A while back, I posted the first article on my thoughts about switching to the Apple way of doing things.

A couple of people have asked me to go into more details, but in fairness, I would simply repeat what I said then - it’s as true now as then. To recap:

The anti-PC feelings:

• I was tired of endless problems with PCs;
• I could never rely on any PC - they’d crash at the most awkward moments without warning;
• Despite promises, nothing ever really worked as well as it should have - drivers were always hit or miss, and there were no guarantees that any two bits of PC hardware or software would work for me.

The pro-Mac feelings:

• Though I’d seen many people go from PC-to-Mac, it was very rare to see anyone go Mac-to-PC (without a great deal of pressure, at least);
• Apple computers bring back the fun;
• The hardware - it’s just the best;
• OSX is the best operating system available - the best of windowing and unix combined.

The crazy thing for me was that unlike the hardcore gaming fans, there was absolutely no reason for me to stick with clunky PCs whose instability could rear up and bite me at any point.

Once I started looking into the world of the Apple system (and I urge EVERY PC user reading this to check this link out, I found considerable evidence to suggest that I would both enjoy my computer time far more if I had an Apple system, and that I’d be more productive. Part of the reason for this follow-up article is to see whether that is still the case, after six months and more of Apple time.

Without waxing lyrical too long, the short answer is that I now feel I am ready to ditch PCs almost entirely. I regret the fact that, as this community is largely written in a PC-only scripting language called ASP, I will have to keep a PC in the wings for testing and development. However, that may well be a short term thing as I start to look into the viability of migrating the tens of thousands of lines of hand-crafted ASP code into something platform independent, such as PHP (which, incidentally, is the language in which this log’s software is constructed).

Let’s knock a few myths on the head first, however:

Myth (1): Apple is more expensive than a PC.
Used to be true, but try putting together a 6.5″ square micro PC with a decent operating system and applications for £340. You just won’t do it. There’s no financial reason not to go Mac;

Myth (2): They only use single button mice.
It’s fair to say that the Mac was originally designed with a single button mouse in mind, but the system has moved on significantly since the heady days of 1984. A modern Mac will use any USB PC compatible mouse (wired/bluetooth/wireless) and make use of as many buttons as there are on the mouse. The mouse I’m using is a Logitech MX-510 and it has eight buttons in total, all of which work perfectly in OSX 10.3.7.

Myth (3): Macs are slow and considerably less powerful than modern PCs.
Again, nonsense. The G5 processors in the PowerMac and iMac lines are more efficient per clock cycle than x86 based systems, and fully 64-bit. They’re also equipped with much faster hardware buses and, in conjunction with the superb OSX operating system, the overall effect is a computer that feels fast, responsive and never hangs - unlike any PC running Microsoft Windows.

Myth (4): You can’t get games on a Mac.
Of course you can. Just the good ones. Think of it in these terms: if a game is any good, it’ll generally be available on the Mac. If it isn’t any good, it probably won’t be ported but who cares anyway?

Myth (5): Macs don’t work well with PCs.
Couldn’t be further from the truth. My PowerBook is happily networked to my Athlon XP based desktop PC, and they all share the same peripherals - printer, ethernet switch, ADSL router - and in any case, I can operate my PC remotely using Remote Desktop. Very handy, and works very well…

There are many more myths to explode about the Apple Mac. It’s by far and away the better choice for most people: an operating system which isn’t prone to bugs, security leaks, viruses, worms and spyware. It’s secure out of the box, and it’s far more stable, robust and intrinsically reliable than Windows. The windowing system is far more advanced, prettier and has been designed with effective workflow in mind. If a facility exists in OSX, you can be assured it’s there for a good reason. And that it will work well. Windows XP simply does not measure up to OSX, and with the new 64 bit Tiger OSX coming soon, with the most fully featured search facilities on any operating system, I think that anyone looking for a computer to use, rather than fiddle with, would be mad not to check out the new Mac Mini.

I’m possibly biased - but then I have been a die-hard PC user for many years, and my bias is borne of years of painfully frustrating issues of incompatibility, unreliability and insecurity with Windows. Apple OSX on a PowerBook is a breath of fresh air - it’s like moving from an unreliable, quirky old banger to a modern, super sleek sports coupé. No more breakdowns, oil leaks and nasty surprises. Just the open road, and man at one with machine.

Here’s the goal for me, in case anyone wishes to donate to a good cause:

Yum. Dual 2.5GHz G5s in a sexy case with a super-high resolution 30″ LCD. This is my altar of geek worship, my dream… sad puppy, huh?

John

PS. Quite serious about this: if anyone wishes to be extremely kind to poor, hard-working me, I’d be delighted if you could purchase said system as a business expense and send it to me. I will forever be in your debt