The SuperSite Switcher Guide: From Mac OS X to Windows Introduction

By EduardValencia
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Grand Master

EduardValencia

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From Paul Thurrot

Hold on, hold on: I know what you're thinking. There goes Thurrott again, goading the all-too-easily-enraged ranks of Mac fanatics into a frothing anti-Windows frenzy. Relax, guys. Yes, you're fun to mess with, with your mock turtleneck sweaters and one-too-many leather hipster iPod cases. And yes, there's a certain schadenfreude-like pleasure in doing so, but believe it or not, there are far more pragmatic reasons to provide a guide of this nature.

First, let's not pretend that many Mac users haven't always had a heavy reliance on Windows and Windows applications. And ever since Apple moved the Mac to the Intel platform, that need has turned into a frenzy, with Mac users now able to choose between both virtual (Parallels Desktop, VMWare Fusion) and physical (Apple Boot Camp) solutions for running Windows applications on their Macs. Increasingly, Mac users are working in Windows and, I feel, understanding the benefits of using Windows instead of Mac OS X. Thanks, Mr. Jobs, for making that happen. No, really.

But as is the case with Apple's deceptive "Switcher" ad campaign, going from Mac OS X to Windows doesn't have to be a one-way street. Indeed, my suspicion is that very few people have actually transitioned completely from Windows to the Mac. I think most of them are using both environments, instead, and picking the one that makes most sense for what they're doing at the time. And as it turns out, moving to Windows from Mac doesn't have to be total and irreversible. Using the aforementioned solutions, Mac users can move back and forth between the OS X and Windows environment. It's the best of both worlds.

Thus this guide. For those people who have impulsively moved to the Mac only to belatedly discover their mistake, for those who have a foot in the Windows world for work reasons or out of choice, and for those--and yes, they're out there--who have simply decided to stop being a trendy lemming and move (back) to the greener fields of Windows, leaving OS X behind for good, I'm here for you. Having used Mac OS X since the first release in 2001, I do feel your pain.

And before anyone tries me in absentia for being some sort of crazed Windows fanatic, I'd like to make two more points. First, while moving data between the Mac and Windows, in either direction, used to be a lot more difficult than it is now, it's still not seamless, and the process needs to be documented. If you do this right, you should be able to replicate your most important data in either environment without much trouble. Second, and this is crucial in my mind, my most strident advice here has nothing to do with switching to Windows per se. Indeed, I think it's almost as crazy to lock your data into Windows applications as it is to do so in Mac OS X. So I'll be offering up a lot of cloud computing solutions--Gmail, Google Calendar, and the like--as the ideal way to make the switch. (I'll also discuss Windows-based alternatives to popular OS X applications of course.) We're heading into a new era here, and if you're already waffling between desktop computing environments, maybe it's time for you to address some deeper, more important issues as well.

Most important, let's have fun with this. I intend for this guide to be useful. But we should all be OK poking fun at ourselves, especially if you're a little too uptight for your own good. I'll start. I'm Paul, and I'm a wine and coffee snob, and an NPR-listening, East Coast liberal. You, the Mac fanatic who is right now furiously trying not to fire off a nasty email bomb from your mac.com address, will admit in return that you're a smug, know-it-all so-and-so.

See? It's cathartic.

--Paul Thurrott

August 31, 2008

Step 1. Getting ready Here

Step 2. Mac-Windows interoperability Here and Here

Step 3. Making the switch (No links yet)

Mentor

Draken

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lol as if anyone reads the bs that guy writes anymore...

keep that kind of comments for yourself, I like his articles tough he's a little too proud of himself :rolleyes:

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Binary

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So, this moron puts up a guide that isn't even written yet. Wow.

Obviously it's his last ditch effort to try and get people to his site.

I've never liked this guy, even when I was using windows.

  • 3 weeks later...
Veteran

Binary

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I actually know a lot people who have migrated from OS X to Vista its not uncommon. There many things that you can do in Windows that u can't do in OS X

Like?

The gaming problem isn't apples issue anymore. Developers just need to start writing to support both platforms, and not by using cider ports :rolleyes: OS X is completely capable of a good gaming experience using OpenGL.

It will get better eventually as OS X gains marketshare and devs start focusing more on OS X.

Grand Master

BajiRav

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Like?

The gaming problem isn't apples issue anymore. Developers just need to start writing to support both platforms, and not by using cider ports :rolleyes: OS X is completely capable of a good gaming experience using OpenGL.

It will get better eventually as OS X gains marketshare and devs start focusing more on OS X.

I have actually done the Windows XP --> OS X (Panther --> Tiger) --> Windows Vista journey myself. I didn't need a guide to do that but it's not easy as such. The gaming aspect - well I remember reading something sometime back (I guess when Tiger was in beta) that mentioned the inherent disadvantage of OS X when it comes to gaming because of the way the graphics are handled by OS X. So it may not be just developer's problem. ;) I might be wrong so don't quote me on this. Google is your friend.

Grand Master

Eric Veteran

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  • Veteran
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Like?

The gaming problem isn't apples issue anymore. Developers just need to start writing to support both platforms, and not by using cider ports :rolleyes: OS X is completely capable of a good gaming experience using OpenGL.

It will get better eventually as OS X gains marketshare and devs start focusing more on OS X.

Like a cohesive game development platform like DirectX? I'd guess by this and your previous post you're just flaming about Windows and you won't care about real answers. Hopefully you're done so ya don't end up getting paddled... ;)

So, this moron puts up a guide that isn't even written yet. Wow.

Obviously it's his last ditch effort to try and get people to his site.

I've never liked this guy, even when I was using windows.

You obviously don't read Thurott's site very often. He posts the pages of his guides as he completes them. There are 3 sections up so far for you to enjoy.

Grand Master

Knife Party

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One way or another, personally for me OS X (and similarly linux distros) will simply be an experiment if i had the chance to swith over, but when it gets down to it, windows is still my favourite ;)

Grand Master

Marshalus Veteran

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lol as if anyone reads the bs that guy writes anymore...

Lots of people do, actually.

Thurrott himself is pretty Mac friendly, he owns 3 or 4 of them, and a couple of iPhones, and an Apple TV if I'm not mistaken.

Enthusiast

Unkoil

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Like?

The gaming problem isn't apples issue anymore. Developers just need to start writing to support both platforms, and not by using cider ports :rolleyes: OS X is completely capable of a good gaming experience using OpenGL.

It will get better eventually as OS X gains marketshare and devs start focusing more on OS X.

Companies have a Capitalistic feel to them... sure they may release a title here and there for OS X but their audience majority is Windows based. If I was selling a product and had to pick and choose I would go for the group that had more potental buyers..

If your waiting for Apple's marketshare to rise great but its not going to overtake Microsofts spot any time soon in the near future.. so you'll be waiting a long while....

BTW EduardValencia - thank you for introducing me to Paul Thurrott. *high five* to you man

  • 1 year later...
Contributor

BigItup

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Binary wrote "So, this moron puts up a guide that isn't even written yet. Wow.

Obviously it's his last ditch effort to try and get people to his site.

I've never liked this guy, even when I was using windows. "

I heard a rumour he was taken out by a Mac assassin - some likely suspects in this thread.

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