From Windows to Linux to Mac

For over a decade I've used Windows. Then, sometime during junior and senior year of high school, I started using Linux - specifically, the Ubuntu 10.x distribution. Finally, the summer before I enter college, I made the long journey to Mac.

Why did I switch? What are my experiences and thoughts with each platform?

Initially, I needed a Unix-based machine for programming work - i.e. Linux or Mac. I thought going to Mac would be too large a jump, so I installed an Ubuntu distribution of Linux on an old Windows laptop. Experimenting with that and doing work on it for a good year was nice, but the laptop was just sooo old, and I eventually had the opportunity to get an entirely new laptop. After looking into Mac - particularly learning the keyboard shortcuts and philosophies behind it - I decided it was the right choice. I didn't want an unstable, "risky" machine like Linux, and I had since realized how unelegant Windows was. I got a Macbook, and I've never looked back since.

That's the quick synopsis. There are lots of miniscule details that played an enormous part with each system. Since Linux never really got a big hold, particularly because I felt there was just too much freedom with what you could do to it (so using it could be dangerous), I'll distinguish Windows and Mac.

1) Maximizing:

I used Windows ever since I was little - so that's for ~10 years. Its philosophy behind maximizing is simple: click the maximize button in the top right, and the window's widths and lengths stretch until they reach the edge of the screen.

Mac's philosophy is different. On computer screens, it actually looks ugly to maximize a window all the way as Windows does because more often than not, excessive white space shows, and the window consequently looks unappealing. So Mac toggles between two sizes: (1) the "best" size of the window to display as much of its content as possible, and (2) the smaller size so you may place other windows side-by-side. This actually makes more sense, and it makes the screen far more elegant to look at. For a more thorough explanation of this, check out http://www.forevergeek.com/2006/09/mac_vs_windows_its_all_about_the_maximize_button/.

2) Minimizing

Windows basically lets you store open windows at the bottom bar through minimizing. Alt + Tab lets you toggle between all active windows, regardless of whether the window is minimized or not.

Mac, en revanche, considers minimized windows as an isolated group. Once minimized, windows can not be switched to via Command + Tab (the Mac equivalent to Alt + Tab). Minimized windows on Mac are "stored away" - often so you can reopen them in different spaces or just deal with them later. Personally, I like to reactive minimized windows by doing the four-finger swipe down on the trackpad (or through whatever means to activate exposé) and then selecting the minimized window (it'll always be at the bottom, in the minimized windows section).

That said, Mac also provides the hide option, which hides all windows associated with the active program. So if you have various Google Chrome browsers open, Command + H will hide all of them. They don't appear in the minimized windows section, and activating exposé won't show them; they're hidden. To reactivate them, I just Command + Tab to the program. This hiding feature is nice when you just want to hide from your mind all windows related to an application without exiting the program.

3) Usage of clicking

Perhaps one of the biggest difficulties with switching from Windows to Mac was the difference in using clicking. In this post, I describe how I disliked the extent to which so many Mac users tediously used the mouse to navigate all the way to whatever they wanted to click when they could just use a shortcut to get there a million times faster.

First, I realize now it's not that bad to use the mouse like so; in fact, using the mouse for things actually helps users' stamina when using a computer. That might sound weird, but think about the times your hands get cramped from using Windows doing all this intense work for hours... if the mouse had been used, something comfortable albeit a bit slower, you'd be more relaxed. It really helps keep users in a calmer, more comfortable state while working on a computer. Second, if you check out the rest of that post, there are actually many, many shortcuts that you can set on Mac. It's just a matter of having the knowledge to use them.

4) Design

Undoubtedly, I find the Mac design more comfortable. In spite of nearly a decade's worth of using Windows, after barely half a season, I can feel the beauty of Mac each moment I use it. It helps me feel inspired and comfortable in doing my work. So there's a reason - a worthwhile reason - Mac is more expensive; it truly is far more elegant and user-friendly.

Specifically, let's break down the situation in which an application is active. On Windows, an active application is simply the window that it's in. You could have many Chrome applications open right at this moment. On Mac, when an application is active, you see its name in the menu bar at the top next to the Apple logo. On Mac, an application could be active and still have zero windows. This definitely changes things around a bit. On Windows, when you close the one Chrome window you have open, you are effectively exiting the Chrome application. Not so on Mac. The menu bar still shows Chrome. Command + q is necessary to exit the program. I, however, find it nice to leave an application active although no windows for it are open so you can quickly open a window when it's suddenly needed.

5) Resizing

One complaint some Windows - and sometimes Mac - users have when working on a Mac is the fact that you can only resize a window by clicking on the bottom right corner of it. I've thought about this, and indeed, some people definitely dislike this (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=203227). But let's pause for a second. Look closely at any window on a Mac, and you'll realize that it has shadows. It leaves shadows in the background, which is simple yet ingenious. Further, look at the edges. There's no thin border like there is on Windows. In sum, Mac sacrifices a little functionality for further elegance. Some might think it's not a worthy tradeoff; others, the contrary.

Alright. Pause. I guess you could still have the ability to drag windows from any side even with the kind of window design Macs have, but there's a silent benefit to lacking such functionality. I've noticed that on Mac, I spend time resizing / adjusting window sizes far less - partly because of the maximizing philosophy of Mac (see 1. Maximizing), and partly because of this only-the-bottom-right-corner thing. I think this is good - seriously. Users aren't as distracted or fidgety about adjusting window sizes, and productivity rises. I know, it may seem insignificant, but I really feel far more comfortable. I rarely ever feel the urge to resize a window now, and when I do, I pause and ask myself if I should bother going all the way to the bottom right corner and dragging or if things are elegant as is. Usually, it's the latter.

6) Folders, Applications

Apple likes to have a library of files all bunched together, put in one inexplicable but convenient file. This is true for iTunes (with its iTunes library) and iPhoto (with its Events). Windows users, including me previously, are probably more accustomed to complete control over files and their locations in folders. While you can do the same on Mac, albeit with slightly fewer common keyboard shortcuts (does anyone know how to cut and paste in Finder with keyboard shortcuts? Seriously.... do we really have to do stuff like this? http://lifehacker.com/5622046/cut-and-paste-files-in-os-xs-finder-with-automator-services), this other concept exists, and it took me a while to get used to: To add a file to iTunes, it must be in the iTunes library. Similarly, to add a file to iPhoto, it must be in Events.

Basically, the iTunes library and Events for iPhoto are like "general storage areas" that have to store everything before you can organize it or do whatever you want. Wrapping my head around this was odd as I came from a decade spent on Windows, but once I did, the whole deal with file management was much easier. I also find everything much more elegant.

So.

These are just a few highlights of the differences mixed with my thoughts on usage. I hope you find some of them beneficial.

If you have notions regarding Mac and Windows (or Linux), feel free to Leave a Comment Below :).