WWDC 2007: The Aftermath

Well, WWDC is over and all of the pundits have made their claims about Apple’s successes and flops. As for me, I am just glad to get back to the norm here in the office. WWDC was a mixed bag for me. It was my first Apple conference in many years (the last was MacWorld in 1998) and there was much to learn.

Overall, it was a good show. It was not the networking venue I had expected and the food was abysmal at best. Still, there were some good sessions with respect to the technology as well as better understanding real-world software solutions (and yes, I am being vague intentionally). Lastly, I am unsure if I will attend next year, as for my own personal benefit, I probably could have held off from attending (and saved my company money too).

Okay, enough about WWDC. It’s over and now we all have to wait four more months until we get a build of Leopard that should in fact work.

Captain’s Log, Stardate 06192007

Sometimes its good to step back and see what you’ve accomplished (or what you haven’t accomplished). For the previous three months, my articles have been based on how being a switcher has made me more (or less) productive using the Apple platform. In summary, I have learned that:

1. Don’t do Unix-level things when you don’t know Unix that well.
2. Understand your personal workflow.
3. Get the right tools for the job (keyboard/mice).
4. Don’t become a zealot just because others do.

I admit that I need to improve upon #1. I need to get a good book to refresh my memory on Unix (it has been 16 years since I had to use it) so that I can become more aware of my machine. Even though Apple built the machine to make it idiot-proof, some idiots (like me) can still do damage.

For #2, this actually keeps changing. I enjoy Microsoft Entourage, although I just wish it was more extensible. For example, I use Plaxo, and I cannot integrate with Entourage directly. I can use sync services (and we all know how unreliable it is), although that scares me. Also, because I use Exchange at work, I use Entourage for all of my meetings. It just works better.

Funny, I have considered using Outlook and Parallels (which means running Parallels all the time). Unfortunately, my business has not upgraded to Parallels 3.0 or Office 2007. So, I’ll have to pass on that option for now.

For #3, I settled on the Microsoft Ergonomic Mouse and the Goldtouch keyboard from Key Ovation. Yes, these are both suiting my needs just fine. In fact, when I use my Wireless Mighty Mouse at home, I miss the feel of the Microsoft mouse in the office. I didn’t think I would notice, but it is pretty significant in terms of feel. If only M$ had a bluetooth option for the ergonomic mouse…. :(

For #4, this one cracks me up. Computers are tools. They are beautiful tools if we take care of them and they can enhance our productivity. If we look at one company or another in terms of who makes the best OS, or the best laptop, or whatever, folks will scream at the top of their lungs that Apple or M$ or whomever is best. One word: whatever.

Look, it’s about getting things done. Sure, we all have our preferences. This weekend, I installed Vista into a Parallels image on my personal machine—a MacBook Core Duo (1st gen MacBook). I must say, Vista is nice. I don’t have any intentions to switch back to it, although it is a nice experience. Is Leopard 100 times better than Vista? Well, from what I can tell, it is better, but not by 100%. I think 10% is more viable.

Either way, I am on the Mac now and plan to stay for the foreseeable future.

Moving forward

I intend to start writing some reviews. A few folks approached me and I want to give their products a fair shake. Stay tuned for some new and more interesting content than just my humble little opinions and/or experiences with the Mac.