“I recently bought a Mac Mini, And I thought I’d talk about my experiences in the transition from Windows XP to Mac OS X,” Andrew Youll writes for OSNews.com. “I personally have used Windows since its 3.11 days, back then I was only a child and I thought Paint was great, but since then Windows has come a long way. For the past year or two I have been constantly thinking about Apple Macs and how much I’d like to have one. Well, recently I took the plunge and bought a Mac Mini.”
The control panel in Mac OS X is called the “System Preference Panel,” and it’s well laid out and easy to understand. One thing I miss is a general Systems component like in Windows, you click “System” and get information about the system, and such, but Mac OS X’s equivalent application “System Profiler” is accessible via the Apple icon selecting “About This Mac” and then click “More Info.
Youll writes:
MacDailyNews Note and Take: That’s because getting information about the system doesn’t allow you to “control” anything and therefore doesn’t belong among “control panels” or in System Preferences. Because Microsoft doesn’t understand this extremely simple concept, it makes the same type of mistake all throughout the Windows OS. Microsoft placed Windows’ system information access in the wrong place, so switchers “miss” it being in the wrong place in Mac OS X. Sheesh. This is a great example of the real hurdles Windows to Mac switchers face; it’s like a baseball bat of common sense repeatedly whacking you in the face. It’ll sting for a few weeks. Then it gets much, much better! (Note that Mac OS X’s “System Profiler” is actually an application located in /Applications/Utilities/ and it can be dropped in the Dock like any other application for one-click launching if so desired.)
Youll continues:
Things that I’m happy to see included with Mac OS X: Firstly a DVD Player. I understand that Microsoft can’t include a CSS decoder in Windows because all the DVD software producers like Cyberlink, etc would claim unfair business practices because it was decreasing the number of possible customers for their products, kind of like what happened with WMP in the EU.
Another welcome inclusion is the “Disk Utility.” Yes, Windows XP includes CD-Burning capabilities, but to me, the Disk Utility just seems more advanced, as it supports ISO burning, where as Windows XP’s integrated burner does not.
Expose is to me a great feature of Mac OS X, allowing you to view all windows instantaneously, allowing you to access the application window you want quickly and efficiently.
Dashboard is in theory a great tool, but personally, in the time I’ve owned this Mac Mini, which is roughly 2 weeks almost, I’ve used dashboard once or maybe twice, and that really was only for the dictionary and for the Wikipedia widgets.
Spotlight is just an amazing tool even though I’ve only owned the Mini a short while, it has helped in a few situations. I will be the first to admit I’m the sort of guy who puts car keys down only to find three minutes later I can’t remember where I left them, so this feature is a great help.
There is much, much more in the full article here.
Yep, he should have gotten a Superdrive to burn movies.
He has iLife, but he’s not a musician so Garageband hasn’t been good for him.
Provide the guy with helpful information please, he’s interested.
Welcome to the fold.
Welcome aboard Andrew. I’ve been using computers since DOS and Mac 128s, and would say that since the middle 80’s have logged as many hours on non-Mac as on Mac. Needless to say that, when its my responsibility to purchase computers, at home or at work, I always recommend Macs (while letting hard core Windows users stick with that if they choose to), and so far, (knock on wood), have always gotten my way. Fewer viruses, way less crashing, more autonomous use of desktop computers, and in general, increased overall productivity, have always been the outcome, without a single exception.
I always appreciate a good abjective look and Win vs. Mac, and would be very curious to see a followup of your experience in coming weeks or months.
Cheers
Try VectorWorks for CAD
“This is a great example of the real hurdles Windows to Mac switchers face; it’s like a baseball bat of common sense repeatedly whacking you in the face” (Quoting MDN, at top of page).
Love it, MDN…Lovvvvve iiiiit!!
The guy actually found some of the non-surfacey stuff in OS X–he dug in a little bit! Good for him.
No need to make fun of him–a bad habit MDN has. Sometimes MDN seems like the last training ground for Mac zealots who turn everyone off of Macs.
MDN aren’t making fun of him. Learn how to read, interpret, and comprehend. Clearly, MDN are making fun of Microsoft and Windows, not Andrew Youll.
I have been a Mac user since 1984, but have to use some Windows machines at work. Despite its many disadvantages, Windows does have one feature that I wish were on my Mac: the ability to resize windows from any edge. Some programs (usually Microsoft Excel and Office) open windows that leave the Mac resize handle off the screen (usually because of some errant tool bar that forced the window into the wrong place). On a Mac, fixing that requires zooming or nudging the whole window. It would be so much easier to resize the window from the top, then drag the new, smaller window up.
Is there a Shareware fix for this in OS X?
The MDN take here is way over the top. He wrote about switching, give him a break. I wouldn’t want to do anything that was like getting hit in the face with a baseball bat. Also, the system info is in “right-click-my computer-properties” not in the windows control panel. Get your shit straight and stop being so nasty. Take your pamprin and smile once in a while.
I’m a Windows admin by day, mac user the rest of the time. I’ll proudly bask in any flames that come my way!
Oh yeah, and screw the MDN word….hahhahaha!!
abqmac — Resize windows from more than the bottom right?
A quick search on VersionTracker.com shows this:
http://homepage.mac.com/tconkling/windowdragon/
Haven’t tried it myself yet, but people seem to like it:
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/25134
“I would have liked it to pick address automatically of people that you email”
It does.
“there’s no single multimedia application like WMP10 in Mac OS X.”
There is. If you don’t like audio files playing in iTunes, they will play in QT Player.
“I personally would have prefered a start menu approach”
Put the apps folder in the Dock and click-and-hold or R-click it.
Good read tho and he even mentions Intel.
but I know why people say MDN makes fun of windows switchers. The whole tone is there. They are making fun of windows mostly, but it comes off insulting to the switcher also. Praising and insulting both when just praising would have been fine.
Which is fine, we all know he was an idiot not to be born using windows, and everyone who still uses windows is an idiot. But saying that doesnt impress anyone.
I started using Macs after using Windows 3.1 and other than the odd game, I’ve never regretted the move. The article was quite relevant as I recently switched my sister from Windows 98 to Tiger installed on an eMac.
For the first couple of months I was getting “technical assistance” calls every few days and as time went on the calls for help eventually stopped. And she hasn’t had one life threatening crash. Then again she is using OSX…need I say more.
One piece of advice is that for anyone switching going from Office’s Word can be quite a daunting exercise. If dollars are a problem I can recommend NeoOfficeJ (a Java based app) which is quite a good alternative. I installed it on my sister’s computer and she’s as happy as Larry.
I’ve tried it as an alternative to providing dollars to Redmond and although it still has a semi-windows’ interface, it is quite a good package. The next version promises to be more mac-centric. Just a thought anyway.
You know, sometimes I wonder if MDN’s take is provided to just stir up a bee’s nest of nasty comments and get everyone to start slugging it out. Kind of like what you did your little sister when you were young – you know?
There is so much of interest to comment on, yet most of the commentary here is just name calling. So little actual discussion or actual exploration of issues. Anyone who doesn’t repond in a black or white manner gets hammered for holding an opinion that doesn’t confirm complete membership in the Cult of Mac.
The format of the site is great. But if the purpose of the “take” is to just stir up the bees, then that’s pretty sad.
Mr. Peabody, could you tell us about the viruses you’ve had?
You wrote, “have always gotten my way. Fewer viruses, way less crashing,”
The articles are usually interesting up until you get to the part that goes “MacDailyNews Take”. It’s usually extremely biased garbage after that.
Just trying to “stir up a bee’s nest of nasty comments” because the truth hurts.
The articles are usually interesting up until you get to the part that goes “MacDailyNews Take”. It’s usually extremely biased garbage after that.
Just trying to “stir up a bee’s nest of nasty comments” because the truth hurts.
The articles are usually interesting up until you get to the part that goes “MacDailyNews Take”. It’s usually extremely biased garbage after that.
Just trying to “stir up a bee’s nest of nasty comments” because the truth hurts.
The problem with articles such as this is that the neo Mac user makes declarative statements about the Mac not doing this or that, when it really does and writer just hasn’t yet discovered how. No multimedia player like WMP? Anyone with more than a day’s experience should know about QT. Even though he is generally positive about his experience there is a lot of damaging disinformation included in the article which could turn off other potential switchers.
“Windows to Mac switch like repeatedly getting whacked in the face with baseball bat of common sense”
This time even the title was invented by MDN.
I believe if the majority of MDN visitors voice a need for less abrasive “takes” and an emphasis on objectivity, MDN might listen. However, the problem is that the majority of comments on this site are just as biased, brazen, and even more abusive of Windows users than MDN’s takes ever were. Being a zealot is by default a turn off for others. You cannot expect someone to experiment with different perspectives if you can’t accept their right to their own.
I’m just glad some of you are critical of MDN’s approach.
I started out with Commodore in the early ’80’s and built my first PC clone in 1988. Even then I was looking for alternatives to MS and jumped straight to DR-DOS when my brother told me about it. And even though I’ve only seen four or five viri in all that time, when my wife started doing on line banking a few years ago I would just cringe, certain we would fall victim to ID theft or have our bank info stolen.
I got my iMac G5 in February this year. I feel much safer on the internet with OS X, and have found it to be much more flexable and intuitive than any other OS I’ve tried. At this point my Winbox is just another game machine in the back room with the Nintendo and Playstation.
But this is just preaching to the choir. Jobs needs to get off his butt and start doing some real advertising.
MDN doesnt need to be “more sensitive” or “less abrasive” its THEIR WEB SITE. they can say or not say what they like. Those of us who live in the world of sarcasm understand them and their frustration with the un-simple expectations of the Windows horde which has a bad habit of making OS X look like the hard to use OS.
Tigrr, great idea with the Apps folder in the dock, hadnt thought of that.
MDN, I love the take, one of your best yet, but not for the article title.
my 2¢
“This time even the title was invented by MDN. “
Yes, it’s sad that the headline is now highlighting the MDN take, rather than the supposed subject of the story.
gman: About “Windragon”. The site says “YOU MUST LOG OUT OR RESTART YOUR COMPUTER AFTER HAVING INSTALLED WINDOWDRAGON”. Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!
Buffy,
You are most correct – it is MDN’s website. They can do what they please.
But consider this – unless you are a complete zealot, would you bother clicking through to anything advertised on this site to earn MDN revenue if you were tired of the “take” and general attitude?
I wonder how this site would survive if the comments required registration? Or how the tone of comments would change if they weren’t so anonymous?
About the Windows horde’s “bad habit of making OS X look like the hard to use OS” – one can say the same about OS X users having to use Windows, Linux, Solaris or any other user comfortable using one OS and moving on to another. It can be hard because one needs to unlearn the habits from the previous OS to use the new one effectively.
Apple is in the business of attracting Windows users (primarily) to its platform. If a Windows user find something difficult to use, it is because it is – to them from their perspective. Apple needs to address those kinds of concerns if it wants more people to transition over gracefully.
Then again, it doesn’t. Just like MDN doesn’t have to change it’s tone, either.
Some people can’t handle reading unvarnished truth. God forbid it’s written in headline form.
MDN MW: “world” (The “world” picked the wrong computer platform.)