Thinking of switching from Windows but I have some questions

[Mavek]

I've always been a Windows user but I'm thinking of finally making the switch to one of the new M1 Macs, but I had some questions first. While I know most apps I use such as Discord, Slack, Firefox, Lightroom, and Photoshop have Mac versions, I'm not so sure about some others.

1. Is there an app that allows the mouse cursor to wrap around the display. For example, you move the mouse all the way to the right edge, then it pops up on the left side, or you move it down to the bottom edge and it appears up at the top. I have been using an app for this on Windows for over a decade and not having that would really affect my workflow. I searched around and found a couple of apps that do this on Mac, one called Wraparound for Mac and the other is called Warp Mouse, but they are both really old and have mixed reviews. I have no idea if they would work on the current macOS.

2. I don't do much PC gaming, but I do play Overcooked 2 on Steam with my friend. I know game support is very limited for the M1 Macs at this time. Does anyone know if the version of Overcooked 2 I bought on Steam for my Windows laptop will work on an M1 Mac? The Windows and Apple logos are both visible on the Steam page for the game. I just wasn't sure if that meant I could play it on both platforms and if anyone had tried to see if it was compatible with the M1 Macs yet.

3. Does anyone know if there are any good NZB readers for Macs? Bonus points if they are free.

4. I have a Windows desktop with an external drive that I share on my network for backing up files or accessing them. Do Macs have any issues with accessing shared drives or folders on Windows?

5. Are there any good apps for encrypting and password protecting a folder?

Thanks in advance for the help guys.

 

[ArPe]

5. Are there any good apps for encrypting and password protecting a folder?

Thanks in advance for the help guys.

will let others answer the other questions, to password protect a folder is the same as on Windows. Use the disk management utility to create a password protected encrypted rewritable disk image.

 

[casperes1996]

I will only address what I know about, so for the unanswered questions I hope someone else can join the discussion:

2. I don't do much PC gaming, but I do play Overcooked 2 on Steam with my friend. I know game support is very limited for the M1 Macs at this time. Does anyone know if the version of Overcooked 2 I bought on Steam for my Windows laptop will work on an M1 Mac? The Windows and Apple logos are both visible on the Steam page for the game. I just wasn't sure if that meant I could play it on both platforms and if anyone had tried to see if it was compatible with the M1 Macs yet.

If the Apple logo and Windows logo are both visible it means that one purchase will work on both platforms. If you go to the game's store page you just need to make sure there isn't a message saying it doesn't work on Catalina or newer - This message will show for 32-bit games. As long as that message is not there, and thus the game is 64-bit; Your existing purchase will install and run on the M1 just fine, even if through Rosetta - This is a rule of thumb and rare exceptions may occur. While gaming is limited relative to Windows, there's still a lot of games that work perfectly well

4. I have a Windows desktop with an external drive that I share on my network for backing up files or accessing them. Do Macs have any issues with accessing shared drives or folders on Windows?

Depends a little bit on the setup but in general, no. Apple knows Windows has dominant market share and has put in the effort to make the Mac a good citizen in a Windows world, so it'll read SMB shares (Windows shares) just fine

5. Are there any good apps for encrypting and password protecting a folder?

You don't even need an app! The OS itself has you covered there! - But the open source LibreSSL package is installed on macOS by default as well allowing you to do basically anything encryption wise

 

[The_Interloper]

What is making you consider the switch from PC to Mac? Not judging, just curious. You seem to have a pretty specific workflow on Windows and I wonder whether jumping to the Mac may actually be the right move.

As a user of both platforms, the Mac is a very distant second when it comes to gaming. I know you mentioned you don't do much PC gaming, but it's a consideration still. Most Mac users I know have a PlayStation or Xbox to satisfy their gaming needs.

 

[Mavek]

What is making you consider the switch from PC to Mac? Not judging, just curious. You seem to have a pretty specific workflow on Windows and I wonder whether jumping to the Mac may actually be the right move.

As a user of both platforms, the Mac is a very distant second when it comes to gaming. I know you mentioned you don't do much PC gaming, but it's a consideration still. Most Mac users I know have a PlayStation or Xbox to satisfy their gaming needs.

Good question, I've wanted to try a Mac for many years now, but I've never been able to afford it. This year I'm looking to upgrade my laptop and I finally have enough money to justify splurging on one. I've never quite been happy with Windows and I'd really like to see if the grass is greener on the other side. At the same time, I don't want to give up anything that I've been able to do with my Windows machines.

Which is why I came here to find out if I'd be able to do some of these specific things I do with my Windows laptop. As for gaming, I have a console to scratch my gaming itch, but my friend only has a PC and that's the only PC game I play so we can play it together.

I've also been super intrigued by the M1 chips and how well they seem to perform paired with the fantastic battery life. Especially if it can do it quietly, because I am so sick of hearing my fan hum while all I'm doing is chatting and browsing a few tabs.

 

[Mavek]

I will only address what I know about, so for the unanswered questions I hope someone else can join the discussion:



If the Apple logo and Windows logo are both visible it means that one purchase will work on both platforms. If you go to the game's store page you just need to make sure there isn't a message saying it doesn't work on Catalina or newer - This message will show for 32-bit games. As long as that message is not there, and thus the game is 64-bit; Your existing purchase will install and run on the M1 just fine, even if through Rosetta - This is a rule of thumb and rare exceptions may occur. While gaming is limited relative to Windows, there's still a lot of games that work perfectly well


Depends a little bit on the setup but in general, no. Apple knows Windows has dominant market share and has put in the effort to make the Mac a good citizen in a Windows world, so it'll read SMB shares (Windows shares) just fine

You don't even need an app! The OS itself has you covered there! - But the open source LibreSSL package is installed on macOS by default as well allowing you to do basically anything encryption wise

Thanks, I'm so used to having to buy games for each individual platform that it was hard for me to believe I'd just be able to install Steam on a Mac and play. I also wasn't sure about compatibility. I've seen some people test different games out in YouTube videos but none have tested Overcooked 2 specifically, so I wasn't sure if it was compatible or not.

Good to know that I can access all my files over the network and encrypt folders on the local machine. I have so much to learn if I get a Mac, but that's part of the fun.

 

[Ledgem]

Good question, I've wanted to try a Mac for many years now, but I've never been able to afford it. This year I'm looking to upgrade my laptop and I finally have enough money to justify splurging on one. I've never quite been happy with Windows and I'd really like to see if the grass is greener on the other side. At the same time, I don't want to give up anything that I've been able to do with my Windows machines.

I'd recommend dipping your toes in with an Intel-based Mac. Hear me out: a bit over ten years ago I was gifted a nice Mac, but I was a decade-long Windows user who was toying with Linux as the alternate OS of choice. macOS (then Mac OS X) was totally unappealing. To make a long story short, I purchased virtualization software, virtualized Windows, installed all of my Windows programs, and then began to use the computer. I probably spent 90% of my time in the virtualized Windows during my first week of usage, but by the end of the first month, I wasn't virtualizing much. Being able to virtualize Windows allowed me to use my computer to get things done with the methods and programs that I was familiar with when I really needed to, and let me experiment on the Mac side when I had the time. It was a low-stress way to learn the Mac side of things, and I can't recommend it more highly to anyone coming from Windows.

The problem is that the M1-based Macs currently can't virtualize Windows. Eventually they probably will be able to run the ARM version of Windows, which will be able to emulate x86 programs (what the overwhelming majority of Windows users are using now, and have in the past). But as of now, you're stuck jumping in with both feet at once.

As for whether the grass is greener... I think it is. I still regard Windows XP and Windows 7 as decent operating systems. I use Windows 10 at work, and occasionally virtualize it at home, and it seems to me to be an absolute mess. Settings for the computer are no longer all grouped nicely into one area! Blue screen of death issues still occur, only now they have an unprofessional emoticon to accompany them. Apple's mantra of "it just works" was always a bit of an oversimplification, but compared with Windows, it really feels true.

 

[James_C]

I'd recommend dipping your toes in with an Intel-based Mac.

I understand where you are coming from, in that it is possible to Run boot camp and Windows natively on your Mac. Trouble is Apple is switching to Arm, and the M1 Macs are revolutionary it terms of performance with energy usage. My MBA is completely silent, has all day+ battery life, and runs 100% faster than my 2016 tricked out MBP that it replaced.

I just started a new Job, and using my MBA, there is one Application that they use (sage 200) that only runs under Windows. I have successfully installed Windows on Arm under Parallels and got Sage 200 ( running under Windows Intel emulation ) running fine ( Not that I need to use it much). WoA is just technical evaluation at the moment, but I have registered with a Full Windows 10 Pro License, and so far is working well.

Unless you have specific requirements I would not recommend buying an Intel Mac now as you will only get support for new Mac OS releases for only a few more years.

 

[casperes1996]

Good to know that I can access all my files over the network and encrypt folders on the local machine. I have so much to learn if I get a Mac, but that's part of the fun.

Yeah; The platforms can be very different, so my best advice is to keep an open mind, and not always think "How can I make this do what I'm used to on Windows", but instead "What better way might exist to do this on here?" - Sometimes it's fine to just adapt a workflow to what you're used to, but other times you might find even better solutions by thinking outside of what you're used to. - And feel free to ask if any questions arise once you get started

 

[CMMChris]

The problem is that the M1-based Macs currently can't virtualize Windows.

Don't know where you are getting your information from, but you actually CAN virtualize Windows 10 ARM right now using the Parallels Desktop 16 Technical Preview. And it works surprisingly well: https://www.youtube.com/c/andytizer/videos

 

[ksloth]

Good question, I've wanted to try a Mac for many years now, but I've never been able to afford it. This year I'm looking to upgrade my laptop and I finally have enough money to justify splurging on one. I've never quite been happy with Windows and I'd really like to see if the grass is greener on the other side. At the same time, I don't want to give up anything that I've been able to do with my Windows machines.

Which is why I came here to find out if I'd be able to do some of these specific things I do with my Windows laptop. As for gaming, I have a console to scratch my gaming itch, but my friend only has a PC and that's the only PC game I play so we can play it together.

I've also been super intrigued by the M1 chips and how well they seem to perform paired with the fantastic battery life. Especially if it can do it quietly, because I am so sick of hearing my fan hum while all I'm doing is chatting and browsing a few tabs.

I rarely if ever hear the fan come on with my 13" M1 MacBook Pro, and when it does come on it is almost completely silent. For gaming, a large portion of my Mac Steam games work fine... some even work extremely well. For example, Divinity Original Sin 2 looks amazing and runs at a much higher frame rate than I would ever have expected.

I work with both Mac and PC for my job, and I find working with the MacBook very enjoyable. I would say go for it.

 

[flopticalcube]

From what I can see on Steam, Overcooked 2 runs natively on Intel Macs under macOS 10.12 or higher so should run under Rosetta 2 on the M1. It appears to work fine with 10.15 on Intel Macs.

 

[pshufd]

On question 4:

I have a Windows build that I did last fall and it's the home NAS device. I can mount a share from macOS. I can also access media files from iPhone, Ipad and other Windows systems as well.

 

[theSeb]

Some people have already answered point 5, but I am curious about your requirements and why you want to do this. If it's concern about others that have access to your computer but should not be able to view your files you should just set up multiple users without admin rights. This way everyone has their home directory and files and own logins. People cannot view each others' files.

 

[Ledgem]

I understand where you are coming from, in that it is possible to Run boot camp and Windows natively on your Mac. Trouble is Apple is switching to Arm, and the M1 Macs are revolutionary it terms of performance with energy usage. My MBA is completely silent, has all day+ battery life, and runs 100% faster than my 2016 tricked out MBP that it replaced.

Better hardware means nothing if you don't have the software to run it. You and I are already Mac users who dabble in Windows from time to time. Our workflows are established, and we have found alternative software on the Mac compared with what we were using on Windows.

I never really took to Linux because I dual-booted and would spend a few minutes, get stuck, run out of time, and have to boot back into Windows, ending my experimentation until I had a bit more time a few days later. As I said, I switched over to the Mac pretty easily because I could literally flick between applications to experiment and get work done. It helps that macOS is a lot more user-friendly than Linux, but when I first started it all felt quite alien. If I didn't have VMWare (or Parallels - can't remember which I started with) back then, I might have just run Bootcamp for months or more and used my MacBook Pro as a fancy Windows laptop, upgrading to another PC when it was time for an upgrade.

Intel Macs today still have a lot of life left in them, and until every Mac is running the ARM chipsets you can bet there'll still be at least a few years of support left for the Intel systems. In particular, there is no way Apple would abandon their pro users with the newly updated Mac Pros, and I'd be surprised if that system switches over to Apple's hardware within two years. For Mac users, getting the M1 or waiting for another ARM-based system makes sense. For a Windows user wondering if it might be worthwhile, the Intel systems are fine contenders that offer a kinder bridge over than the ARM systems currently do.

Don't know where you are getting your information from, but you actually CAN virtualize Windows 10 ARM right now using the Parallels Desktop 16 Technical Preview. And it works surprisingly well: https://www.youtube.com/c/andytizer/videos

I don't really see where the conflict is - you read the rest of what I wrote. Recommending that someone use a technical preview to run an OS that uses an emulation layer to run the application they need for potentially mission-critical applications is a pretty... bold recommendation. It'll get there and it may be close, but it is far from a route I'd recommend someone take if they want to just see if Macs are right for them while also being able to use their computer to get jobs done.

 

[Leon1das]

On topic 5 - I was looking for on-the-fly encryption options like VeraCrypt which I know from Windows and it does work on Mac with adding MacFuse..

But then I discovered that in Mac you just open Disk Utility and create new encrypted volume, assign size, assign password add thats it.

It has dmg extension.
You open it just by double-click, you enter password and it gets mounted as a drive...Once you finish, you just right-click and unmount/eject.

Its amazingly intuitive and easy - and you dont have this with Windows