windows on mac

[William Smith]

Hi! TIm really new on with the mac os. I would like tobuy a powebook g4 and
I heard that you can install a microsoft word, excel and powerpoint. My
question is, is it the same with the microsoft windows? because im rally
used to using that kind. Thanks!

Hi Jim!

This is a really tough question right now. Here's why...

Since Apple's introduction of Intel processors in their computers in
January 2006 (including the MacBook Pro that shipped in February) the
possibility to run Windows on a Mac has opened up. And indeed within
just the past few weeks and especially just this week, different groups
have developed methods for running Windows on Macs. This includes Apple
itself <http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp>.

The reason it's difficult to answer your question is that all of this
technology, which wasn't possible for more than 20 years in the life of
Macintosh, is now suddenly available but it's in very very infantile
stages.

You have several choices now, of which only a few are supported, and in
the coming months you will have more choices for running Windows on a
Mac. I can only recommend supported solutions for you but I will also
tell you what to look for in the very near future. If you feel
adventurous then look at the currently unsupported versions too.

First, Office 2004 Standard is made for Macintosh
<http://www.microsoft.com/mac/products/office2004/office2004.aspx?pid=off
ice2004>. I suggest you purchase this rather than a Windows version. It
includes Entourage, Excel, PowerPoint and Word. It does not, however,
include Access.

If you need MS Access, this is only made for Windows. Microsoft also
sells Office 2004 Professional for Mac. This includes Virtual PC 7.0,
which will run Windows on your computer if it's an older PPC Mac and not
one of the newer Intel processor Macs. Virtual PC is slower than a real
PC, but if you'll primarily be using Office for Windows then you should
be fine.

Now, the new and unsupported options for Intel Macs are:

Boot Camp from Apple <http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/>. This was
released just this week as a beta. It's not supported by Apple but will
be supported next year when it's released with Mac OS X 10.5. This
solution will run Mac OS X and Windows, but only one at a time.

Parallels from <http://www.parallels.com/>. This is similar to Virtual
PC but runs only on the Intel Macs. It does run Mac OS X and Windows at
the same time and the reports lately are that it's as fast as a native
Windows computer. But this software is also beta and, believe it or not,
was released just this week.

And OnMac.net <http://www.onmac.net/> recently sponsored a contest for
the first individual or organization to run Windows on an Intel Mac.
Someone claimed the prize a few weeks ago and this is now an open source
(free) project that will continue to refine how it runs Windows on Intel
Macs.

So, decide what you need in Office and then decide if you can use what's
made for Mac or if you need Windows. If you need Windows, decide if
you're needing stability and support for your Mac's Windows system or if
you're feeling adventurous enough to try cutting edge technology. Then
just go for it.

Hope this helps and good luck! bill

 

[Jim Allen]

Hi! TIm really new on with the mac os. I would like tobuy a powebook g4 and
I heard that you can install a microsoft word, excel and powerpoint. My
question is, is it the same with the microsoft windows? because im rally
used to using that kind. Thanks!

 

[Edwin Tam]

I guess you're talking about Microsoft Office for Mac. (latest version is 2004)

If you use Word, Excel and PowerPoint most of the time, you'll find that the
Mac Office 2004 is very much the same as the PC version.

Mac Files can be opened directly by the PC, and vice versa.

Because there is only one mouse button the Mac, you cannot right-click.
Instead, you hold the Ctrl key and click the mouse.

Another advantage of using the mac is, you can print any files to PDF
directly without installing anything additional. The Mac OS uses PDF as one
of the "default" file formats. PDF files can be opened much much faster than
the PC! (This is not a MS Office feature...)

Furthermore, from the personal user's perspective, the e-mail software
called "Entourage" is much more user-friendly than Outlook for PC (while the
later is like driving a fully loaded tank to the supermarket). For example,
it's easier to set up e-mail filters.

For more information, you can go to the MacTopia web site of Microsoft:
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/

Regards,
Edwin Tam
(e-mail address removed)
http://www.vonixx.com

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

I guess you're talking about Microsoft Office for Mac. (latest version is
2004)

If you use Word, Excel and PowerPoint most of the time, you'll find that the
Mac Office 2004 is very much the same as the PC version.

Further to Edwin's excellent points:

Any place that sells Macs (local retailer, Apple store, maybe Best Buy?)
they will probably have Office loaded onto the macs, and you could spend a
little bit of time playing with them.

As someone said, there is no Access on the Mac--also no FrontPage, Visio,
OneNote, etc--*only* Word, PowerPoint, Excel and the Mac-only Entourage
(email, calendar, address book, tasks, news). The only addition in the
Office:Mac Professional retail box is VirtualPC, but if you buy an
Intel-based Mac, VPC does *not* work.

There are certainly Mac equivalents for all the functions in those programs
(some say better ones), but they wouldn't be the same programs that you are
used to. Word, PowerPoint, and Excel are pretty much the same programs you
are used to--some slight differences, a few things that aren't available,
and a few special Mac-only features (e.g., MacWord includes something
similar to a scaled-down version of OneNote).

You might also google a bit for tips for switchers, or tips for new Mac
users. A number of people have blogged about their experience switching from
Windows to Mac, and those might be good reads for you.

Keyboard shortcuts are different, you have to get used to hitting the apple
key (called "command") instead of the control key. However, just about any
two-button mouse can be plugged into the Mac and give you a right-click, and
many mice (e.g., Logitech, Microsoft, various brands) come with Mac drivers
to allow you to customize the 5 buttons, etc. So all the right-click
commands that you are used to are pretty much still there.

As Edwin implied, the main differences you will hit are in the OS, not in
Office. E.g., I don't know how to put a Windows computer to sleep, but once
I manage to find and launch Word, I feel like I know what I'm doing.

Daiya