Consider the new MBP with Retina ! Need expert advice.

[KevinJS]

To be honest, I could never see myself switching from Windows to Apple. The transformation is not actually complete, since I still use my Vista beast, and have things going on that OS X simply cannot do.

For example, I run Serviio on both the PC and the Mac. On the PC it is easy to map the server to external drives. On the Mac it doesn't appear to be possible.

Windows 8 changed everything for me, though. I hate that OS with a passion, and have no intention of going anywhere near a PC with it installed. I'd still happily use a PC with 7 or XP.

 

[mydave]

I thought that Mac OS 10 would allow mapping, as per these two papers:

. Map a Network Drive on a Mac http://osxdaily.com/2010/09/20/map-a-network-drive-on-a-mac/
. Connect to shared computers and file servers on a network http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10644

Did you try them ? I am not familiar with Serviio, but I have a large Windows 8 Server, plus some NAS drives. The mapping ability is important and is one of the reasons that I wanted to clear up prior to make the jump.

Windows 8 is a failure and it hurts Microsoft badly, although some ideas for its design were good. The current version 8.1 is much better, but it cannot erase the horror from customers. I found that Windows 8.1 is pleasant to use. Its blazing speed, wide coverage of drivers and less demanding hardware are the keys. I don't use Metro apps and SkyDrive, so no comment on those. I converted three laptops, two with dual cores and one with quad cores. Windows 8.1 works great on all three with almost similar performance. They all outrun our primary Win 7 computer.

I appreciate the discussion, and love to hear all comments.

 

[KevinJS]

Thanks. I'll check that out, and see if it helps. The reason external drives are so easy when using Windows is the assignment of drive letters. Serviio simply picks up the drive regardless of how it is connected (USB 2.0), whereas Serviio on the Mac appears to be oblivious to external drives.

 

[mydave]

Hi All,
Just a quick update
Got a Mini i7 from this link http://forums.appleinsider.com/t/18...an-for-free-now-with-imacs-mac-pros-mac-minis. $50 discount plus free 3-years Apple Protection Plan.
After a couple of hours of setting up and playing around, I found:

The good:
. Price & Free Protection Plan, of course.
. Windows Server and NAS storage are detected and accessed without any issue.

The bad:
. Dual Monitors are possible, but only in duplicate mode. The HDMI connection to a Samsung 32" LCD is fine, but the connection to Samsung SyncMaster 192MP thru Thunderbold/MiniDisplay port is lousy. So more reseach
. The Mini was shipped with Mac OS 10.9.2. After updating to 10.9.4, the latter display won't . . . display anymore.

A surprise:
Started Safari, and as a magic, all bookmarks from Windows are shown. How in the world could this happens? Apple has a spy at my house ?

More later . . .

 

[KevinJS]

Do you have HDMI out on that Mini? I have no trouble running a second display from my MBP.

Congrats on the purchase, btw. You will LOVE it.

I suspect your Windows bookmarks are shown in Safari as you are running the server version of Windows. Could be an iCloud phenomenon, though. Who knows, these days? Computers seem able to grab info from wherever they see fit.

 

[KevinJS]

I see you do have HDMI out. I'll have to have a look at thunderbolt. I wonder if the Samsung is capable of displaying the required resolution? Just a thought. Is there such a beast as a thunderbolt to HDMI adaptor?

 

[mydave]

Hi Kevin,

When you running a second display from your MBP, do they display the same screen? This is what I found when the Mini was on iOS 10.9.2. Or can you set them as extended (or continuous) display ? In another word, can you have an app running on one, and another app running on the second display ? This is what I am after and it was working beautifully on my Windows computers.

There are all kinds of thunderbolt cables, including HDMI, DVI, VGA, etc. . . The trick is to find which one that would work. I did a lot of google search, but still, my first attempt at thunderbolt to DVI ends up badly.

I’d love to love my first Mac. The hurdle for now is the display situation as I normally run multiple apps at the same time. For years, I’m used to jump from one display to another. I just found another hurdle to overcome: The wifi connection interrupted twice since last night.

New toy, new problem

 

[KevinJS]

You can mirror or extend displays. I'll go through the setups for you at the weekend and post here. Shouldn't be any real difference between the Mini and the MBP.

Just a word of caution. HDMI carries audio; DVI does not. Mixing the 2 can cause issues. AFAIK Thunderbolt is for very high resolution displays, but I need to do some reading.

 

[mydave]

Hi again,

The Mac => A machine that people either love it or hate it. Why ?
For me, I am pleased to have one and having good times getting used to it.

The issues with Dual displays, Server connection, write to NTFS drives & random Wifi disconnection have been taken care of . So far I stay within the built-in apps, but it is time to start looking for additional apps. The problem was, any of them would have good and bad feedback. Hence, I'd like to hear more of personal experiences from here:

. Flash Player? This is needed by some websites and there is no alternative app or Safari extension.
. Total Finder and/or Path Finder? The built-in Finder does not offer the cut & move file. Most people prefers Total Finder (cheaper). But it replaces the built-in Finder, which may cause instability and/or trouble uninstalling.
. Folx GO+ ? I'm looking for something that would work as Internet Download Manager (IDM) in Windows.

Before purchasing the Mac, I was prepared to upgrade it to Fusion Drive with an SSD and additional Ram. So far, it appears to be unnecessary. The machine is, beside of being a great performer, quiet and looks pretty sitting right in front of the displays.

If you all have something to add, advise, comment, please do so. I trust the folks at this forum and don't really want to sign up to any other forum.

Cheers,

 

[KevinJS]

Additional apps: Here goes

Vox, for starters. It's a music player that will handle all sorts of stuff, including FLAC.

VLC, naturally. Great for video and comes with every codec known to man.

iBooks. Apple app, but not native.

Pages, Numbers and Keynote, if they didn't come preloaded, you probably qualify for free versions.

Skype, for those timers when FaceTime won't cut it.

Twitter, because...well, why not.

ShortWave, great Internet radio app.

Caffeine, stops your Mac going to sleep.

That's about all I have for now. I know some of our other members use Macs, some exclusively, so maybe they have some suggestions.

 

[KevinJS]

BTW, Flash works with Safari. Just go to the Flash site and download it.

NOTE: This advice is for Mac, NOT iPad.

 

[twerppoet]

Flash Player: There is a Safari plugin from Adobe. Don't confuse iOS with iOS X. You can also get Silverlight and Java in Safari on OS X. Though the use case for Java is declining and Apple turns it off by default.

The most recent version Safari is smart about the use of Flash. It does not load the plugin until you click on the Flash content.

Finder Replacements: I've no experience with replacements. I've never had problems with Finder for basic use. If you want a duplicate of a file, right click on it and choose Duplicate them move it. Or you can choose copy, navigate to folder you want, right click in some white space, and choose Paste Item.

What I'm even more likely to do is open a second finder view at the destination, make my duplicate, then drag that to the second view. If I have a folder that I'm moving content to a lot, then I add that folder the Finder's sidebar; so that I can drag and drop with only one window.

I don't move files around often enough that I need to streamline this.

Also, when you are viewing a set of options in a menu, main or contextual, try holding down the Option key. This will often get you some choices. For instance, when using iWorks you can reveal the missing Save As option.

 

[mydave]

Gentlemen,

Thanks for your kind comments & tips.

@KevinJS ,
iBooks, Pages, Numbers and Keynote are preloaded. Caffeine looks great, and free, so why not. I assumed that the rest of the apps haven't caused any issue to your mac.

@KevinJS & @twerppoet,
As for Flash, I am aware of Safari plug-in, thanks to this soure http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/enabling-flash-player-safari.html . However, I experienced Flash problem on Windows before, so same may apply to Mac. I checked the web, Apple Support Forum, MacUpdate etc . . . some praises some hates, some in between. Hence, I raised the inquiry.

@twerppoet,
The built-in Finder is fine. Multiple Finder windows are possible, so moving files by copying & pasting then deleting the original(s) are doable. Just not as convenience as just cut & paste. Many Mac users adapted either Total Finder or Path Finder. Beside of Cut & Paste ability (as I understand it), they offer additional options that the built-in lacks. Praises mostly. Some complaints about freezing and/or other effect. It would be nice to hear the feedback from trustworthy people than general postings on the web.

Best,

 

[twerppoet]

You don't have to copy/paste/delete. If all you want do do is move the files, just drag them to the new location.

More of a Spotlight than Finder replacement, but I know several power users that love Alfred. You can create workflows for your common tasks.

http://www.alfredapp.com

They've mentioned a couple of Finder enhancements besides Alfred, but I can't remember the names.

Of course, for real power you could master the Terminal. There's very little you can't do there, if you're willing to tackle the learning curve.

 

[Thomas1977]

What is a MBP with retina?