PC to Mac to PC to Mac again

Back in my college days, anyone outside of Computer Science or Engineering was either using Microsoft Windows 3.11 or Mac OS System 7. Neither could handle multi-tasking very well and Linux was around but graphically it was not aesthetically pleasing. I found an amazing OS: NeXT and I used it any chance I got. I'd open one window for programming, one window for compiling, one for downloading music from bulleting board systems (hey, I could barely pay for lunch much less expensive CDs of music), a few for talk (precursor to IM) and multiple windows for editing input files, running the compiled programs and just for kicks, a gopher window for research (http browsers were in their infancy). People around me were wowed by all this multi-tasking and wondered how I did it all. I've always been one of those people that uses their computer to the max of its abilities and overload it with multiple tasks because when it comes to computers, I'm impatient. When the Powerbook G4 Titanium and OS X were released, they had that WOW factor I had been searching for since I left college and could not use a $25,000 computer running an OS only available on that hardware platform. OS X has its roots in NeXT so clearly there was some form of nostalgia that caught me as soon as I saw it. So in 2003 after wrestling with how I could part with $2400 for an Apple laptop when I could get a comparable Intel-based one for much, much less, I took the plunge with the latest Steve Jobs item to drool for: the G4 aluminum. It was shweet! But my excitement was short-lived.

NeXT Step Having no steady full-time job back then, I depended on web design and programming sites in PHP to pay the bills. Nobody was looking for a mid-level operations manager who could manage servers, switches, telco lines and people so I had to do something! My programs of choice were Macromedia DreamWeaver and PHPEdit. The former was available for OS X, the latter only as a windows program. I was bummed I couldn't use PHPEdit but at least DreamWeaver was available and I plopped down the $120 to get me designing on my shiny new laptop. Thus ended my short lived love-affair with OS X. DreamWeaver had some serious problems displaying fonts in 'design' mode but it only happened to some people on some laptops. I contacted Macromedia about it and their support team said they didn't know how to fix the problem, nor were they planning on assigning resources to try and fix it. I tried to get Apple to send me a new laptop but they said it was a software problem and it had nothing to do with the hardware even though I tried to convince them that since it only happens on some laptops, it must be a hardware problem. They didn't bite. I wonder why?!? I had no choice but to CraigsList it and purchase another intel-based win laptop that my wife later inherited from me and continued to use a windoze base laptop when I finally got a full-time job later on. I had previously convinced my wife to make the switch because my old apple replacement win laptop was finally dying. She wasn't too keen on the idea because she's not the computer wizard I am but since it was a gift from me, she couldn't really say no. She hated it in the beginning because everything was different but after a few weeks of showing her how to do things on the Mac, she loved it. This time, I spent a few months downloading trial versions of all the software I thought I would need to make sure I could switch with a minimum amount of hassle. Late last year when I started at a new position at a new company, I decided it was time to try again. There are some things I miss on the PC and I'll probably write about them late on but I haven't looked back.