Quick technical question for Mac users/owners

[itsallovernow]

My new baby arrived, so I'm sitting here drooling over my new iBook G4 and I have a few questions.

First of all, does anyone have recommendations or insights into purchasing software. I will probably have to hold off for a while if I want Quark because it's so ungodly pricey. I have MS Office on my current computer at work, but I don't know if it will transfer over or how to do that.

Also, for those who've used both Quark and InDesign, which do you prefer, which is more user friendly and which is more either affordable or cost effective.

Sigh, this was why I hesitated about the computer. I've never actually had to buy software before. How sad is that. I've always just gotten it from work:)

Comments

[shighola.livejournal.com]

Find the MS Office installation disk at work. You'll need that to install Office and the registration code.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Argh. Thank you!!

[ctegan.livejournal.com]

Is it safe to assume your MS Office/work computer is Windows based? You could just use Apple Works (preloaded on your iBook). You can open .doc files (Apples Works will automatically do whatever conversion is necessary) on your iBook, and I believe *save* files as .doc as well. I've opened MSWord documents on my iBook, but never tried the reverse. I'm not sure if you can install Windows programs on the Mac as I've only ever installed Mac-specific programs.

I understand the benefits of work software. *g* Photoshop, Illustrator and some others are from my sister's work as she had to install them on her computer so she can work on projects at home, too. Since she borrows my iBook from time to time those programs were installed on mine as well. (hehehe) I reap the benefits. :P

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

No, my work computer is a an iMac, I've just never transferred anything off it:) I'm as worried about my iTunes as I am about my Word docs:)

I can probably get Photoshop from work, but Quark is another beast altogether:)

[maudelynn.livejournal.com]

Yes I know how you feel, the only thing I worry about as much as my I Tunes is my novel. I have printed out each chapter 3 times and backed it all up on about 5 different discs.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

I just succesfully got one computer to give all it's applications to another!! But we were like surgeons with the iTunes, delicate and careful:)

[maudelynn.livejournal.com]

No advice here. Just stumbled across your entry and want to say
Hello fellow mac user and Damien Rice fan. Also have you heard about the new Dylan exhibit at EMP? It is called Bob Dylan's American Journey. I am going on friday and if you want me to tell you about it just comment to this :}

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

I'd loooove to hear about the exhibit! Thank you!

[fourteenlines.livejournal.com]

I know you can download a Quark demo, and I think an InDesign demo as well, but I'm not sure how effective they are. Other than that, I know nothing.

I quite like Appleworks. In fact, I despise Word. Sigh.

omgsqueeewantswantswantsomg

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

I haven't used AppleWorks in so long that I've pretty much forgotten what it's capable of:) But I use Word for work, so I've sort of fallen into its spell:)

I've used Quark, and like it, but the cost is prohibitive if I have to buy it myself. You can buy packages of the Adobe stuff which still ends up being less than Quark on its own.

And well, I love my iBook. Love it love it love it:) Hee.

[ixchup.livejournal.com]

Thea:

Quark is yechy on OS X and doesn't behave. I would go with InDesign for the following reasons:

It handles fonts much better (especially with OS X 10.3's Font Manager).
It handles color more naturally (Postscript being Adobe's language)
It offers more precision than Quark.

the downside is the learning curve. InDesign is like Illustrator and all the other Adobe products and if you haven't used them in a while it sorta looks like Photoshop. The metaphor for the desktop is very different from Quark's. All your Quark files are convertable to InDesign through an extension that is free from Adobe. I have helped several freinds do the transition and it is relatively painless.

I would get .Mac and you get backup and Virex for the $99 as well as lots of other software.

It depends what you are using your iBook for, but I would download FireFox and use that as your browser if you don't like Safari. Don't bother with IE.

Get TechTools Pro 4 for defragging and fixing.

I think that is all you need.

I write Mac books and would be glad to help you out offline if you want. PM me on Kansas with any questions.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much, hon! For all of the advice. It's so very exciting to have a new Mac. I work pretty exclusively on Macs, so this is just like a speedy little treat:) But I'm sure I'll need advice as I undertake working with it on my own, and I already have some questions, so I will definitely be e-mailing you:) For instance, what did I do to my iMac that won't let it see the iBook as a FireWire hard drive:)

[ixchup.livejournal.com]

A question--restart the ibook and hold down the T key while it starts (provided you have connected the two machines via a firewire cable). That'll start the ibook as a hard drive on your iMac.

I just bought the new G5 today! I was in lust and got a great project going. So I'll play along with you. Ask away.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

I've done that, but the G3 iMac isn't seeing the iBook as a hard drive, even though I did the opposite exchange and the iBook saw the iMac. I think I must have a setting wrong on the iMac.

[ixchup.livejournal.com]

hmmmm my next question is what is the operating system on the iMac? I just checked on http://www.macfixit.com and there is a problem with slave/master systems on Mac OS 10.2. Here is the fix:

FireWire target disk mode workaround On Friday we detailed Mac OS X 10.2's inability to boot a system in FireWire target disk mode when both systems are connected, and booted at the same time. Tony Manzo and several other readers note that despite Apple's warning to the contrary, unplugging and reconnecting the FireWire cable to the host computer after both system have booted seems to allow FireWire disk mode operation:

"The solution is to put the target computer in slave mode (hold 'T' on startup) and then disconnect the firewire from the host computer and then plug it back in. Apple warns against this in a Knowledge Base article, but it seems to work."

try that and see what happens. If firewire doesn't work, purchase an ethernet crossover cable and use your ethernet connection and file sharing to transfer files between the two computers. That's all I can think of at the moment. I'll keep pondering the problem. Please let me know if that solution works.

[kixxa.livejournal.com]

Go with InDesign...it's better and cheaper. Quark is losing the plot. (email me if you want any advice on InDesign)

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Thank you, thank you!! (I'd remembered that you had switched over to InDesign and were starting to really like it:)

[maudelynn.livejournal.com]

thought you might like this icon

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Oh, god. That's absolutely lovely!!!

[maudelynn.livejournal.com]

Feel free to pillage... but remember pillage THEN burn!!

also fyi as we speak damien rice is putting back up vocals on a song called Orange Nickers by Tori Amos. It is meant to be on her new album coming out in Feb 2005

[applewoman.livejournal.com]

I've used Quark for a number of years at work, but my company recently decided to switch over to InDesign. During the transition period I'm having to use both programs, and I think InDesign is fabulous. It can do a lot of things that Quark simply can't do. I can't wait to ditch Quark and switch over entirely.

There's a general feeling in the tech support world that Quark doesn't care about the end user. They've expected everyone to keep buying their product because there was no competition for a long time and it became the default for the industry. That's changing now. Many, many companies are switching over to InDesign.

There is a bit of a learning curve with InDesign, but if you're used to Photoshop or Illustrator you'll recognize a lot of the same tools. And if you're a quick study with software you should be able to pick up the basics without much trouble.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Thanks!! The feeling I'm getting is that InDesign is the way to go, but:

There is a bit of a learning curve with InDesign, but if you're used to Photoshop or Illustrator you'll recognize a lot of the same tools. And if you're a quick study with software you should be able to pick up the basics without much trouble.

Well, I used to think I was a quick study, but Photoshop is like a different language for me, and one that comes without a dictionary or translator at that:) But I picked up some of the stuff in Quark fairly quickly, and got a crash course in photoshop over the weekend, so hopefully I'll be ready to start playing:)

Again, thanks for the input. It's much appreciated.

[raithen.livejournal.com]

I tend based on very little evidence to support the votes for InDesign....

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Well, it certainly falls into the cheaper than Quark category:)

[ixchup.livejournal.com]

Oh, I forgot to add--Adobe has a great education price for InDesign so it is definitely cheaper than Quark. You are like me--I was so afraid of Photoshop because of its language jargon but Cathy1967 showed me over the hump and following Scorpy808's instructions have also taught me how to do things and the rest is experimentation. Layton Colt has a great Farscape fanfic site with great instructions on how she did her desktops. Grey Dawn Farscape site as a bonus she is a great writer (Chiana stories) who won't post on Kansas.