Monday, March 28, 2005
Cry Baby/Piece of My Heart
Earlier, I enthused about the absolutely rockin' performance by Melissa Etheridge and Joss Stone at this year's Grammy Awards. It was a motivating experience to see the video of the performance. Now, iTunes has released the single with proceeds going to two cancer research organizations. I strongly encourage you to purchase and download this song. Cry Baby / Piece of My Heart
Sunday, March 20, 2005
Harvard Student use Macs
An article in Harvard's The Crimson indicates that more Harvard students are turning to the Mac. As an Apple evangelist, I am heartened that the potential future leaders of organizations are becoming Mac devotees.
It has been my experience that many large companies, despite being Windows-based, have a small core of Mac users. If the Mac person is senior enough they can demand to be supported. In other cases if the user's department is a more right-brained (design, marketing, etc) sometimes they can requires Macs. Unfortunately, for all others using the Mac in a corporate environment is forbidden.
The article's interviewees indicates that the Mac can do everything the PC can. In one interpretation that is true. With Virtual PC, the Mac can run a Windows OS as a client application and run a lot of Windows software. In most cases this would include any application that would reasonably used in a corporate or school environment. In an alternate interpretation, the Mac can not natively run Windows applications for which there is no Mac Version. Three of the big ones are the Microsoft applications, Access, Project, and Visio. These three are commonly used in many businesses.
For a couple of years I have been the lone Mac user in businesses I consult with. While I much prefer the Mac and use it for the majority of my work, there are still some-client mandated applications that I need to run in Windows. I use a PC for these. I also use a PC (the client's) when doing work that absolutely must be ensured that works on a PC.
It has been my experience that many large companies, despite being Windows-based, have a small core of Mac users. If the Mac person is senior enough they can demand to be supported. In other cases if the user's department is a more right-brained (design, marketing, etc) sometimes they can requires Macs. Unfortunately, for all others using the Mac in a corporate environment is forbidden.
The article's interviewees indicates that the Mac can do everything the PC can. In one interpretation that is true. With Virtual PC, the Mac can run a Windows OS as a client application and run a lot of Windows software. In most cases this would include any application that would reasonably used in a corporate or school environment. In an alternate interpretation, the Mac can not natively run Windows applications for which there is no Mac Version. Three of the big ones are the Microsoft applications, Access, Project, and Visio. These three are commonly used in many businesses.
For a couple of years I have been the lone Mac user in businesses I consult with. While I much prefer the Mac and use it for the majority of my work, there are still some-client mandated applications that I need to run in Windows. I use a PC for these. I also use a PC (the client's) when doing work that absolutely must be ensured that works on a PC.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
MS Project
I recently loaded MS Project on my Virtual PC windows application (VPC) on my Mac. This leads to a good topic for an entry.
Installation Experience
Once again the experience of installing Windows applications compares poorly to installing a Mac program. Installing the application was mostly inserting the CD and pressing the appropriate buttons in the installation screens. The installation was slow and required a reboot of the computer (VPC instance, not the Mac). in the Mac world the majority of programs are one package. All you have to do is drag it to your desired folder. Generally this is to the Applications folder. But in the end, MS Project loaded in VPC just fine.
MS Project
MS Project is a great example of the usefulness of VPC on the Mac. In some cases it though it illustrates why some people are better suited using a PC. In the corporate world, MS Project dominates the project management software market. While not everyone uses it, it is highly likely if you work in any kind of management project you will be using MS Project. Unlike the general Office applications, Microsoft does not offer Project for the Mac. Unlike some application if your are working with others on a MS Project file you must be 100% compatible. This means you will be using MS Project. In addition I have found no project management application for the Mac nearly as capable. I will note that I have used a Mac application called Steelray Viewer that does a wonderful job of displaying MS project files. Unfortunately the program does not allow you to edit the project file.
Usage
I use the same setup of MS Project on Windows 2000 in VPC on my Mac and on a regular Dell Windows PC. The application seems to work about with the same speed and efficiency on either machines. I have worked back and forth on the same file on both a Mac and a PC with no problems.
In general MS Project is not very resource intensive and works fine in VPC on the Mac.
Notes on VPC (from using MS Project)
1. MS Project is an example of a program that makes good use of a Mac PowerBook's wide screen.
2. Virtual PC has "full screen" mode. In this mode, the VPC window takes the whole screen (hiding the VPC's Mac menu bar and the dock). With the exception of the different keyboard you can not tell you are using a regular PC. Full screen mode works very well.
3. While you can do everything with the Mac keyboard, it takes a mental switch for some keys. For example, Windows copy, cut, and paste command are Ctrl-C, Ctrl-X, and Ctrl-V. The equivalent Mac commands are Cmd-C, Cmd-X, and Cmd-V. Slightly confusing is that the Mac copy commands work in VPC. This means you are copying text with the Mac. While it works well for text movement, it does not have the same meaning when selecting other objects like cells. I use and recommend using the Ctrl commands when in a Windows app.
4. Printing illustrates a couple of points. First you can successfully print out of MS Project running in VPC. But the process shows how clunky Windows printing is. You must have the appropriate driver, etc. On a Mac, printing from applications use a common, easy to use dialog. VPC also expects that the device you are using to be hooked up when you start your VPC session. Regular Mac OS X is truly "plug in play". When traveling I only hook up my portable printer when I want to print something. This consists of hooking the USB cable up to my Mac and printing.
Final Observations
MS Project running on VPC is a good solution if you have occasional need to use MS Project. The experience in full screen mode is very like using a a regular PC. The one exception is the keyboard. Switching back and forth between Mac and PC applications generally ends up with a couple of missed strokes (mostly when copying something). Not a big problem.
While i have been very pleased with the compatibility between Office 2004 applications (MS Word, MS Excel , and MS Project) my MS Project use has illustrated at least one difference. With my clients it is becoming increasingly common for files (generally Word docs) to be transferred with embedded files (Excel docs or Project docs). While this works fine with Excel you can not insert a MS Project file into a Word document in Word 2004 for the Mac. Fortunately for me I have a copy of Office 2000 installed in VPC. Once a file is inserted in the Word doc you can manipulate the rest of the doc with Word 2004 for the Mac. Since MS Project does not exist on the Mac you would not be able to read it or manipulate it on the Mac side anyway.
As noted before, I only use my VPC for certain situations. These situations include: Running MS Access. Compatibility testing. Running MS Project. Generally when do this I only run one or two Windows apps at time. But, I will have many Mac apps running at the same time. This works fine. If you feel that you would need to run several PC application in VPC at one time you may be better served with a PC.
Finally, my project management software needs are relatively small. If I used MS Project for several hours a day I would use a real Windows PC.
Installation Experience
Once again the experience of installing Windows applications compares poorly to installing a Mac program. Installing the application was mostly inserting the CD and pressing the appropriate buttons in the installation screens. The installation was slow and required a reboot of the computer (VPC instance, not the Mac). in the Mac world the majority of programs are one package. All you have to do is drag it to your desired folder. Generally this is to the Applications folder. But in the end, MS Project loaded in VPC just fine.
MS Project
MS Project is a great example of the usefulness of VPC on the Mac. In some cases it though it illustrates why some people are better suited using a PC. In the corporate world, MS Project dominates the project management software market. While not everyone uses it, it is highly likely if you work in any kind of management project you will be using MS Project. Unlike the general Office applications, Microsoft does not offer Project for the Mac. Unlike some application if your are working with others on a MS Project file you must be 100% compatible. This means you will be using MS Project. In addition I have found no project management application for the Mac nearly as capable. I will note that I have used a Mac application called Steelray Viewer that does a wonderful job of displaying MS project files. Unfortunately the program does not allow you to edit the project file.
Usage
I use the same setup of MS Project on Windows 2000 in VPC on my Mac and on a regular Dell Windows PC. The application seems to work about with the same speed and efficiency on either machines. I have worked back and forth on the same file on both a Mac and a PC with no problems.
In general MS Project is not very resource intensive and works fine in VPC on the Mac.
Notes on VPC (from using MS Project)
1. MS Project is an example of a program that makes good use of a Mac PowerBook's wide screen.
2. Virtual PC has "full screen" mode. In this mode, the VPC window takes the whole screen (hiding the VPC's Mac menu bar and the dock). With the exception of the different keyboard you can not tell you are using a regular PC. Full screen mode works very well.
3. While you can do everything with the Mac keyboard, it takes a mental switch for some keys. For example, Windows copy, cut, and paste command are Ctrl-C, Ctrl-X, and Ctrl-V. The equivalent Mac commands are Cmd-C, Cmd-X, and Cmd-V. Slightly confusing is that the Mac copy commands work in VPC. This means you are copying text with the Mac. While it works well for text movement, it does not have the same meaning when selecting other objects like cells. I use and recommend using the Ctrl commands when in a Windows app.
4. Printing illustrates a couple of points. First you can successfully print out of MS Project running in VPC. But the process shows how clunky Windows printing is. You must have the appropriate driver, etc. On a Mac, printing from applications use a common, easy to use dialog. VPC also expects that the device you are using to be hooked up when you start your VPC session. Regular Mac OS X is truly "plug in play". When traveling I only hook up my portable printer when I want to print something. This consists of hooking the USB cable up to my Mac and printing.
Final Observations
MS Project running on VPC is a good solution if you have occasional need to use MS Project. The experience in full screen mode is very like using a a regular PC. The one exception is the keyboard. Switching back and forth between Mac and PC applications generally ends up with a couple of missed strokes (mostly when copying something). Not a big problem.
While i have been very pleased with the compatibility between Office 2004 applications (MS Word, MS Excel , and MS Project) my MS Project use has illustrated at least one difference. With my clients it is becoming increasingly common for files (generally Word docs) to be transferred with embedded files (Excel docs or Project docs). While this works fine with Excel you can not insert a MS Project file into a Word document in Word 2004 for the Mac. Fortunately for me I have a copy of Office 2000 installed in VPC. Once a file is inserted in the Word doc you can manipulate the rest of the doc with Word 2004 for the Mac. Since MS Project does not exist on the Mac you would not be able to read it or manipulate it on the Mac side anyway.
As noted before, I only use my VPC for certain situations. These situations include: Running MS Access. Compatibility testing. Running MS Project. Generally when do this I only run one or two Windows apps at time. But, I will have many Mac apps running at the same time. This works fine. If you feel that you would need to run several PC application in VPC at one time you may be better served with a PC.
Finally, my project management software needs are relatively small. If I used MS Project for several hours a day I would use a real Windows PC.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Apple Pages vs. Microsoft Word - Example
Periodically since it's release I have commented about about Apple word processing application named Pages. Recently I use a page-layout opportunity to make the same document in both Pages and MS Word. This was an excellent opportunity to illustrate some of the pros and cons of the Pages program.
The document that I created was a simple birthday card. I have used the same overall process many times in the past. First I insert a table. This allows me to control the exact placement of graphics and text. The document has two pages, the first page is the front of the card. The second page is the back of the document. I simply print the first page. I then flip the paper over in the printer and then print the second page. I cut the letter side paper as appropriate and i have my custom card. The typical card has a large picture on the front with some text. The inside has text and occasionally a graphic. If you draw a table with four quadrants, you can easily see that the printed parts should go in the bottom right quadrant.
In Pages, the process proved to be much more cumbersome than I expected. Two significant limitations became apparent. First when you add a pirture (i.e. a .jpg image) to a table cell it becomes the entire cells background. You are very limited in how much manipulation you can do on the image. Second, Pages does not allow you to insert a table within another table. Sometimes for more control of placement I will insert a table in the bottom right quadrant of my overall table.
MS Word in contrast, offers almost unlimited control of tables and images. I can easily manipulate (size, rotate, skew, etc.) the image even when it is in a table cell. And I can have tables inside another tables cells.
For this example, Word wins hands down. Neither program is particularly easy to use in this example. But Word is an effective and usable solution. Pages is not. For my last card I eventually abandoned my attempts in Pages. For this this specific card, I wanted my picture images and text rotated (imagine a birthday card you open bottom to top versus a card you open like a book). Pages demos pretty but seems to lack the power expected in a top class word processing/layout application.
The document that I created was a simple birthday card. I have used the same overall process many times in the past. First I insert a table. This allows me to control the exact placement of graphics and text. The document has two pages, the first page is the front of the card. The second page is the back of the document. I simply print the first page. I then flip the paper over in the printer and then print the second page. I cut the letter side paper as appropriate and i have my custom card. The typical card has a large picture on the front with some text. The inside has text and occasionally a graphic. If you draw a table with four quadrants, you can easily see that the printed parts should go in the bottom right quadrant.
In Pages, the process proved to be much more cumbersome than I expected. Two significant limitations became apparent. First when you add a pirture (i.e. a .jpg image) to a table cell it becomes the entire cells background. You are very limited in how much manipulation you can do on the image. Second, Pages does not allow you to insert a table within another table. Sometimes for more control of placement I will insert a table in the bottom right quadrant of my overall table.
MS Word in contrast, offers almost unlimited control of tables and images. I can easily manipulate (size, rotate, skew, etc.) the image even when it is in a table cell. And I can have tables inside another tables cells.
For this example, Word wins hands down. Neither program is particularly easy to use in this example. But Word is an effective and usable solution. Pages is not. For my last card I eventually abandoned my attempts in Pages. For this this specific card, I wanted my picture images and text rotated (imagine a birthday card you open bottom to top versus a card you open like a book). Pages demos pretty but seems to lack the power expected in a top class word processing/layout application.
