I’m a switcher
Recently I switched from Mac to PC. I’ve been a mac dude all my life, working in graphic design in a Mactintosh production workflow.
Why did I switch? For one, it’s kind of my personal protest to Apple for being so over priced. Why would I spend $2000 on a notebook, when I can get a pc for less than half that price?! -Dedication I suppose, which, don’t get me wrong, I love Apple computers - and I have been a dedicated soul since first using them in my 3rd grade elemetary school. But, it’s time to try something new. I read a lot of blogs, and come across a lot of free open source software, and was always irritated when the instructions said - Sorry, Windows only!
So, we’ll see how it goes. Maybe a year from now, I’ll post back how I’m switching back to a Macintosh.
If you’re not aware, any computer you purchase now features pre-loaded Windows Vista. I’m hearing a lot of complaints around the internet of folks having all sorts of trouble with it. I’ve noticed a few bugs here and there, some software doesn’t play nice on Vista - that’s about the biggest bug. Everything else has been running pretty good. If you do dive into the world of Vista, be sure to check out PC Mags article: Quick Fixes for Five Nasty Vista Problems. - Also, check out the article from LifeHack: 10 Vista Tips
Software to think about adding as a PC user:
Firefox and Apple iTunes is a must. Check out this article I found if you’re having slow loading issues in Firefox 2.0 / Vista. Very helpful.
1. Open Office - I mentioned this before, it’s a very nice free solution if you can’t afford the normal Office package.
2. Gimp - a good photo manipulation tool if you don’t want to drop the $ on Adobe Photoshop. Gimp does most things PS does including layers and saving in multiple file formats.
3. Trillian - a chat program that dials you into multiple chat platforms - AOL, Yahoo and MSN. This is the one program I think might have some issues with Vista (random disconnects), but for the most part - it runs pretty good.
4. Filezilla - for all of your FTP needs.
5. The Unzip Wizard - A nice program that I found works better than winzip.
6. Back up those DVD’s you purchased (or to your iPod Video): If you have the space on your hard drive, check out the following programs in this tutorial: DVD to MP4
Post any other Vista tips or Windows software in the comments.
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