Mini-review of switching to MAC
As some of you know I make a living administering mostly Linux servers. I have run Linux exclusively on laptop both at work and at home(I don’t play games on the computer…using a PS3 for that).
Recently I decided to get myself a new computer for home/private use (with a better screen and memory than my work laptop, for my experiments - virtuel machines etc.)
I got “the big standard” macbook pro 15″ with 512mb graphics-memory etc. (and under 14 days after the new model arrived…DAMN!)
I like the hardware very much and the very good screen, so the hardware I really nothing to be said about that despite I got a non-working model the first time( Screen flickering sometimes..actually it turned off and on sometimes when reading ex. webpages, and wasn’t that well builded) - So much for Q&A at Apple manufacturing.
There are some details where OSX is completely fails my expectations:
I had to configure OSX to use my network printer which is running on a linux box running cups(the same thing apple uses - i think they actually bought the company behind cups as far as I remember)
That was not that easy - and this is something that actually works in nearly all the common new linux’s.
The error I got when adding the printer was that I was not member of the _lpadmin group(funny that all group names start with _ btw.). So my newly created user(created via the first-time-startup wizard thing) wasn’t allowed to add printers despite I could do all other administrative tasks on the computer…hmmm, so I had to add myself to that group, with some funky apple command - I later discivered I could just have used adduser like on linux)
Another annoyance to me (and is just generally inconsistent) is that when doing “cmd-tab” it shows alle opened applications, but when selecting a minimized application it doesn’t raise the window(one of the windows). So you have to udse the trackpad to push on the icon on the dock anyway. That is TOO STUPID. If apples reasoning is that minimized applications shouldn’t raise. The only thing it does is switch to right menu in the menubar at the top…I would then prefer the application wasn’t at all visible in “cmd-tab bar”, but I know that it is an Apple design decision, because they use the “window per document” instead of a “window per application” as ex. windows does, but actually Windows has evolved and doesn’t use on of these strictly today…I hate I have to use the mouse when switching between windows. Apple could make a modifier key to the “cmd-tab” to show all open “document windows also”.
Another thing is that I actually find the font rendering disappointing - especially thinking about where apple come from and its use. They actually nearly had a monopoly on “Desktop publishing” with Quark/Pagemaker. I think the fonts are “smearing”..especially if you have a curved character den it is often smearing in the curve - I don’t like that. I find that strange as Mac OSX is often touted as having the best font rendering between different os’es.
ANother thing OSX doesn’t use very much is “window previews” only in exposé is this used. On my “work laptop” I use Linux and I have preview of windows in the window switcher/app. switcher. Maybe they actually should try to make a window switcher instead of the “cmd-tab” appswitcher, and then make it do previews. I have had that for some years now on linux and windows, and on my linux it works just fine on a quite low end graphics(read on board intel graphics)
For me OSX feels just NOT very modern. I miss features I have had for years. And I can’t theme how OSX looks, and I actually think the OSX look is growing old - in my opinion
That said all is actually working quite good, but right now I don’t seem to have as much fun using my computer, and I also don’t use my computer as much as I did on my linux computer(always some new and smart app. technology to try out). I guess I just don’t have the right mindset to use OSX
And because I don’t have an ipod/iphone I must not synchronize my contacts with google. What the hell is that! I would call it evil apple, and I actually think you are acting much more monopolistic than our not to good friends at M$
The conclusion must be
I love the hardware and how it is designed. It is the most nicely designed computer. I love the speediness switching between windows. I don’t like that there is now windows previews when cmd-tabbing. I don’t think it just works. Font rendering could be better. I don’t see apple innovating in OSX anymore, and then they innovates it is how to lock their customers to their platforms…looking people in to the osx/itunes/iphone/ipod products
UPDATED:
I actually have some more annoyances I forgot. There is no build-in cd-burner software. I have found burn which seems to do the job just fine(Yes. Opensource rules! maybe I should better going back to use an opensource platform)
Many javascripts fails to work properly work in safari(both 3 and the new 4), fails much more than ex. Firefox, but I will wait for firefox 3.5 to be finished before switching. Then I will use Mozilla weave(using it against my own server) to sync my firefox on my work linux to/from my home mac, and then I am in sync heaven :-)