Macs and publishing
Nathan:
I do all of my work on a Mac.
I use Indesign and Photoshop a lot.
But lately, I've begun to use smaller tools that I like. Mellel is a great Mac only word processor that is getting better in the graphic design department, though it is really good at laying out simple books. There are lots of other software pieces out there that could be useful without spending the money on the Adobe suite. Pixelmator is an affordable Photoshop-lite alternative. And then you can always get a copy of iWork, which includes Pages, a solid program for doing some layout stuff/word processing and what not.
Sharing files between PCs is no longer an issue, except if it is a Mac only program or PC only feature (like VisualBasic code, etc).
And if you aren't sure about it, you can always look around for a used Mac at an affordable price, even an old machine like a G4 Powermac - plenty powerful enough for most desktop publishing.
Jasper Flick:
Hi Seamus,
:) You might be about to make the most productivity-boosting and stress-relieving choice of your life. Haha! But, as with all changes, it needs some getting used to, and it isn't perfect.
- Microsoft Office is available for OS X, if you're married to it. A free alternative is OpenOffice (NeoOffice is a native port for OS X). But check out iWork too.
- InDesign is available for OS X. I don't know if there's a discount for "upgrading" to an OS X version. If not, you'll have to buy it again, which sucks.
- Internet Explorer isn't an option for OS X, but I would suggest you use another browser anyway. Consider using Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, and of course Safari.
- Don't ever run antivirus or antispyware software on OS X. It's useless and can only screw up your system. Do not trust the antivirus companies on this issue.
- OS X comes with Time Machine, a backup mechanism that simply works. If you combine it with a remote HD, like a Time Capsule, you need not worry about losing files ever again, even if your Mac's HD fails.
Now, to wipe all your fears away in one fell swoop: You can install Windows on a Mac. That's right, you can put Windows on an Intel Mac, as a dual boot option. There's also software available that lets you run a Windows environment inside OS X, obviating the need for a reboot.
I confess this was the fact that pulled me across the line and made me go Mac years ago, a safety-net if you will. But I actually never installed Windows on my Mac.
From personal experience I can tell you that "If you go Mac, you won't go back." isn't just hot air.
Do peruse the Apple Mac website. It's not just bling, it has useful info too.
Trevis Martin:
Quote from: Seamus on October 02, 2009, 07:05:53 PM
I am just worried about art files and word docs sent from people using PCs. For example, if someone has microsoft word, and sends me a marked up document, will I be able to open it on a mac without a problem.
I have a pc laptop and I work with pc's at my job. My main machine at home is a PowerMac G5. I've never had any problems opening word files, nor have I had any complaints about word files I've sent. I have both Microsoft Word and OpenOffice (the NeoOffice version for mac) installed as well as the iWork suite. I send and use files between my pc laptop and my mac all the time with no problems.
I've never had any problems with any adobe generated files (Photoshop, Illustrator and Indesign.) either giving or receiving.
In my experience most of the claims of mac/pc incompatibility with files are outdated. They come from a time when the Mac was running a very different OS. Plus, as others here have noted, you can now dual boot your Mac to run windows as well, so if you do run into such problems you can boot into Windows to handle them.
Good luck. I hope you like it.
Seamus:
Thanks. I found all these comments helpful.
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