being a mac in a windows world

BEING A MAC IN A WINDOWS WORLDHave all the capabilities of both operating systems — and get stuff done

WHAT YOU’LL EXPERIENCE TODAY

• You’ll get a brief history of war

• We’ll debunk some myths and misconceptions about Macs and Windows

• We’ll discuss ways to conquer the cross-platform barrier

• I’ll reveal ways to perform common Windows tasks, but in Mac OS X

• You should interject with comments or questions at any time, because I tend to blather too much

DON’T BLAME THE CAMPUS: BLAME APPLE

• 1980s: Apple was first with Mac OS (’84), Windows came second (’85)

• Microsoft pitched to businesses, Apple pitched to... nerds and fans

• Oh, and I guess newspapers, creative services, and graphic designers

• Businesses prospered with Microsoft’s business-oriented server software and clients

• Apple tanked until the iMac (and iPod) came out

• Thus, Microsoft had the world, and Apple was trying to win home consumers back

THE CIVIL COMPUTER RIGHTS MOVEMENT

• Long history of non-interoperabilitynon-in-ter-op-er-a-bil-i-ty: (adjective) 1. when Apple and Microsoft get in a fight, they break things for consumers 2. the degree to which things don’t work together

• Tiger, Leopard, and Snow Leopard (OS X 10.4, 10.5, 10.6) bring us closer to harmony, cooperation, integration, world peace

• Snow Leopard can log into Active Directory, connect to Windows file shares, even work with Microsoft Exchange right out of the box

WHAT MACS CAN DO (THAT YOU MAYBE DIDN’T KNOW THEY COULD DO)

• Boot up

• Connect to Missouri State’s Wi-Fi

• Print to Missouri State’s lab printers

• Access Magenta, BEAR1, CISLABS, etc.

• Run (some) Windows applications almost natively

• Run Windows, Linux

WHAT YOU THOUGHT WAS TRUE(DEBUNKING SOME MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS)

IF I MAKE THIS ON A MAC, I WON’T BE ABLE TO OPEN IT ON A WINDOWS PC.

• If the software is on both Mac and Windows, file formats work peacefully

• If the software is Mac-only (GarageBand, iMovie, etc), then the file is Mac-only

• Unless, of course, you export to MP3/AAC or QuickTime

• Common file formats are the same on both platforms, too

• TXT, RTF, JPEG, WAV, MP3, AVI, MOV, etc.

MACS & PCS ARE TOTALLY DIFFERENT, THUS I CAN’T NETWORK THEM TOGETHER.

• Left over from the ‘AppleTalk days’ where Macs had a different protocol

• Macs use the same connection protocols that Windows computers do

• Link Macs to Windows printers, share files between Mac/Windows computers

• Happy coexistence on home, work, public networks

MACS DON’T CRASH, EVER.

• Crash a lot less than their Windows-based counterparts, but they still crash

• Based on BSD code, a UNIX variant (been around for longer than Windows)

• Apple makes the OS and hand-picks the hardware it runs on

• Thus, drivers (common source of Windows crashes) are usually developed by Apple

• Crashes still happen; all hardware fails at some point

• Always back up your data, no matter what computer you’re on

MACS ARE FOR PEOPLE THAT DON’T KNOW HOW TO USE COMPUTERS.

• They sure can be, but doesn’t mean they’re made specifically for that demographic

• Great for the power user : get things done quickly with minimal effort

• Great for the über-nerd: UNIX 03 certified, full access to terminal/shell commands

• Used by IT professionals, web designers, faculty, students, and kindergartners alike

MACS HAVE AN ‘APPLE TAX.’WHY PAY MORE FOR A COMPUTER?

• Apple competes in the mid- to higher-end hardware market; no stripped-down low-cost model is available

• Mac mini cost difference is slight, if any

• Higher-end Mac Pro cost difference is surprising: usually much less expensive than a Dell with identical specs

• All Macs come with full-featured operating system; Microsoft charges way more for their highest-featured OS edition, the ‘ultimate’

• Total cost of ownership also much lower; also usually less extra ‘required’ software to buy

MACS CAN’T RIGHT-CLICK.

MACS CAN’T RIGHT-CLICK.

• Macs used to have one mouse button

• No longer true: desktop Macs come with the Magic Mouse which do left- and right-clicks

• Mac laptops have finger gesture right-clicks (two fingers on trackpad & click)

• Macs have always had ‘control-click’ contextual menu

THERE’S HARDLY ANY SOFTWARE AVAILABLE FOR MACS.

• Definitely not true: most common modern applications have Mac versions, or alternatives are available

• Microsoft Office, SPSS, Firefox, Adobe Creative Suite, Google Earth... way too many to numerate here

• Windows Media Center > Front Row

• Microsoft Visio > OmniGraffle

RUNNING WINDOWS ON YOUR MAC(HOW TO SETUP YOUR CROSS-PLATFORM COMPUTER)

VIRTUALIZATION

• Run Mac OS X, another ‘guest’ OS side-by-side

• More resource-intensive; requires lots of RAM (about 4GB for painless performance)

• VMware Fusion: 800-lbs gorilla of virtualization technologies

• Parallels Desktop: newcomer, also loaded with great features

• Sun VirtualBox: free, open-source virtualization; great on a tight wallet

WINE (WINDOWS EMULATION)

• Uses Windows APIs and patchwork to run applications ‘natively’ within OS X

• Many popular programs work with WINE

• Darwine for OS X is free WINE setup

• CrossOver is commercialized WINE, offers support for programs, games

BOOT CAMP

• Divide the hard drive, install Windows/Linux in its own partition

• Full-blown Windows installation; Apple supports this with its own drivers

• Easily switch between the two by rebooting

• Can’t have them both open at the same time

• Compatible with the most software

MULTI-OS MEDIATION(OR, HOW MAC & WINDOWS CAN GET ALONG)

CAMPUS RESOURCES: PRINTING

• Connecting to campus printers

• Script available at desk for Meyer printing

• Connects via SMB with user credentials:smb://user :pass@sgf/hippo.missouristate.edu/PRINT-QUEUE

CAMPUS RESOURCES: MAGENTA


• Connecting to Magenta web folders

• In Finder, choose Go > Connect to Server...




• Type in SMB path for Magentasmb://magenta.missouristate.edu/





• Punch in username/password, confirm, then choose “web”






• Works for most university file servers(CISLABS, BEAR1, etc)






• Works for most university file servers(CISLABS, BEAR1, etc)

• Shortcut to web folder :smb://magenta.missouristate.edu/web/k/kreeger545

CAMPUS RESOURCES: VPN

• Connecting to VPN in Snow Leopard is simple

• Open System Preferences > Network

• Add new network connection, VPN/Cisco IPSec

• Server address: 146.7.4.26

• Account name: private ID

• Authentication settings...

• Shared secret: missouristate

• Group name: MS

CAMPUS RESOURCES: VPN

• Without Snow Leopard, access Passport

• http://passport.missouristate.edu/

• Browser helps to install Cisco VPN application

• Asks for username/password, then uses Java to download and install app

http://passport.missouristate.edu

http://passport.missouristate.edu

CAMPUS RESOURCES: LIVE @ EDU

• Using Apple Mail

• Go to Mail > Preferences > Accounts

• Click + icon

• Fill out username, Live@EDU address, password

• Settings should match the right: username is [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

CAMPUS RESOURCES: LIVE @ EDU

• Using Apple Mail

• Outgoing mail server should be pod51000.outlook.com

• Make sure to use authentication; same settings as previous screen

• Continue, confirm, and you’re set

CAMPUS RESOURCES: EXCHANGE 2007(SNOW LEOPARD ONLY)

• Dead simple in Snow Leopard to setup

• In Apple Mail Preferences > Accounts

• Add new Exchange 2007 account

• Incoming mail server : bearmail.missouristate.edu

• Username: sgf\privateID

• Allows you to access Exchange calendars, global address book using iCal/Address Book

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS?CRIES OF IMPASSIONED OUTRAGE?

being a mac in a windows world

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