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(Column) - I'd like to go on record and say that I really don't have anything against Apple whatsoever. Macs are a big part of this household these days and not just because of me either. My better half is a Mac fan times twenty and uses it with great joy each day. She uses a Mini and PowerBook of the PowerPC variety. I would never be able to get her to use Windows - ever. Speaking of Mac considerations, at one time I had decided that I was going to pick up a Mac for myself. But before that day came about in which I was all set to take off for the nearest Apple store, I received a call from a friend who just purchased a new MacBook running the Intel chip. I figured what the heck, even with my limited expertise with these machines, my Linux/Windows expertise ought to be plenty to get me through any rough spots. Boy, was I wrong there. Open Office Nightmare. Unless you are planning on using Pages for word processing, chances are you will want to consider installing MS Office or an equivalent to get the work done. My task was to get the trial version of MS Office installed so that my friend could get caught up on a few things before finally buying a copy of Office a few days later. What a nightmare that was! First off, after three attempts of re-downloading the trial edition of Office, I kept receiving an alert that I needed to supply an admin password. Alright, no problem. Now if it just provided a prompt of any kind to enter this needed information, we would have been in great shape. After messing with that for more time than I had really wanted to, I finally gave up and opted instead for a copy of Open Office. I downloaded that and then discovered that I have the wrong version of X11 installed. No worries, I will go out and retrieve the version that Oo needs to install without any further problems. During the installation of this "alternative" version of X11, I’m alerted with the fact that the version already installed is actually "newer." What makes this even more fun was the discovery that I cannot overwrite it and just get on with it. After a 10-minute spell of X11 circles, I finally washed my hands of the whole thing. But, to be completely fair, I will say that the MS Office issue was unknown and the Oo issue was likely the fault of the open source project rather than Apple's. Still, in the end - no office suite. Firefox: Browser Amusement. Firefox and software installations, talk about a walk on the wild side! Now it ought to be said that once I got used to the "Mac method" of installing and managing installed software, this was not a big deal. However, it does present an interesting consideration that I would like to explore further a little later on. Anyway, as you can see here (for non-Mac users), installation of software is unlike anything we would see on Windows or even in Linux for that matter. This dragging of an application to the dock and then to the applications folder is not something that I found to be all that intuitive. To be honest, I’m surprised that more converts over the Mac don't find this a little bit strange. Perhaps it’s just me? And if memory serves me, I also believe that I was limited to one instance of the browser running at one time. Fine for most people, but assuming I was not just reliving a false memory here, this could be a real pain for PC power users. Macs: Great for Those Who Prefer the UI. I have nothing but respect for the fact that Apple has taken its twist on BSD code and created something reliable and fun for people who can use that type of UI scheme. As for me, you couldn't get me to use one again if you paid me. Realizing that I will receive tons of heated feedback over this, I cannot bring myself to "accept" that the Mac way of dealing with programs is the best way. And much like Windows, certain aspects of the OS feel locked to me. Perhaps one day when I have time to unlearn everything I know about Windows, GNOME and KDE styled UIs, I will then give OS X one last shot. As for all of those who will be quick to point out the command line similarities, please understand that I don’t have any gripe with the OS. No, my problem is with the UI layout. Maybe someday, Apple... Buy Mac OS X 10.3 Tiger for $520.00 NOW! More Articles: |
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