Switchin’ things

Yeah, how could I not write an article on how I switched to a Mac and the world got a better place. Don’t read it, it’s useless.

I did not really have to debate getting a MacBook Pro, because they are simply the best made laptops. I was just a bit curious about the choice between a stock 13″ model and a somewhat higher specced 15″ with a high definition, matte screen. I bought the 13″, and I am quite sure it was the right decision if just for size and ability to carry. Still, the 15 inch matte screen is beautiful and way better to work on than the mirror mine carries – i hope there will one day be a 13″ high definition matte (if not Retina) screen available. I hope.

So, other than that it’s not really something to write home about – i work in webapps mostly, Chrome works nice on OsX (although it’s a bit buggier than on Windows), and Office for Mac is an incredible heap of user interface mishaps. As I said, nothing new.

One thing I can really recommend to switchers is to give up on any other machine for at least a couple of weeks to really get the hang of it. Otherwise, you will only be annoyed by the unusual keyboard and shortcut layout and some basic things like file handling, settings, and the like.

So, here are my favorite apps so far and what they replaced:

Texter –> Text Expander a little program that uses shortcuts to paste much needed snippets of texts. i use it for emails, forms, and cross-application error correction. Both work almost identically.
Notepad++ –> Notational Velocity the most awesome improvement, NV does exactly what I want – note-taking in pure text form, searchable and syncable through simplenote. And don’t tell me about evernote, way too much bloat.
Mesh –> Dropbox Mesh (Microsoft) is a bit cooler because it allows you more specific folder syncing, but Dropbox is just plain and simple, which I like. Also, the different way of handling files on Mac OS makes it the difference no problem.
Filezilla –> Transmit well, ftp. Whatever.
Win 7 snap –> Better Touch Tool this program that improves customisation for the magic mouse (ouch, RSI!) adds a little gem: the Win7 window snapping and full screen windows. I always thought Mac people had some kind of fetish for overlapping window soups, until I found out that you cant use full screen at all. Well, now you can.

Things i still use:

Office i hate it on Mac – moving to Gdocs more and more, especially to replace Excel. Plain and simple, i like. That said, someone told me Office for Mac 2011 would look  a lot like a real grown up office suite. There is a decent formula editor, ribbons, and not as many crashes. Not available yet, though.
Chrome Better and more advanced on Windows, but hey, it’s a browser.
VLC best video player for everything.

Things I am still looking for:

A jetpack and a time machine. Oh, my Mac has a time machine!