Sunday the 10th of May 2009
Posted in: Technology
Back to the Mac
After several years of using exclusively Macs I switched over to Windows a couple of years ago. Why? Several small reasons. One of which being the abundance of free programs, applications and games. I'm not a gamer per se, but I enjoy the occasional game… Another reason was price. I know that – for what you're getting – the Macs do compete on fair prices with Windows-PC:s, but when all you need/want is an inexpensive machine, Apple really has very little (except the Mac Mini) to offer.
I still have my Windows laptop running Windows XP, and I don't see myself in a completely Windows-free home anytime soon, but for reasons I'll get into later, I recently re-entered the world that is Mac. My Mac of choice was to be a 24″ 2.66GHz iMac. I got the computer home the day after I ordered it, and immediately it posed a few problems… No, not ideological… My computer desk was bought to fit my laptop, and a 24″ desktop computer is a bit larger than that, so I'm having some trouble fitting the machine on my desk. My next investement shall have to be a new desk!
Re-learning to use Cmd-shortcuts instead of Ctrl-shortcuts is as difficult as it was to learn it the other way around. What makes it a bit more difficult is the ridiculously small keyboard they ship with the computer. It feels like the size of a calculator. I like the feel of it, but I'll have to put away a few bucks for the full-size one. A full size computer deserves a full size keyboard – this one just dwarfs under the screen/machine.
Other than that – it's just plain gorgeous, exactly what you'd expect from a Mac. The glass screen is very reflective, so I'll have to not only renew my computer desk, but reposition it so that I don't have my livingroom window behind me – but the graphics and colors are crisp beyond belief, and the system is fast and responsive.
Since my last Mac (a 700 MHz G3 iBook) Apple have switched from PPC processors to Intel. So I guess the Photoshop I bought years and years ago (7.0) won't install on this one – so I'll have to re-purchase that… That's going to sting, but I need my PS-fix! I'll also need to find Mac-replacements for all the other apps I've gotten used to on the XP – like the HTML-editor HTML-Kit (leaning towards buying Coda right about now).
Something has changed since I had a Mac last, though. I'm not a Mac-fanboy anymore. Although Windows has some problems, I've learned to live with them during the past couple of years. But still – it's good to be back, back to the Mac!
Feed:
Check out Ubuntu Linux. It runs well on most macs and the Gimp is a serviceable substitute for Photoshop.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Intel_iMac
Hi Iain.
I had Ubuntu installed on my previous PC, and (naturally) installed the Gimp. I really tried liking it, but ultimately failed. It might have all the capabilities of Photoshop – and euro for euro probably the better bang for the buck-deal – but IMHO it still lacks in useability.
True, my having worked with PS since forever is to blame, but it's still fact… I spent hours in frustration trying to find the buttons/menus to do the simplest of tasks in the Gimp, but finally just gave up and returned to Photoshop.
Fair enough. At least you were willing to give it a go.
I agree that the Gimp's UI is confusing, but I don't have years of Photoshop muscle memory to relearn.
Krita is more usable and closer to Photoshop, but it is still immature.
http://www.koffice.org/krita/