Well it is almost a week now since I took the plunge and moved to the iMac. Overall it has not been as problematic as it could have been. I am still coming to terms with the problem of scale with the large screen. I have spent some time working out how to make the apps that I use zoom – usually up to 200% for the text to be become easily read. It has been a bit of a pain at times but it has meant that I have learnt a thing or two about how the mac works – which is no bad thing.
This morning I took the plunge and installed FileMaker Pro. After the best part of 20 years working and developing in access/VB this was something of a shock to the system. Fortunately I no longer need to worry about SQL and making the dBase do things with VB so after a bit of head scratching I was able to get my head around the system and have started to convert my historical database to work in FileMaker.
So what are my initial impressions? Well first of all just dont believe the hype about Apple OS being better. It isn’t. What it is more stylish and attractive to look at. One the best features I have found so far is the method used to install software. This is simple but very effective. I love the beautiful screen infront of me and there is no doubt about it the whole experience is pleasing to the eye. However, I have just been using my old laptop, windows vista, and really it worked almost identically to OS X, if it looks a lot uglier.
So am I glad to have moved over to Apple? On the whole yes as the main reason was for life style reasons than anything else. It has cost quite a bit of money, but this was because I took the view that I needed to run everything in OS X rather than split with Windows which have been cheaper in the short term but not in the long. Lets hope these long term goals are met and the iMac continues to be as rewarding to use as it is at the moment.
Simon Marchini
Web: http://WWW.simonmarchini.co.uk
