atw: Re: STraw poll
- From: "Warren Lewington" <wjlewington@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:22:30 +1000
Yeah, Outlook for me is largely redundant with the Apple system - calendar,
contacts and mail are all linked seamlessly. My Mac is set up that way and
it all synchs with my iPhone happily - which also synchs happily with my
Windows Outlook as well.
My biggest problem with Outlook is my reliance on "Journal" which doesn't
work on Outlook for Mac.
From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Bill Parker
Sent: Wednesday, 20 July 2011 17:51
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: STraw poll
Sounds like a conversion there Warren. But I'd buy from an authorised
re-seller with real knowledge. I haven't met one yet who wasn't able and
prepared to solve problems for new users ( as if there were any).
I am sure I will not convince anyone to stop trying with Outlook, but Mail
works better for me, and if you follow some simple rules about upgrading, so
does Thunderbird.
You have nicely summarized why I would never go near Windows - at least not
willingly (since 1989).
Bill
On 20/07/2011, at 2:40 PM, Lewington, Warren wrote:
I am using a Mac now. I started in April and when I worked out a few bits
(like how in God's name to turn off "F9" which does funny things to the
desktop and nothing to do with fields in Word - show stopper for me at the
time) and explored the (very different) interface for Word compared to that
which Windows users experience, I have to say I am pretty happy.
Word for Mac is designed for academic writers, so you have bibliography and
style information (including CMoS or APA options), footnote stuff more
available and so on. Haven't used this much yet but the UI slant is
definitely towards real writers - not word processing people.
Toolbars can be made and customised - although buttons can't be changed. No
matter, I just used a logical system and it works - unlike Word 2007.
To really road test it, I started using the Mac at a client site one
morning, the day after I had started using and creating some ".dotx" and
".dot" files in Word for Windows. I wanted to break the documents, I tried
really hard. I created a number of templates, saved documents, several with
lots of styles, styleref fields, fields of various types and non-standard
layouts and so on.
I really did try to prove it wouldn't work between Win-doze and the Mac.
Nothing broke. I literally could send one of my Mac made documents to the
manager, he could open it, we could make changes together (track changes
even worked seamlessly!), save it as the original name, send it back to me,
where I could re-attach the original Mac based template, and continue.
Linking the latterly saved network template to the documents was easy as
well.
Oh, I tried to connect to their network. I plugged in. It didn't work. So I
rang their network IT man and he said "dunno, but try a restart?" Be damned.
The restart allowed my Mac's network internals switch from wireless to
Ethernet; recognise the IP addresses, sort internet access, and presented a
window for configuring network drive access - which we didn't go with.
Dumbfounding simplicity.
I did try to break it. It didn't. I am impressed.
Outlook however, is nowhere near compatible. I will have to either, run the
Office 365 option (hesitant about the cloud data location) or run Outlook on
my VMWare emulator (most likely). The blurb from MS about Outlook for the
Mac is totally inaccurate - it borders on misleading and deceptive under
Australian Trade Law - so be warned. I could not get it to work to send
emails without an Exchange Server - no matter what I did. Just doesn't work,
isn't cross compatible (no pst files for back-ups either). R-U-B-B-I-S-H-.
So for Outlook. Now this is where I have blown my mind. VMWare and
"Parallels" allow you to run Windows on the Mac. Wow it works. The amazing
thing is you can literally drag and drop between the Windows emulator and
your Mac desktop. So email attachments and so on is or should be
straightforward.
What's more, when they say Mac works with multimedia stuff like DVDs and the
like, it works. Every DVD I have tried (and I have tried a massive number in
the recent months) work. When I tried to use them with Windows - the
majority fail. It is really incredible, REALLY. That MS can get it so wrong,
so much and so often, and yet Apple stuff just works. I like the fact that
iMovie comes grunt standard, and is pretty fun to use. Plug in a data
projector or second monitor, and sometimes you have to go into the
Settings/Preferences window to detect windows. Easily done. I am using Adobe
Soundbooth so audio editing is kind of done using that by me - but Mac users
recommend "Audacity" (a Mac version is available). I have used the Windoze
version of that and it is very good. Set up a slide show of photos (or jpeg
slides) and include music files from your iTunes library. It just does
things that you don't realise or should have been that easy in windows in
the first place.
There are some interesting differences with the "Apple" way of doing things,
and idiosyncratic is I think a polite way of putting it, but I am getting
the hang of it. I am not yet ready to give up my Windows machinery yet - but
I will be heading to a Linux server system.
The Linux server is because the biggest problem I am having is file
synchronisation. I have finally found a workaround which is, I have to
admit, a more rigorous and SAFER process, but it does take longer. And I
have three copies of everything rather than my old two. So well; okay.
I must put on some antivirus software - slack I realise. Mainly because I
don't want to become a vector for Windows viruses, which is a higher risk.
Mac viruses are out there - I know that so don't write in and tell me there
aren't; which would incidentally prove your own ignorance.
My suggestion is that if you're in the market for a new computer then think
seriously about a Mac; go and road test one for a while at dick smith or JB
Hi-Fi or see me with a couple of beers to keep me quiet while you play.
What's more, if you decide to purchase, I'll put you in touch with a
wonderful company (who upon mentioning my name) will really bend over
backwards to help you.
It is well worth the effort to do an evaluation these days between Mac and
Windows. I am very happy with my Mac, and it looks really cool, the power
supplies are lighter than any other laptop PS I have ever had, and the lot
travels really well together.
Warren.
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