User Comments

Woo! More posts from DarkBlue - that’s more like it! ;)

I completely agree about the keyboard - I hate it. It’s only good for occasional typing, try programming with it and you will be driven mad by how “sticky” the CTRL and RET keys are.

I think I have found my alternative:

http://www.pfu.fujitsu.com/en/hhkeyboard/hhkbpro/images/prooverviewb_l.jpg

I have never got used to the key mappings, HASH being the most annoying as it can change between keys depending if you using Quartz or X11.

Yeah, and I’m still looking for a replacement mouse also - not least because I am running Debian GNU/Linux on my PowerMac and it isn’t quite so easy to use with only one button.

Either way, I am sure some of the Mac cultists would label your choice of mouse heresy… ;)

Oh no… look whats happened now. We haven’t talked properly in months DarkBlue and you seem to have completely forgotten about GNU Emacs as an alternative editor. Did you know OS X comes bundled with a ported version just waiting for you to start using? Hehe… or am I too late?

Also, about your choice of P2P application. I always used X-Factor or Acquisition. Too very good apps.

Using GNOME as my desktop environment (when I *do use one that is, I mostly live in Ion3) I find the lack of Apple’s customary top menu bar frustrating. From a usability point of view Apple have the right idea. Using any application you can just “throw” your mouse at the top of the screen and your guaranteed to hit the menu bar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitts’_law

The “maximise” button (the green pill) doesn’t maximise its window. It does resize the window, to various dimensions. I haven’t completely figured this one out yet.

Haha… no, that is one of the great mysteries of Mac. Just what rules exactly does that little green button follow? I used OS X for a year and I never figured it out!

The “delete” key doesn’t always work the same way as does in Windows. For example, I find it very annoying that I can’t select a file in the “Finder” then hit “delete” to move it to the trashcan (as one can in Windows). This still catches me out occasionally.

I may be a little rusty, but try APPLE-BACKSPACE

The clipboard is controlled using the “Apple” modifier key rather than the “ctrl” key.

This will get even more annoying when you start spending more time in Apple’s X11.

Dragging a folder onto the icon of another folder does not merge the contents of the two folders…

I hear this quite a lot, though I think it is unfair to describe it as a quirk. Apple has always been like this, and most *nix based OSes I have used are the same. It’s simply a matter of what your used to! :)

Keep ‘em coming DarkBlue. :)

I completely agree about the keyboard - I hate it. It’s only good for occasional typing, try programming with it and you will be driven mad by how “sticky” the CTRL and RET keys are.

Oh good. I’m glad it’s not just me. :-)

I think I have found my alternative

A blank keyboard Noah… how does that work then?

I have never got used to the key mappings, HASH being the most annoying as it can change between keys depending if you using Quartz or X11.

The same thing happens when I switch between OS X and Windows XP (via RDC).

I am sure some of the Mac cultists would label your choice of mouse heresy.

Fuck ‘em! :-)

you seem to have completely forgotten about GNU Emacs as an alternative editor

No I haven’t forgotten. It’s just that I prefer to do my programming in a GUI editor rather than the terminal.

I’m thinking of starting a petition to get Komodo ported to OS X…

From a usability point of view Apple have the right idea. Using any application you can just “throw” your mouse at the top of the screen and your guaranteed to hit the menu bar.

I agree. Apple have got so much of the User Interface right. All those R&D dollars really paid off.

Just what rules exactly does that little green button follow?

It’s the “magic” button. It adds that little bit of unpredictability to the UI. It’s for when you’re feeling a little bit down, just click the green pill for an immediate surprise.

They’re such kind, caring souls over at Apple.

I may be a little rusty, but try APPLE-BACKSPACE

Hoorah! At last, thank you for that little snippet Noah. My sanity has been restored.

This will get even more annoying when you start spending more time in Apple’s X11.

I know. There are other interface changes within X11 too. Application menus return to the app’s windows, keyboard shortcuts change, resize handles disappear, etc.

I’m not really complaining though.

I hear this quite a lot, though I think it is unfair to describe it as a quirk. Apple has always been like this, and most *nix based OSes I have used are the same. It’s simply a matter of what your used to!

Fair comment Noah. Thanks for your feedback my friend.

A blank keyboard Noah… how does that work then?

• Main product: http://www.pfu.fujitsu.com/en/hhkeyboard/hhkbpro/index.html
• Blank Version: http://www.pfu.fujitsu.com/en/hhkeyboard/hhkbpro/nokeytop.html
• Alternative: http://www.daskeyboard.com/

No I haven’t forgotten. It’s just that I prefer to do my programming in a GUI editor rather than the terminal.

GNU Emacs can be run as an X application… AND there is always XEmacs. Both of them full GUI editors in there own right.

Thanks for your feedback my friend.

Always a pleasure, just glad to have you posting again!

GNU Emacs can be run as an X application… AND there is always XEmacs. Both of them full GUI editors in there own right.

Okay. I’m installing GNU Emacs now (your persistence has paid off).

I’ve been waiting for this post with baited breath since your “The Apple Cart” entry. Glad the transition has gone well and you’re back to posting.

There seems to be no end of switch stories out there right now, its becoming very difficult to say no to that beautiful hardware!

Yes the transition has gone well James, way easier than I expected.

I can understand why there are so many switchers - the Mac mini has made the Mac affordable, the G5 provides thhe premium hardware and OS X Tiger has really convinced me desktop-UNIX really is possible.

Interesting article, as your always are. Thanks for taking the time to put that all together.

The application list is great in itself. Command Antivirus looks pretty spiffy, although I’ve never heard of it; while Command is definitely pretty cheap, I recommend AVG or Avast for free Windows apps. eMule is a decent file sharing app, too. It all depends on what you’re looking for; eMule downloads slowly, but you can usually find a real (not corrupted or labeled wrong) file of a song you’ve been looking for. Finally, here I’ve discovered a few Best Of application lists might prove useful: http://zepfanman.com/archives/000068.php#tech

I’m giving serious consideration to switching myself. Although for me the 12” Powerbook is looking like the machine of choice!

You relly did the right thing (switching to OS X)! I did enjoy reading your article.

I just have that switching process behind me - a shiny new and huge iMac G4 2.0ghz now enlightens my office..

By the way, cool to see my cousins app being used :-) (CocaMySQL).

Sorry if I shouldn’t be commenting on an 8-month-old post, but I feel compelled to respond to this:

There are those who would argue against the wisdom of installing anti-virus software on OS X.

Not the wisdom, just the necessity, at least in my case.

To the best of my knowledge, there are no OS X viruses out in the wild. However, this Utopia will probably not exist for too much longer. The runaway success of Apple’s Mac mini combined with the growing number of “Switchers” will make the OS X platform increasingly more attractive to the pond-scum who create malicious software.

8 months on from your post and still no viruses AFAIK. The idea that Mac OS X’s rarity is somehow keeping it safe from viruses is common but (mostly) wrong. First of all, Mac OS X isn’t all that rare — see here and note this quote: “The Apple Macintosh share of the worldwide personal computer market is greater than the combined share of BMW, Cadillac, Infiniti, Lexus, and Merecedes Benz in the worldwide automobile market.”

So if it’s not the rarity, what is it? As far as I’m aware, it’s the architecture. To my knowledge, there aren’t too many viruses out there for any Unixoid OS, despite the popularity of Unix servers, simply because the various Unixim do security right (or at least more right than Windows). Also see here.

Even if, by some miracle, OS X manages to avoid the attentions of the virus-creator forever, Mac users should still run anti-virus software to prevent themselves acting as carriers to the plethora of Windows viruses that arrive in our email in-boxes - ready for forwarding to our poor, beleaguered Windows victims.

Again, not really, at least not if you don’t use Entourage. All the e-mail viruses I am aware of rely on features of Outlook and/or Windows to spread, so there’s no need to worry about your Mac passing on self-propagating e-mail viruses.

Virus hype is so second-nature in Windows environments that I can certainly understand a switcher such as yourself being convinced of the necessity of protective measures, but in fact the issue is more complex and less risky than it might first appear. I hope my comments have gone some way to clearing things up.