One more reason to consider switch to MAC OS.
Do you have to create any presentation on work, university, volunteer activity ?
The answer to the topic you have to try “d**n f****g” great software called ‘Keynote’ from the set iWork 08. It is software for creating presentations, PowerPoint is analog.
iWork goes with Pages (Word processor), Numbers (Excel or Calc analog).
It is worth each cent , you have paid for that.
I have not used Pages and Numbers, but today’s experience with Keynote has been amazing.
Trust me all people like nice and smooth documents and presentations, the Keynote is key how to get nice and smooth presentation without extensive efforts.
Program usage is extremely easy, I believe even 60 years old person could understand and use it. All functions that makes your presentation from usual to something specific are available one step.
Default settings are so nice, that even using default options you can looking good presentation, you have to pull a lot of efforts to get bad presentation with Keynote (only total lack of taste could do it for you).
Additionally Keynote has additional functions that makes your life easier, for instance two monitors option, when main monitor displays the picture, while second display current and next slide, time and countdown timer, moreover you can create notes and read them during presentation. Cool !
Keynote remembered me experience with Latex (the way to achieve the result was different). When I had to write master thesis, I thought that Word or Openoffice Word Processor are not the tools, that I like too much. Then I was informed about Latex existence, software that is able to create from ugly document – nice and good looking document. Actually, Latex does not allow to create ugly document, there are a lot of rules and options that avoids you from that. The problem with Latex, that most of operations are done from the console and you have to write document in code (when you write 10 or 15 pages, it becomes more easier), however issues may occur with specific option. At the end you have to compile the document.
I have to say that you get extremely good results, but you have pull a lot of efforts.
So, Keynote is something like Latex for presentation, but putted to nice-looking, intuitive GUI interface.
Thank you software developer for such great software.
I agree what OS you choose depends on what you are looking for and keynote is an excellent part of what you can do with a Mac. Personally I use both Windows and Mac, (not on the same machine) and I find them to be both great OS’s yes Windows crashes more and Mac can’t play popular games. It is really about what you are looking at doing, and I think that this blog post is a perfect example of just that. If you do presentations then OS X might be the way to go, if you want to play the most popular and new games Windows might be the way to go.
Very well wrtten post and informative about something specific for OSX
I disagree slightly with what jmscharff2 is saying about games on macs (no offense jmscharf), the support for gaming on macs is getting better and better, you can easily pickup bioshock for mac and other games.
jmscharff2, thank you for the comments.
I’m using 3 of them simultaneosly MAC OS (Leopard), Windows (Windows XP), Linux (mostly Ubuntu, Gutsy and Feisty). I agree, that there will be always specific software that may run only on Windows for instance.
However, I should agree with wizardcreations. Previously, I had the same thoughts about games and MAC support, as I’m not big fan of the games really, it is not a big deal (I like[d] to play sport simulators like NHL or interesting strategy), but recently I’ve found the interesting list,
http://www.apple.com/games/articles/
You may look and go trough – list is getting bigger, as MAC OS becomes more popular, so people who like gaming may expect even more supported games from the manufacturers.
I use Keynote every day in a teaching role with elementary students. It is a total gem. Not much else to say except it is worth the cost of the iWork suite alone.
That’s nice, that somewhere teachers use Keynote to teach students.
Unfortunately, MAC OS is not the OS that is used by our teachers in Latvia (I’m talking about my university, I’d get master degree), some of them even do not know anything about PowerPoint.
There is such big difference between default PowerPoint and default Keynote presentation, probably content is most important thing that design, but I think design plays big role.
I’m completely agree with you, it is a total GEM.
As well, in case you have basic understanding of what should you put to the presentation, Keynote could be lethal weapon, in case you have skills to create good presentation.
I agree with you wizardcreations the game support is getting better, however it isn’t at the same pace with windows. I do look foward to them both being at the same pace because with the OS X superb operating system that rarely crashes the games will be even better. I didn’t mean to say that OS X can’t play games I just meant they arn’t at the same place.