Website Design Tips

Making the switch from PC to MAC

Like millions of other people, I was first introduced to Apple products through their most recent product, the 3g IPhone. Being a programmer, one of my first interests was in IPhone Application development (which to date, can only be done on a MAC). It wasn't long after, that I first seriously contemplated making the switch from PC to Mac.

Why I decided to purchase a MacBook Pro 17 inch?

After researching Mac computer systems for several days, I decided to purchase a MacBook Pro 17 inch. For starters, the MacBook Pro is at the professional end of Apple's range of notebook Macs. Some have gone as far as to suggest that it is the closest a notebook has gotten to being a true replacement for a desktop.

Featuring an Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB of shared L2 cache, means I can easily have several graphic intensive applications open at the same time, without noticing any lag in performance. For example, this is useful for web site developers who usually require HTML editors such as Dreamweaver to be running alongside graphic programs like Photoshop or Autodesk Maya. Only recently, I had Maya, Photoshop, Flash and Dreamweaver all running simultaneously with no problem what-so-ever as far as performance goes.

It was also important for me to have a system that could easily handle multimedia editing such as video creation. This was something my current desktop PC wasn't very efficient at doing well, with one system crash after another. I've since been pleasantly surprised at the quality of software that came pre-installed with the Mac OS X Leopard operating system. IMovie makes video editing a pleasure, while IDVD lets you create and burn a multi-chapter DVD of your movie. Apple really makes video editing simple and fun.

Running Windows on a MAC

Being a first timer to MAC, it was important for me to be able to run Windows based software. For example, I already owned Windows versions of Photoshop and Autodesk Maya and didn't want to fork out the money to purchase Mac versions.

MacBook Pro allows users to install both Windows and Mac operating systems side by side. For example, this allows me to be able to open a photograph in Photoshop using the Windows installation, then save it to a shared folder so I can open it for use in Dreamweaver (Mac version).

This is also useful for web site designers who may have clients with PC's. It means they can open windows based files, for example 'Office' documents that they receive from their clients, on their MAC. I'll discuss running Windows on a Mac more in another post. For now it's just important to note that it's really not as hard as it sounds.

Can a MAC connect to a Windows network?

Yes, a MAC easily connects to a Windows network either wired or wireless.

Having an office with a Windows network, it was important for me to be able to connect my MAC to the PC for file sharing, Internet connection or use of peripherals such as printers.

MAC computers are more secure than Windows based PC's

I don't know about you, but personally I can't count the amount of wasted hours I've spent downloading and updating Windows, or trying to get rid of computer viruses that targeted Windows operating systems. While no Internet connected computer can guarantee 100% immunity to viruses, MAC's certainly have many advantages in this area.

For starters, Mac is built on the UNIX foundation, which was developed with security in mind. Secondly, the MAC system alerts you whenever anything is being downloaded to your hard drive. Unlike Windows PC's, nothing can be installed in the background without you knowing. Furthermore, before anything is installed, you must give your MAC username and password.

Other posts you may be interested in reading:

MAC lockup, keyboard shortcuts to restart your MAC
How to run Windows on a MAC
Stuck CD/DVD in MAC disk drive
Capturing screenshots or desktop snapshots on MAC OS X
Sharing your Internet connection wirelessly on your MAC via AirPort