I have had multiple problems with pc’s the last six months and so I am considering Mac again. My three major hesitations with Mac are:1. The cost2. Logos4 running slow on Mac3. I need MS Publisher for the church bulletin
Steve -
First, let me suggest that you take a look at the new (just released today) Mac Mini starting at $600. You can also search the internet for "refurbished" or old stock models. You will need to supply USB/Blutooth keyboard & mouse plus a display.
I wish I could talk you out of MS Publisher for the church bulletin. I think that Pages ($20 Mac App Store) would be a good alternative. Of course, I believe that the Bulletin should ideally be created using a professional layout program such as Adobe InDesign. If you want to talk about design, let me know [:)]
I can't help you with number 2 - I don't have any experience with Logos 4 PC. I have heard that things are improving with 4.3 to be released "soon."
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/mac_mini?mco=MTM3NjY1OTU
I have long since given up on Windows as a primary OS. Although I still run it as a guest for those rare Windows-only things, I find that my Macs are both faster and more reliable than any Windows PC.
If you compare a high-quality PC of comparable design and specs to a Mac, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I admit that it is much easier to find a compromised design PC for less money, but I do not think you can get as much value. Just being able to step into an Apple store for service at any time is an incredible value.
Logos on my Macs (MacBook Pro 2010 and Mac Pro 2008) runs very well. I give them lots of RAM (8GB and 10GB) and run the MacBook Pro with an SSD (highly recommended on any PC these days).
Consider Pages? Or just run Publisher under Windows.
Steve,
What size SSD are you using?
How does the 7200rpm HDD run?
Thanks
1. The cost
I think that you will find 'total cost of ownership' comparisons quite favourable. And then there is the time you will save not running/updating loads of mall wear and antivirus software. About the only program I use that requires that I restart the mac occassionally is Logos :-(
2. Logos4 running slow on Mac
You may be unlucky (or if you have lots of linked windows all updating at the same time) but most of us find L4Mac ok for most things we want to do. A new version is due for release very soon which we are told includes a number of performance tweaks.
3. I need MS Publisher for the church bulletin
You have my utmost sympathy. It looks like you will have to install windows on your new mac for this. What a shame.
I hate to ask here. But I just got Logos and am still learning the outs and ins. It's a great program. But I've noticed that it runs pretty slowly on my laptop.
I've been looking at a newer laptop and have considered getting a Mac. However, would I be able to change my Logos from PC to Mac or would I have to rebuy? (which I would never do and too expensive since I have the platinum) I dont know where else to find the answer to this question. Thanks.
2. Logos4 running slow on Mac You may be unlucky (or if you have lots of linked windows all updating at the same time) but most of us find L4Mac ok for most things we want to do. A new version is due for release very soon which we are told includes a number of performance tweaks.
If you search the forum there are many people constantly complaining the L4 on Mac is VERY SLOW! I personally have 5 Mac machines that are set up for "speed", no money was spared. There is "no way" the Mac Platform runs L4 anywhere close to as fast as the PC with L4!
I know this because I have 3 PC machines too.
If you are inpatient, the "beach balls" on the Mac will frustrate you.
I hate to ask here. But I just got Logos and am still learning the outs and ins. It's a great program. But I've noticed that it runs pretty slowly on my laptop. I've been looking at a newer laptop and have considered getting a Mac. However, would I be able to change my Logos from PC to Mac or would I have to rebuy? (which I would never do and too expensive since I have the platinum) I dont know where else to find the answer to this question. Thanks.
No, you can download the Mac version for free for your personal use. You can use both platforms at no additional charge. I just cation you the Mac L4 is not at the same level as the PC L4.
It's just when I'm working in the program real time, it does not seem too responsive. Like reading through commentaries takes a while on Logos. Thought maybe with a better machine it would respond better.
The received wisdom is that memory and high speed disc drives (especially this new solid state stuff) can make a noticable improvement in responsiveness.
But I guess that applies to Windows as well as Mac.
Logos 4 is resource intensive on Mac & PC – benefits from fast processor, graphics, and disk along with adequate memory (i.e. newer hardware since Logos 4 being designed for use over 5 to 8 years). Upgrading from 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo to 2.93 GHz Quad Core i7 noticeably improved Logos 4 Mac usability (especially menu interaction, but some drop downs still need click and wait on Mac and PC). Thankful for many previous Logos 4 Mac improvements; looking forward to more. Current Logos 4 Mac is much more capable than previous 1.2.2 version.
Wiki Mac and PC User Interface Differences => Feature Parity section has links to many Logos 4 Mac features that need improvement to match Windows capabilities, including 4.3 Beta progress. Recently upgraded a stable 4.2b SR-1 configuration to 4.3 Beta 11 (now 4.3 Beta 13 using default update channel).
Looking at Logos 4.3 Beta 13 release notes, noticed one known issue for Mac plus Personal Book Builder (PBB) issues resolved; wonder about upcoming 4.3 Release Candidate ? (to be soon followed by stable 4.3 release).
Concur with recommendation about using Pages instead of Publisher. Apple support has Pages information => http://www.apple.com/support/pages/ and tutorial videos => http://support.apple.com/videos#pages ( Pages '09: Work with Sections should be helpful for bulletin preparation).
Observation about Apple pricing: iPad's are competitively priced (sold 9.25 million last quarter). Refreshed MacBook Air and 13" MacBook Pro laptops are decently priced; larger screen MacBook Pro models have initial premium pricing (two Dell Outlet 17" XPS laptops with 2nd Generation Quad Core i7 are less than one refurbished Apple 17" MacBook Pro with similar hardware). New Mac Mini's are attractive. The 27" iMac desktop models are attractive: large 2,560 x 1,440 screen resolution is quite usable for Logos 4 (similar desktop real estate as couple smaller resolution monitors with no screen gap for mouse pointer to jump).
Apple refurbished models have same one year warranty as new => http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac (only outside of box is marked refurbished). Current high end 27" iMac model is available as refurbished for $ 1,869 =>http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD063LL/A
Keep Smiling [:)]
Take the plunge Steve, you will not regret it. If you have a Best Buy store where you live take advantage of their 18 -24 month same as cash offer on their credit card and ease the pain a little and pay it off over time without interest. Yes Logos runs slow but it is not the only reason you should consider moving to Mac it is overall a better experience and you will find comparable applications to do what you do now with MS products only better and more enjoyably.
If you search the forum there are many people constantly complaining the L4 on Mac is VERY SLOW! I personally have 5 Mac machines that are set up for "speed", no money was spared. There is "no way" the Mac Platform runs L4 anywhere close to as fast as the PC with L4! I know this because I have 3 PC machines too. If you are inpatient, the "beach balls" on the Mac will frustrate you.
Mike,
thanks for the warning about the slow performance. When I went tothe Apple website and configured a fast machine it was more than twice theprice of a configured pc. The fast Macs are VERY expensive. I guess that I willcontinue to be a frustrated pc user that can't afford a Mac [:(]
Maybe the Mac L4 slow performance would have frustratedme even more.
I noticed this morning that L4 is crashing on some Lionmachines.[st]
Brothers,
thanks for the helpful information.
God bless
Logos runs without issue on my 2009 Mac Mini.
My wife is a kindergarden teacher, and requires MS Publisher for her work (despite having Pages and Adobe InDesign at home).
To avoid having to splash out on a copy of Windows OS, I purchased CrossOverMac Pro from www.codeweavers.com
This means that you can natively run MS Publisher on your Mac - but without having to install Windows.
When I went tothe Apple website and configured a fast machine it was more than twice theprice of a configured pc. The fast Macs are VERY expensive. I guess that I willcontinue to be a frustrated pc user that can't afford a Mac
Noticed new MacBook Air and Mac Mini's are fast => http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/07/21/apples_new_minis_and_airs_benchmark_twice_as_fast_as_predecessors.html
Don't let Logos keep you from moving to Mac there are so many other reasons and apps to justify the move. You don't need to shell out he big bucks just because Logos has issues with their business decisions that are effecting performance. I know I will get slammed by the faithful, of which I was one when I used the previous windows versions, but their move to Mac has been plagued with problems but I think they have some good people working diligently to solve some of the issues they are just hampered performance wise by a poor business decision to develop a cross compatible application instead of a native Mac application. OK, lets here it from all of you power users, where money is no object and you have no problems running logos on your quad core, 16 GB ram Mac's, unfortunately that is not the majority of the user base. I won't use the 'A' word again as an example of a lightning fast, native bible app on the Mac even on a 3 year old Macbook. with 2GB of ram.
thanks bro
But Mac Mini's aren't mobile and I have watched video's of MacBook Air struggling to run L4.
Upgraded to LION the logos beta runs faster under lion than it did under 10.6 --my passage guide always crashes logos at the moment but i am happy over all and i am running the latest bta there will be bugs but the will be gone soon enough.
-dan
Option: can carry Mac Mini with an iPad using VNC app on iPad to remotely control headless Mac Mini (peer to peer wireless). Mac Mini would need power connection (similar to laptop brick for extended mobile use).
Am aware of some adventurous Mac users that have mounted Mini's in their car for mobile use (possibly use iPad in church to remotely control Mac Mini in car running Logos 4).
By the way, new MacBook Air models have benchmark scores showing significantly faster (attractive for Logos 4):
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/07/23/first_look_apples_new_11_and_13_inch_thunderbolt_macbook_air.html
Also noted Solid State Disk (SSD) performance difference in new MacBook Air models:
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/07/25/performance_variation_found_in_ssds_shipping_with_new_macbook_airs.html
Likewise noticed new Mac Mini's are much faster ((attractive for Logos 4, especially 2.5 GHz model with AMD Radeon HD 6630M graphics that can be ordered with SSD and optionally 750 GB drive):
http://www.macworld.com/article/161306/2011/07/2011macminibenchmarks.html
I'm presently considering moving to Mac. My HP Pavilion DV2000 had a motherboard meltdown. It ran Logos fast enough for me. I am finding the Apple hardware considerably more expensive as I shop for a replacement
Mac Mini+ iPad idea sounds cool.
My present netbook is extremely slow. Gotta find something faster very soon. [:'(]
I'm presently considering moving to Mac. My HP Pavilion DV2000 had a motherboard meltdown. It ran Logos fast enough for me. I am finding the Apple hardware considerably more expensive as I shop for a replacement Mac Mini+ iPad idea sounds cool. My present netbook is extremely slow. Gotta find something faster very soon.
My present netbook is extremely slow. Gotta find something faster very soon.
That said, Logos on a Mac isn't as good an experience as on a PC but I will endure it (in the hope it gets better) as being on a Windows PC is worse. If I could get a Windows OS disc I'd possibly run Logos under Parallels, as that works quite well and was what I did while the L4Mac was early beta.
Don't let the price difference scare you away, consider the what you are getting for your money, the value gained is so much more than the price difference paid and it is so easy to purchase painlessly with 12 to 18 months same as cash depending on who you purchase it from. Take the plunge you won't regret it. BTW, it you need to you can install and run Windows on any Mac but you can't run OSx on a Windows PC. I have XP installed in a boot camp partition on both my Mac's but I rarely (as in almost never) use it anymore.
I picked up a 15 inch MacBook Pro yesterday and loaded Logos4 on it last night. So far, so good!
Indexing has been at a crawl, but the Mac, and Logos4 are running VERY snappy and fast and that is with indexing in the background.
This is my first Mac[B]
This is my first Mac
and you'll never go back!!
Welcome to the computing experience you been looking for. There will be some differences to get used to but once you get to using it you'll wonder what took you so long to make the switch.
Congrats!!
How can I monitor my cpu and ram usage on the mac? Is there a meter that I can download for the bar?
Dan ... you must be Logos' favorite kind of customer!!!
'... my passage guide always crashes logos at the moment but i am happy over all '
In the past year and a half my mother in law has killed 3 computers, 2 from Walmart and one generic computer store... Fans failing usb ports failing 2 motherboard failures, While Mac hardware is more expensive generally it is a high quality, in 20 years of mac ownership i have only had one machine die, a mac classic motherboard went and I did have issues with a powerbook display on the first G4 model. Apple generally uses very high quality parts.
-Dan
Two questions:
1. iWork or Mac Office? Which is the best to use with Mac and sermon work?
2. How can I monitor my cpu and ram usage with a Mac?
thanks
I use pages in iWork on my Mac and iPad, works great for me but there is another application I also use for Sermon prep and study called Scrivner which is a Writers tool but works great for Sermon prep also. Google it and check it out.
Don't know about the other question you have never looked into it.
How can I monitor my cpu and ram usage on the mac?
Wiki Mac Troubleshooting => Slow Performance section has a screen shot from Activity Monitor (inside Utilities folder within Applications).
Wiki Logos 4 Mac => Mini FAQ section includes:
New to Mac OS X?
Apple has Mac OS X Applications and Utilities plus hundreds of How-To Tutorials. Apple Support includes Mac 101, Switch 101 and Keyboard shortcuts.
Two questions: 1. iWork or Mac Office? Which is the best to use with Mac and sermon work? 2. How can I monitor my cpu and ram usage with a Mac?
First, Welcome to the family! [:D]
If I had to choose between Pages (iWork) or MSFT Word, I would choose Pages (iWork). The best thing is that it is only $20. I do have Word, but I purchased it with an academic discount ($50) and I ONLY used it to do final verification for term papers in Seminary. FYI - Pages does export to Word, and in my experience, it is as good as exporting Word Mac to Word Pc (or Word 2009 PC to Word 2011 PC, etc). In the near future (if not already enabled), Pages will have "auto save" and "versions" when coupled with Lion (which you have). As an added bonus, you could always try experimenting with the templates to see if you can get past your need for (groan) MS Publisher. [+o(]
To monitor cpu and ram usage, go to your applications folder, open "utilities" and click on "activity monitor." If this is something you will want to regularly monitor, you can right click on the app icon, click on "options" and select "keep in doc." NOTE: these instructions are for "Snow Leopard," but I think they would be similar in "Lion."
Two questions: 1. iWork or Mac Office? Which is the best to use with Mac and sermon work? 2. How can I monitor my cpu and ram usage with a Mac? thanks
1. I prefer pages, but it's personal choice.
2. Activity Monitor is how you can do it. The Widget iStat Pro is free and gives you a dashboard option with more info.
As a recent switcher (last Nov when new MBAir came out) you can go both ways with Pages v. Word. Pages is cheap and simple to use but not as powerful if you are a power user. 95 percent are not so will be satisfied. Also, you mentioned the bulletin. Pages has excellent Publisher like layout features and you may find that you can dump Publisher. Don't think that word for Mac is just like Word for Windows. It is enough different that you will still find yourself having to overcome a learning curve.
Welcome to the club. The mac platform, in my humble view is nice, but not that much better than Windows 7. The Mac Addicts will make you believe that it is ten times better, but I'd say maybe 10 percent better. Does it justify the expense? Not sure. But heat, I didn't buy either of my Macs, so I didn't have to go through the pain. My problem now is that it is hard to be a dual OS person. Gets confusing and muscle memory for keyboard shortcuts and such mess me up. So I may get a Mac Mini for my office computer to overcome this.
The iWork suite is well integrated and more than adequate for sermon preparation unless you preach in Hebrew :-).
For original language work I am told that there are better alternatives - Word for Mac not being one of them.
If you find that you need some functionality peculiar to Word then you should try one of the Open Source clones which allow you to install them for free and only ask for a donation should you choose to continue using them.
Deleting unused programs from the Mac is a pretty painless operation.
I see that others have answered this question - just to say that I have never felt the urge nor the need to.
One thing about the Mac environment is that you can generally just get on with the job.
It's fairly straightforward to run Windows apps on a Mac if you should ever need to do it. I think once Logos 4.3 gets released, I think the discrepancy between PC and Mac for Logos will be smaller.
I've been a Mac user for a long time, but I live with a PC at my elbow too. Both have their place. I think the PC is now pretty much on par with the Mac, but it really requires you to be a geek to do a lot of things and most people don't have the discipline or patience that it requires.
This past weekend I switched mail calendar and address use from MS Entourage to the Mac equivalents in my eventual move to Lion. The whole process was practically automatic. Apple's programs imported the data with very little effort.
