Considering a Mac

I'm considering a Mac (IMac) but a couple of threads have me scared. I realize Logos 4 for Mac isn't up to snuff yet and was intending to run either Fusion or Parallels and Windows XP. In one thread I read that Logos 4 requires SR3 on XP and with that combination things are slow under Parallels or Fusion. Many suggest updating to Windows 7 and etc.

I presently have a PC so I'm wondering should I wait until Logos 4 Mac gets it right before I jump?

Or should I give up on the Mac idea and just stick to a PC and not make all this work for myself?

The only reason I'm considering the Mac is I'm tried of Windows, the aesthetics of the Mac and I love the Apple's new mouse. But none of these are really tangible reasons to put myself through an ordeal that some of you make going to Logos 4 Mac sound like.

Right now I'm thinking if I have to buy Windows 7, Fusion or Parallels plus buy the upgrade to Logos 4 Mac and in addition to all the rest of the other Windows programs to be happy on an IMac that perhaps I should sit tight.

Thoughts? Opinions?

Thanks Ed

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Alan Macgregor

Back in October I switched to Mac. I don't run any of the Parallels or Fusion stuff and definitely won't have Windows on my system, otherwise why bother making the shift?

I run Logos 4 Mac without any serious trouble. Oh yes, a few glitches, but it's all I use for Sermon Preparation (and has been for some time). And it's becoming more functional with every Alpha release.

I just love the Mac operating system, because you just don't notice it. It just works!

Oh and the hardware is just so cool! [H]

Move over to Mac and Windows will never see you back. [;)]

Every blessing

Alan

Paul Gisbourne

Hey Ed,

I spent a few months debating and deliberating purchasing Logos 4 for my mac or waiting, but after deciding to take the plunge a few weeks back and purchase a copy I have to say that I am very pleased.

Some features aren't working yet, but I haven't come across anything that makes it unusable.

My advice.... go for it

rcdeacon

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/129166#Comment_129166

You won't regret the move! It certainly is the best thing I have ever done (computer wise, that is)

Otto S. Carroll

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/129166#Comment_129166

Ed,

Logos 4 is running great using Windows 7 and VMware Fusion (some are reporting even faster performance using Parallels). While I have the latest Mac Alpha installed for testing purposes on an external clone drive, I primarily use Windows Logos for my studies while the Mac side catches up. I'm also looking forward to the day when Mac Logos is fully functional; nevertheless, I'm so pleased with the performance of running Windows Logos in a virtual machine environment that I would still make the switch if there was not a fully functional Mac version on the horizon.

Patrick S.

Hi there

It's never too early to leave the dark side. I have experience with multiple OSes (I am an IT Director) over the years having run - CP/M, DOS, Windows from Windows 286 on and various Linux distribution desktops till finally I considered that Mac OS X actually ran Unix (good) and had a desktop UI better than Windows, and not fragmented like Linux.

So I dipped my toes in with a Mac Mini for my daughter (when faced with upgrading her whole machine to run Vista). Within weeks I had dumped all Windows machines in our house, and since then also I have moved multiple people I know over to Macs.

You won't look back.

So should you move to an iMac now or hold off because of Logos 4 Mac situation? Well I would say:

move over now to get a breath of fresh air running Mac and getting used to it (learning to enjoy using a computer again).
Logos 4 Mac is OK, still a bit rough I review it from time to time but won't install for daily use until it hits beta. Of course you can give it a try, number of people are already using as their main version.
if you get a powerful enough iMac with enough memory (4 GB no less) then you can run VMware/Parallels with your existing XP license. Give the XP virtual machine 1 core out of the Core 2 Duo (unless you get the 27" top of line iMac of course!) and around 1.5 GB RAM and you will have decent enough performance.

Bottom line - one way or other you'll be able to run Logos 4, and have a nicer machine (platform) to do it on. Worst case scenario would entail buying copy of VWware Fusion (I use) or Parallels.

Good luck!

Donovan R. Palmer

I'm considering a Mac (IMac) but a couple of threads have me scared. I realize Logos 4 for Mac isn't up to snuff yet and was intending to run either Fusion or Parallels and Windows XP. In one thread I read that Logos 4 requires SR3 on XP and with that combination things are slow under Parallels or Fusion. Many suggest updating to Windows 7 and etc.

After 15 years of Windows I switched about 18 months ago to a Mac and have never regretted the decision for one minute. The only thing that held me back from switching a bit sooner was that there was not a Mac version of Logos.

When Logos did announce it was going to finally release a Mac version, I went ahead and switched. While waiting for it to come out, I ran Logos 3 on Fusion with Windows XP Pro. It was speedy and I never had any real issues with it. When Logos 1.0 was finally launched, it lacked so many features, I still ran Logos 3 on Fusion for some time.

Now that we have Logos 4 out, I am still running it primarily on Windows. However, I can see the day coming this year when I will probably switch over to Logos 4 Mac as my primary program. It is making steady progress.

On a side note, Fusion and Parallels, properly tweaked, can provide some pretty impressive results. You can find links on the Logos wiki on how to optimise it.

I have had over 18 friends who have switched to Macs in the last few years. I have yet to hear one of them say that they would like to go back to Windows. Even Windows 7 hasn't provided anything that tempts me in the slightest.

Tony Kissell

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/129193#Comment_129193

I switched to Mac last October and love it.

I was running L4 Windows on Parallels and Windows XP, but I got rid of Windows about a month ago and now just run L4 Mac, and find it functional enough for everyday use and it just keeps on getting better with every Alpha release.

Christopher Esget

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/129244#Comment_129244

I switched about two years ago, and haven't regretted it for a minute. My only regret was waiting so long!

I was using another Bible software program on the Mac, together with a lot of dead-tree books. I've been using Logos 4 Mac Alpha exclusively for some time for sermon and Bible study prep, and while I am looking forward to some of the features that they are working on, I get by just fine on a daily basis.

As someone else said, putting Windows on your Mac defeats the purpose. You're trying to escape that Gehenna! Go for it.

Keep Smiling 4 Jesus :)

... I presently have a PC so I'm wondering should I wait until Logos 4 Mac gets it right before I jump? Or should I give up on the Mac idea and just stick to a PC and not make all this work for myself? ... Right now I'm thinking if I have to buy Windows 7, Fusion or Parallels plus buy the upgrade to Logos 4 Mac and in addition to all the rest of the other Windows programs to be happy on an IMac that perhaps I should sit tight. ... Thoughts? Opinions?

Waiting = depends. Alpha software issue(s)/frustration(s) not for everyone (some of ordeal is self inflicted curiosity). Likewise PC Beta forum http://community.logos.com/forums/78.aspx documents improvement opportunities. Learning feature rich program incrementally is worthwhile. Currently, impressive progress exposing Logos 4 functionality is happening every other week.

Curious about other programs needed to be happy ? Apple includes many useful items in Mac OS X: Pro Tips => http://www.apple.com/pro/tips/

Observation: on Windows, need to add several programs from variety of vendors to match Mac OS X capabilities out of box.

Good idea to purchase an external hard drive for Time Machine backups (may want to exclude Logos 4 index folders).

Caution - switching to Mac OS X can become addictive - easy upgrade to newer Mac, including transfer of stuff (via target mode or time machine backup).

Note: VirtualBox is free alternative for Fusion or Parallels. Running Windows virtualized is slower (estimating 10 to 20 %) than native - also needs enough RAM and disk for Mac OS X and Virtual Machines (speed tweak: turn off hardware not needed - serial, USB).

Keep Smiling [:)]

Philana Crouch

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/129355#Comment_129355

I made the switch to the Mac last October/November (someone gave me a Mac). I don't think I would ever switch back. My church is putting on a community health fair and I've been putting together all of the printed material and it is so much easier. I tried to do a Newsletter on my old PC and the photos wouldn't get into the right spot. I know there is a way to do it in Word but I couldn't figure it out. Pages makes it easier. I have also found the other Mac programs to work well. Logos 4 also works pretty well. I use it exclusively for my Bible study!

John Graves

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/129708#Comment_129708

It really all depends on how much you use your windows programs. I have been using a macbook since october. It is the best laptop I have ever had. It works great for portability.

On the other hand for real work, I recently bought a windows desktop for less than half of the price of my macbook that is twice the computer, also I can upgrade it later if a I need to, cant do that with my macbook. Personally I like Windows 7, though it is isn't as cool as Snow Leopard.

It seems like Logos 4 mac will be just as great as Logos 4 windows so if you don't mind waiting, and you really want a mac go for it.

BTW as others have said, if you are going to do it go all the way. I tried to do use fusion for a while but it only produced frustration. I suggest either go Mac or Windows. Now that I use a windows computer for all of my windows programs and my Mac computer for everything else, I am a lot happier with both systems.

rcdeacon

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/129862#Comment_129862

"also I can upgrade it later if a I need to, cant do that with my macbook".

I have a MacBook and my wife has a MacBook Pro and I have upgraded both of them. I added additional ram memory and increased the hard drive from a 120 g to a 500 g. I buy my Mac upgrade stuff from Other World Computing (owc.com?).

John Graves

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/129973#Comment_129973

I have a MacBook and my wife has a MacBook Pro and I have upgraded both of them. I added additional ram memory and increased the hard drive from a 120 g to a 500 g. I buy my Mac upgrade stuff from Other World Computing (owc.com?).

thanks for that info. I was mainly referring to the video card which is not that great in the macbook. I searched everywhere and there is no way to upgrade it as far as I can tell. I paid the extra cash for an upgraded hard drive and an extra 2gb of ram when I bought it so it is sort of as good as its going to get.

Ed Blough

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/130004#Comment_130004

My thanks to all for your input. I'm still wavering on switching to Apple. If I could just get the equalvent programs for Apple without an emulator or having to mess around it would make my choice easier.

I'm looking at an IMAC not as something I would ever upgrade. In the past I bought PC's that were easily upgradeable and never upgraded them, so upgrading isn't important.

I view the whole situation like I this. I use electricity, I didn't have to learn to build a power plant, I didn't have to figure where to get the fuel to run it. I just plugged my waffle iron into the wall and I got electricity. That is what I want in the computer and Bible software. I don't to build a computer, I don't want to have to program a computer, I don't even want to have to learn "work arounds". I want the pertaint data supplied to me as I desire it.

Playing with the Apple IMAC it seems to have what I want, delivered to me the way I want it. However I question Logos 4 Mac end. I don't want to have to learn how to optimize an emulator, I don't want to have to go find an app and install it.

What I want in a computer is to be able to sit down and put together a Bible study, write a sermon or create study guide using researches that make the material interesting and informative in an easy to use manner.

My concern is that at this moment Logos 4 Mac may require me to learn more than I want to know about some emulator to get it to work the way I want., So going back to my electric example at the present time can I consider the Apple IMAC Logos 4 Mac combination a supplier of data or will I be required to build the intrastructure before I can get that data.

J.R. Miller

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/130224#Comment_130224

My concern is that at this moment Logos 4 Mac may require me to learn more than I want to know about some emulator to get it to work the way I want.,

Getting started is fairly simple.

Type in the passage you want to study and click GO

Logos will search all your books and show everything that matches, Bibles, Commentaries and loads of pictures

As you grow into it, L4 has the customizable tools so you can make it fit your workflow. But getting started, if you can type in the passage and click GO, you wont need to learn anything else.

Alan Macgregor

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/130224#Comment_130224

My concern is that at this moment Logos 4 Mac may require me to learn more than I want to know about some emulator to get it to work the way I want.

Two points here, Ed.

Logos 4 Mac does not use or need an emulator. It runs on the Mac, because it is made for the Mac! You only need an emulator (Fusion,Parallels, etc.) if you want to run Logos 4 for Windows.
Logos 4 Mac is in the Alpha stage of development, though it has reached a fairly high state of usability in terms of both features and stability. That said, it is a bit rough around the edges, so if it's a polished product you are looking for then this is not yet it. Having said that, I use Logos 4 Mac exclusively for sermon preparation (I don't have an emulator of any kind), and have done for a fair number of weeks, without any real trouble. A few glitches, yes, but nothing which in any way affects my ability to prepare two sermons every week. (Oh, and I'm not a computer geek. I drive it but don't build or service it.)

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I would not trade my iMac for a PC now. The iMac just works, no fuss, no delving underneath the surface to tweak things. It's what computers were meant to be like. The OS is unobtrusive and the hardware is robust, yet sleek. Take, for example, the keyboard – it is solid yet stylish. Buy your iMac. You'll just love it.

Every blessing

Alan