Breaking in the MacBook

Back in March, I convinced the powers that be that my work laptop replacement ought to be a MacBook. (Okay, there wasn't too much arm twisting because our Systems head "is a Mac" at home.) Alas, it did not come in time for Computers in Libraries in order for me to have my full geek on, but it was waiting for me when I got back from DC. I only last week switched it to my primary computer cuz I was waiting for Adobe CS4 Suite, which I need on a daily basis for web stuff. A recent consultant's report suggested that we experiment with Macs, and according to Google Analytics numbers from the past month, 8.56% of our users are coming to the library's web site on Macs. This may not seem like much, but three years ago, we were at 2.25% of total users. That's almost a fourfold increase in Mac use in three years!

I should note that this is not my first Mac, or even my first MacBook Pro. I have a long and happy Mac history. Most of my high school papers were written on an Apple IIGS, and my desk in college sported the jaunty Macintosh Classic. The screen was literally the size of an index card. Ah, the hours I wasted playing Risk! I can still hear the happy "ding ding ding" as my armies swept through Asia and into Australia. Early grad school saw a departure from the Mac realm and computer ownership in general because I was in Europe. Re-entry came during the second go at grad school (back in the states) when my then-boyfriend-now-husband bought a PowerBook G3. A long happy string of laptops has followed: my white iBook (still in use by my mom), his PowerBook G4 and my first MacBook Pro. (Did I forget any, D?) We somehow missed iMacs, but then ended up inheriting one from my parents. We've been in our current house just over three years, and the PC boxes are where we put them when we unpacked them: in the basement, under his work table. Where they belong, bwahahaha-hah! Erm, ahem, excuse me.

Here's what I'm still getting used to, using a Mac in a work environment. If you have solutions or suggestions to any of these, let me have 'em! :) Would love to hear about any web-specific stuff, too. Was recently told about Coda at a Drupal gathering. (Thanks, Amy!)

-Entourage. 'Nuff said. It didn't carry over my task categories! But I had to redo them anyway. It seems to be syncing up okay with our Exchange server, at least. Article: "Entourage is not Outlook."

-Finding equivalents for work software. Adium works great instead of Pidgin for our IM chat client. What's your favorite file transfer client? I've heard Transmit. (And yes, I know there's a built-in terminal.) There are other little things, like a personal favorite, ColorSchemer, which I just need to buy again. Ah, well. That's one more PC license I can pass to someone on my newly-formed Web Team.

-Sharp edges on the base cut into my wrists a bit as I type. Guess that means I'm lazy and not assuming an ergonomically correct position. And the brilliant, super-sharp, clear screen more than makes up for it.

-Getting it into the network at work. Macs are supported on campus, but I gather not too widely used, so I spent much of the day a week ago Friday chatting with various campus IT help desk folks. Took a bit to figure out the right way to map to the shared drives, but got it now! Still have to connect every time I start up; there must be a way to autoconnect? If not, I can live with it.

-Still fight it to print at work, too, but this network stuff I'll figure out in time. I'd better, anyway, because we've already ordered two more!

-Still getting used to little things like right clicking, the trash can, the absence of the delete key, etc.--which is odd, because I'm totally used to that at home! Fact is, my work workflow is much different than what I do at home. I hadn't realized how much my brain was partitioned for work and home computing.

-I do like being well-versed in both PC and Mac worlds, and I'm worried that my PC "skills," whatever they are, will diminish. Then I come around and think, "So what?!"

-Supporting both at work for other users. Those who will want Macs will be folks who already have them at home and who are not afraid to try new things, so I do take some comfort in that. Meanwhile, I'm working on an inventory of all of the library software and whether there's a Mac version or equivalent. So far, so good; nothing deal-breaking, and it's not like we're going to sweep through and replace everybody. Would love to hear of anyone's experience in transitioning to supporting Macs in the workplace in a library environment! That'd be a good conference session...

But ya know what? I'm getting over it all of this. However, I will confess that yesterday, I just wanted to power through a bunch of web maintenance stuff, and I used the Dell for most of the day.

Speaking of switching to Macs, I just love this recent Mac ad. I love how it turns the whole weak/lame "I'm a PC" ad campaign on its ear when the woman says, "I'm a Megan."