I bought my first Mac (iBook 12") back in March of this year, and have used Windows all my life, so I'm a recent convert. Overall, I have to say that, compared to Windows, Mac is bliss. I prefer the iBook for everything I do, even though I now work on a 12" screen instead of the 21" screen I have hooked up to my XP machine.
To answer your specific questions...
How often does it crash?
- I had a kernel panic once, and it was caused by Norton Utilities. Stay away from Norton software on your Mac. Read about it on the forums. It causes problems.
- I don't see this iBook crash enough to remember, so I'd have to say maybe once every couple months, at most. I hardly every shut it down (I just put it to sleep, which works with Mac, unlike with Windows), and I take it everywhere, every day. If I don't have to install system updates that require a reboot, I'd say I reboot the thing maybe once every 10-15 days. It's always running.
- Occasionally an app will stop responding or crash altogether. Unlike with Windows, my OS doesn't go down in flames with it. I get a little message that says XYZ app has just crashed and I'm asked if I would like to open it again.
How often do you feel compelled to reinstall the system?
- With Windows, every six months to a year (I would have already done this on the XP machine except that I hardly use it anymore, so who cares?). With the iBook, I have not felt compelled to do this yet. I doubt I will feel so compelling any time within the next six months or so. Maybe a year from now, when the next OS version is released.
How do your non-computer professional family members handle OS X?
- No one else really uses this machine, so this question is going to go in a different direction. Every time I have shown people this iBook and the Mac OS in action, they have drooled. They are mostly Windows users - hardcore Windows users - and someone I work with is prepared to get his first Mac as a result of seeing what I can do, how fast I can do it, and how cool it looks when I do it.
Do you still keep a Windows machine around and why?
- Yes. I keep it around because I don't want to not know how to use Windows. Also because I need it for certain things (like QuickBooks Online Edition, which only runs on IE on a Windows machine). I also keep it because there is almost 300 GB of storage capacity on the thing, and I have a lot of files taking up much of that space. I haven't gotten a desktop Mac, so the Windows machine stays for that reason as well.
What annoys you the most?
- Certain things, like moving through text with the keyboard not being consistent across all applications (i.e. - Command+Right Arrow moves to the end of the line in some apps, and to the next word in others), annoy me. Mostly, it's just the little differences. What annoys me the most is when I go to use my Windows PC and I press Command+Q to quit an app, forgetting (because it's second nature and makes so much sense on a Mac) that I'm not using my Mac. You start to see why things are the way that they are on the Mac when you find yourself doing them on the PC without thinking. I have not had the reverse problem. I seem to have unintentionally adopted all the keyboard shortcuts of the Mac because they make the most sense, overall.
Would you ever switch back?
Never. Unless Apple bought Microsoft (or someone else did) and decided to give the OS a complete and total overhaul. I'll stick with both a Windows and Mac machine right now, and for the next few years, at least, however.
Would you quit a job that wanted to make you switch back?
- I doubt that any company I worked for would care what I used at home. In fact, I own my own small business (and work for another company), and I use this iBook for everything (except the previously mentioned QuickBooks Online Edition). But, if any company ever required that I not own a Mac, I would quit without notice. That type of invasion into my life is not worth any amount of money they could offer.
What OS did you use before OS X (non Apple OSs) ?
- Windows.
- I went to a media arts school, so Mac and Windows were both used there. That was back in the Mac OS 7.x and 8.x days.
What is your profession; or area of study if a student?
- I work in telecommunications, programming automated call distribution systems for companies with inbound call centers. I also have a small business that offers Web hosting and will soon be branching out into small-scale Mac development.
I hope my answers help you out. If in doubt, do what I did and grab a 12" iBook or a Mac mini. Both are cheap, and you can choose between a desktop or notebook model. You can see how things go, and then get a PowerMac or PowerBook. You can even sell your first Mac and get at least half the purchase price on eBay after a few months.
I'm not sure, because I'm new to this particular forum, if self-promotion is allowed (I think it should not be, in most cases), but my personal Web site might be of interest to a potential switcher like you. The link is in my signature below. I only stoop to this low level and offer it because it seems to fit in with what you are asking.
To answer your specific questions...
How often does it crash?
- I had a kernel panic once, and it was caused by Norton Utilities. Stay away from Norton software on your Mac. Read about it on the forums. It causes problems.
- I don't see this iBook crash enough to remember, so I'd have to say maybe once every couple months, at most. I hardly every shut it down (I just put it to sleep, which works with Mac, unlike with Windows), and I take it everywhere, every day. If I don't have to install system updates that require a reboot, I'd say I reboot the thing maybe once every 10-15 days. It's always running.
- Occasionally an app will stop responding or crash altogether. Unlike with Windows, my OS doesn't go down in flames with it. I get a little message that says XYZ app has just crashed and I'm asked if I would like to open it again.
How often do you feel compelled to reinstall the system?
- With Windows, every six months to a year (I would have already done this on the XP machine except that I hardly use it anymore, so who cares?). With the iBook, I have not felt compelled to do this yet. I doubt I will feel so compelling any time within the next six months or so. Maybe a year from now, when the next OS version is released.
How do your non-computer professional family members handle OS X?
- No one else really uses this machine, so this question is going to go in a different direction. Every time I have shown people this iBook and the Mac OS in action, they have drooled. They are mostly Windows users - hardcore Windows users - and someone I work with is prepared to get his first Mac as a result of seeing what I can do, how fast I can do it, and how cool it looks when I do it.
Do you still keep a Windows machine around and why?
- Yes. I keep it around because I don't want to not know how to use Windows. Also because I need it for certain things (like QuickBooks Online Edition, which only runs on IE on a Windows machine). I also keep it because there is almost 300 GB of storage capacity on the thing, and I have a lot of files taking up much of that space. I haven't gotten a desktop Mac, so the Windows machine stays for that reason as well.
What annoys you the most?
- Certain things, like moving through text with the keyboard not being consistent across all applications (i.e. - Command+Right Arrow moves to the end of the line in some apps, and to the next word in others), annoy me. Mostly, it's just the little differences. What annoys me the most is when I go to use my Windows PC and I press Command+Q to quit an app, forgetting (because it's second nature and makes so much sense on a Mac) that I'm not using my Mac. You start to see why things are the way that they are on the Mac when you find yourself doing them on the PC without thinking. I have not had the reverse problem. I seem to have unintentionally adopted all the keyboard shortcuts of the Mac because they make the most sense, overall.
Would you ever switch back?
Never. Unless Apple bought Microsoft (or someone else did) and decided to give the OS a complete and total overhaul. I'll stick with both a Windows and Mac machine right now, and for the next few years, at least, however.
Would you quit a job that wanted to make you switch back?
- I doubt that any company I worked for would care what I used at home. In fact, I own my own small business (and work for another company), and I use this iBook for everything (except the previously mentioned QuickBooks Online Edition). But, if any company ever required that I not own a Mac, I would quit without notice. That type of invasion into my life is not worth any amount of money they could offer.
What OS did you use before OS X (non Apple OSs) ?
- Windows.
- I went to a media arts school, so Mac and Windows were both used there. That was back in the Mac OS 7.x and 8.x days.
What is your profession; or area of study if a student?
- I work in telecommunications, programming automated call distribution systems for companies with inbound call centers. I also have a small business that offers Web hosting and will soon be branching out into small-scale Mac development.
I hope my answers help you out. If in doubt, do what I did and grab a 12" iBook or a Mac mini. Both are cheap, and you can choose between a desktop or notebook model. You can see how things go, and then get a PowerMac or PowerBook. You can even sell your first Mac and get at least half the purchase price on eBay after a few months.
I'm not sure, because I'm new to this particular forum, if self-promotion is allowed (I think it should not be, in most cases), but my personal Web site might be of interest to a potential switcher like you. The link is in my signature below. I only stoop to this low level and offer it because it seems to fit in with what you are asking.
.
