But the flip side of that is that the PC, because of its DOS background, has way more keyboard shortcuts than the Mac. If you care to learn them, you can do almost everything with the keyboard.
Jane Shevtsov On Mon, Aug 18, 2008 at 11:24 AM, Robert Scheller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote: > Thanks for all the great information, Scott. > > I have been considering switching from Mac to PC up until I discovered a > significant hardware compatibility issue: the keyboard. Our office is > mostly PC, including my primary computer. I work at home 2 or 3 days a week > and use remote desktop to connect to the office computer. Although a Mac > should have no problem connecting, I would lose all of the keyboard > shortcuts that I have learned over the past 20 years: Shift-arrow, > Shift-end, Alt-tab, and all the other little things I do to use the mouse > less and the keyboard more. And constantly switching between the two > keyboard styles would be difficult and inefficient. So, if you will be > connecting to a PC frequently or for long stretches of time, take the > keyboard and keyboard shortcuts into consideration. > > Cheers, > > Rob > > Scott D Lapoint wrote: > >> Hello all again, >> >> About a week ago I posted a message asking for input on whether I should >> move from a PC to a Mac. I was particularly concerned with the higher costs >> of a Mac and if one can run Windows programs such as ArcGIS and some >> statistics packages. I received ~200 e-mailed responses from Ecolog alone, >> not to mention the dozens that I received from my additional efforts. >> >> So this is what I?ve decided: Buy a MacbookPro (if you want a laptop), >> put at least 2GB of in it (more memory means that ArcGIS will run more >> smoothly), and install Windows XP on the Mac. Apparently, you can run >> Windows on a Mac by either booting directly into Windows on your Mac via >> Bootcamp, or you can run it simultaneously through Parallels or Fusion. That >> means, apparently, that you can install and run any Windows-based programs >> on your Mac (but only if you have an Intel processor on your Mac, which all >> the new laptops seem to have). >> >> Cost- It looks like a Mac is not that much more expensive than a >> comparably equipped PC. Mac offers substantial discounts to students and it >> is rumored that the prices of their Macbooks and MacbookPros will be >> dropping this fall as Apple is releasing new versions of both systems. Even >> though most people agree that Macs are a bit more expensive than a PC, they >> all seem to agree that they are well worth the extra money; less viruses, >> more stable OS, less maintenance, etc. >> >> But, if you?re scared of Vista and you?re not sure you want to learn how >> to use a Mac (many responses mentioned the learning curve when switching to >> a Mac), you can still buy new PCs with Windows XP on them. >> >> So that?s the summary. In case I did a poor job, I?ve pasted a few >> tidbits of advice that some of the responders had below: >> >> ??to a PC as far as speed, stability, boot up time, lack of viruses, and >> openness go. It is especially good if you are going towards open source >> software such as Grass for GIS or R.? >> >> ?macs tend to last longer.? >> >> ?pages is better than word and keynote is better than powerpoint.? >> >> ?Excel is better than Mac?s equivalent, but you shouldn?t be using Excel >> for stats when there are superior packages out there that will run on Macs.? >> >> ??should also take a look at Linux -- keep the Dell just ditch Vista.? >> >> ?I bought a new Dell and paid $99 for it to come with XP rather than >> Vista. They call it Genuine Windows Vista Downgrade, XP Pro Installed." >> >> ?I saw that about 1/4 to 1/3 of all laptops the ESA meeting last week were >> Macs.? >> >> ??cost is actually quite similar, and macs have a higher resale value.? >> >> ?I just don't really support apple as a serious counterpart - they seem >> more bent on finding the next trend than supplying reliable work solutions, >> especially for scientific endeavors.? >> >> ??get the extra memory, especially for GIS if you?ll have to install XP >> too.? >> >> Here are a bunch of links sent to me in responses for those of us thinking >> about making the switch: >> >> >> http://www.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/desktops?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd >> http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/ >> http://www.parallels.com/en/products/desktop/ >> http://www.opensourcemac.org/ >> http://www.freemacware.com/ >> http://macspecialist.org/content/articles/essential_apps/ >> http://grass.itc.it >> >> http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/apple-mac-leopard-windows-vista,1985.html >> >> http://www.macworld.com/article/134373/2008/07/laptop_price.html?lsrc=mwweek >> >> http://www.pcworld.ca/news/article/9853b173c0a800060058871f78388129/pg0.htm >> >> http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2008/08/04/new-peeks-at-a-post-windows-future/ >> http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/ >> >> Thanks again to all that responded. I?m sure all of your responses will >> help me and many others in our decisions. >> >> Scott >> >> >> Scott D. LaPoint >> Graduate Student >> SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry >> 243 Illick Hall >> Syracuse, NY 13210 >> >> > -- > > Robert M. Scheller, Ph.D. > Senior Ecologist > Conservation Biology Institute > 136 SW Washington Ave., Suite 202 > Corvallis, OR 97333 > office: (541) 757-0687 (ext 3) > cell: (541) 207-6947 > -- ------------- Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. student, University of Georgia co-founder, <a href="http://www.worldbeyondborders.org";>World Beyond Borders</a> Check out my blog, <a href="http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com";>Perceiving Wholes</a> "But for the sake of some little mouthful of flesh we deprive a soul of the sun and light, and of that proportion of life and time it had been born into the world to enjoy." --Plutarch, c.46-c.120 AD
