OS X.5: A review from a former Wintel User

[Cormier6083]

Saturday was a great day. Not only did I clean my atrociously dusty room, but I came home from the city with a technological gem. The all new iMac. All my friends asked "where's the computer" and I laughed and proclaimed, "That, dear sir, is the computer." All of the wants I wanted in a computer were there. Style and performance. Elegance and power. But, what really sets this unique machine apart in what drives it, and what makes any modern computer... the OS. When you think of OS X, you think of confusion and how hard it must be the go all the way to the left to close a window instead of the right. There are several burning questions I had about OS X, and how hard it would be to switch. Where do I put my files. Where do I get to this location? How do I get through the layout of files? How in God's name do I use Automator? Where the heck is the C drive? These question, surprisingly, were very simple to answer, and hopefully this article can give you a bit of insight on the mysteries of OS X.

Intro

Thanks for that amazing welcome. Bem-vin-idoko... whatever.

Setup was really easy, and fast. Last time I remembered, Windows took maybe 20min to set up. OS X took less than ten. I entered my info, and I was ready to use my computer. The dock popped right up. The first thing I wanted to do was figure out how files were arranged in the system. I realized that my worries of a complicated file arrangment were silly thoughts. The files are actually less complicated than Windows. In Windows, you can find C:> Program Files, Windows, etc. But in OS X, it's simply Applications (Which holds all of your applications), Users (which holds all of the media specific to each user), Library (which is kind of like your Program Files), and System (which is like WINDOWS). Each file name helped me and everyone else on the computer help locate ourselves, and revealed the contents of each folder.

Setup of Apps

Setup was pretty straightforward. You drag the App icon into the Application folder. Instead of shortcuts on the desktop, you simply drop it onto the dock. It keeps all of your icons in order, and it looks pretty, too.

Whoa... trippy.

Glorified Features

As you know, Leopard boasts many features that people could care less about. I was one of those people. Stacks? Useless. RSS in Mail? Don't need it. Time Machine? Waste of space. Wait! Don't go thrash me with a post. Keep reading. All of these features actually made my OS X experience complete. Heres how.

Stacks- Stacks are sensational. Why didn't somebody think of this before? I don't constantly move files around, so I thought that Stacks would be useless. Come to find out, I can't imagine my daily work without it. Take my Applications stack. I don't want a bagillion icons on the dock. Thats why I can open the stack, and open an App in the convenient grid layout. And downloads. Instead of opening a large finder window, I can access my downloaded files on the fly. Still not convinced? Trust me, it is a dream.

RSS- I NEVER used RSS in any sort of way before OS X. I thought it was unneeded. But, I soon realized that it was so much faster to just open Mail and read through the headlines than opening up a webpage every time I wanted to get the news. I know that there are options on Windows for RSS, but having my eMail and my news in one convenient location is fantastic. Plus, the RSS screensaver is very cool, too.

Time Machine- You may think it's a waste, but I notice no loss in speed or performance with Time Machine on. Plus, it is very convenient. I actually used it yesterday for a file I lost. Some may say that the Vista alternative is just as good, and it is, but Time Machine seems simpler to me. I mean, how much simpler can you get than off and on?

The Simple Things

The things I love about OS X are the simple detail. Do I want scroll arrows at the bottom or the top and bottom? The possibilities for conforming OS X are endless. The simple designs are beautiful and delicate. I can't imagine if they missed anything.

Minor Annoyances

Apple is infamous for the lack of the right click mouse... or at least they used to be. Sure, the Mighty Mouse can right click, but it doesn't feel right to me. So, I use the Ctrl-Click method. It may seem a hassle, and at times, it is. But it really isn't bad. Really.

Closing apps involve more than just clicking the pretty button. You have to Command-Q and all that jazz. I understand why. You can close a window while having a process running. It's actually convenient, but others who use the computer don't actually understand, so they have 20+ plus apps running at a time. Trying to explain that to people is a little troublesome.

In Conclusion...

So. As you can guess, OS X is the coolest thing I've ever used on a computer. It's fast, amazing, and cool. Not to mention pretty. If you have any questions as a current Windows user, don't be afraid to ask. A lot of you Apple-ites may say that this is all basic stuff, and your right. You have to understand that I'm trying to deliver answers to Windows users who have used Windows all of their life, like me. So, if you are considering OS X or a Mac, trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Edited February 8, 2008 by Cormier6083

[goji]

Not a bad review from a non uber-techy mac zealot. Funny you mention the subtleties about the OS as their are a few that tick me off, of which includes the right click and a host of other shortcuts I've mastered on the PC side of the universe. Yes I know you can reconstruct shortcuts etc but for the horrible travesty that might be Win OS, its the subtleties that keep me here.

But dam, OS X doesn't look bad :p Wow, I could compare women based on the previous model.....

[.exo.]

Nicely written review. There is definitely some great progress that has been made with Leopard. I'm glad, with the recent updates, that some of the bugs in iLife have been worked out too.

Where did you get the wallpaper in the second screenshot? Link please?

[Cormier6083]

Nicely written review. There is definitely some great progress that has been made with Leopard. I'm glad, with the recent updates, that some of the bugs in iLife have been worked out too.

Where did you get the wallpaper in the second screenshot? Link please?

Here you go! Props to Fr3d for linking the wall in the "Workstations" thread.

http://www.fr3d.org/dev/null/Leopard_TimeMachine.jpg

[giga Veteran]

Get a proper right click mouse--it'll work fine. Mighty Mouse is utter crap.

[Simon Veteran]

Yeah, the Mighty Mouse looks nice, but the scroll ball dies after a few months as well. Wish Apple would fix it up a bit :\

[ObiWanToby]

I wish....I didn't own my Dell Inspiron 1520.

[micro]

hmm, when I tried osx86 for a month straight I didn?t feel like you do.

It works great for basic things, internet, email etc. I however don?t just do "basic" things. I do video encoding, gaming, graphics design, music, videos, programming etc.

For me osx could not deliver in the way that I need an os to deliver, I need to be able to have a wide variety of choices for everything, I ABSOLUTELY HATE ITUNES... I program in VS.net and SQL so osx didn?t help me.

I will say that it was very very friendly and that I was not confused about anything. The speed was nice considering it was emulation for a few apps; also internet browsing was nice for the most part, except when plug-ins were required etc.

I?m glad to hear that you enjoyed switching.

[crazzyyfool]

Yeah, the Mighty Mouse looks nice, but the scroll ball dies after a few months as well. Wish Apple would fix it up a bit :\

My MM is two years old and I haven't had any problems with it at all. :blink:

[MasterC]

Very nice review. (Y)

My MM is two years old and I haven't had any problems with it at all. :blink:

I wish I was in the same boat as you. My Mighty Mouse is about 8 months old, and it died 4 months in. :(

[evo_spook]

hmm, when I tried osx86 for a month straight I didn?t feel like you do.

It works great for basic things, internet, email etc. I however don?t just do "basic" things. I do video encoding, gaming, graphics design, music, videos, programming etc.

hmmm, as far as I know, OSX can handle most of those and excels at a few of them.

on the programming, its good if you're a lamp programmer not a .net

[Neil]

Very nice review. (Y)

I wish I was in the same boat as you. My Mighty Mouse is about 8 months old, and it died 4 months in. :(

Join the crowd... :crazy:

[crazzyyfool]

hmm, when I tried osx86 for a month straight I didn't feel like you do.

It works great for basic things, internet, email etc. I however don't just do "basic" things. I do video encoding, gaming, graphics design, music, videos, programming etc.

OSX excels in everything you mentioned above. When you say OSX86? Do you mean OSX on non-Apple hardware. Well, I think, that's what your problem was.

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

Get a proper right click mouse--it'll work fine. Mighty Mouse is utter crap.

Yeah, the Mighty Mouse looks nice, but the scroll ball dies after a few months as well. Wish Apple would fix it up a bit :\

Yes to both of these, the "scroll nipple" on my MM stopped working one day (couldn't scroll up or down), ended up buying a new mouse for my PC and used the old one for my Mac, it works great.

And you can program .NET apps on the Mac, but IMO nothing really beats VS.NET (I love MS's development apps)

[BabyDoc]

Nice review, well written and good for people who are still doubting about buying a mac.

Glad to see you enjoy you brand new mac and believe me it only gets better the more you learn to use OSX.

[ViperAFK]

I like OSX but I can't STAND apples mouses that can't right click, ctrl+clicking drives me insane! I have macs at my school and it gets so annoying that I can't just right click. Who the HELL at apple decided (Let's make our mouse practically useless and remove right click for no damn reason!) /rant

[evo_spook]

I like OSX but I can't STAND apples mouses that can't right click, ctrl+clicking drives me insane! I have macs at my school and it gets so annoying that I can't just right click. Who the HELL at apple decided (Let's make our mouse practically useless and remove right click for no damn reason!) /rant

But then Macs had a mouse before Windows was a spec in Bills eye.

Its what you grow up with, you've used windows, you expect a right click button

people who started on macs have never noticed any difference

and Oh, macs can right click, they;ve being able to for years!

[crazzyyfool]

I like OSX but I can't STAND apples mouses that can't right click, ctrl+clicking drives me insane! I have macs at my school and it gets so annoying that I can't just right click. Who the HELL at apple decided (Let's make our mouse practically useless and remove right click for no damn reason!) /rant

The Mighty Mouse is a multi-button mouse. Has been since it was released. The buttons are just touch-sensitive hence it looks like it only has one button.

[Fabian-]

OSX excels in everything you mentioned above. When you say OSX86? Do you mean OSX on non-Apple hardware. Well, I think, that's what your problem was.

Except for the gaming part :p

Nice review, I'd love to get my hands on Leopard, however, I can't really afford a Mac right now :ermm:

[crazzyyfool]

Except for the gaming part :p

OK, the catalog of games for OSX is not as vast as for Windows.

[Quillz]

The Mighty Mouse is a multi-button mouse. Has been since it was released. The buttons are just touch-sensitive hence it looks like it only has one button.

But it still sucks. The scroll ball becomes unusable after a while, it just gets so dirty. Why Apple doesn't make it quick and simple to take it apart and clean it is beyond me. They'd rather maintain the clean lines and have you spend another $69 for a new one with a few months shelf life.

I just replaced it with a Microsoft wireless notebook mouse, and it works great, much better than the Mighty Mouse, I think.

[.kvn]

I liked the review, succinct and without pandering too much. And I like the mighty mouse but this thread isn't about that ;)

Good review.

[Andre S. Veteran]

Nice review, but [rant]I don't like Macintosh nonetheless. I'm a programmer and a gamer. I can't use Visual Studio nor my favorite games on a Mac. So, too bad Apple, I'm sticking with Windows. But there are other minor things.

First I don't WANT my OS to organize my stuff for me, to provide me with a "user" folder and an "application" folder and whatnot. I want to know where that folder is located and usually it is not where I want it to, or down a complicated path. I create my own Program Files, on the hard drive partition I reserved for applications. I create my own user folders, on the hard drive partition I reserved for files. My own way of organizing my files is better for me than the default OS way.

Ok Windows does the same thing, but that's precisly one the gripes I have with Windows too.

Next, I hate that bulky dock at the bottom of the screen. I don't want things that inflate when I mouse over them, I don't want them jumping around gaily when I click on them. Besides aesthetical reasons, the damn thing just takes too much space. There's already a bar at the top of the screen with many functionality, now I have to get a second one at the bottom, a large and animated one. Where do I put my windows now?

Next, why is it so hard to maximize a window? Double-clicking doesn't work. None of the three standard buttons do it. So since I'm not aware of yet another mac-[insert key here] shortcut here, I have to manually expand the window. Then they minimize at the bottom-right of the screen, yes, with a graphical representation of the contents, but so tiny its useless and much less informative than the sensible, sobre title used in Windows. Well you can make them huge if you like your dock to be huge but I'd rather make it as small as possible and make my screen estate actually useful.

Next, Safari font rendering looks horrible, and Apple keyboards, mice and lcd screens are simply among the cheapest I ever saw.

Oh yeah OS X is better for multimedia. Right. I had Digital Performer hang or crash at least once everyday on the G4 I used for a year.[/rant]

[Martyn]

Great review, and really nicely written (Y)

I have been using OS X since I bought my MacBook in November, and it is wonderful for University life. Everything is simple, elegant and clear...it is actually a joy to use OS X sometimes.

Windows is a great operating system as well, and I could not completely switch from one to the other, I work better using both. I have Vista on my desktop, but I still find myself lieing down in bed with my MacBook writing this post (albeit with a hangover) so that says something.

[Echilon]

Thanks for the review. The next laptop I buy may well be a mac, BootCamp will have matured even more by then.

The wallpaper's definitely better than Bliss. ;)