Five Reasons Why Designers Developers Are Switching to Mac _ Smashing Magazine

8/13/2019 Five Reasons Why Designers Developers Are Switching to Mac _ Smashing Magazine

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2/19/2014 Five R easons Why Designers Developers are Switching to Mac | Smashing Magazine

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Five Reasons Why Designers Developers areSwitching to Mac

Designers and developers have many choices to make when it comes to gettingwork done, from what frameworks, languages, and image editing software touse, to what platform to run. The latter is an oft debated and controversial topicand the mere mention of it risks setting off flame wars of epic proportions, so inthe interest of sanity, well try to avoid any direct comparisons to otheroperating systems.

Its no secret that there has been a growing trend in recent years toward developers, especially of the web

variety, choosing a Mac as their main dev machine . In this two-part series, we will examine some of the

reasons behind this trend, look at some of the pitfalls of switching to the Mac, and go over the must-have

softw are and configurations every switcher should be aware of.

First Reason for Switch ing: Mac OS XYou may have noticed the rise in the number of colleagues and fellow developers who are choosing a Mac as

their next computer. If you havent, youre probably either working for Microsoft or you have an MBA. So why

is it so compelling?

If you were to ask a die-hard Windows user why he or she thinks people like Macs, they would almost

invariably say the reasons are purely about aesthetics. If you were to ask most web developers why they

have switched to a mac, however, the refrain would be loud and unanimous: OSX. To be fair to Windows, in

terms of raw capability the two offerings differ very little; with enough elbow grease, both systems can be

configured in pretty much any way its users wish.

By Mark Nutter 1

Published on April 26th, 2009 in Mac , Productivity with2 3 467 Comments
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When pressured to explain why they prefer OSX, Mac users often rest on qualifiable and subjective

arguments such as it feels intuitive or I enjoy using it more or even I cant explain why I like it better, I just

do. The Windows user, when presented with these arguments, usually rolls his or her eyes and continues on

their way. It isnt until someone truly makes up their own mind to give OSX an honest chance that they can

understand what all the fuss is about.

A Few Quantifiable Benefits of OS X include:

1 . O P E N S O U R C E F R I E N D LY

As a web developer, if theres one skill you invariably have to develop, its the use of a *NIX terminal. Luckily,

because OSX is built on top of UNIX, the terminal is ready and waiting. Every Apple ships with a wide variety

of open source programming tools and frameworks built in such as PHP, Apache, and Ruby on Rails. Linux

users who have grown tired of dealing with hardware issues, especially on laptops, often choose a Mac as

their portable solution because it is UNIX based.

It means that the entire world of open source software out there is pretty much guaranteed to run without

much hassle. In a world where open source software is a way of life, web developers need a friendly

environment to operate in.

2 . Q U A RT Z E X T R E M E


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Quartz is the OpenGL powered windowing system used by OSX. Quartz extreme utilizes the graphics card

exclusively, which means no processor cycles are taxed. This allows for a variety of useful features such as

Expos , which dynamically resizes every window on the screen giving you a birds eye view of your entire

workspace.

Spaces , a feature introduced in OSX 10.5 (Leopard) takes the birds eye view a step further by providing a

view of multiple desktops. To further illustrate the point, you can activate Expos inside Spaces and drag

these windows from desktop to desktop any videos that are playing will continue to play and the windows will dynamically resize to accommodate the extra window. Once you get used to this sort of thing, you wonder

how you ever lived without it.

3 . C O R E A N I M AT I O N

Core animation provides a way for developers to produce animated user interfaces via an implicit animation

model as well as an explicit model. In other words, it means some very flashy and useful features are going

to start showing up in OS X applications much like the animated menu help system shown in the graphic

above. Prodiving developers with a toolset to implement these types of animated effects means software will

become more intuitive.

4 . B U I LT- I N TO O LS


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There are so many useful tools that are built in to the Mac that come in handy for designers and developers

that its easy to see OSX was built with developers and creative professionals in mind . Take the built-in

screen capturing utility Grab for OSX, which has a wide variety of options, from selecting down to the pixel

the area you want to screenshot, to providing window captures complete with the window frame, to outputtingdirectly to the desktop as a .PNG file.

In fact, some tools were created specifically for designers because Apple has long catered to the creative

professional market (indeed, it sustained Apple during their darkest times). More built in tools include:

5 . U N I F I E D U S E R I N T E R FA C EAs any student of design knows, consistency is one of the most important principles to adhere to, and it is

clear the OSX UI was designed with this in mind. Because of the strict user interface guidelines provided by

the Apple software development tools, applications and utilities on a Mac feel like they are all part of the same

system.

The Digital Color Meter a tool that allows you to grab the color value of any pixel on yourscreen.

Console Useful for viewing very large log files

Terminal Mentioned above, complete with many OSS tools like VIM

XCode Tools The Apple development IDE

Zoom easy-as-pie down-to-the-pixel zooming

Safari Debug Mode Similar to Firebug for Firefox

Time Machine dead simple automated backups


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The menu bar, which for some switchers can be a difficult feature to get used to, adheres to this unification by

standardizing the location and layout of the menu options. Drag-and-drop functionality is ubiquitous. Being

able to do things like drag an image off your web browser directly into your Photoshop project are a boon to

productivity. If it feels as though you should be able to drag-and-drop something, you probably can.

6 . S E C U R I T Y

Now before you crack your knuckles and start composing your diatribe about why Macs arent any more

secure than PCs, let me point out a trite but undebatable fact: theres simply less malware out there for Macs

than PCs a LOT less (partly because Unix is inherently more secure than Windows and partly because

Windows is just more wide-spread and Mac users arent targeted that often read more in the article Is The

Mac Really More Secure Than Windows?). If you are on a Mac, at least for the next few more years, you can

pretty much rest assured your days of worrying about virus and spyware scans are a thing of the past.

7 . T E X T M AT E , G R O W L , Q U I C K S I LV E R , A N D M O R E

There is no shortage of text editors available to developers, but one that seems to keep coming up in

recommendation after recommendation is Textmate , the lightweight GUI text editor for OSX. The project

management drawer makes it easy to keep track of folders, which for monolithic MVC frameworks like Ruby

on Rails and CakePHP is a godsend.

Nested scopes allow users to create their own syntax highlighting which is important in the ever changing

world of web development. To speed up the development process, one can utilize snippets or pieces of

reusable code that can be inserted with a few key strokes. While there arent any features that are

revolutionary, they are combined in a way that makes for a very unobtrusive coding experience that seems

very in tune with the overall feel of a Mac.

In addition to Textmate, there is a whole host of other beloved applications that seem to have been created

by people who truly understand and want to emulate the Mac experience, like the quick-launch solution

Quicksilver , the system notifications app Growl, and the chat client Adium. These are pieces of software of a

caliber that is sometimes difficult to find on Windows. It seems that quality, not quantity, is the best way to

describe the Mac software library.

8 . Q U I C K L O O K
http://www.esecurityplanet.com/views/article.php/3658121/Is-the-Mac-Really-More-Secure-than-Windows.htm


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OS X not only has icons that display an actual miniature version of the file they are representing, but its

possible to view the contents of the file in their full glory without having to launch the program they are

associated with simply by hitting the space bar. Furthermore, if a group of icons are highlighted, they can be

expanded into a gallery view .

9 . V I RT U A L I Z AT IO N

OSX is the only OS you can get that can virtualize all three major operating systems out of the box. This is a

must have for checking browser compatibility. To make life even easier, you can do it right from within OSX

using programs like Parallels, Virtualbox, and VMWare Fusion. And if you think web browsers render websites

exactly the same regardless of the operating system theyre running on you are sorely mistaken.

Second Reason for Switching: Intel Inside

When Apple made the switch to Intel chips, it upset a lot of Mac fans out there who liked the fact that Apple

wasnt the same as any other X86 box on the market. With the rise in mobile computing, however, Apple was

forced to face the fact that the PowerPC wasnt offering as good a solution as Intel.

They also knew that by offering a system that could run Windows in addition to OS X they would put to rest

any compatibility arguments. It turned out to be a good strategical move, and droves of would-be switchers

were finally able to take the plunge without being forced to give up their entire libraries of Windows-based

software.


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OSX can virtualize all three major operating systems out of the box . This is a must have for checking browser

compatibility. To make life even easier, you can do it right from within OSX using programs like Parallels,

Virtualbox, and VMWare Fusion. And if you think web browsers render websites exactly the same regardless

of the operating system theyre running on you are sorely mistaken.

Third Reason for Switching: Less Hassle

O P I N I O N AT E D S O F T WA R E

Some people like hassle. In fact, developers typically love getting their hands dirty customizing, maintaining,

and tweaking their operating systems. If you fall under this category, Linux is probably your best fit, followed

by Windows. OS X is more opinionated than other platforms . Its more difficult to customize its look and feel,

theres no easy way to get it to run on anything but Apple hardware, and OS X can be very particular about

the way certain things are done.

Opionated software, however, can have its benefits. While it may be more difficult to customize and hack

every last aspect of your OS, sometimes it can be nice to have a system where a good many of these choices

have already been made for you. Because Apple provides a complete solution, from the operating system

to the hardware to a lot of the software thats bundled in , they have an easier go of making sure the

experience is seemless and well tested. Opinionated software can be a very polarizing concept, however.

Take Ruby on Rails for instance, a web development framework where many decisions are made for the

developer based on the core contributors opinions about best practices. Rails has a preferred javascriptframework, database ORM, templating system, and more. You can choose other configurations if you want

to, but it shines brightest when you do things the Rails Way.

You spend less time customizing and more time actually developing. This hands-off approach can be a major

turn off for some developers, but for others it removes a lot of the hassle and reinventing of the wheel. The

high rate of Mac ownership among Rails developers could be directly attributed to the analogous nature of

Apple and Rails. The analogy is made more apt by any number of PHP vs Ruby on Rails flame wars you can

find out there.

S U P P O RT


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Because Apple provides the whole solution, they are obligated to provide support for the whole solution as

well. Most developers are perfectly willing to trouble shoot their own computers, but when deadlines need to

be met it can be nice knowing that you can offload some of that hassle to people who already know the

system inside and out.

Apple has impressive customer service specifically because they support the entire system, rather than

ust one aspect of the system . Its also handy to be able to take your machine into an actual brick-and-mortar

store rather than deal with outsourced phone support.

Lets face it, when it comes to a non-technical spouse or family member, we can expect to do a lot of

troubleshooting. Just like its nice not to have to worry about troubleshooting your own computer, its even

nicer not to have to worry as much about other peoples computers. It is reasonable to assume that because

Macs typically have less security issues (at least for now), theres less time spent trying to explain how to

avoid malware and actually removing it.

Fourth Reason for Switching: MicrosoftIf you like it or not: a big reason why developers have been flocking to Apple is in part due to the fact that it

isnt the big M. When personal computing was still in its infancy, the reverse was true. Microsoft understood

that it was the developers (developers developers) that would make their OS successful while Apples closed

model ended up being a huge mistake.


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Once Microsoft started dominating the marketplace, however, the pungent stench of monopoly sparked the

open source movement, and more and more developers were starting to wonder if there were better options

out there.

Linux is of course the golden child of the open source movement, but despite the efforts of Ubuntu it is still a

ways off in terms of being a turnkey solution for most people. Enter Apple: a Unix based system that despite

being every bit as closed as Microsoft, is in large part the antithesis of Microsoft.

Microsoft software has the unfortunate feeling of having been designed by committee . Features are packed

in with little regard to their usefulness, and aesthetics are seemingly an afterthought. When Vista first

launched, the Aero user interface was so flashy it required higher end machines to even run it, somewhat

defeating the argument Microsoft was making about the affordability of PCs. OSX was designed to run as wellon the most expensive Mac Pro as it would an eight year old Powerbook because they control the solution

from hardware to software.

Unfortunately, Windows doesnt come bundled with PHP, Rails, or any other open-source web development

frameworks or languages any time soon. More and more of what we do is in the cloud these days anyways

and it is almost starting to feel quaint when you come across new software that runs solely as a desktop

client. Microsoft has painted themselves into a corner they rely on closed formats and standards in a worl

where open source software, open formats, and open standards are king.

Fifth Reason For Switching: Design and Minimalism


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Good design gets out of the way. It doesnt demand to be seen or appreciated. Most of all, good design is

something you dont even notice at first. Bang & Olufsen understands this, and Apple understands this. As ofthis writing, there are only two styles of Apple notebook: silver and white, and white is only available in the

cheapest configuration. Apple notebooks are free of stickers, screws, vents, buttons, switches, and graphics.

What this leaves is a system with little to look at other than the screen in front of you, which is as it should be.

The benefit of the entire product development cycle being done under one house is that Apple crea tes a

system that truly feels as though it was created by one person .

At the heart of Apples design philosophy is the concept of minimalism . It is a concept that has worked well

for companies such as Google. We all remember the gratuitous placement of links and ads on most search

engines before Google came around with its simple search bar. After all, it was the search that was the

important part, not the content the provider was hoping we would want. Apple figures if not including a feature

angers 1% of their consumer base but makes things easier for the other 99% its probably worth doing.

Take, for instance, the lack of a second mouse buttom. It may seem like a glaring omission on Apples part,

but it has had some unintended consequences: because developers cant simple throw commands into a

bloated right-click menu they are forced to think more about the one-click usability of their applications.

Minimalist design has its downsides too, however. Macs lack card readers, often have 2-3 less USB ports

than even low end machines, and are typically difficult to customize . For those of you who value a product

that gives you many choices, Apple is going to fall short. It is often pointed out that upgrading a Mac is easy:

Just throw it away and buy a new one.

Humor aside, this isnt too far from the truth but the good news is that Macs hold their value better than any

computer on the market. Instead of throwing it away, sell it on Ebay for healthy head-start on a new machine.


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Macs PitfallsIts not all sunshine and rainbows for everyone who switches to a Mac. There are the inevitable bumps in the

road that everyone experiences when making a major platform change, and for some people these bumps

are outright road blocks. Heres what to be aware of:

1 . C O N T R O L IS N O W C O M M A N D

Breaking the habit of using control as the main modifier key on your system can take a bit of time and some

people never quite get the hang of it. Old habits die hard and muscle memory dies harder. This is a problem

that can be solved by re-mapping command to the control key , but when you are using a system that

assumes a certain configuration you may run into confusion later on.

2 . N O S E C O N D M O U S E B U T TO N

Unless you use an external mouse with your Apple laptop you will have to get used to the lack of a second

mouse button. The truth is there is no optimal number of mouse buttons . Luckily, you can enable right-

clicking in a number of ways on a mac, such as tapping the track pad with two fingers simultaneously or

holding ctrl when clicking.

3 . N O M A X I M I ZI N G O F W I N D O W S

This is actually starting to become less true as time goes on as ex-Windows users who develop software for

the Mac include the feature (for instance, maximize on firefox for the Mac works as expected). But the typical

maximize you are used to in Windows cannot be found on the Mac , and for some this can be extremely

frustrating. In fact, the whole stop-light window controls can at times feel stale and unintuitive.


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4 . L A C K O F A N A F F O R D A B L E M A C

Perhaps the most popular sticking point of non-Mac users, price is always at the heart of the debate. Under

$1200 or so, there is no question that byte for byte, ghz for ghz, you can get a better raw value by avoiding

Apple. Apple has chosen not to enter the sub $1000 PC not because it doesnt want to grow sales, but

because it wants to avoid the dogfight that Sony, HP, and other brands are in for the lower end market.

Profit margins are razor thin in that range, after all. Apple is certainly catering to the botique style consumer.

If you are pinching pennies these days the price issue may just be the one pitfall you cant bring yourself

to overcome.

5 . M U C H S M A L L E R S O F T WA R E L I B R A RY

While this is somewhat mediated by the fact that you can virtualize Windows on a Mac, it is a far cry from

being able to run your favorite programs natively on your system. If you are using software on a regular basis

that only runs in the Windows environment, you may want to think hard about whether moving to a Mac is

worth the trouble.

6 . Y O U C A N T B U I L D A M A C ( E A S I LY )

Part of the success of Windows was the fact that they licensed it to run on any PC, anywhere. Apple has been

closed since the word go, save a brief period where they allowed Mac clones to exist in what turned out to be

a devastatingly bad idea. If youre the type who loves building your own PC from scratch, a Mac is not going

to offer much for you.

In general, even the most jaded Windows user is inevitably going to miss at least a few features or aspects of

Windows during their switch to a Mac. The best policy to follow is to keep an open mind during the learning

process. Try doing things the Mac way for a week and keep your skepticism to a minimum.

Above all, ask questions before you make assumptions. Theres a fervent Apple community out there (in case

you havent noticed) that have solutions for every issue you find, thanks in part to the fact that most of them

are switchers themselves. Remember, if youre having the issue, chances are good some other switcher

experienced it before you and created or found a solution.

ConclusionWhile not the right solution for everyone, its clear that many people are switching to a Mac these days for a

good many reasons. Nevertheless, Macs are expensive and require users patience and willingness to adapt

his or her behavior to a compltely different interface. Mac is certainly not an option for every user, but it is

definitely an option worth considering particularly for designers or developers.


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Join us in Part 2 of this series where we examine some of the must have software, configurations, and tricks

that every new Mac user should know about. Please feel free to subscribe to our RSS-feed

and follow us on Twitter .

F O O T N O T E S :

Mark Nutter - http://www.smashingmagazine.com/author/mark-nutter/?rel=author0

Mac - http://www.smashingmagazine.com/tag/mac/1

Productivity - http://www.smashingmagazine.com/tag/productivity/2

Mark Nutter runs a web development shop in Minnesota. You can follow

him on Twitter where he occasionally says something worthwhile.

With a commitment to quality content for the design community.

Made in Germany. 2006-2014. http://www.smashingmagazine.com
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Five Reasons Why Designers Developers Are Switching to Mac _ Smashing Magazine

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