Looking at Switching to MacBook Pro
First I have a few questions, as I have been a Windows user from Windows 3.1 to 7. I understand that I can use Boot Camp to load Win 7. To install L4 I would be able to reinstall on the Windows side, correct? How much space would you suggest for the windows partition? I will be going with 4 gig of memory as that is what someone suggested to me for a speedy Mac. I have a few other applications that I use on the Windows side and that is another reason for looking at using Boot Camp.
Looking at the 15-inch MacBook Pro with i5, 2.4 GHz and 320 GB HD. Thought about the 13-inch, but that would be pretty small, plus, the laptop I have now is a 15-inch. The iMac 21.5-inch would be cheaper with 3.06 GHz Dual-Core. Does that also come with Boot Camp?
I welcome all comments as this is my first step into the Apple world, and want to cover everything before making this purchase.
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RIchard K Ross said:
I understand that I can use Boot Camp to load Win 7. To install L4 I would be able to reinstall on the Windows side, correct? How much space would you suggest for the windows partition?
I set up Boot Camp when I purchased my MBP, but never used it. Instead, I removed BC and went with Parallels instead. Boot Camp may be a little faster, but I believe that virtual machine software has advantages that outweigh the speed advantage. With a VM you can share the clipboard between Mac and Windows and you can drag and drop between the two systems.
I use Parallels, Donovan uses Fusion, and the Wiki contains information of optimizing either one.
Welcome to the LIGHT. [H]
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Thanks, Jack. I just spoke with my neighbor who has an iMac and is the head of the Apple Users Group here, so I am leaning more towards the iMac because of the better resolution for one, plus the price with the bigger hard drive. Will have to wait until I can see one in action, as no store here has one on display, or could purchase one sight unseen. Either way I like what I have seen on the Apple site.
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RIchard K Ross said:
I am leaning more towards the iMac because of the better resolution for one, plus the price with the bigger hard drive
AFAIK, the only advantage to the MBP is portability. I normally use a Mac Pro with dual displays and only use the MBP when I am on the road. My Bride has a 21" iMac, and it is nice, but I like my larger real estate.
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Jack,
I have also gone MBP with Parallels. Works great!
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Apple Support includes Boot Camp system requirements => http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/
Both Boot Camp and Virtualization need Windows license(s) - Microsoft includes virtualization rights with some Windows versions.
When using Boot Camp with VM Ware Fusion 2, learned Windows activation needed when booting natively versus virtually => incentive to virtualize.
RIchard K Ross said:How much space would you suggest for the windows partition?
Virtual hard drives can be created with much larger capacity (e.g. 127 GB) - dynamically expand actual usage as needed (up to capacity). Forum http://community.logos.com/forums/t/17881.aspx has Mac partitioning example (your mileage may vary).
Thankfully Logos license allows a library user to install Logos 4 cross platform, optionally on several computers. Hard disk has multiple copies of Logos resources since sharing between Mac and Windows not practical.
Apple has several refurbished 21.5" and 27" iMac's => http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/imac (with 14 day return option). The 21.5" and 27" iMac's have 4 memory slots - maximum of 16 GB Ram.
Apple has Mac 101 tutorials => http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/work/ and Pro Tips => http://www.apple.com/pro/tips/
Out of box, Mac OS X includes some items not present in Windows. For example, Preview can view and annotate PDF's; applications can print to PDF; disk utility can clone partitions, including bootable; Mail client can connect to Microsoft Exchange 2007.
On Mac, easy to teach if being prompted for password - not know why - do not provide password. By default, Mac account is normal user - password needed to become superuser (similar to Windows administrator).
Keep Smiling [:)]
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RIchard K Ross said:
I welcome all comments as this is my first step into the Apple world, and want to cover everything before making this purchase.
My wife and I were hard core Windows users of many years like yourself and finally got fed up with some of the weaknesses of the Windows platform which were particularly showing with the arrival of Vista. We switched, it was easy and we never looked back. If you need compatibility with any of your legacy files, buy a copy of Office for Mac and Parallels (or VMware Fusion) just in case.
I use L4 Windows every day using VMware Fusion and love it. However, as soon as the Logos for Mac is ready for prime time, I will stop using Fusion as Logos is the only thing left that I still run on Windows.
I personally prefer the 15" because of the larger screen. You will like OSX. It is very stable (based on UNIX) and very fast.
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Thanks, everyone for the insight and help. I design websites as well, so, I may keep my laptop around for awhile until I get comfortable with the iMac, which shouldn't take too long to get used to. Not sure about the new mouse, but I can always use my wireless. Thanks again and now to get better educated into the Mac World.
I think I have decided on a new 21.5 iMac, with a wired keyboard, and I will give the Magic Mouse a go.
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Open Office is free and can handle many documents - lacks visual basic macros => http://www.openoffice.org/
Apple iWorks '09 suite can also handle many office documents => http://www.apple.com/iwork/
Firefox works nicely on Mac OS X, including Web Developer tools => http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/personal.html
Growl is free notification software - works nicely with Logos => http://growl.info/
Magic mouse scrolling is fun, like finger flicking on iPad.
Keep Smiling [:)]
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