Switch to Macs?
Out of context: Reply #30
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- rafalski0
I bought a Mac two years ago mostly because I was sick of asking Mac owners to do website checks for me. I was sick of getting project assets with fonts I couldn't install in Windows as well. I also got a Mac because it runs both systems, wouldn't even consider it before they went intel. I planned to use both OSX and Windows on it, but it turns out I am using OSX 98% of the time.
The transition wasn't smooth. The biggest pain were the fonts. Windows PostScript fonts aren't recognized at all, Windows TrueType didn't always work 100% ok (although these problems were rare and only occurred in Eastern European characters). There are font conversion tools, but they're not always perfect and violate font licenses.
I couldn't get used to differences in Photoshop display modes in both platforms (desktop showing beneath the workspace on the Mac). When I finally did, now CS4 is going to mimic Windows display style anyway.I have no problem still using XP at work, but really enjoy using OSX at home. It's easier to maintain, doesn't scare you neocon-style (vide 'windows defender' crap), doesn't tell you to prove ownership or buy a new license when you upgrade memory. Actually, hard drives can be cloned for backup as the computer is running and swapped easily among any Macs if there is a need to. You can boot any Mac via USB from your portable drive at any time. This is some Unix beauty at work. Expose - this is another useful OSX feature you wonder how you could do without before.
I have to add, as there is some controversy in that area, that OSX 10.5 is a considerable improvement over 10.4 for me, if only for QuickLook image viewer introduction (simply press space to instantly preview a file). "Cover Flow" Finder mode, which I initially took as an useless gimmick, makes a surprisingly good font (or any graphic file) browser when paired with QuickLook.