Windows Only

[vipervin]

What kind of apps are you running? Maybe we can suggest OS X-based alternatives? Have you considered running your Windows-based apps in Parallels? I mean, considering the limitations of the Mac keyboard and single mouse button, it would seem to me to be a giant pain to use a Macbook to run Windows just for the sheer asethetics of the MacBook itself.

Personally, if I could run OS X on something other than Apple hardware, I probably would have gone that route. Sure, my MBP looks pretty, but I think form should always follow function - and in that regard, the Apple hardware is lacking (IMO).

Both the keyboard and regular (2-button) mouse work fine with Boot Camp. I have used Parallels where XP would run fine, but then OS X begins really lag. Regardless, I always found myself using the Windows side of things.

Apps that do not even work in OS X:
Virtual DJ (I am a DJ)
MixMeister (same as above)
OrCAD PSpice (for circuit design)
ActiveSync (to sync with my Treo)
Winamp (obviously since it has Win in the name, but haven't switched to iTunes because of a few things I do not like)

Apps that do not work well in OS X:
Word, Excel, Outlook (I know there are open source alternatives, but I am used to the suite and I paid for it, so I want to use it)
Firefox (slower than when running in XP and I just don't like Safari)
Photoshop and Acrobat (both way quicker in XP)

Those are just a few apps I can name off the top of my head. I also have a 250 GB external formated as a NTFS partition with most of it filled with music and media. Converting it to a HFS+ format is not even an option.

I am aware of the third party tools or apps to fix most of my above problems, but either I do not want to pay for it, they do not work well, or I don't want to deal with it. :tusks:

 

[D3v1L80Y]

Apps that do not work well in OS X:
Word, Excel, Outlook (I know there are open source alternatives, but I am used to the suite and I paid for it, so I want to use it)
Firefox (slower than when running in XP and I just don't like Safari)
Photoshop and Acrobat (both way quicker in XP)

Okay, I have to take issue with this.
Word and Excel work exactly the same, as there is a Mac version of Office.
As does Firefox, sam browser, different platform.

I especially have an issue with your comment regarding Photoshop.
Adobe Photoshop was initially developed for Macs only (same goes for Acrobat, BTW). It didn't even see a version for Windows until 4 years after the application was first released. Adobe has had a long-standing relationship with Apple for the past 20 years.
Of course it runs fine on Macs and yes, it does run fast on a Mac. It isn't quicker in XP by any means. If anything it runs the same. I have a Windows XP machine with PS on it and I use it on my Mac. I have never seen any discernable difference in the two platforms, and I use the app every single day.

 

[vipervin]

Okay, I have to take issue with this.
Word and Excel work exactly the same, as there is a Mac version of Office.
As does Firefox, sam browser, different platform.

I especially have an issue with your comment regarding Photoshop.
Adobe Photoshop was initially developed for Macs only (same goes for Acrobat, BTW). It didn't even see a version for Windows until 4 years after the application was first released. Adobe has had a long-standing relationship with Apple for the past 20 years.
Of course it runs fine on Macs and yes, it does run fast on a Mac. It isn't quicker in XP by any means. If anything it runs the same. I have a Windows XP machine with PS on it and I use it on my Mac. I have never seen any discernable difference in the two platforms, and I use the app every single day.

I am using the Mac version of Office; however, since it is complied for PowerPC, Rosetta slows down the operation. I did not say it does not work, I said it just does not work well.

Firefox takes almost 4-5 seconds longer to load up than when in XP. This was on a clean install. In application performance is pretty much same.

Again on a clean install, Photoshop takes much longer to load compared to XP. Even though you may not, but in the application, I do see a noticeable difference in performance.

 

[dtravis7]

If I was you I would sell that black Macbook and get a PC. Sorry if this bothers anyone. I would say that to my closest friend if they told me what you just typed here.

Loading time of a few more seconds means nothing to me. It's performance once inside the app. Photoshop's SLOWNESS is ADOBES fault. Not Apples. CS3 will take care of that and will be out soon.

Office works fine though. Loads a bit slower but performance is fine.

 

[unplugged]

Erase your hard drive, re-install the Mac OS X w/ no other additional software, printer drivers, or languages.

Once installed, go into your applications folder and drag things like calculator, iTunes, quicktime, etc.. anything that you can delete that is not needed to boot. Your install should be a lot less than 30GB, maybe 5GB. Then install bootcamp/Windows and enjoy using Windows on a Mac.

 

[Kash]

Whoa dude, how are you getting a 30GB base install of OS X? No way does a fresh install take up that much space.