because I can see it being very useful as I create a wikiki of work-related information. It has the ability to publish a wikki as HTML, so when I get enough information in it, I will publish it to our intranet so others can easily access this data.
OmniOutliner can produce some very nicely formatted tables, and I like how it looks on screen, but it isn't really made for taking phone notes, and I do a lot of that. It is great for tabular data and lists, though. By the way, it comes 'in the box' with the Mac.
Yojimbo is the program I have settled on to use for my daily note taking. It has a clean, uncluttered interface that is easy to use and understand. I can create collections, and create notes in the collections quickly. It is easy to color code a note so you can easily see when you are done with that particular problem. If you sort it by modified timestamp, whatever you are currently working on will stay at the top of the list, and things you are finished with naturally fall down the list, so it's almost like an automatic prioritization. It is just right, without being too much, like some of the others. I haven't bought a copy yet, but I'm going to. The only feature I'd like to have that it doesn't is the ability to link contacts in Address Book with a note, preferably with drag & drop, so that when reading a note, you could click a link, and get the phone numbers of the contact. Other than that, it seems to be the best fit for me personally.
That's about it for personal information managers in the world of Mac.
Y'all have a nice day!
-Pop
Friday, February 16, 2007
Switching from Windows to Macintosh - Chapter 7
Hello, again;
Today I discovered something new. I downloaded the beta of the next version of Parallels Desktop and boy, is it neat! They've taught it a new trick! Now you can run your Windows programs, and Parallels Desktop can be configured to hide all traces of Vista (or XP). It looks as if the Windows program is running directly on the OS X desktop. And yet, it is easy to access the Windows menu or taskbar if needed. The Windows program you are running can be noticed by a slight flicker if you move the window it is running in around on the desktop, but other than that, it seems to be as if it was any other program on the desktop. This is really cool - now I can have most any program I might need.
Not only this, but the documentation mentions the ability to import virtual machines created in VMware. If this works, I can bring over the Windows XP VM I created that way last year. Then I'll have access to XP if I need it.
Printing from the Parellels Desktop programs works with no problems.
I am a happy camper!
-Pop
Today I discovered something new. I downloaded the beta of the next version of Parallels Desktop and boy, is it neat! They've taught it a new trick! Now you can run your Windows programs, and Parallels Desktop can be configured to hide all traces of Vista (or XP). It looks as if the Windows program is running directly on the OS X desktop. And yet, it is easy to access the Windows menu or taskbar if needed. The Windows program you are running can be noticed by a slight flicker if you move the window it is running in around on the desktop, but other than that, it seems to be as if it was any other program on the desktop. This is really cool - now I can have most any program I might need.
Not only this, but the documentation mentions the ability to import virtual machines created in VMware. If this works, I can bring over the Windows XP VM I created that way last year. Then I'll have access to XP if I need it.
Printing from the Parellels Desktop programs works with no problems.
I am a happy camper!
-Pop
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Switching from Windows to Macintosh - Chapter 6
Howdy, Friends;
This evening I prepared to make a slide show on DVD to show at my wife's birthday in a few days. I planned to use digital photos taken over the last several years, as well as a great many old photos which I would have to scan on my Microtek scanner. I was in a hurry; because of other things going on, I only had about an hour to scan 40 or 50 pictures.
Because I haven't had time to work with the scanner directly with the Mac, and all the needed software to acquire the pictures was already on my XP machine, I figured I would scan the pictures on the XP machine and then transfer them to the Mac via flashdrive or the network. So I logged into XP, fired up the scanner, and got started scanning pictures into Photoshop Elements. I was doing this by invoking Microtek's scanning software using the import function in Elements. I would prescan a sheet full of photos, window each one, and scan it into Elements. This worked as expected.
Then, because of text on the Microtek software page that made me think this would work, I tried holding down the shift key and making multiple selections before invoking the scan button. Bad idea. The Microtek software locked up. Elements locked up. After doing the usual 'Die, Die, Die' functions to kill the frozen programs, and telling the system that no, I don't want to send info to Microsoft, thankyouverymuch, twice, I tried logging off and logging back on, hoping that would let me proceed. Remember, I was in a blinding hurry. After logging back in, the system still wouldn't let me run Elements. Shut it all down and restart the machine, and wait, wait, wait for it to reboot. Login again and wait for everything to load. Why the heck is it even possible to make multiple selections in a situation where the program can't handle it? Stupid, stupid design.
Didn't make that mistake again. I finished scanning the pictures, one at at time. Moved pictures to USB flashdrive, then plugged that into the MacBook Pro. Used iPhoto to import the 90 plus photos. Using the default selection set (the pictures I just imported) I told iPhoto to make a slideshow (one button). I watched it cycle through once, then told it to burn a DVD. It sent the slideshow over to iDVD where I picked a theme, changed the title, and told it to make a DVD, which it did. I made two copies. Tested one of them, worked fine.
Notice the irony here. I've been using Windows since version 3.0 on top of DOS. That's a long time, friend. Many, many hours learning how to make Windows go. And in this scenario, just completed, Windows XP and Windows software gave me major hassles just to scan some pictures. The complicated part of the process, producing the slide show, worked flawlessly the first time on the Mac. On a system I've used for just a few weeks. Using software I was pretty unfamiliar with. Using iDVD for the very first time ever. Amazing - again!
At this point, I'm pretty much convinced that I am not going back to Windows except as necessary to do my job. Unfortunately, to do what I do, I will have to be intimately familiar with Vista, as I am already well versed on XP. But I am now pretty well convinced that OS X is the way to go. It's not perfect - but so far it sure is a lot less painful than XP. And Vista is built on top of an XP foundation, so this type of problem isn't likeley to go away in Vista. On the other hand, realistically, sooner or later I'm going to have problems with OS X - but I haven't yet.
Y'all have a good evening!
-Pop
This evening I prepared to make a slide show on DVD to show at my wife's birthday in a few days. I planned to use digital photos taken over the last several years, as well as a great many old photos which I would have to scan on my Microtek scanner. I was in a hurry; because of other things going on, I only had about an hour to scan 40 or 50 pictures.
Because I haven't had time to work with the scanner directly with the Mac, and all the needed software to acquire the pictures was already on my XP machine, I figured I would scan the pictures on the XP machine and then transfer them to the Mac via flashdrive or the network. So I logged into XP, fired up the scanner, and got started scanning pictures into Photoshop Elements. I was doing this by invoking Microtek's scanning software using the import function in Elements. I would prescan a sheet full of photos, window each one, and scan it into Elements. This worked as expected.
Then, because of text on the Microtek software page that made me think this would work, I tried holding down the shift key and making multiple selections before invoking the scan button. Bad idea. The Microtek software locked up. Elements locked up. After doing the usual 'Die, Die, Die' functions to kill the frozen programs, and telling the system that no, I don't want to send info to Microsoft, thankyouverymuch, twice, I tried logging off and logging back on, hoping that would let me proceed. Remember, I was in a blinding hurry. After logging back in, the system still wouldn't let me run Elements. Shut it all down and restart the machine, and wait, wait, wait for it to reboot. Login again and wait for everything to load. Why the heck is it even possible to make multiple selections in a situation where the program can't handle it? Stupid, stupid design.
Didn't make that mistake again. I finished scanning the pictures, one at at time. Moved pictures to USB flashdrive, then plugged that into the MacBook Pro. Used iPhoto to import the 90 plus photos. Using the default selection set (the pictures I just imported) I told iPhoto to make a slideshow (one button). I watched it cycle through once, then told it to burn a DVD. It sent the slideshow over to iDVD where I picked a theme, changed the title, and told it to make a DVD, which it did. I made two copies. Tested one of them, worked fine.
Notice the irony here. I've been using Windows since version 3.0 on top of DOS. That's a long time, friend. Many, many hours learning how to make Windows go. And in this scenario, just completed, Windows XP and Windows software gave me major hassles just to scan some pictures. The complicated part of the process, producing the slide show, worked flawlessly the first time on the Mac. On a system I've used for just a few weeks. Using software I was pretty unfamiliar with. Using iDVD for the very first time ever. Amazing - again!
At this point, I'm pretty much convinced that I am not going back to Windows except as necessary to do my job. Unfortunately, to do what I do, I will have to be intimately familiar with Vista, as I am already well versed on XP. But I am now pretty well convinced that OS X is the way to go. It's not perfect - but so far it sure is a lot less painful than XP. And Vista is built on top of an XP foundation, so this type of problem isn't likeley to go away in Vista. On the other hand, realistically, sooner or later I'm going to have problems with OS X - but I haven't yet.
Y'all have a good evening!
-Pop
Switching from Windows to Macintosh - Chapter 5
Howdy, Folks;
The transition is going well. If you're willing to learn the interface differences between Windows and the Mac, go for it.
As mentioned before, I am running Vista Business in a virtual machine (VM) under Mac OS X. Into that VM I installed my primary Windows programs, including my cad software. (Note to anybody interested: I did this legally in every case, either by removing the software from the old machine, or because the license allows it. Yes, you do have to have a license for software running in a virtual machine.) It works flawlessly, either in a window on the OS X desktop or full screen. When not running full screen, copy and paste between Vista apps and OS X apps works just the way it should. Running the cad software, I noticed the view translations are a bit slower than on my other machine, and I expected this because of the lack of hardware video acceleration in the VM; but it is still perfectly usable, and the speed of the program over-all is just as fast as it was on my old machine, maybe faster. Ultimate usability of the cad software remains to be seen, however - I haven't had the opportunity to load any really big assemblies into it. Running my PIM, Info Select in Vista in a window on OS X works just as well as running it directly on the desktop of Vista. Also note that the Parallels VM has the ability to pause the VM - this basically puts Vista and everything running in it on hold, and removes it from the running processes of OS X - instantly.
One major feature to notice about Parallels Desktop - you can back up the entire virtual machine to disk. If something gets screwed up in your VM, you can restore your backup and be back on line in 10-15 minutes. So build your virtual machine, get it just like you want it, and back it up. Then back your data up daily, elsewhere.
Running the Mac's activity monitor shows that even when running the cad program in the VM - Vista, I never maxed out the CPU or memory. This shows that the machine has the resources to do the job.
As far as Vista itself goes, well, it seems pretty smooth. I installed the shareware version of Eset's NOD32 antivirus (recommended), since I'm not willing to run Windows connected to the internet without antivirus protection. Vista has a nice desktop, and I like what they've done with Windows Explorer. The feeling I get, though, is that Vista is almost a knock-off of Mac OS X. Most (maybe all) of the interesting new features in Vista have been in OS X for over a year, although all of it is new to me. I do not see as many security pop-ups as I expected to from what I had read before. Vista did better than XP at finding the XP network, but it wasn't as simple as it was on the Mac. The short of it is, Vista is better than XP (based on a few hours of fooling around with it) but so far as I can see, there's nothing in Vista that wasn't already in Mac OS X. And OS X is about to get a new version, with several new features, in the next couple of months.
Am I being biased about this? Possibly. I've been beating my head against Windows for a long, long time - and I'm ready for a rest. So far, the Mac has performed flawlessly, and the bells and whistles are awesome. It's pretty much (at present) the same bells and whistles that are in Vista. But on every previous version of Windows, it wasn't uncommon for me to spend an hour a day trying to make it do what i needed it to do. So far, with Mac OS X, that hasn't happened at all. The only time-consuming part of making this transition has been learning the differences in the interface.
One thing that took some getting used to on the Mac is mounting and dismounting drives. You don't just eject a disk at the drive - you eject it from the desktop by dragging it to the trashcan (and there are a couple of other ways to do this). One thing I really, really like is that software you install comes as a disk image file. Once installed, software written for the Mac is usually all stored in a single file- which acts as a disk image. On Windows, an installed application may have hundreds to thousands of files associated with it, some in the Windows directory, some in the application directory, some who knows where? On the Mac, the entire application is, in most cases, in one file. To uninstall the program, you drop it in the trash. Elegant. The exception to all this, of course, is Windows programs that have been ported to the Mac. Which I am avoiding whenever possible.
Another thing I noticed is that a lot of good Mac software is relatively inexpensive. A good example of this - the Parallel Desktop for Mac, which is the VM software - $79. Go price VMware Workstation, or whatever the current version is. Quite a bit more, and doesn't work as well. Info Select for Windows costs $250 for a new license. On the Mac side, Omni Outliner is in the box, but you can buy the Pro version for $79. The excellent Circus Ponies Notebook program sells for $50. This is nice. And I haven't needed to purchase Zone Alarm, or antivirus software, and spam turns out to be a non-event.
So, things are going well, still. And I'm still impressed by the Mac, and OS X.
Y'all have a nice day!
-Pop
The transition is going well. If you're willing to learn the interface differences between Windows and the Mac, go for it.
As mentioned before, I am running Vista Business in a virtual machine (VM) under Mac OS X. Into that VM I installed my primary Windows programs, including my cad software. (Note to anybody interested: I did this legally in every case, either by removing the software from the old machine, or because the license allows it. Yes, you do have to have a license for software running in a virtual machine.) It works flawlessly, either in a window on the OS X desktop or full screen. When not running full screen, copy and paste between Vista apps and OS X apps works just the way it should. Running the cad software, I noticed the view translations are a bit slower than on my other machine, and I expected this because of the lack of hardware video acceleration in the VM; but it is still perfectly usable, and the speed of the program over-all is just as fast as it was on my old machine, maybe faster. Ultimate usability of the cad software remains to be seen, however - I haven't had the opportunity to load any really big assemblies into it. Running my PIM, Info Select in Vista in a window on OS X works just as well as running it directly on the desktop of Vista. Also note that the Parallels VM has the ability to pause the VM - this basically puts Vista and everything running in it on hold, and removes it from the running processes of OS X - instantly.
One major feature to notice about Parallels Desktop - you can back up the entire virtual machine to disk. If something gets screwed up in your VM, you can restore your backup and be back on line in 10-15 minutes. So build your virtual machine, get it just like you want it, and back it up. Then back your data up daily, elsewhere.
Running the Mac's activity monitor shows that even when running the cad program in the VM - Vista, I never maxed out the CPU or memory. This shows that the machine has the resources to do the job.
As far as Vista itself goes, well, it seems pretty smooth. I installed the shareware version of Eset's NOD32 antivirus (recommended), since I'm not willing to run Windows connected to the internet without antivirus protection. Vista has a nice desktop, and I like what they've done with Windows Explorer. The feeling I get, though, is that Vista is almost a knock-off of Mac OS X. Most (maybe all) of the interesting new features in Vista have been in OS X for over a year, although all of it is new to me. I do not see as many security pop-ups as I expected to from what I had read before. Vista did better than XP at finding the XP network, but it wasn't as simple as it was on the Mac. The short of it is, Vista is better than XP (based on a few hours of fooling around with it) but so far as I can see, there's nothing in Vista that wasn't already in Mac OS X. And OS X is about to get a new version, with several new features, in the next couple of months.
Am I being biased about this? Possibly. I've been beating my head against Windows for a long, long time - and I'm ready for a rest. So far, the Mac has performed flawlessly, and the bells and whistles are awesome. It's pretty much (at present) the same bells and whistles that are in Vista. But on every previous version of Windows, it wasn't uncommon for me to spend an hour a day trying to make it do what i needed it to do. So far, with Mac OS X, that hasn't happened at all. The only time-consuming part of making this transition has been learning the differences in the interface.
One thing that took some getting used to on the Mac is mounting and dismounting drives. You don't just eject a disk at the drive - you eject it from the desktop by dragging it to the trashcan (and there are a couple of other ways to do this). One thing I really, really like is that software you install comes as a disk image file. Once installed, software written for the Mac is usually all stored in a single file- which acts as a disk image. On Windows, an installed application may have hundreds to thousands of files associated with it, some in the Windows directory, some in the application directory, some who knows where? On the Mac, the entire application is, in most cases, in one file. To uninstall the program, you drop it in the trash. Elegant. The exception to all this, of course, is Windows programs that have been ported to the Mac. Which I am avoiding whenever possible.
Another thing I noticed is that a lot of good Mac software is relatively inexpensive. A good example of this - the Parallel Desktop for Mac, which is the VM software - $79. Go price VMware Workstation, or whatever the current version is. Quite a bit more, and doesn't work as well. Info Select for Windows costs $250 for a new license. On the Mac side, Omni Outliner is in the box, but you can buy the Pro version for $79. The excellent Circus Ponies Notebook program sells for $50. This is nice. And I haven't needed to purchase Zone Alarm, or antivirus software, and spam turns out to be a non-event.
So, things are going well, still. And I'm still impressed by the Mac, and OS X.
Y'all have a nice day!
-Pop
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Switching from Windows to Macintosh - Chapter 4
Howdy;
Amazing. It's still going well. I did encounter one glitch on the Mac, however. This is related to the Logitech VX Revolution mouse I installed in Chapter 3. It seems that if the mouse looses communication with it's USB key, OS X turns grey and calmly informs you that it needs to reboot. This happened twice before I figured out what was going on. Note that OS X very gracefully recovered, no fuss, no muss, just need to reboot. I am somewhat surprised, even so, to find that something like this can force a reboot in OS X. And I am seriously annoyed at Logitech's crappy documentation on this product, which is so unlike their normal quality. Note that this is a subjective interpretation of what is going on and not definitive.
The other new news - this afternoon I bought a full copy of Windows Vista Business. First, I installed the Parallel Desktop software I had previously purchased, told it to look for updates, updated it, created a virtual machine using the default settings for Vista, and installed Vista. This was amazingly easy! Everything without fail worked on the first try. I have used VMware Workstation in the past, with XP as the host OS and another (full, purchased) copy of XP in the virtual machine, as a means of backnig up my entire programming environment. I also used VMware with Linux in a virtual machine, to experiment with it. So I've had some experience with other virtual machine software. On a 3 Ghz XP machine with 1 GB ram and 160 GB disk, VMware was always a bit jerky and slow.
This Parallel Desktop is far and away better than VMware, at least on this machine and in this environment. You can run it in a window, or you can run it full screen; there's a nifty transition where the entire screen rotates as if it is on the surface of a cube - neat eye candy. I installed my favorite PIM into Vista, following the setup of the shared directory which is used for passing files back and forth between OS X and Vista. Switching between the OS's is intuitive. Speed is excellent - I haven't installed any really resource intensive tasks in Vista yet, but running Info Select (the aforementioned PIM), the performance hit from running Vista in a VM is undetectable. Amazing. Smooth mouse motion, and so far, everything I've tried works. I immediately had internet access in Vista via OS X and Airport. This is the first time I have used a virtual machine within which the performance is such that it will actually be NOT frustrating to use. The only shortcoming I see is that, so far at least, the Parallels Desktop does not appear to allow Vista to run the Aero interface, probably because of lack of hardware video accelleration in the virtual machine.
I am not yet ready to offer an opinion about Vista in depth, but with a couple of hours behind me, I feel a bit unimpressed. The interface is smoother, and a lot of stuff has been moved and rearranged. The wallpaper is prettier than in XP, for some reason. The security wizard (or whatever you call it) covers firewall and spyware detection, but I don't see any direct mention or advice regarding anti-virus software. I will have a better idea after I've used it for a few days.
Here's the synopsis so far. MacBook Pro is a marvelous piece of hardware, OS X is just mind-blowing marvelous after using XP since it came out, and Vista is pretty but does not seem (at first glance) to have anything on OS X. And now I have a laptop that I can theoretically run any piece of software that is either OS X or Vista compatible. Without being annoyed by performance issues. This is not trivial.
The saga continues...
-Pop
Amazing. It's still going well. I did encounter one glitch on the Mac, however. This is related to the Logitech VX Revolution mouse I installed in Chapter 3. It seems that if the mouse looses communication with it's USB key, OS X turns grey and calmly informs you that it needs to reboot. This happened twice before I figured out what was going on. Note that OS X very gracefully recovered, no fuss, no muss, just need to reboot. I am somewhat surprised, even so, to find that something like this can force a reboot in OS X. And I am seriously annoyed at Logitech's crappy documentation on this product, which is so unlike their normal quality. Note that this is a subjective interpretation of what is going on and not definitive.
The other new news - this afternoon I bought a full copy of Windows Vista Business. First, I installed the Parallel Desktop software I had previously purchased, told it to look for updates, updated it, created a virtual machine using the default settings for Vista, and installed Vista. This was amazingly easy! Everything without fail worked on the first try. I have used VMware Workstation in the past, with XP as the host OS and another (full, purchased) copy of XP in the virtual machine, as a means of backnig up my entire programming environment. I also used VMware with Linux in a virtual machine, to experiment with it. So I've had some experience with other virtual machine software. On a 3 Ghz XP machine with 1 GB ram and 160 GB disk, VMware was always a bit jerky and slow.
This Parallel Desktop is far and away better than VMware, at least on this machine and in this environment. You can run it in a window, or you can run it full screen; there's a nifty transition where the entire screen rotates as if it is on the surface of a cube - neat eye candy. I installed my favorite PIM into Vista, following the setup of the shared directory which is used for passing files back and forth between OS X and Vista. Switching between the OS's is intuitive. Speed is excellent - I haven't installed any really resource intensive tasks in Vista yet, but running Info Select (the aforementioned PIM), the performance hit from running Vista in a VM is undetectable. Amazing. Smooth mouse motion, and so far, everything I've tried works. I immediately had internet access in Vista via OS X and Airport. This is the first time I have used a virtual machine within which the performance is such that it will actually be NOT frustrating to use. The only shortcoming I see is that, so far at least, the Parallels Desktop does not appear to allow Vista to run the Aero interface, probably because of lack of hardware video accelleration in the virtual machine.
I am not yet ready to offer an opinion about Vista in depth, but with a couple of hours behind me, I feel a bit unimpressed. The interface is smoother, and a lot of stuff has been moved and rearranged. The wallpaper is prettier than in XP, for some reason. The security wizard (or whatever you call it) covers firewall and spyware detection, but I don't see any direct mention or advice regarding anti-virus software. I will have a better idea after I've used it for a few days.
Here's the synopsis so far. MacBook Pro is a marvelous piece of hardware, OS X is just mind-blowing marvelous after using XP since it came out, and Vista is pretty but does not seem (at first glance) to have anything on OS X. And now I have a laptop that I can theoretically run any piece of software that is either OS X or Vista compatible. Without being annoyed by performance issues. This is not trivial.
The saga continues...
-Pop
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