Religion aside, is Mac better than Windows?
Updated at 6:45 p.m. PDT with additional discussion about OS X local search.
I once was a God-fearing Windows user. But when an Apple shrine, uh, store opened in my area, I began to ask myself the age-old question that has confounded even the greatest biblical prophets: Is the Mac better?
I avoided the Mac for years for the usual reason cited by the Windows faithful: a dearth of hardware and software. (The so-called Mac tax was never really an issue for me.) That said, I won't go into a broad platform critique because I risk rehashing Windows-versus-Mac religious arguments that have been repeated millions of times for (digital-age) eons. (Besides, I'll leave that faith-based debate to the digerati of the world.)
Suffice to say, I now use a MacBook full time. Though, in the spirit of complete disclosure, I do have a Vista-based HP tower that I still use when there's something I absolutely can't do on the Mac. And, no, I have not gone the Boot Camp or virtual machine route yet.
So, without getting into an unwieldy philosophical argument, there are some nuts-and-bolts things that make the transition a challenge (and it's different for everyone, as every user has different needs.)
And one more disclaimer: I'm writing this from the perspective of a Mac neophyte/new user. Not as a seasoned Macophile that can instantly troubleshoot issues as they pop up.
Docking stations (lack thereof): This is a biggie. I had grown attached to the convenience of Hewlett-Packard docking stations. Apple should have connectors for docking stations (or port-replicators) built into MacBooks. The ease of popping an HP business laptop--which I had been using for years--in and out of a docking station cannot be overstated.
Microsoft Entourage: This is not the Windows Outlook equivalent. In a word, it's slow. In two words, very slow. (Note: I can't use the OS X "Mail" client because it can't run the email programs that I use.)
Web compatibility: All things should be equal here. But they're not. Like many people, I use both Safari and FireFox. Last week, there was a live video stream that, while it loaded on my MacBook Air, wouldn't run. The applet was there but it wasn't streaming. I didn't have time to figure out why it wasn't streaming. I just needed it to work. Out of desperation, I tried it on the Vista-based HP tower. It streamed immediately. In my book, that's a problem. And generally, on many Web sites that I use, Windows Media Player (that is, WMP v.11) is more adept at streaming video than the applets that come standard on the Mac OS X platform.
OS X local search: OS X local search is great (e.g., Spotlight) but it won't let me exclusively search a folder full of JPEG files. This issue was validated by a Mac "Genius" at my local Apple Store who admitted it was "odd." Let me repeat, an Apple Genius verified that I could not do this. Of course, I can find these files a dozen other ways but there's an application I use everyday that would be a lot easier to use if I could search JPEG files exclusively in that folder.
(Update: After a second visit to my local Apple Store and a separate discussion about changing the user short name--which the Genius did, as this process is a little tricky--I can now do JPEG searches on one of my MacBooks. I do not know how this came to be fixed, however, as it was an unintended consequence.)
Hardware compatibility--in this case, camcorders: I found this out quite by accident. I was in my local Best Buy (Southern California) and overheard one of those illuminating matter-of-fact dialogs between a customer and a salesperson. "Are all of these camcorders Mac compatible?"--the customer asked. "No," the salesman said. "Only the Panasonic and Canon." After the salesman was done helping the customer, I followed up with more queries. The upshot: Most other brands are not Mac-compatible, according to the Best Buy sales force. Does a Best Buy salesperson always know the bottom-line, gospel truth about hardware compatibility? Probably not. But the larger point is that's what he is telling customers. And it's always an ugly reminder of that cliche that a lot hardware is not compatible with the Mac.
The Mac philosophy of how to use external displays: This, I suppose, is more a philosophical argument than a practical argument. But, to me, the way Windows handles external displays (with a laptop) using Fn-F4 is straightforward and extremely practical. And--returning to the lack-of-a-docking-station argument--inserting/removing a laptop into/from an HP dock is so well executed that it becomes second nature to the user: the internal laptop display shuts off, the external display goes on, and the external display automatically adjusts the resolution. Again, this may be partially a case of me simply being more accustomed to the Windows way of doing things--but not completely: Windows wins the ease-of-use award here.
No built-in 3G option: I've talked about this before in other posts. HP, Dell, and others offer integrated 3G connectivity. That said, I fully expect that this will become less of an issue when 4G hits, as I am confident that Apple is savvy enough to stay in front of this trend.
Of course, the list goes on (lack of development momentum from some software vendors on the Mac, being another minus often cited). But I would be remiss at this point to not preemptively answer the critics who will say, "Well, if you're going to whine all the time, go back to Windows you a#%*!#@." (And that's putting it charitably. Mac minions tend to be slightly more contemptuous.)
The reason I switched to Mac (if anyone really cares) was hardware, not software. I looked at all of the HP, Dell, Lenovo, and Sony laptops and saw nothing that came close to a MacBook Air. Not even remotely close. The Air is an incomparably well-balanced design that is light, fast, and aesthetically a knockout, to boot. The other unibody MacBooks inherit these attributes too.
Oh yeah, Mac OS X beats Windows in a lot of ways. You can run Windows, after all, if you choose, with Boot Camp or VMware Fusion. And all of the well-known virtues are true. You're not constantly on Virus/Worm/Malware alert, the interface is more intuitive in some ways, it's more streamlined than Vista, it boots faster, and the list goes on. I guess I can live without a docking station--for now.
So, as of summer 2009, which is better, Windows or Mac? Dare I ask?
See also:
Switcher's lament: The case against Mac
Brooke Crothers has been an editor at large at CNET News, an analyst at IDC Japan, and an editor at The Asian Wall Street Journal Weekly, among other endeavors, including co-manager of an after-school math-and-reading center. He writes for the CNET Blog Network and is not a current employee of CNET. Disclosure. 
Windows PC's are better because they work, boot fast enough and are very secure. Windows Vista comes out of the box ready for whatever task the throws at it. There is a larger degree of application and hardware compatibility. Everybody knows Windows, everybody uses Windows, including Mac users, either through BootCamp or a virtualization solution. Please stop this nonsense!
"Windows Vista comes out of the box ready for whatever task the throws at it."
unless the OEM decided to put crapware on the system that is
You are completely full of it. Your argument holds no water at all. And shame on you for stooping to such a cheap trick as to post your nonsense at the top under an unrelated post, just so your drivel will be seen first. Cheap shot. One Windows computers are not "fast enough", they are often bogged down by anti-malware applications, They are anything but secure. They are big wide open targets for all sorts of cyber criminals and ne'er do wells. Vista does NOT come with everything you need out of the box. I spent half my time with a new install, downloading ancilary apps to make it as functional as a Macintosh. Heck, I can't even open a PDF without downloading and installing third party software, let alone create one on a Windows machine. And that's just one example.
NO, not everyone knows Windows. Thank GOD! And not everyone uses Windows, thank God again!
The only nonsense here is the drivel that you are spewing forth. But based on your past posts, I expected no more from you.
Hahahahah! WIndows works out of the box? Oh, that's a good one. Tell us another joke!
I actually use Ubuntu, not a Mac. I installed Ubuntu over XP because I was frustrated with Windows. Guess what happened as soon as I started Ubuntu full time (2 days after installing).
No guesses? Ok, I'll tell you. For the past 3 years, I've had this constant yet just barely liveable stress headache. I got rid of Windows and that headache went away.
This is a Spotlight search of a folder. I use it all the time on folders full of PDFs. Is this not what you mean?
A workaround might be to create a smart folder that points at the original folder to filter only the .jpgs and then search off of the smart folder.
More often than not those things won't be used very often at all, but when you want to do it, it's frustraiting to have to figgure out the complexities : a confusing interface with lots of options is better in this case if you already understand it.
MS has copied Apple in every way it could, IMO acknowledging it's own software's inferiority, while still maintaining a more "under the hood" style, that has trained people to think about computers a different way. It is unfortunate. I use both and could list ten things that totally drive me nuts on a PC on a daily basis mainly because I already know another methodology for doing the same thing more simply. I could list other things the PC does better, like rendering PC-centric sites (which is more a fault of MS than anyone... Mac's a FAR more flexible in content rendering), and command-tabbing through all open windows, not just app's, like OSX does. It all comes down to personal opinions and working styles, so it will never be elevated to a true black and white conclusion.
I called Apple tech support and they were not any help in resolving the problem. (I have been a Macs user and a Mac consultant for 20+ years so I really did not expect them to have a magic solution to my problem.) I ended up having to do a clean install and restore to get the normal search functionality back.
So perhaps the Apple Genius was just confirming that it could not be done on his laptop, not that what he was trying to do was not possible on a Mac.
If you want to restrict the search to a date range (or something else), click the + sign again and add your other search criteria.
If you're happy with the search, Click the Save button (in the line just below the original Search field) and the search criteria you just created can be saved to the sidebar for further use.
If for some reason Spotlight's index gets corrupted. You can force it to reindex. The simplest method is to open Spotlight preferences in System Preferences. Click on the Privacy tab. Click the plus symbol at the bottom and choose your hard drive (might work to just choose the problem folder). Then log out and back in (I restart to make sure). Then open System Preferences back up, navigate to the Spotlight pane, click Privacy, then click on the hard drive in the list and click the minus sign. Close System Preferences. You will notice that Spotlight is reindexing your drive if you click on it in the menu bar. On the rare occasion I had something I knew was there not being found, this fixed it.
Permissions problem? There have been times when copying a folder from a network machine or when I get corrupted permissions I can't search a folder.
I don't get this one at all, but I'll make sure tot rethink it next time my Dell-using cohorts are struggling to get the projector to light up, madly hitting fn-F4 over and over again, waiting, then hitting it again....
I'm a software developer and need to carry my laptop around all the time. To be perfectly honest, most of the HP, Dell and Lenovo laptops are simply ugly. I could just not find a HP/Dell/Lenovo laptop that I would not be ashamed to open in front of other people. Hence I decided to get a MacBook which allows me to run Windows and do my job but also look good at it. ;-)
Thank you Apple for making beautiful products. Thank you Microsoft for making a great operating system.
My Toshiba and Macbook tie for crappiest keyboard of any maker. The macbook/pro is missing keys (keys their desktops actually have) that would at least help make them more productive. I have also found issues with the design of the USB ports on the MacBook. They are too close to gether.
For these reasons, much as I like the Macbook for features and such, I'd rather build a Hackintosh around a ThinkPad than try for force a Macbook to do a job it's just to pretty to understand. I got the Black Macbook. The white and aluminum ones are far uglier than the Thinkpads.
However, I previously had a Dell and HP and they had their own problems, it's just that they were different problems - for example, HP's USB ports were on the right, which is awful if you prefer to use a mouse instead of the touchpad, like me.
All in all, it would be brilliant if someone invented a way for us to design the laptop just the way we wanted - down to the last detail. In the mean time, I find my MacBook with Vista to be the best compromise between form and function I've seen so far.
CNET isn't the only one who can write click-bait :)
"please,safari is crap,firefox beats it 1000000000000 times"
My comment wasn't about FireFox v Safari, but Explorer v W3
I am thinking I should create a webpage titled "Free photos of hot chicks" with photos of baby chickens, ducklings, goslings and such. The photos would have titles such as "young breasts", "young thighs", and such that it will indexed by search engines as a porn page. Then with a browser director I would redirect Explorer to a page that says you must have a web compatible browser in order to view the photos.
IE is far from compliant, but it works with more web sites than compliant browsers
IE is still used by a majority of people so many web developers develop for IE
I like IETab for Firefox in Windows, on any other OS, I recommend emulating IE
the situation you had wasn't normal
for every website that only works with Safari, there are hundreds that only work with IE
That is because the web designers and coders are not writing compliant pages, they are writing for a browser that is not compliant.
Mail.app is an e-mail program. I'm assuming you're talking about Plug-ins? Mail.app is, however, Exchange compatible. Entourage is slow but accommodating for Outlook-types.
As far as a docking station--that is what the LED Cinema Display is--a 24" LED display w/ a built-in notebook charger, USB ports, iSight, and video cable. If you have a first-gen Macbook Air (non-DisplayPort), then you have a point but there are still options available (ext. monitor, bluetooth mouse/keyboard, etc.)
http://www.apple.com/macbookair/specs.html << Check the specs.
His being a recent Macintosh owner, he probably is averse to using other Apple products. But you are right El-Gringo, the LED Cinema Display would be a perfect solution for him.
High-definition (AVCHD) cameras work just fine w/ iMovie '09 and Final Cut, esp. the JVC Everio HD series.
Listening to sales staff when talking about Macintoshes is usually a waste of time.
I opened iMovie and and I was editing my first high-def footage just minutes after taking the camera out of the box. I was also able to open iPhoto and and instantly transfer all of my still shots from the camcorder. Then minutes later I was crating my first DVD with iDVD and uploading my awesome footage to the internet with iWeb. Wow, the mac software was so intuitive. My first project was so easy to do, the final results looked so professional, and best of all I did not have to spend hours installing anything or figuring out how to use Sony's craptastic software.
The PSP, I can manually drag and drop files to device, but the Sony software is useless (Windows-only).
Sony is virtually Mac OS hostile. If you contact their support to request Mac OS version of their software, they are either non-responsive or rude. Personally, until they change their tune, I'll never buy another Sony product again. And that's a shame because they make some really nice devices.
Most Windows users DO NOT keep a Mac in the house... just in case. And that's just a fact. ;)
"In other words, when you own a Mac, you need a PC for back-up... because Macs simply can't do everything that a PC can.
Most Windows users DO NOT keep a Mac in the house... just in case. And that's just a fact. ;)"
Two facts not in evidence. Most Mac users do not keep a PC in the house just as most Windows users don't Keep a Mac. Most use one or the other. The problem is not that you can't do pretty much anything on a Mac that you can do on a PC, rather it is that in many cases it is hard to move your data from a Windows program to a Mac program that will do the same thing. Most people I know who have made the switch, once they get used to the new way of doing things, never look back.
That is one of the chief reasons I have Windows 7 on my MacBook. As soon as it expires (maybe before if I need the drive space back), it's gone.
lol, okay, i will never use windows os pc as a backup...why? lets just say horrible experiences too long to comment about. the only windows based product my apartment is the xbox360
"Most Mac users were PC users in the past, hence the backup PC that they didnt bother to throw away when they got the mac. The only thing my PC does that my mac doesn't is crash."
I wouldn't go that far. My PC runs Ubuntu/FreeBSD beautifully. And I have to admit Windows 7 seems to be pretty stable so far, but way over priced. :-)
MS will one day lose its dominance and will be replaced by something else. Rather than OS X it will probably be something entirely new that displaces both. :-)
Anyway, I think you would be happy with OS X if you had to use it for awhile, but for you there is no compelling reason to switch. Just as for me, there is no compelling reason to go back to Windows even though 7 is very nice. Now if MS would prive 7 like Apple does OS X I would probably buy a copy just to play with, but the price they charge for a full version of Ultimate is a bit on the obscene side.
Today the MacBook Pro is my Desktop replacement of choice. Leopard shipped two years sooner and is every bit as good as Windows 7, maybe even better if you consider Time Machine & Spaces. And with Boot-Camp I can switch back to Windows whenever I want to play games or run AutoCAD. I truly have the best of both worlds. Thank you, Apple.
I, as most people, do not NEED a PC or Windows. To say they do is a fallacy. I went eleven-plus happy years without ever running a PC or Windows at home.
Your Mac-users-keep-a-PC comment is based on... what??
Have you seriously used a Mac before? And I am not being negative with that question. From my experience most PC users I know would, in fact, be better off with a Mac in the house. And yes, I do have a PC in the house. But I use it mainly for BSD/Linux and only run Windows 7 because it is free for the time being. My experience has been the opposite of yours. Most people I know who have made the switch keep a PC around not because they use it to do anything in Windows, but because they hate to get rid of a perfectly good computer. Most Windows users are not really gamers and gaming is the main reason you would need to keep a Windows machine.
As a side note, the only computer games I have found to be worthy of playing do not run in Windows anyway. (I always did like Planetfall). :-) Infocom forever... :-)
don't equate using a new OS with spiritual enlightment
For some, it is just as liberating to be rid of Windows.
so Apple is a religion?
Get a sense of humour will ya? I was kidding you. Apple isn't a religion, but it beats dealing with Windows every day.
I use it for email, works great. I use Entourage for newsgroups.
About live video streams - you are comparing an older, mature system vs. a new system. When you buy a new PC, you often have to install plug-ins for your browser to show video (Flash player, etc). You can try Flip4Mac at www.flip4mac.com, it installs Windows media components for Quicktime.
Spotlight - Assuming you are in Finder in the folder you want, you can simply type what you want in the Spotlight window of the Finder windows upper right corner. Make sure you also click on the folder name that will appear just under the window bar (as it defaults to "This Mac" and "Contents" - silly defaults, if you ask me.) You want to just search that folder, and usually by name.
Don't believe EVERYTHING you hear about compatibility. Most things are compatible, regardless. You can always try them and return. I bought a Memorex external DVD writer - it works, albeit for some reason Firewire locks up the Mac, so it is on USB.
And I was trying Windows Beta 7 on my mini, until Ubuntu's Grub wiped it out during installation. I was going to wipe it anyway. But now I can boot OS X or Ubuntu...
Mail is not compatible with all Exchange servers, or alternatively, some IT managers specifically avoid allowing users to use Mail, Thunderbird, etc. with their Exchange servers. Someone more technically versed than I could tell you why.
As for Entourage being slow, yes, it is, just as a mail program written by Apple probably wouldn't be as quick on a Windows machine as one written by Microsoft. Also, Entourage performs the functions of Mail, iCal, Address Book, Stickies, etc., so I would imagine it would be slower than a program that is only an e-mail client (Mail). (That being said, I'd rather use Mail et al. than Entourage any day.)
As for web compatibility in general, my understanding from the blogosphere is Safari is the most web standards compliant major browser available - beating both IE and Firefox in that regard. So web sites built on web standards are rendered beautifully. Web sites built specifically for IE's needs are going to be somewhat problematic. I think in the long run, we all would prefer our web sites be built to web standards allowing us to use the browser of our choice as opposed to being forced to use whatever browser Microsoft force feeds us.
Safari may indeed be the most standards-compliant browser but that's not much help if the web sites you visit have been designed for IE or even Firefox. Standards-compliancy is great but unless your browser is either the most popular or renders content the same way as the top browsers then you may find things don't work. While I don't much like the browser because it isn't a real Mac application, we must give a lot of thanks to Firefox for getting enough share of the browser market such that sites are now designed for a standards-compliant browser rather than simply IE.
As for browsers. Thanks to Safari and Firefox (I'll give both credit) everone is starting to pay more attention to using standards and not juse IE modified standards. Even IE.
Great comments! I have Firefox on my Macs but I have found myself using Safari almost exclusively.
Entourage is slower, has more bugs and can not run scripts as easily as the Mac Mail program that came with your Macbook! Also there are so many other options here as well, but I have grown very attached to the Mac Mail program.
As for faults, yes, every computer has them. I have an early 2008 model MacBook. I hate the sharp edge of the computer. I am also not crazy about the key design. I prefer the keys on the keyboard of my PowerBook by a long measure. And being left-handed, why in the world did they put all the ports on the left side, right in the way of my mouse?
You mixed arguments when using your friend as an example. You argued keyboard size in one comparison, then key layout in another. Obviously your friend has a harder time getting used to layout than key size. I personally have no problem with the MacBook Pro's keyboard size. I just don't like the new key design, with the gaps between the keys. It isn't as easy to type on, takes a tiny bit more pressure. And my fingernails are hitting the gaps between the keys all the time, a bit annoying when compared to the PowerBook's keyboard.
And I have to admit I do not like the new small keyboard that comes with the iMacs. A friend of mine switched to an iMac and I told him he should get the full size keyboard. And when I switched to a Mac a few years back it took me less than 15 minutes to unplug the Apple mouse and plug in my old Logitech mouse. I have to admit that for me the Apple mouse sucked. :-)
And yes, people using Macs will find ways to do thing they want to do. So will people using Windows. But unlike Mac users, people using Windows expect to find a card reader on their pc, or the ability to connect to any type of hardware available, and will rightfully complain about it.
What hardware is it that you can't use with a Macintosh? Must be something for a special purpose because I haven't found anything that I needed that wouldn't work on one of my Macs, and usually I just had to plug it in for it to work, no downloading drivers.
All computers have their quirks and all are capable of creating a headache for its user. What I will say is, I've had far more headaches due to Microsoft products than I ever have due to Apple's. And I've got plenty of keyboard time in front of both, so I know.
Only one occasion have I ever wished my MacBook had a card reader built-in. I forgot my cable to my Olympus camera and wanted to upload some photos while I was travelling. It was a minor inconvenience at most. But to have all those extra slots and extra hardware taking up space in my otherwise small MacBook just isn't worth it. If I really want to pop cards into my computer, I'll use a USB card reader. I'd prefer to keep my card firmly seated in the camera anyway. It's less wear and tear on the card and the camera. If you include slot readers, you'd have to make sure you had a reader for every format card anyway, what a pain. If my XYZ brand computer had a card reader, would it have had a xD slot? Maybe, maybe not. I'd rather buy an all-in-one card reader for the times I want it.
the PSP, you told the internet that in an earlier post
What are you blathering about? You know what, don't bother trying to explain.
'My Mac is pretty'. Wow.
Oooh, "my PC is cheap", wow! ;-)
My ex roommate was running AVG free edition on XP, then his machine stopped being able to automatically update virus definitions so I uninstalled AVG, installed Avira AntiVir and just ran a scan without updating (since it still couldn't auto update). I found 30 viruses and pieces of malware.
Maybe you should try the same thing, betting you have some hidden malware that you just don't know about.
My ex roommate was running AVG free edition on XP, then his machine stopped being able to automatically update virus definitions so I uninstalled AVG, installed Avira AntiVir and just ran a scan without updating (since it still couldn't auto update). I found 30 viruses and pieces of malware.
Maybe you should try the same thing, betting you have some hidden malware that you just don't know about.
@unnamed person
With all the FUD that Macs are for the more financially capable and that Windows is for the common people without much money, why would a person writing software meant to capture financial data restrict himself to a bunch of people who most likely have very little money compared to the few with vastly more?
I know if I ever wanted to steal cash, I wouldn't steal a dollar from a million people, I'd steal a million from one person. Just makes sense.
But I find personally that I am much more productive (and creative) in a Mac environment than a Windows environment. And in talking to friends and colleagues who have switched to a Mac, their most frequent comment is that, once they get acclimated to a new OS, it is much easier to get work done on a daily basis.
The one expectation that Windows users often have is that they can just do things they way they used to (email, web, word processing, etc.) I remember a switcher at work actually complaining to me that he couldn't get used to the fact that he could do things in fewer steps on his new Mac than he could on a PC!
I've actually heard similar complaints. They stated it without realising it though. They'd complain that they couldn't do something the way they were used to. I'd ask them how do you do it on your Windows computer, they'd tell me the half dozen steps. I'd tell them the two mouse clicks necessary to do the same thing on a Mac. They'd just look all frustrated and say "It's not the same". I'd reply, "exactly, it's easier".
Case in point. My boss at my new job wanted me to do some complex charts in Excel (for Windows). Not being a total stranger to Excel, I set about the task. It took me about an hour to get the chart to work right and look right. Just for fun, when I was home, I tried it on my Mac Book using Numbers (a program I have rarely ever even opened). Within 15 minutes, I had a better looking chart. I could do a better job with Numbers in 0 to 15 than I could in over an hour with Excel. Granted Excel can probably do more than Numbers, but this illustrates a big difference in design philosophies between Apple and Microsoft. Microsoft concentrates on being everything to everyone and packing as many features as humanly possible into their software. Apple on the other hand concentrates on ease of use and being most everything to most people. That is just one of many example I've discovered over the past ten years or so in which I am MUCH more productive on a Macintosh. That is why I chose a Mac. And I'm sure Mr. Crothers would be too if he'd just stop trying to do things in a Windows/Microsoft way.
- by DanRobinson June 7, 2009 8:37 AM PDT
- I could take each paragraph above and write a reasoned reply, but then I'd write a reply the same size as Brooke's column and I have better things to do with my family on a Sunday.
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- by kcotham June 7, 2009 10:32 AM PDT
- AppleScript is really powerful, but even a beginner can leverage Automator to streamline tedious tasks. And isn't that what computers are best at, doing tedious tasks so we don't have to? Automator and AppleScript are the unsung heroes of any Macintosh.
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- by kazzmedia June 7, 2009 11:13 PM PDT
- This might almost stand a chance of being a compelling article if you had any idea what you are talking about. If you are going to bother make a comparison, at least take the time to research both sides. I spent the better part of 20 years as art director for a company that refused to even try Macintosh. It was a period of endless, unjustified headaches. When I finally went out on my own, I made the switch and not only were my daily problems solved instantly, I was doing things I never realized were even possible.
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- by Dalkorian June 8, 2009 10:18 AM PDT
- by kcotham June 7, 2009 10:32 AM PDT
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Showing 1 of 6 pages (316 Comments)But a few just cry for a comment.
1. Web Compatibility -- Don't use Boot Camp or Parallels. Use Wine . . . a nice Merlot maybe.
No. I mean Darwine to run Windows Apps without having (or buying) Windows. !
Find instructions here: http://lowendmac.com/mac2win/09m2w/darwine.html
2. Local search -- Sure it will search just a folder of JPEGS or anything else.
Open the folder. (i.e., NewPics") There's a search box in the upper right of the window.
When you type a search term in that box, a line is added between that and the main
window; [Search This Mac "NewPics" | Contents File Name]
If you REALLY want power . . . check out Applescript. It's already on your Mac.
3. External Monitors -- If your Mac doesn't automatically "Detect Displays," open
[System Preferences / Displays] and check the box [Show displays in menu bar].
Then if your Mac doesn't automatically do it, pull down the display icon from the
menu bar and [detect displays].
There's lots more but my weekend is waiting!
Moses asked God, and God said, "Yes!"
Automator and AppleScript are the unsung heroes of any Macintosh.
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Best.
Comment.
Here.
Period.