Nigel Harris's Mac Diary: Which WP for the Mac?

I must admit I am one of the people who ascribed the number of PC viruses to the ubiquity of Windows. When Mac evangelists suggest otherwise I have (since the advent of the iPhone, a triumph of marketing over functionality) taken their claims with a massive pinch of salt. I confess, though, that I have no proof that their claims about security are wrong, merely that their claims about Apple products seem to be based on a love of Apple rather than evidence.

With regard to Linux, I have dreamt of dumping MS for years, and have occasionally tried Linux, but have always had trouble with some aspect or other, whether it be networking, some other issue or just finding software to run on it. the last time I tried it, I could use LogMeIn (remote desktop access software) but it was just not as smooth as with Windows, for which LogmeIn specifically design their software.

I currently use Digita and Moneysoft Payroll Manager (among loads of others). Could I easily get these to work with Linux?

in addition, I often have to work on clients' machines with MS Windows, and I worry that if I use OO too long, i will forget how to use Windows. I accept that this last issue might sound a bit silly.

I do have OO, but really only use it to correct Excel formatting errors.

Sorry if I have gone a little off-thread. Ed. any chance we could have a Linux article?

I have no hessitation in recommending Writer, the Word Processor in Open Office. I have been using Open Office for some time now, along side MS Office. It's a great product which is is intuiative to use and certainly has all the functionality that you need for day-to-day office use.

Open Office is free in more ways than one and, of great importantance, your data is not locked into proprietary file formats so you are free to move again later. Microsoft Office now includes support for ODF (although a third party plug-in is reputed to do a better job).

The fact that it is free, should not put you off: make no mistake, this is a well developed, maintained and supported product. Sun Microsystems has an impressive track-record with many well respected products.

See: http://why.openoffice.org/why_free.html

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In reply to an earlier comment on viruses: it is interesting that Microsoft users seem to think that the number of viruses affecting Windows relative to other operating systems is some sort of quantification of success.

The concluding paragraph in this article (from almost 6 years ago) still rings true:
From http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/10/06/linux_vs_windows_viruses/

"Security is, as we all know, a process, not a product. So when you use Linux, you're not using a perfectly safe OS. There is no such thing. But Linux and Mac OS X establish a more secure footing than Microsoft Windows, one that makes it far harder for viruses to take hold in the first place, but if one does take hold, harder to damage the system, but if one succeeds in damaging the system, harder to spread to other machines and repeat the process. When it comes to email-borne viruses and worms, Linux may not be completely immune - after all, nothing is immune to human gullibility and stupidity - but it is much more resistant. To mess up a Linux box, you need to work at it; to mess up your Windows box, you just need to work on it. I know which one I'll trust. How about you?"

Microsoft Office is fine on the Mac and in fact handles graphics and PDF production better than it's Windows counterpart. Essential to have when collaborating with the rest of the world.

Apple's Pages (part of iWork) also is pretty compatible on its own feet and really excellent for page layout (DTP) work as well.

Finally for on the go-work and where sharing is concerned, check out Google Docs. It's excellent for straightforward documents and spreadsheets and the ability to share and collaborate effortlessly with others is brilliant. It can also (which a lot of people don't realise) work off-line when there is no internet connect and then re-sync when you get back on line. And it's free.

I use Office 2008 for Mac and find it totally compatible with Office 2007 on the PC. I work on the same documents on both Mac and PC all the time. I can't comment on iWork but having seen it briefly it looks like a steep learning curve.

Mac botnet - http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/22/first.mac.botnet/

Suggested reading on Mac security
http://www.securemac.com/macosxsingleuser.php

Is the word "genius" really appropriate here?

I made the switch to my MacBook about 20 months ago, as you know Nigel, and have not looked back...
Handy tip for you - For right click menu options, two finger click on the mouse/tracker pad. Genius, simple and Easy!

Mark

Did the replacement Mac arrive?
How is life with it?

aaarrrrrgggghhhh the suspense is killing me

I also transferred back to a mac this year after increasing problems with crashing pcs. However, I promptly ran into troubles with Macros in Office 2008 on my Imac as they run under applescript and not VBA. My local Applestore suggested I installed Parallels Desktop 4.0 for mac which seems to be a bit quicker than VMware Fusion 2.0, with windows XP and office 2007. (It comes with kaspersky internet security full version, plus free disk partitioning software and backup and recovery software for windows.). Office 2007 seems to load much faster than on the PCs I also use at clients. Plus you can access Windows files off the Mac desktop without having to launch windows and copy and paste text or share files between windows and osX.

I haven't found a problem yet... Throw in the apple timemachine backup system which enables you to go back to specified times or days, and even if you do have problems (which I haven't) you can quickly go back.

I have been using a MacBook for the last 2 months, having made the decision to switch.

I use VMware fusion to run Windows XP for my old software: easy to set up and use. My initial annoyances related to Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac: editing large and heavily formatted reports transferred over from the PC caused Word to crash many times, and the latest version of Excel for Mac does not support macros. So I could have saved myself the cost of the Mac version and just continued using the PC version of Office with VMware Fusion.

And I did have a battery problem in the first week, but one phone call and Apple immediately authorised a replacement machine.

But I have no regrets on changing to the MacBook.

Newton Magnus & Co have used Apple since 1980. We started with Apple 2s (remember Visicalc?) in 1980. We changed to Mac in 1990 and have used them ever since.
We have never had virus problems and apart from running Sage in emulation we have been able to do everything on Macs. We now have 25 Macs, mainly 20"iMacs and ibooks and Macbooks.
Accounts are prepared in MYOB and "typed" in Excel and Word.
We are Consultants for MYOB and support many clients on Mac or PC. The data file is universal and can be run on either platform. Our staff prefer Apple machines, the maintenance and training issues are 10% of the PC overhead!
Although the hardware cost might be higher, the machines are much more reliable, (I have never had a maintance contract in 30 years!) and last longer. We still use machines that are 7 years old. Breakdowns are rare.
We have a Mac server and backup systems and downtime on the network (gigabit ethernet) is approx 45 mins per annum.
We run a payroll bureau for 200 clients on MYOB and submit them electronically.
SA and CT returns are prepared on Mac using QMS software which is Excel based.
We are as far as I am aware the only firm in the Country 100% Apple Mac.
If anyone would like to contact me for advice on Mac nm@newtonmagnus.com
Stuart Magnus

As an expansion of my original posting, can I add a comment
I also run Windows XP .3 on a 20" IMac with Office 2003 installed via VM Ware as my main computer system, although I have PC's and PC laptops in my office.
I run Quickbooks Pro 2008 as well as VT Final Accounts plus TaxCalc Professional Suite. Online filing of accounts has never failed t
They all installed without any problem, and are updating automatically
Quickbooks loads at least twice as fast as any PC I have used anywhere.
I use Microsoft Outlook for E Mail without any hint of problems on the same system.
Like their adverts say - "It just works"

Not really fussed which machine to use - although, MAC users tend to be extremely loyal to Jobs and evangelical about the product

After all it is a tool and depending on your requirement and/or budget you 'pays your money & takes your choice'; although there is no doubt that for a basic main stream computer PC's are infinitely cheaper than MAC's. This is probably the determining factor when businesses purchase; certainly a few years ago at least one of the big 4 had MAC's for audit & PC's for everyone else (merge culture) - they dumped the MAC's & standardised on PC's

Interestingly, a few years ago tried to find software to emulate a MAC on a PC to test some applcations and was unable to find anything sensible - there were however, many offerings to run Windows based apps on the MAC!

Historically MAC's have been the domain of graphic based apps & design, however, all that is changing. Nevertheless there was a scare a few months ago when the market thought SJ was ill and would have to stand down. The reason for the scare was that Apple is a 'one man' company with no natural successor to Jobs; yes a number of those lower down could replace him in certain areas but no one had the breadth/scope of Jobs himself. Basically the perception is that all innovation has emanated from Jobs and if he went the company would stagnate.

Anyway with the advent of SaaS, Cloud etc the barriers between PC & MAC are being broken down

I have been using mine since 1 November 1984 (got it out of the box and fired off a letter). Have had Excel since 6 years before Windows 3.1.

Mac's don't have viruses because the programmers' don't let you mess with the System

Accounting/tax and Macs are a fine combination (been using it for years) and, as for the price differential, it's really not that different for genuinely similar-spec'd PCs - see pcworld US about two years ago:

"Once I did that, though, and tricked out the [Dell] M1710 with only those extras it had to have to compete with the MacBook Pro, I was surprised to see the Dell come in at a whopping $3,459, some $650 more than the Apple product. " (http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9023959).

Things haven't changed that much, it's that Apple use decent components - and they do last. I only recently replaced my desktop (now have a MacPro) but I'd had it's predecessor for five years; and I only replaced it because I've got a new camera which takes larger RAW file pictures and the aging G4 took forever to process them with Photoshop. For the usual money-earning purposes, the G4 was still fine.

Agreed on the security through obscurity point to some extent; the Unix basis of Mac OSX, and the fairly closed nature of the system, makes it a bit harder to get at than Windows but if someone's going to get a big enough payoff, they will crack it. Firewalls on routers etc are a useful way to go.

eta: and yes, seconded on the VMWare Fusion suggestion. Bootcamp is alright, but it's a lot easier not to have to reboot to do something in Windows.

The other place to find discount Macs is on the online Apple store - look for the refurbished equipment link (usually down towards the bottom right hand side of the page somewhere, you'll need to scroll). There are usually decent discounts, and it's all fully Apple-warranty'd.

"Muso"? That takes me back. I haven't heard that term since I was one myself (it was what other university students called those of us studying music).

I've been thinking of buying a Mac for months. Like John I make videos, but mine are screencasts (i.e. record what's happening on the computer screen), and I use Camtasia Studio, which at the moment is PC-only.

So the switch to Mac will come later for me, once Camtasia for the Mac is released. Existing users who run it on Macs using PC-emulation software say it's very clunky in that form.

But I'll read Nigel's reports with interest, because I've heard so much good stuff about the Mac and I'd really like one to replace my ageing PC laptop...

M

My partner & I are going through some similar soul-searching as our ageing desktop machine steadily gives up the ghost. I've been making little videos for personal interest (anyone want to see my Softworld documentary?) and was attracted to the iMac 20-inch desktop machine because iMovie is so much better than Windows Movie Maker.

Unfortunately, when I got up the courage to go into the local Apple Centre, the price had gone up by about £150 to reflect the new models they introduced recently. A £949 price tag is hard to swallow when similar spec PCs are kicking around for almost half the price.

Apple may be as sharp as Microsoft when it comes to sustaining its price points, but the Mac's more straighforward approach to operating system upgrades and relative seclusion from widespread virus infections could yet swing me in that direction.

I too would be interested to hear about Mac users' experiences with VMware and Windows applications... Meanwhile, I'm off to see if I can pick up an older model on ebuyer.com.

John Stokdyk
Technology editor
AccountingWEB.co.uk

The only reason there are so few is that Apple has such a small share of the market so no-one writes them yet. They call it security through obscurity.

I have been running Windows on the basic white MacBook for ages
You dont need a MacBook Pro, but it helps to have extra memory
You need a copy of VMWare to run Windows inside a Mac system without hassle
I have 14 separate Quickbooks sets of accounts installed, and use them on a regular basis
A really tremendous laptop with amazing wireless connectivity