There is now a free LaunchBar "alternative" called Quicksilver (http://blacktree.com/apps/quicksilver/). I put the quotes in because it's actually **better** than LaunchBar, in addition to being free. A bunch of LaunchBar users (I even paid for it) have pretty much ditched LB completely in favour of this app.
The Bezel interface, the custom web searches, ability to browse iTunes/Address Book/etc, ability to assign different actions on different file (types), etc... Very, very nice utility. Once you try it, you'll have trouble going to a machine without it.
i wouldnt bother putting the applications and home in the dock
trust me, everyone should check out Butler on versiontracker.......
it is simply amazing....... you OS 9 users will like it.......
it combines the apple applications menu from os 9, a sherlock type search function,
for all of you that use multiple monitors check out
Dejamenu as well... it makes the menu bar into a right mouse button (or ctrl click) context menu so you dont have to move the mouse back to the main screen to get to a menu option
check out tinker tool
this is especially good for those on 12 inch powerbooks that want to reduce system font sizes to fit more on the screen
although i wouldnt recommend running it alot there are progrmas that let you have your screensaver as your desktop backgroup (keep in mind this is quite resource intensive)
My wife and I were mac fanatics but ditched Apple in '97 when we got screwed with their 1710AV dealings. We have since been using NT4/W2K which was great for 3D animation, but now Macs have Maya too. I switched back 6 months ago and love OS X. My wife was very skeptical at first, but after peeking over my shoulder while I work she now wants to switch back too. I use an MX Duo and can't imagine having to use the Apple keyboard and mouse. Map F9 and F11 to your MX700 and you'll be in GUI heaven.
If you didn't already know, you can close, minimize, or zoom all windows of an application by holding in the Option key when you click the widget (or, Option+Command+W for Close All Windows). The really handy part is, however, is that if you minimize a window to the Dock, it is EXCLUDED from the option key's 'all' function. For example: If you open a bunch of images in Preview, but then only want to keep one open and close the others, minimze the keeper to the Dock to hold it, then Option+click the close widget. All the windows will close but the one you put in the Dock for safe-keeping.
Put a copy of your applications folder and home folder on the dock just above the trash can.
The virus problem on OSX will never be as bad as on Windows because it is a unix based system. You msut give permission to isntall things and user information is kept separate.
one thing i quite like about the mac directory structure is that with the exception of some system software like norton (which sucks so i uninstalled it, get tech tools 4 and diskwarrior instead) all the software only installs in the applications folder.... so uninstalling is as easy as deleting the directory..... in windows.... a program installs things in so many places that if you want to remove if you have to run an uninstall program.....and sometimes the uninstall program will remove a component of another program
the other nice thing about os x is how it handles aliases (called shortcuts in windows
in windows if you have a file and a shortcut and you move that file the shortcut now becomes a broken link..... with os x you can move a file anywhere and the alias (shortcut) still points to it......
in os x you can move, copy, delete (to trash) while still having that document open........(you just cant empty the trash until you close the file)
One really cool Mac app you might want to check out Anand is NoteTaker - I would think it would be a godsend for students or anyone that does a lot of writing or info gathering. Microsoft makes something comparable for Windows called OneNote I believe, but I hear NoteTaker compares well. I like it a lot - I consider it a killer app for the mac platform. Anyone else here use it?
I don't like their keyboard or mouse, either. Therefore, I've got my Logitech Dual Optic mouse and Microsoft Natural Keyboard plugged in. Software is available from both Logitech and Microsoft under OS X. They both work great.
As far as FTP software, CuteFTP is available for OS X. Works great for me.
ACDSee is also available for OS X, but they seem to have frozen the version number and haven't touched it for a bit. Too bad, really.
I've moved all our work over to the G5 at our studio (film/video production). It kicks ass across the board. The only thing the Mac needs is a good encoder, such as Canopus's ProCoder.
Otherwise, the PC is still at home for games. Although, they did end up putting Unreal Tournament 2004, TRON 2.0, and a few others on the Mac. You can get the "special edition" Radeon 9800 and go to town.
- you can turn "Show icon preview" in a folder's View Options (command-J in the Finder) to see thumbnails for a folder of pictures, w/o using Preview
and
- the secret to using OS X, IMO, is a nicely mixed combination of hiding apps, Exposé, and minimization. Personally, I find the first two methods most useful, and the third the least, but your method may vary. There are many, many shortcuts for hiding apps in OS X; play around with command-H, option-command-H, and option- and command-option clicking around the screen and in the Dock to get an idea.
The document "Shortcuts for windows" in Help Center provides a nice tidy list of these commands. Enjoy!
I've actually been using MacOS X a lot more recently (seeing as how I don't have $4000+ to spend on an computing experiment, I've had to make due to using the computers availabe in various labs on campus), and I will agree with you that it's a far better performance on high-end machines than low-end ones. While this is true for Windows-based machines as well, the difference is considerably more obvious for MacOS X.
Because I can't use one as my primary machine, my experiences have not been nearly as in-depth, so I won't comment much on those aspects. But I have to say, I actually really love the Apple Keyboards. So much so, in fact, that I've bought one to use on my Windows machine (I'd have gotten an Apple Pro Keyboard, but they're no longer being made). It's quiet and compact, and looks great. Admittedly, your point about white being a less-than-perfect color choice is right on (I'm cleaning the thing seemingly every other week), but it's still probably the best USB keyboard I've found.
Re: ftp client DerekWilson got it right, he doesn't mean sftp (SSH), he means ftps (SSL). However, implicit SSL is deprecated!!!
Clients:
- glubtech or something. implicit SSL. crap! - netfinder. doesn't support AUTH-TLS, implicit should work. Never liked the interface, though. - ftps. command line, don't know if it can do implicit SSL. Had problems with some servers. - curl. command line, implicit SSL actually worked for some time but is broken every once in a while. - captain ftp. clumsy but usable. - C-kermit. I think explicit only.
little known keyboard shortcuts. in dialogues asking whether or not to save: command-s is the same as clicking the save button esc is cancel and (the little known part) command-D is "don't save"
this needs to be made more obvious in the dialog. it used to be that the shortcuts would appear on the buttons if you hit the command key
"I'm not a fan of the organization (or lack thereof) of folders under OS X, […] I find myself putting far too much important stuff on the desktop and not enough elsewhere, mostly because I don't know where I really want to put it."
In Mac OS =9 it was pretty much expected that you would feel better making your own directory structure. I always liked that more than the having windows suggest things to me.
"Just today I was stuck using a G4 1GHz on campus"
even being a mac user i avoid macs in labs. They always seem to be terribly abused. I think it's a conspiracy. : )
"There will be an AT Mac section."
Good. the state of mac hardware reviews and benchmarks is terrible.
And yes, apple has been expending huge amounts of effort on developing OS X. I'd say that in 4 years it's matured (in some areas) about the amount that other OSs (specifically, classic mac os) would in 10. (you should find 10.0 somewhere, then again thats the same as asking for torture). the flip side of that improvement tho is that its 10 years of changes crammed into 4
Anand, thanks for the great work and for keeping an open mind. Many PC users just flat-out hate Apple anr/or the Mac OS, and many Mac users are apologists who cannot criticize Apple or Mac OS X even where just criticisms are warranted.
It's SO nice to read an even-handed commentary, especially with the perspective of a lifelong (and VERY technically savvy) PC user.
I own, use, and like both platforms. I strongly favor the Mac these days (due 100% to Mac OS X) and use one (dual 1.0 GHz G4, soon to be a dual 2.X GHx G5) for all of my personal stuff, and have a PC (a 3.0 GHz P4C Dell) for work (I'm a Windows (C/C++ and Win32/MFC/OpenGL/MySQL) software developer). I find your comments to align squarely with my own feelings about both platforms.
Thanks again for your grand experiment and for letting us all in on its progress and results!
Some tips: 1. Keep your documents inside your "Home" folder. Here are some navigational shortcuts in Finder: command-shift-h: go to Home folder command-shift-c: go to the toppest directory of your mac. command-shift-f: go to Favorite folder command-shift-g: to manually type the path of the directory you'd like to be
command-shift-n: create new folder command-arrow up: go up one directory command-arrow down: open the selected folder
2. These shortcuts work inside Open/Save dialog boxes. Also, you can maximize the dialog box by dragging the handle on the bottom-right of the box. Some dialog boxes have maximize button.
Some other navigational shortcuts (these work in finder only): command-1: switch to thumbnail view command-2: switch to list view command-3: switch to column view (my favorite)
As a long time Mac user, I really enjoyed reading your mac-month-blog and am looking forward to your Mac area on the site. While there are some good sites out there (BareFeats, XLR8), there is room for another, more 'professional' opinion in the area. As someone who not only buys Macs but upgrades them (WOOOH!), I like reading about the next best thing.
Also, once you have discovered the little file browser widget in open/save dialogs, there's another treat that people don't often use: you can do your navigating in the finder, and then drag the file/folder you want onto the open/save dialog to select it. Remember that you have live searching in the toolbar of finder windows. Of course, one thing Apple missed in o/s dialogs is a file type filter -- but I think that can actually be a good thing to miss from a usability standpoint.
On the mac, the easiest way to do FTP/SSL is to use an ssl tunnel for your FTP connection. Then you can use any client. I know, this adds an extra step, but it's great for sites you go to regularly.
Thanks Anand, your month's commentary was really really good. I really look forward to reading your continuing life as a Mac user. Welcome, how can we help?
1. System Prefs - Scroll to Here 2. Finder Prefs - Clicking the Finder icon in the Dock creates new Home folder 3. Springloaded folders in the sidebar - hold items over a sidebarred item (click Space Bar to open immediately) 4. Finder View Options / Icon View - SHow icon preview, and 128x128 icon size 5. Navigate your file structure using Column View, but Command+double-click your folder to open in its own window. Then, depending upon contents, use List View for more information or Icon View to see large icon preview (#4, above). 6. The Library folders are there mainly for applications to store supporting data (prefs, fonts, etc). Keep your stuff in your ~/Documents, Movies, Music, Pictures, Public, and Sites folders. 7. Did you get a .Mac account? Many applications (including the Finder) acquire additional features with .Mac. 8. Did you set up and use the AppleScript Menu? There are numerous and very handy scripts available from Apple's AppleScript site. 9. Using iCal, you can schedule files to open, run AppleScripts, start and stop iTunes,...etc. 10. You made no mention of the Finder's built-in live type to find feature. This has changed the way I use and organize my files. Who needs to go looking around for a file when all you have to do is start typing its name and...oh, there it is. 11. Select your Documents folder. Do a Show Info (Cmd+I). On the Show Info panel, disclose the Index pane. Index your Documents folder. You can now use Find... (Cmd+F) in the Finder to Search by Contents. I lived by this feature during my college days (called DigitalLibrarian in NeXTSTEP). 12. Although it's still in Beta (a little slow and a little buggy) OmniWeb 5 has a fantastic feature set matched to a fantastic interface. My favorite browser.
> command shift c, h, u, a only work in the Finder.
That's incorrect. It works in Open and Save File dialog windows, too. :)
And yes, Anand, you can resize the open/save dialog windows.
As for getting around the drive easily, you can drag any folder (or file for that matter) to not only the Dock but also the Finder window's "Location" sidebar. Any way you choose to populate the Finder window's Location sidebar will ALSO appear in all open/Save dialog windows. It can't get any easier than that.
Oh, and don't forget that, if you have Docked folders, you can click-hold on them, and they will pop up a la the Windows Start Menu. you'll notice however that there's a slight pause before the contents of the folder pops up. you can eliminate this pause by holding down the Control key while clicking -- or right-clicking, if you have a multi-button mouse that has the Control-click set as any mouse button.
Great experiment using the Mac, Anand. I'm pleased that you're pleased.
I think it would be great if AnandTech could do official coverage of WWDC 2004. I'm not sure if I can scrounge up enough money to go this year, and it is usually a rather secretive affair (beyond the highly publicized keynote). I know WWDC is more of a software developer affair, but there's a good chance the Powerbook G5 will be released at this year's event. And besides, I think a lot of readers would be interested in reading about some of the advances in OS X 10.4 just like they enjoy reading about the upcoming Longhorn features.
>> "I find that the Save dialogue boxes are too small" > Then drag them bigger - bottom left corner as always.
Correction: If your save dialogue is not expanded yet first click the down arrow button at the right-hand end of the "Save as" row (to the right of the name entry box).
If you'd like the save dialogue bigger still:- Drag the bottom RIGHT corner of the dialogue downwards.
Ittec puts your computer at your fingertips. It gives you immediate access to all of your files and folders, applications, and open windows. You will no longer need to clutter your Dock and Desktop, no longer need to use the bulky open dialog, no longer need to move windows aside to reach the Desktop, because everything will be waiting for you at the click of a button. Ittec is a robust and intuitive tool. It has many useful features and is highly customizable. Some of the key benefits include:
Browse through all your files and folders quickly and easily.
See running applications and the open windows in those applications.
Drag files and folders out of Ittec menus to the Dock, Finder or other applications.
Send selected files to any folder or application, effectively dragging items into Ittec menus.
Add your preferred files and folders to the Ittec menu.
Perform actions such as Print, Move to Trash and Copy to clipboard on items in Ittec menus.
Integrate your classic and native desktops, and mounted volumes, all in one place.
View vital staistics of your files and folders right from Ittec menus.
Show contextual menus in the Finder without holding the control key down.
If you find any problems with Ittec, please send an email to support@balancesoftware.com with the details so that we can fix it. Thanks
I second the DooD who wants the hardware stuff brought out into the open a bit more. I'm sure that there is a nice bank of resistors buried somewhere in my Dual 1.8 that once changed would turn it into a Dual 2.0 ( and probably with no ill effects either) - I'd like to see some hardware exposes' on Apple stuff and some good tutorials on getting the most out of the programs I've got. The Mac section shouldnt be just like the PC section but there's room for for hands on improvements. Most Mac sites are simply congregation pointsof users; they dont offer anything of value. I also notice many of the sites are letting their users write the content on the site ( via "Reader Reports" and other such cruft ) to the point that it's absurd as to why the guy that runs the site is bothering - dont fall into this trap.
I'm glad your experience has ended well. It truly is a breath of fresh air to get an experienced PC user such as yourself to give the Mac such an unbiased try. I truly hope that your attitude will open the eyes of other PC users that so respect your opinions.
Thanks Anand and I eagerly await your Mac section.
"I'm not a fan of the organisation (or lack thereof) of folders under OS X" Either use the Document, Movie & Picture folders in the Home folder or make your own set within one folder & put the root folder in your dock, in the left of window icon shortcuts or make an alias/shortcut on the desktop - what could be easier? Do you really want an OS that second guesses you & demands you put things where it wants?
"I find that the Save dialogue boxes are too small" Then drag them bigger - bottom left corner as always.
"the auto-complete of URLs that you all taught me doesn't always seem to work instantaneously" That is because it tries what you have typed first: http://anandtech/ before http://www.anandtech.com/
"I do wish there was a way to be in a directory with images and have Preview flip through the images for me without having to highlight them all and open them that way" No need to even open Preview - just use any program (e.g. Graphic Converter - www.lemkesoft.de) to add a resource fork, large thumbnail icon (128x128 pixels) & preview image to your pictures. Then just either set the icons large & the folder to open in icon view or keep column view and just select the top image & watch the previews as you run down the list using the down arrow key. If you do not pre-make the previews/resource fork the OS will behave sluggishly , like Windows, having to create the preview as you select the file: the larger the image the slower the the preview. Macs have had incomparably better image handling that Windows for years. Even now in XP not having a resource fork means that images have to be in one special folder to have access to previews (the childishly named "My Picture" folder - always makes me wonder when all PCs are going to come with a free "My Little Pony").
"The OS was also configured much differently than my copy of 10.3.3 is configured, for example Command + Tab didn't bring up a Windows-like bar of all the applications open." OS X 10.3 was not a "Service Pack" it was an OS Update & included some of the features you have come to expect - OS X is evolving at high speed before you.
"not to mention that the default web browser was IE (IE for the Mac is *horrible*)." It is slow but fairly standards compliant. IE for Mac shows what problems M$ makes even for its own programmers with its policy of "embrace, extend & extinguish". M$'s ceaseless work to move the goal posts is the bane of the computing industry. Welcome to the real world.
"Multitasking on the G4 was a joke compared to the G5" Was it dual CP?
"Safari would crash if you tried to run it" + "If Apple is to ever get back above the 2% market share they are at right now, even the worst systems out there in the public need to be configured much better than this one was." Apple cannot legislate for the quality & regularity of systems administration. Neither can they force institutions to hire the odd Mac conversant tech amongst the legions of thumbs necessary to plug the Windows dyke.
"Someone once asked if I felt any more secure knowing that there were no viruses or OS exploits that I needed to worry about while using OS X. It definitely feels nice, but I'm not getting too comfortable - if the Apple market expands, we'll definitely have OS X's fair share of destructive programs." The same old comment - all I can say is that I have enjoyed the last eight careless years without virus protection, trojans, spyware or browser hijacking. That's eight years and counting...
"3) Not being able to hit Windows-key + R to be my starting point for navigating my hard drive." Command (Apple) + n in the Finder can be set up in its preferences to open any folder you wish. In the Finder Command + up arrow will take you to Home. Also try out Command shift + c, h, u or a - again in the Finder.
Glad to hear everything went well and you'll be continuing the mac section and updates, you should bring an interesting and often lacking perspective to the mac review world, namely the view of a fairly unbiased PC user.
As a mac user, one thing I would love to see from you would be low level mac stuff, getting into the openfirmware and such, but also (if you have the stomach for it) hacking the hardware. That's one of the things the mac community doesn't have in a lot of it's review sites, people willing to void their waranty and push the machine to it's breaking point. Of course, with the price tags macs carry, it's understandable, but if you have the guts to do it, it would be a great addition.
I have been experimenting with an old, slow (400MHz G3) under 10.3.3, and no matter what I do, I can't fool the URL entry mechanism in Safari. As others have pointed out, something was amiss with the Lab machine you were using.
As you pointed out, this is a huge problem for Apple - anyone using that machine without knowing any better would write off the company in a moment. IF a Windows machine were acting similarly, the same user would simply look for another machine. I have no solution. I do have a corollary, though. If I had a nickel (well, make it a Loonie) for every time I heard someone say "I used Macs in Grade 8, and they can't do anything like what I can do on my PC today.", I could get a replacement DVD-ROM drive.
One wise fellow said earlier "Funny critters, humans.".
Just to weigh in on the one-button mouse issue....
That the Mac ships with a one-button mouse forces developers to write programs so that they work for one-button mice. Every contextual menu item is therefore available non-contextually.
In Windows, as far as I can tell (or the IT folks at work can tell), there are many contextual menus items which are only available in context. Unfortunately, it is sometimes very difficult to find the context that made sense to the programmer.
I have four such issues on my computer at work (a Dell), and zero such issues on my Mac.
It is the Zen of the one-button mouse.
Further, I switch back and forth between a two-button plus scroll wheel mouse at work and a one button mouse at home. I never think "Gee, if I only had more buttons and a wheel...". I have noticed that a lot of users of PCs who appreciate multi-button mice equip their computers with n-button mice from the after-market. For some reason, however, it would be wrong to do the same thing for a Mac (i.e. purchase an after-market n-button mouse).
Strange critters, humans.
Mike
PS Thanks for taking the time to try Macs. I think your comments were fair, and if Apple is smart, they will be reading the weblog to see how they can improve the interface for converts, and what they should add. I think that a valuable website would be a Mac and OS X Tip of the Day. Just one thing a day - a key stroke combo, an obscure command, a technique to help things along. It is very easy to overlook these things now that printed manuals have disappeared. One a day means that when a good one comes along you can practice, and make it your own.
On the OS X directory structure ... At the system level, there are the following directories. /Applications Apps go here. /Library Stuff in here applies to every user on the system (i.e. dropping a screen saver into /Library/ScreenSavers will make it available to everyone). /System Much like /Library, but generally reserved for Apple's use. Contains most of the core system. /Users All the user home directories on your system.
In your home directory (/Users/anand or, or whatever your short user name is) ... ~/Documents Your documents go here. Equivalent to "My Documents" on Windows. ~/Library Stuff in here applies to just you (i.e. dropping a screen saver into ~/Library/ScreenSavers will make it available only to you). This is also where your preferences for individual applications are stored (in ~/Library/Preferences, to be specific), along with a host of other things, like caches, Mail.app stores, and the like. ~/Movies Your movies go here. Equivalent to "My Movies" on Windows. ~/Music Your music goes here. Equivalent to "My Music" on Windows. ~/Pictures Your pictures go here. Equivalent to "My Pictures" on Windows. ~/Public This is your public folder. If you turn Apple's file sharing on, this folder will become available to any guest user logging in. It also contains a drop box for uploads.
OS X's default directories helped me organize my stuff in a very logical, consistent manner. I'd highly recommend taking advantage of them.
Your blog has been an interesting insight into the mind-set of a PC user, thanks. I've never understood why PC users put up with Windows ever since, years ago, looking at Windows '95 and thinking:
Ugh, There must be something better out there than this! It appears to have been written by corporate bean counters with subjugation in mind - all these mean, dowdy, sharp corners and dull greys. Its vulgar insults: 'You have performed an illegal operation' -walk down to your local branch of the Business Software Alliance & turn yourself in (Microsoft appear always to have believed the law was theirs to invent). 'You will not enjoy your computer: you will get on with your work' - is what its GUI hissed.
Now XP has tried to learn from Apple & brightened up a little (with the awkwardness of an alien trying to go unnoticed in a crowd) it has the feel of the Babayaga's house - covered in sweeties to tempt the little children in... its malevolent corporate heart beat muffled, for all but the wary, by the incessant drone of fans. Still, from my point of view (incredulity that PC users would put up with the patching, repairing & defending of Heath Robinson machines, the functionality of which appears permanently wobbling on a tight-rope) it has been fascinating, and generous of you, to be offered an insight.
I had thought of the mind-set of the PC user as being somewhere between Stockholm syndrome sufferer & '70s British motorcycle user (user being a euphemism for someone with a fetish for grease & a front garden covered in scrap metal). While the image is too vivid to have been entirely dispelled your experiment has convinced me that there is, within the gloom of that despond, intelligent life on the dark side. Ahoy there...
i look forward to your continued use and commentary, especially on shareware items (like launchbar) which potentially enhance productivity/user experience. thank you for the experiment.
My guess is that 10.2 mac in the lab (really 10.2.0?) was slow on context switches because someone was running a huge app in the background or something else about it was more screwed up that it had to page out and page in all the time. Remember, OS X guarantees 4gigs to each application and doesn't bother to check if you have the HD space for it. That is, mallocs will never fail.
Then again it was acrobat and word ;) Preview on Jaguar was just as slow as reader. One thing you can definitely say about OS X, Apple makes huge changes between each version. Whether it be 10.x or 10.x.x.
Good article and the other problems you mention I believe you will get very use to after a while because of their consistency. They may be huge problems but they exist in *every* app.
Anand, thanks for doing this with the G5. It really helped me a lot with my new Mac and I think opened the eyes of many. I like both formats but prefer the Mac for doing a lot of stuff. I agree with you on all your points about OSX. Can't wait for the Mac section of Anandtech.
Page up and page down take me to the same place as command Page up and command page down on my G5 except that the page scrolls to the same spot. Not sure what you mean by your comment. Anyway, love to read your column. Cheers.
Once you get used to it, OS X's directory organization is extremely logical. Besides which, I don't see how it could be worse than Windows' directory organization (if it really has one).
But thanks for your thoughts. You should attend WWDC in June, meet some Mac developers.
"I'm not a fan of the organization (or lack thereof) of folders under OS X, or maybe it's just that I'm not familiar enough with the directory structure of OS X yet to feel at home. I find myself putting far too much important stuff on the desktop and not enough elsewhere, mostly because I don't know where I really want to put it. I find that the Save dialog boxes are too small, only showing me a handful of folders at a time as opposed to what I'm used to under Windows."
This was a big problem for me until I noticed the little triangle next to the file name...and magically all of my folders appeared. And it looked windows like, so try that and it might just solve your saving problem. But you can't change and delete files like you can in windows, but there are a few tools to get around that one if it is necessary.
Glad to hear your experiences went well. I too am looking for a decent ftp client- or something that integrates wiuth Finder. Working on a mud, being able to drag/drop files to a nonstandart ftp port(5990) while working on them in Xcode would be a godsend.
You should be able to resize a save dialog and have the app remember the size that you prefer. This is a per-application setting. There are pros and cons to this, but at least you can "set it and forget it".
Thanks to the recommendations on your blog, I tried it and it is incredibly useful. I absolutely love the utility and would go so far as to say it is as useful as Exposé.
Nice review Anand. Normally I'm a Windows user, but recently I purchased a Mac for the office and have had a similar experience to yours. Our Graphic Design Department has had macs all along, and to be honest, they seem to work for years after the PCs fail.
Very good to read about your experiences. Maybe now some people won't be so critical of Macs. Not that they're perfect but they're certainly able to hold their own. Anyway, I have a question, and I only ask out of curiosity/ignorance: Why would you add a Mac area to your site? I've never really read your site since I'm a Mac guy and I don't build PCs or anything like that. I gather, from the little bit I've hung around, that you're mainly about PC hardware and you give info about all the hundreds of different motherboards/cooling fans/cases etc.. What would you do in your Mac AT that isn't already out there in the dozens of Mac specific sites?I'm not being critical, I just don't see what more you could add since almost all the Mac hardware is Apple controlled it's not like you can really go crazy in the overclocking and customizing. Just curious.
Besides what lookmark said, IE for the Mac has to be given some credit here: unlike its Windows counter-part, Mac IE is standards compliant, and has a low occurrence of security issues and stability - it's just slow as a result. Anyhow, welcome to the neighborhood, and watch out for the weirdo with the Mac II/SE. ;-)
PS Speaking of the future, what's in the future for you? It sounds like you're not doing the grad school thing, so is it back to full-time AT, or are you going to try to steal Intel Anand's job, or something else?
Thanks for the update and your honest comments and your efforts to continue to provide future information on Apple products. I think that you will be rewarded because Steve Jobs and IBM have Apple headed in the correction future direction. Your insights will help them improve their products.
dear anand first of all congrats to u that u successfully accomplished ur mission mac and thanks for the news that AT will soon have a mac section. AT has been my favorite hardware review site for years and i m a mac fan too so now i will have the best of both. i also hope that as several other firms follow AT and improve their products so will Apple and hence it will get better for Apple fans . and finally yes its better being a multi platform coz it gives u a choice which is i suppose the most important thing . cheers and hope AT grows even more
The anticipation was killing me and others, but I must say it was an excellent final post in this month long experiment. Glad you're keeping the G5; when you upgrade you can sell it on ebay for a pretty penny and not only because Apple systems retain their value a lot better than PCs but because it belonged to the great Anand. ;)
That's great Anand! Cool! Thanks for being as open minded and honest as you usually are--maybe that is why so many of us trust you. Now when are they going to release the G5 Powerbook?
Well done again Anand. Its good to be critical of the things that need improvement on the Mac. As for windows key. I really like the windows E and windows I combos. The closest on the mac is command shift c, h, u, a for open computer, home, utilities or application folders but only works from the finder and then there is launchbar...
Very thoughtful conclusion. I too find it's much more satisfying being well-versed in multiple platforms instead sticking steadfastly to a single one. I far prefer Macs, FWIW, but I'd be unfair not to note some of the decent things in XP and some interesting Linux distros out there.
As for that iMac in the lab... as you'll see -- if you decide to stick around -- Apple changes the OS in their (so-far) yearly upgrade quite considerably. If that iMac was running 10.2: yup, 10.2 had Internet Explorer as the default browser (Safari didn't even *exist* when Jaguar was released), and 10.2 has that very annoying hopscotch-in-the-Dock command-tab navigation. The 10.2 UI is also rather more sluggish than Panther. If the admin upgrades the OS (or even installs Safari, which is now of course available for 10.2) it'll be a whole lot better.
Anyway, I find it's hard to go back to a monoculture once you've experienced the alternatives. Conrgats on the open experiment, and welcome aboard, for as long you enjoy it.
Glad to hear your 1-month Mac experiment went well for the most part.
On...
"The OS was also configured much differently than my copy of 10.3.3 is configured, for example Command + Tab didn't bring up a Windows-like bar of all the applications open, instead it just highlighted applications in the Dock."
...if the G4 was running 10.2 (Jaguar), then you weren't experiencing a different configuration -- the 10.3.3 Command + Tab feature you describe wasn't available in OS X until Panther.
Typing anandtech and hitting enter on Firefox sends you to Google's I'm Feeling Lucky for "anandtech". Some other key combination with enter (I think ti's control enter) will insert the www. and .com for you, though.
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66 Comments
Back to Article
bakshi - Monday, March 29, 2004 - link
Re: LaunchBarDON'T BOTHER.
There is now a free LaunchBar "alternative" called Quicksilver (http://blacktree.com/apps/quicksilver/). I put the quotes in because it's actually **better** than LaunchBar, in addition to being free. A bunch of LaunchBar users (I even paid for it) have pretty much ditched LB completely in favour of this app.
The Bezel interface, the custom web searches, ability to browse iTunes/Address Book/etc, ability to assign different actions on different file (types), etc... Very, very nice utility. Once you try it, you'll have trouble going to a machine without it.
Anonymous - Sunday, March 28, 2004 - link
expose works so much better with screen corners instead of function keysthe best - Thursday, March 25, 2004 - link
The OPTION key is all powerful in OSX.
Option+minimize = all app windows minimize
Option+close = all app windows close
Menu or Conextual menu + Option = menu items gain new attributes
Option+Command+Click Desktop = hide all apps (reveal Desktop)
Option+Double Click folder/file = open file and close parent window
And so on. It's nearly endless.
andrew - Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - link
i wouldnt bother putting the applications and home in the docktrust me, everyone should check out Butler on versiontracker.......
it is simply amazing....... you OS 9 users will like it.......
it combines the apple applications menu from os 9, a sherlock type search function,
for all of you that use multiple monitors check out
Dejamenu as well... it makes the menu bar into a right mouse button (or ctrl click) context menu so you dont have to move the mouse back to the main screen to get to a menu option
check out tinker tool
this is especially good for those on 12 inch powerbooks that want to reduce system font sizes to fit more on the screen
although i wouldnt recommend running it alot there are progrmas that let you have your screensaver as your desktop backgroup (keep in mind this is quite resource intensive)
SmurfTower - Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - link
In the dock click+option on the app and you'll get the 'Hide Others' and that hides every other application except the one you designate.AJP - Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - link
My wife and I were mac fanatics but ditched Apple in '97 when we got screwed with their 1710AV dealings. We have since been using NT4/W2K which was great for 3D animation, but now Macs have Maya too. I switched back 6 months ago and love OS X. My wife was very skeptical at first, but after peeking over my shoulder while I work she now wants to switch back too. I use an MX Duo and can't imagine having to use the Apple keyboard and mouse. Map F9 and F11 to your MX700 and you'll be in GUI heaven.pbrice68 - Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - link
Forgot to mention this handy little tip:If you didn't already know, you can close, minimize, or zoom all windows of an application by holding in the Option key when you click the widget (or, Option+Command+W for Close All Windows). The really handy part is, however, is that if you minimize a window to the Dock, it is EXCLUDED from the option key's 'all' function. For example: If you open a bunch of images in Preview, but then only want to keep one open and close the others, minimze the keeper to the Dock to hold it, then Option+click the close widget. All the windows will close but the one you put in the Dock for safe-keeping.
Terry - Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - link
Put a copy of your applications folder and home folder on the dock just above the trash can.The virus problem on OSX will never be as bad as on Windows because it is a unix based system. You msut give permission to isntall things and user information is kept separate.
andrew - Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - link
one thing i quite like about the mac directory structure is that with the exception of some system software like norton (which sucks so i uninstalled it, get tech tools 4 and diskwarrior instead) all the software only installs in the applications folder.... so uninstalling is as easy as deleting the directory..... in windows.... a program installs things in so many places that if you want to remove if you have to run an uninstall program.....and sometimes the uninstall program will remove a component of another programthe other nice thing about os x is how it handles aliases (called shortcuts in windows
in windows if you have a file and a shortcut and you move that file the shortcut now becomes a broken link..... with os x you can move a file anywhere and the alias (shortcut) still points to it......
in os x you can move, copy, delete (to trash) while still having that document open........(you just cant empty the trash until you close the file)
that's all i can think of for now
MichaelB - Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - link
Another votye for Transmit.galactusofmyth - Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - link
One really cool Mac app you might want to check out Anand is NoteTaker - I would think it would be a godsend for students or anyone that does a lot of writing or info gathering. Microsoft makes something comparable for Windows called OneNote I believe, but I hear NoteTaker compares well. I like it a lot - I consider it a killer app for the mac platform. Anyone else here use it?andrew - Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - link
i strongly urge you to take a look at a few OS X enhancements available at versiontracker.comone of the nice things about OS X is that it allows for much nicer user coded gui additions
check out the following programs
Desktop Manager
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/...
Butler
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/...
Path Finder
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/...
uControl
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/...
fnSwitch (harness the true powers of Expose)
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/...
Look into the abilities presented by utilizing applescript and the many applescripts available for free on the web
For video and media download VLC and Windows Media player for Mac
VLC
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/...
WMP
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/...
ATF - Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - link
Hello, Anand.I don't like their keyboard or mouse, either. Therefore, I've got my Logitech Dual Optic mouse and Microsoft Natural Keyboard plugged in. Software is available from both Logitech and Microsoft under OS X. They both work great.
As far as FTP software, CuteFTP is available for OS X. Works great for me.
ACDSee is also available for OS X, but they seem to have frozen the version number and haven't touched it for a bit. Too bad, really.
I've moved all our work over to the G5 at our studio (film/video production). It kicks ass across the board. The only thing the Mac needs is a good encoder, such as Canopus's ProCoder.
Otherwise, the PC is still at home for games. Although, they did end up putting Unreal Tournament 2004, TRON 2.0, and a few others on the Mac. You can get the "special edition" Radeon 9800 and go to town.
With the proper keyboard, mouse..
Best,
ATF
lookmark - Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - link
Just two more comments:- you can turn "Show icon preview" in a folder's View Options (command-J in the Finder) to see thumbnails for a folder of pictures, w/o using Preview
and
- the secret to using OS X, IMO, is a nicely mixed combination of hiding apps, Exposé, and minimization. Personally, I find the first two methods most useful, and the third the least, but your method may vary. There are many, many shortcuts for hiding apps in OS X; play around with command-H, option-command-H, and option- and command-option clicking around the screen and in the Dock to get an idea.
The document "Shortcuts for windows" in Help Center provides a nice tidy list of these commands. Enjoy!
Anonymous - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Anand, You have said much about OSX but little about iLife and GarageBand. Have you tried those applications?Anonymous - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Come on, Anand: Tell us what we REALLY want to hear! Do you have NV40 and R420 in your lab yet or not???Ben - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
>2) There will be an AT Mac sectionThat's great! Looking forward to it.
GokieKS - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
I've actually been using MacOS X a lot more recently (seeing as how I don't have $4000+ to spend on an computing experiment, I've had to make due to using the computers availabe in various labs on campus), and I will agree with you that it's a far better performance on high-end machines than low-end ones. While this is true for Windows-based machines as well, the difference is considerably more obvious for MacOS X.Because I can't use one as my primary machine, my experiences have not been nearly as in-depth, so I won't comment much on those aspects. But I have to say, I actually really love the Apple Keyboards. So much so, in fact, that I've bought one to use on my Windows machine (I'd have gotten an Apple Pro Keyboard, but they're no longer being made). It's quiet and compact, and looks great. Admittedly, your point about white being a less-than-perfect color choice is right on (I'm cleaning the thing seemingly every other week), but it's still probably the best USB keyboard I've found.
~KS
Anonymous - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Re: ftp clientDerekWilson got it right, he doesn't mean sftp (SSH), he means ftps (SSL). However, implicit SSL is deprecated!!!
Clients:
- glubtech or something. implicit SSL. crap!
- netfinder. doesn't support AUTH-TLS, implicit should work. Never liked the interface, though.
- ftps. command line, don't know if it can do implicit SSL. Had problems with some servers.
- curl. command line, implicit SSL actually worked for some time but is broken every once in a while.
- captain ftp. clumsy but usable.
- C-kermit. I think explicit only.
Anonymous - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
little known keyboard shortcuts. in dialogues asking whether or not to save:command-s is the same as clicking the save button
esc is cancel
and (the little known part) command-D is "don't save"
this needs to be made more obvious in the dialog. it used to be that the shortcuts would appear on the buttons if you hit the command key
Anonymous - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
"I'm not a fan of the organization (or lack thereof) of folders under OS X, […] I find myself putting far too much important stuff on the desktop and not enough elsewhere, mostly because I don't know where I really want to put it."In Mac OS =9 it was pretty much expected that you would feel better making your own directory structure. I always liked that more than the having windows suggest things to me.
"Just today I was stuck using a G4 1GHz on campus"
even being a mac user i avoid macs in labs. They always seem to be terribly abused. I think it's a conspiracy. : )
"There will be an AT Mac section."
Good. the state of mac hardware reviews and benchmarks is terrible.
And yes, apple has been expending huge amounts of effort on developing OS X. I'd say that in 4 years it's matured (in some areas) about the amount that other OSs (specifically, classic mac os) would in 10. (you should find 10.0 somewhere, then again thats the same as asking for torture). the flip side of that improvement tho is that its 10 years of changes crammed into 4
Daryl - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Anand, thanks for the great work and for keeping an open mind. Many PC users just flat-out hate Apple anr/or the Mac OS, and many Mac users are apologists who cannot criticize Apple or Mac OS X even where just criticisms are warranted.It's SO nice to read an even-handed commentary, especially with the perspective of a lifelong (and VERY technically savvy) PC user.
I own, use, and like both platforms. I strongly favor the Mac these days (due 100% to Mac OS X) and use one (dual 1.0 GHz G4, soon to be a dual 2.X GHx G5) for all of my personal stuff, and have a PC (a 3.0 GHz P4C Dell) for work (I'm a Windows (C/C++ and Win32/MFC/OpenGL/MySQL) software developer). I find your comments to align squarely with my own feelings about both platforms.
Thanks again for your grand experiment and for letting us all in on its progress and results!
Anonymous - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
If the amount of window ever does become too distracting just go to application>hide others.Anonymous - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Some tips:1. Keep your documents inside your "Home" folder. Here are some navigational shortcuts in Finder:
command-shift-h: go to Home folder
command-shift-c: go to the toppest directory of your mac.
command-shift-f: go to Favorite folder
command-shift-g: to manually type the path of the directory you'd like to be
command-shift-n: create new folder
command-arrow up: go up one directory
command-arrow down: open the selected folder
2. These shortcuts work inside Open/Save dialog boxes. Also, you can maximize the dialog box by dragging the handle on the bottom-right of the box. Some dialog boxes have maximize button.
Some other navigational shortcuts (these work in finder only):
command-1: switch to thumbnail view
command-2: switch to list view
command-3: switch to column view (my favorite)
3. FTP client: I concur Transmit from http://www.panic.com
BZ - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
As a long time Mac user, I really enjoyed reading your mac-month-blog and am looking forward to your Mac area on the site. While there are some good sites out there (BareFeats, XLR8), there is room for another, more 'professional' opinion in the area. As someone who not only buys Macs but upgrades them (WOOOH!), I like reading about the next best thing.Keep up the great work.
BZ
Em - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Also, once you have discovered the little file browser widget in open/save dialogs, there's another treat that people don't often use: you can do your navigating in the finder, and then drag the file/folder you want onto the open/save dialog to select it. Remember that you have live searching in the toolbar of finder windows. Of course, one thing Apple missed in o/s dialogs is a file type filter -- but I think that can actually be a good thing to miss from a usability standpoint.Em - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
On the mac, the easiest way to do FTP/SSL is to use an ssl tunnel for your FTP connection. Then you can use any client. I know, this adds an extra step, but it's great for sites you go to regularly.maxplanar - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Thanks Anand, your month's commentary was really really good. I really look forward to reading your continuing life as a Mac user. Welcome, how can we help?Anonymous - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Couple of things you might want to try:1. System Prefs - Scroll to Here
2. Finder Prefs - Clicking the Finder icon in the Dock creates new Home folder
3. Springloaded folders in the sidebar - hold items over a sidebarred item (click Space Bar to open immediately)
4. Finder View Options / Icon View - SHow icon preview, and 128x128 icon size
5. Navigate your file structure using Column View, but Command+double-click your folder to open in its own window. Then, depending upon contents, use List View for more information or Icon View to see large icon preview (#4, above).
6. The Library folders are there mainly for applications to store supporting data (prefs, fonts, etc). Keep your stuff in your ~/Documents, Movies, Music, Pictures, Public, and Sites folders.
7. Did you get a .Mac account? Many applications (including the Finder) acquire additional features with .Mac.
8. Did you set up and use the AppleScript Menu? There are numerous and very handy scripts available from Apple's AppleScript site.
9. Using iCal, you can schedule files to open, run AppleScripts, start and stop iTunes,...etc.
10. You made no mention of the Finder's built-in live type to find feature. This has changed the way I use and organize my files. Who needs to go looking around for a file when all you have to do is start typing its name and...oh, there it is.
11. Select your Documents folder. Do a Show Info (Cmd+I). On the Show Info panel, disclose the Index pane. Index your Documents folder. You can now use Find... (Cmd+F) in the Finder to Search by Contents. I lived by this feature during my college days (called DigitalLibrarian in NeXTSTEP).
12. Although it's still in Beta (a little slow and a little buggy) OmniWeb 5 has a fantastic feature set matched to a fantastic interface. My favorite browser.
MacDuff - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
> command shift c, h, u, a only work in the Finder.That's incorrect. It works in Open and Save File dialog windows, too. :)
And yes, Anand, you can resize the open/save dialog windows.
As for getting around the drive easily, you can drag any folder (or file for that matter) to not only the Dock but also the Finder window's "Location" sidebar. Any way you choose to populate the Finder window's Location sidebar will ALSO appear in all open/Save dialog windows. It can't get any easier than that.
Oh, and don't forget that, if you have Docked folders, you can click-hold on them, and they will pop up a la the Windows Start Menu. you'll notice however that there's a slight pause before the contents of the folder pops up. you can eliminate this pause by holding down the Control key while clicking -- or right-clicking, if you have a multi-button mouse that has the Control-click set as any mouse button.
Great experiment using the Mac, Anand. I'm pleased that you're pleased.
Pete - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
"School is over (and I mean *over*) for me after May 11th"Congratulations, Anand. Just remember to use your knowledge for good, not evil. ;^)
GL - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
I think it would be great if AnandTech could do official coverage of WWDC 2004. I'm not sure if I can scrounge up enough money to go this year, and it is usually a rather secretive affair (beyond the highly publicized keynote). I know WWDC is more of a software developer affair, but there's a good chance the Powerbook G5 will be released at this year's event. And besides, I think a lot of readers would be interested in reading about some of the advances in OS X 10.4 just like they enjoy reading about the upcoming Longhorn features.DrTrustme - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
>> "I find that the Save dialogue boxes are too small"> Then drag them bigger - bottom left corner as always.
Correction:
If your save dialogue is not expanded yet first click the down arrow button at the right-hand end of the "Save as" row (to the right of the name entry box).
If you'd like the save dialogue bigger still:-
Drag the bottom RIGHT corner of the dialogue downwards.
Apologies, Doc.
RadRafe - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Yeah, I was going to suggest Fugu too.SmurfTower - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
I forgot all about this little app.ittec
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/...
Ittec puts your computer at your fingertips. It gives you immediate access to all of your files and folders, applications, and open windows. You will no longer need to clutter your Dock and Desktop, no longer need to use the bulky open dialog, no longer need to move windows aside to reach the Desktop, because everything will be waiting for you at the click of a button.
Ittec is a robust and intuitive tool. It has many useful features and is highly customizable. Some of the key benefits include:
Browse through all your files and folders quickly and easily.
See running applications and the open windows in those applications.
Drag files and folders out of Ittec menus to the Dock, Finder or other applications.
Send selected files to any folder or application, effectively dragging items into Ittec menus.
Add your preferred files and folders to the Ittec menu.
Perform actions such as Print, Move to Trash and Copy to clipboard on items in Ittec menus.
Integrate your classic and native desktops, and mounted volumes, all in one place.
View vital staistics of your files and folders right from Ittec menus.
Show contextual menus in the Finder without holding the control key down.
If you find any problems with Ittec, please send an email to support@balancesoftware.com with the details so that we can fix it. Thanks
Tim - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Anand:I second the DooD who wants the hardware stuff brought out into the open a bit more. I'm sure that there is a nice bank of resistors buried somewhere in my Dual 1.8 that once changed would turn it into a Dual 2.0 ( and probably with no ill effects either) - I'd like to see some hardware exposes' on Apple stuff and some good tutorials on getting the most out of the programs I've got. The Mac section shouldnt be just like the PC section but there's room for for hands on improvements. Most Mac sites are simply congregation pointsof users; they dont offer anything of value. I also notice many of the sites are letting their users write the content on the site ( via "Reader Reports" and other such cruft ) to the point that it's absurd as to why the guy that runs the site is bothering - dont fall into this trap.
Patrick - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Anand~I'm glad your experience has ended well. It truly is a breath of fresh air to get an experienced PC user such as yourself to give the Mac such an unbiased try. I truly hope that your attitude will open the eyes of other PC users that so respect your opinions.
Thanks Anand and I eagerly await your Mac section.
DrTrustme - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Interesting blog. Some feedback:"I'm not a fan of the organisation (or lack thereof) of folders under OS X"
Either use the Document, Movie & Picture folders in the Home folder or make your own set within one folder & put the root folder in your dock, in the left of window icon shortcuts or make an alias/shortcut on the desktop - what could be easier? Do you really want an OS that second guesses you & demands you put things where it wants?
"I find that the Save dialogue boxes are too small"
Then drag them bigger - bottom left corner as always.
"the auto-complete of URLs that you all taught me doesn't always seem to work instantaneously"
That is because it tries what you have typed first: http://anandtech/ before http://www.anandtech.com/
"I do wish there was a way to be in a directory with images and have Preview flip through the images for me without having to highlight them all and open them that way"
No need to even open Preview - just use any program (e.g. Graphic Converter - www.lemkesoft.de) to add a resource fork, large thumbnail icon (128x128 pixels) & preview image to your pictures. Then just either set the icons large & the folder to open in icon view or keep column view and just select the top image & watch the previews as you run down the list using the down arrow key. If you do not pre-make the previews/resource fork the OS will behave sluggishly , like Windows, having to create the preview as you select the file: the larger the image the slower the the preview. Macs have had incomparably better image handling that Windows for years. Even now in XP not having a resource fork means that images have to be in one special folder to have access to previews (the childishly named "My Picture" folder - always makes me wonder when all PCs are going to come with a free "My Little Pony").
"The OS was also configured much differently than my copy of 10.3.3 is configured, for example Command + Tab didn't bring up a Windows-like bar of all the applications open."
OS X 10.3 was not a "Service Pack" it was an OS Update & included some of the features you have come to expect - OS X is evolving at high speed before you.
"not to mention that the default web browser was IE (IE for the Mac is *horrible*)."
It is slow but fairly standards compliant. IE for Mac shows what problems M$ makes even for its own programmers with its policy of "embrace, extend & extinguish". M$'s ceaseless work to move the goal posts is the bane of the computing industry. Welcome to the real world.
"Multitasking on the G4 was a joke compared to the G5"
Was it dual CP?
"Safari would crash if you tried to run it" + "If Apple is to ever get back above the 2% market share they are at right now, even the worst systems out there in the public need to be configured much better than this one was."
Apple cannot legislate for the quality & regularity of systems administration. Neither can they force institutions to hire the odd Mac conversant tech amongst the legions of thumbs necessary to plug the Windows dyke.
"Someone once asked if I felt any more secure knowing that there were no viruses or OS exploits that I needed to worry about while using OS X. It definitely feels nice, but I'm not getting too comfortable - if the Apple market expands, we'll definitely have OS X's fair share of destructive programs."
The same old comment - all I can say is that I have enjoyed the last eight careless years without virus protection, trojans, spyware or browser hijacking. That's eight years and counting...
"3) Not being able to hit Windows-key + R to be my starting point for navigating my hard drive."
Command (Apple) + n in the Finder can be set up in its preferences to open any folder you wish. In the Finder Command + up arrow will take you to Home. Also try out Command shift + c, h, u or a - again in the Finder.
Regards, Doc.
TMoney - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Glad to hear everything went well and you'll be continuing the mac section and updates, you should bring an interesting and often lacking perspective to the mac review world, namely the view of a fairly unbiased PC user.As a mac user, one thing I would love to see from you would be low level mac stuff, getting into the openfirmware and such, but also (if you have the stomach for it) hacking the hardware. That's one of the things the mac community doesn't have in a lot of it's review sites, people willing to void their waranty and push the machine to it's breaking point. Of course, with the price tags macs carry, it's understandable, but if you have the guts to do it, it would be a great addition.
Anonymous - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
An AnandTech Mac section will be wonderful! The state of Mac benchmarking/reviews is pretty poor, with barefeats being really weak and xlr8 just ok.It will be really cool to have AnandTech quality coverage to help nail down the actual performance of new hardware.
M. T. MacPhee - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
I have been experimenting with an old, slow (400MHz G3) under 10.3.3, and no matter what I do, I can't fool the URL entry mechanism in Safari. As others have pointed out, something was amiss with the Lab machine you were using.As you pointed out, this is a huge problem for Apple - anyone using that machine without knowing any better would write off the company in a moment. IF a Windows machine were acting similarly, the same user would simply look for another machine. I have no solution. I do have a corollary, though. If I had a nickel (well, make it a Loonie) for every time I heard someone say "I used Macs in Grade 8, and they can't do anything like what I can do on my PC today.", I could get a replacement DVD-ROM drive.
One wise fellow said earlier "Funny critters, humans.".
M. T. MacPhee - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Just to weigh in on the one-button mouse issue....That the Mac ships with a one-button mouse forces developers to write programs so that they work for one-button mice. Every contextual menu item is therefore available non-contextually.
In Windows, as far as I can tell (or the IT folks at work can tell), there are many contextual menus items which are only available in context. Unfortunately, it is sometimes very difficult to find the context that made sense to the programmer.
I have four such issues on my computer at work (a Dell), and zero such issues on my Mac.
It is the Zen of the one-button mouse.
Further, I switch back and forth between a two-button plus scroll wheel mouse at work and a one button mouse at home. I never think "Gee, if I only had more buttons and a wheel...". I have noticed that a lot of users of PCs who appreciate multi-button mice equip their computers with n-button mice from the after-market. For some reason, however, it would be wrong to do the same thing for a Mac (i.e. purchase an after-market n-button mouse).
Strange critters, humans.
Mike
PS Thanks for taking the time to try Macs. I think your comments were fair, and if Apple is smart, they will be reading the weblog to see how they can improve the interface for converts, and what they should add. I think that a valuable website would be a Mac and OS X Tip of the Day. Just one thing a day - a key stroke combo, an obscure command, a technique to help things along. It is very easy to overlook these things now that printed manuals have disappeared. One a day means that when a good one comes along you can practice, and make it your own.
Damien Sorresso - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
On the OS X directory structure ...At the system level, there are the following directories.
/Applications
Apps go here.
/Library
Stuff in here applies to every user on the system (i.e. dropping a screen saver into /Library/ScreenSavers will make it available to everyone).
/System
Much like /Library, but generally reserved for Apple's use. Contains most of the core system.
/Users
All the user home directories on your system.
In your home directory (/Users/anand or, or whatever your short user name is) ...
~/Documents
Your documents go here. Equivalent to "My Documents" on Windows.
~/Library
Stuff in here applies to just you (i.e. dropping a screen saver into ~/Library/ScreenSavers will make it available only to you). This is also where your preferences for individual applications are stored (in ~/Library/Preferences, to be specific), along with a host of other things, like caches, Mail.app stores, and the like.
~/Movies
Your movies go here. Equivalent to "My Movies" on Windows.
~/Music
Your music goes here. Equivalent to "My Music" on Windows.
~/Pictures
Your pictures go here. Equivalent to "My Pictures" on Windows.
~/Public
This is your public folder. If you turn Apple's file sharing on, this folder will become available to any guest user logging in. It also contains a drop box for uploads.
OS X's default directories helped me organize my stuff in a very logical, consistent manner. I'd highly recommend taking advantage of them.
Eve - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Your blog has been an interesting insight into the mind-set of a PC user, thanks. I've never understood why PC users put up with Windows ever since, years ago, looking at Windows '95 and thinking:Ugh, There must be something better out there than this! It appears to have been written by corporate bean counters with subjugation in mind - all these mean, dowdy, sharp corners and dull greys. Its vulgar insults: 'You have performed an illegal operation' -walk down to your local branch of the Business Software Alliance & turn yourself in (Microsoft appear always to have believed the law was theirs to invent). 'You will not enjoy your computer: you will get on with your work' - is what its GUI hissed.
Now XP has tried to learn from Apple & brightened up a little (with the awkwardness of an alien trying to go unnoticed in a crowd) it has the feel of the Babayaga's house - covered in sweeties to tempt the little children in... its malevolent corporate heart beat muffled, for all but the wary, by the incessant drone of fans. Still, from my point of view (incredulity that PC users would put up with the patching, repairing & defending of Heath Robinson machines, the functionality of which appears permanently wobbling on a tight-rope) it has been fascinating, and generous of you, to be offered an insight.
I had thought of the mind-set of the PC user as being somewhere between Stockholm syndrome sufferer & '70s British motorcycle user (user being a euphemism for someone with a fetish for grease & a front garden covered in scrap metal). While the image is too vivid to have been entirely dispelled your experiment has convinced me that there is, within the gloom of that despond, intelligent life on the dark side. Ahoy there...
Anonymous - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
i look forward to your continued use and commentary, especially on shareware items (like launchbar) which potentially enhance productivity/user experience. thank you for the experiment.Rosyna - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
re: slow context switches.My guess is that 10.2 mac in the lab (really 10.2.0?) was slow on context switches because someone was running a huge app in the background or something else about it was more screwed up that it had to page out and page in all the time. Remember, OS X guarantees 4gigs to each application and doesn't bother to check if you have the HD space for it. That is, mallocs will never fail.
Then again it was acrobat and word ;) Preview on Jaguar was just as slow as reader. One thing you can definitely say about OS X, Apple makes huge changes between each version. Whether it be 10.x or 10.x.x.
Good article and the other problems you mention I believe you will get very use to after a while because of their consistency. They may be huge problems but they exist in *every* app.
dtravis - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Anand, thanks for doing this with the G5. It really helped me a lot with my new Mac and I think opened the eyes of many. I like both formats but prefer the Mac for doing a lot of stuff. I agree with you on all your points about OSX. Can't wait for the Mac section of Anandtech.Again, thanks.
...Dennis
DerekWilson - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Since I can read Anand's mind ...He doesn't really mean SFTP (SSH2 FTP) ...
What he really wants is FTP over SSL/TLS using implicit encryption ... It's hard enough to find good windows support for that :-)
Randy Decker - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Page up and page down take me to the same place as command Page up and command page down on my G5 except that the page scrolls to the same spot. Not sure what you mean by your comment. Anyway, love to read your column. Cheers.Anonymous - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Once you get used to it, OS X's directory organization is extremely logical. Besides which, I don't see how it could be worse than Windows' directory organization (if it really has one).But thanks for your thoughts. You should attend WWDC in June, meet some Mac developers.
jade408 - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
"I'm not a fan of the organization (or lack thereof) of folders under OS X, or maybe it's just that I'm not familiar enough with the directory structure of OS X yet to feel at home. I find myself putting far too much important stuff on the desktop and not enough elsewhere, mostly because I don't know where I really want to put it. I find that the Save dialog boxes are too small, only showing me a handful of folders at a time as opposed to what I'm used to under Windows."This was a big problem for me until I noticed the little triangle next to the file name...and magically all of my folders appeared. And it looked windows like, so try that and it might just solve your saving problem. But you can't change and delete files like you can in windows, but there are a few tools to get around that one if it is necessary.
Great comments!
lookmark - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
SFTP - Fugu?http://rsug.itd.umich.edu/software/fugu/
cbum - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
re: ftp clinet, I'd recommend Interarchy, which is a nice shareware app which has SSL features.Coren - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Glad to hear your experiences went well. I too am looking for a decent ftp client- or something that integrates wiuth Finder. Working on a mud, being able to drag/drop files to a nonstandart ftp port(5990) while working on them in Xcode would be a godsend.GL - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
1) Save DialogsYou should be able to resize a save dialog and have the app remember the size that you prefer. This is a per-application setting. There are pros and cons to this, but at least you can "set it and forget it".
2) SFTP
I use Transmit for my SFTP needs. You can find this software at http://www.panic.com/transmit/
3) Definitely try Launchbar
Thanks to the recommendations on your blog, I tried it and it is incredibly useful. I absolutely love the utility and would go so far as to say it is as useful as Exposé.
Anon E Mouse - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Nice review Anand. Normally I'm a Windows user, but recently I purchased a Mac for the office and have had a similar experience to yours. Our Graphic Design Department has had macs all along, and to be honest, they seem to work for years after the PCs fail.Anonymous - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Very good to read about your experiences. Maybe now some people won't be so critical of Macs.Not that they're perfect but they're certainly able to hold their own.
Anyway, I have a question, and I only ask out of curiosity/ignorance:
Why would you add a Mac area to your site?
I've never really read your site since I'm a Mac guy and I don't build PCs or anything like that. I gather, from the little bit I've hung around, that you're mainly about PC hardware and you give info about all the hundreds of different motherboards/cooling fans/cases etc..
What would you do in your Mac AT that isn't already out there in the dozens of Mac specific sites?I'm not being critical, I just don't see what more you could add since almost all the Mac hardware is Apple controlled it's not like you can really go crazy in the overclocking and customizing.
Just curious.
ViRGE - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - link
Besides what lookmark said, IE for the Mac has to be given some credit here: unlike its Windows counter-part, Mac IE is standards compliant, and has a low occurrence of security issues and stability - it's just slow as a result. Anyhow, welcome to the neighborhood, and watch out for the weirdo with the Mac II/SE. ;-)PS Speaking of the future, what's in the future for you? It sounds like you're not doing the grad school thing, so is it back to full-time AT, or are you going to try to steal Intel Anand's job, or something else?
Anonymous - Monday, March 22, 2004 - link
Thanks for the update and your honest comments and your efforts to continue to provide future information on Apple products. I think that you will be rewarded because Steve Jobs and IBM have Apple headed in the correction future direction. Your insights will help them improve their products.sid - Monday, March 22, 2004 - link
dear anandfirst of all congrats to u that u successfully accomplished ur mission mac and thanks for the news that AT will soon have a mac section. AT has been my favorite hardware review site for years and i m a mac fan too so now i will have the best of both. i also hope that as several other firms follow AT and improve their products so will Apple and hence it will get better for Apple fans . and finally yes its better being a multi platform coz it gives u a choice which is i suppose the most important thing .
cheers and hope AT grows even more
SmurfTower - Monday, March 22, 2004 - link
The anticipation was killing me and others, but I must say it was an excellent final post in this month long experiment. Glad you're keeping the G5; when you upgrade you can sell it on ebay for a pretty penny and not only because Apple systems retain their value a lot better than PCs but because it belonged to the great Anand. ;)Adam K - Monday, March 22, 2004 - link
That's great Anand! Cool! Thanks for being as open minded and honest as you usually are--maybe that is why so many of us trust you. Now when are they going to release the G5 Powerbook?jeffosx - Monday, March 22, 2004 - link
Well done again Anand. Its good to be critical of the things that need improvement on the Mac. As for windows key. I really like the windows E and windows I combos. The closest on the mac is command shift c, h, u, a for open computer, home, utilities or application folders but only works from the finder and then there is launchbar...Cheers
lookmark - Monday, March 22, 2004 - link
Hi Anand,Very thoughtful conclusion. I too find it's much more satisfying being well-versed in multiple platforms instead sticking steadfastly to a single one. I far prefer Macs, FWIW, but I'd be unfair not to note some of the decent things in XP and some interesting Linux distros out there.
As for that iMac in the lab... as you'll see -- if you decide to stick around -- Apple changes the OS in their (so-far) yearly upgrade quite considerably. If that iMac was running 10.2: yup, 10.2 had Internet Explorer as the default browser (Safari didn't even *exist* when Jaguar was released), and 10.2 has that very annoying hopscotch-in-the-Dock command-tab navigation. The 10.2 UI is also rather more sluggish than Panther. If the admin upgrades the OS (or even installs Safari, which is now of course available for 10.2) it'll be a whole lot better.
Anyway, I find it's hard to go back to a monoculture once you've experienced the alternatives. Conrgats on the open experiment, and welcome aboard, for as long you enjoy it.
scott - Monday, March 22, 2004 - link
Hi Anand,Glad to hear your 1-month Mac experiment went well for the most part.
On...
"The OS was also configured much differently than my copy of 10.3.3 is configured, for example Command + Tab didn't bring up a Windows-like bar of all the applications open, instead it just highlighted applications in the Dock."
...if the G4 was running 10.2 (Jaguar), then you weren't experiencing a different configuration -- the 10.3.3 Command + Tab feature you describe wasn't available in OS X until Panther.
Kej - Monday, March 22, 2004 - link
Typing anandtech and hitting enter on Firefox sends you to Google's I'm Feeling Lucky for "anandtech". Some other key combination with enter (I think ti's control enter) will insert the www. and .com for you, though.