switchers
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"The truth about switching" to the Mac
A man named Bill Westerman has penned a very down-to-earth article listing some of the ups and downs of switching to the Mac. Following a long line of switchers, Bill pens a nice mix of typical and not-so-typical scenarios, reactions and thoughts on the experience that I haven't seen capture quite as well elsewhere (and no, I'm not complementing Bill just because he links to TUAW in the article's footer). Two of my personal favorites are the "damnit!" / "ah-ha" moments Bill mentions, as I constantly meet switchers both old and new who find themselves frustrated with one behavior or another with Mac OS X, only to discover that they're really just being held back by an embedded expectation from their time with Windows. All in all, Bill rounds out 22 well-summarized points that switchers can look forward to experiencing on their journey to the right side of the force. The only things I can think to add are: #23: If you buy a MacBook/Pro, you just might have to turn into a nerd for notebook cases. You'll quickly find that most manufacturers build their cases for the lowest common denominator in the industry, which includes those 2"-thick Dells that seem to be so popular. I recommend bumming around the Mac web and tracking down a few key Mac-centric case manufacturers to scratch that itch. #24: Don't start dressing like Justin Long from Apple's "Get a Mac" ads, especially on a college campus. You're likely to compound any ridicule you're already receiving (see Bill's first point). Other than that, let the switching continue! [via digg]
Witch - bring Windows app switching to Mac OS X
The way that applications, windows and our OS behave is a subject of much debate. Toss some life-long switchers into the mix and boy-howdy, you got yourself the nerd version of a bar fight. One of these much debated behaviors between Mac OS X and Windows is how to handle switching between applications and their windows. Mac OS X focuses on applications - when you press cmd + tab, you can switch between all of your open applications, but you have to press cmd + ` in each app to cycle between the windows specific to said app. The Windows switcher, on the other hand, doesn't see applications, only windows. Pressing the switching keystroke equivalent of alt + tab offers a selection of all open windows, including the 20 Word documents and 5 IE sessions you have running. For the sake of this post, I'm not necessarily saying one is better than the other, and the subject of why this difference exists is a usability discussion best left for another day. I simply wanted to lay some context for Witch, a Windows-like application switcher from Peter Maurer (of Butler and the original Textpander/TextExpander fame) that fuses window-centric switching with some of the nice perks of Mac OS X. Not only can you switch between windows, just like on, uh, Windows, but you can also do things like bringing all minimized windows to the front or even close those minimized windows without having to bring them to the front.Witch, like many of Peter's apps, is donationware. However, if you get attached to it and don't want it to go the way of TextExpander (or if you simply want to give a developer his much-due credit), I highly recommend you donate for Peter's fine work.[via Lifehacker]
Macenstein tracks down switcher Ellen Feiss
Remember Ellen Feiss? She because famous in 2002 at the tender age of 14 for her Apple Switcher commercial, in which she talked about how her dad's computer had devoured her homework. Bummer, that. A controversy arose about whether or not Feiss was a stoner, and whether she was under the influence of Benadryl (or something perhaps less legal) at the time of the filming. It's five years later now, and Macenstein tracked her down and interviewed her. Now 19, the famous "switcher girl" has finished high school, and has appeared in an independent foreign film. She talks about sudden fame, starting college, and about whether she was high during the ad (she says she was not--but that she has used marijuana under other circumstances). It's a quick interview, but one that you'll probably enjoy reading. I did.Thanks Mike
New UK Get A Mac ads
Several TUAW readers have written in to let us know that the UK just debuted its own "Get a Mac" adverts, starring Peep Show comedy act Mitchell and Webb as Mac and PC. After the US and Japanese offerings, these UK ads have a distinctly British feel to them. Some videos will feel familiar and are basically re-do's of the original US ads; others are brand new to the UK market. Fantastic!Thanks everyone who wrote in.
Pete Wright: "My Microsoft career is now officially over"
Coming to the rescue once again, digg's users have highlighted a fairly prominent Windows coder's testimony of a switch to Mac OS X and Ubuntu Linux. Pete Wright, a (former) Windows developer who made Microsoft's 'influencer' lists by working for such clients as American Express and Enron, has said goodbye to Redmond. "Today, I've resigned to leave that world behind forever, and I couldn't be happier," Pete exclaimed in a fairly lengthy blog post back in September. Pete cites Microsoft's inability to innovate and Vista's aura of 'Service Pack 3-ness', as well as "buggy, overpriced and stress inducing" software for the switch (amongst other things), but I have a sneaking suspicion his new work environment of t-shirts, sandals and nerf guns had *some* influence. Still, chalk this up as another prominent switch to Mac OS X by a developer fairly high on the Windows totem pole. One can only guess as to how desirable Mac OS X Leopard will be, once Mr. J and company lay all their cards on the table at Macworld 9 days from now.[via MacDailyNews]
PC Mag VIP posts switcher tips
There are switchers, and then there are Switchers. Robyn Peterson, executive product director/executive producer at Ziff Davis, is a capital-S-Switcher; when the guy who's responsible for PCMag.com jumps the tracks to a Mac, there's a serious movement afoot.Peterson has his rationale for the switch and a list of five tips for switchers ("Where's the Start menu?!?") posted over yonder. Just one more indication that the Intel migration, though challenging and sometimes painful, is paying dividends in market share for Apple.[via MacNN]
Ten things all switchers should know
Judging from the fact that this entry has 104 comments as I type this (more then you read it, no doubt) chances are that you have read Scott Moschella's Ten things all switchers should know. If you haven't, you really should because not only is it useful, it is entertaining.One thing I would like to point out is the issue of mouse speed in OS X. Scott is right, it is slow. Much, much slower than Windows, however, you need not have some icky Microsoft mouse panel on your Mac. Give MouseZoom a try.
