For your information, this is a recent news (a few weeks ago) and the link below was updated yesterday!
NTFS can now be read/write thanks to a new driver available for a number of Unix - Apple has to include it in their system (I guess it is planned already or maybe done in Leopard(?)). If you have some IT knowledge, you can do it yourself using the procedure given in the link.
I just made the switch back to Apple. I started with Apple way back with a II, IIe and IIc and then made the switch to PC for availability of programs and because that is what I used when I worked at an engineering firm. Last week I replaced my aging HP Laptop with a 15" MacBook Pro and next spring will be replacing my desktop with a Imac and will be getting a mac mini for the living room along with an appleTV. So far I am kicking myself for not switching back sooner. The dual core system in the Mac Book blows my desktop away and PS3, PhotoMechanic, and Aperture just fly. I have had no problems accessing my internal or external drives on my PC, though it does go a little slow through the wireless. I am thinking about setting up a N or airport extreme wireless.
The biggest problem I had on my Mac was getting it logged into my wireless network, and that is only because my network firewall is very strict and it took me a while to bypass it and allow the Mac to be recognized. After that, there was no problem.
Emile Gregoire wrote:
I too use the $99 a year .Mac sync service but as soon as a program handles all syncing between both Macs, I will ditch it. Webspace including lots of mail addresses is much cheaper elsewhere.
For contacts/Calendar I use Plaxo. It will sync all sorts of contacts/calendar programmes between computers. Not only that if you have contacts who are also on Plaxo, if they change their addresses Plaxo will let you know and vice versa. It's also handy if you want to have an online calendar.
I just had a look at the site and possibly, it's less functional on the Mac, which is annoying as I was hoping to use it to sync details between Macs + PCs.
That NTFS driver is useful to know about. It would have been handy a few days ago for getting data on to a NTFS drive. I had to take an ext drive from the Mac and copy onto a PC that way. I also discovered my some of my friend's ext drives for his Mac were still Fat 32 as he had no idea it was better to format them to HFS for his Mac. The reason, when he plugged it in, it worked fine. Well sort of - using FAT 32 for PC or Mac is not that good as it's slow and cannot cope with large files sizes. Which is how I twigged it was a FAT32 drive.
There is a way that you can write to NTFS systems, and that is using the application called NTFS-3G. I have used it and it worked splendidly. Essentially, there is very little that I cannot do with a mac.
PhotoGuy76 wrote:
Essentially, there is very little that I cannot do with a mac.
Grate cheese?
More seriously - manage files easily? I move a lot of files around and I hate, hate Finder. It's such a dog to work with, clunky and very underpowered. It doesn't help that I use Directory Opus as my Window's File Manager, which I rate alongside Photoshop as one of the best programmes ever made. Directory Opus is to Finder as Photoshop is to Picassa. Oh and even Windows Explorer is way, way better than Finder.
With all the R+D pumped in OSX, why is Finder still so pathetic and malnourished? There are some Finder replacements, but are nothing compared to Opus. Opus is one of those programmes where you think 'Wouldn't it be cool if it did that.' And then discover it does and with extra seasoning too.
troyhark wrote:
More seriously - manage files easily? I move a lot of files around and I hate, hate Finder. It's such a dog to work with, clunky and very underpowered.
Obviously you haven't experienced the new Leopard Finder in OSX 10.5.
So what is better about the Leopard version of Finder?? I may upgrade and want to know.
In any case Finder works well and quickly with just a few uses of the option key and other basic keystrokes--Troyhark what exactly do you need to do with Finder that it does not offer?
The new Finder is customizable and uses the same "coverflow" technology that the iPhone has to search your files visually instead of just icons. Spotlight boolean search feature is now available from the finder window.
jerryrock wrote:
"troyhark wrote:
More seriously - manage files easily? I move a lot of files around and I hate, hate Finder. It's such a dog to work with, clunky and very underpowered."
Obviously you haven't experienced the new Leopard Finder in OSX 10.5.
Yes I have. It's now clunky, underpowered, but with racing stripes added in the form of cover flow. It's a lick of paint, to a wreck of an application.
millsbury wrote:
In any case Finder works well and quickly with just a few uses of the option key and other basic keystrokes--Troyhark what exactly do you need to do with Finder that it does not offer?
Well how about this for a thorough explanation. http://nudel.dopus.com/opus9/
Though try and ignore the horrid Vista look on some of the screen shots.
My PC is skinned with Panther as I still really like it's appearence.
See pic for just four of the many ways you can arrange Opus to suit your way of working. I know it's a scary prospect for Mac users, being allowed to customise an application to your own workflow and consider doing things differently from how Steve jobs thinks you should do it. But simply seeing the different ways in which you can layout programme does not even begin to touch on Opus's power and clever touches.
Being able to customise programmes is much more common on Windows apps than it is with Mac apps.
