Mac newbie returns to Windows

Question

I was really looking forward to kicking Windows into touch. No more virus software, no disk defragging required. Simple Tiger operating system. Fast performance. Throw in a Mac Pro and I should have been full of joy.
The reality has been pure frustration. I found I had to dual boot to windows to make so many little jobs I do as routine work on the Mac Pro. Boy is Tiger lacking in so many areas. Mac Mail or Entourage are just so dated and frustrating to use. Office 2004 for Mac - well come on guys, does it really have to be that creaky? Compared to the Windows version, and the latest Office 2007, it is really so limited. Can't compress pictures in a document, for example so have to send larger folders with pictures in as a PDF.
The performance of Adobe Photoshop CS2 for Mac should have been stellar. Nope. Thrashed by CS2 running on my 4-year old IBM Thinkpad laptop; the programme did storm through work in its Windows version on the Mac, but you do not by a Mac to run Windows full time do you?
Much as I want to join your club it will need a few changes. Like simple, affordable personal finiance software that allows easy migration for MS Money. Or an email programme that allows you to list contacts by first or last names. Or a system that allows you to turn off certain toolbars and keep them turned off. Software that allows simple routeplanning to be made. The ability to run RAW picture conversions without locking up. Safari allowing personal data to be stored, so allowing access to multiple on-line bank finance mangement systems from one site. Support for keyboards that help those with RSI. Ditto with track balls. Or even a few more printer drivers; failure to work 2 out of three of my printers, the oldest of which is 2 years, is not encouraging.
I could go on. In fact I did - I spent over 50 hours just trying to make a working system of of a Mac and OS.X Tiger operating system. It just could not be done. I even tried doing it the Mac way for five solid days. It was like going back to an abacus.
All in all I am just so dissappointed. My 2 weeks with an Apple Mac has shown me the grass is not greener on the other side. Windows XP may stink - Vista is too dreadful to even consider - but the Tiger was so tame I won't be coming back.
Mac Pro   Mac OS X (10.4.10)  
Mac Pro   Mac OS X (10.4.10)  

Answer 1

As another Mac newbie I thought I'd share some of my frustrations with OSX, but also why I won’t be returning to windows anytime soon. I've built PC's for almost 7 years, so I know exactly how much flexibility you have in both building and operating a windows PC. I also know the exact definition of compatibility. Thousands of different manufacturers making parts for PCs is a nightmare, if you don’t believe me build a computer, I dare you. Over my years building computers I have pulled out more hair, lost more files, and nearly broke so many parts I prefer to not talk about it. So finally when it was time to upgrade I thought about a Mac. Problem was I wanted a computer that had some flexibility in terms of upgrading. I was absolutely blown away by the cost of powermacs. I could build a new PC, no exaggeration, for well less than half of what a powermac would cost me. Not to mention a powermac g5 was already a generation old. So I caved and bought a dell for dirt cheap, cheaper than even what I could build a PC for. Not only that I thought maybe vista is a savior so I got my new dell with windows vista. Lets just say my brand new computer (I bought the dell in February) ran drastically slower than the nearly 6 year old computer it was replacing. Not to mention I had to go buy a new wireless card, and most of my software didn’t work. Vista looks pretty, actually it looks just like OSX, but it runs terrible unless you have a top-of-the-line computer. Anyway to make a long story short someone on craig’s list was getting rid of their powermac and they needed a new windows PC so we traded. I also recently bought a powerbook g3 so I’m 100 percent Mac now. I’ve been using OSX for a few weeks now and I’ve read some articles on making the switch. I’ve found how incredibly easy OSX is to use and how intuitive many of the features are. There are a few downsides to using a Mac I certainly understand. One is the lack of software support. I regularly use Reference Manager and SPSS, two programs that are unfortunately not supported in OSX. However I normally use these programs at work, so for now I can go without them at home. I suppose there are two other complaints I have about Apple and Macs. I’ve found that first, Macs don’t like non-Apple parts. Buy a third-party anything and you’re in for a headache. Second, what was common knowledge on a PC means nothing on a Mac. Installing an airport card took me more than a day because I didn’t know what I was doing and my mind was still thinking windows. I’ve been frustrated more than a few times with my new Mac, but the problems have been entirely because of my naïve understanding of Macs and OSX. All in All though I completely understand that Macs aren’t for everyone, especially people who use a lot of professional software. For me though the choice is easy, I want a computer that is easy to use, does basic tasks, and for the love of all things holy doesn’t crash and lose my data. Everything after that I will learn to cope with. For these reasons I am sticking it out and learning the full feature set of OSX.