mfmercer said:
Question. Is this the right forum to discuss whether I should get a new PC or try a new Mac?
It's as good as any.
Have recent Mac advances eased some of the incompatibility issues between the PC world and the Apple world? Can I edit an MS Word doc on an Imac if need be? Just miss the luxury of a Mac.
Yes, OS X is much more compatible with Windows than ever before. It has the ability to browse SMB/CIFS shares from the Finder (Mac file browser), and TextEdit has the ability to read and write to .doc (Word) files. There is a native version of
Office available, and if all else fails there is always
Virtual PC, which I can personally recommend. I use it to run Windows 98SE 'cause I need ActiveSync for my work, and the machine I'm using it on is 5+ years old (PowerBook G3 300, also known as the Wallstreet)
Perhaps the best place to start is at Apples
Switch page. Also check out the
OS X Panther Overview page. (Panther is the latest iteration of Mac OS X; it's also known as OS X 10.3. Yeah, I know, the naming scheme is kinda screwy.)
Of course, there are certain apps that just aren't made for the Mac, and never will be. Before deciding, make certain that all the software that you need is available for the Mac, or has an acceptable alternative.
Hope this helps.
(tig)