5 ms·

I wanted to buy a new windows laptop that was light, strong, and looked good. I really, really did. Then, because of work reasons, I ended up getting a MacBook

by edanm 14y ago

I wanted to buy a new windows laptop that was light, strong, and looked good. I really, really did. Then, because of work reasons, I ended up getting a MacBook Air instead. Now, I've been dead-set against switching to a Mac for a long time, because I am incredibly invested with Windows, more so than almost anyone I know. I didn't want to have to relearn everything, plus rewrite all the scripts I have on my Windows machine. Still, I'm pretty happy with the switch so far. The laptop is everything you could want - small, fast, amazingly easy to pull out and turn on for quick use. I haven't actually tortured the laptop with too much programming yet, but OSX has a lot of small advantages over Windows. I'm not finding it too hard to switch, much easier than I thought I would find it. I can't help feeling that, unless the hardware makers get their act together, I'll never be going back to a Windows-based laptop. The MacBook is just too good.

jader201 14y ago
I need to know your secret then. About three years ago, I purchased my first Mac. It was an early 2009 iMac. Before then, I had only owned a Windows machine, and like you, I was also incredibly invested in Windows. But when I got my Mac, I just found doing simple things a challenge, and the various interfaces not powerful enough. To this day, I still struggle using Finder, mostly because there's no (native) way of browsing folders and files separately like in Windows. But that's just one example, and I really don't have time to list the many other ways I found the switch difficult. So again, I'm curious to know your secret. I don't know, maybe I was even more invested in Windows than yourself.
- edanm 14y ago
  Like I said, I haven't done as much work yet (I bought the Air right before a vacation, so most of my use has been casual). Still, I've got one thing going for me: I'm very quick at picking up new keyboard shortcuts and habits. I'm a vim user, and every few weeks I switch around some shortcut to make things easier for myself - and it usually only takes a day to adjust. I don't know if this is abnormal or not, but a lot of people really complain very loudly every time shortcuts are changed on them, so maybe I'm the odd one out here. Also, I work hard at fixing big incoviences. For example, I can't stand the way maximize works on the Mac... but it doesn't matter, since I have a program that makes it work like in Windows. The trick is to give the new behaviour a fair shot before "fixing" it, since sometimes the new behaviour is better - for example, using command+tab (alt-tab in windows) only work between different applications, and having a separate shortcut for switching Windows in the same application - that's much better than in Windows, but at first I really hated it. My biggest gripe with OSX right now, by the way, is the Finder. On Windows I used Total Commander, which is very easily one of the top ten colossal wins for me on Windows. on OSX, I don't have anything comparable, which is a big problem. But I'm working on that one too :)
  - Flow 14y ago
    There are plenty of Finder enhancements and replacements. This is one of the more popular: http://cocoatech.com/pathfinder/ http://cocoatech.com/pathfinder/
  - rsync 14y ago
    Here is my bag of tricks that I apply to OSX/Finder to make it a more usable UI (and by usable, I mean more like ion/ratpoison/etc.) http://blog.kozubik.com/john_kozubik/2009/11/making-the-mac-more-like-ion.html http://blog.kozubik.com/john_kozubik/2009/11/making-the-mac-... ... although who knows how well any of this works on Lion, etc. - I am a "once snow leopard is EOL, I leave OSX" kind of user...
  - anykey 14y ago
    Shift+click the "plus" button and it'll maximize. I've been using BetterTouchTool's window movement abilities to set hotkeys to maximize and halve windows. It'll also do an aero-snap-esque thingy. Pretty useful Cmd+tab is pretty nice, keep in mind you can use Cmd+` to switch between windows of the current application. It's a bit different than the way Windows does it, but once you use it for a little bit you get used to it and Windows feels a bit awkward ;)
  - calinet6 14y ago
    If you're looking for better maximize/window management, check out the open source app ShiftIt. Works sort of like aero snap in windows 7, with a quick keystroke to fully maximize a window. I use it all the time. I refreshed it for 10.7+/retina and compiled a build - check it out here: http://trisweb.github.com/ShiftIt/ http://trisweb.github.com/ShiftIt/ 100% agree about giving the default Mac configuration a chance. Often it's better thought out (or actually thought-out at all) and will work better if you learn the "mac way" to do things. Except the window maximizing—that's really an inexcusable shortcoming of the OS IMHO.
- calinet6 14y ago
  It's Unix—use the command line too. (Shhh, don't tell anyone else the secret)
pmelendez 14y ago
I don't know if you would feel the same way after you code on XCode. I feel like in a cage when I have to touch code on that thing...
- edanm 14y ago
  I plan to try working only from vim if I possibly can. Don't (yet) know how possible it will be.
  - SLuijk 14y ago
    There is gvim for OSX. But personally I prefer vim inside terminator or terminal. That was before I switched to Arch Linux after 12 years of using mac.
    - prezjordan 14y ago
      MacVim is the standard OSX.
drhowarddrfine 14y ago
"...OSX has a lot of small advantages over Windows." OSX is Unix. OSX has a TON of small and large advantages over Windows.
kayoone 14y ago
i work with multiple monitors and always hated this on OSX. The Menubar is only on the main screen, no matter where program is located (there are tools to replicate it to the second monitor but still) and i hate the OSX dock. The windows taskbar with a multimonitor enhancement like UltraMon or DisplayFusion is just unbeatable when having many open windows imo, on OSX it always takes more time/clicks to find the windows i want which is annoying... As a Developer currently working mainly with C#, no Visual Studio on OSX is a big pita since MonoDevelop is nowhere as good... I still have a Macbook Air for toying around on the go, holding presentations etc. Its a very nice consumer device but i still prefer Windows as my main work enviroment.
- xtracto 14y ago
  I am a virtual desktops fan (I think they are called Spaces). Unfortunately, the way Alt+Tab works in Mac, which shows the list of all open programs, instead of the ones with windows in the current virtual desktop, is a loser for me. Also, the fact that when you make a window "full screen" (with the arrows int he top-right corner button) you lose one monitor when using two monitors setup. And also, regarding shortcuts, why isn't there a Cut file shortcut (say, pretzel+X) like the copy button?. I have to use Mac/OSX for my job, but man I hate all the quirks of this operating system
  - bpatrianakos 14y ago
    See, I, the exact opposite when it comes to Alt+Tab. At work I have to use Windows and I hate the fact that if I have multiple Windows of one program open I may have to Alt-Tab several times just to get to the window I want. I prefer how it is on the Mac where if I switch between to programs, both of which have multiple windows open, it'll just show me all the windows stacked on one another in the order they were used. To me, doing this then clicking into the stack to get the window I want is much faster than trying to see which window looks closest to the one I want using the Alt Tab icons in Windows. They're just too small for me and often multiple windows of the same program look exactly alike at the size Windows shows the previews. Same with the task bar on Windows. I hate clicking program icon and instead of just showing me the windows I have to once more hunt for what looks like the one I want before it brings it to the fore. I've never used OS X With multiple monitors but I do use dual monitors at work and I can bet it definitely would be frustrating to lose a monitor just to have one app full screen. Hopefully they fix that. For now I'm good with Spaces. Actually I think Spaces are gone since Lion and they're something else now.
calinet6 14y ago
Ironically, in the 'other recommended articles' section of Atwood's post, there's a 2006 article entitled "Apple Laptops: Good, Cheap, Fast—Pick Three" http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2006/05/apple-laptops-good-cheap-fast----pick-three.html http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2006/05/apple-laptops-good-... He couldn't have been more right, but somehow he never caught on even after 6 years of constant improvements, and the introduction of the Air. His quote "Sure, you can find a few edge cases where Apple loses, such as the ultraportable category" would elicit laughter these days. In my (and many others') opinion, apple makes some of the best laptop hardware around. It's hard to argue otherwise. Just look at Atwood's complaints about the Asus' trackpad—a defect almost inexcusable in this day and age, especially given that the Mac trackpads are so damn good. Put OSX, Windows, or Linux on it, whatever you want, it's still extremely well made hardware and will be durable, usable, and hold resale value better. Indeed, other manufacturers are simply trying to play catch-up, and cloning the style and being forced to emulate the build quality (albeit unsuccessfully) of Apple laptops. This is not opinion, this is not zealotry, I have no horse in this race—it's simply appears to be true at this point. It's even hard to argue on the economic standpoint with the price of the base 13" MacBook Air being $1199. Like I say, I have no horse in this race; I don't care what Jeff Atwood prefers in his computers. It simply seems that there's an interesting faith-based exclusion being made, and I would warn others against making the same conclusion without using facts and experience of their own.
kabdib 14y ago
There's a Microsoft store three storefronts down from an Apple store in our local mall (Bellevue Square, near Seattle). I looked at the Asus UX31, wrote down its specs and went to the the Apple store. Nearly exactly the same specs for an Air, but the UX31 was about $400 cheaper. (The UX31 didn't come with any crapware, either). I'm somewhat disappointed with the keyboard, but other than that it's a great little machine.
- Splines 14y ago
  That store moved a little while ago, it's on the top floor now. I find it a little amusing since it appears that the decision to move was prompted by the near proximity of the much-larger Microsoft store. (I have no idea if it actually was, but on the face of things that's how it looks). The new Apple location is about the same size as the existing Microsoft store.
  - kabdib 14y ago
    Ah yes, I'd forgotten the Apple store had moved. It certainly felt cramped compared to the MS store.
codinghorror 14y ago
At least for the Airs, they are currently all TN displays, and significantly lower res than the Asus model discussed.

by edanm 14y ago

jader201 14y ago

I need to know your secret then. About three years ago, I purchased my first Mac. It was an early 2009 iMac. Before then, I had only owned a Windows machine, and like you, I was also incredibly invested in Windows. But when I got my Mac, I just found doing simple things a challenge, and the various interfaces not powerful enough. To this day, I still struggle using Finder, mostly because there's no (native) way of browsing folders and files separately like in Windows. But that's just one example, and I really don't have time to list the many other ways I found the switch difficult. So again, I'm curious to know your secret. I don't know, maybe I was even more invested in Windows than yourself.

edanm 14y ago
Like I said, I haven't done as much work yet (I bought the Air right before a vacation, so most of my use has been casual). Still, I've got one thing going for me: I'm very quick at picking up new keyboard shortcuts and habits. I'm a vim user, and every few weeks I switch around some shortcut to make things easier for myself - and it usually only takes a day to adjust. I don't know if this is abnormal or not, but a lot of people really complain very loudly every time shortcuts are changed on them, so maybe I'm the odd one out here. Also, I work hard at fixing big incoviences. For example, I can't stand the way maximize works on the Mac... but it doesn't matter, since I have a program that makes it work like in Windows. The trick is to give the new behaviour a fair shot before "fixing" it, since sometimes the new behaviour is better - for example, using command+tab (alt-tab in windows) only work between different applications, and having a separate shortcut for switching Windows in the same application - that's much better than in Windows, but at first I really hated it. My biggest gripe with OSX right now, by the way, is the Finder. On Windows I used Total Commander, which is very easily one of the top ten colossal wins for me on Windows. on OSX, I don't have anything comparable, which is a big problem. But I'm working on that one too :)
- Flow 14y ago
  There are plenty of Finder enhancements and replacements. This is one of the more popular: http://cocoatech.com/pathfinder/ http://cocoatech.com/pathfinder/
- rsync 14y ago
  Here is my bag of tricks that I apply to OSX/Finder to make it a more usable UI (and by usable, I mean more like ion/ratpoison/etc.) http://blog.kozubik.com/john_kozubik/2009/11/making-the-mac-more-like-ion.html http://blog.kozubik.com/john_kozubik/2009/11/making-the-mac-... ... although who knows how well any of this works on Lion, etc. - I am a "once snow leopard is EOL, I leave OSX" kind of user...
- anykey 14y ago
  Shift+click the "plus" button and it'll maximize. I've been using BetterTouchTool's window movement abilities to set hotkeys to maximize and halve windows. It'll also do an aero-snap-esque thingy. Pretty useful Cmd+tab is pretty nice, keep in mind you can use Cmd+` to switch between windows of the current application. It's a bit different than the way Windows does it, but once you use it for a little bit you get used to it and Windows feels a bit awkward ;)
- calinet6 14y ago
  If you're looking for better maximize/window management, check out the open source app ShiftIt. Works sort of like aero snap in windows 7, with a quick keystroke to fully maximize a window. I use it all the time. I refreshed it for 10.7+/retina and compiled a build - check it out here: http://trisweb.github.com/ShiftIt/ http://trisweb.github.com/ShiftIt/ 100% agree about giving the default Mac configuration a chance. Often it's better thought out (or actually thought-out at all) and will work better if you learn the "mac way" to do things. Except the window maximizing—that's really an inexcusable shortcoming of the OS IMHO.
calinet6 14y ago
It's Unix—use the command line too. (Shhh, don't tell anyone else the secret)

pmelendez 14y ago

I don't know if you would feel the same way after you code on XCode. I feel like in a cage when I have to touch code on that thing...

edanm 14y ago
I plan to try working only from vim if I possibly can. Don't (yet) know how possible it will be.
- SLuijk 14y ago
  There is gvim for OSX. But personally I prefer vim inside terminator or terminal. That was before I switched to Arch Linux after 12 years of using mac.
  - prezjordan 14y ago
    MacVim is the standard OSX.

drhowarddrfine 14y ago

"...OSX has a lot of small advantages over Windows." OSX is Unix. OSX has a TON of small and large advantages over Windows.

kayoone 14y ago

i work with multiple monitors and always hated this on OSX. The Menubar is only on the main screen, no matter where program is located (there are tools to replicate it to the second monitor but still) and i hate the OSX dock. The windows taskbar with a multimonitor enhancement like UltraMon or DisplayFusion is just unbeatable when having many open windows imo, on OSX it always takes more time/clicks to find the windows i want which is annoying... As a Developer currently working mainly with C#, no Visual Studio on OSX is a big pita since MonoDevelop is nowhere as good... I still have a Macbook Air for toying around on the go, holding presentations etc. Its a very nice consumer device but i still prefer Windows as my main work enviroment.

xtracto 14y ago
I am a virtual desktops fan (I think they are called Spaces). Unfortunately, the way Alt+Tab works in Mac, which shows the list of all open programs, instead of the ones with windows in the current virtual desktop, is a loser for me. Also, the fact that when you make a window "full screen" (with the arrows int he top-right corner button) you lose one monitor when using two monitors setup. And also, regarding shortcuts, why isn't there a Cut file shortcut (say, pretzel+X) like the copy button?. I have to use Mac/OSX for my job, but man I hate all the quirks of this operating system
- bpatrianakos 14y ago
  See, I, the exact opposite when it comes to Alt+Tab. At work I have to use Windows and I hate the fact that if I have multiple Windows of one program open I may have to Alt-Tab several times just to get to the window I want. I prefer how it is on the Mac where if I switch between to programs, both of which have multiple windows open, it'll just show me all the windows stacked on one another in the order they were used. To me, doing this then clicking into the stack to get the window I want is much faster than trying to see which window looks closest to the one I want using the Alt Tab icons in Windows. They're just too small for me and often multiple windows of the same program look exactly alike at the size Windows shows the previews. Same with the task bar on Windows. I hate clicking program icon and instead of just showing me the windows I have to once more hunt for what looks like the one I want before it brings it to the fore. I've never used OS X With multiple monitors but I do use dual monitors at work and I can bet it definitely would be frustrating to lose a monitor just to have one app full screen. Hopefully they fix that. For now I'm good with Spaces. Actually I think Spaces are gone since Lion and they're something else now.

calinet6 14y ago

Ironically, in the 'other recommended articles' section of Atwood's post, there's a 2006 article entitled "Apple Laptops: Good, Cheap, Fast—Pick Three" http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2006/05/apple-laptops-good-cheap-fast----pick-three.html http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2006/05/apple-laptops-good-... He couldn't have been more right, but somehow he never caught on even after 6 years of constant improvements, and the introduction of the Air. His quote "Sure, you can find a few edge cases where Apple loses, such as the ultraportable category" would elicit laughter these days. In my (and many others') opinion, apple makes some of the best laptop hardware around. It's hard to argue otherwise. Just look at Atwood's complaints about the Asus' trackpad—a defect almost inexcusable in this day and age, especially given that the Mac trackpads are so damn good. Put OSX, Windows, or Linux on it, whatever you want, it's still extremely well made hardware and will be durable, usable, and hold resale value better. Indeed, other manufacturers are simply trying to play catch-up, and cloning the style and being forced to emulate the build quality (albeit unsuccessfully) of Apple laptops. This is not opinion, this is not zealotry, I have no horse in this race—it's simply appears to be true at this point. It's even hard to argue on the economic standpoint with the price of the base 13" MacBook Air being $1199. Like I say, I have no horse in this race; I don't care what Jeff Atwood prefers in his computers. It simply seems that there's an interesting faith-based exclusion being made, and I would warn others against making the same conclusion without using facts and experience of their own.

kabdib 14y ago

There's a Microsoft store three storefronts down from an Apple store in our local mall (Bellevue Square, near Seattle). I looked at the Asus UX31, wrote down its specs and went to the the Apple store. Nearly exactly the same specs for an Air, but the UX31 was about $400 cheaper. (The UX31 didn't come with any crapware, either). I'm somewhat disappointed with the keyboard, but other than that it's a great little machine.

Splines 14y ago
That store moved a little while ago, it's on the top floor now. I find it a little amusing since it appears that the decision to move was prompted by the near proximity of the much-larger Microsoft store. (I have no idea if it actually was, but on the face of things that's how it looks). The new Apple location is about the same size as the existing Microsoft store.
- kabdib 14y ago
  Ah yes, I'd forgotten the Apple store had moved. It certainly felt cramped compared to the MS store.

codinghorror 14y ago

At least for the Airs, they are currently all TN displays, and significantly lower res than the Asus model discussed.