OK, too many Mac posts so my last for a little while.
Today I needed to get access to my files on the PC as I needed a headshot for a WA Web Awards. It should be easy, Apple brags about how easy it is for a Mac to connect to a Windows network. They lied.
For over 2 hours I tried and tried to connect to the PC. I switched everything on that should have been on, I read a dozen, maybe more guides on how it should be done. The furthest I got was being able to see the Mac from the PC, but not being able to open it in network sharing, despite setting up numerous user accounts and giving full access to all.
Eventually I gave up when the DVD I burnt from the PC wouldn’t work on the Mac. Grrrrr.
Solution: rip the hard drive out of the PC and put it in the Mac.
This is where it gets better.
Getting the hard drive out was interesting to say the least. A long time ago I actually did an entire semester at Uni on hardware (for memory I passed the unit with a distinction), so to be fair I’m tertiary qualified in hardware. The Compaq was absurd. The HD wouldn’t just slide out; no, the entire front cover needed to be taken off to get to it. Beyond stupid.
Putting it in the Mac on the other hand was pure bliss.
I might be a little annoyed about the networking failures of OSX, but every time I interact with the Mac Pro box…well, it changes everything. To install a Sata HD in the Mac is as simple as putting memory in it, and like the memory the instructions are provided in the manual. Simply a matter of sliding out the HD bay, placing the HD on it and screwing in some screws (which I might add where nice big ones, easy to handle) and then slotting it in; no need to try and put cables in the back of it, the Mac Pro is like lego.
5 minutes later and I’ve got full access to all my PC files. iPhoto isn’t brilliant compared to Picasa (no Mac version yet) but I’m up and running again, and tonight I’ll import my email across as well. Overall status: still no regrets.
And here comes the real low point – email transfer.
I’ve never had any trouble getting the Mac to share files with Windows machines (at least from the Mac side) but transferring email is a real low point of the whole switching experience and something Apple desperately needs to improve if it wants to be adopted by the masses. This applies irrespective of whether the process is Windows to Mac or Mac to Mac.
Should you happen to use POP and store your email in folders the one command you’re going to want to know: Mailbox > Rebuild.
Steve
you are right. I’m still trying to find a way of importing my Outlook emails to the Mac version of Thunderbird.
They certainly did. Among other things the Finder is a single-threaded Carbon application which locks up when trying load SMB shares. Ugh. In the latest WWDC keynote Jobs demo’d an updated finder, but … well … people have been saying “FTFF” since the initial release.
As for email, if you haven’t already moved to IMAP, what’s wrong with you? 🙂