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Switching from Windows to Mac
April 28, 2008

About a year ago I switched from Windows to Mac at work. This weekend, I completed the switch at home. We are now a Mac-based household, but don't think for a second that we are Windowless.

Looking back about a year, I needed to buy a new computer for my office at work. Vista was just appearing, but I really didn't want to deal with the headaches that it seemed to be bringing at the time. Plus, most of our districts were still XP though some have since gone to Vista as we knew they would. To further complicate matters, increased web development meant more time spent on remote access to our Linux-based web server. So what platform would provide the greatest amount of freedom?

Mac OS X was the obvious answer. With Intel processors, Apple computers are a zippy new breed of machines that bear little resemblance to the quaint beasts of old. The use of Intel processors also means that there is no real difference in the type of hardware inside an iMac as compared to a Windows computer. This means that a Mac can run Windows just as well as a Dell - better in fact, based on tests run by PC World magazine. Users can either run a Windows virtual computer on their Mac desktop by buying Parallels or VMWare Fusion, or they can easily set up a dual booting machine with the included Apple BootCamp software. For quick tasks - e.g. there is no Microsoft Publisher for the Mac, and some websites still require Internet Explorer - Parallels or Fusion work like a charm. For serious (gaming) applications, BootCamp turns your Mac hardware into one of the nicest Windows machines you have ever used.

In the past, there were very valid complaints about software for Macs. This is no longer the case at all. Apple's iWork suite provides a very strong competitor to Microsoft Office at a fraction of the cost. For $79 (or $99 for a family 5-pack) you get word processing/desktop publishing in Pages, presentation software in Keynote, and a great spreadsheet in Numbers. Though you can get Microsoft Office for the Mac, I don't have it and haven't had any problems beyond some minor formatting issues. Another free option is the NeoOffice suite (built from OpenOffice) that is not as flashy but is even stronger at reading Microsoft files. Also important to note, these Mac options have no trouble reading those pesky new Office 2007 formats that give Windows users fits!

If it isn't evident in this review, let me be very clear. I am loving my new iMac and happy to have finally completed the switch from Windows to Mac. But it isn't just me that is so happy. Our technology department went from being very apprehensive about our purchasing a Mac, to having iMacs on all their desktops in just a few short months. For network administrators, it gives them an easy way to have a base system for daily work along with virtualization of XP and Vista, with strong access for Linux servers. Hint: great argument for answering why you need a Mac in your library!

So whether for work, play, or content creation, I think the future is looking very good for Mac.

Posted by Chris Harris on April 28, 2008 | Comments (0)