Okay, I admit it. I worship at the altar of Microsoft.
Not to offend anyone who may be a fan, but to me, Dr. Candid Advice's Mac is demon spawn. "Oh, everything is easier on a Mac!", she says. "It's user-friendly!", she says. User-friendly, my heinie. An abbreviated list of my grievances with that darn machine follows.
- One mouse button does not cut it for a person accustomed to easy right clicks.
- The Backspace key is labeled "Delete" (a command that takes away letters in the opposite direction on a PC). I look at the keys when I type, so this never fails to confuse me.
- Things download funny. If I had wanted it on the desktop, I would have put it there myself.
- No Control-Alt-Delete. What on earth am I supposed to do when an application stops responding?
- You can't just pull out your jump drive whenever you want to; instead, you have to awkwardly drag it to the Trash (and do note the utter lack of recycling :) ).
- The X to close things is in the wrong corner and things don't actually close when you push it. Instead, they just hide and wait to get you, much like ninjas.
- And Control, not Apple-and-whatever that freaky little thing is, is supposed to be the first key in the keyboard shortcut to paste. I go to copy a link and have to control-click to get that menu, then switch screens to paste the link into EndNote and have to switch keys to paste the sucker. Highly annoying.
Isn't PC just absolutely dreamy? Gotta love that combover! :)
posted by Psychobunny at
1:13 AM
6 comment(s):
Forgive me if you already know this, and were asking rhetorically - but when an application stops responding, just hit apple, option, escape. (Or, click the little apple in the top left corner and select "force quit") Also, you can change the download options in your browser.
I switched to mac this year and I love it - it freezes much less frequently, and it never restarts without asking. But it does take some getting used to, and it's not "user friendly" until you learn which keys do what. Another problem is that it's harder to share expensive academic software, since most people have Windows versions. (Uh, not that I would ever steal software just because I live on ramen noodles and can't afford the rent let alone a $600 statistics package... I'm just saying...) And, a few weeks ago, I brought my laptop to class to present my research proposal, only to learn that the projecter "doesn't work with macs." Sigh.
By
Di Di, at
December 02, 2006 6:56 PM
So that's what those odd little symbols are next to the force quit option! I had hoped they weren't just there to taunt me. :) Thank you! I'll have to remember that.
Just last week everything froze up on me so I couldn't get to the force quit option. All I remembered was that it was three symbols of unknown origin, and I must have spent fifteen minutes trying to find the correct combination before giving up.
You win the Commenter of the Day award that I just made up on the spot!
By
Psychobunny, at
December 02, 2006 7:10 PM
You wrote this just to analyze my reaction, didn't you? Well, of course, I have to answer your whining and snivelling!
1. All desktop Macs manufactured since September 2005 come with a two-button mouse called the Mighty Mouse. All notebook Macs manufactured since early 2005 have the ability perform the right click by placing two fingers on the trackpad, then clicking the button. Also, if you plug any two button mouse into a Mac, it just plain works. If it happens to not, visit System Preferences>Keyboard and Mouse to set it up.
2. Yes, it is called delete. Because it deletes things. There is another delete key on Apple Keyboards which does the forward delete, it resides to the left of end. On a notebook Mac, holding down the fn key and pressing delete will perform a forward delete.
3. As the first commenter said, this can be changed in the browser preferences.
4. Command Option Escape. This key combonation can actually be done with one hand! Unlike the unnantural and twisted interrupt function called Control Alt Delete.
5. You aren't supposed to pull your jump drive out whenever you want to on any computer. Windows has a Safely Remove Hardware thingy in the system tray when an external storage device is mounted. Actually utilizing this feature prevents data loss. You know, you really don't want to lose your precious research, or your portable version of Snood! And recycling viruses still gives you viruses. We throw crap out for good.
6. I think Windows has their X in the wrong corner. And to make sure you quit an application, hit Command Q. It's faster than moving the mouse to any corner of the screen.
7. The "Apple-and-whatever that freaky little thing is" is called Command. And Command X, C, or V is a lot easier on the old carpel tunnel than the gigantic stretch to Control.
Now, go apologize to the Mac and pet it nicely.
By
Anonymous, at
December 03, 2006 9:29 PM
Oh yes, to address the projecter issue from appropriately stressed, any projector works with a Mac as long as you have a trusty VGA adapter for your specific model of Mac. You can find them on Apple's Online Store. Most Macs come with them, however, I had to buy one for my macBook separately because Apple obviously couldn't afford to give me the $19 accessory with my $1,500 purchase.
By
Anonymous, at
December 03, 2006 9:34 PM
Well, *this* comment is going to be a fun one! I can just imagine the outrage you must have been feeling while you typed away. And ouch! My highly-accessorized desktop didn't cost $1500. And I don't have to drive to Large City to have work done on it.
Actually, I only made the image to test your reaction. The rest was just filler to explain it. :) And I did write "no offense" at the top. Ask my cousin, that means you can say anything you want after it! :D
I didn't say all Macs are demon spawn, just this particular one (in large part because I can't change any of the settings without her noticing). I shan't apologize to it, but I will apologize for generalizing to other, better Macs.
Now my counterpoints:
1. Dr. Candid Advice's Mac is old and has a one-button mouse. If it was my computer I would change it, but she likes it because she can use her left hand more easily.
2. Backspace deletes things to the left of the cursor. Delete, on the other hand, deletes things to the right of the cursor. Both are crucial buttons and you bet I'll be looking for that forward delete. But that still doesn't mean Backspace should be labeled Delete! That's just torture for the sake of torture. :)
3. I would kill to be allowed to change the browser preferences.
4. Control-Alt-Delete can be done with one hand too if you use the right-side Control and Alt keys.
5. My last jump drive decided one day that it never wanted to leave its warm, cozy nook in the USB port. Safely removing it was not an option. I'm so glad that one was stolen!
And Trash, at least as configured by Dr. CA, and much like my precious Recycle Bin, still holds the files. So not only are you not recycling, you're letting the trash lie around. :D
Oh, and viruses? If the intent is to do damage, of course you're going to write something that has a chance of hurting more than, what, 3%? of the market. Wait until people start switching, then we'll talk viruses.
6. Okay, this one is kind of weird. I see the button placement as being on a timeline. Minimize, Maximize, Quit. In that order. You wouldn't want to quit first. That wouldn't make any sense. Plus, I'm used to clicking on that corner to move windows around and I have to remind myself constantly not to do that.
7. If it's Command, it should be labeled Command and not Apple + Freaky Thing. And the left-side Control button is right there, no stretch at all.
By
Psychobunny, at
December 04, 2006 1:44 PM
Oh yes, to address the projecter issue from appropriately stressed, any projector works with a Mac as long as you have a trusty VGA adapter for your specific model of Mac.
That's what I hear - but the projector belongs to my department, and they don't have an adapter. I don't have an adapter because I, too, have a MacBook that didn't come with one. And I don't think I should have to purchase an adapter for my department -- especially considering what they pay me.
This is always the problem with having a Mac. People assume that I have Windows, and then I have to go out of my way to purchase my own software, etc. But I still wouldn't trade my MacBook for anything - I love it.
By
Di Di, at
December 04, 2006 9:53 PM
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