Apple Macintosh Users
J. How Fast Can You Get Up to Speed?
A. Business Teams
This page is written for Macintosh users who want to work with us. The first question you are probably asking is, “I know that Juris Informatica is a Windows shop, but do I need to run Windows?” The answer is: yes, yes, a thousand times yes. At JI, we work in teams. The Macintosh is an OK computer for personal use, but it is a terrible computer for business teams. If you are running a team, you have to worry not only about the desktop, but also the server: the file server, the database server, the Web server, the e-mail server. On the server side, the Mac is seriously deficient, Apple does not even pretend to offer business solutions.
There are several reasons why the Mac is not a good choice for business users:
- Microsoft Outlook is not available for the Mac. The replacement Microsoft offers, Entourage, does not work well with the standard corporate e-mail server, Microsoft Exchange Server.
- The Mac does not connect well to a file server such as Microsoft Windows Server.
- The best file manager, Directory Opus, is not available for the Mac.
- Even if you will not be writing computer programs, you will be running computer programs we write. Typically we use Microsoft Visual Basic.Net, and very little of the .Net platform is available for the Mac.
InfoWorld has a good overview of Mac’s unsuitability for businesses. We could go on and on, but you get the idea. If you are a business user, and you work in teams, you should be running Windows on the desktop. It is not an issue on which reasonable men can differ.
B. Purchasing a PC
The best thing to do would be to purchase a PC. They are so cheap nowadays, and the incremental cost of doing so after you purchase Parallels and Windows Seven will not be that much. This way, you will have a second computer.
If you are purchasing a PC, we recommend:
- If you do not need portability, then purchase a desktop, they are less expensive.
- For desktops, we recommend a tower configuration.
- Get a minimum of 4 gigabytes of RAM. 8 GB would be better.
- Get at least 1 terabyte of hard disk storage.
- We have had excellent experiences in purchasing Dell computers.
C. Parallels
If you are not willing to purchase a PC, you will need a program to run Windows on your Mac. Apple offers Boot Camp, but the problem with Boot Camp is that you have to reboot your computer to run Windows. This is totally totally unacceptable, you will need be able to run the Mac operating system and Windows simultaneously. There are two programs to do this: VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop for Mac. friend of ours had a really bad experience with VMware Fusion so we recommend Parallels. Here are two reviews of Parallels:
Parallels is what you want. Buy it today.
D. Windows Seven
Once you install Parallels, you will need to purchase and install a copy of Windows Seven, Microsoft’s most current operating system. You will want either the Professional edition or the Ultimate edition. Do not purchase Home Premium edition, as it does not connect well with our server.
E. Windows 7 Bible
If you are new to Windows Seven, or Windows in general, you should purchase Windows 7 Bible by Jim Boyce. Windows is a very different operating system than OS X and there is a lot to learn. Please order this book today.
F. Microsoft Office
We have written a page on Microsoft Office, which you should read carefully. You should either purchase Office 2007 (there is a free 60 day evaluation copy) or download the beta version of Office 2010. You obviously need to obtain the Windows version of Office, not the Macintosh version of Office.
G. PC Connection
For purchasing software, we recommend PC Connection.
H. Apple’s Genius Bar
Apple is not all bad. One of Apple’s greatest ideas are the Genius Bars, where you can get excellent technical support at Apple’s retail stores. If you are comfortable installing Parallels, Windows Seven and Office yourself, do so, but otherwise purchase this software and then have one of the geniuses install it for you. (We do not know if you can purchase these programs at an Apple store.)
I. Web Designers
In general, we think it is really dumb to have purchased a Mac. The one exception is if you are a Web designer. Many Web designers have told us that the Mac is simply better for Web design.
J. How Fast Can You Get Up to Speed?
As we note throughout our Web site, we are exceptionally advanced users of computers, and we expect a certain level of computer aptitude among those we work with. If you’re a Mac user with no PC experience, you are facing a steep learning curve: installing Parallels and Windows, learning Windows, learning Microsoft Access and Outlook. Ask yourself how realistic it is that you will be able to get up to speed in a reasonable amount of time, since you are starting with some serious handicaps. How good are you with computers? How quickly can you learn? How much time can you invest in the next 3 and 6 months? How motivated are you to improve your computer skills? How interested are in you in Juris Informatica?
