So I switched.  After working at Microsoft, and on the Windows Vista team, I switched from XP on my old machine straight to OS X, and escaped the Vista trainwreck all together.  Over the last two weeks, I have dumped my old Dell laptop, and moved to a 15″ Macbook Pro.  I’ve also moved from my Verizon 2000-era clamshell phone to the new 3G iPhone. (Which I will talk about in another post) This all cost well over $2500, and I have to admit, the high price tags heavily bias my opinions.  Rationalization is a strong force… but if you’re happy, who cares why, right?

The transition has not been easy.  Despite what everyone tells you about Mac’s being super intuitive with their glossy glass-button interface and all… I’ve been a Windows user my entire life, and some old habits die hard.  I could go on forever on this post, but let me break it down if I can.

What I like about the Macbook Pro and OS X (10.5.4)

• It just worked when I turned it on.  Installation (pretty much putting in your name and password) was a breeze.  It didn’t come loaded with 100 apps I will never use, and lots of shareware loaded on by the manufacturer.
• In general, it’s been reliable, and things have just worked.
• It’s got Unix built in!  Back to my days of Bash from college.   I always felt like the Cmd prompt on Windows was so hacky.  I feel like the Unix terminal is actually really useful.
• The hardware is supreme.  Bright screen, nice keyboard, the multi-touch mouse is fantastic.
• I like the fact that I can install and uninstall without worrying about piling up DLL crud that will slowly eat away at performance on my machine.  Hmm… sounds like windows.
• I never reboot.  WOW!  I can’t tell you how many months of my life I’ve spent looking at window boot screens.  I have yet to reboot my back, from what I can remember, and this is with all the installs that I’ve been going through as a new user.  Hell, I installed a virtual XP OS, and had to reboot IT within OS X a few times to get some simple things installed.
• Spaces works pretty damn well, and I like the transitions and multiple work spaces.
• Sleep-mode works!  Call it what you want; Sleep mode, Stand-by, Hibernation… Windows has tried calling it all of these things, and it still never does what you expect it to.  The Mac does.  You close it, open it…  it’s just there, right as you’d expect it to be.
• All my external hardware worked on the first try.  No digging into and trying to find drivers, etc.  Awesome.
• I installed VMware Fusion, and now have a Windows (XP Performance Edition, which is a hacked, stripped down version of XP) running inside my Mac OS X.  Sweet.  All the advantages of Windows apps, seemless and running natively on my Mac.
• People ignore this, but the fact that using it is pleasurable goes a long way towards me putting up with the snags.

Snags I’ve hit on the Mac
(100% of these are UI-related, and I’m hoping people get back to me on how to get around some of them)

• Installing apps.  So to install an app, it first shows it mounted as a drive, and then you have to drag the executable into ‘Applications’ in order to install it?   That was super confusing for a Windows user.
• Minimize/Maximize.  Ah yes, the much talked about maximize button which does not work as it does on windows.  So far, this was only a minor, minor snag, as I can resize the window the first time, and it remembers that size when I maximize it the next time.
• Overlapping windows.  I like that Windows puts all application windows within the App window.  Mac lets windows float around the desktop, which is annoying because it’s often not clear which app is in focus.   This is especially bad in an app like Photoshop, which has like 8 docked windows which I have to manage and move around separately, across my two screens.
• Switching between windows.  I used to use Alt-Tab all the time on Windows.   On the Mac, it’s Cmd-Tab, which I’ve gotten used to.  What I don’t like is that it’s Cmd-Tab to switch between Apps, but Ctrl-Tab to switch between windows within an app.  This sucks.  I have to think about what I’m really trying to go back to before hitting the shortcut.   Also, in Firefox, if you have multiple tabs open, Ctrl-Tab switches between them.  But what about switching to another Firefox window???  I’m still stuck on how to do this, and often end up with a second window (like pop-out window for an email I’m composing) being hidden, with no way to find it other than using the menu Window > Choose 2nd Firefox Window.  Horrible.
• Keyboard shortcuts in general.  Holy crap!  I have literally 6 pages (6 pages!) of shortcuts printed out, sitting on my desk right now.  That’s a hell of a learning curve.  And they are not intuitive either!  There is no consistent reason why one shortcut uses Cmd, another uses Ctrl, another uses Alt/Option.  This is horrible.   For example a common shortcut I used to use was for [Switch to old window, copy, switch back, paste].  On Windows, this was simple [Hold Ctrl, hit Tab to switch, C to copy, Tab to switch back, the V to paste].
  On the Mac, I have to do this awkward sequence of [Ctrl-Tab to switch (or Cmd-Tab if it's another app!), Cmd-C to copy, Another Ctrl-Tab or Cmd-Tab, then Cmd-V]   I usually get all confused, paste it in the wrong spot, then have to resort to using the mouse.
• Did I mention that Ctrl-Tab in Firefox is super sluggish?  I’ve run into a whole host of bugs in Firefox 3.0 on the Mac.  Sometimes, the Return button just stops working in the address bar and I can’t enter any URL’s manually.  WTF?  I have to close down the window and reopen a new one for it to start working again.  It’s enough to make me seriously contemplate switching fully over to Safari.  Plug-in’s be damned.
• Lack of Delete button.  This one’s also famous.  They have a ‘Eject’ button at the top right of the keyboard, but no Delete.  They have a Delete button, but it’s what Windows user call ‘Backspace.’   This is super frustrating, as to get a proper Delete (like to delete a file, or delete a line of text in front of the cursor) you have to hold down Function, which is in the opposite corner of the keyboard.  Talk about awkward!  That’s like reaching from Miami to Seattle!
• Navigation buttons.  Where are my home and end buttons?   I figured out that Ctrl-Down Arrow is Page down, but I used to like using end to copy stuff from my cursor to the end of the line.  Mac’s version is Cmd-Down or Up Arrow, which takes you to the end and beginning of the document.  How often is that useful?
• Single Menu Bar, even when I have dual screens.  You know that handy Menu bar that holds all that is near and dear to you about an application?   Well, if you’re running two screens (or more!) you can only have the menu bar show up on the primary screen.  This means that if you have a Firefox window running on your external monitor, you have to mouse all the way over to the primary screen to get at any of the menu items.  (or brave your way into the confusing world of Mac shortcuts).  I’ve solved this by putting my external screen above my laptop, so I’m equidistant to the Menu bar, it just lies below my external monitor, on the top of my laptop screen.
• Close an App versus close a Window.   Okay, so I figured out that the little bubble on bottom of the dock means that a application is running.  However, when I close out the last window of the application (like all the Firefox windows) why is Firefox still running?   Oh, you have to either right click on the app the dock to quit, or switch to the windowless app, notice that the menu bar changes, and use it to quit.   Yeah, that’s intuitive.

So why switch?  My Dell, after less than two years was overheating and spontaneously turning off, it’s DVD drive had stopped functioning nearly completely, and Windows was SO bogged down and slow, despite me staying on XP and installing more RAM. I overhauled the OS (delete, reinstall everything, start again) within the first year, and if I keep the machine now as a browser machine, I’ll have to do it again.  Windows. Dell. Fail.

You’ll notice that my gripes around the Mac are all about the User Interface.  These largely are because I’m used to doing things on Windows for the last 20 years.   Some I still believe are more efficient on Windows, but contrast that to my gripes around Windows/PC.  There it’s slow performance, having to constantly fix things, reboot the machine, fix it again, reinstall something, some driver doesn’t work, some device is failing, etc.   These are so much more annoying in my opinion.  I can get over most UI snags, and find ways to work around the ones I can’t.  However, the time I lose in fixing my Windows machine I never get back. (although it has, over the last decade, taught me a lot about how to fix Windows machines!).

So I’m happy, but officially the jury is still out.  I anticipate being much happier with this machine over the course of it’s 2 year lifespan (I replace my electronics around that often) than I was with my Dell, which I was happy with for about 4-6 months.   Due to rationalization, I should be happy with my Mac for at least twice that long, since I paid twice as much for it. 

My friend Trevin called me out very publicly on not updating my blog often enough (it’s true, I admit it), and named me in his “Swivel list of 3′s”, which from my understanding, is like a chain letter for people who read blogs.

Actually, it’s more interesting than that. Trevin picked out three people who he likes to read from all his usual RSS feeds, and then listed three people who he wants to pick out their favorite three. I was among them, and since then, I’ve had this silly assignment hanging over my head, and today I’ve decided to get rid of it by listing my swivel list of 3, and passing on this silliness to someone else and let them worry about it.

Rules:

1. Nominees have to nominate 3 blogs that they regularly read.
2. The nominated blogs cannot be strictly tech-focused; any other category is fair game. (e.g. You can’t nominate Tech Crunch or Engadget, but someones personal blog that occasionally talks about tech is allowed).
3. The nominated blogs cannot already be on the list.
4. Nominees nominate 3 other people to participate. To keep the close knit feel of this, the new nominator and nominee must have met in person.

I will say, I’m not a huge blog reader, as I am trying to cut down my Internet usage time (huge time black hole, with very little to show for it, usually.) However, there are a few blogs which I do enjoy.

1. The Dilbert Blog: Scott Adams, the genius behind Dilbert writes an intriguing blog that seems to have no boundaries in terms of subject. He always has a humorous angle, and he’s obviously a very smart, driven guy, which makes both his post topics and his perspectives very thought provoking. I should note you don’t have to be a huge Dilbert fan to enjoy the blog. I rarely read comics.
2. Steve Pavlina: Steve has created a personal development blog that is quite a phenomena. He has a HUGE dedicated readership, and has a massive amount of content on his site, on everything from time management to making money from your blog, which he does very well. Steve’s blog is his full-time job, and he makes a good living, and is very public about what he does and how he does it. Whether you agree with his perspectives or not, all his posts are well thought out.
3. The Four Hour Work Week: This is the blog of Tim Ferriss, which might be a stretch to make this list since I just started reading it. He is the author of a book by the same name, which has some interesting ideas about outsourcing, creating passive income, and travel. I particularly like his posts about travel.

And with no further ado, here are my nominees for friends who now are obligated to create their own swivel list of 3.

1. Fil Fortes – Fil is a good friend of mine who grew up in Indiana like I did, and eventually ended up at MS, and then quit, … like I did. He’s been blogging forever, and has recently been mostly about tech stuff. I greatly value Fil’s opinion, and would be interested in his top 3.
2. Niels Hoven – My former college roommate, and current roommate as well. He blogs often, and insists that he doesn’t read blogs, but I’m sure he’s doing something when he’s on his laptop at 2am.
3. Craig Fratrik – A good friend of mine from college, who always keeps in touch and sends me great articles. He reads a ton, and I think his top three would be interesting.

Without a question, my purchase of the year was the Vibram Five Finger Shoe.

At $70 a pop, it was a bit of a splurge for something that wasn’t even designed for what I wanted to use it for: running.

It’s turned out to be awesome. I was looking for a minimal running shoe for a long time, and even experimented with making my own. I baked my old running shoes until the glue fell apart and then tried to peel the cushioning off, layer by layer, and glue the rubber back to the foot casing. It worked horribly. Then I tried just running barefoot, which was good, but after not being able to do it during the winter, my feet would lose their callous (which is damn sexy, by the way), and I’d have to start all over again the next season.

Why do I want a minimal shoe? Well, I’ll leave that for another post, since the explanation is quite in depth. But suffice to say that the Vibram Five fingers has performed amazingly well. It’s like having a rubber glove on your foot, which simulates being barefoot, but still dulls out the real sharp stuff. It’s essentially a modern version of Mexican Huarache Sandal, which are used by the Tarahumara… a tribe known for their prowess at long distance running.
I use them as training tools, not full on running shoes. This means I put in just a few miles a week in them, in order to strengthen the small muscles in my feet, which makes me a more efficient runner and less injury prone.

I’ve also found them to be ideal for short hikes and scrambling up rocks etc. Recently, Vibram realized that people were using their shoes (originally meant for water sports like sailing) for all sorts of other activities, and have come out with other versions. I recently got my second pair, which are designed for running (they have a top strap, and no elastic band). These are comfortable, good for my feet, light and easy to pack. I’m pretty sure I’ll be keeping at least one pair of these around for quite some time to come.

**If you’re interested, I think some stores now carry the classic and the sprint versions (depicted above).  You can also order them like I did, directly from the site: www.vibramfivefingers.com.  I wear a mens 11.5 US, and ordered the M45 (European sizing).  They are fantastic about returns, if you have any problems at all.

Someone did a great job of marketing this book… which, after reading it, doesn’t surprise me at all. Keith probably knows all the right people that would put his book front and center at every major bookstore in the US. Even though I just read it, I’ve known about it since it came out. It was all over Barnes and Noble in 2005, when it came out, and even today, the cover really pops out at you.
The book focuses on the art of networking, and creating what Keith calls a “relationship based career.” Through this book, and a few other factors that have come up lately, I’ve realized that connecting with people may be the missing piece at this point of my entrepreneurial journey. It seems that when I reach out and meet people for lunch, or go out of my way to connect with old bosses, colleagues, and new friends, things start to happen. Opportunities open up, I get new ideas, I meet people who can help me, and it keeps me from stagnating.

The trap I’ve been following into, is that because I work for myself, I stay home behind my laptop all day. This can be productive, but it’s definitely not tapping into my strength as someone who connects people. In the last few weeks, I’ve noticed that

• I have both a friend a McKinsey who’s going into non-profit and another who is going to intern there and is interested in the same.
• I have a friend who is a local Louisville artist, and another who likes to buy art from young, local Louisville artists.
• I have a friend in NYC who works for the Daily show, and another who is in school at NYU for comedic writing, and looking for jobs.

In short, these people need to meet, and if I don’t make it happen, who will?

This book was great for showing you the importance in meeting people, and how specifically, to go about meeting the right ones. It was the right mix of specific advice, and background on why the advice is important. I’m definitely going to concentrate more on connecting with those around me… and being around those I want to connect with.