dacs.doc electric

I recently went through the process of purchasing a new notebook computer, and came very close to buying a Dell 700m (a very nicely designed machine) instead of a PowerBook. I wanted a small, light notebook for my commute and traveling, and needed it to do a bit of work for my day job as well as my blog at night. I know applications are crucial to my choice, so I made a list of the programs I really needed to run:

Firefox
Word
Excel
PowerPoint
iTunes
PhotoShop.

Hmm… Both computers will run these programs, but the Powerbook also included iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, and GarageBand, all extra cost on the PC. These programs are easily the best bundled software I’ve ever found on a computer, and I love iPhoto.

I already had a 5 year-old PowerBook, but it was heavy and getting slow compared to newer models; so I started looking at Windows computers, thinking they were a lot cheaper. I was surprised that there was less than a $200 difference at the time between the Dell and a PowerBook, so I went with what I was used to and bought the PowerBook. My reasons? I’m sick of dealing with Windows problems such as spyware, viruses, etc. (mostly for other people). The Mac is not immune to these problems, but they are rare. In the 5 years of owning my PowerBook I only replaced the hard drive with a bigger one, and installed OS X upgrades.

So, how do you exist in a Windows world? Probably one of the biggest complaints about the Mac is the one-button mouse. Ironically, I use three-button Microsoft USB optical mice on all of my computers, including the Macs. No drivers are required on either platform. I just plug them in and they work. Many USB products will work on the Mac, too (check to be sure).
I have a Netgear wireless router that supports a small network, and the PowerBook effortlessly connected to it. FireFox was my original choice of browsers, but I’ve grown to love Safari, Apple’s own product. Connecting to wireless networks when I travel is easy with the PowerBook.

Printing from the Mac used to require a PostScript printer, but now the Mac supports a much wider variety of printers. I just picked up a Brother laser printer with built-in networking support, and I installed it on my network so I am able to print from Windows computers (yes, I have a PC at home, too) and from my PowerBook.

The majority of my computing time is spent in the Web browser, using Google’s Gmail, Bloglines (a blog reader you can download from www.Bloglines.com), and exploring the Web. To read my Outlook mail from work, I use Safari to access Microsoft’s excellent browser-based e-mail client; so I really don’t need Entourage, but I’m considering using it for off-line e-mail work.

The applications I have depended on for years are Word, Excel and PowerPoint. I’ve read that Microsoft makes more money on each new Mac than Apple does and it doesn’t surprise me. Apple sells a decent product for home use called AppleWorks, but I need Word and Excel to edit and revise documents for my day job. I have yet to find a suitable replacement for them (yes, I’ve tried StarOffice and it’s not there — yet). For other work, such as writing this article, I still love Word.

Apple has recently shipped a new word processor called Pages (http://www.apple.com/iwork/pages/). I’ve only played with it for a short time, so I can’t do a fair comparison with Word. I have grown to depend on Word for writing, and since I’m so used to it, it would be hard to change. I’ll see if I can do a review of Pages in an upcoming issue of dacs.doc.

Word:mac 2004 now includes advanced revision features, and since my day job involves creating proposals and working with contracts, I have grown to appreciate the ability to easily see who made the different changes in each revision. The Mac version of Word has cool features not found on the Windows version of Word like semi-transparent floating palettes, and it is a true OS X program, not a port.

I started using Excel when it was first available on the Mac. I did a lot of spreadsheet work years ago, and after using Lotus 123, Excel was a huge leap (even then). Excel is probably overkill for most of the work I do now, but I know that if I save a spreadsheet in Excel format I can send it to someone without worrying. They added a really cool feature to Excel that enables you to work in page layout mode, making it easier to see what your final document will look like when printed.
I wish I had the new version of PowerPoint installed when I did my DACS presentation on blogging in February. They’ve added new presentation tools that enable you to see your notes on your computer and the audience only sees the presentation (enhanced dual monitor support). They’ve also improved the transitions, something I’m sure that they’re doing to compete with Apple’s Keynote product.

One new feature in Office:mac 2004 I’m very impressed with is the Compatibility Report, which enables you to make sure that your document can be read by older versions of Office or the Windows version. I’ve had problems in the past with embedded graphics and I’m hopeful that this will help me make sure that the person I’m sending a document to can read it.

While I prefer to start with a blank document, I think the Project Center is great if you’re creating a quick fax cover sheet, invoice, or newsletter. Sometimes it’s really hard to get started, and a simple template can help you get started on your project quickly.

I regularly bring work home and open Office documents created on Windows machines, and so far it has worked flawlessly. The Mac version is very close to the Windows edition, so it’s easy for me to continue working on a document on the PowerBook after using Word for Windows all day.

The only problem is that Office:mac is not cheap. A new version of Office will set you back hundreds of dollars, but Microsoft got smart and made a non-business use version for students and teachers that costs about $130. I wouldn’t run my Mac or PC without Office, so be sure to factor the price of the software you need into your computer purchase.

There are a bunch of other reasons I’m glad I went with the PowerBook, including the design (hey, I use this thing a lot), the interesting software that seems to be developed for the Mac first (Konfabulator, NetNewswire, Watson, etc), and the innovative software Apple ships with the computer.

I’m not trying to convince you to buy a Mac, I’m just sharing my experience of being a happy minority in a Windows world.