Moving to Mac OS X

I’ve been a long time Linux user. But recently I’ve started transitioning to the Mac OSX operating system mainly because I have to create mobile apps for the iPhone mobile platform. The move was actually smooth since Mac OSX is just another flavor of the Unix operating system. Most of the software I’ve been using on my Ubuntu computer actually runs on Mac OSX. I’ve decided to write a post about my fresh experiences as being a new Mac user.

The most obvious observation I have is that there is nothing like having an operating system optimized for a specific hardware (I remember the time I was using Solaris on a Sun Workstation only better in terms of user experience).

This is actually the first time I am seriously considering not using a mouse on a laptop thanks to the big, multi-touch pad on the macbook. It’s funny how touchpads can be as simple as a flat surface. I don’t even have to deal with a couple of trackpad buttons usually found on PC’s. A very good example of “keeping it simple”.

The other thing I love with my new Mac OSX notebook is not the OS itself but the 5-hour battery (Apple advertises it for 7 hours but I guess I’m more of a power user) before recharge. After using it for more than several times I actually couldn’t imagine why other computer hardware manufacturers could make notebooks with this much battery juice.

Of course having Mac OSX didn’t stop me from installing Ubuntu (and Windows). I need them to test some of the Web sites I am maintaining.

I was also able to connect the mobile phones I am currently using to Mac OSX. I’ve also been able to use my favorite stereo bluetooth headphones. I was also able to use my Huawei HSDPA USB dongle without an frills although I’ve been hearing that Mac OSX Snow Leopard users were having problems (I’m using Leopard as of now but thinking of upgrading).

There’s one thing that I actually find surprising after some research. In the Philippines, if you actually compare the price of a Mac notebook with a same spec’d notebook from another name brand manufacturer, it turns out that they are actually almost the same in cost. And in several instances, the Mac notebook is actually lower in price. I didn’t expect it actually! Maybe I’ll write a comparison later in a blog post to show them.

For now, I’m busy installing Mac OSX versions of the software I have been using on my older Ubuntu based notebook and just enjoying my new Mac notebook.