“This Christmas, I presented my wife with a new Mac mini… I am, as you might know, one of the more prominent Windows-based writers on the Web. This simple fact makes the notion that I’d buy a Mac for my wife seems like an April Fools joke, I know. But the truth is, I’ve owned one or more Macs since summer 2005, and I’m a big fan of Mac OS X, albeit one who is perhaps more honest about the system’s shortcomings than the typical Mac fanatic. That said, Apple’s computer systems are viable for a wide range of users, including graphic artists, photographers, and other creative types. And a truly simple system like the Mac mini is perfect for the mass market, those people who simply need email, Web access, and word processing,” Paul Thurrott writes for Connected Home media.
“My wife is such a person. Indeed, she shares none of my love of technology, and approaches a computer the way one should approach a computer, I guess—as a tool that’s required to get a job done. Her job, in fact, is writing… Ah, I can hear you thinking, But she has a Windows expert at home … Isn’t that perfect for tech support? Perfect for her, perhaps, but not so perfect for me. Our offices aren’t in the same part of the house, for starters, and that makes it harder for me to monitor her system regularly as I do with the many machines in my own office. When I do get up to her office, I’m always surprised by how many alerts and updates are pending, waiting for someone to acknowledge them. She’s just not particularly interested in PC housekeeping,” Thurrott writes.
“The truth is, her computers have always been problematic. And like a typical office worker in any company, she puts up with the small Windows abuses on a regular basis. She’s learned to simply reboot when things stop working. She accepts that sometimes printing or network access just don’t work for any logical reason. And the constant air turbine-like sound that emanates from her Dell PC? That’s just how PCs sound, she thinks,” Thurrott writes. “Well, no more.”
“The documents were the easiest to transfer, because we have a home network,” Thurrott explains. “To copy her documents to the Mac mini, I simply connected to the network share, courtesy of Mac OS X’s integrated Windows networking, and copied her documents into her new Documents folder.
Email and calendaring are decidedly more difficult. My wife had been using Microsoft Outlook for both, and had various email accounts configured in that application. Configuring Apple Mail for these accounts was drop-dead simple (even for her Hotmail account, which requires a third-party add-in called MacOS X HTTP Mail Plugin), but then I had to actually get her previous email, contacts, and calendar information from Outlook to the Mac. The email would need to be moved into Apple Mail, contacts would go into Apple Address Book, and calendar information needed to be copied into Apple iCal. There are many, many ways to migrate this data, but I opted for Little Machines’ Outlook2Mac, a wonderful $10 shareware program that exports Outlook email, contacts, and calendar information into various formats, including those required by the Apple applications cited above… Looking forward, I’m interested to see how well this switch goes. I’ll publish updates as needed to my Internet Nexus blog.”
Full article here.
More info and pictures on Paul Thurrott’s Internet Nexus site here.
MacDailyNews Take: The conversion of Paul Thurrott continues unabated following the classic progression. Such is the power of the Mac; once you really use a Mac, you quickly understand the folly that is Windows. Note that once Thurrott actually gave the Mac a chance, his most inane anti-Apple, anti-Mac drivel dried up faster than a puddle in Phoenix. If a “prominent Windows-based writer” such as Thurrott can be so changed, then who the heck can’t be swayed? Of course, Thurrott was/is so massively wed to Microsoft Windows that, even six months after getting his first Mac, he’s only really halfway there in print; he’s still shortchanging the Mac with lines such as, “Apple’s computer systems are viable for a wide range of users, including graphic artists, photographers, and other creative types.” Macs are perfect for anyone who hasn’t shortsightedly stuck themselves (or been so stymied by their company) with Windows-only applications. The vast majority of the world would be far better off with a Mac instead of a Windows PC. So, with his wife properly Macified, next up are Thurrott’s friends and then his readers. The moral of this tale: use a Mac before you slam Apple’s platform, because the only thing you’ll be slamming afterward is the top of your old Windows PC’s box as you ship the thing off to some unsuspecting eBay buyer.
Congratulations to Mrs. Thurrott!
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Want to switch to Mac? Mossberg answers common questions – November 10, 2005
Why people are switching from Microsoft’s Windows to Apple’s Mac OS X – November 09, 2005
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Analyst estimates over a million Windows to Mac switchers during 2005’s first three quarters – November 07, 2005
Windows sufferers: It’s not your fault, but it is your problem – switch to Mac – November 07, 2005
Tech writer: Windows PCs highly vulnerable to zombie hijacking; get an Apple Mac instead – November 06, 2005
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Computer columnist: anti-virus software purely optional for Apple Macs, not so for Windows – November 01, 2005
Microsoft apologists and why Apple’s Mac OS X has zero viruses – October 24, 2005
Mossberg: Switching from Windows to Mac – software not an expensive proposition – September 30, 2005
Windows to Mac switchers: recommendations and Total Cost of Ownership analysis – September 29, 2005
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Mossberg offers resources for Windows users interested in switching to Apple Mac – August 18, 2005
Windows users’ questions and concerns answered about Windows to Mac switch – July 27, 2005
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The best way to transfer Windows Outlook folders to Mac OS X – January 22, 2003
To Cubert: Hard job to convert zombies, that is what are pc (windows; it’s the os stu…) users. Blindly buying and using their machines. Zombies. I just can’t believe how they can use that ugly, outdated, shaky, unreliable, crap of windows! Incredible how they always excuses and blame on theirself all the flaws of their system ( sort of say) of ¨no choice¨. How to convince mostly attarded child – near fifty and still playing Everquest all day long.
Sounds kinda cheap to me. I would imagine that he commands a reasonable good income. But perhaps that is all he can afford.
Well said Shadowself. I’m an engineer who uses a Mac to design the custom tooling that I build – hardly a graphic artist by Thurrott’s definition. It’s good to see that you use Vectorworks as it is one of my key design tools.
Mr. Thurrott appears to have a rather limited view in the use of graphic applications. Yes, I’ve used Photoshop in a more traditional role to prepare photos and hand-drawn illustrations for presentation. But in contrast, I’ve also made use of Photoshop and iMovie to document assembly techniques and perform time-motion studies.
My employer has stuck me with the limitations of a Windows-based PC. When flexibility is required, I (literally) pull a Powerbook out of my bag and go the extra mile. File transfer of the completed work isn’t really difficult and people at work don’t know how I did it unless I tell them.
A news article is more than just quoting other people’s work
Sounds kinda cheap to me. I would imagine that he commands a reasonable good income. But perhaps that is all he can afford
－－
it’s not about how much you make, but how much you blow on the latest and greatest in gaming rigs, sound systems and family size bags of doritos. thurrotts a 14 yr old trapped in a 40 yr olds body.. his gaming addiction is a little mad.
to all my cultists:
satan didn’t lose. Proof? Bush is still the Asshole in Chief.
To: macathomeguy
I think you’ll be waiting for quite a while if you’re expecting the Intel chips to outperform a Quad. Have a peek at my first test of loading down this Quad with some heavy lifting, here:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=1379964#1379964
And FWIW, I just read of a new 3.7GHz quad system from Intel (can’t recall the link, digg I think) where they were doing a DVD encode while watching a movie and zipping a file… just a portion of what my Quad was doing in the background… anyway, took em 10.5 minutes where it took the Quad 7 mins & a few seconds.
MW= friend, as in “Friends don’t let friends drive Windows”
Paul drank the koolaide
To beat a dead horse on the Windoze switching issue….here is my favorite way to turn on the proverbial light bulb above the head of any Windoze user. Use it the next time they complain about a virus or spyware.
Windoze User: “I just cleaned 80 pieces of spyware off my computer last night.”
Me: “Why did you install 80 pieces of spyware on your computer?”
Windoze User: “Uhhhhhh, I didn’t.”
Me: “Well, how did it get there?”
Windoze User: “I guess it installed itself.”
Me: “Doesn’t that piss you off?”
Windoze User: “What do you mean?”
Me: “Doesn’t it piss you off that spyware was installed on your computer without your knowledge or your permission?”
The lightbulb turns on (cue angelic Hallelujah choir)
Try it next time – it just works!
Dear Reality Check:
**FORTRAN???? Suggest you move along quietly to Mathematica or Matlab. FORTRAN is *so* 1970’s.**
The reality is that FORTRAN still is a very practical tool for technical computing. There are many extremely valuable, legacy programs in daily use. I am a constant user of both FORTRAN and Mathematica. They both work exceptionally well in OS X. Mathematica is a spectacular system, but it does not replace FORTRAN. Note that IBM has been developing FORTRAN for their processors, and Absoft provides superb support. They would not do that unless there was sufficient market interest. FORTRAN has come a long way since the 1970s. I use it both for large numerical analysis projects and for making small utilities. I find it simple and easy.
“Paul, get off my mini and get back downstairs! I’m sick and tired of you using my mac all day and night! Get your own mac, and stay off of mine! NO, I don’t care if you have to finish your garbage band tune — whatever it’s called! I’m tired of all of the excuses, Paul, do you hear me? Just stay OUT OF HERE, and I mean it!”
No ego problem in Paul’s family he has enough for everyone.
George Bush is the perfect man for the times. Thank the heavens he’s in charge instead of some slimey, wimpy, pathetic, terrorist loving, tax you to death, liberal!!!!!!
Thurrott: “I am, as you might know, one of the more prominent Windows-based writers on the Web.”
I’m sorry, but if you gotta come out and say it, then it probably ain’t true. And if it IS true, then there ain’t no need to say it, cuz everyone already knows it. The guy should deflate his head.
P.S. To Alexa: George Bush almost died a few years ago eating a pretzel. Just thought I’d put things in perspective for you, since you seem to be pretty loose with your definition of “perfect man”..
You could slip in the shower and die to you moron. What the fck does that have to do with anything. You are pathetic hemorrhoid! Go hug a terrorist.
HR,
Get a life dude.
Can we have another Enderle article to pick on?
http://twiki.iwethey.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/RobEnderle#RobEnderle
Alexa writes: “George Bush is the perfect man for the times.”
…if you’re into the Apocalypse.
Alexa also writes: “tax you to death, liberal!
Democrats: Tax and spend.
Republicans: Spend, spend, spend… with no way to pay; just “charge it.”
At least the Democrats are fiscal conservatives. Under Reagan/Bush Sr. we ran up the largest deficit in history; larger than all the previous administrations combined. It was a Democrat – Clinton – who put us into the black once again. In junior’s first year in office, he was well on his way to running up a debt even larger than dad’s.
Hemorrhoid Rage writes: “George Bush almost died a few years ago eating a pretzel.”
I thought about sending a bag of pretzels to the White House some years back. I didn’t do it because it would probably be construed as a threat. Too dangerous to do something like that these days. We used to have freedom of speech in this country… of course we used to have a fairly elected president too. You know, before the supreme court and phantom voters started electing the president.
Mark writes: “You could slip in the shower and die to you moron.”
Insults are best dealt out with proper grammar and spelling. This makes you look as stupid as that ignoramus in the White House. The word you seek is “too.”
Wow. MDN: you are right on the ball. No seriously, you could be slightly off, but you’re not. I stand amazed.
I’d pay 4.95 a month for this news.
Please don’t hate me everybody.
bye
I felt that I was exaggerating a little.
I would not pay 4.95, but it’s worth it.
Rainy Day,
You are so smart. Thanks for showing us how great your grammar is. I’m pretty sure posting on this site is done rather quickly and without the same attention to detail one might use in a business letter or English class assignment. You really need to get a life.
It never ceases to amaze me at what sour, pathetic, steal (tax) the hard working and pour their hard in $$$ down the drain type idiots you liberals are. We don’t need to raise taxes we need to make people help themselves. Only give hand outs ($$$) to the people who are truly handicapped. Not enable the welfare abusers. It’s funny how all of the famous liberals don’t really practice what they preach. They’re doing what all hard working Republicans are with their money. You people are idiots to buy into that crap.
<<At least the Democrats are fiscal conservatives. Under Reagan/Bush Sr. we ran up the largest deficit in history; larger than all the previous administrations combined. It was a Democrat – Clinton – who put us into the black once again. In junior’s first year in office, he was well on his way to running up a debt even larger than dad’s.>> quote RainyDay
Wow, do you know what “fiscal conservative” means?!?
Using budget deficits to make conclusions regarding fiscal conservatism is laughable. There are two components that affect deficits. One can be a fiscal conservative and still have large deficits, but you knew that already, right?
ha, you guys can never stay off the topic of politics. are all mac forums like this?? let me give you a little something to think about – neither the left nor right wing are ever totally right about anything. but let me tell you what is NEVER right – EXTREMISM. the conservatives who just start screaming “terrorist hugging tree humper” every time a liberal opens their mouth, the liberal who starts screaming “tightwad war monger”, etc etc, are all ignorant beyond their own beliefs. nobody listens when you talk that way. radical lefties or righties are idiots. ALL radicals need to stop being so narrow-minded and consider what their FELLOW americans are saying. but i suppose that will never happen because there’s way too much pride involved here. to be honest, i don’t think america as we (think we) know it has long to live if it continues the path its going down. i love the ideas of freedom and democracy – but with things like the patriot act going on, it’s hard to believe the people in office are really proponents of those ideals.
so yeah, thurrot’s wife is a switcher! way to go! yay for apple!
i’ll have you gullible morons killing each other in your beds soon enough!
right alexa? i know you want to use that S&W you stroke every night under your pillow to kill you some librul faggot ass? hmmm?
by the way, i hated those fucking homo lepers almost as much as I hated the “tax you to death” Romans.
TO ALL
When Trolls stop by to change a great run of Mac comments here to something OBVIOUSLY off topic and argumentive please don’t fall for it. It’s clearly bait. Ignore it and they’ll stop fishing.
…and find another forum to troll Mr. Ballmer!
: )