WORKING WITH OTHERS: PC or MAC ?

[CLAUDE]

Hello,

Some of you might probably have read and answered this question a good few times.....

I'm about to switch from PC to MAC. I simply got sick of XP and also have the opportunity to get an IBook G4 and a very reasonable price. So why not switch?

Well, I still wonder about compatibility.

We will be using the laptop to send out e-mails to a mailing list of about 500 to 600 adresses. For the moment, these e-mails are very simple, but in the near future, we will be sending word documents, spreadsheet, sound files, pictures, small videos files. Out of these 500 or 600 hundred people less than 5 percent are using MACs.

Will we encounter serious compatibility problems, ie only a few people can open our attachments?

Do we need to get additional software for some sort of conversion so that the members of our group can open our attachments?

Can we open all the attachments (most common software like word, excel, Photoshop, Fireworks) that will be send to us ?

Do the PC users need to do some adjustments so that they can read our attachments?

Also, we will be working with a PC user in our office. It is a Compaq Presario 1234 using windows 98 first version. Will we encounter unresolvable problems or will we be able to share files freely ?

Also, regarding hardware (printer, scanner, MP3 player,...) do we need to get all of this from Apple or can we get any hardware ?

From using the Ibook a little bit, we really liked it and found it 'refreshing and pleasant' compared to XP. We're just waiting for your feedback and advice before switching....


Thanking you in advance for your help.

Claude

 

[James_C]

Hi Claude,

I have a PowerBook AL 15", which I use at home and at work. I have Microsoft Office X for Mac, which is file compatible with the windows version of office. This version of Office for Mac has a program called Entourage (e-mail, calendar, address book), which allows me to connect to our Office Exchange Server. Other people in the office are completely unaware that I am sending e-mails (sometimes with attached excel spreadsheets or word documents) from a Mac rather than a PC. Photoshop is also file compatible with the windows version so you will have no problem there.

 

[gbojim]

In addition to what James said, assuming you are running MS Office on your Mac, you will have no problem with any of the attachments you mentioned between Mac and PC. No adjustments are necessary on the PC or Mac - assuming the versions of Office are close enough to not require conversions, but that is the same for PC to PC as Mac to PC.

The video format you choose will determine the player software required - eg if you choose quicktime, you will need quicktime installed on the PCs.

You can share between the Mac and Win 98 PCs no problem - no additional software required.

You do not need to buy peripherals from Apple. However, you need to ensure the hardware you wish to buy works on Mac. There is a wide variety of printers, scanners, etc. that will work, just check it out before making your decision.

 

[Rincewind42]

Re: WORKING WITH OTHERS: PC or MAC ?

Originally posted by CLAUDE
I'm about to switch from PC to MAC. I simply got sick of XP and also have the opportunity to get an IBook G4 and a very reasonable price. So why not switch?

Please, Please don't say MAC - it's Mac short for Macintosh. Hate to sound like an arse about it, but far too many people think that it is an acronym . (There is an acronym MAC but it is a part of your ethernet card...).

Will we encounter serious compatibility problems, ie only a few people can open our attachments?

Do we need to get additional software for some sort of conversion so that the members of our group can open our attachments?

Can we open all the attachments (most common software like word, excel, Photoshop, Fireworks) that will be send to us ?

Do the PC users need to do some adjustments so that they can read our attachments?

All of the software you mentioned have Macintosh versions, so you shouldn't have a problem sending or receiving files of those types. If your willing to spend the time, you can always list out what other formats you need and someone outta be able to tell you if they know of an app that can open them. But nearly all of the major file formats can be opened by software from the same company on both platforms.

Also, regarding hardware (printer, scanner, MP3 player,...) do we need to get all of this from Apple or can we get any hardware ?

Apple doesn't sell printers or scanners anymore so that one should be obvious . As for MP3 players, you can also take your pick, but most people believe the iPod is the best right now (including me), so you can't go wrong with it. In fact, if you already have a printer or scanner that uses USB/Firewire(scanner)/Ethernet(printer) then there is a very very good chance that it will work with the iBook. For MP3 players, you need to check for Macintosh support, and be aware that you will probably not be able to use any WMA features the player may advertise.

 

[virividox]

probably the only problem you might find with sending excel or word files is if you mac takes away the file extension .doc, .xls. then pc might have a problem reading it, but theres a tick box that says append the file extension, if you untick it it should leave it on at the end.

and one thing with powerpoint, there are some conflicts between older windows powerpoint that cant read powerpoint made on the mac, cuz some features on the mac dont come on the windows machine, but i havent experienced them myself, just been told by a friend.