A Month with a Mac - Part II: The Mobile Experience
by Anand Lal Shimpi on January 24, 2005 12:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Mac
Security, Networking and Playing with Windows
One of OS X's strong points is in its security. No application can do anything to your system without you first typing in your administrator password. At the same time, OS X has some pretty impressive password management.OS X treats each user name/password combination that you have as a key, and where better to keep your keys than on a keychain - which is exactly what OS X refers to your collection of user names and passwords. Whenever you connect to a new resource that requires authentication, OS X asks you if you'd like to add the key (username/password combination) to your keychain. By doing so, it means that you'll never have to re-enter the information again.
The only issue I've had with this is that the keychain manager never seems to remem-ber my user name and password for connecting to Windows shares - which is extremely frustrating as my local lab file server is Windows based. Other than that one complaint, file sharing with my Windows PCs works just fine. I connect to the same wireless and wired networks as my PCs, I copy files from PCs to the Macs and vice versa without any problems at all - it's all pretty transparent.
Also remember that burned CDs and DVDs are usable on both platforms, so I can burn discs on the PowerBook and use them on a PC. The same applies to all other forms of removable storage, compact flash, USB sticks, etc. Printer sharing also works, but I've had some issues with certain printers not getting recognized. I can usually share printers on Macs with Windows machines, but I've had troubles doing the same in reverse in some cases. It could just be isolated to my few tests; I'm not calling them conclusive, just stating my experience.
Many people emailed me and asked me why I didn't comment on feeling more or less secure with OS X, given that there's really no spyware/malware out for the OS (aside for a couple of warez-related items out there). At the start, I hadn't really thought about it, but since then, I've had to deal with a number of friends and family members who have fallen victim to hordes of malicious software on their PCs, rendering them virtually useless. Although I'm not the type of user to go out and click on things that shouldn't be clicked on, there is a somewhat nice feeling of safety knowing that you don't have to deal with any of that. Now, I'm not going to somehow relate the lack of viruses/spyware/etc. to the stability or robustness of the OS, as I do believe that as solid of a foundation as OS X is built upon, if 90% of the computing population were using it, we'd be hearing more than just a handful of reports of "security" issues. That being said, for now, that's not a problem to worry about, so you can just accept the present term benefits of having a virusless platform without worrying about if it will stay that way indefinitely. To put it succinctly, yes, I do enjoy that fact.
There are, of course, security updates to OS X, which end up being the only times when I reboot the machines. OS X's software update is just like what I was used to under Windows, except it looked a lot better.
Since the Powerbook hadn't been turned on much less connected to the internet since it was built, there were a number of updates that I had to install. Software Update popped up and let me know what updates it found, as well as telling me which updates would require a computer restart, denoted by a little icon next to the item.
Interestingly enough, you also get BIOS updates through OS X's software update. I didn't have any BIOS updates on the PowerBook, but the first time that I fired up the G5, I was greeted with a BIOS update through OS X's software update.
Wireless Networking
There are two aspects of wireless networking support that I'd like to touch on with the PowerBook, one in which it does very well and the other in which it doesn't do as well. The bad news first: I wish I could say that the PowerBook had the best 802.11g reception out of any laptop that I'd ever used, especially considering its price. Unfortunately, I can't. While I wouldn't say its reception is the worst, it's definitely not the best. And the only way to truly characterize its reception quality is from directly comparing it to another laptop, which (in this case) happens to be the IBM ThinkPad X31. The ThinkPad X31 is known for having extremely good wireless reception, better than most notebooks, thanks to IBM's twin antennas in the bezel surrounding the X31's display. In the exact same position, on the exact same networks, when you're on the edge of wireless reception, the PowerBook will drop out well before the ThinkPad will. At reasonable distances, all is fine, but as soon as you really start pushing the limits, that's when it's frustrating that the one thing that the PowerBook doesn't do exceptionally well is survive on very low signal wireless networks. Again, I must stress that this isn't an issue unless you know that the signal strength of the network you're connecting to is low, but it's a bothersome issue nonetheless. Apple even includes an option for "Interference Robustness", which is supposed to improve your wireless connection when there are sources of interference nearby; however, that option doesn't help when the issue is a distance from your wireless access point.
The aspect of wireless networking that works quite well on the PowerBook isn't really due to the notebook itself, but, as you can probably guess, Mac OS X. The wireless networking UI is quite strong and very easy to use. I find that even with Windows XP Service Pack 2, the wireless network connection utility is sometimes at fault for not letting you connect to certain wireless networks. The OS X utility is fast, easy and I've never had it give me any issues while in the same situation when I've had issues using the Windows utility on the same network. Prior to Service Pack 2, this was much more of an issue and a reason to appreciate OS X, but even since its launch, the OS X utility is simply less prone to the sort of weird connection issues that I find occur with the Windows utility.
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jonmarsh - Thursday, November 3, 2005 - link
I just read this and several other Mac articles here last night. Funny thing is, several weeks ago when my "enterprise" HP laptop started flaking out on a business trip, I was at the point where I was considering buying a Mac Mini just to play with. This was after reading about the current state of Tiger and the platform in general.Instead, I ended up walking out of the store with a new 17" Powerbook, which is no heavier than my 15" HP, and infinitely more pleasurable to use, in so many ways. After loading Office for the Mac, iWorks, Deltagraph, Acrobat and Acrobat reader, and bringing my files over, I was ready for a subsequent three weeks of business travel, and haven't looked back since.
I'll need the HP to run some of my CAD software (schematics and PCB design), but I'm pretty sure now there will be a G5 dual processor system in my future running those apps under Virtual PC.
Perhaps some of the adoption process and uptake wouldn't have been as smooth with earlier versions of OSX, but some days I just wonder why I didn't do this sooner.
BTW, I've been using PCs since 1983, and building them since 1985, so it's not like I'm not quite immersed in that scene, especially due to the CAD work (electrical and mechanical) which I do. For now, I'm learning Ashlar Vellum Graphite, and thinking I should have done that long ago, too. (Adios, AutoCAD).
BTW, the 23" Ciinema display is great- not that my Samsung 213T is obsolete, but the integration factor for the Apple is a big plus. And this silly laptop DOES have dual DVI and can drive the 30" display, too. Hmmmm. ;^)
~Jon
Imaginer - Sunday, August 7, 2005 - link
"For example, if you have a file, drag it into an open Terminal window and the entire path to that file will be copied into the window for you. It actually makes interacting with the file system from the command prompt quite easy. "Windows command prompt allows this too
rhayes - Tuesday, July 26, 2005 - link
I bought a PowerBook 15" 1.5ghz about 4 months ago (my first Mac for all intents and purposes).As mostly a PC user (Windows + Linux), I agree with a lot of what Anand talks about in the article. I think most people coming from a Windows background could safely make a purchasing decision based on that article...
For the record, what really sold me on the Mac (particularly the PowerBook) was running into it EVERYWHERE at my last Java symposium: "No Fluff Just Stuff". As a Java developer, it just seemed liked the perfect package: a) no Windows in sight, b) UNIX on a notebook without having to install it myself, c) the best OS GUI on the market IMO.
The reservations about the 1 button mouse on the G4 are definitely understandable. But somehow (for whatever reason) it really doesn't bother me. However, when I'm at a client site and developing for long periods of time on the G4, I do carry a Bluetooth mouse with me. It's one button also :)
ginjin31 - Sunday, June 12, 2005 - link
wonderful job with all the articles related to this. i can't believe i read the whole thing. =Dthere's one thing that i haven't noticed though. you never mentioned the sleep freature in the Powerbook, where you never really have to turn off your laptop. so whenever you need to use it you just take it out open it and it's ready to go.
unlike PCs, you have to turn it off, standbye, or hibernate. waiting for the PC to boot takes a lot time, so a lot of time wasted before you can actually start working. i'm not really satisfied with the standby feature either. sometimes the PC just doesn't resume or i would get an error message. this happens more often and i would always end up rebooting the PC in the end.
this is my favorite feature on Macs, and i don't know if i missed it but i don't think you mentioned it at all in the article.
wonderful job overall Anand. i felt exactly the same way when i first got my Mac, being a diehard PC user myself.
Gooberslot - Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - link
#28, it works on Win98 too.mongo lloyd - Monday, February 21, 2005 - link
Sometimes, these article make me wonder if Anand is the kind of "die-hard PC user" as he claims. For example:"Unlike the Windows command prompt, Terminal actually interfaces quite well with the rest of OS X. For example, if you have a file, drag it into an open Terminal window and the entire path to that file will be copied into the window for you. It actually makes interacting with the file system from the command prompt quite easy."
As does CMD. As it's done for at least since Win2000. Possibly longer. There are lots of small things like these, bordering on being untrue statements, interspersed into these two Macintosh articles (which, admittedly, are good reads).
azkman - Sunday, February 6, 2005 - link
It looks like one of your dislikes with the G4 P'Book may have been partially addressed with the brand new lineup. Scolling and panning on the trackpad can be performed with two fingers. Besides, they're just plain faster and cheaper than before. BTW, great review!sluxx - Thursday, February 3, 2005 - link
Enjoyed the article very much.I'll also fifth SideTrack. For $15, you essentially get a new multi-function trackpad.
When you are typing, in the middle of a word, press alt+esc, you get a list of words that begins with what you've typed. Great for looking up words that you're not certain of the spellings. I imagine it works only for Cocoa apps and not Carbon apps.
A couple of other freewares that I find useful: Spirited Away that hides selected (you select) background apps after a specified amount of time, and Speed Freak, a GUI wrap of the "renice" unix command. It's especially useful for me on a G3 iBook, but can help making your front app snappier. You can search and find them at www.versiontracker.com.
My first time here, but looking forward to reading your other articles.
hindsight - Saturday, January 29, 2005 - link
A couple of PowerBook features not covered in the article but still worth mentioning:- Dual displays: an external monitor plugged into the PowerBook can either mirror the LCD screen or act as a second display and thus significantly increase the desktop real estate.
- Target Disk Mode: start the computer with the 'T' key held down and the computer behaves like an external FireWire drive. Very useful for transferring large amounts of data between machines quickly. (this works to all Macs)
bshell - Thursday, January 27, 2005 - link
Both Windows and Macintosh OS's try to "think for you", but there's a fundamental difference in how they do this. Windows *imposes* its monopolistic will all the time, making decisions that it decrees to be the way things should be done all the way from spelling and grammar to where files should be stored, to the web search results. It's very mercenary, patronizing, irritating, and annoying. Apple, on the other hand has a more philosopher-king style, making "kind suggestions" rather than decrees, and guessing what you want correctly, sensibly, and unobtrusively more of the time. Somehow the choices Apple makes feel much kinder than Windows and always make you go "Wow, thanks" instead of "Oh damn, leave me alone." This is pervasive.