that's a parallels setting. if you go into parallels, configure the VM, applications then you'll see the sharing features so you can turn it off
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Is it worth to move into Apple Ecosystem?
- Thread starter maverick786us
- Start date
I'm a computer science student and I recently switched to a retina macbook pro from my old dell that died on me - cooling system on the dell got worse and worse over time so the motherboard toasted itself.
I'm not one of those Apple types that thinks theyre the best thing in the world but I will say that at least from an understanding technology viewpoint it helps to be familiar with different OS's and I really enjoy using my mac on a daily basis. I primarily use it for programming and online homework since my classes at the university these days also have an online component to the class lecture and it works very well.
I also have a Nexus 10 tablet which is android based and I use a galaxy s4 smartphone every day and I also use it as a hotspot to get my mac and tablet online. My desktop is win 8.1 and I found it an interesting learning curve to get familiar with osx since nearly all the labs at school tend to have windows. I also use my mac to surf the web, watch youtube and netflix videos and it integrates perfectly with content from my google play account - no problems watching movies or reading books on my mac from playbooks.
Itunes is less platform agnostic so i tend to not buy or use content on that system and I have zero problems. The downsides to the 15.4 mac pro is that its expensive - Apple with automatically shave a few hundred dollars off it if you have an email with a .edu address and a lot of people that look at my laptop have remarked that its heavier than they expected and its definitely not light but I always have it in my backpack so not a problem for me.
EDIT: I forgot to add that I'm a little bit wary of the upcoming osx yosemite update so I'll probably hold off on that one until sometime in 2015
I'm not one of those Apple types that thinks theyre the best thing in the world but I will say that at least from an understanding technology viewpoint it helps to be familiar with different OS's and I really enjoy using my mac on a daily basis. I primarily use it for programming and online homework since my classes at the university these days also have an online component to the class lecture and it works very well.
I also have a Nexus 10 tablet which is android based and I use a galaxy s4 smartphone every day and I also use it as a hotspot to get my mac and tablet online. My desktop is win 8.1 and I found it an interesting learning curve to get familiar with osx since nearly all the labs at school tend to have windows. I also use my mac to surf the web, watch youtube and netflix videos and it integrates perfectly with content from my google play account - no problems watching movies or reading books on my mac from playbooks.
Itunes is less platform agnostic so i tend to not buy or use content on that system and I have zero problems. The downsides to the 15.4 mac pro is that its expensive - Apple with automatically shave a few hundred dollars off it if you have an email with a .edu address and a lot of people that look at my laptop have remarked that its heavier than they expected and its definitely not light but I always have it in my backpack so not a problem for me.
EDIT: I forgot to add that I'm a little bit wary of the upcoming osx yosemite update so I'll probably hold off on that one until sometime in 2015
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maverick786us
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You own an MBPS which is a powerhouse. So it will not be featherweight. For something light it's mac book air, which I somehow dislike. It is not meant for power users
maxiedaniels
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Yes. I started off on Mac when I was young, switched to Windows in 6th grade for gaming. In college I got a Macbook Pro... now I have a Mac Pro for work, Macbook Pro for everyday, and a Windows build for gaming.
If I didn't have to keep Windows around for gaming, I would be all Mac. I just don't feel the Windows workflow is as simple and efficient.
If I didn't have to keep Windows around for gaming, I would be all Mac. I just don't feel the Windows workflow is as simple and efficient.
maverick786us
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If I had that much money, I would have gone for an MBP retina. But its true, that I would stick to Windows for high end gaming rig.
Depends. What Apple does best is "continuity" where information flows easily between different devices (Laptop<--->Tablet<--->Phone). Everything syncs up nicely and I don't have to worry about compatibility issues when I'm syncing up my notes, calendar, reminders, contact list, etc...
For instance, I have Notability app on my iPhone, iPad and my Mac. Whenever I'm on the bus, I try to get a head start on my reading assignment (pdf file) and I tend to highlight and write notes a lot. When I'm done, it syncs up automatically to my iCloud drive so when I open up the same Reading Assignment file on my Mac or my iPad, all of the highlights and side-notes that I wrote are there just the way I placed them.
It just works. That's why I gave up on Windows Ecosystem completely when it comes to work. For play? I still have Windows installed on a separate partition for little gaming on the side. That's all I use it for these days.
Who the hell pirates music anymore? Just subscribe to Spotify. No more using usb cable to transfer music and playlist to your phone.
For instance, I have Notability app on my iPhone, iPad and my Mac. Whenever I'm on the bus, I try to get a head start on my reading assignment (pdf file) and I tend to highlight and write notes a lot. When I'm done, it syncs up automatically to my iCloud drive so when I open up the same Reading Assignment file on my Mac or my iPad, all of the highlights and side-notes that I wrote are there just the way I placed them.
It just works. That's why I gave up on Windows Ecosystem completely when it comes to work. For play? I still have Windows installed on a separate partition for little gaming on the side. That's all I use it for these days.
Uhh no its completely terrible.. Want to load your pirated music on your 'iphone'? Its a pain in the ass.. oh by the way can't transfer it back or share w/friends using a USB cable either. Prettymuch no upgradability, if you're a gamer just kill yourself, and WHYYYY
Who the hell pirates music anymore? Just subscribe to Spotify. No more using usb cable to transfer music and playlist to your phone.
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like linux, android users are stuck in the late 90's
Plenty of people still pirate music, particularly if the music they like isn't available on streaming services.
Additionally, wifi syncing is a thing now, at least with iTunes.
I choose the ecosystem that works across more devices so if I ever jump from one thing to another my stuff can come with me. I have tested apple services, windows and google and in my experience I can use google services across more devices so that's what I use. Microsoft after that. Apple is just too locked down for me.
maverick786us
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I have one friend, who is into hardwares, he told my dad that it might take a month to get used to Mac from Windows. But anyone who switches into Mac, will never turn back to Windows.
My dad's biggest concern with his Sony VIAO and windows 8 is, that he has faced numerous issues with various applications too like IE is not working, some times some other application freezes the system. He doesn't have the time to run
1) Avira
2) MBAB anti malware and
3) Spybot Search and Destory
to get rid of these issues and some times it doesn't help. People say that in Mac, there is not virus, sypware, and smoothness always remains, will that help him?
My dad's biggest concern with his Sony VIAO and windows 8 is, that he has faced numerous issues with various applications too like IE is not working, some times some other application freezes the system. He doesn't have the time to run
1) Avira
2) MBAB anti malware and
3) Spybot Search and Destory
to get rid of these issues and some times it doesn't help. People say that in Mac, there is not virus, sypware, and smoothness always remains, will that help him?
Mac's are better than *most* windows machines, if you're using 90% of the junk $300 specials then a mac will not only run better but also last a hell of a lot longer.
I bought my father a Macbook 5 years ago and him and my mom love it and love the fact that they haven't even thought twice about the change since it happened. They also can't remember the last time they had a problem with it... It just runs and runs well.
Apple makes quality products, we all know this. So of course when you compare it to run of the mill plastic laptops and sh*tty desktop PC's they will blow them out of the water.
Mac's do have a quicker learning curve but that's taking someone who has never used either system and placing them in front of both systems for the first time. So if you're already familiar with a PC switching to a mac can be a challenge for some.
Windows isn't complete crap but when you're mixing it with crappy hardware it doesn't run well at all.
Apple is developing the hardware and software to run together so typically they work together like peas and carrots.
At the end of the day your father will benefit from the switch to Apple but it is a "Switch" and most older people aren't ok with change so this could be something he hates.
You will also be investing a lot of money in this switch so the best thing to do is take him into a store and see if you think he will be ok with the change or if he is the type to panic when dealing with change.
I bought my father a Macbook 5 years ago and him and my mom love it and love the fact that they haven't even thought twice about the change since it happened. They also can't remember the last time they had a problem with it... It just runs and runs well.
Apple makes quality products, we all know this. So of course when you compare it to run of the mill plastic laptops and sh*tty desktop PC's they will blow them out of the water.
Mac's do have a quicker learning curve but that's taking someone who has never used either system and placing them in front of both systems for the first time. So if you're already familiar with a PC switching to a mac can be a challenge for some.
Windows isn't complete crap but when you're mixing it with crappy hardware it doesn't run well at all.
Apple is developing the hardware and software to run together so typically they work together like peas and carrots.
At the end of the day your father will benefit from the switch to Apple but it is a "Switch" and most older people aren't ok with change so this could be something he hates.
You will also be investing a lot of money in this switch so the best thing to do is take him into a store and see if you think he will be ok with the change or if he is the type to panic when dealing with change.
wonderfield
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You always have to be very careful about how people phrase things.
There are no known in-the-wild viruses for OS X. In other words, there is no generally-distributed, self-propagating virus you'll be infected with as a consequence of, say, opening an email attachment or downloading a file. It's entirely possible, of course, that some groups still engineer viruses targeted specifically to certain people or organizations. Suffice it to say that if you question whether you might be a potential target for such groups, you aren't one.
While I'm not specifically familiar with the history and current state of spyware on OS X, it does have malware of a general sort. Apple maintains malware blacklists at usually reasonable intervals, allows for the option of permitting installation of software only from trusted sources and has a user privilege system that helps thwart some of the worse malware for cautious users. In general, users don't need to worry about malware on OS X, but they should be mindful of its existence.
As far as smoothness is concerned, that's really difficult to quantify. In my opinion, yes, OS X remains 'smooth' and 'responsive' over time. But it's also my opinion that Windows, today, does as well. I don't think there are any significant differences between OS X and Windows in this respect.
wonderfield
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Also:
I'd switch back to Windows if there was a good value proposition (as I see it) for doing that. I use both at home, though, so it wouldn't be "turning back" for me so much as it would be "using exclusively".
Its hard to think of something more painful than learning OS X after being used to Windows.
OSX is not easier to use at all !! Everything is backward, things don't make sense, Finder and Dock are a total joke compared to Explorer and require $$$ in paid utilities to even approach the same basic level of usage.
Installing apps is a pain, contrary to what you may have heard, it isn't 'drag app to Applications' always. The keyboard sucks, you will tear your hair out at lack of basics like backspace, pgup/pgdn, home/end don't work.
There are too many bad things, I could go on and on. The ONLY positive I have to say about OS X is there are no restarts due to updates, and the hardware is nice, but very expensive and not worth it.
Please do your dad a favor and don't subject him to this cruelty.
OSX is not easier to use at all !! Everything is backward, things don't make sense, Finder and Dock are a total joke compared to Explorer and require $$$ in paid utilities to even approach the same basic level of usage.
Installing apps is a pain, contrary to what you may have heard, it isn't 'drag app to Applications' always. The keyboard sucks, you will tear your hair out at lack of basics like backspace, pgup/pgdn, home/end don't work.
There are too many bad things, I could go on and on. The ONLY positive I have to say about OS X is there are no restarts due to updates, and the hardware is nice, but very expensive and not worth it.
Please do your dad a favor and don't subject him to this cruelty.
You decide what's easier. To get a USB to serial dongle working...
On Mac OSX:
alias [alias name]='/usr/bin/screen /dev/tty.KeySerial1 9600,cs8,-parenb,-cstopb,-crtscts'
echo "alias [alias name]='/usr/bin/screen /dev/tty.KeySerial1 9600,cs8,-parenb,-cstopb,-crtscts'" >> ~/.bashrc
echo "source ~/.bashrc" >> ~/.bash_profile
On Windows:
Select COM port from drop down within terminal program.
On Mac OSX:
alias [alias name]='/usr/bin/screen /dev/tty.KeySerial1 9600,cs8,-parenb,-cstopb,-crtscts'
echo "alias [alias name]='/usr/bin/screen /dev/tty.KeySerial1 9600,cs8,-parenb,-cstopb,-crtscts'" >> ~/.bashrc
echo "source ~/.bashrc" >> ~/.bash_profile
On Windows:
Select COM port from drop down within terminal program.
As a PC guy who cut his teeth on a Radio Shack Tandy, I will always be a PC guy. The Mac OS is limiting and fussy to me. However, on mobile devices, iOS and Apple hardware integration and experience is superior to Android and Windows. My only beef with iOS is I wish it went to the next level of advanced customization features like Android, e.g. selecting a favorite Wifi network, etc.
Having said that, I respect and appreciate the Linux OS underneath Mac OS, and recommend Macs to family and friends who don't have the time or savvy to mess with PCs when they get difficult.
Having said that, I respect and appreciate the Linux OS underneath Mac OS, and recommend Macs to family and friends who don't have the time or savvy to mess with PCs when they get difficult.
Yeah his dad will totally run into this...
When was the last time you used a Mac 1985? Holy cow dude. They require $$$ in paid utilities to approach basic level of usage?
Macs come with sooooo much more out of the box. Try viewing a RAW image from a digital camera on your windows PC without downloading something.
Installing apps is a pain? You find your app in the app store and click install... that's it bud. How about all the windows apps that are getting installed without you even knowing? Browser add ons and plugins...?
This is a lot less likely to happen on a mac because you are authorizing all installs.
Spotlight search on a mac is very fast and accurate. Windows has been trying to replicate it for years...
I advise all of you who haven't used a mac in the past few years to go treat yourself to the apple store.
If you need a keyboard with page up and page down, you can easily get one. 90% of people don't ever use half that crap so Apple simplified it. if you must have it, just get a standard keyboard, c'mon you're smarter than that. You can fly through documents with Apple trackpad.
This reminds me of all the Fandroids complaining about lack of flash on iOS devices.... hello, the world has moved on. They also removed 3.5 floppy drives too.. can you believe that?!
wonderfield
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Any user genuinely curious about whether OS X is viable for them — and smart enough to inquire about it before taking the leap — is probably also intelligent enough to ignore posts by those who speak in vague and excessively negative generalities and use scare tactics to drive other users away from products they don't understand.
Thus, there's no need to respond to those types of posts.
Thus, there's no need to respond to those types of posts.
The main issue I see here is IE. This is the worst browser and he should stop using it immediately. Download chrome or firefox.
heatlesssun
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Talk about out of date of experience from the 1990's.
I mean, IE has certainly improved to the point where it is no longer solely sapping 30% of the budget on web development projects but it's not like anything else out there is more deserving of a "worst browser" award. The only thing it has going for it is that it has better multitouch support on Windows than any other browser. Unless you are using a Windows tablet, there are almost certainly better options.
Cerulean
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First and foremost, before you continue reading my response, I state that I am not against Apple and their products and in fact welcome it. If I could go back in time to make one change, I should have gotten a Macbook because then I would be able to learn how to use it and thus expand my territory of technical support. Because I didn't get a Mac years ago, supporting the few Mac users in our Company (plus one at another company I work at) isn't as easy as it could have been.
If you ask me what operating system is better, my response is that it is subjective and you should use the OS you are most comfortable using. If Linux clicks with you, good for you! Use that. If it is Mac, good for you! Use that. If it is Windows, good for you! Use that. If it is multiple OSs, good for you! Use 'em all.
OP, see if you can borrow/rent a Mac from somewhere or purchase one that has a 30-day return policy. Have the decision maker in your family try it out for a week or two to see if this is something he likes. Or, boot up a VM running Hackintosh and connect USB Apple Mouse + Keyboard to the machine.
If you ask me what operating system is better, my response is that it is subjective and you should use the OS you are most comfortable using. If Linux clicks with you, good for you! Use that. If it is Mac, good for you! Use that. If it is Windows, good for you! Use that. If it is multiple OSs, good for you! Use 'em all.
This is bull****. I can't tell you how many times I've assisted someone with a Macbook (some who even brag about how great Apple and Mac) only to see mid-session their applications start hanging for half a minute or longer and sometimes even crashing.
OP, see if you can borrow/rent a Mac from somewhere or purchase one that has a 30-day return policy. Have the decision maker in your family try it out for a week or two to see if this is something he likes. Or, boot up a VM running Hackintosh and connect USB Apple Mouse + Keyboard to the machine.
heatlesssun
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I think the whole broswer thing gets a bit overblown. I'm not at all saying that the newest versions of IE are better than the competition, but for most people using a little common sense when it comes to browsing, I don't think it makes a lot of difference.
One strength of IE beyond touch is its performance on lower end hardware. There are a lot of cheaper and resource contrained Windows devices out there now since the licensing if free for most of them, devices with as little as 1GB RAM and 16 GB of storage. I've not tried one these personally but there are YouTube videos of them floating around and the performance is actually suprsingly good. The 16 GB devices do struggle with enough C: storage though. Even on better speced devices like the Bay Trail tablets I have, IE even on the desktop runs significantly better than the latest versions of Chrome or FF.
So use whatever broswer you want I say. But don't simply mark IE off the list becuse someone said so. It certainly is better with touch and will generally run smoother on lower end hardware. For Windows 8's failings, one thing that it does well is running on resource contemporary constrained devices, much more so than any prior version of Windows I recall.
I completely agree. My point was just that IE still has a long way to go in digging itself out of its "worst browser" hole when its competitors have such a lead on it. It does do well in many situations, but the compelling reasons to use it are largely platform-dependent whereas its competitors are platform-independent and present a cohesive feature set across many or all of a user's devices. IE needs to become the best browser for everyone on Windows, not just those with low-end or touch devices if it's going to climb out of this pit its gotten itself into. The only reasons IE can't do everything Webkit and Gecko-based browsers can are due to Microsoft's historic (mis)management of it.
heatlesssun
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Current market share numbers from Netmarket share show IE with over 58% of the desktop market and it's been holding pretty steady at that number for a couple of years now. So the hole that IE needs to dig itself of is largely non-existant. Of course it needs to improve and has, IE 12 is supposed to bring browser extensions.
Cross platform is great, but I think it makes sense for Microsoft to concetrate on making IE work best on its platforms. Without Microsoft concentrating on touch in IE 10/11, touch broswing on Windows wouldn't really work. On a tablet, I'd argue that IE is best of class for touch.
Kind of meaningless since it only works on one platform, and that platform provides insufficient native touch for others browsers to use. The touch experience of Safari on iOS and Chrome on Android are both far better, but other browsers on those platforms are nearly identical since the multitouch support is part of the native stack. Multitouch on Chrome and Firefox on Windows are bad because of how Multitouch is implemented in the OS. If it were part of the native stack like it is on iOS and Android, the touch experience for Firefox and Chrome on Windows would be just as good as it is in IE. Hopefully this changes with Windows 10.
IE is the best multitouch browser on Windows because it's not easy to make a multitouch browser for Windows.
heatlesssun
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Not exactly sure what you mean buy touch not being in the native stack. Touch is available everywhere in Windows 8.x and has been since Windows 7. One of the changes between 7 and Vista is that touch was added directly into the OS where in Vista it was done at the driver level. The biggest issue of Windows 8 touch browsers is the desktop/modern bifurcation that adds at lot of complexity. But one could still fully implement touch within just the desktop browser and it wouldn't really be any different than iOS or Android I believe.
As far as the touch experience in Safari or Chrome being far better than IE 11 on 8, how so? Scrolling and pinch to zoom work fine with touch in IE. And you do get Flash support in the modern version of the browser. If you need additional plug in support, desktop IE, while the chrome isn't as touch friendly as the modern version, the engine is. So something like Amazon Video works fine in the browser using Silverlight streaming and it works well with touch without the need for a dedicated app.
Have you built an app with Multitouch for Windows 8? Multitouch is a different implementation than Touch. Chrome and Firefox used to use Touch, resulting in a sub-par experience compared to IE. Multitouch is much easier in Modern/Metro, and Firefox even had a decent Modern fork that had good Multitouch, but they abandoned it because it wasn't worth the effort (too complex to maintain, and not enough users to be worth it). Chrome has since implemented a ChromeOS-like shell on top of Chrome launched from the Start Screen, which gives it pretty decent Multitouch but not as good as native Windows Multitouch. IE 10/11 have used Multitouch from the start because they are developed directly by Microsoft.
When did I say that? I said Safari on iOS and Chrome on Android are both better touch experiences than IE11 on Win8.1. IE might be the best touch browser on Windows, but that's not really saying much.
Is that supposed to be something attractive? A native app is always going to be a better experience on mobile than anything in a browser. Doubly so for something like video. Amazon Video sure as shit better work in the browser because Amazon isn't making a Windows App for Prime Video anytime soon. Using it in the browser is sub-par compared to the native apps on iOS and Android, but at least it works. It's hardly a selling point for the browser or the platform.
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heatlesssun
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I've done some modern app development in 8.x. All browsers in 8.x are Win32/desktop apps, even the modern versions yes it is much more difficult than a standard modern app. Desktop apps have access to the multitouch APIs, just look at the newest version of Photoshop. But yes, it's more complex to implement in a desktop than modern app.
I don't think it's possible to make a general statement as general as an app will always be better on mobile than a browser. That would depend on the quality of the app vs. the web site. As for using Prime Video in browser being sub-par, in some respects I don't disagree. But then Prime Video has always been available to Windows tablets without the need for an app. And if there's no need for web browsers on a tablet, then I guess it's odd that we are talking about web browsers on tablets. In any case, even if app is better than a web site, a browser than works with more web sites than less is an attractive thing.
I am platform agnostic. My gaming desktop is Windows 8.1 and I have been using Windows since 3.1
I used Android and still have and use my Galaxy Nexus when traveling international. I love it.
That being said, I own a rMBP 15" with the 750m, an iPhone 5, and an iPad Mini Retina. I love them and especially after the last OS update its a great ecosystem to be interconnected. Don't be influenced by the fanboys who can't grasp the concept of brand agnosticism. You can like one thing and enjoy others too. I think Apple is a great system, and so is the competition.
I used Android and still have and use my Galaxy Nexus when traveling international. I love it.
That being said, I own a rMBP 15" with the 750m, an iPhone 5, and an iPad Mini Retina. I love them and especially after the last OS update its a great ecosystem to be interconnected. Don't be influenced by the fanboys who can't grasp the concept of brand agnosticism. You can like one thing and enjoy others too. I think Apple is a great system, and so is the competition.