Closing the Windows, Biting an Apple - a switcher's confession

[bikinee]

Originally posted at http://bikinee.wordpress.com... Just thought I'd share...

a switchers confession​

I was a Windows-user for 8 years or so. I've created numerous websites and such using XP and earlier versions. But some time after, reality started to kick in and I realized, to hell with this! This is bull$#&* to say the least. Needless to expound, I switched!

But why Mac?

To be honest, I was drawn to Mac because of 1) the interface... it just looked so much better, classier [insert all synonyms here]. A few months before the switch, I got an iPod--which I just loved! That might have encouraged me a little more too. Why not Linux? Well, I just am not the programmer type--won't bother, plain and simple. And the others are just too "insignificant" at the time (Ubuntu...).

Sooo... finally, I got my Tiger powerbook. Although I was quite fumbling for the first 2 days, I got the hang of it quite easily. I didn't let go of my Windows desktop just yet--but Trojans every other week, the poor system, slooooow everything and the interface just made me sell it (yeah, someone actually bought it!).

Some troubles with Mac

I must admit... a whole lot of applications aren't available to Mac users. Nokia for instance is not developing softwares for mac. (Or is there?) Yahoo is undeniably giving its cold shoulder (Yahoo messenger...) Even Google! (Desktops...) Admittedly, I am still a heavy Microsoft Word user. Appleworks just won't do for me. Pages serve a different purpose. I'm in the process of totally abandoning Powerpoint. I'm learning Keynote day by day. Some years back, I was a heavy Frontpage editor user--but since I discovered Dreamweaver, hell Frontpage, never again! Thank God Flip4Mac is here coz I just wanna forget about Media Player (I don't really use media player files that much). MSN I don't use at all. Well, pretty much that's it.

On Vista

Ack. I get annoyed with this. Coming from Windows--switching to OS X, Vista is an oh-my-goodness rip off! I can't name 1 thing that is new in Vista that hasn't been in Mac for years. The look, transparency (Jaguar), even the icons (Aqua), sidebar (dashboard), etc. Heck, even the WMP have artwork! LOL! Oh and I must not forget... Expose! Tss... even if they copy the whole look and features of Mac, trojans and spyware and adware and worms and... oh god, I won't finish... will forever haunt the PC. Hah, I'm quite surprised they didn't put the menu bar on top by default and didn't transfer the close, min and max buttons to the left side. Haha! That would be hell-a-funny! Oh! Wow... no dock in Vista?!?! Noooooo... why Bill Gates? Why? Would it be *TOO* obvious?

What I Want to Improve

I cannot (Repeat: CANNOT) wait for Leopard! I just am soooo excited--I know Apple will have so many interesting things to add.

* Finder 100%
* Menu bar add-ons (so no 3rd party apps would be required)
* Apple theming
* iCal overhaul
* MAIL needs 200% improvement
* Safari's look
* Ability to put widgets to desktop (I don't like Amnesty.)
* Stickies must be improved

To sum it up...

Windows, never again. Now that I have experienced a Mac, I wonder everytime I go online why people are using windows. It's mind boggling! Maybe ignorance is really bliss.

Funny what you think you know when you don't know much...

 

[kevin.rivers]

...

Welcome to the pigheaded Mac club. Looks like you will fit right in.

 

[EricNau]

Google has done an excellent job of including Mac OS X. The only programs that aren't available for Mac are those that we don't need...

Google Desktop: why do we need this when we have spotlight and dashboard?

Picasa: We have iPhoto

Google Talk: iChat

etc. etc.

 

[benthewraith]

<snipped>

Um....Windows is going to integrate stuff into it's interface that is already in Mac because Mac developed it first.

That doesn't necessarily mean that Windows is blatantly copying Mac. It just means that the people at Windows now have ideas. It's adopted because of the availability of the platform. (Mac is limited to proprietary computers) whereas Windows isn't.

It's great that nobody makes viruses for Mac (that doesn't mean they won't. )

Being a user of both Windows and Mac, I don't have any hatred of Windows....I didn't really use anything that would give me a virus. (I mean, I don't download crap that would, and I don't use IE6. )

Yes, there are similarities, but that's to be expected. That doesn't mean that Windows is blatantly copying.

 

[MisterMe]

Welcome to the pigheaded Mac club. Looks like you will fit right in.

You have nothing better to say?

 

[aristobrat]

Google Desktop: why do we need this when we have spotlight and dashboard?

Thats what I was thinking too. My boss was looking over my shoulder the other day when I had my personal MacBook at work. I used Finder to find a XLS spreadsheet in no time flat. His comment was "Google Desktop WISHES it worked like that".

 

[bikinee]

Re:

Thats what I was thinking too. My boss was looking over my shoulder the other day when I had my personal MacBook at work. I used Finder to find a XLS spreadsheet in no time flat. His comment was "Google Desktop WISHES it worked like that".

hahaha! let's sing to the heavens windows will ever work like that... doubt it

 

[thegreatluke]

Um....Windows is going to integrate stuff into it's interface that is already in Mac because Mac developed it first.

That doesn't necessarily mean that Windows is blatantly copying Mac. It just means that the people at Windows now have ideas. It's adopted because of the availability of the platform. (Mac is limited to proprietary computers) whereas Windows isn't.

It's great that nobody makes viruses for Mac (that doesn't mean they won't. )

Being a user of both Windows and Mac, I don't have any hatred of Windows....I didn't really use anything that would give me a virus. (I mean, I don't download crap that would, and I don't use IE6. )

Yes, there are similarities, but that's to be expected. That doesn't mean that Windows is blatantly copying.

I imagine where you could get that, but two blatant ripoffs are:

• Dashboard/Sidebar
• Spotlight/Windows Search

The widgets/gadgets thing is obvious. Hell, they were even called "widgets" in Vista for a while until Microsoft changed the name!
And the instant search thing is the same. The LOGO IS EXACTLY THE SAME just flipped horizontally!

And now they're working on this "iLife-killer"/clone suite.

 

[benthewraith]

I imagine where you could get that, but two blatant ripoffs are:

• Dashboard/Sidebar
• Spotlight/Windows Search

The widgets/gadgets thing is obvious. Hell, they were even called "widgets" in Vista for a while until Microsoft changed the name!
And the instant search thing is the same. The LOGO IS EXACTLY THE SAME just flipped horizontally!

And now they're working on this "iLife-killer"/clone suite.

I agree with the Desktop search icon, but do you have a better idea for Microsoft? Gadgets....weren't they created before Mac OS X included them? Windows Media Player has been a competitor for iTunes (minus the music store which I strongly doubt anyone uses) for a long time....course iTunes is no comparison to WMP, itunes rocks.

It doesn't strike me as shocking they are trying to create their own ilife clone (Sooner or later though someone will create an open source iLife clone).

 

[bikinee]

I agree with the Desktop search icon, but do you have a better idea for Microsoft? Gadgets....weren't they created before Mac OS X included them? Windows Media Player has been a competitor for iTunes (minus the music store which I strongly doubt anyone uses) for a long time....course iTunes is no comparison to WMP, itunes rocks.

It doesn't strike me as shocking they are trying to create their own ilife clone (Sooner or later though someone will create an open source iLife clone).

even if they create microsoft ilife clone thing..it would never be at par. ilife just rocks! iphoto, itunes (heck, even iweb ) are just really necessities.. ical needs work though..