I really don’t want to fight anymore. I’m tired of it. Even more than that, I’m tired of reading insipid commentary who lack perspective, and experience, and are “armchair quarterbacking”. I don’t know everything. I admit that.
The reason I’m off on this hype, is due to an article I just read. I came across a Twitter post by Duncan Riley, posting a link to Preston Galla’s “Five reasons Vista beats OS X”. I thought: “Wow!” Maybe he knows something I don’t. I was sadly disappointed, however. These aren’t reasons, they don’t even come close. Yet it’s being spread as “fact.” I would love it if someone would give me five valid reasons that Vista is good. Here are his reasons (and my responses):
Vista runs more software. You have to be kidding me? Vista may run more software, but try uninstalling it. How many protection programs do you need, as well? Is the software more stable than that of a Mac? Even if Vista has more software, you’d never be able to run or store it ALL, anyway. How is “more” even relevant?
Vista is safer. WHAT? How many viruses, trojans, and rootkits are floating around for Windows? A bamboo plant is safer than Vista *AND* Mac OS X combined. What’s “safer” supposed to mean?
It’s the money, stupid. Uh. If you build a comparable Windows machine… with hardware that nearly the SAME… you’re going to probably spend the same amount of money.
The Mac is closed; Vista is open. If you would have said “Linux is open,” I’d have given you a point. Apple controls the software and the hardware - the entire experience. That actually works well in the consumer space, and I like it. I like it when things just WORK together.
Two words - Steve Jobs. Let’s go back to the first video I recorded about the iPhone (a while ago). I understand this point - I truly do. But buying a Mac has nothing to do with helping Steve Jobs, or even Apple themselves. It comes down to the fact that, once again… the entire experience is seamless for users.
Can anyone out there PLEASE give me five valid reasons why Windows Vista is better than Mac OS X?
My rants on Windows Vista have been legendary. The only reason I’ve been so vocal about it, is because I care. If I didn’t, I’d just leave it be. As someone who felt he was slighted by Windows Vista, I couldn’t stay quiet. Microsoft has lost the community. I am trying to help, in whatever way I can. For me to come out and state what I believe to be the truth caused me to be pushed away by other Windows enthusiasts. I took my lumps for well over a year, until I stated that the community as a whole should stand up and tell Microsoft what they can do to get it right.
The other day, an article was posted on Todd Bishop’s blog. I don’t agree with the class action lawsuit that has been filed, at all. However, Microsoft needs to listen. They need to take action.
A federal judge today unsealed internal Microsoft e-mails that have been used to support the plaintiffs’ case in the lawsuit over the “Windows Vista Capable” program. Snippets were previously read aloud in court, but the full messages go further to reveal extensive hand-wringing, at the highest levels of the company, over Windows Vista’s hardware and software compatibility problems after the operating system was launched.
For example, one February 2007 exchange started with an e-mail to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer from board member Jon Shirley, who explained that he upgraded one of his computers to Windows Vista only to find it was experiencing compatibility problems with two of Microsoft’s own MSN applications. Shirley wasn’t upgrading his other computer because of a lack of hardware drivers. As many early Windows Vista users know, Shirley wasn’t the only one experiencing those kinds of problems, especially in the initial months after release.
In addition to some of the previously reported excerpts — including executive Mike Nash’s complaint that compatibility problems turned his $2,100 PC into nothing more than an “email machine” — that thread led to a revealing message from Steven Sinofsky, then the newly installed Windows chief. In the message, Sinofsky offered his take on what went wrong with Windows Vista’s launch, and how the company should change its approach in the future.
This is particularly notable given Sinofsky’s public silence during the past year. It will no doubt be closely examined by people looking for clues about Microsoft’s strategy with Windows 7, the code name for Windows Vista’s successor. Read on for the full text of Sinofsky’s message.
You know, I gave as much feedback as I could. It boiled down to being a member of the community who felt that Windows Vista Ultimate was anything BUT “Ultimate”. I sincerely hope that Microsoft’s culture understands that we’ve got choices now. Whether the choice is to stay with Windows XP or switching to another Operating System entirely remains to be seen. I know there’s a new version of Windows on the horizon. Hopefully they’ll listen at this point.
I’m not asking much of Microsoft. I want them to listen to their Community. They need to value implementation over features, instead of the other way around. Listen to your users. Listen to the Community. Don’t show us something and say “Wow! Look what we did!”. Try asking us before you do it. Open your ears and minds, and find out what your Community really wants and needs. I’m not talking about the Corporate world. I’m talking about your average Home users. These people will help you build a better product if you let them. I truly hope you let them.
Listening to your Community is the only thing that will save you and your future at this point. Take heed.
I received an interesting email the other day, from a subscriber who goes to University in Australia. I’m going to copy his email here for you all, and then do my best to answer his very though-provoking questions.
Hi Chris, I am one of your YouTube subscribers (B0BGE0RGE). I’ve been watching your switch from PC to Mac as your main computer. I recently made the switch from PC to Mac myself. But this email is not about individuals switching to Mac. It’s about educational institutions switching to Mac.
Currently, I’m studying IT at Uni in Queensland, Australia. Although when I look around the classroom I see half the students typing up notes on their MacBooks, everything we learn has to do specifically with Windows based machines (aka PCs). It’s been this way for the last 10-15 years at least, as far as I can remember. I learnt the Windows way of doing things all the way through primary school (elementary school in the states) and high school. I had just always accepted that that’s the way it is in schools. They teach Windows because that’s what everyone has in their homes. But nowadays this is not really the case. More people still use Windows machines than Macs. But if I can look around the classroom and see at least a dozen MacBooks, then that tells me it’s probably time to start incorporating Macs into IT education. The students are using them, and the teachers are using them. I found it amusing the other day in class that our teacher hooked his Mac up to the projector screen and used parallels to show us how to do something on Windows XP. More and more people are usingMacs. Isn’t it time for schools to make the switch too?
I’d like to hear your thoughts on this. Should schools start incorporating Macs into IT education? Do you think that with more and more people switching to Mac they are going to have to teach both the Windows way and the Mac way of doing things? Or has Microsoft got such a tight grip on many educational facilities that schools will never anything but Windows at least while Microsoft is still around? Share your thoughts.
To me, it’s not about “Mac vs PC”. It’s about teaching people how to do things a different way. People need to be helped to understand the many different ways things can be done. I would not only teach OS X and WIndows… I would introduce Linux, as well. I know schools cannot afford to update their entire infrastructure. So, why not get students involved in the curriculum, using their Mac. Students teaching and learning from each other actually tends to work better at times, than having an Instructor do it. This is the beauty of the Internet… anyone has the ability to be a teacher.
It’s very important to not be biased one way or another. As Bob mentioned in his email, it’s not just a Microsoft world. Heck, it’s not just a Mac world, either. Things have evolved. We are in the middle of history being made, as far as choices. If you aren’t presented with the opportunity to learn, how then can you be a part of it?
I have 4 Xbox 360s, for the simple reason that I can share media throughout the house, or be able to play games wherever I am. I was lucky to win these a few years ago. I received an email from someone saying that they are considering selling their Xbox 360 to buy a PS3. What?!
The email was very thought-provoking. The writer states that he is thinking of switching because Blu-Ray is the winner in the format war. He has a feeling that a larger effort will go into raising PS3s power in the console world. Also, of course, we have the Virtual World coming this Spring. PlayStation Home is a virtual community of PS3 owners living together in both public and private environments. Users will be able to login, chat with both text and speech and play casual games together such as pool, bowling and even embedded arcade machines. And when the old stand-bys grow stale, users can invite one another into other PlayStation Network titles outside of PlayStation Home. Every user will have their own virtual apartment to decorate with furniture, their trophies from various games and content from their own PS3s.
The writer ends the email by asking me which console has the brighter future.
If you already have a handful of Xbox 360 games, why would you sell the console because another player already has a Blu-Ray drive? What’s going to stop Microsoft from developing a Blu-Ray USB drive? Nothing… that’s what. Just because there will be no new content on HD-DVD… doesn’t mean it’s completely dead and unusable. My prediction is that Microsoft will indeed come out with a Blu-Ray USB drive very soon, to bring the Xbox up to speed with the PS3 in that regard. Don’t sell your console just because of this. This has literally only come down the past few weeks. Give Microsoft a chance to develop something for the Xbox.
If you LIKE the PS3, and its options, better than the Xbox… then good on you. Buy the PS3 console. But why would you go to all that trouble just for new physical media? Trust me when I say Microsoft and other companies WILL catch up to the Blu-Ray craze. Don’t count them out yet.
One of the callers to the 888-PIRILLO line has just received a new htc Touch. He did have an iPhone… and prefers the Touch. I, of course, disagree with him. Let’s compare!
I’ll give you this… on features, the htc Touch rocks. It really does. Beyond that, you’re still dealing with Windows Mobile. I fell out of love with Windows Mobile after using the iPhone. So I had to ask.. why does the caller feel that the htc Touch is so much better? He replied that he can add a lot of programs to it, such as Skype and other VoiP clients. He can SSH into his server. If all you’re about is features… you’re right. The htc Touch is better. Windows Mobile is better as far as features go.
However, the iPhone SDK is coming. They will eventually be able to do everything that a Windows Mobile device can do. The SDK will also enable Flash… can Windows Mobile do that? The callers wants his features now, not when Apple has the SDK ready. That’s fine, and I can understand that. For me, it goes beyond the features, and into the implementation.
I love my Xbox 360s, I think Popfly rocks (Silverlight will bring much needed competition to Flash). Plus, I can’t live without Exchange and its server-side rules. I love my Microsoft mouse more than any other mouse in the world. Surface looks totally awesome, too.
Microsoft does some amazing things - very amazing things. My choice, however, for a primary desktop operating system is no longer Windows - it’s Mac OS X. Duh. It’s rather difficult to admit that officially, if only because… well, I think Microsoft does amazing things. They’ve also been quite supportive of my own efforts over the years, if only because they understand the value of one user.
I’m still openly willing to give feedback to Microsoft’s product teams - Windows included.
If you’re also looking to Switch, let me tell you that VMware Fusion signed on as a Video Show sponsor - and would be more than happy to help you with the transition. Realizing that many of you are hooked on Parallels, I’m guessing that VMware would do just about anything to win your attention. I also have great sponsors like Plasq.com (who make Skitch.com and ComicLife.com) and Shinywhitebox.com, who makes iShowU, Stomp, and Chatter. These are independent Mac OS X software developers with widely-accepted products. While I don’t need to justify my actions to anybody, I feel I have 50 strong reasons to finally make the move. This is after posting a list of my favorite Mac apps a few months ago, and inspiring Brian to create Appster (so that you could blog your favorite Mac apps with ease, too).
Anybody in my chat room who watches the live video feed with any regularity knows that I’m a platform neutral geek. Keep that in mind as you read the following list:
Seems that the future of Windows development is happening largely for corporate environments and customers. I don’t take issue with this other than being someone who doesn’t live or work inside a corporate environment at home.
Excellent power management in OS X. When I close the lid to my MacBook Pro, it falls asleep. When I open the lid to my MacBook Pro, it wakes up. Imagine that! Seems to be the case 99% of the time, and it happens quickly.
I’m ready to experience different frustrations. OS X isn’t perfect, certainly - but I already see its noticeably more stable than Windows Vista has been. Kernel Panics at least look prettier than BSODs. :) Seriously, I just find OS X’s update schedule to be more to my liking - instead of waiting for gigantic service packs, I get minor point releases along the way to major revisions to the OS. Bugs are going to happen, but knowing that showstopping / security bugs are likely to be squished quicker gives me amazing peace of mind.
There’s more interesting, useful, beautiful, and affordable software being developed for OS X. If you still believe that there’s no software for “the Mac,” you’re simply a fool who hasn’t done his or her research.
VMware Fusion makes it possible to have every operating system at my fingertips (as well as every app that runs on ‘em, FTW). Performance and stability is a reality, not a dream. More importantly, with USB 2.0 support in VMware Fusion, I have near complete compatibility with any external hardware. Parallels is also there, which should keep competition lively.
I believe that the future of Windows (or any OS software layer) will be experienced in a virtual machine of some sort. People have been dual booting for years - now I can triple-task cross-platform in seconds flat.
Not to say that Microsoft or Linux haven’t made great strides in recent years, but… at least Leopard feels like only one team was developing the UI. It’s not quite perfect, but closer to what perfect should be. I’m not a huge fan of iTunes or every other Apple utility - but at least with Leopard, they’re trying to make them look and work the same way.
I love the fact that most programs and their associated libraries are self-contained (apps). There’s no stress in installing / uninstalling most programs, and for true cleanup jobs there’s always AppZapper.
I’m not a huge fan of the Dock for task management, but Quicksilver has virtually no Windows equivalent (in terms of elegance and scriptability, although it’s still completely overwhelming to me right now). The dock isn’t a shining example of where OS X is “better,” but I do appreciate the context menu options for each of the Dock’s icons for “Open at Login” management.
Spotlight is to Windows Desktop Search as a BMW Z4 is to a Ford Pinto (in terms of performance, usability, and UI). No contest. I’m sure some would argue the opposite, but… they’re also probably the extreme developer “but it works if you just learn how to use it right” types. Feh.
The Apple community has been infiltrated by enough people who aren’t smug. You’re not better than me just because you run another OS or support another vendor, nor are you any less of a geek. Not every Windows user is a neanderthal, although some of their dated arguments would make them out to be. I think that most consumers are caught up in the idea that you NEED Windows for everything at home. You don’t.
My iPhone is not going away anytime soon. Would I switch for better compatibility with a communications device? Not necessarily, but if the future of OS X is in the present of the iPhone… they’re going to gain consumer market share at blinding speed. Remember, I wanted to hate this device - after years of being a dyed-in-the-wool Windows Mobile advocate.
The spyware / malware / virus threat is diminished by an extreme degree. Not to say that one should avoid running protective layers of software or hardware, but… I’m just not as nervous when I try a new app on OS X.
Many of my friends are considering making the switch as well. This dovetails nicely with my first point. I can tell you that just by showing off the fun features of CamTwist and Colloquy with my live stream, a few of those community members have already purchased MacBooks - or are strongly considering doing so in the not-too-distant future. Interestingly enough, those are two FREE apps that work amazingly better than most overpriced Windows shareware titles.
Microsoft Windows completely abandoned its power users, period. Where are the Windows Vista “Ultimate” add-ons? Where are the new Power Toys? Why doesn’t Windows Media Player have podcast support yet (despite me telling them to integrate RSS back when WMP9 was in beta, years before podcasting was a buzzword)? I’m not saying that Windows is dead - not by any stretch of the imagination.
Boot Camp, if all else fails.
A single SKU of Leopard is both 32-bit and 64-bit compatible. This, alone, is a fantastic reason to embrace the platform. It’s seamless. Why should a consumer have to come to a decision on which code to run - or understand the differences between them in the first place? Remember, I’m to be considered a “home” user.
Time Machine. Wow. Can it really be this simple? “Simply select your AirPort Disk as the backup disk for each computer and the whole family can enjoy the benefits of Time Machine.” Do you understand what that means? And no, Windows Volume Shadow Copy is not the SAME thing.
Leopard’s Finder will allegedly search networked computers seamlessly, as well as allow you to access those results remotely (through a paid .Mac account, which would totally be worth purchasing at that point).
Java app performance is decent on OS X, and the same code looks infinitely better when it’s not running on Windows. In fact, most third-party apps are very well designed so as to integrate seamlessly with the entire OS. That’s beyond refreshing.
Adium is there - an Instant Messaging client that allows you to use AIM, Yahoo, Google Talk, and other accounts through a single client. It’d be my replacement for Miranda IM. Skype also works on the Mac. I expect to see even more universal IM apps reveal themselves over the coming months.
Bonjour is proving to be quite useful on my home network. Computers with Bonjour-enabled services are automatically discovered with virtually no fuss - even my networked Windows machines have been playing along.
Joining wireless networks in OS X is easier and more refined, easily accessible. The tools for networking don’t seem overly complex, either.
Setting up services such as Windows File Sharing, FTP, and even Web sharing can be done on OS X with just a few clicks. If you’re telling me that I could set up FTP just as easily in Windows, then… it obviously can’t be done as easily.
Almost all of the audio and video formats out there can be played on the Mac with Video LAN Player (VLC). One less barrier to entry.
Great Web browsers that work in Windows also work on the Mac (Firefox, Opera, SeaMonkey, Flock). The only exception here is Internet Explorer, or any third-party overlay to IE (such as Maxthon, which has been taking a slight turn for the worse with 2.0). Of course, there’s always the “invisible” virtual machine possibility (read: VMware Fusion’s Unity mode). Moreover, Safari / WebKit is gaining speed on all platforms.
Erasing deleted files placed in your trash (also known as a Recycle Bin in Windows) can be securely erased in OS X. No need to mess with third-party software.
You can still right-click in OS X - and the way Apple decided to implement it is far more convenient than you’d think. In fact, I find double-tapping the mouse pad far more intuitive than using a second mouse button. Didn’t take long to get used to it at all.
Wanna set up a VNC server on your Mac? No problem, its already apart of the operating system! Moreover, the feature isn’t buried three levels deep. It’s sitting right there in the Finder. Moreover, unlike Windows Remote Desktop, a Screen Sharing session doesn’t lock the remote user out of his / her session - one reason I’ve always loathed RDC.
Microsoft doesn’t have an iLife. Not even close. It has a set of multimedia applications, but they don’t seem to be cohesive in the slightest. Maybe things will get better as Live continues to evolve?
You really don’t get to play the blame game with Apple. They make the hardware AND the operating system, so… they really know what’s going on, and they really know if the problem is widespread.
A Mac costs about the same as a comparable Windows PC - for hardware and (for argument’s sake for those who don’t believe me) bundled software. And for those who still claim that Macs are still more expensive, they obviously have never seen or priced a gaming rig. Price / cost is relative. If you want a cheap machine, that’s your prerogative. The resell value on Macs has always been higher than that of an equivalent “Windows” machine.
You can record audio and video conversations from iChat 4.0 (natively). That’s pretty amazing, as it takes the idea of “video chat” and puts it into a time-shifted space. This isn’t just useful for those of us who conduct guest interviews regularly, but for home users who want to save calls for posterity.
Dashcode appears to take the geekery out of widget-building. Moreover, the new “Web Clippings” widget appears to work better than anything I’ve seen come from Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, et al. This is putting the user first…
With a .Mac subscription, you can save common local settings as global ones. You only have to configure your Dock or System Preferences on one machine to have those same changes appear on all machines connected to your .Mac account. Unbelievable.
Unlike Windows font management, you can activate fonts as you need them within Leopard. This translates to less wasted overhead by fonts that remain largely unused in memory. I can only imagine this results in far less resource-intensive sessions. Genius.
Automator now supports UI Recording and Playback, which means you can create “macros” without understanding a lick of logic. The last time I saw a native macro recorder in Windows was… v3.0? You don’t have to be a geek to gain access to geeky-cool features.
Can’t tell you how much I love Spring Loaded folders. Love ‘em.
Wikipedia information, while not always accurate, certainly stands to be updated a lot more frequently than documentation that ships with (or from) the operating system designer. That Apple has taken the step to integrate access directly from within the Dictionary tool…? It’s just kinda nice to have there. They’re placing trust in the idea of community rather than trying to hide it from us.
Mail comes with “Data Detectors” which will highlight phone numbers, addresses, etc. You can then choose to do something with that information, like map it or store it as an appointment, contact, etc. This is a feature I had not seen outside of a pricey plugin for Microsoft Outlook. I may not use Mail.app, but at least they’re continuing to improve its functionality - ugly capsule toolbar icons notwithstanding.
The Preview tool ain’t no joke - with annotations, basic image editing, Core Animation zooming and scrolling, GPS Metadata support, batch operations, etc. It’s all at your fingertips.
Expose works. ‘Nuff said. The only thing that surpasses OS X’s open window management is Compiz Fusion. None of this Flip3D nonsense.
Help. No, seriously - Help is the way Help should have always been all along. I related my “Help” experience a few weeks ago, with the system not just finding what I was looking for help on, but taking me directly to the spot where I needed to be. I’m pretty sure the Help system isn’t 100% accurate, but it hasn’t disappointed me yet.
Guest accounts are purged after every session in Leopard. Wow. Guest privileges, on the other hand, seem to be lacking somewhat on the security front (but most of my Guests are computer clueless).
I love the Universal Access zoom feature - and have used it so many times for countless reasons. Really comes in handy when you’re trying to show something to someone from across the room. Never found anything close to its simplicity anywhere else.
Call me crazy, but I love the fact that in OS X, the keyboard shortcut for opening Preferences is always the same (Command + Comma). Convenient. Dependable. Quick.
Device compatibility doesn’t seem to be as much of an issue as it used to be with the Mac. While I couldn’t get my brand new HP LaserJet to work inside of Vista, it works flawlessly inside of OS X 10.4 (despite having to use HP’s scanning software). Still, with any USB hardware hiccups in Leopard, compatibility issues are erased with VMware Fusion until newer software is unleashed.
Thanks to another one of our sponsors, GoToMeeting, I’ve had the opportunity to see quite a few of my friends’ desktops. Quite a few have gone to great lengths to make their installation of Windows look and feel like Mac OS X. At that point, what’s the point of sticking with Windows? Just about the only thing Mac users might want from Windows is the Explorer (FTFF) - and even then, there’s ‘Path Finder.’
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Windows users need Apple’s software more than Mac users need Microsoft’s. That’s just a cold, hard fact. And given my severe disappointment with just about everything in Mac Office 2008, I’m even further driven away from Microsoft’s desktop software.
Please don’t take this post as an all-out lovefest for Apple (and it’s definitely not a hatefest for Microsoft, either). The two can co-exist peacefully if you let them, and if your routine supports it. I wasn’t ready to switch before now for a lot of reasons. This has been a long time coming.
I think it’s lousy that Apple charges for QuickTime Pro and Remote Desktop, I believe iTunes and iPhoto are inelegant management tools (Picasa for OS X would rule). At least Aperture 2.0 looks promising for me. And, for whatever it’s worth, I’ve yet to hear from anybody at Apple in respect to marketing, sponsorship, endorsement, support - or otherwise. I’d imagine they’d be interested in knowing my background, and why this leap is relatively monumental for me - and a sign of things to come for the greater part of our community.
So, let’s say that the next version of Windows is amazing - for argument’s sake. Would I switch back to the “PC” for my primary computing needs? Doubtful, because I’m guessing that virtual machine support will continue to improve in leaps and bounds (with greater hardware support to boot). Microsoft Windows isn’t in trouble, necessarily - but I do believe that it’s better (read: somewhat safer, more affordable) to run Windows in a virtual machine with USB 2.0 hardware support than it is to run it directly on the desktop.
If you’re a gamer, all bets are off - you’re a different kind of user. Gamers are likely the reason Windows is still alive and well at home today. If the gaming industry shifted gears and started to develop OpenGL-based entertainment titles for Linux, you’d see Ubuntu adoption skyrocket. I’m a console player - still in love with my 360, as noted before. I’m a casual gamer, and I can casual game anywhere.
I’ll still have traditional PC hardware around the house - especially since Ponzi may or may not be making this switch with me. We’re still living inside of Outlook, with no other usable PIM in reach (on any platform). I’ve been showing her a few cool things that you can only do with “the Mac,” and she’s certainly seen me try Outlook 2007 in VMware Fusion. I’m also looking forward to tinkering with new systems as they’re released from a variety of OEMs. I couldn’t abandon my beloved HP All-in-One LaserJet!
Point is: I’m not going ‘all’ Apple.
In time, this will all become easier to manage - but there’s no time like the present to shelve the last ten years of Windows enthusiasm and… switch. I’m fine with being a Microsoft enthusiast in other areas, mind you - very much so. They’re doing too many good things for me to ignore, and their community involvement puts Apple to shame. My choice for an operating system is just that - my choice for an OS.
And before anybody jumps in and claims that you can achieve the same level of “happiness” after installing 50+ third-party add-ons, plugins, extensions, and utilities to Windows… you simply don’t get it, and you probably never will. I can’t be alone, and I’m predicting that by the end of next year, even more people will choose (and use) Mac OS X over Windows Vista. I can’t open up the phone lines anymore without being inundated with calls that suggest such a tipping point. Everybody is curious…
…and curiosity is what keeps me going.
As a power user, Mac OS X has far more to offer me in terms of tweak-ability and modularity. I learned that by trying it, not by guessing that it wasn’t possible.
I heart MacOSXHints.com. I heart TUAW.com. I heart DaringFireball.net. I heart TidBits.com. I heart so many Mac software developers (like Steve Green and Wil Shipley and Randy Green and Brian Skrab and others). I heart watching for news of some new application, though I’m not quite on any review lists yet - it seems like a simpler nut to crack than it was in the world of Windows shareware.
It’s fun again.
To end this with a bit of humor, my live stream chatters (largely Windows and PC enthusiasts) gave me other title suggestions for this post:
C:\DIE.EXE
50 Reasons Why I Left Bill for Steve
Losing My OS Religion
Windows Broke My Heart
Obama Says It’s Time to Change to the Mac
/Volume/chris/switched
How to Switch to a Mac
The Wow Stops Now
Got Mac?
Once You Go Mac, You Never Go Back?
And now, I’d like to challenge any Windows enthusiast to publish 50 Reasons to switch from Mac OS X to Microsoft Windows. ;)
This video was recorded on the night of the big announcement that Microsoft had made an offer to buy Yahoo. I opened the phone lines, and one of the first questions that came in was “Will it really happen?” That’s a darn good question…
I personally think Yahoo would be crazy to pass up the offer from Microsoft. Yahoo is losing ground, and can only gain by getting stronger. They need to work with someone who can put power and money behind them. Yahoo is already planning to lay off at least 10% of its workers in the near future.
Of course, Google is still going to be a powerhouse. At the same time, by buying Yahoo, Microsoft could provide some much needed competition. Yahoo has an excellent foundation. Having the money and name from Microsoft behind them, they can really go much further. In my opinion, Microsoft will likely be able to take a page from Yahoo, and learn from some of the excellent things that Yahoo has done in the past.
It may be simple to begin using PowerPoint… but it’s not so easy to make professional looking presentations. These tips were sent in by a community member, and will help you in your endeavor to create a great presentation.
Be sure to make your presentation appropriate for the audience in which you are going to present it to! That means, don’t put funny sounds or transitions on presentations that are going to be made to a group of executives, for purposes of professionalism. Of course, if you are going to make a presentation to a slightly less critical crowd, (like a classroom, or a presentation for some co-workers of yours) then such add-ons are more appropriate. Failing to tailor your presentation to the audience can cost you big time, as depending on who you are presenting it to, different reactions may take place. Sometimes, such reactions can put you and/or your reputation into jeopardy.
Be sure to make your presentations easy to read! Presentations are virtually useless if the audience cannot read what it says. Be sure to not make the text too big or too small. I recommend between 48pt. and 36pt. fonts for titles, and between 24pt. and 18pt. for text. If the text is too big, it may not all fit on one slide, and if the text is too small, then people will not be able to read it. Also, use clear fonts. I like fonts such as Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Gill Sans MT, Calibri, Segoe UI, Lucida Grande, and Lucida Sans for presentation, as they are modern, smooth, and of course, easy to read. Of course, if you cannot avoid a less than perfect reading situation, I recommend passing out an outline of your presentation to the audience. An outline is a copy of all of the text included in your presentation, that can be passed out to the audience in order for them to be able to read the text, and so they don’t have to take notes, which relieves the stress level.
Make your presentations professional-looking! No matter your audience, nothing looks better than a good looking presentation. That means no more Windows 95 white! We are in the 21st century, and so your presentations can look way better now. A great way to have a professional looking presentation is to add graphics! That means insert some picture files and add cool effects to them, add 3D charts and graphs, use WordArt and 3D Art (SmartArt in Office 2007 and Office 2008 for Mac), etc. And if you have trouble with this, use themes! Most presentation maker software (PowerPoint, Keynote, etc.) have built-in themes that make everything look great with just one click. It is a quick and easy way to take a basic looking presentation look better. And ditch Times New Roman, as it is (in my opinion) the worst font on Earth. It is used too many times, and it doesn’t look as good as some of the other fonts out there. See my list in tip #2 for the fonts I like. Making your presentation look good can make you look good, as it shows you put in some effort.
Don’t just have text! I am reiterating this for a reason. Nothing is more boring than a text only presentation. This isn’t 1993! There is so much more you can do now with your presentation. Add objects (pictures, video clips, sounds, graphics) that have something to do with your presentation. This gets the concept across a lot easier, and it makes your presentation interesting. Oh, and be sure to use the cool editing effects that today’s presentation software titles have. Other things like transitions (subtle, of course), make a presentation stand out. Just be sure to make them appropriate for conditions (refer to #1).
Format the text information correctly! USE BULLET POINTS! (sorry for yelling) No one wants to read a large paragraph of text in a presentation. It becomes very difficult to extract the good information when the text is formatted that way. So bullet point the important, necessary information that will be of use to the audience. Your presentation will be of more use that way.
Add your own information and experience to the presentation! Don’t just read what the presentation says. Unleash your own experience and knowledge upon the audience. Even if you made the presentation, things seem to be a lot easier when the experience is explained by the person afterward. Add more information that you couldn’t include in the presentation for whatever reason. And finally, be sure to explain the contents of the presentation thoroughly and with eye contact to the audience. This makes the message you want to convey a lot clearer. After all, you need to please the audience, and a lack of understanding from the audience towards you and your presentation is a bad sign.
Are you using Vista on your computer? If so… have you had any issues with the performance, and how your computer actually runs? These tips were sent in by a community member by the name of Elis.
When I used to be on Windows XP, I always had the problem of keeping my computer running smoothly. Now that I,’m on Windows Vista the job has become much easier. Although Vista uses more resources, somehow I think it has been brilliantly built if running under optimum specs. So here is my top 10 tips on how to keep windows vista running smoothly.
His suggestions are general guidelines…
Leave your computer on for as long as you can. I leave my computer on for months on end. Every time I restart my computer, the cache to certain folders, files etc is deleted. This means that files will open slower than normal. No harm comes from leaving your computer running, and it has been proven that there is no long term damage… apart from receiving a higher than normal electricity bill
My note: I don’t know how that was proven, but I keep my primary computer on all the time as well.
Firewall. The Windows Firewall now has the option to configure incoming and outgoing traffic, which I think is great. It comes in very handy when you need it most.
My note: I don’t fully agree with the above tip, about using Windows Firewall. Many free firewalls are much better at protecting you than the one from Windows… such as Comodo.
Antivirus. Get yourself a decent anti virus. Personally, I prefer ESETs NOD32 Anti virus which does a magnificent job. It is also light on resources unlike its competitors Norton and McAfee. Every month or so I do a virus scan, but nothing is usually found.
Defragment. Defragmentation of your hard disk is very useful, as files are spread all over the place. There is nothing wrong with the built-in Windows Defragmenter, but there is a better one which is faster and has better options. O&O Defrag 10 repacks fragmented files together and optimizes your hard drives. You should check it out. You can also save 5% off Purchase using coupon code ALEX-KCBH
Disk Cleanup. The Disk Cleanup can come in very handy usually. It’s mostly needed when things get overcrowded. I recommend you DO NOT delete the temporary internet files and thumbnails. There is also an excellent free program called ATF Cleaner. It safely cleans things like temp files, cache, java cache, and more… at the click of a button. YOU decide what you do and don’t want ATF Cleaner to clean for you.
Keep files organized. I keep all my pictures, videos, documents… everything is organized. I truly think it is very helpful to know where all your files and folders are. This way, they are also not thrown all over the place so you forget what you’re looking for.
Have only one instance of each type of software running at one time., such as Browsers or Antivirus. I know most people stick to Firefox, but personally I like IE7. No, I haven’t mistyped. Thats correct: Internet Explorer 7 is my choice. Web sites pop up in under a second. I have tried Firefox. Although it is brilliant with all the nice features and plug ins, I find them irrelevant. IE7 does a marvelous job for me.
Delete software that you do not need from “Remove Programs.” I used to have a ton of software on my computer. These were usually things I did not need or didn’t use. I know some software may be considered ‘cool’ to have so you can brag to your friends about them. But when they have no use… they are just wasting computer resources.
Startup programs. MSCONFIG does a magnificent job on helping you choose what programs should start and what shouldn’t, although it is up to you. If you haven’t heard of msconfig before then here’s how to open it! Click “Start”, then “search”. Type msconfig, and click “enter”. After it has appeared, go to the “startup” tab, and choose what irrelevant programs you want to cancel from starting. Keep in mind that you cannot disable things like display drivers, and any other necessary system files/programs.
Running Programs. Always check what programs/processes you have running on your computer through the task manager. It usually helps because some programs will stop responding in the background if you have one that is taking up a huge amount of resources. You might experience some lag.
You may be trying to decide exactly what type of .mp3 player is best for you. Here are some reasons sent in by a community member, listing why he prefers the Zune.
FM Radio Not many other media players have this feature, but it’s a good idea to have if you want to listen to your favorite station, news, or if you just don’t want to listen to anything on your Zune. It is also possible to use this to listen to other people using their Zune and a FM broadcaster connected to it.
Podcasts Now I wasn’t much into podcasts before this last major firmware update and new release of the Zune 2’s. But with the new feature, I’ve been working on finding good podcasts to listen to when I work. And with the Zune software, you can customize your podcast subscriptions and auto sync the most current ones, or if you want to listen to old ones if you’re new to that podcast, start at the beginning.
WiFi and syncing With the new firmware and hardware came wifi syncing. Now there’s a misnomer that you have to connect the Zune to your computer to WiFi sync, this is only to setup the sync. After that, if you have your Zune software running and a wireless router, then you can sync when anywhere near the router. The wifi includes the so called “squirting” (sharing of songs with other Zune users in person) that you can do, which the 3 day was removed and the 3 play kept. The temporary keep is a DRM that is in place by Microsoft for the Zune.
Video Even though the screen may be small, it works for watching videos and even DVD movies which you’ve ripped from ones you own. And it’s possible to do and keep the quality you want for a small screen. Or if you have a Zune 80, you can have a slightly higher resolution. Another feature that I would put under video is the slideshow feature with pictures that you can add a music playlist to. You can use something like this for a wedding reception or graduation party.
Firmware updates Firmware updates you ask? Well, the reason being is that other mp3 & media players only give you the firmware that it was released with. But with the Zune, there’s updated features and bug fixes. Just as the latest major update added podcasts and wifi syncing and the last minor update fixed some battery saving features. New features are probably a little down the road but they have been pretty good so far.
I’ve been using Microsoft Outlook for about 9 years now. It’s an excellent personal information manager… from mail, to tasks and notes, to the calendar. Here is Lisa’s list of reasons why she uses Outlook, as well.
It’s much faster to get into your email using Outlook, than it is having to open a browser and log into a webmail client. All you have to do for Outlook is double-click the icon on your desktop, and it’s all right there.
It’s SO easy to set up. There are tours, guides and instructions every step of the way to get you started.
You can use an Exchange server with it. This will allow you to share information and schedules with others, such as your co-workers or family.
Outlook has excellent little reminder sounds built in, so you never forget an appointment or task!
You can personalize pretty much everything, from your signature to setting up a reading pane.
As I said before, I use Outlook as well, and love it. It keeps everything in one place for me, and makes it much easier to manage it all.
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One of our community members loves playing Xbox so much, he sent me in a top TEN list of tips… instead of the normal top five. Sit back and watch as we check out these great tips for buying Xbox gifts for Geeks!
Xbox 360 Hd dvd player This one is listed last because its very expensive.
Xbox 360 Wireless adapter This is great if they don’t want to string an Ethernet cord across the room to their 360. Also, it pairs great with the next idea.
Xbox live starter pack This is great with the wireless adapter because it can get them started to half of the 360 experience. It also comes with a head set so they can talk on live.
Microsoft points These are great because you could buy classic arcade tittles like asteroids. You can also use them to buy downlodable content for great titles.
Wireless controllers These have always been great, but now they are even better. They come in Pink, Black, Blue, and the classic White. Plus, going wireless is good so they can sit on their couch instead of sitting 5 feet from the tv. You can also get them bundled with chargers.
Call of Duty 4 This is by far an amazing game. It has stunning visuals, great game play, and the live version is awesome.
Assassins Creed This is a great game. It’s a fun game, and a really cool story.
Bioshock People are saying this is the best shooter so far this year, and I have to agree. The reason it did not make a better score is that it has no multiplayer.
The Orange Box This is by far one of the best games ever. It comes bundled with my favorite shooter ever, Half Life 2.
Mass Effect This is a great role playing game that has great shooting elements. It may appear to be a shooter, but remember it is a role playing game. If someone dosent like role playing games don’t get them this. It has the greatest story ever, and the voice acting is amazing.
I received the new Microsoft LifeCam VX7000 camera and hooked it up. Unfortunately, I’m having serious issues with it, just as I did with the last version. This is really shocking to me, and disappointing.
If you look on my screen, what you’re seeing is not special effects I’ve added. This is a live feed, directly as it is coming from the camera. It almost looks as though it’s a television with vertical hold problems, mixed in with color effects. I’ve tried it now on my Vista setup, as well as my XP setup. The problems exists on both machine, with both types of O/S. Therefore, I know it’s a hardware problem with the camera itself, not a software problem.
This is really surprising and disappointing. I expect better from Microsoft. I know, here come the jokes. But seriously guys… I’ve never had a complaint about a Microsoft keyboard or mouse. But I had the old VX6000 LifeCam, and had difficulties like this, as well. I expected much better out of the new camera, especially since it costs about $100.00. However, it works much like I would expect a $10.00 camera to work.
This isn’t really a review. It’s more of a “buyer beware”. I really like the Logitech camera I use. The hardware is great, but I’m not in love with the software. I’m still looking for that one perfect webcam I can use, whose hardware AND software I love.
What are your recommendations? What webcam do you use, and what do you love and/or hate about it?
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I grew up in Iowa. In fact, I spent most of my life there. Today, I received in the mail a claim form for the Iowa vs. Microsoft law suit that was settled. Let’s take a closer look at this, shall we?
Apparently, as long as I kept good records and still have my original CD keys from wayyyyy back then, I can receive money! This applies to people who lived in Iowa and bought these products from May, 1994 up until June of 2006. I could get $16.00 for Windows or DOS, $29.00 for Office, another $25.00 for Excel itself and $10.00 for Word and HomeEssentials. Wow. I can submit up to 29 claims. However, I have to provide not only the cd keys, but also date purchased, place of purchase, and more.
This is what I think of this settlement. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiip. That’s right. I ripped up my claim form. I feel that this whole lawsuit was ludicrous from the get-go, and should never have been filed. Those are just my personal feelings. Microsoft is a good company. Their practices… well, some people don’t like them, but others do. I just don’t think it’s right for any state to go after Microsoft the way they did. The market itself will ultimately decide what way things should go.
What do you think? Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? Leave me a follow up comment to this video, or shoot me an email to chris@pirillo.com.
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Do you have the same thought as I do when it comes to the windows home server product in that their fear of losing small business server sales has caused them to miss a big opportunity to bring about some very cool parental control or even just user control with simple active directory functions (restricted logon times, roaming profiles) and the sheer capacity that group policy has (it would have to be in a super user friendly mega wizardised interface tho) to restrict and limit a user in what they can do.
If they also did a cust down module of ISA that you could purchase and simply “plug in” to the server and provide a web proxy without needing massive amounts of knowledge, you could have a means for restricting and monitoring your kids browsing habits.
Instead none of this will make it into WHS and it’ll be nothing more than an overpriced password sync, file storage, backup and “network health monitoring” device.. of which the health monitoring section will prolly cause loads of confusion and/or just get ignored (which of course can still potentially happen to the points I raised).
I also tried to get my hands on an evaluation version of WHS to see what it was like but they were wanting to charge me to have it shipped my way (why they can’t offer it as a downloadable iso file like most other items I don’t know).
I used their feedback form to suggest to them that they should enable ISO download for this because I refuse to pay $10 for an evaluation version of software, regardless of if that is to cover shipping fees or not. I got an email back from them telling me that it wasn’t available outside of the US.. I then got a further email apologizing for the incorrect info given in the previous email and they proceeded to tell me “it’s not the software you’re paying for but the shipping”.. so they never bothered to listen to my “I don’t want to pay any money for any evaluation software, I would like to download it rather than waste time and resources on a physical version being shipped to me!
Utterly useless!
I’d be interested in knowing what your take on windows home server is and if you see it the way I do - why bother spending all that money on what is essentially a backup device (especially when online backup services offer greater protection at cheaper prices, tho from what I’ve read the backup procedure is pretty slick.. never underestimate a slick interface for getting users to do something like this) when it isn’t capable of a fraction of the potential it could have had.
