Switched to Mac. Thinking of Switching Back... Help.

What are you looking for in the financial application?

Is the interest more towards the on-line banking integration or are you interested in more of a QuickBooks full feature accounting package? Or just something simple to track your accounts?

All depends on exactly what you want the finance software to do.

Thread on Financial Software

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The games situation has almost always been that way, probably won't change.

It sounds like you made some wrong decisions and might have bought the wrong computer for your needs. It now comes down to whether you want to use a Mac or a PC--which one is more comfortable for you. If you decide that you should sell the Mac, do it sooner rather than later. It's not going to be worth more as time passes.

I like Budget instead of Quicken. Here is the website. http://www.snowmintcs.com. It is a nice company to deal with. Games? Have you played any of Pangea's games? Mac only and they look so good. But really you don't sound like you love your mac, might as well switch if its eating on your mind.

I can understand the frustration, but for me, the frustration would be greater on the other side.

Games are definitely a longer wait and usually more expensive. I continue to hope that this will change as more and more games are made available for Linux. This should cut the lag time and may decrease the cost for a Mac OS X version.

There are a few pieces of shareware to track finances but the only one I've considered is CheckBook. I used Quicken for years and the Mac version for checking functions is acceptable. Some of the more esoteric options either don't exist in the Macintosh version or are buggy. Tell Intuit about it. They don't seem to care.

From what I know of iPods, you cannot use it with the Windows version of the software as is. You must convert the iPod drive to a Windows-compatible format. You need to work with it to save your music when changing.

Why aren't you using Firefox/Firebird/Phoenix? It's my default browser. I also use Thunderbird as my e-mail client.

Also, are you using OmniGraffle Pro? I understand that the Pro version has better compatibility with Visio. Still, I know that Visio has grown a lot since Microsoft blessed it.

Sounds like you really didn't need to spend $3,000+ on a PowerMac G5. Everything you want to do would suit the $799 or $999 eMac just fine. Anyways... I use Quicken 2004 everyday for OS X and its never been a problem for me. I even beta tested Quicken 2003 for them and even the betas never crashed on me.

As far as the iApps go...there is NO solution on the PC side thats even close to iLife. Especially for the price. I know its free if you buy the Mac, but its only $49 for it if you don't have it! Thats incredible!

iPhoto is great as long as you don't need to do anything to your photos. This is where iPhoto needs a little improvement. Apple doesn't need to make iPhoto in to Adobe Photoshop, but maybe a very extreme stripped down version of it would be perfect.

Game for the Mac will almost always come out 2 or 3 months later and will cost more because they don't sell as many Mac copies as they do Windows copies. You will find that generally everything is a little bit more expensive than a Windows version because of the fact that they don't sell as many Mac copies.

Yes, you should be able to use your iPod on your PC.

Well you spent a lot on your computer and I think you need to give it a chance. Its a completely different experience that a Windoze environment. Mac OS X won't operate like Windows, but otherwise it would be called Windows and not Mac OS X. Some people get impatient and just throw their arms up in the air and say macs are too complicated when they only gave it a 5 minute chance.

Nobody said you have to use Safari...there are versions of Mozilla and FireBird for OS X. If you want to use those then use them. My dad only uses Netscape because thats what he knows. He never uses Safari.

Macs keep their value incredibly well. Even a year from now you should be able to get at least $2,000 out of your G5, especially with the Cinema Display.

I guess a Mac isn't for everyone...you can't convert everyone over, but I've always said there isn't hardly anything a Mac can't do that a PC can. Its up to you...if you think you've made a mistake then sell your G5/monitor and go back to the dark side as we say.

3-22 said:

My Dual 2.0 GHz G5 w/ Cinema Display "love affair" is starting to fizzle..

Issues...
- Tired of waiting for games and if they do come out paying a premium. Not that I'm a big gamer but it is a little annoying.

- Lack of home financial software. Any ideas from anyone? I heard Quicken has gotten really buggy and horrible on the Mac the last couple versions. Is this true? Besides Quicken is there anything else, even shareware you would suggest? I really don't need anything fancy, I about to look at GNUcash.

- Lack of Visio, Omnigraffle is nice but kind of minimal, but I do a lot of Visio at work and switching between the two is difficult. I'm also stuck right now waiting on VPN software so I can connect to my work with my Mac.

- My big thing was the iPod and iTunes. iTunes for Windows is pretty good. So it's no longer such a push for a Mac for me. Can I use my Mac iPod on a PC now???

- iPhoto is nice but I found some shareware that is kind of comparable.

- As for video editting iMovie is nice, but I have used it less then I have hoped.

- I bought my Mac for software devoloping hoping to do some shareware/freeware, but my job changed and now i program 8-12 hours a day. My off-hours coding hobby has died too.

- Safari is really nice, but I also really like Mozilla and Firebird.

i don't know, it's a bit of delima. On one hand I can sell it on eBay for about what i paid for it with the ADC discount. But on other hand I do like the computer and OS, it's been reliable and virus free. BUT I'm afraid of selling it in another year or two. (losing value) I can sell it now and pickup a Atlon64 and still pocket $1,000.

Oh well... anyway does anyone have any suggestions for a finacial app. or other words of Apple encouragement?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Allow me to give you the benefits of my 15 years of experience on the Mac. Buying a computer with my own money is a major expense or investment. It is not to be done lightly. I studied carefully and made the leap with my eyes wide open. It is a commitment much like buying a car or a home. I had the benefit of having used a Mac for several months at work. That allowed me to make the transition from my CLI mindset to the Mac's GUI.

Today, both the Mac and its major competition have GUIs. There are, however, very different cultures among the communities surrounding the Macintosh, Linux, and Windows. Apple has done a remarkable job in helping Windows users make the technical transition to the Mac. However, only the users themselves can make the cultural transition. I see entirely too many "switchers" trying to recreate their Windows experience on the Mac. In doing so, they are losing out on the real joys of the Mac platform.

You will find that members of the Mac community are highly supportive of each other. However, Mac users also tend to be self-reliant. You have the resources at your fingertips.

VersionTracker and MacUpdate are great places to find applications to fit your needs. You will see a lot of familiar names, but you should also consider the Mac-only developers. You will see a lot of stuff that is available as freeware, donationware, shareware, as well as the commercial stuff. If you want a big name commercial title, it may very well be available. I hear the complaint repeated in this thread that Mac software is more expensive than Windows software. In my 15 years of buying software, I have not found this to be the case. I used to buy mailorder from reputable vendors. Now I buy over the Internet from such vendors as MacWarehouse (now CDW), MacConnection, MacZone, MacMall, Outpost.com, and others. Buy copies of magazines like MacWorld, MacHome, MacAddict, and MacDesign and turn toward the back for other vendors.

This is a real biggie for the Mac. You don't have to be afraid to install software from reputable vendors on the Mac. It will not mess up your system.

For what its worth I'm about to switch once the monitors are announced and I have a few apps too that I'm stuck on in the PC world...

Microsoft Money. I just don't like quicken at all.
Microsoft Streets and Trips. I dig this much better than Route 66.

I fully intend to solve both of those with the new version of Virtual PC. Speed isn't a huge issue on either app so I can take the performance hit just to be able to have the two applications I am comfortable with on my Mac.

As for Microsoft Project and Visio, I'll still use those on my work laptop but I do hope for the day when MS brings over the rest of its extended office suite.

For games what we all need to do is show our support for awesome developers like Blizzard which give us dual platform games on day 1! I know I'm always bugging my friend at EA about this.

Another alternative is keeping around a cheaper Windows "gaming" box. I've no clue if you sold an older Windows machine to make room for the Mac, but they are always handy to keep around for the odd gaming fix.

I wish there was a perfect solution. Apple makes a very cool, fun to use OS which doesn't have the broad market share of the Windows world. Since it doesn't have that market share, there isn't as much money to be made from 3rd parties, thus they make Windows products. On the flip side, while XP is a solid OS, it isn't the joy to use that OS X is. It's "adequate" and a bit complicant (sp?) since it enjoys a large margin lead and doesn't have to work as hard for market share. The up side is as a consumer we benefit as both camps drive each other to face new challenges.

So the real answer is work in the environment that is comfortable for you and work with the communities to help find the tools you need for either OS. Try not to be overcome by zealots and use the computer that suits your needs, at the end of the day it's just a tool.

Now Apple, when is my 2.5 G5 shipping hmmm?????
-jim

I haven't heard anything about Quicken on the Mac. I use Quicken 2003 and other than a few minor display bugs that I know how to avoid (ie. sometimes while scrolling through the register a line will appear blank when it isn't - but it's easy to correct by clicking on another line) it works great for me.

I am not a fan of Visio but if you use it at work (and planned to at home) I wonder why you bought a Mac to begin with?

But I would make the decision based on what you want for the long haul and not just around one piece of software.

3-22 said:

Thanks, for the comments I will check out the financial programs you all mentioned.

When I talked about Safari, Mozilla, etc. I was just making the point I like them. I hate IE and it's bugs and security issues.

I do like my Mac, I'm just nervous about costly repairs after warranty. (I probably should extend it to 3 years.) But my big frustration is my current long-term project for work is Microsoft centered with .NET and SQL server. (Both of which I'm really not crazy about, but I also have to pay my bills.) Working from home with my Mac is currently not possible. Maybe if it was Java (or something) it wouldn't be such a big deal.

Maybe, I over bought but I figured I only get one student ADC discount and I was going to make it count. 🙂 I could always sell it and pickup up a Athlon64 and an iBook I suppose.

Perhaps I just need to install Linux or something on my G5. With my PC I changed OS's almost every season, Beos, Linux Distros, XP, etc. Maybe I've just gotten bored....

Anyway, thanks for the comments to my rambalings...

Click to expand...

I know what you mean about .NET. MS was talking about letting everyone develop for it, no matter the platform. Then, they pulled back from that and you once again have to have Windows for everything. You could probably use Virtual PC but that's a poor substitute, esp. since MS builds such messy tools that play with your machine.

I have a number of machines so I can still play in old operating systems. That keeps me from installing other stuff on my Mac, though I once had BeOS 4.x running on my Mac clone. I don't see a reason to have Linux but I wouldn't mind playing with someone of the gnome and KDE applications available from time to time.

This is strange but I'm doing some photography lately and I'm in the market for a notebook computer. I was thinking about a Compaq machine, which with rebates, is less than $1000. However, I've used and administered too many Windows machines. I tore my hair out dealing with the reliability factor.

3-22 said:

Thanks, for the comments I will check out the financial programs you all mentioned.

When I talked about Safari, Mozilla, etc. I was just making the point I like them. I hate IE and it's bugs and security issues.

I do like my Mac, I'm just nervous about costly repairs after warranty. (I probably should extend it to 3 years.) But my big frustration is my current long-term project for work is Microsoft centered with .NET and SQL server. (Both of which I'm really not crazy about, but I also have to pay my bills.) Working from home with my Mac is currently not possible. Maybe if it was Java (or something) it wouldn't be such a big deal.

Maybe, I over bought but I figured I only get one student ADC discount and I was going to make it count. 🙂 I could always sell it and pickup up a Athlon64 and an iBook I suppose.

Perhaps I just need to install Linux or something on my G5. With my PC I changed OS's almost every season, Beos, Linux Distros, XP, etc. Maybe I've just gotten bored....

Anyway, thanks for the comments to my rambalings...

Click to expand...

I would agree to extend it to 3 years. I have 2 macs that are out of warrenty. The first one was a Powermac 6100. For 6 years that thing never gave us problems. Maybe a little software problem but, nothing major. It died by getting struck by lighting. Then I got and still using is a 400 Mhz Powermac G4. For the 4 years of use nothing. No software probblems and no hardware problems. I have a 6 month Powerbook G4 12" 1 Ghz. I am having no problems so far. As you can see Macs are well built unlike pcs. Intel and HP are currently recalling products.

3-22 said:

My Dual 2.0 GHz G5 w/ Cinema Display "love affair" is starting to fizzle..

Issues...
- Tired of waiting for games and if they do come out paying a premium. Not that I'm a big gamer but it is a little annoying.

- Lack of home financial software. Any ideas from anyone? I heard Quicken has gotten really buggy and horrible on the Mac the last couple versions. Is this true? Besides Quicken is there anything else, even shareware you would suggest? I really don't need anything fancy, I about to look at GNUcash.

- Lack of Visio, Omnigraffle is nice but kind of minimal, but I do a lot of Visio at work and switching between the two is difficult. I'm also stuck right now waiting on VPN software so I can connect to my work with my Mac.

- My big thing was the iPod and iTunes. iTunes for Windows is pretty good. So it's no longer such a push for a Mac for me. Can I use my Mac iPod on a PC now???

- iPhoto is nice but I found some shareware that is kind of comparable.

- As for video editting iMovie is nice, but I have used it less then I have hoped.

- I bought my Mac for software devoloping hoping to do some shareware/freeware, but my job changed and now i program 8-12 hours a day. My off-hours coding hobby has died too.

- Safari is really nice, but I also really like Mozilla and Firebird.

i don't know, it's a bit of delima. On one hand I can sell it on eBay for about what i paid for it with the ADC discount. But on other hand I do like the computer and OS, it's been reliable and virus free. BUT I'm afraid of selling it in another year or two. (losing value) I can sell it now and pickup a Atlon64 and still pocket $1,000.

Oh well... anyway does anyone have any suggestions for a finacial app. or other words of Apple encouragement?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Just short of two years ago, my my beloved B&W G3 got to a point where it was barely usable. I had about $1000 to spend and since no Apple met my needs, I went with a Compaq 8000z with an Athlon XP 1800+. I enjoyed everything expect the OS and the horrible motherboard that compaq packed in there. I just had to replace it with a new Gigabyte motherboard and the case with it. What cost me $150 on a PC would have required me to buy a new Mac. Last August, I got to the point where I could not stand Windows any longer and bought my 12" iBook. I didn't expect much since I only use it for word processing, surfing the internet, and office stuff. All light duty stuff. In essence, I paid $1500 for an operating system and office. I use the PC a lot as well, primarily for gaming, but for a couple other things the iBook can't. Believe me, you are not the only one caught between the Mac and PC. Buying the PC taught me three things. 1. I cannot stand Windows for long periods of time. 2. I'm not too happy with what Apple offers for hardware either. 3. Linux is not the answer. There are no easy answers for this question. If an x86 version of OS X were released, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Dual booting XP pro and OSX on one computer would make things much easier. In my opinion, the best option is be to do what I did and but both a PC desktop and an iBook. If that isn't an option, you have some real tough choices to make.

i hear where you're coming from. i too live by the philosophy of "sell it while it is still worth something". especially if it's not something i'm totally in love with. another thing i hate is overlap in my equipment. i'm a minimalist and like to have as little "stuff" as possible. i just got a 2Ghz Athlon HP system handed to me for free. i run Suse Linux and BeOS on it and i end up using it a lot more than my 12" PowerBook right now. so now i'm selling the PowerBook and buying myself a Palm Tungsten C or maybe a Treo 600. this will cover all my portable needs at a fraction of the cost. and i'll have the desktop at home for everything else. i'm not leaving the Mac world behind, just waiting till September to see what the new iMac will be like and then take it from there. probably then sell this HP and buy a new Mac. if i were you i would sell the G5 and display and buy myself an iBook and a nice PC desktop, if you don't already have one. you would still have a nice chunk of change left over. Mac desktops just aren't worth the money right now, aside from the G5 of course, which has turned out to be the wrong machine for you. the iBook is the best value in Apple's lineup right now. i saw them today at Compusa for $800. i find having a Mac around as the "digital hub" really is what it's all about. i can't imagine a better jukebox than the iBook and Airport Express in my home. dot Mac and the iLife apps make creating a goofy homepage halfway fun and very easy. and the hassle-free web browsing and lack of viruses make it the best internet and email option out there. on the other hand; no games, weak performance for serious tasks, and whatever else there is bad about them. luckily those negatives are easily handled by a cheap Windows box. i wouldn't dream of gaming on an iBook. and at the same time i wouldn't dream of doing video/photos/video or even internet browsing on a PC. use the Mac for what it's made for and likewise for the PC. when i ran Windows on this thing (for all of two days) i literally wouldn't take it online. surfing with Windows is just disgusting. popups and .exe files launching from my desktop is just no fun.

I'm sorry to hear that it's not working out for you. I suppose the Mac experience isn't for everyone. That is to say, it can't be a love affair for everyone. It was a real joy when I switched, and I don't see myself going back. I'm a little surprised that you decided to switch over with a G5 purchase. I was a little scared, so I started with an iBook.

I'd sell it to while you can if you really dislike it, or see if another week does anything for you. Forcing yourself to like it probably isn't much good. GNUcash would require Linux though, wouldn't it? Have you thought about switching to Linux? How about selling it, and getting an iBook and a pc notebook or something? You could run OS X & Linux on it or whatever.

I have a 500Mhz iBook & an 800Mhz iBook and in my opinion (don't everyone jump all over me) the white iBooks are the best portables that Apple has ever made (I missed out on the Pismos, sorry.)

Anyway, let us know what you decide 🙂 (Hope the Mac works out for you)

your mac comes with vpn software. cisco make a good vpn client for the mac, and there are serveral availble on download.com