Thoughts of a Switcher- 5 days of iMac ownership

[gwerhart0800]

I always got that thing in XP where my IE window would open in different sizes for some dumb reason. Sometimes super small. It was annoying. Anyway yeah if you're using the menus alot then memorizing keyboard shortcuts is the way to go no matter what.

I had assigned Expose to my right mouse button and life is way easier. I had found that Xcode and Interface Builder windows kept hiding each other and it was annoying to have to "Bring All to Front" to find what I was looking for. I just purchased a Mac keyboard ... I will see if that makes things easier.

Eh you won't miss it soon enough. And the Dock is for apps that you use. I think most users get rid of icons they don't use much. I thought the Dock gave me better access to apps than the Start menu ever did. I found myself using Address Book in OS/X just because it was in front of my face. Also hold a left click over an icon on the Dock (or right click) to get a few options for that app.

Since the Mac is currently a software development system only, I have not tried much outside of what I need to write code. As I mentioned before, I will probably switch my "recreational" system from a Dell to a Mac at the next turn of the hardware for the Mini.

Well OS/X has context sensitive menus. You have to enable the right click in System Preferences under Keyboard/Mouse. And btw, you can skip bkwd/fwd multiple pages in Safari. Left click (and hold) over the bkwd/fwd arrows to see the list. Clicking the orange return arrow in the address bar brings you back to the "root" page of the website you're on.

Thanks for the tip on the page skipping in Safari ... it did not occur to me to "hold" on that button. I will point out that the other browsers (FireFox and IE) have a visual cue for that. I also did not know about the orange return arrow method. That is helpful. (Now I need to see if the Safari on the iPhone has such features.) Unfortunately, I don't see anything in the Keyboard/Mouse setting for context sensitive menus. Last night, I bought a Mac keyboard, so I now have a dedicated (and graphically marked) key for Expose and the right mouse button is available. I can see that right clicking on the dock shows the menu. That will be helpful.

Well you upgrade differently with Apple. You sell your old computer and then buy a new one. That's how I upgraded my old iMac. Macs have a good resale value.

Hum ... I currently have 1 Windows laptop,1 Windows Desktop, and one Linux desktop on my desk in my home office at the moment connected to a common keyboard/montor/mouse via a KVM. I have the Laptop (in a dock), a 22" LCD, a 19" LCD, one keyboard, one mouse and one set of speakers on my desktop and it is full. I prefer to limit the number of keyboard/mouse combos, so I use KVM switches. I swap systems in and out depending on what I am working on at the moment. I can't see the appeal of an all-in-one iMac in that situation. On the other hand, the Mac Pro is serious overkill for my usage. I would like to see a Mac Semi-Pro that allows for some additional in-skin storage but it does not need to be a computing power house.

The Mac Mini currently sits on the "typing return" desk and has its own 22" LCD, keyboard, mouse and speaker set. If/When I get a second Mac, I intent to get another KVM and share the keyboard/mouse/speakers.

I am not dissing the Mac ... I figure I will need another month of frequent use to get fully acclimated.

 

[CWallace]

I'm a switcher about five months in (I've owned Macs for years, but never as my daily machine) and I am very, very pleased. I still despise iPhoto with a passion, but fortunately even though it's an ancient and orphan build, ACDSee (which was my photo manager of choice under Windows) is available for the Mac so it fill the role I need.

This Christmas I'll swap my Al iMac out for a new Mac Pro because I do not foresee ever going back to Windows full-time (and Parallels and Boot Camp are more then fine for the times I do need to be in Windows).

 

[trip1ex]

I had assigned Expose to my right mouse button and life is way easier. I had found that Xcode and Interface Builder windows kept hiding each other and it was annoying to have to "Bring All to Front" to find what I was looking for. I just purchased a Mac keyboard ... I will see if that makes things easier.

Well for expose what I did was use the screen corner to activate it. I mouse to the top left corner to bring up all the windows. Everyone is different of course, but I found that it works great. I mouse to the upper right corner to show the desktop.

Right click for expose doesn't sound bad at all, but then you can't right click for context sensitive menus. On the Mighty Mouse I think Expose it the 5th button by default.

Thanks for the tip on the page skipping in Safari ... it did not occur to me to "hold" on that button. I will point out that the other browsers (FireFox and IE) have a visual cue for that. I also did not know about the orange return arrow method. That is helpful. (Now I need to see if the Safari on the iPhone has such features.) Unfortunately, I don't see anything in the Keyboard/Mouse setting for context sensitive menus. Last night, I bought a Mac keyboard, so I now have a dedicated (and graphically marked) key for Expose and the right mouse button is available. I can see that right clicking on the dock shows the menu. That will be helpful.

I had an iPhone and I don't think Safari had those features. I could be wrong plus it's been awhile. Yeah Apple is about streamlining the interface so, for another example, they don't put both a stop and refresh button on the interface. There's one button that does both. I guess I took to this like a duck to water.

Well by context sensitive menus I mean right clicking. If you already have that setup then you're good to go.

Hum ... I currently have 1 Windows laptop,1 Windows Desktop, and one Linux desktop on my desk in my home office at the moment connected to a common keyboard/montor/mouse via a KVM. I have the Laptop (in a dock), a 22" LCD, a 19" LCD, one keyboard, one mouse and one set of speakers on my desktop and it is full. I prefer to limit the number of keyboard/mouse combos, so I use KVM switches. I swap systems in and out depending on what I am working on at the moment. I can't see the appeal of an all-in-one iMac in that situation. On the other hand, the Mac Pro is serious overkill for my usage. I would like to see a Mac Semi-Pro that allows for some additional in-skin storage but it does not need to be a computing power house.

The Mac Mini currently sits on the "typing return" desk and has its own 22" LCD, keyboard, mouse and speaker set. If/When I get a second Mac, I intent to get another KVM and share the keyboard/mouse/speakers.

Yeah an iMac doesn't make sense if you want to use 3 or 4 computers with a KVM switch.

I don't think Apple will make a semi-pro model though. I don't think they want to become just another pc box maker. It doesn't separate them from the competition as well as doing products like the iMac or Mac Mini or MBA or MP or MBP even. I mean really the only computer Apple makes that the competition has a close substitute for is the MB. The other products are much more unique to Apple.

Also I think the other part of that equation is by not letting customers upgrade vid cards and what not you don't get the hassles (crashes) from various drivers. Apple would have to let 3rd parties write them to support Windows-like upgrading. If they control everything then there is more stability. Plus there's something to be said for talking to one entity (Apple) when you have problems.

Anyway with the Mini you can add external storage (you can get external storage that matches the Mini form factor even) and I believe it's fairly easy to open it up and add your own memory and hard drive. Search the internets for guides. You need a flat metal paint spatula (or whatever they are called.)

Then when the Mini gets long in the tooth you sell it and buy a new one. That's the Apple upgrade approach. The only drawback to the Mini really for me would be the lack of dedicated graphics.

 

[MacHappytjg]

StuffIt Expander? Is that not a wise move then?

I'd read good reviews and the free version works with every archive format I've come across?

What do you use?

jus use stuffit it comes with the software and does the job

 

[gwerhart0800]

Anyway with the Mini you can add external storage (you can get external storage that matches the Mini form factor even) and I believe it's fairly easy to open it up and add your own memory and hard drive. Search the internets for guides. You need a flat metal paint spatula (or whatever they are called.)

Then when the Mini gets long in the tooth you sell it and buy a new one. That's the Apple upgrade approach. The only drawback to the Mini really for me would be the lack of dedicated graphics.

I am kind of hoping that the next turn of the Mini puts an eSata port on it. That would really help. I use eSata drives on my "recreational" desktop system. It has all of my Movies for Apple TV (via iTunes). I would prefer the higher transfer rate of eSata over an exteral USB drive. I did the memory upgrade within a few days of getting the Mini when I saw that swap was being used when I was compiling projects. I will probably upgrade the internal drive at some point, but for my current iPhone Dev box, 80GB is fine. Whatever I end up getting as the "recreational" system will need more drive space. I am not a gamer, so the lack of a dedicated graphics chip set does not seem to factor into it for me. The Mini seems to have no issue pushing 1650x1040 on the 22" display. I have come to realize that with a 22" display, I don't feel the need for multiple displays ... plus, they really suck down the desk space!

Thanks again for highlighting the shortcuts for Safari and OS X.

Cheers,
Geo

 

[Darkroom]

StuffIt Expander? Is that not a wise move then?

I'd read good reviews and the free version works with every archive format I've come across?

What do you use?

do NOT use StuffIt... it messes with system files and can really slow down your computer... it's awful... i will recommend you use a free application called The Unarchiver: http://wakaba.c3.cx/s/apps/unarchiver.html - it's so much better than StuffIt

 

[Eric5h5]

1) I purchased a 22" display to use with the Mac Mini and I am reusing a Dell keyboard and Mouse. I find that I end up "traversing" to the top of the screen to get to the menu bar to do things for applications/windows that are toward the bottom of the screen.

It's actually faster that way, unless your mouse speed is set really low. The physical distance is greater, but the time is less, since the top of the screen is an infinitely large target, as opposed to trying to hit the relatively small target of a menu bar. Look up Fitt's Law.

I wish the tabbing were more natural.

Middle click = open in new tab. You don't even have to set anything up; it's this way by default. Couldn't be any more natural.

--Eric

 

[CWallace]

I am kind of hoping that the next turn of the Mini puts an eSata port on it.

Since the Mac Pro does not have it standard, I cannot see the Mac Mini getting one.

 

[John.B]

Right click for expose doesn't sound bad at all, but then you can't right click for context sensitive menus. On the Mighty Mouse I think Expose it the 5th button by default.

The default for Expose with the Mighty Mouse is to click both side buttons simultaneously.

Its way easier than it sounds.

 

[VoodooDaddy]

do NOT use StuffIt... it messes with system files and can really slow down your computer... it's awful... i will recommend you use a free application called The Unarchiver: http://wakaba.c3.cx/s/apps/unarchiver.html - it's so much better than StuffIt

Ive used Stuffit since I first started using Mac with no issues whatsoever, certainly no "slowdowns"

 

[Foxile]

I'm a recent Mac convert myself. I started out small, with a Mini and after a couple of months of ownership, I knew I had to take the plunge and buy an iMac ( tax-free purchases helped seal the deal ).

The best thing for me, was the Migration Assistant. Connect the two Macs together with a firewire cable and EVERYTHING was copied across. It's a perfect example of how well written Leopard is

 

[IgnatiusTheKing]

I just use OS X's built-in Archive function. Why would I need Stuffit?

As for tabs, just use the keyboard shortcut "command+T" to open a new tab and "shift+command+arrow key (right or left)" to shuttle through open tabs.

Note that the "shuttle" shortcut only works if no field is selected.

 

[iFizz]

Monday morning was A-Day. Went to the Trafford Centre in Manchester and bought the entry-level iMac from a guy named Greg who looked like he had a really bad hangover.

Always a nice start...

The Mighty Mouse. The jury's out for now but I'm none to keen on it. It's still early days though.

Yeah, if you don't like it to begin with you are never going to like it. Save yourself the carpal tunnel and get a Logitech.

iPhoto. Hmmm, not actually sure I would have any use for this. It may prove it's worth for now, but at the moment I'm unconvinced I can get any use from it.

It's one of the most under-rated apps in iLife. I use it a lot. Give it time...

The keyboard. I just look for excuses to type stuff on this. It's outstanding and looks beautiful.

Now if only they can fix the mouse...

Speed- for the cheap, entry-level iMac it's great. I can multi-task like a freak and it's fine. I still plan to upgrade to 4GB RAM soon though.

Don't buy Apple RAM for your upgrade...too expensive.

Overall I'm delighted I've switched. All that remains to be seen is how the Terratec satellite TV Tuner fares and I'll be saving for a Mini to replace my HTPC.

Yes, save for the updated Mini that is expected in the next few weeks!

I'm a delighted Mac owner now and loving OS X more every day. And I've not even had it a week yet!!!

Awww....I remember those first few euphoric days, so long ago...
P.S. - Great signature!

 

[iFizz]

do NOT use StuffIt... it messes with system files and can really slow down your computer... it's awful... i will recommend you use a free application called The Unarchiver: http://wakaba.c3.cx/s/apps/unarchiver.html - it's so much better than StuffIt

Do you have anything (reviews, links, research, etc) to support this?

 

[chrono1081]

Im on my third day here and I dont know how I lived without this thing! I am easily 392840830284823402% more productive (that number is scientifically accruate) then I ever was with a windows machine. I was up and coding in minutes, I have circus ponies notebook for anything I need to keep track of (GREAT program!) and ill stop here cause ill blab forever but I love it too. My buyers remorse flew out the window.

I had to put windows on mine as I need to write some programs in visual studio (I use netbeans on my mac partition) and it runs windows faster then my windows machines! Its awesome I love it.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

I purchased a mac in 1985 when my wife was in grad school. When it was on its last legs, I switched to PCs because of the expandability and the lower cost. I recently purchased a Mac Mini for iPhone development, so after 20+ years I am back.

Good ...

1) I have been a Unix hacker since 1982 ... I like the command line access via Terminal and the bash shell. In general, Mac OS X, at its core, is what I want for an OS. I primarily use shades of Linux for work, but the UI just doesn't come together yet. I have avoided Vista because ... let's face it ... it sucks.
2) Hardware wise, I have two noisy Dell desktops in my home office ... the Mac Mini is quiet.
3) No crapware ... I once purchased a laptop from HP for my wife and ended up nuking and reloading the OS because they had installed tons of crapware programs on the system by default. (A recent story had Sony offering a crapware free laptop for an extra $50 ... later they stated that it would be a free option.)


Not-So-Good ...

1) I purchased a 22" display to use with the Mac Mini and I am reusing a Dell keyboard and Mouse. I find that I end up "traversing" to the top of the screen to get to the menu bar to do things for applications/windows that are toward the bottom of the screen. The extensive "mousing around" is a time waster. I am learning keyboard short cuts, but using a non-Mac keyboard forces some finger gymnastics for some of them. (I am slowly feeling the need to get a Mac keyboard ... slowly ...) There is something to be said for the multiple document type interface with the menu attached to the parent window.
2) I actually miss the start menu ... I am recasting my "dock" so that it has the things I actually use and discarding the stuff that I will not need.
3) The Xcode development environment is not as advanced as I had hoped. (I am hoping that some of this is just the issues with the very beta iPhone SDK.) I am used to having auto-completion for class member/instances names when I type a "." after an object name. There maybe a way to do this that I have not yet discovered, but it is a serious time saver when writing code. (It also helps eliminate some typos.) Interface Build for the iPhone needs some work ... yes, it's a beta, but I think it should have cooked a bit longer.
4) Safari really needs a way to skip backward/forward by multiple pages when browsing. Both FireFox and IE have this ... I find it quite useful. I wish the tabbing were more natural. (Yes, I miss the right-click short cuts of Windows.)
5) No "paint" with the base OS. I needed to make some PNG icons and had to scrounge for a basic, free paint program. What happened to MacPaint and MacWrite???? (Yes ... I am an old-timer!)

My general feeling is that when they turn the Mac Mini hardware again, I will get a newer version and give my kids the noisiest of the Dell towers. The allure of having a true Unix type OS under the UI is extremely appealing. Linux still fails in so many ways to provide a coherent user experience that permeates the OS, apps and utilities. Setting up networking and specifically wireless networking under Linux (Ubuntu or Fedora) takes all the fun out of life. I do wish there were a simple way to convert a MS Frontpage project to an iWeb project ... that one is going to take some time.

I do think that Apple is really missing a mid-size headless system in their lineup. The mini is great, but sometimes you want a little but more and the Mac Pro is a giant leap. I really don't understand the "all-in-one" iMac appeal with the rate of change in underlying hardware. I own several LCD monitors that will outlast the systems they are attached to and go on to serve me for a long time ... just my preference ...

Geo

good post,I enjoyed it

 

[trip1ex]

I am kind of hoping that the next turn of the Mini puts an eSata port on it. That would really help. I use eSata drives on my "recreational" desktop system. It has all of my Movies for Apple TV (via iTunes). I would prefer the higher transfer rate of eSata over an exteral USB drive. I did the memory upgrade within a few days of getting the Mini when I saw that swap was being used when I was compiling projects. I will probably upgrade the internal drive at some point, but for my current iPhone Dev box, 80GB is fine. Whatever I end up getting as the "recreational" system will need more drive space. I am not a gamer, so the lack of a dedicated graphics chip set does not seem to factor into it for me. The Mini seems to have no issue pushing 1650x1040 on the 22" display. I have come to realize that with a 22" display, I don't feel the need for multiple displays ... plus, they really suck down the desk space!

Thanks again for highlighting the shortcuts for Safari and OS X.

Cheers,
Geo

Well I found out that the Mac world is all about the Firewire. And so I have my doubts about seeing eSata in there, but one never knows I suppose. I think Apple is about the Firewire because they've always catered to the high-end video profressional market.

Oh and I chuckled just now because I saw you're in Loveland. I'm in Northglenn. Not too far from where you are. Good luck on your Mac adventures.

 

[trip1ex]

The default for Expose with the Mighty Mouse is to click both side buttons simultaneously.

Its way easier than it sounds.

Yeah that's what I was calling the 5th button. It's actually the 4th button though. There is no 5th button. Oh and well technically you don't have to click both sides simultaneously. One side will do because either side represents the same button.

 

[Phil Lee]

I got my 24" 2.4GHz iMac 3 weeks ago. I'd spent some time in the Trafford Centre Apple Store deciding whether I wanted a desktop or laptop to replace my ageing PC. In the end I plumped for the 24" iMac because the extra screen space is ideal for Lightroom, my main app. When I saw the Apple website were selling refurb models for £200 off I gave my credit card details over.

I upgraded mine to 4Gb of RAM which I got from Crucial. It cost around £60. I only ran mine with 1Gb during the initial OS updates. Once those finished I switched the iMac off, got my screw driver out and 5 minutes later had an upgraded iMac. I'd definitely recommend doing it, especially if you decide you need to run Windows apps.

I needed to so installed XP using Bootcamp first then a second installation using VMware Fusion. I mainly use Fusion for Outlook which I need to access my Exchange email. I also use it for running some specialist engineering software developed by the company I work for. I've booted into Windows a couple of times, mainly to use my scanner which isn't supported in OS X. Even though I installed Office Enterprise (which my wife got cheap through work) I've decided to use iWork. I've been very impressed with Pages so far. I also bought a 500Gb Time Capsule to act as a print server, external backup and general dumping ground for the iMac and a couple of PC laptops. Finally on the hardware front I upgraded my Pantone Huey to a Huey Pro to get improved monitor calibration for photo editing.

On the extra software front I've bought A Better Finder Rename and A Better Finder Attributes to help in renaming large batches of photos and videos. I've also bought Super Duper to create a bootable backup disk. I've licensed Steer Mouse as well. I had problems with the Mighty Mouse. I hated the fact I didn't have a back button on the mouse when browsing the net. Steer Mouse allows you to define mouse button functions on a per app basis which is great. I've set up Spaces so it activates when my mouse pointer goes to the bottom corners of the screen and Expose when I go to the top corners.

After 3 weeks I'm extremely happy with the switch. I have the best of both worlds now, I can run OS X most of the time but if I have to, I have a fully functioning PC which is a lot faster than my old one.

 

[gwerhart0800]

It's actually faster that way, unless your mouse speed is set really low. The physical distance is greater, but the time is less, since the top of the screen is an infinitely large target, as opposed to trying to hit the relatively small target of a menu bar. Look up Fitt's Law.

Hum, perhaps there is a "patent" idea in automatically setting the mouse tracking speed proportional to the size of the display. (Might be useful when using multiple displays of different sizes/pixel densities.) I will play with the tracking speed and see if that changes my opinion about the amount of effort expended in "mousing around".

Middle click = open in new tab. You don't even have to set anything up; it's this way by default. Couldn't be any more natural. --Eric

Thanks for the tip! From the tips on this forum, I think I now have all of the shortcuts I am used to mapped to functions in Safari. Curiously, the "tabs" dialog under preferences does not discuss this behavior or allow one to change it.

BTW, natural to me is that the majority of people when confronted with the need to perform a specific task would choose to do it the same way. In this case, I don't know that I have seen enough to claim that using a middle button click to open a tab is natural. The Terminal application uses the middle button for a "paste the highlighted selection" operation.

Cheers,
Geo

 

[gwerhart0800]

Well I found out that the Mac world is all about the Firewire. And so I have my doubts about seeing eSata in there, but one never knows I suppose. I think Apple is about the Firewire because they've always catered to the high-end video profressional market.

Fireware 400 or 800 can't hold a candle to the data transfer rates of eSata @ 3Gbs. I don't see FW3200 gaining traction against SATA3 for storage devices. I don't think the market has momentum behind FW. For the Mini the SATA controller is free because it is build into the chip set, so an eSata port is only a matter of some plumbing and some real estate on the case. Support for FW3200 would require external silicon ... but who knows the mind of Apple aside from Steve J ...

Oh and I chuckled just now because I saw you're in Loveland. I'm in Northglenn. Not too far from where you are. Good luck on your Mac adventures.

I work from home 3-4 days a week, but I have an office on 120th in Westminster ... the building with the giant glass, slanted, concave satellite disk looking structure on it ...

 

[IgnatiusTheKing]

Fireware 400 or 800 can't hold a candle to the data transfer rates of eSata @ 3Gbs. I don't see FW3200 gaining traction against SATA3 for storage devices. I don't think the market has momentum behind FW. For the Mini the SATA controller is free because it is build into the chip set, so an eSata port is only a matter of some plumbing and some real estate on the case. Support for FW3200 would require external silicon ... but who knows the mind of Apple aside from Steve J ...

Didn't Apple "invent" Firewire, or at least jump-start its invention?

 

[trip1ex]

Fireware 400 or 800 can't hold a candle to the data transfer rates of eSata @ 3Gbs. I don't see FW3200 gaining traction against SATA3 for storage devices. I don't think the market has momentum behind FW. For the Mini the SATA controller is free because it is build into the chip set, so an eSata port is only a matter of some plumbing and some real estate on the case. Support for FW3200 would require external silicon ... but who knows the mind of Apple aside from Steve J ...

Yeah I agree as far as the pc market goes. Firewire 3200 won't make inroads there. The Mac market is different. For example, Firewire was prevalent on Macs even though it was much much less popular than USB on pcs.

Whether it makes inroads on Macs depends (I guessing here) on the needs of video professionals and other pros. Does eSata rely on the cpu like USB does? Is it capable of real-time transfers like Firewire? I'm not up on that, but those questions need to be answered no and yes to start with.

A strike against eSata is that I think Firewire 3200 would be backward compatible (Firewire 800 is with FW400 with a cheap adapter) and thus that's where the video pros might go to. Plus with many Mac consumers owning Firewire devices (camcorders and what not) it probably makes more sense to support those. And adding an extra port, like you said, takes up real estate that may not be there. Macs also boot off Firewire devices and use the port to do data transfers between Macs. It's pretty ingrained.

Also with USB 3.0 coming down the pipe I'm not sure eSata will have much of a chance on Macs.

I work from home 3-4 days a week, but I have an office on 120th in Westminster ... the building with the giant glass, slanted, concave satellite disk looking structure on it ...

Ok the Avaya building. My neighbor was happy when Anthony's Pizza opened up in the strip mall across the street from there because he's from the East Coast. He was going through NY pizza withdrawals. I will say they do make some good pizza.

 

[duncyboy]

Yeah, if you don't like it to begin with you are never going to like it. Save yourself the carpal tunnel and get a Logitech.

Thinking of a Logitech more and more- I like the MM more after a couple of days, it's not THAT bad- deffo look for a replacement in the future though.

Don't buy Apple RAM for your upgrade...too expensive.

Definitely not, mate- ordered 4GB from Crucial yesterday for £64

Yes, save for the updated Mini that is expected in the next few weeks!

Arrrgh I'm supposed to be saving for the summer! Apple Addiction's expensive!!!

 

[iFizz]

Glad you got your RAM for a good price! And don't worry about getting the new MacMini right away. If you wait until after it's been out for a while, you can avoid any bugs/problems that sometimes plague products when they are first released (i.e. MacBook Air, Time Capsule...)