As a continuation of my Mac evaluation I’ve broken down each of my favourite Mac specific applications that I’ve come to love since the switch.
1. smcFanControl
The Mac gets pretty hot at times. By default the fan speed fluctuates depending on the temperature (I think), but often it won’t cool it down enough. smcFanControl app allows the user to create profiles set to particular fan speeds so that when it gets super hot you simply speed up the fan.
2. Exposé
There are a few things I feel really make the Mac stand out compared with other operating systems; the dock, Spaces, the ability to find and open applications and files/folders with such ease, install and uninstall applications with little effort - but to me the most appealing to new users is Exposé. It looks...
I still can’t believe that I use a Mac sometimes. Even after owning one for 6 months. I was something I never, ever, thought I would do. I Always hated Macs.
I’ll start off by saying that, yes, it has crashed a few times, the occasional Kernel Panic, the odd application crash etc. However, these are rare, and have in no way dampened my new computing experience.
My last few months with windows were not great; repeating hard drive failures, regular almost-data-loses, monthly reinstalls, generally slow running speed resulting in nothing getting done quickly.
I had considered myself a bit of an expert on Windows, and as such it did take me about 3-4 weeks to fully adjust to the Mac. Starting with registering and customising preferences. Finding the applications - and discovering...
So as you probably know, I recently made the transition from Windows to MacOSX. Having only used friends’ Macs, very infrequently and only first in late 2007, I managed to be convinced that ‘mac-is-best’ fairly quickly. Having used Windows for all these years (im going with since I was 8, so at least 14 years), there comes a time when you just get fed up with such a god-awful system.
For the last year and a half or so I have been desperately hoping for a system of reliability and simplicity to do the simple tasks that I need to do. Then problem after problem kept happening. Far too many scares; almost losing everything, not enough backups and too many complications with a terrible operating system.
Of course I did really enjoy being a Windows user before. In fact I...
The majority of my hardware concerns stem from the fact that it is a laptop - which is not the fault of Apple Inc. I have mostly disliked laptops in general for a few reasons, but now I find that having a laptop will prove much more beneficial.
The keyboards are difficult to get used to and near impossible to upgrade, at least that’s what I have always been lead to believe - correct me if I’m wrong.
Starting with the Keyboard:
a) So much less pressing of the keys is required than regular keyboards. This annoys me.
b) Buttons are in the wrong places.
c) No number pad on the right
Then there’s the differences in Mac and Win keyboards. So Command = Ctrl? and Option = Alt?
Why can’t they be in the same place as their windows equivalent? After at least (estimate) 15...
The next hurdle is part software part hardware - the ability to play all-region DVDs. Not completely necessary, but certainly a nice thing to have. Even if I have only done it once - The Bourne Supremacy which I bought in NYC in the Summer, but t hen I got the trilogy for Christmas.
It’s more the fact that if I wanted to play a DVD that wasn’t region 2 I could. It is a laptop after all, I may travel the world now, but I won’t be able to watch DVDs outside Europe when I do.
I currently use DVDXPlayer, a great multi-region media player, for Windows only. Why is it impossible to get around this problem with Macs?
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I don’t think I will find any other software compatibility problems:
Firefox - check
Photoshop - check
MSN...
The Macbook Pro has been dispatched. In a matter of days it will be mine! There are many things I am looking forward to, as well as many Windows habits I’m not looking forward to trying to kick. So lets see what these are:
Software
Of course I know that with my Mac I will be able to do everything I’m used to (and more?), only slightly differently. There will be certain things I will miss greatly though. The first is a nice little program called Winamp, which I have used for at least 8 years. I like everything about it; its simple layout, those sweet skins (having used the same ‘Flying Circles’ skin for many years), the plugins and its general functionality.
Most of all I will miss the ‘J’ and ‘Q’ functions - simply hit J on the keyboard...
The Macbook Pro has been dispatched. In a matter of days it will be mine! There are many things I am looking forward to, as well as many Windows habits I’m not looking forward to trying to kick. So lets see what these are:
Software
Of course I know that with my Mac I will be able to do everything I’m used to (and more?), only slightly differently. There will be certain things I will miss greatly though. The first is a nice little program called Winamp, which I have used for at least 8 years. I like everything about it; its simple layout, those sweet skins (having used the same ‘Flying Circles’ skin for many years), the plugins and its general functionality.
Most of all I will miss the ‘J’ and ‘Q’ functions - simply hit J on the keyboard...