[More Cowbell]

I have long considered making this change but my life became very busy the last several months. I am now very close to making the move, but I still have 3 questions. I was hoping to garner the opinions of some savvy MAC users if I could.

1) My Basic uses for a Laptop are, in order from Most use to Least use is...

-Internet Surfing for both business and leisure
-Email
-Excel and Word
-Music and Photo's(Non-Editing)

What keeps getting me, is that these are the very things that a Window's PC does excel in. I am not editing photo's or video, not creating music or drawings. Is a switch really right for my type of use?

2) If I decide to make the leap, part of me is saying "wait" for Leopard. Is Leopard worth the wait? It sounds great and I feel that I will either miss out or cost myself the cash it will take to upgrade if I buy now instead of waiting. Is this true? I REALLY like the sound of "Time Machine". Also, I believe that having Leopard installed on the machine to begin with is a far safer than upgrading down the road. Is this true?

3) Probably my biggest stumbling block is this: I have a blackberry and use a Blackberry Enterprise Server(3rd party) to Sync my blackberry and outlook wirelessly(email, contacts, tasks, calendar). From my research, it doesn't seem possible for a Mac to do this. Also, it seems that "PocketSync" or whatever it is called, is extremely unreliable. As I am married to my blackberry, what is your recommended solution?

Thanks in advance!!!

[mduell]

1) Both Windows and Mac do about equally well for all 4 of those. Not a reason to switch, not a reason not to switch.

2) I'd hold off on switching until Leopard is released, or the new Macs start coming with coupons to upgrade for $20 S&H. It's kind of lame to buy a new computer and drop $130 on a new OS 6 months later.

3) It appears there is some support for OSX and CrackBerries (The BlackBerry Enterprise Resource Center). If nothing else, you could run a copy of Windows in Parallels to handle that syncing.

[C.A.T.S. CEO]

If you use the internet a lot you might want to switch because of the fact that you can't get any viruses! It switched me 2 years ago...

[Macintosh Sauce]

I would recommend switching... Why? Personally, $130 is not enough to keep me from using Mac OS X now. Why torture yourself with Windows XP? LOL

Seriously... No one knows when Leopard is coming out. It could be in Spring 2007 and it could be sooner. Why wait for that? Tiger rocks!

[uicandrew]

i just switched to macs roughly 1 year ago. they are absolutely great for web, email, music, and photos.

iphoto is a great picture app. for web browsing, nothing beats the lack of viruses/spyware.

however, watching streaming video (like episodes on fox's website) mostly requires windows. but i use windows (via bootcamp) to get around those things.

also, there is a great built-in portion of mac os called "preview" that is analogous to adobe reader, but much better.

good luck with your decision.

[lookmark]

1. Absolutely. The biggest pleasure of using a Mac is using OS X, and both Safari and Camino (a Mac version of Firefox, basically) are hands-down terrific browsers.

2. You'd be wise to wait for Leopard and save some money if you can hold out for a few months, but no, Apple makes upgrading to new OS very simple, esp. with its clean install option. It's no less safe than getting it pre-installed.

3. No #3 sounds like your biggest roadblock. Blackberry offers you PocketMac for free, but it's apparently gotten some mixed reviews, and it's the only option out there AFIAK. (Update: good news, though - the very latest version, v4, is supposed to be considerably better.) Definitely check things out at a forum like this before jumping in.

Good luck!

[cmeisenzahl]

Absolutely! ;-)

[amazing]

You may already be aware of this, but Apple makes a big deal of introducing new stuff at the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco, in January. You should at least wait that long, especially since your post doesn't indicate a burning need to switch at this point. (For example, you don't mention decrepit computers you want to replace...)

Also, there's a good chance that the MacBooks will be revised soon (if not in January) and Steve Jobs will undoubtedly be hyping Leopard at MacWorld, so there'll be new details about timetables, features, etc.

[lookmark]

^^ ++. Waiting until MWSF in January is definitely a smart idea if you can hang on for a little while.

[digires]

Originally Posted by lookmark 

The biggest pleasure of using a Mac is using OS X, and both Safari and Camino (a Mac version of Firefox, basically)

I believe Firefox is also available on the Mac. Is your meaning: "A Mac only browser similar to Firefox"?

[hookem2oo7]

firefox is available. camino is a streamlined version of firefox

[MagnusDredd]

In reply:
I'm a computer tech. I've been using computers since 1980, the net since 1990, Windows since v2.0 and OSX since 10.0. I also use Linux, but that's beside the point.

1) My Basic uses for a Laptop are, in order from Most use to Least use is...
-Internet Surfing for both business and leisure

This is one place where Windows cannot match OSX.
There are 700,000 or so viruses for Windows the last time I checked. There are tons and tons of trojans beyond that. 99% of the time I reinstall Windows for someone, it's mostly due to infection of one sort or another, and mostly from some crap that came off of the internet.

It's not that it's impossible for someone to create a virus or worm for OSX, it's just that it really hasn't been done yet. Furthermore they'd have a lot of work to do to catch up with Windows in this regard.

On OSX I use Firefox, with over 40 extensions(neat things that make Firefox do more). I don't remember the last time I came across a web site that did not work.

-Email

OSX's mail is very nice, especially for a home user. It will connect to Microsoft's proprietary Exchange servers as well as standard POP3/IMAP servers, but will not sync calendar information with Exchange. iCal on the other hand has allowed my pastor to publish the church calendar on the internet (it's actually really easy with iCal) which can be subscribed to (meaning all church members get a copy).

Mail supports underlining of misspelled words dropping of files onto an email window to add an attachment, and a few other nice features.

-Excel and Word

Microsoft Office is Microsoft Office..... There's a Mac version and a Windows version. The equivalent Mac version generally comes out a year after the Windows version. I'm still using a 4 year old copy or so because I've seen no compelling reason for me to upgrade.

-Music and Photos(Non-Editing)

iLife is really cool. It's a package containing a photo program (it just works, no drivers to install), and some other neat home user stuff. iTunes is part of iLife....

2) If I decide to make the leap, part of me is saying "wait" for Leopard.

I would. It's been stated that there are a large number of features that have not been detailed yet. Some of the things I've seen released to developers suggest it will be worth waiting for.

3) Probably my biggest stumbling block is this:

I don't have time to check into it at this moment but I'll try to remember to look into that.

[McDave]

I think there are some good answers to most of your questions there. Personally I'm looking to upgrade my old iMac G4 and will wait for Leopard but you don't have to upgrade immediately anyhow.

If you do switch, I wonder whether 6 months later you'll the same primary uses for your machine. Good luck

[McDave]

Originally Posted by uicandrew 

however, watching streaming video (like episodes on fox's website) mostly requires windows. but i use windows (via bootcamp) to get around those things.

Hi uicandrew

How often do you use Bootcamp? (i.e. how much of your time is spent running Windows)

I'm keen to know as I hear there are a lot of downloads but that doesn't equate to actual usage.

McD

[t/man]

Originally Posted by More Cowbell 

-Internet Surfing for both business and leisure

Well that's a no-brainer: much better security on OS X, and web pages look far better with Quartz's superb rendering. Good range of browsers too (make sure you have a good long look at OmniWeb, or Camino of you're after something fast and simple).

Originally Posted by More Cowbell 

-Email

No problem with that one either; Apple's Mail has good searching, message threading and Junk filtering. But there's always Thunderbird or Entourage or Eudora...

Originally Posted by More Cowbell 

-Excel and Word

No problems there: although I think there are better, simpler, cheaper alternatives out there. I really like Nisus Writer Express for documents (or even Apple's Pages) and Mesa or the new Tables for spreadsheets. I've worked in publishing virtually my entire working life and have never used Word on any regular basis. Go figure.

Originally Posted by More Cowbell 

-Music and Photo's(Non-Editing)

Easy with iTunes and iPhoto but again there are other options if you want.

Originally Posted by More Cowbell 

2) If I decide to make the leap, part of me is saying "wait" for Leopard ... I believe that having Leopard installed on the machine to begin with is a far safer than upgrading down the road. Is this true?

I'm always one of the first to install new systems because I frequently provide support to clients. But I agree that you should generally "wait" ... for the 2nd release! So If you're going to wait, you may well want to wait for 10.5.1 and that may be some months (and remember we don't know exactly when 10.5 will hit the shelves anyway). There is absolutely no problem with installing a new system at a later date: if you do an Archive and Install you virtually get a factory-install anyway. And OS X (or OS 9 for that matter) has never had to be reinstalled the way Windows users seem to do regularly...

Originally Posted by More Cowbell 

3) Probably my biggest stumbling block is this: I have a blackberry and use a Blackberry

No personal experience on that one sorry. But RIM has officially employed PocketMac to supply that component for them so my feeling is that along with users, RIM itself will be pressuring to make sure the product works and glitches are sorted out or they'll get someone else to do it.

Also, don't forget to include the price/hassle of Vista in your calculations and any changes it will require to existing software you might have.

[mini.boss]

Originally Posted by MagnusDredd 

1) My Basic uses for a Laptop are, in order from Most use to Least use is...
-Internet Surfing for both business and leisure

This is one place where Windows cannot match OSX.
There are 700,000 or so viruses for Windows the last time I checked. There are tons and tons of trojans beyond that. 99% of the time I reinstall Windows for someone, it's mostly due to infection of one sort or another, and mostly from some crap that came off of the internet.

With all the advice going around about "no viruses" then I think it should be asked of the OP whether or not he gets alot of viruses on PC.

Virus scares are something mac people love to point out, but in reality then smart Windows users know how to avoid them (the problem being that most PC users aren't smart enough to avoid dodgy websites and unknown attachments. To those people then Mac is a big advantage). The last Virus i've gotten was back in the floppy days when someone used my computer to read his disk. Outside of that then I've yet to get hit.

[McDave]

Originally Posted by t/man 

Also, don't forget to include the price/hassle of Vista in your calculations and any changes it will require to existing software you might have.

..and don't forget that most of the main features Vista will bring to Windows users next year - OS X brought to us (in Tiger) last year!!

[McDave]

Originally Posted by mini.boss 

With all the advice going around about "no viruses" then I think it should be asked of the OP whether or not he gets alot of viruses on PC.

Virus scares are something mac people love to point out, but in reality then smart Windows users know how to avoid them (the problem being that most PC users aren't smart enough to avoid dodgy websites and unknown attachments. To those people then Mac is a big advantage). The last Virus i've gotten was back in the floppy days when someone used my computer to read his disk. Outside of that then I've yet to get hit.

...implying that Windows users who get viruses are dumb? (or just popular?).

The real beauty of the Mac is that you get on with the job of doing useful stuff, not with the job of being a computer user. Be warned though in order to enjoy your 'iLife' you first need a life, if you don't need to do 'useful stuff' and just wanted to 'do' computing for it's own sake you're better off with Windows.

McD

[zaghahzag]

Originally Posted by McDave 

..and don't forget that most of the main features Vista will bring to Windows users next year - OS X brought to us (in Tiger) last year!!

actually, most of them came to us back with jaguar bcak in what like 2003?

i was fixing a PC with XP on it last night. That experience alone would be enough to make me never by another M$ OS.

[shiff]

Originally Posted by McDave 

Hi uicandrew

How often do you use Bootcamp? (i.e. how much of your time is spent running Windows)

I'm keen to know as I hear there are a lot of downloads but that doesn't equate to actual usage.

McD

I never use bootcamp but I would definitely suggest you buy a copy of Parallels. I personally think when every switcher "switches"; they should buy a copy.

It is really nice not to have to reboot to do things.. Now maybe high end gaming you will use bootcamp but for the things you mentioned, parallels will work great.

I use it all day long as there is a Govt application that I need to run at work that is only for windows.

[MagnusDredd]

Originally Posted by More Cowbell 

3) Probably my biggest stumbling block is this: I have a blackberry and use a Blackberry Enterprise Server(3rd party) to Sync my blackberry and outlook wirelessly(email, contacts, tasks, calendar).

I would have replied sooner but I've been sick. Currently, I have a fever of 101...

"....PocketMac For BlackBerry is the first program to allow Mac users to sync their crucial data between their BlackBerry device and Entourage, Address Book, iCal, Now Contact, Now Up-To-Date, and even Stickies. And it's fully integrated with iSync as well!...."

BTW, it's now a free download.

http://www.pocketmac.net/products/pmblackberry/

[MagnusDredd]

Originally Posted by mini.boss 

With all the advice going around about "no viruses" then I think it should be asked of the OP whether or not he gets alot of viruses on PC.

Virus scares are something mac people love to point out, but in reality then smart Windows users know how to avoid them (the problem being that most PC users aren't smart enough to avoid dodgy websites and unknown attachments. To those people then Mac is a big advantage). The last Virus i've gotten was back in the floppy days when someone used my computer to read his disk. Outside of that then I've yet to get hit.

I'm not sure if I mentioned it above, but I work in IT, supporting Windows machines. Most people don't... 99% of Windows users do not have the knowledge to determine what may or may not get them in trouble and destabilize their machines.

I pay a yearly fee for antivirus on XP as well as for a spyware blocking program. It never ceases to amaze me how many things Spy Sweeper catches before they infect my system. I do not pay for these things on OSX.

Here's a few examples:
You need to reinstall Windows, you don't have a hardware, or another machine to act as a firewall. You have a copy of XP Pro SP1. Time to infection on a broadband connection while trying to run Windows Update to secure your machine? Not long enough to close all of the security holes (depending on your internet connection). I just checked, according to SANS, it's up to 98 minutes til infection, which is better than it was. But still likely to be compromised before it can be completely patched at least via DSL.
SANS - Internet Storm Center - Cooperative Cyber Threat Monitor And Alert System
SANS is a prominent authority on internet security.

You buy a CD, and you want to listen to it in your Windows laptop. You put the disc in the drive and a message pops up stating that you have to install software. you click "No". A rootkit is installed on your PC _anyway_. Sony Music lost a class action lawsuit for this very reason. Even better, you later download the program they release to remove the rootkit, and it only hides it from you.
Schneier on Security: Sony's DRM Rootkit: The Real Story
Bruce Schneier is a widely respected security expert.

You go to the store and buy a game (Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory). You install the game but notice that from time to time the machine reboots at random. You get a friend (that'd be me) to take a look at the computer. The friend thinks the machine may be overheating (shutdown on overheat is a common safety feature), but it turns out not to be the case. The friend changes the setting in XP that makes it bluescreen instead of automatically reboot, which is the default setting (fact: most Windows users are unaware of how much their machine may lock up, I cannot count the number of people who said XP _never _ crashed but did reboot from time to time.). The computer promptly bluescreened _alot_. The friend has read about StarForce (horrible, potentially machine destabilizing copy protection). Game is removed, and Starforce is removed separately (it's a hidden driver, and does not uninstall when the game does)and no more crashing.
Boycott Starforce � What is it?
Apparently the StarForce guys sue people who point out how crappy their software is, couldn't find a better link quickly...

You decide that you want to get a free program to play movies on your machine off of the internet, how sure can you be that it's not bundled with spyware, and or trojans? You'd have to either not run anything you download from the net (multiple users I support), or you'd have to ask a friend you is fairly knowledgeable. With OSX this is really not a major issue.

Just a few examples... There's more where they came from... The truth is that over 90% people don't know what's on their Windows machine or much about how it's configured. Another neat fact; are you aware that XP Pro, Mediacenter, and XP Tablet Ed. by default has a hidden share that shares your entire C: drive that uses the local\Administrator login? I get error messages on my Linux based firewall/webserver/etc from zombie PCs trying to connect to "\\my_ip_address\C$" using the "local\administrator" login... People up to no good know that this share is there and that connecting to your machine using it basically gives them total control. As the Microsoft Bulletin states:"C$) can be deleted, but the computer re-creates them after you stop and restart the Server service or restart your computer." This retarded behavior can be fixed with some creative registry editing. But most Windows administrators I've come across generally won't go that far, due to complications that can arise.
How to create and delete hidden or administrative shares on client computers

Th funny part about bad people trying to break into my firewall using this method is that it runs Slackware Linux, which I've personally configured by hand. There is no GUI on the machine. All management is done by editing configuration files and/or writing shell scripts.

I do some personal support on the side for my coworkers (for a few $$) and for friends and family who are willing to follow my advice (free for them)... I cannot stress enough how often I find malware of some sort installed on their systems. One of my coworkers specifically has not had this problem, but he's paranoid about the internet (probably for good reasons). He installs _nothing_ from the net without specifically asking me about it. This was not a suggestion of mine, but it's worked for him. I did set him up with Firefox with the NoScript extension though.
NoScript - Whitelist JavaScript blocking for a safer Firefox experience! - what is it? - InformAction

Hope that answers any questions....

[real]

MagnusDredd,

thanks for that write up and the links some good reading and info IMO.


real

[MagnusDredd]

Originally Posted by real 

MagnusDredd,

thanks for that write up and the links some good reading and info IMO.


real

Not a problem...

One last note:

I was re-reading my last post, and I wanted to clarify the hidden c: drive sharing issue a bit more...


With XP SP2 features a firewall that blocks this by default (which is good).

By default if you have the SP2 firewall on, and you have a windows machine that's doing ICS (Internet Connection Sharing), and you enable filesharing so that you can share files with your other computer/laptop; by default it will then allow people on the internet to connect as well. You have to go into the "Scope" screen to specify _which_ machines should be allowed to connect. I'd guess that oer 99% of Windows users do not know what a "Scope" is. If you are going to use Windows at all (VPC, Parallels, Boot Camp, generic PC), it's very important to read the information at the following link:
Some programs seem to stop working after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2

There are software based firewalls that can be bought that will block connections under SP1 or earlier.

If you don't have filesharing firewalled from the internet, and many don't (probably because of ignorance of "Scopes"), an attacker would still have to get/guess your password to log into your C: drive. The bad part is that there are programs that are designed to do this that can very quickly try a list of very commonly used passwords to log in.

A couple of suggestions on passwords (important on OSX as well):
It should be memorable, but not a single word that can be found in a dictionary.
Uppercase (ABCD) is not the same as lowercase (abcd) for a password, using both is good.
It should be at least 8 characters, the more the better.
If you are using XP, or Win2000 it should be 15 characters or longer.
It should contain a mixture of letters, numbers, and symbols. (some symbols won't work though, your system will tell you if they aren't)

Examples:
bad: 1234, 1972, 23864
---There are only 10 different numbers. This is one of the easiest things to crack.

bad: password, secret, system, computer
---Standard dictionary attacks will crack these very quickly. All lowercase means that there are only 26 combinations per character.

ok: 1972Richmond (easy to remember because it's my birth year + where I was born).
1985ChevyBlazer (My vehicle)
---Pretty safe vs. people who don't know you. Longer than 8 characters, upper and lower case, and contains letters and numbers. 62 combinations per character.

better: 1Secure&CoolP@ssword
---It's 20 characters long, it contains upper case, lower case, numbers, and symbols. It's a phrase that makes sense, so it's easy to remember. This may not work on some websites or computers (too long, or they may not allow the "&" or "@" symbols), but it won't hurt anything to try a password like this one. The worst that will happen is that the website/computer will not allow you to use it and you'll have to try another. 94 cominations per character.

How long it may take to crack a password:
In Depth: Understanding Passwords

Some infomation of secure passwords.
Ten Windows Password Myths

[jawn]

Originally Posted by More Cowbell 

I have long considered making this change but my life became very busy the last several months. I am now very close to making the move, but I still have 3 questions. I was hoping to garner the opinions of some savvy MAC users if I could.

1) My Basic uses for a Laptop are, in order from Most use to Least use is...

-Internet Surfing for both business and leisure
-Email
-Excel and Word
-Music and Photo's(Non-Editing)

What keeps getting me, is that these are the very things that a Window's PC does excel in. I am not editing photo's or video, not creating music or drawings. Is a switch really right for my type of use?

2) If I decide to make the leap, part of me is saying "wait" for Leopard. Is Leopard worth the wait? It sounds great and I feel that I will either miss out or cost myself the cash it will take to upgrade if I buy now instead of waiting. Is this true? I REALLY like the sound of "Time Machine". Also, I believe that having Leopard installed on the machine to begin with is a far safer than upgrading down the road. Is this true?

3) Probably my biggest stumbling block is this: I have a blackberry and use a Blackberry Enterprise Server(3rd party) to Sync my blackberry and outlook wirelessly(email, contacts, tasks, calendar). From my research, it doesn't seem possible for a Mac to do this. Also, it seems that "PocketSync" or whatever it is called, is extremely unreliable. As I am married to my blackberry, what is your recommended solution?

Thanks in advance!!!

Entourage supports Exchange servers and will wirelessly sync everything but tasks. I use a Blackberry 8700 and a MacBook and they work fine together. I don't use PocketMac at all (I used to but the company has ridiculously poor support for their products but that is another thread).