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Windows to Mac to Windows converts
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This is the days of multiple operating systems ... so just relax and take a deep breath!
All my Oracle database servers are running linux these days ( oracle linux to be precise a clone by Oracle from red hat ).
Windows 7 is really a pretty dang solid operating systems.
Recent win 7 and windows server variations are stable for the most part and reliable and runs nice on 64 bit hardware. Security holes all over the place no doubt and it does keep people hopping keeping it patched/fixed etc ... but I don't have to support any of it.
I am still trying to get all the way comfortable with mac os x. It is similar to the regular commercial unix systems ( solaris, hpux ) but different in some strange ways.
So again just relax ... nothing wrong with multiple different operating systems!
Everyday...I use my MBP in the morning, then I goto work and use my Win 7 machine and then go home and use my MBP. The cycle starts over the next day. 
I'm typing this on my iMac while I'm encoding videos on my Windows PC. I switch back and forth countless times a day
Everyday...I use my MBP in the morning, then I goto work and use my Win 7 machine and then go home and use my MBP. The cycle starts over the next day.
I suffer the same. Thanks to my iPhone I can have a nicer work day since 2007.
Today I wasted several minutes waiting for the Windows 7 App to respond, unfortunately it is running the 32 bit version and only has 4GB of RAM. Even it is way better than what I used to use at work, it is still a piece of S%%% in comparison to my 2008 MBP.
I even prefer to use a MacPlus instead of the Dell crappy laptop.
I know of two personally....I won't justify or make excuses for either, just answering the question you asked.
First was my father-in-law who purchased a 2011 MBA in October to use while traveling.....first mac. He had screen failure within the first 3 days, but apple replaced immediately which made him happy.
With the new MBA he couldnt open .pdf's or txt's without getting a beachball for about 5 minutes. Took it to the apple store and apparently was told his pdf's and .txt's weren't compatible. He explained they worked on the first MBA with screen problems. To further demonstrate he put the files on a thumb drive and they opened just fine on another MBA in the store. They gave him a new computer again but encouraged him to purchase MS Office or iWork to open .txt files. Frustrated with his experience at this point but satisfied the replacement he left was his story
A few days later he told me the he returned everything because the MBA was hot and slow while transcoding a 20Gb video off a video camera using handbrake. He ultimately said Windows 7 felt the same but didn't require a learning curve since he was already familiar with it. Gave lots of praise for the return policy however.
Second wasn't a Windows ---> Mac ---> Windows but a linux --->mac--->linux. Coworker bought a 2010 iMac and bitched incessently about how slow and unintuitive Leopard is (just the messenger here). He ended up paralleling Mint or Ubuntu, found it worked great on the iMac and apparently runs some distro full time now. Loves the computer but not the OS.
Me however, I use multiple OS's at home. My server runs linux, my iMac runs Lion which I use bootcamp/parallels for W7 to play games and run a few windows specific apps. As someone above me said, 7 is solid and I wouldn't question someone who did return to windows for it.
First was my father-in-law who purchased a 2011 MBA in October to use while traveling.....first mac. He had screen failure within the first 3 days, but apple replaced immediately which made him happy.
With the new MBA he couldnt open .pdf's or txt's without getting a beachball for about 5 minutes. Took it to the apple store and apparently was told his pdf's and .txt's weren't compatible. He explained they worked on the first MBA with screen problems. To further demonstrate he put the files on a thumb drive and they opened just fine on another MBA in the store. They gave him a new computer again but encouraged him to purchase MS Office or iWork to open .txt files. Frustrated with his experience at this point but satisfied the replacement he left was his story
A few days later he told me the he returned everything because the MBA was hot and slow while transcoding a 20Gb video off a video camera using handbrake. He ultimately said Windows 7 felt the same but didn't require a learning curve since he was already familiar with it. Gave lots of praise for the return policy however.
Second wasn't a Windows ---> Mac ---> Windows but a linux --->mac--->linux. Coworker bought a 2010 iMac and bitched incessently about how slow and unintuitive Leopard is (just the messenger here
). He ended up paralleling Mint or Ubuntu, found it worked great on the iMac and apparently runs some distro full time now. Loves the computer but not the OS.Me however, I use multiple OS's at home. My server runs linux, my iMac runs Lion which I use bootcamp/parallels for W7 to play games and run a few windows specific apps. As someone above me said, 7 is solid and I wouldn't question someone who did return to windows for it.
I use both platforms at work & home. With the release of Windows 7, the day to day experience is very close to the same for the average user.
My personal preference is Apple, yet I don't need to bash windows just because I truly prefer the Snow Leopard OS.
In terms of hardware, I like the sleek design of my core i7 MacBook Pro, but the price is it's warmer operating temps. That said my i7 ThinkPad T series is somewhat more durable. They're both great overall.
My personal preference is Apple, yet I don't need to bash windows just because I truly prefer the Snow Leopard OS.
In terms of hardware, I like the sleek design of my core i7 MacBook Pro, but the price is it's warmer operating temps. That said my i7 ThinkPad T series is somewhat more durable. They're both great overall.
Me! I was a proud Windows XP user, took a trip to OS X land when Vista came out, and probably would have stayed there but I saw the writing on the wall with FCPX, and decided if I was going to end up using Adobe products, there was no reason to spend almost 2x as much on a mac. So I got a Dell.
I gotta say, I honestly prefer the Windows taskbar to the OS X dock, and (with the exception of expose, which with Lion I can't have anyway), there's nothing that makes me miss OS X.
I am a Win -> Mac -> Win convert. AMA.
I gotta say, I honestly prefer the Windows taskbar to the OS X dock, and (with the exception of expose, which with Lion I can't have anyway), there's nothing that makes me miss OS X.
I am a Win -> Mac -> Win convert. AMA.
I use mostly OSX, but I still use Windows at times. They're both fine really. I don't really understand the animosity toward Windows on here. Apple can be a bit frustrating at times with their changes in design direction in a lot of areas. I like the macbook pros but I wish they ran cooler.
The Mac mini 2010 was my first mac after 23 years.....
I really wanted to like OS X however I've gone back to Windows. It gives me more control on a number of items, let's not mention compatibility / integration. Have totally removed OS X from the internal drive and now run Windows 7 natively.
I like the Mac Mini2010 (with built in DVD) form factor but the 2011 model is running too hot and do not get me started on no DVD in a desktop.....
Every year I buy a new machine but next years model will not be an Apple. Nice looks on the outside but that is about all there is to it and certainly not worth the premium asked for it.
I really wanted to like OS X however I've gone back to Windows. It gives me more control on a number of items, let's not mention compatibility / integration. Have totally removed OS X from the internal drive and now run Windows 7 natively.
I like the Mac Mini2010 (with built in DVD) form factor but the 2011 model is running too hot and do not get me started on no DVD in a desktop.....
Every year I buy a new machine but next years model will not be an Apple. Nice looks on the outside but that is about all there is to it and certainly not worth the premium asked for it.
Bought a MBP in 2008 and it pretty much ran Windows XP 99% of the time. Never saw any reason to switch to OS X.
However it was too heavy to lug around, so recently I bought a MBA to use for web-surfing and chatting. As I don't run any games on it, I stay in OS X most of the time. I must say I'm really loving all the multitouch gestures, especially the custom ones from BetterTouchTool. It makes navigating around a breeze.
It's so convenient that I start to miss it the moment I go back to using Windows. With OS X I can do everything with just one hand. With Windows, I need a second hand to press down all the keys, such as "Ctrl", "Alt/Tab", "Fn", etc.
However it was too heavy to lug around, so recently I bought a MBA to use for web-surfing and chatting. As I don't run any games on it, I stay in OS X most of the time. I must say I'm really loving all the multitouch gestures, especially the custom ones from BetterTouchTool. It makes navigating around a breeze.
It's so convenient that I start to miss it the moment I go back to using Windows. With OS X I can do everything with just one hand. With Windows, I need a second hand to press down all the keys, such as "Ctrl", "Alt/Tab", "Fn", etc.
I've been using Windows since the early days (or if you want to include GUI-less OS's, I started with DOS).
I had kept my eye on OS X for a while, and I finally thought it was a viable alternative when Leopard came out. I wanted to try something different, and I was getting tired of XP, so I bought an Early 2008 MBP when they came out.
I've enjoyed it fairly well. However, I had to keep XP around for most of my audio/video production needs, so I dual-booted it.
Then the Windows 7 public beta came out. I started triple-booting. At that point I was using XP less and less, so by the time Windows 7 was finally released, I had pretty much stopped using XP.
As time went on I started using OS X (Snow Leopard at this point) less often. Eventually the only programs I was still running under OS X were Thunderbird and iTunes. I decided that was pointless, so I moved everything over to Windows 7.
I rarely boot into OS X anymore. There simply is no advantage to using it. Most of the software I use doesn't work on it. The dock is OK, but the Windows 7 taskbar is better. Switcher is better than Expose. I could go on.
I don't think I'll abandon Apple completely, but I don't like where the company is going. Everything is just becoming too restrictive. I'll continue to use my full-sized Apple keyboard and my ancient iPod until they die, but at this point I have absolutely no interest in buying a new Mac.
===
As a side note, I used Windows Home Server v1 for a while (on my old P4 machine). It was the last remaining native installation of that 10-year-old, patched-to-hell-and-back NT kernel that I had running. It worked pretty well for file server use, especially with the drive pooling feature. Then one day a drive got some errors, and WHS threw up a BSOD. I rebooted and checked the drive with WD's standalone utility and it failed. Then I booted into WHS again, and it said there were no problems with any drives. BS. WHS, meet trash can.
I installed Debian on the P4, and I couldn't be happier. It's so much more reliable, more lightweight, faster, and more configurable than either Windows or OS X. On top of that it's completely free!
I had kept my eye on OS X for a while, and I finally thought it was a viable alternative when Leopard came out. I wanted to try something different, and I was getting tired of XP, so I bought an Early 2008 MBP when they came out.
I've enjoyed it fairly well. However, I had to keep XP around for most of my audio/video production needs, so I dual-booted it.
Then the Windows 7 public beta came out. I started triple-booting. At that point I was using XP less and less, so by the time Windows 7 was finally released, I had pretty much stopped using XP.
As time went on I started using OS X (Snow Leopard at this point) less often. Eventually the only programs I was still running under OS X were Thunderbird and iTunes. I decided that was pointless, so I moved everything over to Windows 7.
I rarely boot into OS X anymore. There simply is no advantage to using it. Most of the software I use doesn't work on it. The dock is OK, but the Windows 7 taskbar is better. Switcher is better than Expose. I could go on.
I don't think I'll abandon Apple completely, but I don't like where the company is going. Everything is just becoming too restrictive. I'll continue to use my full-sized Apple keyboard and my ancient iPod until they die, but at this point I have absolutely no interest in buying a new Mac.
===
As a side note, I used Windows Home Server v1 for a while (on my old P4 machine). It was the last remaining native installation of that 10-year-old, patched-to-hell-and-back NT kernel that I had running. It worked pretty well for file server use, especially with the drive pooling feature. Then one day a drive got some errors, and WHS threw up a BSOD. I rebooted and checked the drive with WD's standalone utility and it failed. Then I booted into WHS again, and it said there were no problems with any drives. BS. WHS, meet trash can.
I installed Debian on the P4, and I couldn't be happier. It's so much more reliable, more lightweight, faster, and more configurable than either Windows or OS X. On top of that it's completely free!
In early 2008 I converted my PC into a hackintosh. It was fun tinkering around with it to get it to work. After a couple of months I actually purchased a white Macbook, to get the real deal, and so it would just work all the time. Things like that resounding "chime" every time you press the power button.
A few months later I decided I couldn't live with it anymore. The novelty must have worn off.
Namely:
1. Lack of taskbar with individual windows appearing on it. Managing windows was a pain. Expose and the Dock did not cut it for me, it was messy and required multiple steps to switch windows. My number one gripe.
2. Office for mac was ugly and cluttered. Also, shortcuts were inconsistent with the windows version (excel in particular)
3. Folder icons don't have a preview of the pics inside the folder, embedded in the icon itself.
4. Too few configuration options in the Settings.
5. A lot of essential software/ drivers you have to pay for.
6. Folders are not sorted to the top of the Finder listing (third party tool required).
7. No themes. You can have the Mac OS X windows in any colour you like, as long as it's grey.
8. No Windows+L style lock shortcut. Hot corner with password screen saver required, which is easy to accidentally activate.
9. I could go on.
So I sold the Macbok and built myself a new PC (I had already sold the old PC), went back to Vista.
Almost 3 years later, come 2011. I was going overseas, needed a laptop, and due to the intel recall of Sandy Bridge 2nd gen core chips, only the Macbooks had these new 2nd gen chips in them. I had no choice but to go for a new macbook. Thought I could give OS X another try, and if that didn't work out I could bootcamp with Windows 7.
A month later, I ended up going back to Windows 7. For all the above reasons, plus lack of Aero Snap (third party utility required).
I just feel more free in Windows... but the macbook runs Windows 7 in bootcamp just fine. Apart from the trackpad being a bit sensitive.
Solid hardware, but the user experience not for me.
A few months later I decided I couldn't live with it anymore. The novelty must have worn off.
Namely:
1. Lack of taskbar with individual windows appearing on it. Managing windows was a pain. Expose and the Dock did not cut it for me, it was messy and required multiple steps to switch windows. My number one gripe.
2. Office for mac was ugly and cluttered. Also, shortcuts were inconsistent with the windows version (excel in particular)
3. Folder icons don't have a preview of the pics inside the folder, embedded in the icon itself.
4. Too few configuration options in the Settings.
5. A lot of essential software/ drivers you have to pay for.
6. Folders are not sorted to the top of the Finder listing (third party tool required).
7. No themes. You can have the Mac OS X windows in any colour you like, as long as it's grey.
8. No Windows+L style lock shortcut. Hot corner with password screen saver required, which is easy to accidentally activate.
9. I could go on.
So I sold the Macbok and built myself a new PC (I had already sold the old PC), went back to Vista.
Almost 3 years later, come 2011. I was going overseas, needed a laptop, and due to the intel recall of Sandy Bridge 2nd gen core chips, only the Macbooks had these new 2nd gen chips in them. I had no choice but to go for a new macbook. Thought I could give OS X another try, and if that didn't work out I could bootcamp with Windows 7.
A month later, I ended up going back to Windows 7. For all the above reasons, plus lack of Aero Snap (third party utility required).
I just feel more free in Windows... but the macbook runs Windows 7 in bootcamp just fine. Apart from the trackpad being a bit sensitive.
Solid hardware, but the user experience not for me.
I just tried Lion and had another thought about returning to OS X.
Mission Control is definitely better than Expose for me, because it groups the windows by application, and the window sizes are relative rather than all of them the same size.
I also thought I could use VMWare Fusion to run Office 2010 for Windows.
But then there's another thing that I can't fix: the font smoothing in OS X. It seems much more blurrier (especially at smaller font sizes, like in Facebook) than the Windows Cleartype equivelant. It's a big deal for me.
Mission Control is definitely better than Expose for me, because it groups the windows by application, and the window sizes are relative rather than all of them the same size.
I also thought I could use VMWare Fusion to run Office 2010 for Windows.
But then there's another thing that I can't fix: the font smoothing in OS X. It seems much more blurrier (especially at smaller font sizes, like in Facebook) than the Windows Cleartype equivelant. It's a big deal for me.
I go back to the beginnings of microcomputers, usually running CPM. Then DOS, then Windows. And to me, that's when all my problems started. I loved CPM and DOS. I have had every version of Windows from 3.1 up to XP and the only one I got on with was NT, it seemed stable. I'll admit, I have no interest in op systems; to me they are just something I like to run without me knowing much about them. Which is probably why I had such a frustrating time with every Windows I used over the years.
My change to an Intel MacBook about 8 years ago was a revelation. I've now had 8 years without viruses, no blue screens, almost no trouble at all except Office 2008 not working with Snow Leopard which had me going for a bit. And when I upgrade, everything just works.
So I told my mate all this because he asked. He then went out and bought an iMac and in short, he hates it with a vengeance. He wants to keep using Windows so has both systems running with Parallels. He says it hangs, the keyboard doesn't work with Excel (I assume under Windows and he uses key-board shortcuts, hardly ever the mouse). He also hasn't asked any questions, and is just negative about everything.
Anyhow, he hasn't converted back to Windows just yet, but give it another week because I think he doesn't want any change. I which case, I don't understand why he bought Mac in the first place!
My change to an Intel MacBook about 8 years ago was a revelation. I've now had 8 years without viruses, no blue screens, almost no trouble at all except Office 2008 not working with Snow Leopard which had me going for a bit. And when I upgrade, everything just works.
So I told my mate all this because he asked. He then went out and bought an iMac and in short, he hates it with a vengeance. He wants to keep using Windows so has both systems running with Parallels. He says it hangs, the keyboard doesn't work with Excel (I assume under Windows and he uses key-board shortcuts, hardly ever the mouse). He also hasn't asked any questions, and is just negative about everything.
Anyhow, he hasn't converted back to Windows just yet, but give it another week because I think he doesn't want any change. I which case, I don't understand why he bought Mac in the first place!