Make More Mistakes

#007: Being afraid of change

I love new ideas, but I don’t tend to embrace more practical, physical changes. (Something I’m changing gradually by trying new things).

Like many who’ve had little or no contact with a Mac, I was worried that it would take ages to get used to it (it didn’t), that I wouldn’t use it (can’t tear me away from it, actually) and that I’d end up wishing I’d bought a PC (no way!)

I acquired my MacBook at the end of May and it’s amazing - I’m getting on much better with it than I ever did with Windows (and I liked, and still like, Windows). As is the case for many recent Apple Mac converts, what neutralised the risk for me was the ability to use Windows. This has become a real possibility with the new Intel Macs and Parallels software, which I’ve used & highly recommend.

Interestingly, as my business partner predicted, I very rarely use Windows now because the Mac programs are brilliant & I can use them for everything I need/want to do. (The only time I’ve used Windows since acquiring my Mac was to run a bespoke program for a temporary job).

Learning from my mistakes

People tend to regret not acting more deeply & more frequently than they regret acting

…each year that passes when you don’t act, aren’t you making the burden of that future regret even greater…?
- Trial and Error, Ego and Awareness (Steve also has excellent advice about how to visualise & plan in Regretting Tomorrow).

5 commonly believed Mac myths

#1 - Fiction: Macs won’t fit into my network.

Fact: Mac OS X can talk to every major file server protocol on every major server platform on the market today.

“Mac OS X includes the major networking protocols for accessing every major server platform, including Windows, Linux and UNIX…”

My personal experience of this is as technical support (i.e. ‘the computer person’) for an organisation, where two employees bought Macs. They were able to connect to the organisation network with no difficulties at all (they managed to do this themselves, without any help from me).

In addition, from my own experiences I know that Macs have a built-in tool (AirPort) for connecting to networks, e.g. for Internet access. If you plug in a cable, it just connects. If there are any wireless networks around, the Mac will tell you of ones you can join. So easy, no configuration required!

#2 - Fiction: Macs don’t run Microsoft Office.

Fact: Macs do run Microsoft Office and Mac Office files are fully compatible with Windows.

“Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac OS X gives you Word, Powerpoint and Excel — all with the same familiar interfaces… Nor do you have worry about file incompatibility when you want to share your Office files with colleagues in the Windows world — all Office files are fully compatible between Mac and Windows, so you can share your documents, spreadsheets, presentations, what have you…”

There is even a version of Microsoft Outlook available for the Mac; it’s called Entourage. I do not recommend it - it’s slow, clumsy & Mail (the email program included on Macs) is so much nicer & easier to setup & to use.

Incidentally, again, the reason for the slowness is that Microsoft have yet to produce a version of Office to run on the new Mac machines, no word on when we can expect this. I find that Word & Excel run at acceptable speeds. Excel especially is not discernibly slower on a Mac than on Windows. I much prefer Keynote to PowerPoint for presentations - the designs are much more attractive, varied & so simple to use. It’s another program that must be tried to see just how amazing it is. In addition, you can get more designs for Keynote, some are free, some not.

#3 - Fiction: Even with a Mac, I still need a PC on my desk.

Fact: Acquire, analyse and publish data — all on a Mac.

“…You can move your entire workflow to a single Mac system. Not to mention that the Mac is a breeze for new users to learn, while at the same time providing powerful, customisable tools for professionals…”

You really can do everything on a Mac. I didn’t really believe my business partner when he told me this and I don’t expect you to believe me either. :) I recommend visiting a computer shop (the Apple store in particular, of course, as they have tonnes of Macs) and playing around with one. In the end, it’s a bit of a leap of faith though - you can’t quite realise just how easy everything is until you own one and start doing everything with it.

#4 - Fiction: New Mac users and IT staff face a steep learning curve.

Fact: The Mac — it just works.

Ask them — the millions of people who use and love their Macs — why it’s become such an integral part of their lives, and most will tell you that it’s because it’s remarkably easy to use — and it just works…

It’s true!

These myths, including quotations, from ‘10 Common Myths About Mac’, where you can also find the other six myths.

Programs I recommend in this article

Parallels (virtualisation program, e.g. used for running Windows on a Mac)

£50, approx (€80). The only alternative at the moment is Bootcamp (by Apple), which is still in development; it is free to try. The full program will be released when the next version of Mac OS (Mac equivalent to Windows) is out, as it will be included with it. VMWare is working on one too, but no one knows when it will be out.

Keynote (presentation program, like PowerPoint but better)

£55 - for iWork 06, of which it is part; iWork 07 will also include a spreadsheet program too & is due out sometime next year.

Related news

This week, Apple’s released some new products - both hardware & software - at the World Wide Developers’ Conference (WWDC). Gizmodo has the best coverage I’ve found about the WWDC & the new Apple releases.

Further information

MacKiDO - Debunking Mac Myths: Lots of information. Strong Mac-bias & condescending tone. However, I’d agree with much of this article.

A special message to Windows users: By Apple, re-produced, with permission, by CDW

MacWorld: Commentary on ‘A special message to Windows users,’