“I’ve found myself increasingly disturbed by the many ways Microsoft is willing to erode the overall user experience, in most cases in the name of boosting its bottom line… If I could strip out aspects of Vista — like Microsoft’s aggressive antipiracy measures and some of its onerous protective mechanisms, the high cost of Vista Ultimate, and other unpleasant aspects of the new operating system — I might continue as a more-or-less content Windows user. But the emergence of Vista has sparked something new inside me, a serious need to explore my alternatives,” Scot Finnie reports for Computerworld.
Finnie reports, “So, about a month ago I decided it was high time to do my homework on other systems in the only way I know that works: total immersion.”
“Beginning this week, for at least one month — maybe three — I’m making an Apple MacBook Pro my main work and personal computer. I’ve been slowly building up the software and systems I need to do this (with the excellent help of Computerworld’s IT department), including Lotus Notes for Macintosh and the migration of my 13-year-old Eudora for Windows installation. I may rely to some extent on Parallels for the Mac to run some things in an XP virtual machine, especially in the beginning. But the goal, as I said, is to find Macintosh tools for everything I do in Windows,” Finnie reports.
“To those of you who’ve been reading me for years because of my Windows expertise and insights, I’m not letting go of Windows! I will be echoing my experience on my current Windows production machine — a dual-core ThinkPad T60 — by upgrading to Windows Vista. I have access to four Macs, three of which are Intel-based. There are more than 15 Windows machines that I use and test with. It’s a Windows world, and I’m not dropping out,” Finnie reports. “But I’m committed to giving the Mac a fair chance.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We can’t wait to see if Finnie’s trial period results in more than just 1-3 months of using Macintosh as his main work and personal computer, as has been the case for so many who give the Mac a real chance to perform.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Embrace and Extinguish in action: TechIQ’s ‘The VAR Guy’ dumps Windows, switches to Mac OS X – September 25, 2006
$399 for Windows Vista Ultimate?! (Hint: Get a Mac) – August 29, 2006
Development approaches of Mac OS X Leopard vs. Windows Vista yield very different results – August 15, 2006
Analyst: Apple’s new Mac OS X Leopard sets new bar, leaves Microsoft’s Vista in the dust – August 08, 2006
Symantec researcher: At this time, there are no file-infecting viruses that can infect Mac OS X – July 13, 2006
Sophos: Apple Mac OS X’s security record unscathed; Windows Vista malware just a matter of time – July 07, 2006
Computerworld: Microsoft Windows Vista a distant second-best to Apple Mac OS X – June 02, 2006
Apple’s Mac market share rises over 24-percent year-over-year – September 21, 2006
Apple Mac’s 2007 market share climb will dumbfound almost everyone, create mayhem in PC market – September 08, 2006
Apple gaining traction as Mac market share increases – July 31, 2006
Apple market share myths deconstructed – July 22, 2006
IDC: Apple Mac attained 4.8% U.S. market share in Q2 06 – July 19, 2006
Gartner: Apple Mac grabbed 4.6% U.S. market share in Q2 06 – July 19, 2006
‘Fantastic quarter’ helps Apple double share of U.S. retail notebook market to 12% – July 19, 2006
BusinessWeek: big market-share gains coming for Apple’s Macintosh – June 15, 2006
Analyst: Apple Mac market share primed to explode; iPod Halo Effect to become increasingly important – June 13, 2006
Analysts: Apple Mac market share to surge by end of 2006 – June 07, 2006
Analysts expect Apple’s new MacBook to drive market share gains in near future – May 17, 2006
Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ ultimate goal: ‘to take back the computer business from Microsoft’ – June 16, 2005
The last line, “it’s a Windows world” is changing fast. So Finnie don’t count on it to last much longer.
look where he works. There’s no way he’s going to switch 100% long term. Ultimately he’s tied to Microslut’s teat. At least until Mac’s have 20% more market share (at least).
“Lotus Notes for Macintosh” – Hope THAT doesn’t mess up his experience. Well, I suppose if he’s using Notes on the PC now, the Mac version couldn’t be any worse…
When Windows diehards start to look at the Mac, you know “we’re not in Kansas anymore”!
Has anyone tried Lotus Notes running it in CrossOver?…
You said it, ken1w… Lotus notes on a PC is at least the 7th level of computing hell. If he’s really tired of the “eroding user experience”, he should forget about installing that nasty little piece of code on any machine.
Lotus Notes is the worst program ever written.
What? Another switcher? Keep coming out of the closet, Micro$lut switchers. We love you. It makes the whole OS X market surge more fun… for me.
Ooh, I’d better give him a call post haste to offer my advice on the alternatives to the anti virus and anti malware software he’s currently using!!!
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Lol @ Driver… Microsluts teat 😀
Google and Mac apps syncing to my iPhone from my laptop is all I want for Christmas.
He actually writes: But my Linux experience, though not considerable, has helped me log in and out of root to change system settings on the Mac with relative ease (once I knew where to initiate the authentication).
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He actually logs in as root, that’s a good one when you’re not familiar to the system
you can do it finnie, i have 3-4 years ago
Never really have found a good reason to log in as root in these past 7 years a I have been using the Mac. I’m sure there are- but if I can help it I’ll stay away from the pancreas thank you.
“eat when you can, sleep when you can and stay away from the pancreas”
Kind of surprising- that quote is passed through generations in some circles, & only googles to one hit.
It’s not a question of ‘dropping out’ of a Windows world- it’s a question of ‘tuning in’ to the real one.
MDN word – ‘before’ it’s too late
what the hell’s a windows expert. Eudora?
“Progress on the temporary-Mac front will be reported in future updates. And I expect to wrap up with a final assessment of whether the Mac is a viable alternative for real people with real jobs”
I had a decent feeling about this until I read that BS.
So, it looks like you have to have/use a PC to have a “real job”
Fuggin’ Pop Tart
MDN: “nuclear” as in I hope one falls in his garage…
I understand your sentiment, but he intends for Windows users to take him seriously, he can’t be too excited about Macs. Yet.
Lotus notes and a 13-year-old version of Eudora. I guess because it was freeware, pre-ads.
Here be dragons.
Moron.
Eudora? Used to be one of the best.
I still have a friend who uses PINE. You wanna talk about staying virus-free and filtering out the junk that made it past the filters without pinging a tracking pixel….
Eudora rocks!!!! Oh, wait. It’s not 1994 anymore.
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“And I expect to wrap up with a final assessment of whether the Mac is a viable alternative for real people with real jobs.”
I breathlessly await your assesment of the job I have been doing with macs for the past 5 years as “real” or not..
You pompous asshole …..
On the subject of switchers my father’s MacBook arrived today (Monday) and I then set it up with my name as the admin and him and my mom as standard login accounts.
My dad bought the 2Ghz mid range model and it took me best part of a day to get the MacBook to remember the wireless settings, but I think I have now clinched it.
All that remains to see is how he gets on with OSX as all he has ever known was Microsoft.
I’ll be honest, i use some macs at my local college, they have G5 towers that are loaded. But the thing is out of 5 machines 2 are out of commision. And one of the 2 has been repaired once already, while the 200 pc’s in the room seem to hum along.
Second, as i use the mac, Safari in particular seems to have a tendancy to suddenly quit, which i do not have this problem running windows on my mac machine.
Thoughts and comments welcome.
Apple Store employees don’t get any commission!
No wonder a lot of them are clueless idiots and Apple doesn’t sell a lot of Pro machines and software.
I would work at a Apple Store, but my closing experience needs some incentive.
The more I make, the more I take.
Possible Switcher,
The Macs at my school really don’t run very well either. They seem really buggy, and I think it has something to do with the type of networking programs the school runs. I however love my powerbook, it runs amazingly well and I have had very few issues with it. I would not put too much stock into the Macs at your school as the IT dept. probably doen’t know how to really optimize them. I wouldn’t ever go back and if you like a computer that just works I think you will feel the same way if you give it a try.