<p>I am so totally out of touch when it comes to Apple vs. pc; but...hasn't Apple changed quite a bit to the point where their interface looks very much like a windows one? If they are so similar, then the advantage that Apple has, or so I hear, is that they have access to far fewer viruses, etc.</p>
<p>"but...hasn't Apple changed quite a bit to the point where their interface looks very much like a windows one?"</p>
<p>Oh, oh, I can't stop laughing! Windows has become more like Apple, not the other way around. The whole reason that Windows exists is because of the <em>superior</em> Mac interface.</p>
<p>I use both platforms, although I use the Mac for my primary machine. Yes, certain things are different, but you can adjust fairly easily. The best thing about the Macs now is that they are essentially crash-free; if one program hangs, you don't have to restart the whole machine.</p>
<p>You will have to get used to slightly different procedures, but now that Windows is closer to the Mac, the differences are slight. It used to be much worse. For example, Windows has adopted the same shortcut key strokes as the Mac for cutting, pasting, and formatting. On the Mac, you can either close a program window OR quit the program, which skips the longer start-up process if you want to return to the program later. OS X has a wonderful "dock" program bar at the bottom of the screen that makes accessing your most used programs much quicker than on the PC. Plus, the organization on the Mac is much easier. All that "My Computer" crap left over from DOS days can be accessed much more quickly on the Mac. The windows themselves (a Xerox invention that Apple exploited decades before Microsoft did!) are much more clear and accessible on a Mac.</p>
<p>The previous Mac downsides have all but disappeared. I grade my students' papers on the Mac even though they are usually created on a Windows machine. No compatibility problems. There are a few weird things that happen when I transfer my Mac files via thumb drive to the Windows laptop, namely an extra file that seems to have no purpose. Also, if you are transferring Word files, you have to make sure you add the .doc extension (which you can set for the Mac to do automatically) or else it can only be read on a Mac. (A Mac does not need extensions; that's another holdover from DOS days.)</p>
<p>While Windows and Mac are getting closer and closer in terms of user interface, the Mac is still superior for most things. Some programs still exist without a Mac version, but that seems to be fading. Besides, certain programs such as iMovie are available only on the Mac.</p>
<p>These are great tips, thanks everyone!</p>
<p>BJM, as already pointed out, you have the polarity wrong with respect to the Apple/PC changes. We're bi-lingual in this house, some software that I need to use runs only on PC, but if I had my druthers as a student, it would be Mac all the way.</p>
<p>Yeah, sorry guys, but I have no idea about mac vs. pc. :) I didn't realize that windows followed the mac's interface. Oh well, no harm, no foul. Hope everyone got a good laugh at my expense. ;) Still, I have a question about the two computers, because if my D has pc at home, and then uses a mac at Smith, how could she transfer work or use same software if it's not totally compatible?</p>
<p>My daughter has a Mac and the household computer is a PC. We email MSOffice applications back and forth all the time and have no problem with doing that.</p>
<p>I transfer stuff from my computer to my daughter's Windows and to the Windows laptop and back to my Mac all the time.</p>
<p>The most invaluable device anyone can have beyond the computer itself is a USB Flash (or sometimes called "thumb") drive. You can transfer up to several GB of stuff, depending on the memory size of the drive, and carry it around in your pocket. Just plug it into another computer, and then drag the files from the flash drive onto the main computer.</p>
<p>Microsoft Word/Office is compatible with both platforms, as long as the Mac user saves with an extension. Microsoft Works is not compatible. Any pictures (jpg or gif files, for example) can be easily moved from one computer to another, and from one program to another. Likewise, PDF formats (hey - Macs can EASILY create PDF files) are universal.</p>
<p>If you don't have a flash drive, then email the files from one computer to the other. Or use a CD-ROM. They all work.</p>