Interview with a Mac Switcher, Part II

Some time ago we featured an interview with an… official Mac OS X switcher. A year later, we found another Apple switcher, James Dorn (“noviteo” for his friends) and we ask him a few details upon the switch. Especially with the recent price cuts on Apple hardware and the Mac OS X Panther release last week, being a switcher becomes “cool” all over again.1. Which operating systems have you used before Mac OS X? Which one of them was your main OS?


James Dorn: Microsoft Windows 3.1, 95/98/2K Pro/ME/XP
Microsoft Windows Server NT 4.0/2K/Advanced 2k/2003
IBM OS/2 WARP 4
BeOS 4.5/5.0
Slackware Linux 7.0
RedHat 5.x/6/7/9


2. What made you wanna try a Mac? What was the ‘trigger’?


James Dorn: Funny you ask. About 3 or so months ago, I was working on a gentleman’s
laptop. After 30 minutes of trying to just get it to get on our DSL at
work, the first thing the computer did when I went to a website was pop
up a dialog “iexplore.exe has caused a page fault in module
at WHOTHEHECKKNOWSWHATTHIESENUMBERSMEAN:FFFFFFF01″ While I understand
they are memory addresses, they do not give me a clue on how to fix the
issue. After 3 years of the same endless evil, I decided I was going to
look for an alternative. I never thought I would find something that
lived up to the Windows world, but… Apple quietly raised their hand,
and showed me the way.


3. How long did you wait until you got a Mac? Was the price a block for an earlier adoption?


James Dorn: When I had the mindset that I was going to purchase one, it was only
about a month before I was staring at the pretty white iBook box on my
way home from CompUSA. The iBook is very much competitively priced,
like most of their laptops. I believe they give so much more for the
money.


4. When you finally got your Mac, what were your first impressions?


James Dorn: Wow. I could not believe my eyes, I saw everything I had ever hoped for
in a computer. From the slick style of the computers, and the eye-candy
of the OS, to the geniuses at Apple who made UNIX a great environment
for the home user, it became immediately evident to me that the Mac is
a superior product.


5. After 2 months of using Mac OS X how do you compare it to your previously used OSes? Would you ever go back?


James Dorn: The MacOS is absolutely ASTONISHING. It has the same simplicity &
stability of the BeOS, with great features like you would find in the
Windows world. Would I ever go back? I will never go back to Windows:
not for anything in the world. The coolest feature that I have found is
the built-in spell checker that efficiently works throughout the
entirety of the OS. Outstanding quality makes me come back for more. I
grew tired of purchasing a new Windows version, and then getting
‘slapped with a large trout!’ NO MORE!


6. You currently have an iBook G3 900 Mhz and an iSight web camera. Do you plan on upgrading your Mac? If yes, which model?


James Dorn: While the iBook is a fantastic product, you get what you pay for. I am
looking at a new PowerBook, possibly a 15″ with SuperDrive. I believe
Apple laptops are truly worth every penny that you pay.


7. What are the features you would like to see on Mac OS X to make your experience even smoother?


James Dorn: Though Expose is great, Multiple Desktops is a MUST for me. Also, a
ViaVoice like utility made by Apple, built into the OS would be great!
ViaVoice on the mac just does not cut it.


8. What are your favorite applications on the Mac?


James Dorn: Safari, iChatAV, iTunes, Final Cut Express, Adobe Photoshop 7, Fetch &
Virtual PC.


9. You also have installed Yellow Dog Linux on your iBook. For what purpose do you mainly use it for? Does it compare to OSX in your opinion?


James Dorn: I really installed it to play with it. That’s all I seem to be able to
do with it at this point. It just does not have the functionality that
I get from the MacOS. Until linux is improved as a whole, YDL does not
seem like it will be a usable choice, at least for me, on the Mac.


10. As a new Mac user, what message you would like to convey to our PC users? Is the grass really greener on the other side?


James Dorn: Apple makes the hardware, Apple makes the software – It just works!
Stop the addiction of the Microsoft Cigarette. It’s a much healthier
choice to live life.

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