3 ms·

Anyone else made the switch recently and had any problems with it?

req2 18y ago
I use a Mac at work, and I have, essentially, three problems. The biggest problem as I run up against it all the time is the mouse tracking. I tried switching mice, Microsoft's Intellimouse software for Mac, and finally settled for a custom setting widget that lets me boost the mouse speed to 10x (!) that allowed by the default controls. This is a bit of a personal thing, but I like sensitive mice, and I dislike needing to move my arm to cross the screen. The weird acceleration curve that I am stuck with is very frustrating. The second problem is Mac support. If I find something on the internet, it usually has a Windows version. And a Linux port. And maybe someone ported it to Mac. It's not always a problem, but it happens often enough that I don't want to reinvent the wheel to try a new program and I wish I were using another OS. The third problem is cost- $1200 for 8GB of RAM? http://store.apple.com/us/memorymodel/ME_IMAC_AL_20_G3 http://store.apple.com/us/memorymodel/ME_IMAC_AL_20_G3 There are times when you don't need to go to Apple for hardware, but when you do, you get taken to the cleaners, and that's after spending quite a bundle on the software.
- dangrover 18y ago
  You can buy RAM for Macs from non-Apple sources for much cheaper.
- jedwhite 18y ago
  The multi-touch trackpad is a real boon for browsing and reading, but for anything pixel-related I find having an external optical mouse is useful still. Price is still the big issue all round - especially as PC hardware just keeps dropping.
- chrisbolt 18y ago
  8GB of RAM isn't exactly a great example though, 4GB DDR3 SODIMMs are expensive nearly everywhere. Going through Crucial is still almost $1k. http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=836DF3A7A5CA7304 http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=836DF3A...
- jhickner 18y ago
  After trying half a dozen solutions to fix the odd mouse acceleration curve, I found an app called SteerMouse that actually does the trick. If you're one of those odd people who's sensitive to this (like me) I'd definitely recommend it. http://plentycom.jp/en/steermouse/ http://plentycom.jp/en/steermouse/
larrykubin 18y ago
I miss the ability to maximize windows. When you first switch to a Mac and try to ask for help with this on a Mac forum, you get responses like: "You can drag a window to the full size of the screen, but more often than not you simply won't bother. It's rarely helpful to have a window at full screen anyway. I know your mind is screaming "No!" at this, but try it for a couple of days and you'll see for yourself. Just drag a window to the size you want it to be, and leave it at that. " "If a web page only uses 60% of the width of your screen, what's the use in having the window at 100% -- covering important desktop icons, other windows, etc. Windows uses an "application-centric" approach to windowing, while Mac OS X uses a "document-centric" approach to windowing -- where no one window should monopolize the entire screen." "On the Mac, because of the universal menubar you really don't have to take over the entire screen since you'll always have access to the menu at the top of the screen, unlike the other desktop environments that have them per window which can get confusing for some users." "Another reason for not going fullscreen is because it makes it easier to drag and drop components from one application into another. " --- So yeah, apparently I don't want to maximize a window, I only think I do. However, software like WriteRoom (http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/products/writeroom http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/products/writeroom), a full screen text editor receives terrific reviews: "WriteRoom — Distraction free writing. For people who enjoy the simplicity of a typewriter, but live in the digital world. WriteRoom is a full-screen writing environment. Unlike the cluttered word processors you're used to, WriteRoom is just about you and your text."
- jzachary 18y ago
  "So yeah, apparently I don't want to maximize a window, I only think I do." You need to be re-programmed to accept the Macintosh way.
  - jedwhite 18y ago
    Well, I think we all have to accept as a basic precept that Mac is a cult, and once you do that then this all makes sense :)
- meese_ 18y ago
  You may like Mega Zoomer http://ianhenderson.org/megazoomer.html http://ianhenderson.org/megazoomer.html Personally though I agree with most of the comments you quoted. I've only found fullscreen mode useful for cutting out distractions in apps like Terminal.
njharman 18y ago
Lots of keyboard/keystroke mapping differences. Home/End do what they're suppose to instead of what everyother computer platform I've ever used does. Page up / Page down, seriously WTF! Why would anyone ever want them to work that way. Various other oddities like ctrl arrow Half the typical ctrl bindings are Apple key which is in the alt-key position. Window manager issues: No consistent focus follows mouse. No raise on hover No way to get select to copy -> middle button to paste(well you can get middle button to paste but then that is only thing in all apps your middle button will ever do. I'm getting use to the multiple desktop ("spaces") but it still lacks features I've come to expect under Linux. Can't for the life of me figure out how to get an icon that will open term and ssh into a particular box.
- meese_ 18y ago
  "Lots of keyboard/keystroke mapping differences. Home/End do what they're suppose to instead of what everyother computer platform I've ever used does. Page up / Page down, seriously WTF! Why would anyone ever want them to work that way. Various other oddities like ctrl arrow" You can customize this if you like. See: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=448218 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=448218 "Half the typical ctrl bindings are Apple key which is in the alt-key position." You get used to it eventually. I've come to like this more than what having only the control key for most mappings because it allows for more consistent shortcuts (e.g.:, ⌘ is normally used for App/OS shortcuts, while Ctrl is used for Emacs/text-editing shortcuts in all apps) "No consistent focus follows mouse. No raise on hover" You can use this command to enable it for Terminal: defaults write com.apple.Terminal FocusFollowsMouse -string YES For other apps, I found this with a quick Google search http://atomicbird.com/mondomouse http://atomicbird.com/mondomouse (haven't tried it myself so I can't say how good it is). "Can't for the life of me figure out how to get an icon that will open term and ssh into a particular box." Try this: vim logmein i#!/bin/bash ssh my-box <esc>ZZ chmod a+x logmein Speaking of that, here's a nice app for automatically inputting passphrases for ssh: http://www.sshkeychain.org/ http://www.sshkeychain.org/
  - windsurfer 18y ago
    Wow, what? Automatic pass-phrase inputting? Isn't that just ssh-copy-id? Why not use something that's already there?

req2 18y ago

I use a Mac at work, and I have, essentially, three problems. The biggest problem as I run up against it all the time is the mouse tracking. I tried switching mice, Microsoft's Intellimouse software for Mac, and finally settled for a custom setting widget that lets me boost the mouse speed to 10x (!) that allowed by the default controls. This is a bit of a personal thing, but I like sensitive mice, and I dislike needing to move my arm to cross the screen. The weird acceleration curve that I am stuck with is very frustrating. The second problem is Mac support. If I find something on the internet, it usually has a Windows version. And a Linux port. And maybe someone ported it to Mac. It's not always a problem, but it happens often enough that I don't want to reinvent the wheel to try a new program and I wish I were using another OS. The third problem is cost- $1200 for 8GB of RAM? http://store.apple.com/us/memorymodel/ME_IMAC_AL_20_G3 http://store.apple.com/us/memorymodel/ME_IMAC_AL_20_G3 There are times when you don't need to go to Apple for hardware, but when you do, you get taken to the cleaners, and that's after spending quite a bundle on the software.

dangrover 18y ago
You can buy RAM for Macs from non-Apple sources for much cheaper.
jedwhite 18y ago
The multi-touch trackpad is a real boon for browsing and reading, but for anything pixel-related I find having an external optical mouse is useful still. Price is still the big issue all round - especially as PC hardware just keeps dropping.
chrisbolt 18y ago
8GB of RAM isn't exactly a great example though, 4GB DDR3 SODIMMs are expensive nearly everywhere. Going through Crucial is still almost $1k. http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=836DF3A7A5CA7304 http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=836DF3A...
jhickner 18y ago
After trying half a dozen solutions to fix the odd mouse acceleration curve, I found an app called SteerMouse that actually does the trick. If you're one of those odd people who's sensitive to this (like me) I'd definitely recommend it. http://plentycom.jp/en/steermouse/ http://plentycom.jp/en/steermouse/

larrykubin 18y ago

I miss the ability to maximize windows. When you first switch to a Mac and try to ask for help with this on a Mac forum, you get responses like: "You can drag a window to the full size of the screen, but more often than not you simply won't bother. It's rarely helpful to have a window at full screen anyway. I know your mind is screaming "No!" at this, but try it for a couple of days and you'll see for yourself. Just drag a window to the size you want it to be, and leave it at that. " "If a web page only uses 60% of the width of your screen, what's the use in having the window at 100% -- covering important desktop icons, other windows, etc. Windows uses an "application-centric" approach to windowing, while Mac OS X uses a "document-centric" approach to windowing -- where no one window should monopolize the entire screen." "On the Mac, because of the universal menubar you really don't have to take over the entire screen since you'll always have access to the menu at the top of the screen, unlike the other desktop environments that have them per window which can get confusing for some users." "Another reason for not going fullscreen is because it makes it easier to drag and drop components from one application into another. " --- So yeah, apparently I don't want to maximize a window, I only think I do. However, software like WriteRoom (http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/products/writeroom http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/products/writeroom), a full screen text editor receives terrific reviews: "WriteRoom — Distraction free writing. For people who enjoy the simplicity of a typewriter, but live in the digital world. WriteRoom is a full-screen writing environment. Unlike the cluttered word processors you're used to, WriteRoom is just about you and your text."

jzachary 18y ago
"So yeah, apparently I don't want to maximize a window, I only think I do." You need to be re-programmed to accept the Macintosh way.
- jedwhite 18y ago
  Well, I think we all have to accept as a basic precept that Mac is a cult, and once you do that then this all makes sense :)
meese_ 18y ago
You may like Mega Zoomer http://ianhenderson.org/megazoomer.html http://ianhenderson.org/megazoomer.html Personally though I agree with most of the comments you quoted. I've only found fullscreen mode useful for cutting out distractions in apps like Terminal.

njharman 18y ago

Lots of keyboard/keystroke mapping differences. Home/End do what they're suppose to instead of what everyother computer platform I've ever used does. Page up / Page down, seriously WTF! Why would anyone ever want them to work that way. Various other oddities like ctrl arrow Half the typical ctrl bindings are Apple key which is in the alt-key position. Window manager issues: No consistent focus follows mouse. No raise on hover No way to get select to copy -> middle button to paste(well you can get middle button to paste but then that is only thing in all apps your middle button will ever do. I'm getting use to the multiple desktop ("spaces") but it still lacks features I've come to expect under Linux. Can't for the life of me figure out how to get an icon that will open term and ssh into a particular box.

meese_ 18y ago
"Lots of keyboard/keystroke mapping differences. Home/End do what they're suppose to instead of what everyother computer platform I've ever used does. Page up / Page down, seriously WTF! Why would anyone ever want them to work that way. Various other oddities like ctrl arrow" You can customize this if you like. See: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=448218 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=448218 "Half the typical ctrl bindings are Apple key which is in the alt-key position." You get used to it eventually. I've come to like this more than what having only the control key for most mappings because it allows for more consistent shortcuts (e.g.:, ⌘ is normally used for App/OS shortcuts, while Ctrl is used for Emacs/text-editing shortcuts in all apps) "No consistent focus follows mouse. No raise on hover" You can use this command to enable it for Terminal: defaults write com.apple.Terminal FocusFollowsMouse -string YES For other apps, I found this with a quick Google search http://atomicbird.com/mondomouse http://atomicbird.com/mondomouse (haven't tried it myself so I can't say how good it is). "Can't for the life of me figure out how to get an icon that will open term and ssh into a particular box." Try this: vim logmein i#!/bin/bash ssh my-box <esc>ZZ chmod a+x logmein Speaking of that, here's a nice app for automatically inputting passphrases for ssh: http://www.sshkeychain.org/ http://www.sshkeychain.org/
- windsurfer 18y ago
  Wow, what? Automatic pass-phrase inputting? Isn't that just ssh-copy-id? Why not use something that's already there?