Well it's been about three days and I'm finally getting the hang of the Mac. However, getting to this point was no simple task.
Having switched computers before (PC to PC) I understand that there is a lot of work required to get your files transferred, get software reinstalled etc., and much of this was the same with the conversion to the Mac. However, given the difference in software (especially having to use Entourage vs. Outlook), this was a bit more complex.
It's somewhat crazy that despite the fact that Microsoft makes both Entourage and Outlook that it would not be easier to move your old email from the PC to the Mac, but I'm guessing Microsoft isn't that keen on users doing this, and so have not made this very easy. I used O2M by Little Machines to transfer the files, and for the most part they've moved over ok.
I also moved my office files over by putting on an external hard drive and then transferring them to the MacBook Pro. This was pretty straightforward.
Aside from getting things transferred, simply learning Apple way of doing things, such as installing software, saving files to folders etc. is a bit challenging at first. A lot of trial and error. I'd agree that generally Apple's OSX operating system is pretty intuitive, but after so many years of using Windows, it still requires an adjustment.
The hardest part, I'd have to say, is using Office 2004 for Mac vs. the Office for PC I was using. The layout and menus are a bit different, and I'd become very proficient in the PC operation of these programs. Plus things like keyboard controls are different which makes the change have more of a learning curve. Generally speaking the programs are the same, but some things certainly are different and have required a lot of searching the Web to find answers to how to do things. Thankfully many of my same questions have already been answered by others on forums and newsgroups, so I've quickly located them as needed.
This notebook is plenty fast, and its boot time (from cold start, or from sleep) is SO much faster than any PC I've owned. I remember Windows booting more quickly when it was new, and then getting slower along the way, so I'm not sure if the Mac will exhibit this same trait or not. Obviously I'm hoping not.
I have found that a few of the software programs I was using won't work on Mac, which I knew going in. The hardest adjustment will be not using Yahoo Music Unlimited and my Zen MP3 player on this machine. However, I can still download songs and put them on the Zen using my wife's PC.
Overall I'm pretty pleased with the choice, and I have not yet even started to upload pictures, or video recordings into the Mac to see how cool and easy it is to work with them (as I've heard). So I'm hoping that once I do, I'll be even more pleased with the switch.
You write very well.
Posted by: Tacita | October 28, 2008 at 06:45 PM